Coming Full Circle with an article in Pratiques des Arts

'Watching Life Unfold'        18x24      pastel       ©Karen Margulis
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The email was a surprise. A friend in France wrote to congratulate me on my article in the pastel special of the French magazine 'Pratiques des Artes'.  I was thrilled to know that I had been selected! She was kind enough to send me some photos of the two demos shown in the magazine while I wait for my copy to arrive. It is wonderful to be included with such talented artists in this great magazine but it means even more to me than just this honor.  This article written in French  means that I have come full circle. Let me explain.

The cover of the pastel special edition

I had a special love for the French language back in high school. I had the most wonderful French teacher (Mrs. Paladino) who made learning a language fun. I loved every minute of french class and I immersed myself into learning the language. I spent my days after school painting a mural of Paris on the classroom wall and I worked evenings at the local discount store to save money for the class trips to Europe. Learning French and  anticipating these trips consumed my high school days. But I had another love.....Art. (OK also my future husband Michael. We were high school sweethearts)

Art was also important to me but I only painted for fun. I remember listening to my swiss yodeling records and painting landscapes of Switzerland while sitting crosslegged on my bedroom floor. My parents also let me paint a mural on my bedroom and I painted a big tree with a jaguar lounging on a branch. I did take art classes at my small high school with Mrs. Ruelle and I was known as the kid who could draw....but I wasn't as passionate about art as I was about French and in my senior year of high school I chose two French classes over the art class. And in college I decided to major in French. instead of art. (eventually switching to elementary education)

I only have rediscovered art in the last 11 years. I have made up for lost time my devoting myself to painting with 150% of my effort. I still have wanderlust and love to travel but now I also have art. I paint and I share with others.  What about French? Well not really having any way to practice and use it I am sadly not fluent although I can get by and can understand and read some. But I still love languages and meeting friends  around the world. So I have come full circle. I have an article about my art in a French magazine. I really didn't have to choose after all. It makes me smile!

One of my demos in the magazine article can be found on my blog here:

http://kemstudios.blogspot.com/2016/01/pastel-demo-nantucket-island-meadow-on.html

The second demo can be found on my blog here:
http://kemstudios.blogspot.com/2016/05/behind-scenes-painting-poppies-of.html

To purchase a copy of the magazine:
http://fr.divertistore.com/pratique-des-arts-hors-serie-n-41-special-pastel.html