Kathleen’s Art Blog
As an experienced instructor, Kathleen shares tips, techniques, and tutorials for acrylics, oils, watercolor, and sketching. She also gives insights into her artistic adventures to encourage beginners to start, and the more experienced to continue, their artistic journies.
The Process of Painting
I always start a new quarter by explaining to my students how important it is that we develop a practice of simplification and analysis before beginning a drawing or painting. I have them do an exercise to find large simple shapes based on value within a reference image. This helps tremendously!
Composition
We look around us and see a beautiful arrangement of forms. The scene, whether it is in nature, a grouping of objects, such as a still-life, or a figure, catches our eye. We decide to draw or paint what we see.
Beginnings
I began a new painting today. The images inspiring this painting have been floating in my head for a couple of weeks, since I made a trip out to Dungeness Spit on the Olympic Peninsula. Standing on the shore facing the Strait
30 Paintings in 30 Days - oh my!
I realized that I have exactly 30 days before the Art Sale at Drawing Jam - the Gage Academy of Art annual all-day drawing extravaganza!
Painting shows me
Painting shows me my stubbornness, my insecurity, my indecision. It also shows me my courage when I persist anyway!
Painting is a dance
Painting is a dance - sometimes a struggle - between specificity and ambiguity.
