Marsh Island 8x10 pastel

'Marsh Island' 8x10 pastel

I had another opportunity to work with watercolor underpaintings today. This is a close up view of a marsh scene that I have painted many times. It was interesting to paint it from anothe point of view. I did this painting as a demo for a student and we discussed how to choose the area of interest for the painting. As we looked at the photo I wanted to focus on the trees and make the foreground water and marsh less important. My student saw it the other way with the foreground being more interesting. So I suggested the he try both versions. I think I will too!

New Mexico Plein air Painting

'O'Keeffe' Country' 5x7 pastel

I am going through a box of my plein air studies so decided to share a few today. This is a plein air I did two years ago when my friends and I visited New Mexico. We set up at a park under the picnic shelter and painted the view. I love doing these little studies and it is fun to look back at them. I might do this one larger. Have a look at my website blog for another little plein air. I will be transitioning soon to the website blog so be sure to bookmark it. The paintings look so much better on my website. www.karenmargulis.com

Summer on the Marsh

'Summer on the Marsh' 11x14 pastel

It was the last day of a 5 day private workshop and I am sad! We had so much fun and got so much accomplished. My student called it 'Camp Karen' since her own children were away at camp. She really did wonderful work and I hope that she learned some fun new techniques. It was great to have someone so passionate and so willing to try anything! I had another student join us today and it was a great way to end the workshop. Thank you to you both! This painting was the demo I did for the oil stain underpainting class. I love the drips and spiderwebs you get from the oils and turpenoid but I am preferring the watercolor lately!

Portrait of a Siamese Cat

'Toblerone' 8x10 pastel

I am getting ready for a big cat commission and did this painting today as both a demo and a warm-up for me. I wanted to demonstrate how I layer pastel to make more interesting colors than just using what we think of as the local color. So for this cat which we might say was brown and cream.....I used a combination of blues, purples, reds and greens. Much more exciting and fun!

Pastel with Charcoal

'Dreaming of the Desert' 12x16 pastel

No time to paint today because we were tearing out the kitchen floor to get ready for tile. We had 5 layers of sticky tiles, linoleum and the original tiles from the 50's. It took us 6 hours of chiseling to get it all up. My brother-in-law is coming this week to help us lay the tiles and do a granite countertop. My Dad comes next week to redo the studio area and then some paint and we are ready to put out the 'For Sale' sign....right on schedule! This painting was one of the fun experiments I did in the Spring, drawing with charcoal and then doing a more graphic painting with pastel. It was so much fun!

Quick Study on Canson

'Summer Peace' 5x5 pastel

Today I am sharing a quick study I did on Canson paper last week. I thought it was funny because whenever we use canson in class I always make sure everyone is working on the smooth side. I started this one and realized I didn't take my own advice! I was tempted to start over but I actually kind of enjoyed the texture of the bumpy side! I have been busy all day cleaning my outer studio room in preparation for my Dad to come do some construction. I have had to rearrange all of my supplies and it is taking me forever to go through everything!

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Catch of the Day Osprey Painting

'Catch of the Day' 18x24 pastel

Here is another larger painting that I am including in my Moving Sale. The osprey is my favorite bird and a few years ago I did a series of osprey paintings. This big one hasn't found a home yet! I came across this osprey on the beach on Sanibel Island. The ospreys there are as plentiful as sea gulls and this guy didn't mind the crowd watching him eat his catch of the day!
This painting is available for $185 which includes shipping. Email me if you are interested. kemstudios@yahoo.com
To see my other large sale painting click HERE

Outer Banks Pastel 11x14 SOLD

'Afternoon Storm' 11x14 pastel

Today's painting is a beach scene from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Today we worked on underpainting and did Richard McKinley's exercise of doing the same subject with 9 different underpaintings. It is a lot of work but well worth it! My student did a fabulous job on hers and hopefully learned a lot. I chose to do a demo using a value based underpainting. I used a dark purple-blue nupastel and an alcohol wash on Wallis paper. This tonal underpainting works great for beach scenes!

Playing with Watercolor Underpaintings

'Discovery Hill' 9x12 pastel

What a fun day playing with pastels and watercolor. I love doing watercolor underpaintings and the more I do the better I like them. Just like anything, with practice I am getting familiar with the watercolors and what they can do. Of course....the things that just happen without my planning them are what keeps it fun and exciting. This is Uart that has been drymounted to ragboard.

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Price: $160 USD
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Georgia Meadow Field study version 2

'Georgia Meadow 2' 5x7 pastel

What a fun day! I had a private student all day and we are doing some prep work for plein air excursions next week. Today we worked on thumbnails, value studies and practice field studies. We worked from photos and came up with several versions of the same scene using different formats and arrangement of the main elements. This is one of my quick demo paintings. Tomorrow watercolor underpaintings!

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Price: $50 USD
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Wildflower Demo

'Carolina Meadows' 8x10 pastel

I had a wonderful student today and we worked on painting wildflowers. We decided to do a paint-along and this was the demo I did. I would paint and talk about what I was doing and then she would work on her painting. She ended up with a great painting and hopefully learned some new techniques. I like to do a paint a long because we get to engage more of our senses ...we get to watch, listen and then do it while it is fresh in our minds. What a fun morning!

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My First Self Portrait

The purpose of my blog is to share what I am painting....the good, bad and ugly! I first started the blog 6 years ago to document my progress with daily painting so if you look back in the archives you will see everything I have ever painted and you can see my struggles. One of the things I haven't tried is painting a self portrait. I don't really ever paint people so this was definitely a stretch. I thought it would be a fun topic for one of my summer pastel classes so I have been researching self portraits and today tried this quick study of myself. I took a really bad photo and printed it out to work from. It had strange overhead lighting and the photo was quite dark but it was fun....and I think I'd like to try another one. So.....I hope my students who are reading this today will be encouraged to come to class this Wednesday! I promise it will be fun. And for those of you who haven't tried a self portrait...I encourage you to try one! This is on Canson paper and I used whatever pastels were left out on my tray from my last painting.

New 6x6 Landscape...A Meadow in Maine

'Restful Meadows' 6x6 pastel

I painted a few more square format paintings trying out different papers. This one is on blue canson. This is a good way to make use of your scraps and I found an old stash of canson scraps in different colors. Today was another busy day of yardwork but we can see a light at the end of the yardwork tunnel! A neighbor helped us pull out some overgrown shrubs and really opened up the side yard. All that is left is to clean up the backyard. I didn't realize how big our yard really was until I started weeding it! Next we have a few inside projects to tackle and the house will be ready to sell.....right on schedule. Whew!

Datura Bloom close-up

'A Closer Look' 11x14 pastel

I am taking a break from cleaning to organize my studio for next week's classes. I have a full week of private lessons which is a lot of fun because everyone is working on something different. One of my students would like to work on flowers and doing some close-up views. I have been playing with this theme lately so this will be a fun class!

Monhegan Light 18x24 pastel

'Monhegan Light' 18x24 pastel

Today I am sharing another one of my larger paintings that I am offering in my moving sale. I am happy to say that I have sold one already. I do hope they can all find homes. This is one of my older paintings but I have always liked it because it reminds me of the wonderful visits I have made to Maine and Monhegan Island. Click HERE if you would like to see the other paintings available.
This painting is priced at $175

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Moving Sale....Big Paintings now on sale!

'Star Thistles' 18x24 pastel

As many of you know we are in the process of selling our home and moving to Albuquerque. I have been cleaning out closets and drawers and now I am tackling my studio shelves and storage. I don't paint many large paintings but I do have some and I would love for them to find homes before I move. I have decided to offer them for sale and have priced them less than 50% of my regular prices. For example, this large 18x24 star thistle painting is $175. Click on the Sale Painting tab above to see more of the sale paintings. If you have questions or would like to see more photos of the sale paintings, send me an email at kemstudios@yahoo.com.

Click HERE to see more big sale paintings

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Price: $175 USD
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Fiery Sunset Painting

'Until Tomorrow' 6x6 pastel

Today's painting is a quick sunset study. I cropped down one of my previously used reference photos. it is amazing how many little compositions you can find within one photo! This painting is done on Wallis Belgian Mist with no underpainting.

ACEO Mini Pastel Paintings

Presenting all 10 of the mini pastel originals that I am auctioning in my ebay store this week. Check them out here: MINI PAINTING AUCTIONS I haven't put any aceo's on auction in a year but I thought I would offer a few this week. They are small but look great in a frame or matted and framed...perfect for the small spot that needs some art!
click here to bid on this painting

Lowcountry Sunset 6x6 landscape

'Coastal Sunset' 6x6 pastel

For this week's pastel class we will be working with a square format. I have discovered the 6x6 square and it is a wonderful alternative to my usual small daily painting size of 5x7. I always like to encourage students to try their idea for a painting in different formats during the thumbnail stage but we often don't choose the square. I am looking forward to sharing some tips and uses for the square format in this class. More 6x6's to be posted!

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Price: $100 USD
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La Tierra Encantada ....Soon to be Home!

'La Tierra Encandata' 8x8 pastel

Now that our son has graduated from college and our daughter is settled into her sophomore year, Michael and I have decided we would like a new adventure. We decided that we would move and explore another part of the country. We are fortunate that both of our jobs will allow us to make a move so we have given much thought as to where we would like to go. We both agree that we would like to try New Mexico! We have both visited NM several times and my recent visit to Albuquerque, even with the smoke, confirmed our decision. So....we are working hard to get our home ready to sell and as soon as it does....we will be on our way! Though realistically with today's market, we are prepared to wait awhile. I have a timeline for the house projects and hope to have the house ready to sell by July....so with painting, teaching and home projects I will be very busy this summer!

Finch Nest Pastel Painting 6x6

'Among the Ferns' 6x6 pastel

I have been working with the square format this week and trying to adapt some of the subjects I've already painted in a square. This nest is 6x6 on black Pastelmat paper. I really do enjoy this surface but I only have one piece left so I am being stingy. I will have to order some more! I am often asked what my favorite paper is and I can honestly say I enjoy most of them. My choice depends on my mood and my plan for the painting. If I want to do an underpainting I will choose Uart or mounted Wallis. Lately I am enjoying Canson paper. I like the challenge to be quick and sure of my strokes and I just enjoy the soft feel of the paper. It's funny how we can change our preferences of materials as we gain more experience. My advice is to try them all and don't give up on any surface....you may decide you really do like it.

Lavender Farm at Los Poblanos

'Los Poblanos Lavender' 6x6 pastel

On my recent trip to New Mexico I went on a photo tour with a wonderful photographer and tour guide, Bob Ayres. One of the first places we stopped was a lavender farm at the Los Poblanos Inn in Ranchos de Albuquerque. The lavender was not yet in bloom so I took out my artistic license for this painting. Bob also took us to the Acoma Pueblo and I have some great reference photos from the drive through the desert that I want to paint.
Today's painting is 6x6 on Wallis Belgian Mist. I am working on a few of these 6x6 paintings in preparation for next week's class on painting using a square format.

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New Sunflower Mini Painting aceo

'Sunflower Meadow' 3.5 x 2.5 pastel

I am going from a large painting to a tiny one with today's mini sunflower meadow. This little painting is 3.5 x 2.5 inches! I love painting these minis and I need to do them more often. They are a good way to work out painting ideas, compositions and color schemes. This week I am offering 10 miniature paintings on auction in my Ebay store. Opening bids are just $10. These minis look great matted and framed. Here is the link to this painting. Be sure to look at my other auctions for the other minis.

click here to bid on this painting

A New Mexico Sky ...Abiquiu

'Skies over Abiquiu' 18x24 pastel

Today I wanted to paint a large painting with clouds and I chose this photo I took 2 years ago near Abiquiu New Mexico. I really couldn’t use my reference photos from my trip last week to New Mexico because the skies were so hazy from the Arizona wildfires. I kept telling my friends who had never been to NM that the sky is usual clear and blue. This year they were very pale and almost like our southeastern skies. I hope they get the fires under control and that all affected stay safe. This painting is done on Uart paper with an alcohol wash underpainting. It is large for me at 18×24.
***I encourage you to visit my new blog that is integrated with my website. You can sign up to receive email updates to the new blog. I will continue to post to both blogs for awhile but eventually will just use the website blog. I feel that my work looks better on the new site so check it out and let me know what you think! www.karenmargulis.com

Datura Bloom 5x7 pastel

'Datura Bloom Study' 5x7 pastel

I am back from New Mexico after a fantastic time at the IAPS convention. It was great to see friends from all over the country and meet so many new ones. The pastel family is truly a family. If you haven't had a chance to attend a convention mark your calender for 2013! I have so much to share and I will keep posting until I run out of stories! I have a lot of things to do around the house but I couldn't resist painting today. I started two larger paintings and finished this small study of a Datura bloom. Tomorrow night is my first summer pastel class and it is Georgia O'Keeffe Night. We will be painting big and bold flowers and I am looking forward to class. I still have space so let me know if you would like to come!

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Price: $45 USD
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My Cloud Painting from IAPS

Live from IAPS

I am posting from my iPad and for some reason I don't see the option for adding a picture so until i figure it out I'll just give a written report! Internet at the hotel is very slow so I keep getting timed out so posting, has been a challenge. I am having a wonderful time at the convention. So many wonderful pastel artists at the same place. It is so inspiring!
I have great news to share.....my painting ,Blue Skies Ahead won the poster competition! I was so surprised and honored. It is for sale at the trade show and i hope people will like them! I bought a bunch!
Yesterday I had a hands on class with Fred Somersault that was wonderful. I learned some new techniques that I can't wait to try. I will try to post my painting later if i figure out how. I also attended a demo by Desmond O Haagan which was awesome. I love his work and his demo was amazing. I would love to take a longer workshop with him. Today i have a hands on class with Liz Haywod Sullivan and I cant wait! More later from IAPS!

Headed to New Mexico!

'Poppy Power' 18x24 pastel

I am leaving shortly for my flight to New Mexico and the IAPS convention. I wanted to post before I left in case I don't get a chance while I am there. I would love to be able to post a daily report if I can on my ipad. I meant to try a practice run but didn't get a chance. Today's painting is a larger version of my poppy from earlier this week. As you can see I did an underpainting with gouache. (bottom photo) I loved painting these flowers so large and if it wasn't so hard to store these big paintings I would paint large more often! It is very striking in person! Stay tuned for more from New Mexico!