If not for you my sky would fall

I really enjoyed painting this, but I was torn between posting it or tweaking it a tad more. There is just something about seeing it in different light, on the computer, etc, etc. I decided it was better to move on.

Hope your world is bright.
Cheers,
Karen

Oil on paint board, 8x10", landscape, nfs

Artichoke Flower

 Artichoke blossoms.

They are just giant thistles, right?

But they are so pretty and they taste so good!

(There is even a liqueur made from it. Weird.) 

Hope all is well in your world.

Karen

Oil on Fredrix paint board, 8x10", still life, Sold 

Friend or Foe

So this is the painting I finished at the workshop I recently attended led by Carlo Russo who is a phenomenal painter. I really cannot say enough good things about his work. And he was a very patient and helpful instructor. If you are interested in painting still life and get a chance, attend one of his workshops.
Overall, for the class I attended it was a great bunch of people. No egos, just people eager to learn. However, a student in the class rolled in with a brand new plein air paint box - truly state of the art - the whole rig was great - and completely untouched. Ok, fine. You want to have the best at your fingertips.... Then the student disregarded just about everything he had just gone over in his demo, his leanings toward how he instructed and why, and what materials he would prefer for us to use during his workshop.
Workshop etiquette is paramount.
You can fool around on your own at home.
Ok, enough of me ranting.

I just finished reading a Terry Pratchett book, I shall Wear Midnight. He has such clever quips.

"‘Actually, I quite like the guarding.’ He reached down and pulled a book out of his breastplate, which in fact could have accommodated a small library, and went on, ‘There’s plenty of time for reading if you keep out of sight, and the metaphysics is quite interesting as well.’

Tiffany blinked. ‘I think you just lost me there, Preston.’

‘Really?’ said the boy. ‘Well, for example, when I’m on night duty and somebody comes to the gate, I have to say “Who goes there, friend or foe?” To which, of course, the correct answer is “Yes”.’

Cheers all,

Karen

Oil on linen, 11x14", still life  NFS

Lilium

Hello.
Hope you're well.
Doing well here.
Just recently finished a three day workshop that was super, so, hopefully, I (and you) will see an improvement in my painting from that and my ongoing classes that I attend. I don't think I'll even be done learning. (I'll blather on about the workshop when I post my painting.)

Oil painting on wood panel, 8x8", still life - Available for sale
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/230124

Cheers all and God's easy peaceful feeling

Karen

My Neighbors Mailbox

Busy busy busy
I pass by a neighbor's mailbox that at certain times of the year is nearly overwhelmed by the bougainvillea bush. A bougainvillea has super sharp thorns so I kinda wince just looking at it while admiring it at the same time.
Oil on Fredrix Paint Board (LUV those things!)  8x10" Landscape

I just recently finished reading Rod Stewart's autobiography. Wow. Just as I was wrapping that up, I watched the "rockumentary" about the Eagles. It's called "The History of the Eagles" and after watching that and reading Rod Stewart talk about his life I felt like I'd been whisked back in time to the 70's and 80's, trashing hotel rooms, dating super models and starlets, and experiencing a lot of drugs and alcohol while wearing a lot of leather with fringes and other ridiculous finery. Or... not wearing so much.

Cheers all! God's peaceful easy feeling.
Karen

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/karen-stitt/my-neighbors-mailbox/233583

Woodland Fungi

Found a stellar photo of a mushroom (who'd think I'd say something like that ever?) over on DevArt and I just had to draw it.
12x8" Charcoal on Canson Cagrain paper Still life   SOLD
Cheers all,
Karen

All Things Must Pass

Been listening to George Harrison quite a bit lately and it seems a fitting title for this.
16x20" Oil on canvas, available for sale

Cheers and God's peace,
Karen

Bits and Pieces and Peanut Butter

So here are a few of my recent attempts at painting from life in class. These first two are eight hours each sessions at four hours in a stretch except for the last one. I did not capture the first model's face that well but I am happy with how I used color as a whole.
This second painting has a previous weeks work under it that I sanded down and reused the canvas, hence the blue. Blue is not a great choice for an underpainting of flesh, but oh well.

Last session's worth which was just a four hour (and a frustrating and unsatisfying event as a whole from a class standpoint.) Overall eight hours to paint the same pose is not enough! 

All oil on canvas, 14x18 and slightly smaller.

Anywhoo, we had a lovely BBQ yesterday for my father's birthday and my husband requested Tri-Tip roast and what with everything I was trying to juggle in the kitchen I inadvertently overcooked the corners of the roast. Darn! So I cut those ends off and intended to feed those to the dogs, but today I decided to make a mostly vegetable soup with it. So of course the soup had a slightly burned taste. Ick. What to do? Go on the internet! The answer to help get rid of the burned taste in soups and stews and the like? Peanut butter. Yup. Peanut butter. I was skeptical (probably like you are now) but I added just a smidge to a bowl and sure enough....pretty much took that slight burned taste away without adding any real peanut butter taste to the veggie soup. Who knew? (Margie probably knew, huh Margie?) I found the answer on the GardenWeb in their kitchen forum. AND obviously DO NOT feed a peanut butter laden soup to anyone with peanut allergies. Just sayin'.
Cheers all and God's peace. Hope you are all well and to those of you up to your eyeballs in snow I wish you a bright sunny day and the gentle warmth of spring.
Karen

Into the Light

So we've had as much rain in the last three days that we've had in the last year and already my husband  has cabin fever. He wouldn't make it in snow country.
Oil on paper canvas, about 6x6", still life, tangerine
Cheers all,
Karen

Winter Blessing

I love when the cymbidium orchids bloom in winter. It makes it feel warm and tropical even if it isn't so.

Oil on canvas, 8x10", still life, orchid
Available

God's peace,
Karen