Finding Inspiration in an Unlikely Place

'Down by the Sea'           8x10           pastel             ©Karen Margulis
available $125

I didn't go there looking for inspiration. I did go because I was looking for treasure. And I found more than treasure today. It was my weekly mindless trip to the Goodwill down the street. I love poking around thrift stores. It is the thrill of the hunt. Sometimes I have a particular search in mind and other times I just go to clear my head.

Today I had no real goal. I was just procrastinating. I needed to pack and clean the house since my cruise is this week. A quick run to the thrift store would be all I would do and then I would get to my chores. But instead I found some treasure and came home inspired to paint. The cleaning would have to wait!

Today's thrift store finds...a paper cutter, some cool treasures and a big book on Monet

I found some interesting items today. The first is a Dahle Personal rolling trimmer for $4.54! It has an $80 value but it is priceless for me and all the paper I cut.  Next I found some interesting items....a punched tin mirror with doors. I have been wanting one of these mirrors. This one is copper and gold. Price $2.52.  Next is a strange item which appears to be some kind of Native American or tribal piece. It is light color hide on a handle with leather stitching. I need to research this. Price $1.91.

Lastly,  I found a great book on Monet by Sandro Sprocatti. It is large with many nice color plates. Price $1.91.

I came home with my treasures with an idea brewing. Why not use the paper cutter to cut some paper and then paint something using a color palette inspired by something in the new Monet book.

Inspired by Monet's palette

I opened the book to a beautiful beach painting and selected pastels to match the colors I saw in the painting. I then found one of my own beach photos to work from.  Once I picked the pastels I closed the book so I wouldn't be influenced by anything other than the color palette.  My beach scene was similar to Monet's without the addition of boats, buildings and people. It was a fun afternoon. Now I have to go pack!

A Great Place to Paint People

'Umbrella Drinks'            5x7           plein air     pastel          ©Karen Margulis
available on Etsy $50

The sweat was pouring down. The sunlight was almost blinding. The music was loud. It was hot on deck but I was in heaven. It was the first afternoon of a seven night Caribbean cruise and I had a week ahead of me to relax and paint.

I pulled out my smallest travel pastel kit (available soon) and got to work. The first thing that caught my eye was the poolside bar and two very colorful women who were already celebrating. They had on the brightest neon coverups and were drinking a fun umbrella drink.  I had to work quickly before they got up to continue dancing!  It was going to be a great cruise.

That was in June.  It was a great cruise but since June was such a busy month I have not had a chance to share the paintings I did. I love painting the landscapes of the islands from the deck of the ship. But I realize that I really enjoy painting the people....my fellow passenger and the island locals.  A cruise ship is a great place for drawing and painting people. I usually fill a sketchbook with my people sketches. (see my blog post here with my sketches)  There is such a variety of shapes and sizes and poses on board a ship. You need to work quickly so it is great practice in gesture drawing.  If you are not a sun lover you can sit in the shade to sketch. You will be treated to a constant parade of interesting subjects to sketch or paint. I love it!

Cruising is such a good value if you are flexible and pay attention to the deals. I just got the best cruise deal ever and since I am flexible with my time I have decided to take advantage. I got a 5 night cruise for 2 for total cost of $630 with a $400 on board credit. That makes the price only $115 for me for 5 nights!  I can't buy groceries for that! My mom and I will enjoy a November cruise and I will have fun painting more people!

I have a great cruise travel agent so let me know if you'd like his contact information!

All paintings on this page are available in my Etsy shop. Click here for details.

Painting the Caribbean...One Hour at a Time

'The Perfect View'             5x7             pastel             ©Karen Margulis
purchase here $50

I am back from a wonderfully relaxing cruise. It truly was a chance to enjoy family and get away from it all.  I didn't even use all of my internet minutes. I was online briefly each day to do a quick email check.  It was nice but it is good to be back.  I have a lot to share. I managed to do 50 paintings...45 minis and five 5x7's. 

Today I am sharing the day I spent at St Kitts.  I didn't get off the ship but had the most wonderful day.

Painting the perfect view from the deck of the ship

The morning we arrived at St. Kitts it was threatening to rain. My family was going to find a beach. I had floated in the Caribbean sea all day in St. Maarten (heavenly) so I was ready to stay on the ship and paint. I'm glad I did because I was treated to the most wonderful day of weather. 

I found a comfortable spot undercover and painted the day as the weather went from threatening to downpours to sun showers to partly cloudy to sunny. It was the perfect day for this cloud lover. I watched the mist form and lift over the mountains several times during the day. Sometimes I painted and sometimes I just looked up and took mental notes.

The mountains and clouds changed colors constantly. It was truly a show of color and light. I was thrilled to witness it and attempt to paint my impressions.  My little travel kit worked out perfectly. I was very pleased with my color choices.

Here are a few of the mini pastels I painted of St Kitts from the deck of the ship. They are each 2.5 x 3.5 inches. I'd love to paint a few of these larger!

'Clouds Over St. Kitts'         2.5 x 3.5            pastel          ©Karen Margulis
click here to purchase $15

These mini pastels are available in my Etsy shop $15 each

 I may have missed an interesting beach day full of black sand, fish and monkeys (I'll have to come back) but I wouldn't trade my sky show over St Kitts!

Winter Warm Up....Painting Sand or Snow?

'Take Me There'                9x12               pastel            ©Karen Margulis
sold

I had a chill in my bones today. Maybe it was the snow painting I was working on. Maybe it was just cold in my studio.  But I needed something to get me warm.  I surfed some cruise websites during lunch and that helped.  But it also made me want to paint some Caribbean sunshine.  I dug out my cruise photos and chose this one from Magen's Bay, one of my favorite beaches on St. Thomas USVI  (only very early in the day before it gets too crowded)

I was lazy to put away my snow palette of pastels from my morning session,  but looking at them I realized they would work just as well for this beach painting.  All I would have to add were the greens in the tree.

I discovered that painting white sand is a lot like painting snow. 

The blues and violets I used for winter skies and snow shadows can be used for the Caribbean sky and sea.  I used the same warm red underpainting that I used in my sunny snow painting. It worked in both paintings to give that warm glow.  I did use a brighter light (almost white) in my snow but that was the biggest difference.

Putting the painting in the magic frame to see if it is finished

On the subject of Caribbean Cruises, I am working on an idea for an Art Cruise most likely next Winter. I have been reading about other Art Cruises and there are a lot of variations. Some are intensive daily workshops, some are more like retreats with optional instruction and sight seeing. Most seem to be at least 7 nights.  I have some ideas but would love your input!

So here is my poll....I welcome your responses to help me plan. I want your ideas!  No obligation, I am just wanting to see if there is any interest. You can respond in the comments or by sending me an email.

• Would you be interested in a Caribbean Art Cruise with me?
• How many nights?
• Any particular Islands you would like to visit? Cruise line?
• Would you like a structured daily plan or a more relaxed cruise with optional instruction?
• Would you be interested in Plein air painting at the ports or just sightseeing?
• Any other thoughts or ideas are most welcome!

Caribbean Breeze

'Caribbean Breeze' 8x10 pastel

It's been awhile since I've painted a Caribbean scene and I've missed it! I love that turquoise water. I have a few more scenes I want to paint including some from Magen's Bay. This is the first winter that we don't have a cruise planned and I know I am going to miss that winter get away.

I am working on putting my blog paintings into easily searchable catagories. You can see the list on the side bar. It will take awhile since I have to go back and add tags to every painting but it will be so much easier to browse through catagories of my paintings.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $145 USD
Or, send me an email