Sleeping Siamese Cat ACEO SOLD

'Siamese Asleep' 2.5x3.5 inches pastel

Here is the color study I did for the painting I posted earlier this week. It is ACEO size 2.5 x 3.5. I like to do these to work out color choices before I start a larger painting. In my reference photo the background was a copper color but I decided to make it a lavender blanket and I liked in in the mini version so I used the same palette in my larger painting.

Framing an ACEO

I'd like to share one way to display the mini pastel paintings or ACEO's that I have been doing. I got some 8x10 mats cut with a 2.5 x 3.5 inch opening which is perfect for the ACEOs. Here is my latest painting displayed in a black frame with the new mat. Next I think I will get some 5x7 mats cut. I think it would be a cool idea to have a wall devoted to an ACEO collection. I will be posting this particular painting tonight.

Siamese Cat Pastel Painting

'Siamese Cat on Lavender Blanket' 8x10 pastel

Is there anything more relaxing than watching a cat sleep!? They have a way of finding the most comfortable spot in the house and making themselves cozy. This painting is 8x0 on LaCarte paper. I have several more cats I want to paint so keep checking back!

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $125 plus $6 s/h
Or, send me an email

Daily Painting....Cherry Blossoms

'Blossoms from my Tree' 5x7 pastel

This evening I decided to paint the blossoms from my cherry tree. I have 4 Yoshino Cerry trees and this year they were gorgeous. It has been so hot here that they didn't last very long so I made sure I took plenty of pictures. Tomorrow I think I may go tropical and do some Banana trees!

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $60 plus $6 s/h
Or, send me an email

Naptime!

I just had to share this photo I took. As you know I have a new bird feeder and I am patiently waiting to get some bird photos to paint. This afternoon I had some customers but I wasn't quick enough. I did manage to catch a shot of a squirrel taking a siesta on my deck! naptime is when I usually paint but I can't seem to find anything that thrills me today....maybe tonight something will strike me.

Daily Pastel Painting....Field of Sunflowers

'Sunflower Sentinal' 8x16 pastel

I am starting a new series based on a visit to the annual Sunflower Festival in Rutledge Georgia . Jayne and I went to the festival last summer and had so much fun taking pictures of the wonderful fields of sunflowers and all of the people at the festival. I have several ideas I want to paint and will be working on them in the coming weeks. This painting is an odd size for me...8x16 but I think it suits the subject well and I had a frame for it!

Daily Painting....Mountain Chickadee

'The Early Bird' 5x7 pastel

I call this one 'The Early Bird ' because it seems like he is just waking up or resting as he is backlit by the morning sun. This Mountain Chickadee looks so sweet and peaceful! This weekend I put up a few new bird feeders in my yard so I am patiently waiting for some visitors so I can have my own bird reference photos. I had a Nuthatch on the new feeder this morning but I wasn't quick enough with my camera!

Daily Painting....Mountain Chickadee

About This Painting:
I use the finest soft pastels on archival papers. Paintings are shipped unframed and securely packaged with glassine and foamcore.

Pink Hibiscus ACEO

This is my first Pink hibiscus painting. I think I've only painted the red and orange ones! I love painting them. It is so much fun using theses colors. I will definitely do this one larger. This one is just 2.5 x 3.5! Speaking of color...for class tomorrow I am going to try to do a beach dune scene using colors I don't usually use. Last class, Marsha thought that maybe I used purple as a crutch...though I think it's because I am drawn to paint things where I see purples. But I need to stretch myself so i will try to do something different tomorrow!

Pink Hibiscus ACEO

About This Painting:
I use the finest soft pastels on archival papers. Paintings are shipped unframed and securely packaged with glassine and foamcore.

Media: Pastel
Size: 2.5 in X 3.5 in (6.4 cm X 8.9 cm)

How to Purchase:
click here to bid on this painting

Or, send me an email

Sapphire Beach, St. Thomas USVI SOLD

'Dreaming of St. Thomas' 12x16 pastel

I was spending the day at Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas and decided to go for a walk with my camera. I walked until I came to another little cove and was greeted by this scene....a gorgeous deserted beach surrounded by swaying palms. Now this was a true paradise and looking at this painting brings me back and makes me smile!

Click here to bid on Ebay

South Carolina Low Country Painting SOLD

Here is a mini painting or ACEO I did as a color study for a larger painting that has since been sold. This is a path through the dunes on Harbor Island South Carolina...a beautiful and tranquil spot.

Blue Ridge Georgia Pastel Painting

'The Backyard View' 16x20 pastel

I took many photos on a plein air painting trip to Blue Ridge, Georgia last spring and this is one of the views I've been wanting to paint. It was early morning and we were visiting a local farm that is just full of wonderful things to paint. I liked the view from behind the house peeking out onto a sunlit field. I used a prepared gator foam board for this painting. Next on the easel is a Florida scene...it's in the 80's here this weekend and it sure feels like Florida!

Blue Ridge Georgia Pastel Painting

About This Painting:
I use the finest soft pastels on pumice board. Paintings are shipped unframed and securely packaged with glassine and foamcore.

Media: pastel
Size: 16 in X 20 in (40.6 cm X 50.8 cm)
Price: $225

How to Purchase:

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $225 plus $9 s/h
Or, send me an email

Boardwalk Sea Gull

'Looking for a Hand out' 5x7 pastel

I was in the mood to paint a seagull today so I went through my stack of gull reference photos and found this little laughing gull. He seemed to be looking at the photographer as if to say...'What do you have for me!' I love gulls. I know many think they are pesky but I think they have so much personality and they are fun to paint too!

Boardwalk Sea Gull

About This Painting:
I use the finest soft pastels on archival papers. Paintings are shipped unframed and securely packaged with glassine and foamcore.

Media: pastel
Size: 5 in X 7 in (12.7 cm X 17.8 cm)
Price: $60

How to Purchase:
send me an email

Spring is Here! Cherry Blossom photo

Spring has arrived in Georgia and I can tell because my eyes are so itchy! I didn't paint yesterday but I had fun with my camera taking pictures of my Cherry trees. Years ago I planted 4 Yoshino Cherry trees with the hope of having my own cherry grove and each spring the dispay of flowers gets better and better. I will try to paint some cherry blossoms...I think I'd like to cut some and make a still life display this weekend.

Sanibel Island ACEO SOLD

Here is the latest mini painting or ACEO. This is from a photo I took last summer on Sanibel Island. It's a beach path with some shellers in the distance. This is at the Lighthouse Beach. This is a great place to look for tiny shells. I could spend hours here looking for treasures!

Contact me at kemstudios@yahoo.com if you are interested in this painting

More from The SC Low Country

Low Country Storm

About This Painting:
A stormy sky over the dunes on Harbor Island, South Carolina.

Media: Pastel
Size: 9 in X 12 in (22.9 cm X 30.5 cm)
Price: $125 with free shipping in US

How to Purchase:
send me an email

The Drama Queen

I am in the mood to paint some flamingos today. I was going through some old reference photos and found the photo I used for this painting. This one is large for me at 16x20 and is quite dramatic in real life. I am on a hunt for another flamingo reference so stay tuned!

New ACEO NJ Shore Lifeguard Chair SOLD

NJ Shore Lifeguard Chair

About This Painting:
An ACEO version of a painting I did last year from a photo taken during a visit to Wildwood NJ several years ago.

Media: Pastel
Size: 2.5 in X 3.5 in (6.4 cm X 8.9 cm)

How to Purchase:
click here to bid on this painting

Or, send me an email

Sanibel Island Sea Shells

Sanibel Sea Shells

About This Painting:
This painting is one of my personal favorites that I have decided to sell. It was done from a photo I took last summer on a trip to Sanibel Island. I took photos of the shells as they were washed up on the beach with the morning tide. I didn't touch them...they are just as Mother Nature arranged them!

Daily Pastel Painting....Shells

'Yin & Yang' 5x7 pastel

These are two Lightning Whelks from my own shell collection. I have so many shells just waiting to be painted! For this one, I arranged the two shells in some sand from the kid's sand box and had an instant beach! This is painted on blacl LaCarte paper and is a little different for me. I feel it is a bit more graphic than realistic but just for fun, I put in in a frame and it looks cool! Of course, I am partial to shells!

Blue- Fronted Amazon Parrot

'Hide & Seek' 5x7 pastel

Every once in awhile I like to work on something sitting down at my desk. It's actually relaxing to be able to paint something detailed like this parrot's eye. It is good for me to slow down and really learn to see. That is one of the things I got from Margaret Dyer...she felt I 'saw' very well but I needed to slow down and try to see even better. Paintings like these help me do just that.

Blue- Fronted Amazon Parrot

About This Painting:
I use the finest soft pastels on archival papers. Paintings are shipped unframed and securely packaged with glassine and foamcore.

Media: pastel
Size: 5 in X 7 in (12.7 cm X 17.8 cm)
Price: $60

How to Purchase:
click here to bid on this painting

Or, send me an email

South Carolina Sand Dunes

'Morning Light' 12x16 pastel

Today's painting was started in my pastel class last night. It was back to class after a month off. Our teacher, Marsha Savage, was in Florida doing workshops. She shared her wonderful Florida paintings with us. I especially loved the banana trees! For this painting I did an alcohol wash with purple and blue nupastels. Marsha wants me to try to do a painting with out using purple next time. That will certainly be a challenge for me but I have some ideas on how I can do that so you may be seeing this scene in other colors! Oh by the way, this is the beach in front of the townhouse we rented last fall on Harbor Island, SC.

Please email me at kemstudios@yahoo.com if you are interested in this painting

On the Beach

'Waiting for my Ship to Come in' 9x12

Today's painting is from one of the photos I took on my recent Caribbean cruise. I took a lot of 'people' pictures with the hopes of being able to paint them. There were so many great photo ops and so I will keep practicing adding the figure to my landscapes. This scene is on the private island of Honeymoon Cay...a true paradise!

Please contact me at kemstudios@yahoo.com if you are interested in this painting.

Something New for Me

About These Paintings:
These ACEOs were done on location in the Caribbean on Grand Turk and Tortola. A great way to spend time at the beach!

Media: watercolor & ink
Size: 2.5 in X 3.5 in (6.4 cm X 8.9 cm)

How to Purchase:
click here to bid on this painting

Or, send me an email

Another Siamese Cat Painting

Another Siamese Cat Painting

About This Painting:
I completed this one last week while I had my pastels out for the Siamese Cat in the Sun. This is a closer look at the same cat.I am collecting cat reference photos so look for more cat paintings!

Media: Pastel
Size: 9 in X 12 in (22.9 cm X 30.5 cm)
Price: $125

How to Purchase:

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $125 plus $5 s/h
Or, send me an email

NJ Shore Beach Painting ACEO

Avalon Pier NJ Shore ACEO

About This Painting:
Here is a little painting which is a mini version of a larger work I did last year. It is a view of the Avalon NJ pier and beach on a nice summer day.

Media: Pastel
Size: 3.5 in X 2.5 in (8.9 cm X 6.4 cm)

How to Purchase:
click here to bid on this painting

Or, send me an email

Daily Painting....Two Roosters

'The Daily Gossip' 9x12 pastel

Here is my first Rooster painting! They really do have a lot of personality. I love painting birds of all kinds. I started with sea gulls which are my favorite to paint. My absolute favorite bird is the osprey and I really need to paint another one soon!

This painting is available for $125 with free shipping in the US

Please contact me at kemstudios@yahoo.com

Painting some Roosters...a WIP

I thought I'd share what I am working on today. I haven't painted any roosters yet but when I saw this photo I knew I had to try them! I started with my usual method of drawing the roosters with a pastel pencil and then blocking in with hard pastels and then I stopped.....I realized it was easier and more exciting to start right in with the soft pastels like we did at the Margaret Dyer workshop...and while I was at it why not build up the painting like we learned! This photo shows how I have started building the darks and added the lights...now if I have done it correctly the rest will be middle tones. It's like a puzzle. We'll see how it turns out!

Daily Painting...Black Capped Chickadee

'Out on a Limb' 5x7 pastel

Today I wanted to paint a bird and I found some wonderful bird photos in the wet canvas reference image library. My goal for my new camera is to take my own bird photos but I have to first attract them to my yard....that is this Spring's project!

Siamese Cat ACEO SOLD

Before I put away the pastels I used for painting the 8x10 Siamese cat, I thought I would do a smaller ACEO version. This little painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches. It was a fun exercise in trying to be loose and not blend my colors. It would look nice matted in a 5x7 frame.

Click here to bid on Ebay

Signs of Spring...Daffodil Painting

'A Sign of Spring' 8x10 Pastel on board

I had another piece of gator board that I had prepared and I thought it would be perfect for this painting. The texture and brushstrokes of the ground really add movement to this flower. In real life the flower seems to pop off the board. I like working on this surface!

This painting is available for $95 with free shipping in the US

Contact me at kemstudios@yahoo.com

Siamese Cat in the Sun SOLD

'Siamese in the Sun' 8x10 pastel

Here is the finished painting. I tried not to get too fussy with every piece of fur and I like how it turned out. If you are owned by a Siamese cat then you will appreciate the pose of this boy as he claims the best spot in the house! I love all cats but I appreciate the beauty and intelligence of this wonderful breed.

This painting is available for $125 with free shipping in the US

Please contact me at kemstudios@yahoo.com

Siamese Cat Painting...Work in Progress

I have been chomping at the bit to try this painting using the techniques I learned at the Margaret Dyer workshop. Here are photos of the first two steps. This is 8x10 on LaCarte paper. First I lightly sketched in the cat with an ochre color pastel pencil....I know she uses a black nupastel but I didn't. When I had measured and was confident that my drawing was correct, I went over the dark areas with the black. Then I filled in my darks with a dark purple. And put in the lightest area with a cream color. In the second photo I am building the darks with blue, burgandy and another purple and I have added light purple and blue to the lights. I have started with my midtones but the photo didn't post. What have I discovered?.....I feel like I work pretty similar to Margaret so this really isn't that strange for me. I do notice that her strokes seem to be looser and more expressive and she simplifies more than I usually do. I may try for that or I may end up working as I normally do...we'll see how it progresses. Stay tuned.

Back to Landscapes! SOLD

'Late Afternoon Clouds' 18x24

Well I am back to my comfort zone. I started this painting last week and had the chance to finish it today. Or at least it's ready for a critical eye to see if anything needs fixing. I loved how these big fluffy clouds formed and blew in from the ocean and I took several pictures. This is the second in a series of these beach cloud paintings. Now I have to decide what I want to paint next! I may take a day off though!

Last Day of Margaret Dyer Workshop

12x16 pastel
Today was the last day of the three day workshop on painting the figure with pastels with Margaret Dyer. It was an exhausting three days of non-stop painting but I really think I learned a lot. Most people in the class had experience with painting the figure but I gave it my best try and got a good foundation. Now I need some time and practice to assimilate all that I learned. I will give more details of the workshop in a review on wet canvas when I get caught up. These were the two paintings I did today. They are both 12x16 on LaCarte paper.

Two More from the Workshop

Day two at the Margaret Dyer workshop and I am beat! I have never experienced a workshop with so much intense painting time. We worked for 7 hours with just a break for lunch! And since we were working with live models....you had to pay careful attention. It sure isn't easy! Everytime they took a break, they had shifted their position just enough so that it made a difference. And those fabric folds! They kept changing! I know there is a lot I can improve on mine but overall I am pleased for my first effort at painting the figure. My main goal for the workshop was to better understand Margaret's technique. She was very pleased that I was getting it. Now I will try to incorporate her ways with mine. I can't wait to paint something on my own trying her technique. I am picturing a cat done in this style. Tomorrow is another day with two models. I think I will paint smaller as these four have been 18x24 each. Stay tuned!

These are each 18x24 pastel

Afternoon Model...Dyer Workshop

Day one of the Margaret Dyer workshop.....after lunch we had another model...with clothes. Actually that is much harder to paint! This is my attempt. I see that I need to fix the umbrella and the nose. I only used about 12 pastels for the entire painting. I had to choose 3 darks, 3 lights, 3 middle tones and black. I did uses a couple extra. We started with a gesture drawing and Margaret showed us how to measure the figure to get everything correct. We had 3 hours to work on this. This way of painting comes is a lot of fun and I can't wait for tomorrow's class!

This painting is pastel 18x24

Margaret Dyer Workshop Report

I just got in from the first day of the Margaret Dyer Workshop. I was an hour and a half in traffic due to a terrible accident but I made it just in time. Margaret did a demo from a photo and it was good because I had seen her demo before so it was easy to take lots of notes. Then we got started right away painting a nude model. This is my first ever figure drawing. This isn't the best photo since I took it at the workshop...I'll try to take better pictures at home. I love her method of doing all the darks, then lights, then middle tones...and keep building with color. It was very freeing.


18x24 pastel

Dunes with a Desert Palette

'Fall Dunes' 8x10

Here is yet another homework assignment. I have been using these assignments to give me ideas for my daily paintings. For this assignment we were to use the color palette from another artist and paint an unrelated scene. I chose a painting by Jan Myers called 'Evening Sagebrush' and I used her colors to paint my sand dune scene. This is painted on a pumice board underpainted with turquoise. I think it would be fun to do the same exact scene using many different color combinations and color schemes....I will put that on my list! Tomorrow I go to the Margaret Dyer workshop on painting the figure in pastel. It's a three day workshop. If I get a chance, I will post a report tomorrow evening. Wish me luck...I know nothing about painting the figure so this will be an experience for sure!