New Painting!

"The White Barn", 10 x 13 1/2, watercolor on paper

It felt like the time was right to paint this barn--stately with its red-centered tractor wheel and overgrown purple sage. This barn actually exists at Gospel Flats farm in Bolinas, California. It's a spot I've come back to for many of my paintings, as it's so rich with inspiration at every corner. Everything screams to be painted!

New Painting!

Old St. Hilary in Spring, 11 3/8 x 8 3/8

Nothing like the upcoming Marin Open Studios to get me back into painting! I've been wanting to do a smaller and more sweet (if I can say that) version of one of Marin's most picturesque churches: Old St Hilary. I remember getting down on my stomach to get this shot, hoping the bright wildflowers would be a great foreground. I'm hoping I captured this charming church in the untamed landscape that its a part.

Kate's Updates: New painting!

"Majestic", watercolor on paper, 15 x 22

Another "Tree" painting, this time of a burned pine I saw in Yosemite last summer. Even with its branches bare and bark curled off revealing a charred "skin", I thought the tree beautiful.
The palette is obviously very limited, but I didn't want to interfere with the tree's starkness against the blue.

Kate's Updates! New Painting!

Half Dome, Late Afternoon, 15 x 17 3/4, watercolor on paper

This painting was "commissioned" by the Marin Poetry Center for their forthcoming poetry anthology. The theme for the anthology is "mountains" ....and being in a Yosemite frame of mind, I chose this famous icon to paint.

I was very nervous about painting this: What is my approach? Will the drama of the branches be too much or not enough? Would I get too fussy with the details? Will the color palette be too boring?

I actually prayed to God for help! I needed Divine intervention. I started the painting one afternoon and finished it a day later. (Good music in the background helped and yes, I believe God did take a hand in this)!

I also tried a technique I've never done before--using a razor blade! To add sparkle to some of the pine needles and the water darkening the face of Half Dome, I scraped a razor point very quickly across the dried paint. I have to thank the master, Zoltan Szabo for that advice.

Kate's Updates!: Yosemite Renaissance XXVI

"Yosemite Moss", watercolor on paper, 15 x 22

So exciting! I came home from a dog walk today and found a letter from Yosemite Renaissance telling me my painting, Yosemite Moss was an award winner ! This was one of those things I forgot about as the show went up in February and is now on a traveling exhibition around the South Peninsula. I never even knew I "was a winner" until today. Love when life throws a little bone to you like that.

Kate's Updates! New Painting!

 

 

"Branch Patterns II", watercolor, 15 x 22

"Branch Patterns II" is the latest installment in my tree series. I am definitely obsessed! This painting, however, is a bit unsettling to me as I'm not sure if it's done or, did I do too much? It was done very quickly (as you can probably tell), which is the approach I'm most aiming for, but I'm just not sure if this is the last I'll see of it in this state. Regardless, I'm  moving on for now. There are so many more trees to paint!

Kate's Updates! New Painting!

Yosemite Spring,  15 x 22, watercolor

Just finished another "tree painting". This time, a cedar with dogwood blossoms, right outside Yosemite Park. My husband and I were actually waiting for a logging train ride to start and I spotted this handsome tree in the sun, made more beautiful with the pristine dogwood petals against the bark.

Kate's Updates!: Yosemite Renaissance XXVI

Yosemite Moss, watercolor on paper, 15 x 22

Lately, I've been spiritually compelled to paint trees, specifically the cedars, sequoias and pines I saw in Yosemite. "Yosemite Moss", a painting I posted on my blog earlier, is the first of what will be many paintings celebrating these "ecstatic beings" (as I like to think of them). And this painting was just chosen by the judges of the Yosemite Renaissance XXVI competition to be in the annual exhibition! Thirty-nine artists were selected out of 210 contestants, so needless to say, I feel pretty lucky.
Next step is to get it framed with Plexiglass for shipment by early February. On February 25, the doors open at the Yosemite Museum Gallery for this year's show. Awards will be announced at the opening reception, 5:30-7:30PM and come May, the exhibit will travel! I don't know where, but I love the thought of all this Yosemite beauty as a movable feast for the eyes.