Apple Pie

watercolor 14 x 14

Here's to the end of 2010 and to and even better year in 2011. Hope it will be a great year of painting for all of us. Here's wishing you health, happiness and all of your dreams and wishes come true.

Santa is Watching

watercolor 21 x 21

Hope Santa was good to you all and all of your wishes came true. Here's to the best in the New Year!!

Santa V ~ Ho-Ho-Ho!!

watercolor 5 x 7

Here is another in my Santa series as we draw really close to Christmas. Are you all ready for the big holiday?

Special thanks to all of you who have taken the time to visit my blog and to leave comments. I really appreciate your support. It's been a great year in the studio and you have been my new friends and art community. I have learned from you and with you. I wish you everything that is in your hearts for whatever way you celebrate this season. Here's wishing you blessings in the New Year with a fantastic year of painting ahead for all of us. Peace and Love...Kathy :)

Santa IV

watercolor 5 x 7

Another in my series of santas.

Got all of my cookies baked...now to the cleaning of the house and setting the tables. Christmas is almost here.

Santa III

watercolor 5 x 7

We all liked to have someone read to us when we were young...why not Santa...

Baked cookies all evening and now it is almost 4 am. Wow. I have lots of cookies for Santa when he gets here. Baking more tomorrow.

Military Santa

watercolor 5 x 7

This is a Santa that I painted especially for my nephew, Patrick, who is in the Army. It is also for all of the men and women who serve in the armed forces. We thank you for protecting our great country. We wish you could all be home for Christmas with your loved ones. Know you are deep in our thoughts and prayers.
peace!

Santa, look what I drew.

watercolor 5 x 7

Just getting into the season. My dad used to play Santa...well actually, he didn't have to play it. He was it!! I have many fond memories of him doing so.

I just got done baking 3 batches of cookies so I will be able to leave some out for Santa and his reindeer. Do reindeer eat cookies? lol Maybe I will eat their share. More cookies to bake next week.
Enjoy.

Winter in Indiana

watercolor 14 x 21

What a snowy day we had today. The winds were blowing so much. Just because I painted those little snowmen for my bathroom, I am not responsible for today's snow storm.
Schools and activities are already closed to tomorrow...which is actually today since it is almost 4 am. lol. Enjoy the snow...I will be happy to send you some.

Melting....

watercolor 7 x 7

I wanted to do these little paintings of snowmen for my bathroom. It is done all in snowmen decorations. They will be framed up with a blue mat and black frames.

All of my trees are now completed and so is the village under the tree. Whew. Tonight it is snowing but don't blame me. lol

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

watercolor 7 x 11

This was a demo that I did a few weeks ago at the senior center in town. No, you do not have to be a senior to attend the class, or to teach it. We had a blast. At the end, I showed them how to add snow and glitter to really make it festive. I also made this into a card for Christmas. Enjoy.

Back to decorating for me. I just finished my 10 ft. tree in the living room. It has 2,000 lights on it. A bunch of gold bows, gold beaded garland and 268 ornaments. I think I still have more ornaments to put on this tree, but I did not get that box up yet. I think there are some in the boxes that have the village in it. I am getting there. By the end of the week I plan to have all of the decorating done. Whew. Then to think of writing out my cards and baking. My envelopes are all calligraphied. There is still time for you to come and help out :)

Winter Storms Are Coming

watercolor 14 x 21

This is another watercolor of the same area as my last post...the Indiana National Lakeshore. I am conveniently located about 45 minutes from the dunes, about 45 minutes from Chicago and about 45 minutes from the country. Is this the place to live or what...Well, it is for me. Enjoy!!

Indiana Dunes

watercolor 14 x 21

This is a painting of our local dunes. Love this place and love to paint it. Enjoy!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I think you might have seen this painting in my pie series, but I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Blog friends. I thought sending you a piece of pie would be a great way of saying "Thanks" for your friendship and for all that you have shared with me. Enjoy the day...Happy eating.

demo of 3 colors

watercolor 7 x 11

Here is another little painting that I did for my students last week. I used Neutral Tint, Venetian Red and Raw Sienna. Try this combination and see what happens.

3-color study-class demo

watercolor 7 x 11

This is a little demo that I did for my students last week. The assignment was to use a limited palette. I gave them three colors: Neutral Tint, Venetian Red, and Raw Sienna. They used a composition from their own sketchbooks. They found this to be fun and the critiques that we had in the classes proved that it was worth trying.

Try it, you might like it too!!

Fall in Indiana

watercolor 11 x 15

At the Illinois Watercolor Society's members show about a month ago, I won a merchandise award. Part of it was this wc block. This is one I never tried before so I thought I would see what I can do on it. I loved the techniques I was seeing the oil painters using and I wondered if I could catch that look in watercolor. I felt that wc did not have to always be transparent, loose and light in value. I wanted to try to get texture into my painting. I did not use opaque paint. I just used less water. Enjoy!

Fall Harvest

watercolor 14 x 21

What can I say about this one...I think it speaks for itself. Enjoy!!

Path to Indiana's Fall - step-by-step

watercolor 11 x 15

A few weeks ago I won a merchandise award with the Illinois Watercolor Society's member's show. One of the things that I won was a block of Stephen Quiller's 300# paper. This is a block by Jack Richeson. This is a new size for me and I thought I would try some new techniques. Who says that all watercolors have to be soft, light and transparent. I love a lot of the work by the oil painters on Facebook so I thought why not try to see if I could catch that look in watercolor. I have 4 in this series so far. I am trying to catch the textures of the foliage.
The colors are not as true to the painting. I have a new computer and a new program for photos. So until I know what I am doing...enjoy.

Happy Halloween!!!!

watercolor 21 x 14



My house at night for Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! Time to carve that pumpkin if you haven't already done so. I will be giving candy to the kids and old worn out paint brushes to their parents!

Burning Leaves

watercolor 14 x 21

Fall is really in the air here in Indiana. Can you smell the leaves burning?

Thumbs Up Club

watercolor 14 x 21

Right now I am working on a series of paintings for my friend's (Linda and Fred) restaurant. It is called Carriage Court Pizza. They have great pizza, sandwiches, soups and Italian dishes. You must go and try them out. They are in Crown Point Indiana. Tell them I sent you.
They have a club called the "Thumbs up club." It is for children and as a member. they get deals of their meals. They also get an id card and their photo hangs at the restaurant. So this is a "thumbs up kid." I think he likes the pizza.

Fall on the Farm

watercolor 14 x 21

This is a demo painting that I did for one of my watercolor classes. Right now we are working on clouds. Enjoy!

Nature's Kaleidoscope

watercolor 14 x 21

Yes, it is fall in Indiana so here are some of our leaves. This painting was done with a lot of negative painting. I love to do this technique...I can get lost in it. Unfortunately, you are not seeing all of the neat colors or the lost and found edges in this photo. Maybe I will shoot it again when I have time...Time? what is that?
Enjoy!!

Lincoln Park-Chicago. "Awnings and Bicycles"

watercolor 14 x 21

I liked the light on the buildings, especially the awnings. Then I noticed all of the bikes. Thought ... let's paint it. Keep the memory. Enjoy!

Hot Time, Summer in the City!! Chicago

watercolor 14 x 21

I decided to paint another scene of Chicago. I guess after being in Chicago for the Illinois Watercolor Society show on Friday...I fell in love with the city even more!!

I got a new computer and monitor today so it is completely different with the photo program and so is the blog...just give me some time and I will get it right. lol.

Tapestry of Leaves- Illinois Watercolor Society

watercolor in the Illinois Watercolor Society Member's show at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Illinois. This won an award.

This was taken last night at the Illinois Watercolor Society's member's show. It was held at the American Academy of Art Bill Park's Gallery. I won a merchandise award for my painting "Tapestry of Leaves." We can always use more art supplies. If you are in Chicago, go and see this great show.

Fall in Lincoln Park

watercolor 21 x 14

This is what fall looks like in the section of Chicago known as Lincoln Park. Happy Fall you all!!

"Old Town" Chicago

watercolor 14 x 21

There is a section of Chicago called "Old Town" I remember going there years ago so I had to take some recent photos. I do not remember this big wrought iron structure.

I am trying to paint looser, but this was a complicated subject so I didn't get as loose as I wanted to get. I will keep trying. But it is getting looser. lol

"The Bowman" - Chicago

watercolor 14 x 21

This is one of the fine statues that we have in Chicago. There are two like this. This one is the Bowman and then the other one is the Spearman. It looks like they have weapons, but they do not. One story says that they do not have the weapons because it represents the hard times that the American Indians had to go through. Another story says it is because it symbolizes peace.

Picasso's Kids-Chicago

watercolor 21 x 14

What is it?? While I was in Chicago a few weeks ago taking photos for future paintings, I stopped at Daley Center (named after Richard J. Daley former mayor). The 50 foot sculpture was first a small 13" sculpture that they commissioned Picasso to do. He did not accept a commission for this art work. The finished piece was created at U.S. Steel in Gary, Indiana. It is made out of a patented steel called Cot-ten Steel. A steel that would rust gracefully and would never have to be painted.
Some say it is Picasso's dog, or his wife, or a wolf. When seen from the northeast angle, you can see the silhouette of Richard Daley's head. The building behind is made out of the same Cor-Ten Steel. There are lots of festivities held at the Daley Center, including the big Christmas Tree and little outdoor shops at Christmas time. During sports events, a team hat has been placed on the head of this piece.
It was really interesting to see all these little children trying to climb the sculpture. That is why I titled this painting, "Picasso's Kids"

Pumpkin Pie

watercolor 14 x 14

Ok, there is one piece of pumpkin pie left. Who will be the first to grab it, gets it. No fighting now!!

Cherry Pie

watercolor 14 x 14

Hungry anyone? How about a piece of cherry pie. Again I left out all of the calories.

Blueberry Pie

watercolor 14 x 14

It is 8:15 in the am so I guess this would be good for breakfast. I would send you some...but it is all gone. This one has no calories. Enjoy!!

Lemon Meringue

watercolor 14 x 14

Did someone say they wanted a piece of the pie? How does Lemon Meringue sound. This one is guaranteed NOT to have any calories so you might as well have two.
I wanted to use complementary colors on this one.
Stay hungry!!

Today's Glass Demo @ the Chesterton Art Center -- Chesterton, Indiana

watercolor 15 x 10-1/2

Today I held a workshop on how to paint glass at the Chesterton Art Center in Chesterton, Indiana. I tried to make it as simple as possible and I still wanted it to look like a watercolor and not a photograph. The whole class did really well and they were surprised that they could do that whole background in one wash. They all completed their paintings so everyone went home happy.

Even though the day began with it raining, by lunch the rain let up and we were all able to walk over to the European Market. I bought myself two beautiful bouquets of flowers that I might do paintings of. I also took a bunch of other photos. A few of us hit the antique shop after class. It was a great day.
Now I am going to the studio to either paint or frame. An artist's work in never done!!

In the Village

watercolor 14 x 21

While we were in Columbus, Ohio last month, we went to this German Village and I took a bunch of photos. I liked the complementary colors of the greens and the red buildings. I painted the building a brighter red than it was to create more interest and to make it pop. Enjoy!!

Fall Harvest

watercolor 14 x 21

Another one for my fall show at the restaurant. Well my classes resume for the fall semester on Wednesday. I sure had a lot of fun this summer just painting away. Now my painting time will be limited. If you are interested in my classes or workshops, contact me.

Fall Reflections

watercolor 14 x 21

Still working for my upcoming show, I thought I would take one of my photos that I took last fall. I decided to turn it upside down to create reflections in the water. I think it worked.