November 21st, 2011
Back in July my friend Steven asked me to do an oil painting portrait of him and his wife from their wedding day to be a gift for his wife, Stephanie, for their anniversary this November. I absolutely love the photo they chose to be painted.
Below is a progression of my work over about four weeks’ time. I usually start with a three color palette to work in the outlines, shadows and highlights. Then I just build on the underpainting usually starting with darks and adding lights on top. Or sometimes I just jump around…
Hands down, this was the most challenging painting that I have done to date. Getting a portrait to look like specific people is always pretty tough. There were times that I thought I had ruined it and that all was lost! When that happens, it’s best to take a break and come back to it with a new perspective. After some glazing and stumbling I found myself successful and totally relieved to see it come through so well. This is one of my favorites and I could not wait until they could come pick it up.
Here is the whole family! So glad I had the opportunity to give them something special to remember their wedding day by.
August 18th, 2011
Back in February, my friend RD approached me about surprising his wife Jenna with an oil painting for their 8th Wedding Anniversary coming up this past June, 2011. I was really excited because I love surprises and it’s always an honor to get the opportunity to create an image from a day that holds such special meaning for someone. I knew right away this one was going to be something a little bit different for me.
I decided to take a completely different approach to this painting, branching out from my usual color palette as well as technique. Here is a rare glimpse into my world of progress. I would usually never show these to the outside world but I am very proud of how this painting was executed. It is very different from my usual portrait. I tend to use a light palette but here I used bold color and deeper shadows than I am normally used to. I also began with a nice oil wash to stain the canvas before I sketched out the figures with a dark burnt umber, some medium and brush. I love how this piece turned out, especially the chiffon on her dress.
So June finally came around and RD came to get the painting. He was so excited, I think it took all he could muster to keep from giving it to Jenna right away! He kept it carefully hidden away until the big day, which I think was well worth the wait because not only did she have no idea, she loved it!
It always brings me the greatest joy when I am able to capture all of the emotions that go into such a happy memory for my clients. These two are such sweet and wonderful people and it really shows when it comes to how much they love each other.
July 7th, 2011
A year ago today a long awaited little girl named Keely made her way into the world to meet her new parents, Casey and Carrie. Casey contacted me a few days later to have me paint a surprise Christmas gift for his wife Carrie. It was a photo of the two of them with their precious newborn still at the hospital. Surprise gifts are so much fun to be a part of and they are some of the most rewarding projects because the reactions are so exciting to wait for. I have known Casey and Carrie for almost three years now and since I have moved to Arizona we actually live quite a distance apart so this was challenging in that it had to be done in secret and over nearly five states away! Just yesterday they sent me a picture of all three of them with the painting (below). I love seeing them all together an entire year later and the happiness that radiates from Keely’s smile!
Casey chose to have me create an oil painting on an 18″ by 24″ gallery wrap canvas, which has a wider frame so I brought the painting around the edges. This is a fairly modern look so it doesn’t need to be framed, it can just be hung anywhere right away. (You can see this look on the second photo below). This was the first newborn portrait I have ever painted and it was a bit more demanding than I had anticipated but I am very happy with how it turned out.
So even though this painting has been done and up on my site for quite some time now I thought today was a good time to get it up on the blog. Here is the link to the Little Keely painting on my site. Happy Birthday Keely!
February 3rd, 2011
I don’t usually share an unfinished piece with anyone but this one has been such a challenge for me and I think sharing it will help me get through this. It is completely out of my element. I often feel like I’m stuck in a rut with a painting. It’s a little bit like how Leonardo Da Vinci was with his work. He was known for taking years (yes, years!) to complete a single painting or fresco. Though I am no where near that extreme, I will get frustrated and leave. Then I will come back in a week or so and put two more strokes down, then get discouraged and leave again. Something about it just doesn’t seem right.
What was I going to do? I couldn’t just give up on the stupid thing…
Well, I figured out a huge problem. I was trying to make this up from my imagination but what I needed was some real desert to look at. Luckily, I moved to Arizona back in May 2010 so I have since spent some time looking at my surroundings, studying sunsets and the colors of the mountains in the valley. Being away, you forget how beautiful a desert can really be, despite its dryness and lack of vegetation (except in Scottsdale) haha.
Here is my unfinished desert landscape. Tonight I am going to make an attempt at triumph over this nearly 16 month struggle. Whether or not I come out victorious is one thing but I want to be able to at least say that this has helped me to grow as an artist. Here goes nothing…
July 7th, 2010
Here are two people that have made an impact on my life. I was acquainted with them through some friends I had at the university I attended back in Arkansas but we all became better friends once we were all out of school and all just working in Searcy. Just 2 days ago Meredith and David made the big move from Arkansas to the Washington D.C. area where David will be working at an inner city school teaching 7th grade pre-algebra. Meredith will be working as a speech-language pathologist for a contract therapy company in the school system as well. David has always loved a challenge, he was ready for something different from the everyday thing but he also has a passion for teaching. Children in these inner city schools have a great need for positive role models in their lives and he sees this as an opportunity to spread God’s love through his profession. The painting I had done for them was an anniversary gift from David to Meredith. It is a landscape of the very place on Mykonos, an island in Greece, where David had proposed to Meredith so it holds a very special meaning for both of them. I like the challenge of the water and all of the colors and movement that goes into it and I especially enjoy getting to share their story with everyone when they see this piece.
If you would like to see the painting process for this piece please download this video Mykonos Windmills.
May 27th, 2010
Malindi is one of those girls that walks into a room and the mood instantly changes. I have known her for almost 2 years now and she has been a very positive influence on my life. She is a student at Harding University and is studying for a degree in Dietetics. At this very moment she is in Thailand for the summer on a mission internship through Abilene Christian University. Malindi actually spent a few years in Thailand as a child while her parents were missionaries there and she can still understand and speak some Thai. She has such a pure spirit and has one of the most sweet personalities I have ever known. I painted this portrait primarily to make a time lapse video of my portrait painting process to put on my site but I chose her because I wanted to capture her in the bright light that she is to me and so many others.
May 13th, 2010
Here I am, back in Arizona after almost 6 years in Arkansas. I suffered from a bit of jet lag as well as heavy culture shock but I am getting back to a normal routine. It’s strange not seeing any mud covered Ford trucks around. Yesterday I was at a red light, stopped behind a Bentley that was spotlessly clean. Definitely like being in a different universe. I am attempting to start my art career full time as soon as my husband can find a job in this crazy town. He has an interview with Intel next Wednesday (keep your fingers crossed). In other news, my website went up on May 3rd, check it out: www.artofkarlyn.com
Any feedback is welcomed. There are about 4 new pieces that need to go up and I promise I will get to it within this month. I am trying to find a place to set up my easel in this teeny tiny place we are in now…it’s a challenge and I feel like my overwhelming amount of art supplies is suffocating everyone. Guess I better get crackin’ on the projects. Maybe start looking into some galleries who will host my body of work sometime in the future? Who knows! Oh the possibilities…
March 19th, 2010
Hi everyone! Here is my new blog! It goes with my new website, which is VERY close to being completed. I will be letting everyone know once it’s up and running.
On my blog I will be posting about my travels, life adventures and people that influence my art. I will post sketches as well as final pieces with a story about how they came to be, so check back periodically for new and exciting things. Thanks for stopping by!
November 4th, 2009
One subject that I never thought I would be painting is a southwest landscape. I grew up in Arizona and have been exposed to the culture of the Southwest. Even my elementary and middle schools were named after Native American tribes. I have memories of going to rodeos at Rawhide, visiting the Grand Canyon and going to Saba’s with my grandparents where they bought me a pair of sparkly pink cowgirl boots, which I loved and wore to pieces. As I got older I got into more modern looks for my room and apartment and my fashion has turned towards the contemporary and my love for the southwest turned into a distant appreciation. I don’t really like Southwest themed or styled anything but this painting will really be a challenge and a visit back to those feelings. The colors, textures and ideas that are in the painting really reflect the personality of the woman I am doing this for. My Grammy Elaine. She is a true lover of the Southwest and that will always remind me of her.
Check back for my preliminary sketches for this 30″x30″ oil painting!
October 13th, 2009
For about a month now I have been going back and forth, do I quit my job, or do I stay? My job is really strenuous. It takes up about 80% of my day, which leaves me barely anytime for art. It is depressing. Especially now that I am well on my way to finally getting my website up soon! Of course the issue of money arises, and health insurance and my husband’s tuition discount (I work at the university he attends) and that of course makes me go back to… Im not going to quit. Even though I really want to, it’s only for 7 more months. In the mean time I have gotten 2 more commissions that I can’t start on yet because the only art supply store in town closes at 5pm… I get off work at 5pm!!! How does anyone in this small town get anything done! One thing is for sure, I have “last 7 months in Searcyitis”, and I can’t wait to get out of here.
