Daily Painting....Avalon Lifeguard Races

'Against the Swell' 12x16

I'd like to thank Christine Murdoch for the photo I based this painting on. She is one of my collectors and graciously offered her New Jersey shore photos for me to use as reference photos. Last year I did a painting of her children sitting in an Avalon Lifeguard boat. They visit Avalon every summer and this photo is from this past summer's Lifeguard races.

Daily Pastel Painting....Sea Grape Trees

'Morning Sea Grapes' 9x12

I have been working a lot with LaCarte paper so for a change of pace I thought I'd try something on Canson. I find it to be fun for quick studies though Marsha does beautiful work on it. I really should challenge myself to work on it more often....add it to my already long Goal List for 2007! I have a painting I want to start tomorrow...it's all ready to go now I will sleep on it. I find that for certain subjects I like to paint them in my head first...I do this when I am nodding off to sleep...who know I might be painting in my sleep all night! But when I am actually ready to paint...it seems to go much easier.

Favorite Paintings of 2006...Farm Scene

I painted this farm scene on location at the Albert Handell workshop last May. I like it because it reminds me of what it feels like to have something work when painting plein air. Albert liked this one so I can learn from what I did right. It also reminds me of being at the workshop surrounded by some great artists including my teacher Marsha Savage and feeling like I really did belong! That was a milestone.

My Favorite Paintings from 2006

'Catch of the Day'

I am taking some time this week to get myself organized for 2007. I am cleaning off shelves and reorganizing my studio and painting area. I thought it would be fun to go through my paintings from 2006 and pick out my favorite. I decided that I actually had more than one favorite...I liked them for different reasons. This one of the osprey I like because I love the subject matter...ospreys are my favorite bird. Also it was one of my first larger paintings...it's about 20x 24....and it is special because it brings me back to the moment when I was actually this close to the osprey on a Sanibel Island beach. All this week I will be posting more of my favorites along with some new work...if I ever get my mess picked up!

A Caribbean Christmas!

'A Caribbean Christmas' 5x7 pastel

I am in Caribbean mode since we will be going on a caribbean cruise in a couple of weeks! It's almost time to take out the suitcases and bathing suits! This little painting is from a photo I took at Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas....and this is how I imagine Santa visits the islands. Merry Christmas to everyone and thank you for supporting my blog this year. I really appreciate your interest in my work!

Pastel Painting...Pink Poinsettia

'Pink Holiday' 5x7

I grew up in South Florida and we actually had 3 poinsettia trees in our yard. And some years they were covered in red blooms. I love the pink ones though. They are so delicate. I decided to do a macro painting of a poinsettia today. This is from a photo taken out of the Reference Image Library on Wet Canvas...thanks to Lisilk who has the most wonderful photos.

Daily Pastel Painting..Cedar Key Fishermen

'Fishing Buddies 2' 9x12

I saw these two fishermen one morning on a visit to Cedar Key Florida. I loved the salt marshes around Cedar Key. The colors of the marsh grasses were wonderful. I'd love to go back for another visit. It was a very laid back relaxing town.

Daily Pastel Painting... Christmas in Chicago

'Taxi!' 12x16

On my recent trip to Chicago I took many photos of the lights. It was so festive. It seemed like every tree lining Michigan Avenue was covered in tiny white lights. I took this photo right in front of our hotel, the Intercontinental. One evening there must have been a party because there were about 20 valet people all lined up on the sidewalk. I had fun with my new cityscape pastels and will be trying more scenes soon.

Daily Pastel Painting...Sanibel Casuarina Trees

'The Magic Hour' 9x12

I love the time just before sunset when everything glows from the warmth of the sun. Sometimes this magic hour is even more spectacular than the actual sunset. The light is wonderful for taking people pictures as well. This is from a photo I took on Sanibel Island on the beach near the Lazy Flamingo restaurant. What a treat to enjoy a grouper sandwich then to walk across the street for a wonderful sunset!

This painting is available for $125. Contact me at kemstudios@yahoo.com

Daily Pastel Painting...Window Shopping in Chicago

'American Girls' 9x12

Here is the first painting of my Chicago series. It was hard to choose what to paint first! I decided on this one of my daughter Caitlin and her friend Anna. We took them to American Girl Place in Chicago for brunch with their American Girl Dolls...a great experience that I highly recommend! This painting shows the girls looking at the window display. They are in their North Face jackets (early Christmas presents) and holding their dolls in front of them. Can't wait to see what they think of their first 'portrait' by me!

Daily Pastel Painting... Fralinger's Candy

'Creamy Mints' 6x6

I love Fralinger's Taffy from the NJ Shore. I have been able to find them at the Cracker Barrel restaurants. I just discovered a treat from Fralinger's that is a perfect holiday candy. They are Creamy Mint Sticks. They aren't really chewy like taffy but not as hard as peppermint candy canes. Today I had time for a quick study from life and I chose to paint these candies. I hope to do more of these life studies in the coming year.

This painting ia available for $45. Contact me at kemstudios@yahoo.com

Back from Chicago!

I am home after a whirlwind weekend in the city. I had a wonderful time with my friend Cindy and our daughters. We stayed right in the middle of the action on Michigan Avenue. We walked for miles, shopped till we dropped, saw Wicked...an awesome show that I highly recommend! And of course spent the good part of the day at the Art Institute of Chicago Museum. Here is a photo of Cindy and I in front of the museum. I took over 700 city photos so as soon as I get my new cityscape pastels sorted I will try to paint a city scene of my own. I hope to paint a little today. It feels strange to be away from the pastels since last week!

Daily Painting...The Robin's Nest

'The Robin's Nest' 5x7 pastel

Looking over my posts this week I see I have been on a bit of a 'bird' kick! I didn't do that on purpose. It just seemed that I kept finding a bird photo that I wanted to paint. I need to go in the opposite direction for my next one! I'm not sure what that will be yet! I painted the robin's nest last night at Jayne's house. We got together to paint and I wanted to do something small. She started a wonderful goat. I can't wait to see it finished. Jayne really has a way with painting animals. Her pet portraits are wonderful! This painting is already spoken for.

I will be out of town until Sunday so I may not be posting anything new until then. I will have my sketchbook and laptop with me just in case I have time!

Daily Pastel Painting...Blue Sky Sea Gull

'Blue Sky Gull' 5x7 pastel

I could watch and photograph sea gulls for hours. I love to watch them interact with other gulls and every once in awhiile you catch them in a great pose (I'm saving that one for a big painting) What I liked about this gull was his reflection in the wet sand and how the bright blue sky and clouds were also being reflected.

ACEO Pink Flamingo Painting SOLD

This week I head to Chicago with my daughter and my friend Cindy and her daughter Anna. We are having a girls weekend on the town and I can't wait! I've never been to Chicago and I am excited to get some good city photos. I got my new cityscape pastel set today and I am anxious to try them out. Before I leave I plan on doing some small paintings...ACEO size which is 2.5 x 3.5. This Flamingo is today's effort. You may have seen the larger version I painted a few months ago. It's fun to paint this tiny!

Daily Pastel Painting...Sanibel Beach Path

'Path to Paradise' 5x7

Sanibel Island is one of my favorite places to paint. Anyone who has been there knows just how magical it is. I was pleased to be able to paint this painting as a commission for one of my collectors. She sent me 6 photos to choose from and each one would have made a great painting. Maybe she will want another one! I am all packed for my trip to Chicago so maybe I will have some painting time this week before we leave. I am looking forward to trying some cityscapes!

Daily Painting...Cat #2

Here is my smallest cat Jennifur who is actually Jazzpurr's sister. She's a tiny cat with a big personality. She is the queen of the pillows and keeps my head warm at night. This one is 5x7 on LaCarte paper. I don't know how much I'll be painting over the weekend since I have a lot to do to get ready for my trip to Chicago next week.

Painting a Cat

'Jazzpurr at Rest' 5x7

I've been wanting to paint my cats for the longest time. I have five of them so that should give me plenty of feline models. For some reason I have avoided painting them. The other night at pastel class, Marsha asked us what we want to personally work on next session. For me I think it is not avoiding subjects that give me the most trouble....cats are one of them. Also, one of my friends in the class brought in the most wonderful painting she did of her cat which has inspired me to paint my own. So here is Jazz....he's my biggest cat and a sweet quiet boy who buries under the covers to keep my feet warm. This painting is 5x7 on LaCarte paper. It may not be perfect but it really does capture his look.

Daily Pastel Painting....Mr. Pelican

'Mr. Pelican' 9x12

I am going from the desert to the sea with my paintings this week. First a raven, now a pelican! I took quite a few photos of this guy as we waited for our friends to meet us at the Sanibel dock. I really wanted him to pose and give me the typical pelican look with the extended neck...but he didn't want to cooperate. I'll call this the relaxed pelican pose.

Grand Canyon Raven

I was looking through my Southwest Trip photos from a couple of years ago and was reminded about all the ravens we had seen. They seemed to be everywhere we went. I remember one cold morning after a snow storm, we walked along the south rim of the Grand canyon and there were hundreds of ravens flying over the canyon. It seemed like they were playing on the wind currents. I really didn't get any good photos of them so this little 5x7 painting is from the best photo I had. I will be sure to take lots of raven photos this summer when I head out west!

Daily Pastel....Time for a Tiny Sunset

All I had time for today was a small painting. This little Low Country marsh sunset is 4x4. I like working small. I think tonight if I am motivated I may do a few ACEO's. I am trying to decide what to paint in class tomorrow. I'm sure something will strike me!

Daily Paintings...Robin's Eggs

'Robin's Egg Blue' 5x7

It was a hectic weekend with house painting and clean up and I didn't get to my pastels until Sunday night! I am a member of the Daily Painter's group (see our site link on the right) and today we had the opportunity to paint our interpretation of an egg. I 've been wanting to paint this bird's nest for awhile so this was a good time to do it

Aspens in the Snow ...part 4

I am finished with this one for the moment. I will put it aside and look at it later this weekend with fresh eyes. I really don't want to overwork it so I just need to stop. As Marsha says....Is there anything I could do to make it better? I'm not sure just yet. On another note, I splurged and ordered the Great American Pastels Cityscape collection by Alan Flatmann. I really just liked the colors...they looked like some that I don't have already. I'm not sure how much I'll get to paint this weekend as I need to finish painting the living room! We'll see how productive I am.