Saturday, September 04, 2010

Comfort Painting with a Twist

When I get frustrated in the studio, the two things I turn to are photography and watercolor painting. It seems that I can always go out on a photography jaunt or get out my watercolor supplies and feel success.

Recently I have been working on a new series, and even though I have tried what feels like a zillion approaches, to date I am not happy with the results. So out came my watercolors and my watercolor block. It recently dawned on me that all of my watercolors have been realistic scenes from nature. So I did some exploring with abstracts in the last couple of weeks. Though not wildly successful, I did enjoy the process, and I hope to continue exploring that path.

This time I returned to my realistic painting roots, but changed to a non-nature subject. I am quite pleased with this rendition of a padlock, and it has given me tons of ideas for new subjects --- like weathered barns, and the rust on the grain bins, and peeling paint on ancient farm machinery, and crumbling bricks and broken glass in old buildings.

THIS is what is great about being an artist --- that never-ending fascination with exploration and "what if"!

7 comments:

Carol Blackburn said...

This is awesome, Karen. I love it. I hope to see more like this from you. :)

MollyBee said...

I had to chuckle at your "what if". With me it is always "I wonder". Both lead to exploration and creativity. Love the watercolor!!

Vivien Zepf said...

I have a similar fascination with old buildings and barns. Took lots of photos earlier in the year of padlocks on a home that's on the National Historic Register ... seemed an interesting juxtaposition between disrepair and conservation. Your watercolor of the padlock is very successful. Looking forward to seeing how this informs your work.

Jenn said...

Excellent work, I thought it was a photo at first. Very intense and real..

Jenn
http://www.momentsofelegance.com

Seth said...

Get out of town!! This is spectacular. I love photorealism and what you have created here is nothing short of sensational.

Judie said...

You have such a wonderful touch with the brush! Very impressive!

You.hear.it! said...

It's very intense! Great!