Creighton Island Georgia painting

I couldn't resist doing a little study of the marsh surrounding Creighton Island. It was such a memorable adventure and a few years later I am still using references from the trip. This is a 5x7 pastel study.
 

My Website:   www.karenmargulis.com

My Art Blog:   www.kemstudios.blogspot.com

Sanford Farm Study #2

Here is another version of Sanford Farm on Nantucket Island. My plan is to make one of these studies into a larger painting.
 

My Website:   www.karenmargulis.com

My Art Blog:   www.kemstudios.blogspot.com

Nantucket Island Sanford Farm

I loved visiting Sanford Farm on my last trip to Nantucket Island. I loved the wild meadows filled with wildflowers. This little study is a scene from the farm. The next two posts will show different views of the farm. I wanted to be inspired by my reference photos and not copy them.
 

My Website:   www.karenmargulis.com

My Art Blog:   www.kemstudios.blogspot.com

Nantucket Beach pastel 5x7

'Summer Memories' 5x7 pastel

I am in South Florida to visit family. It was a long drive. We stopped at the University of Florida to show Caitlin our dorms and old haunts. One thing I noticed that the trees seemed bigger. I guess that would happen after 20 years! On Monday I am taking Caitlin on a 4 night cruise to celebrate her graduation. I will still be posting to the blog. I have a week's worth of paintings all lined up so stay tuned!

St. George Island Sunset 11x14 pastel

'Sunset on St. George' 11x14 pastel

Here is something a little different for me.....ok a lot different, but it sure is fun to try new things! In my Basic Landscape class we talked about the different ways that pastel can be applied...on it's side, blended, and using the edge or point to make lines. I challenged everyone to try to do a painting using only lines...letting the colors blend optically rather than painting with layers. We used Uart paper that I toned with thin black acrylic paint. It was challenging to use strokes that we weren't used to and some ended up covering up their linear marks but it was fun trying something new. I enjoyed using some of the bright intense colors that I don't normally use.

Wildflowers of Summer...Wildflowers in Pastels Workshop

I still have a couple of openings in my Sunday Wildflower workshop June 13th. Saturday's session is full with a waiting list. Let me know if you have questions or would like to register for the workshop. It is a 4 hour mini workshop on paintings meadows, fields and close-ups of wildflowers.

Here is a photo of my painting, 'Blue Skies Ahead' hanging in the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art at the Southeastern Pastel Society's International Exhibition.

Kiawah Island Sunrise

'Sunrise Shapes' 8x10 pastel

I call this one Sunrise Shapes because it was done at the Duane Wakeham workshop and the assignment was to take our reference photo and break it down into the big simple shapes. I have hinted at some detail but not too much. I like painting this way!

Island Fog Pastel 8x10

'Island Fog' 8x10 pastel

Today's painting is another one I did at the Duane Wakeham workshop this past weekend. I haven't painted this week yet. I am busy getting ready for a trip to Florida to visit family and then I am taking my daughter on a cruise to the Bahamas. I think I painted enough this weekend to make up for my break! It was three full days of standing at the easel and painting and it was just wonderful!

May Studio Clearance Sale Paintings

I'd like to thank everyone for their support of my May Studio Clearance Sale. I sold several paintings and met some new collectors so thank you! I have a few paintings still available and I thought it would be easier to see them grouped together so I made a slideshow with the remaining paintings. If you see one you like, just send me an email to arrange payment either by paypal or check.

The Poppy Field

'The Poppy Field' 8x10 pastel

This is one of the paintings I did at the Duane Wakeham workshop. One of the things he stressed to me was that I was really painting a portrait of flowers in a landscape and not really a landscape so the trees in the background needed to be just shapes with no detail. I also need to rememebr to create a feeling of air around my flowers....so that the viewer can feel like they can
reach around them. Good tips for me to remember. But he did like the painting and thought that my flowers were beautifully rendered which was so nice to hear!

4x6 Pastel Paintings

Here are this week's Ebay paintings. They are 4x6 studies depicting some of my favorite places. They are available by Ebay auction which is ending tonight. Click here to visit my ebay store.

Wildwood NJ Sunset Pastel

'Evening Glow' 11x14 pastel

I just finished a wonderful workshop with Duane Wakeham. He told us that besides his IAPS Master Class, this was his last workshop so I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from him. I will give a full report in tomorrow's post but wanted to share one of the paintings I did in the workshop. I actually painted 10 paintings over the three days so I have a lot to share!

Kiawah Island Seascape

'Clearing Storm' 8x10 pastel

Today's painting is a plein air piece I did last November at the Stan Sperlak workshop on Kiawah Island. We had rain and cold but on the last day it tried to clear. We were painting down on the beach and the way the cloud bank was lifting was so interesting.

Siamese Cat Portrait

'Maya Blue' 8x10 pastel

It's been a long day but lots of fun. I spent the day at the Duane Wakeham workshop and I can't wait to go back in the morning. Of course I have to see my daughter graduate highschool in the morning then on to the workshop. Duane's workshop is on the thinking part of painting so I know I will have a lot to digest after the next couple of days. He gave me some great feedback on my Queen Anne's Lace painting. I will give a full report when the weekend is over. Now off to have some graduation cake!
Today's painting is one I did last month of my cat Maya. I love to paint my cats!

Sanibel Island Seascape Pastel Painting

'Morning Walk' 8x10 pastel

Sanibel Island is one of my favorite places to visit. I love walking on the beach and looking for shells. I always find a special treasure or two including a beautiful little Lion's Paw shell one summer. Last night in my Landscape class we painted beach scenes and this was my demo painting. We are going to do beaches again next week but will be experimenting with a new technique!

Sunrise over the Marsh Oil 5x7

'Sunrise over the Marsh' 5x7 oil on board

This is an oil version of oneof my pastels. I got some new panels to try and I really enjoyed painting on them. I won't have a chance to do more oil paintings until June. I will be attending the Duane Wakeham workshop this weekend then we are going to Florida for a family event followed by a cruise with my daughter. I am treating her to a 4 night cruise for her high school graduation. I am trying to decide if I should bring my pastels or if I should just sketch and play with my travel watercolors. I am leaning towards traveling light this time!

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Price: $95 USD
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Late Afternoon Light

'Late Afternoon Light' 5x7 pastel

I loved the glow of sunlight on the marsh grasses which I tried to capture in this painting.

This painting is available at the May sale price of $50 which includes shipping. Thank you all for making my May clearance sale a success so far!

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Price: $50 USD
Or, send me an email

Marina at Sunset

'Sunset Marina' 5x7 pastel

Today's clearance painting is a scene from Cape May New Jersey looking over the marsh at a marina. The setting sun made the most glorious colors in the sky and the distant twinkle of the marina lights made it even more beautiful. This 5x7 pastel is available for $50 including the shipping.

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Price: $50 USD
Or, send me an email

Laughing Gulls 10x10 Pastel

'Two Gulls' 10x10 pastel

I love painting sea gulls. Especially the laughing gulls when they are in their summer colors. I love their dark heads. These are actually New Jersey gulls. The ones we just saw in Florida seemed to have more of a red beak. This is today's clearance painting and it is available for $85.

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Price: $85 USD
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Aspen Trees in Autumn

'Autumn Aspens' 6x12 pastel

Here is today's clearance painting. I have always like this painting. I think it is partly because of the tall and thin format. It is available for $65 which inlcludes shipping.

I an gearing up for a busy week ahead. The opening reception for the Southeastern Pastel Society Exhibition is Thursday evening. Duane Wakeham is the juror and I will be attending his 3 day workshop over the weekend. My daughter also is graduating from highschool on Saturday. I have a big commission to work on as well. I love to be busy!

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Price: $65 USD
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Water Lily 5x7 Pastel Painting

'Pink Splash' 5x7 pastel

This is a painting I experimented on and used a watercolor underpainting and then splashed watercolor over the pastel. It gives a very watery look to the painting. It was fun too! This one is being offered as another May clearance painting for $50 including shipping.

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Price: $50 USD
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Florida Palm Tree Plein Air

'Florida Palm' 5x7 pastel

We had another day of sight-seeing and we decided not to paint. When we got home I was just itching to paint so I did this one of a palm tree. It was inspired by a palm I saw at St. Joseph's Penninsula State Park. This is painted on black pastelmat and I let some of the surface showing. This was a lot of fun to paint and I look forward to a day of painting tomorrow!

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Price: $50 USD
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Poppies in the Mountains pastel 5x7 SOLD

'Early Morning Softness' 5x7 pastel

Today's painting is a scene from last summer up in the North Carolina mountains. This little patch of wildflowers is down at the bottom of my parent's drive. I had my dad spread some wildflowers seed last year so I am hoping for more this summer.

Spring Marsh May Sale Painting SOLD

'Spring Marsh' 8x10 pastel

I just got back from a wonderful day exploring Florida's Forgotten Coast. I got some great photos and found some shells and driftwood. Now time for an afternoon walk on the beach. Tomorrow I will do some plein air painting. Today's painting is a marsh scene I painted last year.

Successful Weekend at the Paint-Out! SOLD

'Pick Me' 5x7 pastel

I am thrilled to report that all five of my paintngs from the plein air competition at the Smith-Gilbert Gardens sold at the show over the weekend! This is one of them. I had three daisy paintings. I am so happy that they all found good homes!

Abstracted Landscape SOLD

'Spring Comes to the Marsh' 4x6 pastel

Here is a more abstracted pastel landscapes. I did several of these small studies so I could play with color. It was a fun experience and I want to try it again. I am listing the studies in my Ebay store this week on auction. Here is the link if you'd like to bid on one.

I' m going to St. George Island for the week and it is the Forgotten Coast Paint-out. I am looking forward to seeing how the artists interpret the area. I should have internet access so I will keep you posted.

Plein Air Peony

'Spring Glory' 8x10 pastel

I couldn't resist painting this gorgeous peony bloom. It was late afternoon and I had already painted 5 paintings at the paint-out but this flower was right across from a bench in the shade. It was the perfect way to end the day. I did an alcohol wash on Uart paper. I was happy with my set up this time. I used my Easy-L easel and a small box of misc. pastels. I was able to attach the box to the easel with a bungee cord. I didn't think to take a photo. Next time I go out I will try to get some pictures. I am going to St. George Island this week but I am just bringing my small Judson easel. This will be a test of this bare minimum set-up for my July trip out west.

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Price: $125 USD
Or, send me an email

South Carolina Lowcountry Sunset Painting sold

'Lucky Sunset' 8x10 pastel

Today's painting is another May Studio Sale painting. It was one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen and we happened upon it by accident because we were lost. I have painted this scene several times but this painting I feel really captures the moment best. It is available for $75.

I had a wondeful two days at the paint-out and will post pictures as soon as I get them loaded. Now I have to pack for a trip to Florida. The beach is calling me!

Plein air Paint-Out at Smith-Gilbert Gardens SOLD

'Daisy Delight' 8x10 pastel

I spent the day at Smith-Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw Georgia at a paint-out. It continues tomorrow and the paintings will be on display all weekend. The gardens are beautiful with such a variety of flowers. Luckily I found some daisies which I always enjoy painting. Tomorrow I may attempt the rose garden or maybe the koi pond. It was a perfect day for painting, maybe a tad too hot but no bugs or wind. I'll report back tomorrow with more pictures.

Florida Dune Pastel Painting 8x10 plein air

'Dune Colors' 8x10 pastel

Today's sale painting is a plein air painting I did in Grayton Beach State Park in North Florida. It was a very hot day but we had the protection of the picnic shelter and had a lot of fun painting the dunes in relative comfort. This painting is available for the sale price of $75.

Tomorrow I will be painting at the annual plein air paint-out in the Smith-Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw Georgia. The artists will be painting in the gardens all day Thursday and Friday with the paintings on display through-out the weekend. Stop by to watch us paint if you are in the area!

Marsh Sunset 'Evening Peace' 8x10 pastel

'Evening Peace' 8x10 pastel

I had a private student this evening and one of the things he wants to work on is marsh scenes and changing the mood of a landscape. So instead of a blue sky day we did a sunset evening scene. I could feel the peace and quiet of the marsh while painting this one. I love when that happens!

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $125 USD
Or, send me an email

Spring Cleaning Clearance Sale SOLD

'Aspen Dance' 9x12 pastel

I have been working hard cleaning the studio and setting up a new storage system for my paintings. In celebration I will be having a Spring Cleaning Clearance Sale during the month of May. I will be posting some of my old favorites throughout the month. They will be priced at 50% or more off my usual prices. These paintings just haven't found their home yet so I'd like to give them another chance! Today's painting is 9x12 on pastelbord.

Mountain Haybales 5x7 pastel

'Mountain Haybales' 5x7 pastel

Last week I was focusing on painting mountains and this was a little pastel I did from one of my photos. It is hard to tell in the photo of the painting, but I used an irridescent green pastel on some of the grass. I love the effect you can get with the irridescents! I am working on organizing my finished painitngs and starting Monday I will be posting some past work and having a 'May Madness' sale. The paintings will be available at 50% or more off the regular retail prices. I will be posting a new one each day of the month. Check back and see what I will be offering!

Queen Anne's Lace Oil Painting

'Summertime' 5x7 oil on canvas

Over the next few weeks I will be working on trying my favorite pastel subjects with oils. I am waiting on an order of boards recommended by a friend so as soon as they arrive I will get painting! Today was a day for friends and errands. I spent the morning with my daughter and good friend Cindy and her daughter Anna. We got our nails done and had a nice lunch. It was fun. Then Caitlin and I went dress shopping for her graduation and had success in the first store! Yeah! I also got my glass cut for my painting for the Southeastern Pastel Society show so tomorrow I will be framing! It feels good to be productive.