Reflecting Pink

This piece is the largest of my "Rural Imaginary Landscape" series. At 4' x 2' it is quite large compared to the others. Since it is also painted with the knife, the paint is thick and requires me to work while it's wet or at least while the area I am working on is wet. I started at the top and worked my way down. All of the changes in the land feel like a roll-a-coaster to me and then my eye rests on the sheep in the flowers.  This would be my kind of roll-a-coaster as my hubby knows that I am terrified of the real ones!

 You will be able to see this piece in person at my house on Saturday, May 21, 2011. I will be sending out a save the date soon. However, if you have read this far about my painting, you must be one of my dedicated followers, so I am pre-inviting you to my studio open house event, where I will have my home/studio filled with new work from the long winter!! More to follow on this soon ;)

Light Blue Barn at the Tree

This piece started out as a way for me to play with the sheep. They are so fun to paint with the knife because the only way you can paint them is by making little loose abstract shapes but your eye reads them as sheep just the same. I love the variety of color on this piece and the way that the pale blue barn contrasts with the high chroma oranges and pinks in the foliage of the trees. Blue and orange are complimentary colors so taking advantage of their contrast gives this pastoral piece a lot of energy and a contemporary edge.

24" x 12" canvas with wrapped and painted edge.

Three Sheep at the Pink Shed

 

 This little landscape is another post of a series of imaginary rural landscapes that I have been working on. I am having fun inventing the color all out of my head as I look out my windows and see nothing but the white snow everywhere! The work makes me think of warmer days when nature is bursting with food, flora and sunshine for all of us!

 

24" x 12" canvas with a canvas wrapped and painted edge

Poppies for Kate

36" x 24" Poppies for Kate

These poppies were made for my good friend Kate. We met at our children's co-op pre-school. I made as many friends there as my kids did! I realized when I was over there recently, that I had failed to post this piece.

The poppies were made just for the spot shown below and we both thought they looked great installed! So much so, that a kitchen renovation ensued. She painted it a nice shade of cinnamon to compliment her painting!

Three Little Sheep and Farm Pond in the Fields
I worked on these two side-by-side, just as you see them. The piece on the left makes me think of the years I lived in Traverse City, MI. The piece on the right makes me think of how much I enjoy our little farm pond....once it thaws that is!

Each piece is 30" tall and 15" wide. I am now ready to push this recent genre into a bigger format and have started a 4' tall by 2' wide panel.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Wading for Daisies
Another post of my new little landscape series. This one is 15" x 30" and painted with a knife. I added the daisies after I thought I had completed the piece and realized I was struggling to name the work. That is when it dawned on me the cows needed more of a purpose for their march away from the barn. Though I love my "loosely-painted" little cows, I was particularly pleased with the barn in the back. I have posted a close up for you to see the color.

Thank you for checking out my work today!
Kim

Purple Trees in the Field






















30" x 15" original oil painting
I love painting these little vertical imaginary landscapes. They are so fun, especially because I paint them on a red tinted canvas and let little bits of red poke through.

Butterfly Lunch in the Coneflower

12" x 24" Oil on Canvas

My second stab at painting a butterfly with a knife. This little guy just sort of fell off my knife. He is loose and fresh and I love him!

Butterfly Lunch in the Coneflower

20" x 16" - This piece was challenging in that I wanted the butterfly to look weightless even though the paint application is very thick. I was happy with this one in the end. Butterflies are a fun challenge...too bad it's winter and my only reference material is photos ;(

Coneflower Diptych - 18" x 18" each

Coneflower at Daylight
This was my first of four Echinacea pieces that were all done with a painting knife. I love how the knife forces me to keep it loose! Love it when I can loose those edges...

Coneflower at Night
This second piece has a cool mix of paint going on in the background. I love it when I can just play in the color, loading up two, three or four pigments on my knife and mixing the color as I lay it on the canvas. Being an artist is like being a kid, your work is your play! I love it :)

Purple Cow in the Fields
This little landscape is imaginary and the far left cow is totally purple. I started to paint it brown, but you know me and color...the piece was screaming for a purple cow, I couldn't help myself.

And yes, I have not posted in a while though not for lack of painting. Photo-documenting my work and blogging takes me away from my easel. That said, I photographed a lot of recent this week. Look for a series of new images to be posted here soon!