Morning painting

Today is the last day for me to do some finishing touches on my work for the show which opens tomorrow.

I loved reading Kathy Weller's blog post about how she 'closed up shop' on her work recently. She'll be displaying her amazing work along with me at Gallery9.

While I was organizing and fixing and cleaning and all that, my girls were curious and interested in what was going on.

Lucy grabbed their paints and I set them up in the dining room. Lucy finished early before I could snap some pictures with her in them, too.

For fun, though, here's Pippa, early this morning with bed head, painting away and enjoying every moment!

Thanks for reading!
 kmw

Color vocabulary: green and white

"All or nothing" seems to be my motto. I'd been working in pastel exclusively for a long spell and then I had a show requiring oil paintings and I took a three-month hiatus from them. Feels a bit funny that I haven't touched a pastel stick since the beginning of the summer. 

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
CLOUDS AND CONIFERS
original pastel, 16x12"

These three pastels were done in quick succession, and I was pleased with them. During the summer I worked to enrich my color vocabulary in greens and whites. Seems that I was delving into this study with these three! 

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
BEACH BIKE
original pastel, 16x12"

 All are 16x12" and are all done on PastelMat archival pastel boards. If you're a pastelist and haven't tried PastelMat, you really should. It's smooth and yet somehow holds pastel as if it were gritty sandpaper - utterly contrary!

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
MORNING AT THE POINT
original pastel, 16x12"

Each of these pieces is available at Gallery9 in Norwood for my show opening October 5, 2011.
Comment on which you like best. Your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks for reading!
kmw

A sweet ending to a good day

Lately I've been concentrating on painting for my upcoming show at Gallery9 (this Friday coming!) but today was sort of a day off. Instead of working outside or in my studio, Tim and I worked on the yard: edging the driveway, mowing the lawn, removing much of the garden, etc. It was a productive day outside and that's always fun.

Caramel crackers with walnuts and sea salt. Yum. 

We've recently altered our diets in my household, focusing on fresh food concentrating on increasing our vegetable intake. It's paying off. Our Lucy, 4, and Pippa, 2, aren't complaining and that feels like we're being good parents. I know I feel better, too.

All that said, we do have indiscretions, of course. Take tonight, for instance. Tim took Pippa to the grocery store and I cleaned up. I had a hankering for a sweet end to mealtime so Lucy and I got to work on my little made up dessert creation.

Making this treat got me thinking about how I used to usher in October with a small fete where my brother, sister-in-law (although she was just a girlfriend then), my parents, and anyone else invited to attend that year would make peanut brittle, caramel popcorn, carve a pumpkin, and watch "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Fun times. Can't wait until the girls are older and we can start up October with some such tradition.  This dessert is an adaptation of the caramel popcorn because we didn't have any popcorn on hand.

Caramel Crackers

Saltines - 12-18 or so
Granulated Sugar
Sea Salt
Light Cream/Butter or both
Walnuts

Arrange saltines on a sheet of aluminum foil. In a frying pan, add around 1/2 cup of sugar to around 1/4 cup of water and cook on medium until the sugar melts and the water evaporates. There'll be a great amount of bubbling sugar goodness. Watch the pan until the sugar starts to turn brown. (Once it starts it goes fast fast!)
When brown, remove from heat, add a splash of light cream or a pat of butter (or be decadent and add both!). The mixture is SUPER HOT and will bubble, so take care with this step. Stir and spoon onto the saltines, being as generous as your amount of crackers allows. Before set, sprinkle with scant amount of finely grated sea salt and some walnuts if desired. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!
kmw

Marshland sunset

The last painting in my marshland series of four, this is the same scene as two posts back, but this time the marsh is at sunset and so slightly lighter than the other. The nuances between twilight, sunset, and dusk are fun to try to capture.

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
MARSH SUNSET
original oil, 8x8"
available at Gallery9, Oct 7, 2011

Yesterday I felt like trying to paint was like voluntarily going to the lion's den - I've been so beaten up by my efforts. Late in the afternoon my diligence was rewarded with a painting I can't wait to have framed and shown at the reception, October 7th at Gallery9. The BIG news for me -- drum roll, please -- it's 20x20"! Large!!

Have a great day!
Thanks for reading,
kmw

Marshland path

Yesterday was spent on the patio working on a bunch of paintings that were unfinished and unresolved. I'm not sure if anything has gotten better or instead is just getting more muddled. Argh! Painting can really take you on a roller coaster!

Today's painting is a scene I have worked on a few different ways and sizes, both in oil and pastel. This manifestation is my favorite. Seems to me there's a great distance toward the water. I hope it appears that way to you, too!

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
BEACH PATH
original oil, 8x8"
available at Gallery9, Oct 7, 2011

For inspiration I've been looking at a lot of artists' work lately. Check out David Lussier's page at the Harrison Gallery. In class I showed a few of his paintings on my phone's web browser. We were discussing the sparkle that he gets with well-placed 'random' marks. Gorgeous, really!

I'm hoping to get more time painting in today. And the fever to jump to pastels is imminent. Looking forward to making that change shortly. 

Thanks for reading!
kmw

Marshland twilight with bonus girlies

Twilight is a bit later than sunset, right? I love the subtle nuances between sunset, twilight, and dusk. The light for each is a challenge to capture because it's changing at the speed of...well...light!

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
MARSH TWILIGHT
original oil, 8x8"
available at Gallery9, Oct 7, 2011

Here is another in my Marshland series. In person the foreground reads a little more resolved than my photo. My skills in taking photos of my work are improving, but I still have lots to learn.

In keeping with yesterday's post, here's a bonus picture of my girls playing in their room. Love them and their awesomeness! While typing this post, Pippa just came in and kissed me. What fun!

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
THE GIRLS AT PLAY IN PIGTAILS

Thanks for reading!
kmw

Marsh series and bonus Lucy!

In painting, I often embark on a series. I find doing this to be utterly valuable. A wonderful exercise, creating a series of work based on a singular subject.

Taking the thought out of "what will I paint" opens doors to learning new things as I delve into all aspects of a single subject. Rather fun!

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
SALT MARSH
original oil, 8x8"
available at Gallery9, Oct 7, 2011

The latest series focuses on the marsh landscape, my ultimate favorite place to be. So far I have four 8x8" oil paintings completed, so for the next four days, these will be the subject of my blog.

And for good measure, here is a photo of Lucy at her first day of preschool.

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
LUCY STARTS PRESCHOOL 2011

She melts my heart. Four years old and the time is flying by!

Thanks for reading,

kmw