Painting from the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival SOLD

'Wildflowers of Crested Butte' 9x18 pastel

This was a fun format for this painting. These yellow flowers seemed to stretch out in all directions so the long format suited them well. I wish long and narrow formats would show up better on the blog but somehow they seem small! This is on Canson paper with an assortment of soft pastels.

More Mini Paintings added to Sale

'Southwest Storm' 2.5 x 3.5 pastel

Thank you to all who purchased my mini pastel originals yesterday. I almost sold out! I am so glad that the paintings will have good homes. I have added more minis to the album in case anyone else was interested in them. They are priced at $15 each or 2 for $20 with $3 for shipping. Email me if you find one you like! This one is from a photo I took outside of Albuquerque. It is on black Pastelmat which I really enjoy using!
To see the new minis click on the album below.

Mini Sale Paintings

On the Way to Yankee Boy Basin...Colorado Wildflowers

'On the Way to Yankee Boy Basin' 8x10 pastel

Today I had a chance to paint another scene for my Colorado Wildflower series. We took a jeep ride up to Yankee Boy Basin at the height of the wildflower season. It is something I always wanted to do and I wasn't disappointed. There was one section of the road where the meadows were covered in these blue purple flowers. It was breathtaking! I managed to snap some photos as we bumped along in the jeep! This painting is 8x10 on Canson paper.

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Price: $145 USD
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Mini Painting Sale 2.5 x 3.5 originals $15 or 2 for $20

A selection of mini originals

If you are looking for something small and affordable for Holiday gifts, consider the gift of original art. I am offering a selection of my mini original pastel paintings for sale. They are priced at $15 each or 2 for $20. Shipping is $3. Paypal or personal check accepted. These little paintings look great matted and framed or you can display them on little easels. They are protected in a clearbag with a foamcore backing. If you have a special scene or sunject in mind I can paint an original for $25 each. Click on the album below to see the available paintings. Please email me at kemstudios@yahoo.com with any questions.

Mini Sale Paintings

Lowcountry Sunset 2.5 x 3.5 pastel painting SOLD

'Lowcountry Sunset' 2.5 x 3.5 pastel

I didn't get to paint today so I am sharing another miniature pastel painting. I will be putting together a collection of them and offering them for sale for Cyber Monday. This is a sneak peek! I hope to have a nice long studio day tomorrow. I have a lot of things I want to do but I have been running around all weekend. It will be time to relax and paint tomorrow!

TO BID ON THIS PAINTING VISIT MY AUCTION HERE

Grand Teton National Park mini pastel painting

'River View' 2.5 x 3.5 pastel

I have finished a new collection of mini pastels this week. I have a new portable set up that I can take upstairs to the den and paint in the evenings. I love my studio but I need to get away from it in the evenings so a small box of pastels and a small board work great at the table while I watch TV. Here is one of my latest. It is a scene from our trip out to Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone. I have so many wonderful reference photos so doing some minis really helps me decide which ones would make a good larger painting.

To bid on this painting please visit my auction HERE

Original Pastel Painting Ornaments on Shrink Film!

I am always looking to try something new so when my friend shared the idea of pastels on shrink film I just had to try them. What fun they were. It was like being a kid and doing Shrinky Dinks! Who would have thought you could paint with pastels on shrink film?! You can and they turn out great. For these little paintings I used a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch piece of shrink film. Only the softer pastels work well and light colors and linear marks really show up nicely. You can bake them or use a heat gun which is more fun. They will curl up into a ball before they flatten out and shrink. I didn't know that so I threw out several because I thought I had done something wrong! Then I re-read the directions. They shrink to about 2x3 and they are hard plastic. I sealed them with Krylon clear glossy finish. They darken slightly but the pastel is sealed. I tied a piece of black elastic to make them into ornaments. Be sure to punch the hole before shrinking! I had so much fun I am going to do some more. I think the possibilities for them are endless!

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Indian Paintbrush Colorado Wildflower Painting

'A Splash of Red' 8x10 pastel

I was happy to start a new series today. I have been wanting to paint some Colorado wildflowers from some of my favorite reference photos. The summer of 2010 my friends Holly and Jayne and I drove out to Wyoming. We made a few stops in Colorado to enjoy the wildflowers. We were in Crested Butte for the Wildflower Festival and took a jeep ride to Yankee Boy Basin in Ouray. It was a fantastic experience and I am excited to finally paint some of the scenes from the trip. Here is a hillside covered in Indian Paintbrush. I did a watercolor underpaintng on Uart paper.

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Price: $145 USD
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Autumn Tree 8x10 pastel

'Colorful Countryside' 8x10 pastel

Today I am sharing an older painting that just hasn't found it's home yet. I had good intentions to paint today but ended up just doing a lot of prep work. I have a new series in the works of Colorado Wildflowers from one of my summer trips and I have two large 24x24 daisy commissions in the works. I am excited about painting daisies in this size. I have the paper all ready for the first one and after working on minis for a week this looks Huge! It will be fun.
About today's painting, I am asked how I got the textured look to the tree...that came out of frustration. I had way too many leaves so I kept brushing them out and each time I still overworked it. So finally I sprayed the tree with fixative and painted on it while damp which gave the tree it's final look.

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Price: $125 USD
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Tour my Studio and Sale Paintings

I enjoyed participating in the weekend's Open Studio Tour and I wanted to share my space with my online friends. I also wanted to offer you the chance to participate in the sale and drawing for a free painting. To take the Virtual tour you can click on the tab at the top of the page or click HERE. To see the sale paintings up close along with sizes and prices click on the tab at the top of the page or click HERE. Anyone who purchases a sale painting will be entered into the drawing for a 16x20 original pastel painting. Email me if you find something you like or have questions. Enjoy the tour!

Artist Trading Cards or ACEO's

pastel 2.5 x 3.5

I just finished a great Sunday mini workshop on painting in a small format. We did 2.5 x 3.5 paintings as well as painted minis on shrink film. What fun that was! Everyone went home with several little gems and hopefully inspiration to keep painting more minis. As I told everyone....these minis may be only inches but they add up to miles of canvas! I will share some photos and more on the shrink film paintings tomorrow.

To bid on this painting click HERE

A New Sea Gull Painting

'At the Shore' 8x10 pastel

I had a great day today. Open Studio was a success and I had fun with a private student at the same time. I met some new artists and welcomed back several of my regular collectors. I am now setting up for tomorrow's workshop on painting small format pastels. I took lots of photos of the studio and will be putting together a virtual open studio for my out of town friends. Look for it to be posted early next week!

Cardinal Pastel Study 8x10

'Red Bird' 8x10 pastel

I haven't painted any birds in a long time so earlier this week I pulled out my bird photos and this one caught my eye. I really enjoy painting birds...really any animal. But birds have such personalities. I did this as a study on Canson moonstone paper. I also painted a seagull which I will share tomorrow.
I am all ready for the Open Studio Tour. I have a few paintings on my easels to work on and I have set out my big set of pastels so visitors can see how I work. I've cleaned up but it is still very much my working studio. I have heard that visitors want to see an artist's studio how it really is and not a perfect sterilized version. I welcome my local friends to come by, visit and pick up a map for the other open studios on the tour!

Bumble Bee in the Meadow

'Buzzing Bee' 16x20 pastel

I am opening my studio this Saturday to visitors as part of the Artist of Northwest Georgia Studio Tour. Our studios will be open from 10-4 and we will be donating 5% of sales to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I hope my local Atlanta area friends will plan on stopping in. I will have a few paintings in progress and you will be able to watch me work and see my space and where I work and teach. I will be giving away this 16x20 pastel original to a visitor so I hope to see you! For my online friends and collectors, I will be having an online open studio next week so you will have a chance to have a virtual visit and painting give away. Stay tuned!

Janet Hartmann....I am trying to get back in touch with you but your email address keeps getting bounced back. Please write again with your number or new email

Pink Water Lilies

'Twice as Nice' 8x10 pastel

I enjoyed painting these water lilies as a paint along with a student. She has a water garden with lilies so these spoke to her. I hope to have my own pond this Spring. I found a pond form at the thrift store so I am going to be planning my garden over the winter. I don't think I will be able to keep any fish or lilies in my pond though. My dog Heidi loves the water too much and I'm afraid she is going to think it is her personal swimming hole! Today she was out running in the rain so if there is water around she will find it!

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Price: $125 USD
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Daisy Demo Painting 12x16

'Carolina Daisies' 12x16 pastel

Here is another one of my demo paintings from my weekend workshops. For these daisies I did a watercolor underpainting on Uart paper. I was successful in not covering the underpainting. I am trying to let some of it show and sometimes it is too easy to be heavy handed and cover it all up.

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Price: $165 USD
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Demo Painting from APS Workshop

'Mountain Meadow' 16x20 pastel

I had a wonderful weekend teaching two workshops for the Appalachian Pastel Society. I had 17 artists in my mini workshop and 8 for the full day. We were very productive and everyone did some fantastic work. This painting was my demo for the miniworkshop on Saturday. I did a 'dry wash' underpainting first with a layer of harder pastels rubbed in with some pipe insulation. I will share my other demos later this week.
My next workshop is this Sunday at my home studio. We will be working on miniature pastel paintings and I have several ways to finish them so that they will be ready for holiday gifts. I have a couple of openings so if you are looking for a fun afternoon of painting with a great group, let me know!

A Moody Autumn Day

'Tomales Bay' 8x10 pastel

I am back from a wonderful weekend in Asheville NC doing a workshop for the Appalachian pastel Society. It was such a great time! I met the most wonderful artists and had so much fun painting and sharing with them. The theme of the weekend was wildflowers and everyone did some great work! I would love to do it again. I love teaching!

I am going to be working this week to prepare my studio for the Open Studio Tour this Saturday. I am looking forward to having visitors see where I work!

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Price: $125 USD
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Daisies ll A new Series SOLD

'Daisy Chain ll' 8x10 pastel

I had the pleasure of painting another version of the daisies for my evening class last night. I took the same reference photo and interpreted it in a vertical format. I did a watercolor underpainting again on Uart paper. I think I am now warmed up for my Wildflower workshop in Asheville!

Local friends!! Please be sure to plan on stopping by my Open Studio next Saturday the 19th from 10-4. I am participating in the Artists of Northwest Georgia Studio Tour along with at least 11 other artists. Visit our site for information and tour map HERE
Come see where I paint and teach. I will be painting! I will also have plenty of work in all price ranges for holiday shopping! This year I will be having a drawing for a framed painting and 5% of the proceeds of the Studio Tour sales will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I hope to see you this year!

A New Daisy Painting 8x10 pastel SOLD

'Daisy Chain' 8x10 pastel

I have been working on new wildflower paintings in preparation for my upcoming workshops in Asheville, NC for the Appalachian Pastel Society. I am excited to share some of my thoughts and techniques for painting meadows and wildflowers in the landscape. I'll be headed to Asheville on Friday and can't wait to see old friends and meet new ones! This 8×10 pastel is done on Uart paper with a watercolor underpainting.

Don't forget to make time for the Artists of Northwest Georgia Open Studio Tour next Saturday November 19th form 9-4. My studio will be open with works in progress on the easel, lots of art for sale and I will be giving away a painting to a lucky visitor.

Another Plein Air Tree 5x7 pastel

'Up on the Hill' 5x7 pastel

This is the other orange tree I painted last week at the Anderson Creek Paint out. I really enjoyed painting at this beautiful spot and we are making plans for another painting event this Spring! I did all of my plein air paintings on either Uart or Wallis that I had mounted on archival matboard. It made it so easy to frame them on location. Nice to paint on as well!

Be sure to mark your calenders for my annual Open Studio on Saturday November 19th from 10-4. This year I will have my open studio a part of the Studio Tour of the Artist's of Northwest Atlanta. So it will be a great day for you to come out and visit the studios of some wonderful local artists. Click Here for a map and more information on the participating artists.

A Splash of Red....Autumn Tree Pastel

'A Splash of Red' 8x10 pastel

Ok.....my Wednesday evening students get ready! I went to the Dr. today for this awful cough and guess what they gave me! I had only taken two pills and found myself mysteriously sweeping and dusting. I still felt bad but I was compelled to clean! Hopefully tomorrow I will be feeling well enough to get painting. Last year at this same time my allergies were so bad I was given a course of prednisone and my students will remind me that I painted 10 sunflower paintings in one day! I didn't realize that this could be a side effect until they told me. Today I am sharing a red tree I painted a couple of weeks ago. There is an awesome orange tree in my neighbor's yard that I need to paint next!

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Price: $145 USD
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Queen Anne's Lace Meadow step by step

'In the Meadow' 11x14 pastel

Here is today's painting which I photographed step by step as I painted it. I will be using the photos as part of my workshops for the Appalachian Pastel Society next weekend. There are still some opening in Sunday all day workshop. We will have a small class so it will be a great opportunity for a day of learning and painting. I am also working on an idea for a monthly online lesson and these photos will be used for the first class. So...this post is a bit of a tease for now but stay tuned for more and let me know if you can come to the workshop in Asheville next Sunday!

For those of you in the Atlanta area, mark your calenders for Saturday November 19th. I am participating in an Open Studio Tour and my studio will be open to visitors from 10-4. More information to come!

Meadow of Clover 8x10 pastel

'Fairytale Meadows' 8x10 pastel

I don't usually paint a field of clover without other wildflowers but these were just so wonderful I had to showcase them. I had fun with this using some pearlescent pastels which you can see the sparkle a bit in the photo. Tomorrow I am looking forward to a project experimenting with a bunch of sample grounds by Golden. I am always looking to see what other surfaces will do for my paintings. I think I will try a group of minis each with a different ground. Stay tuned!

More Mini Pastels

A Collection of ACEO mini Original Pastels each 2.5x3.5 inches

I am glad that I decided to work on these mini paintings this week. I have come down with a cold and since I can sit and work on these it is perfect for my energy level. I had to cancel my demo day at High Country Gallery tomorrow but I would not be up to a full day of painting in the Gallery. I hope to reschedule in the next few weeks. I have to be well for next weekends workshop for the Appalachian Pastel Society so I am taking it easy this weekend. I really enjoy working on these little ones. It is fun to see how little information you need to say something in a painting. It is a great exercise!

Summer Meadows 8x10 pastel

'Summer Meadows' 8x10 pastel

I am getting ready for my demo and workshop for the Appalachian Pastel Society. The subject will be wildflowers and meadows (my favorite!) I am making good progress in condensing all of my information into a 4 hour workshop and I can't wait to share it with everyone! Today's painting is a demo on Canson.

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Price: $125 USD
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A New Batch of Mini Pastels

'Golden Fields' 2.5 x 3.5 " pastel

My project this week is to paint some mini paintings. Some call them aceo or Artist Trading Cards. I just call them minis and I love to paint them! You can easily get nice frames for them now or mat them to give them a bigger presence. I like them because it is a great way to distill my subject and simplify. I use my regular pastels and cut up scrap paper into 2.5 x 3.5 scraps. I am posting them all in a facebook album this week. I'll share the link when I upload today's paintings.