Kim Morin Weineck's Art: 2013

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Foray into oils

Pastels are wonderful artist tools. The pigment in your hand can be wielded with aplomb, leaving streaks and strokes on the surface. Each stroke is clean and so telling. I love working with them. Often, though, I talk to people of oils and their luminous surface quality - so very beautiful. On our family vacation I brought oils and my pastels.

The pastel I worked on during vacation is still in process, but these four oils I can post now. They were fun to play with. It had been TOO LONG since I played with these buttery paints. All of these paintings need to be revisited and tweaked for various reasons, but I figured I'd show them now.

Value, color, design, composition -- with oil I have to remind myself to SLOW DOWN. It takes longer for me to develop all of the formal elements of a painting. Perhaps I'm a little out of practice (and that is something I'll correct!)

Can't wait to get back at the oils again soon!
Thanks for reading!! -kmw

Thursday, August 15, 2013

An artists' photo essay

Here's a photo essay of things that caught my eye during my painting workshop.
Enjoy the trip! Click on any photo to see it larger. Thanks!

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Apples are starting to ripen with the livestock barn
from Sweet Georgia P's at Amee Farm in the distance

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
This photo was taken in the river.
It was cool but refreshing water.
Wouldn't recommend bringing your easel in.

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Three of my pastel paintings - all are 5x7" studies
L to R: SPECKLED PATH, BARN AT SUNSET, SUMMER MORNING, VT

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Three more of my pastel paintings - again all are 5x7" studies
CLOUD PEAK, MOONRISE (sold), PATH BY THE RIVER

And thanks for reading! -kmw

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

VT plein air

My August workshop in VT was a productive time. With so many things I could post, I figured I'd start with a painting. A friend and photographer, Rebecca Skinner, took these photos of me starting my piece.

This day was oddly overcast and posed a challenge (in a good way) to capture the light effects on the landscape. Most of my VT work was small on-location studies which I can work into larger studio paintings in the future.

When I returned to my room at the Amee Farm Lodge I snapped this photo of the painting. Loved the greens. There's something about the Vermont air that makes me want to make art!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Warm Welcome

While walking with the girls during the Independence Day holiday, we passed this Patriotic vignette which called to me immediately. It's call could not be silenced: "Paint me!"

And so I did. This study worked up quickly, thank goodness. It had to be 95 degrees from my easel.

Hope you're enjoying your July :)
Thanks for reading! -kmw

Friday, July 5, 2013

Smart Creative Mom: It all matters

My column on Smart Creative Women, "Smart Creative Mom" appeared July 5, 2013. Take a look!

Kim Weineck is popping in again while I am up in New Hampshire. Kim has a fabulous painting retreat to Vermont planned Aug 4-7 at the darling Amee Farm. Rustic and luxurious, you get to spend several days painting the gorgeous countryside of Vermont under Kim gentle instruction. (She is just the best teacher!) AND for the foodie in you, there is a farm-to-table event planned as well! Lots of yum! You can find out more details here.

Recently I was at an art show discussing the artwork on display, some of it mine, with someone I had never met before that night. The exchange of dialogue went something like this –

Art Lover: I’ve been a fan of your work for a long time. It’s so nice to finally meet you in person.
Me: (a little dumbfounded) That’s quite nice to hear. (More pleasantries were exchanged.)
Art Lover: When you posted this painting on your blog, I enjoyed your backstory about what drew you to make this piece. I’ve had similar experiences and it was great to learn you did, too.
Me: It’s funny how that often happens.

Yesterday this was in my email in box:

Online Follower I didn’t know I had: I want to register for your August Workshop in Vermont. It sounds like such fun, and I’m excited to take a class with you after following you and your work on line for a while.
Me: That’s great! I’m glad you’re excited about it, too! It’s going to be such fun!

A comment on one of my paintings I’d pinned to my Pinterest pin board read:

“This is beautiful. Is it for sale?”

These three examples proved something to me: It all matters. “It” is the effort you make to put yourself “out there” in that place (often scary if you’re doing it for the first time) for others to see and offer their response. As a mother of two young girls, doing this is a question of managing my time. For the short amount I have to myself, I want to spend it making art rather than marketing it!

What I’ve learned is that marketing doesn’t take a ton of time. Just get it done – something. Period.

* Write that blog post about what you’re doing (it can be quick and short!)
* Post something on your Facebook page. (Don’t have time? Share something great in your feed!)
* Sign up for an Instagram account and photograph some pictures of your process.
* Create a Pin Board on Pinterest of things you’re doing – this can be ANYTHING at all!

Whatever your method, do something to show off your talents! Don’t put it on hold. When you hit “publish” or “send” it doesn’t go into the ether. Someone is noticing. Some days the effort to be visible is tantamount to climbing Everest, but when you start, you’ll find it’s more of an anthill. Your work is too special to be kept quiet. SHOUT IT OUT!

pinterest.com/kimweineck
kimweineck.com

Friday, June 28, 2013

VT Workshop added! :: Oct 13-16, 2013

Paintings from a Vermont Farm

October 13-16th, 2013
An artists’ workshop & retreat with Kim Morin Weineck

My photo of the free range chickens at
Sweet Georgia P's CSA @Amee Farm

To sign up or for more information, email kimweineck@gmail.com or call Becca at (802)746-8061. Thanks!
Good paintings often spring from the inspiration provided by a location. Surrounded by mountains, fields, ripening crops, rivers, and farm life – your paintings of Amee Farm in Pittsfield, VT will be truly inspired!

my photo of the view from Amee Farm Lodge, Pittsfield, VT

Dates : Sunday, October 13th through Wednesday, October 16^th

Please arrive any time after 3:30pm on Sunday to settle into your room and get acquainted with the landscape. A welcome dinner will be provided with participant introductions at the gathering.

Schedule : Each day begins with breakfast, followed by a painting lesson with handouts and a demonstration by the instructor. Locations for the day’s painting will be determined before breaking for lunch, which each participant is responsible for daily. On-location painting continues after the lunch break with individual instruction throughout the remainder of the day. All mediums and painting levels are welcome.

The group will convene for lively critiques of the day’s work before dinner.

Tuesday night is an extra-special Farm-to-Table dinner comprised of selections from Sweet Georgia P’s at Amee Farm: a perfect send-off meal together. What a treat this will be! We'll be painting from the landscape, creating still lifes of veggies and foliage from Sweet Georgia P's at Amee Farm, and then enjoying a fantastic meal with cheeses and soups! This is the French idea of terroir at its best -- just for us!

If the weather cooperates, those interested can paint the sunrise and enjoy a brown bag picnic breakfast. Wednesday’s lesson and final painting session concludes with our last critique over a catered lunch. The workshop ends at 1:30pm on Wednesday, October 16^th.

The livestock barn filled with gorgeous goats.
Too bad you can't see any of the cutie kids in my photo.

Lodging: Workshop participants are housed at the rustic luxury bed and breakfast, Amee Farm Lodge, just across from Sweet Georgia P’s at Amee Farm. The inn is reserved for the group solely, providing a wonderful opportunity to be immersed in the art experience alone and in collaboration with others. Take a look at their site for pictures of their rooms and be sure to check out their blog for some amazing photos of the landscape.

My photo of rte 100 near the free-range
chicken field and the Pittsfield General Store

*The inn offers many different rooms, some with private bath and some a semi-private bath (shared between two rooms). Rooms are granted on a first-come first-served basis. When you pay, you reserve your room choice, so reserve early!

Kim Morin Weineck is an accomplished artist who has been teaching all mediums of painting and drawing for more than a decade. Kim concentrates on the beauty of interpretive landscapes in her own work. She is a juried member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA), Signature Member of the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod (PPSCC), among other art society memberships. Founder and Instructor of the Neponset Valley Artists (NVA), Kim holds a BFA in Fine Art, 2D from Massachusetts College of Art and Design where she graduated with distinction and found her artist-voice studying in Pont-Aven, Brittany, France. Kim has served as Gallery Director at Gallery9, Norwood, MA.

Inspiration overload

Have you seen the slideshow of photos from our quick Vermont trip? If you scan through them, you can see there's a true abundance of inspiration. As I typed that I loved how the word "abundance" came to mind because abundance is probably the most perfect word for a farm.

Since my return I've been working on my marketing materials for my workshops (!) as well as creating new works based on drawings, photos, and other references from my trip.

Here are two finished pastels:

I cannot wait to post more paintings as they are completed. New work wants to percolate out of me quickly, and I'm trying to keep up!

Thanks for reading! -kmw

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Vermont Slideshow!

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Going grander

Some wonderful things happen in my paintings when I work small. The scale of my mark is grand in small works, so the little marks I make mean something. Everything is large and effective for me when I work small. Scaling things up is tricky. I don't do it easily. The simple large stroke with the side of a brush or pastel in a little painting doesn't have the same 'umph' when you are working larger.

To improve my larger works, I've been working up studies in smaller sizes and then creating the larger works once the smaller piece is successful. With the small piece I can work out the glitches, take a chance without so much risk, experiment, and try something freely. When the pieces are successful, then on to the larger surface. It's an academic approach.

In the past I've done thumbnails and value studies, but the studies I'm working on now are more complete small works.

At one time I told my husband that I thought today's larger painting "Dianne's Flowers" was probably going in the trash -- it was coming along that poorly. Listening to the advice I often tell my students, I forced myself to work through the 'yuck' period and finally saw the possibilities of the piece. When Tim saw the painting again he said, "Ah! You brought it back from the dead!" It was totally affirming.

Thanks for reading! -kmw

Thursday, June 13, 2013

People!

I know! Shock!! I mean, I'm a LANDSCAPE painter...

...This is a painting with PEOPLE! People I know and love, to be exact. In the back is Lucy, running out of the sea while Pippa is combing the beach for shells and such on the sand.

Versions of this painting have been floating in my mind's eye for a while now, and it's been percolating in my head that figures need to enter my paintings. For some reason, this was the one that started it. We'll see what happens next.

Thanks for reading! -kmw

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Temperature

It's nearly summer - a lovely mid-June with still so much goodness and light yet to come. We've had days that you dream about and lately a lot lot lot of rain. (Did I say there's been a lot?) Whenever the weather has cooperated I've been out painting on our patio. This small piece was completed last week, right before the onslaught of rainy days.

Lately I've been interested in amping up my color and pushing the boundaries of warm and cool temperatures in my work. A sunlit window box of gorgeous flowers with some warm, raking light was the perfect place to explore some color theory. With new pastels at my disposal, it was wonderful to consider warm greens vs. cool greens, warm whites and cool whites, the temperature of the blue, etc etc.

Can't wait to do it again!!

Thanks for reading!-kmw

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Put yourself out there

As an artist, I honestly find art shows a bit scary. Having your work out for all to see is an invitation for a response. Talk about vulnerable! I've always felt that by the time you're ready to put yourself out there, you're ready for the response, whatever it may be -- good or bad. It's easy to say but harder to pull it off.

Gallery9 hosted a wonderful group show called "The Great Frame Up" where we had to create a piece to coordinate with a frame we selected in a blind draw -- totally backwards from the norm. When I opened my frame and saw the 1" flat turquoise wood burl I'll admit I knew this wasn't going to be easy. My still life came together well and three judges awarded me 3rd place. Hurray!

The very next day my work was shown in the Norwood Art Association's 35th Annual Arts in the Park event. Imagine my feeling when I walked up to my piece and saw this blue ribbon on it! The beautiful sunshine-filled day got even better!

For all the painting going on in solitude, it feels quite nice to have my work recognized, and I'm so appreciative.

Thanks for reading! -kmw

Monday, June 3, 2013

Art supply order!

After a self-imposed hiatus of nearly two years, I splurged and ordered a BUNCH of new art supplies.

As a pastel painter, I always want to try another brand to see how I like them and if their colors will be the resplendent glories I imagine. The problem is I probably will like them and then I'll simply need EVERY color in the line. Since I began pastel painting in earnest, I dreamed of the day when I'll order the complete set of some brand of my choosing. What a day that will be!

Diane Townsend's Soft Form Landscape sets A and B were my selection this order. They are beautiful and the sticks handle well on the Pastelbord I have and the Hahnemuhle velour paper. Lovely. If there's any negative it's the selection in these sets - a LOT of muddy warm greens that I seem to have too many of in my general pastel collection. If you're looking for a go-to set to bring with you on a plein air painting outing, this would not be my set. Instead I'd bring the Sennelier plein air 80 half stick set. The colors are perfect.

At a workshop with Deb Quinn-Munson, she mentioned that she uses Cretacolor hard pastels rather than Nupastels. I figured I'd give them a shot and so far so good. The color assortment is just beautiful!

Since the pastels arrived I've been squeezing in painting time. So far so good. Love getting new supplies. What a treat it is!

Friday, May 24, 2013

My VT painting workshop :: Aug 4th-7th, 2013

Paintings from a Vermont Farm
An artists’ workshop & retreat with Kim Morin Weineck

Good paintings often spring from the inspiration provided by a location. Surrounded by mountains, fields, ripening crops, rivers, and farm life – your paintings of Amee Farm in Pittsfield, VT will be truly inspired!

Photo courtesy Sweet Georgia P's at Amee Farm

Dates : Sunday, August 4^th- Wednesday, August 7^th
Please arrive any time after 3:30pm on Sunday to settle into your room and get acquainted with the landscape. A welcome dinner will be provided with participant introductions at the gathering.

Schedule : Each day begins with breakfast, followed by a painting lesson with handouts and a demonstration by the instructor. Locations for the day’s painting will be determined before breaking for lunch, which each participant is responsible for daily. On-location painting continues after the lunch break with individual instruction throughout the remainder of the day. All mediums and painting levels are welcome.

The group will convene for lively critiques of the day’s work before dinner.

Tuesday night is an extra-special Farm-to-Table dinner comprised of freshly harvested selections from Sweet Georgia P’s at Amee Farm: a perfect send-off meal together. What a treat this will be! We'll be painting from the landscape, creating still lifes of veggies and flowers from Sweet Georgia P's at Amee Farm, and then enjoying a fantastic gourmet meal that couldn't be fresher! This is the French idea of terroir at its best -- just for us!

If the weather cooperates, those interested can paint the sunrise and enjoy a brown bag picnic breakfast. Wednesday’s lesson and final painting session concludes with our last critique over a catered lunch. The workshop ends at 1:30pm on Wednesday, August 7^th.

Photo by Katina Bentley

Photo courtesy of the Amee Farm Lodge website and blog

Pricing: $ 850 includes 3 night’s lodging and breakfast daily. A welcome dinner is provided on Sunday as well as a private Farm-to-table dinner event on Tuesday and lunch on departure day. Participants receive three days of in-depth art instruction with painting demonstrations. Not a painter? You are welcome to join us, too. Retreat only, no instruction is $695.

To sign up or for more information, email kimweineck@gmail.com or call 508-596-0830. Thanks!

The artist/instructor: Kim Morin Weineck is an accomplished artist who has been teaching all mediums of painting and drawing for more than a decade. Kim concentrates on the beauty of interpretive landscapes in her own work. She is a juried member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA), Signature Member of the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod (PPSCC), among other art society memberships. Founder and Instructor of the Neponset Valley Artists (NVA), Kim holds a BFA in Fine Art, 2D from Massachusetts College of Art and Design where she graduated with distinction and found her artist-voice studying in Pont-Aven, Brittany, France. Kim has served as Gallery Director at Gallery9, Norwood, MA.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Blue Boat

Lately I've overheard conversations about marsh paintings and how everyone does them. Ah, yes, they're a popular landscape subject. This past weekend I was in an art show -- of course, showing some marshes. Perhaps I was thinking of this when I started recently taking on new subjects! The past month, after taking a workshop with Deb Quinn-Munson which focused on painting water, I found myself drawn to references I had been keeping at bay for someday in the future.

Seems that that some day is now. This boat pastel and three others in this vein are now resting on my dining room chair rail for my critique. It's nice to sit with a piece for a spell and examine it at odd times. I'm learning so much with each study.

This piece sold right after I put it on my Kim Morin Weineck's Art Facebook Page. If you're interested in a piece, please always feel free to message or email. I'll be in touch ASAP!

Thanks for reading -kmw

Friday, April 26, 2013

Snow Shadows

This winter took my spunk and buried it under the non-stop snow that wouldn't go away. Now it's spring and the grass is getting greener and everything is in bloom. Perhaps now I can appreciate this pastel for its color and winter-ness.

This piece was FUN! In person the blues in the shadow make me feel the undulation of the land. Love them.

Thanks for reading! -kmw

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Summer Drive

Greens! They really can be a nuisance to make interesting and the painted space believable.

In this painting I was working on my greens. The tree in the foreground, the grass on the right, the grasses on the left, the foliage in the middle ground, and then the distant everything --- how to play with them to make them interesting and spatially appropriate.

Here is where I ended up. Can't wait to try to do it again!

Thanks for reading! -kmw