Painting Horse and Rider, Waiting to Ride, pastel painting

Waiting to Ride
© 2010 Karen F. Rose
pastel on board
On exhibit EQUUS The Art of the Horse
Cofrin Arts Center
Gainesville, FL

"My horse teaches me everything I need to know about myself." 

Not too long ago I watched a young lady as she was preparing to enter the show ring at a local equestrian event in Newberry, FL. She was focused. In her mind she was rehearsing each of the jumps she and her horse would make.

Communication between the rider and horse is so important as you approach a jump. And being a competition, the horse and rider are judged in just a few fleeting moments.

Capturing this young lady in her intensity, in the moment in pastel was my goal.

She was waiting, anxious but prepared and ready to ride.

I donated a painting called "In the Moment" to the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation's Noche de Gala Event at the Besilu Collection in Micanopy, FL. To see that painting, click on the tab "horse paintings" at the top of the page. 

That painting's focus was the beauty and intensity of the horse or better stated "the graceful athlete". 

Florida is horse country. All over the state you can enjoy watching many hunter/jumper, dressage and driving competitions and events. Lush beautiful horse farms with expansive pasture land dot the landscape. 

Are you a rider or is someone in your family? Would love to hear what you have learned about yourself from your horse.

Invisible Paris - The Mystery Solved

The Mysterious Paris Building

Those of you that have been reading my blog know that I not only post about my own painting journey and artwork, but I love to introduce a few art topics that I think you might find of interest.

When on our a trip to Paris I couldn't help noticing this very unusual building while on a walk in the 12th arrondissement. I was on an elevated walkway with lots of trees and shrubs and I could only see the top of the building.
The figures on the building looked familiar like, The Dying Slave sculpture by Michelangelo, but I was in a residential section of Paris and this was a modern structure.

I have taken a fair amount of art history/architecture in college, but I was stumped.
Who was the architect and what was this building's intended use?
After some searching on the internet I discovered the blog, Invisible Paris.
Adam, the author of the blog said,
"Seen something in Paris that has caught your eye but remains a mystery, or ever wondered about obscure people or events in the city's past"? 
So I emailed him. 
And to my surprise and delight, he took the time to solve the mystery! 
His response is so thorough with additional pictures, you will be fascinated to learn more.
Here is the link to his marvelous blog post 
Challenge 7: Curious figures on the Avenue Daumesnil in Invisible Paris.
Thank you Adam.
You can download his Invisible Paris tours on your IPhone.

EQUUS: The Art of the Horse at the Cofrin Arts Center - Oak Hall School

Morning Ride
© 2010 Karen F. Rose
pastel on board
available

As a late entry, my name is not on the poster for this event, but I am so please to be included in the exhibition. Better late than never, huh!
My two pastels, Morning Ride, Waiting to Ride and my oil painting Mimic are part of an outstanding show EQUUS: The Art of the Horse at the Cofrin Arts Center Gallery at Oak Hall School in Gainesville FL. The show runs January 13 to Feb 17, 2012 and includes many top regional artists and is curated by Gary Bone.

Please join us at the artist's reception Friday, Jan 20 from 7 - 9 p.m. 

As an added bonus, live horses will also be present at the opening in the courtyard behind the art gallery.

Cofrin Arts Center Gallery Hours are weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To view more of my horse paintings and the three that are in the show just click on the tab at the top of this page called horse paintings. 

"Do you paint equine commissions?", Yes, I love painting horses and horse portraits. I would love to capture the beauty and spirit of your horse. Just email me at Karen@karenfrose.com  for more details.

Gallop don't just walk over to see this exhibit... you will love the art! 

Opening Reception for 2012 Florida Artists Juried Exhibition

You are invited

You are cordially invited to the opening reception, this Friday, for the 2012 Florida Artists Juried Exhibition hosted by Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. The show is sponsored by the Gainesville Fine Arts Association. The juror and judge for the show is Dr. Jack King, Professor of Art at the University of Tampa.  

Over 200 images were submitted to the show and Dr. King juried in 40 pieces. There are truly stunning pieces in this show and I am honored to be a part of this exciting exhibit.

My oil painting,The Sentinel hangs at the entrance of the exhibit. I am especially pleased at the location as it is representative of the mood and spirit of the painting.

The President's Gallery is located on the second floor of the Administration Building
Open Monday - Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm
The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

The President's Gallery is located on the second floor of the Administration Building.

Driving Directions

Take I-75 to exit 390 (old 77)

Turn Right on to NW 39th Avenue 

Turn Right on to NW 83 Street then turn onto Administration Blvd.

Free visitor parking is a available in front of the building and around the circle on the right.

Enjoy the exhibit.

2012 Florida Artists Juried Exhibition

The Sentinel
© Karen F. Rose
oil on canvas
20"x16"

Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.  ~John Muir

So pleased to receive notification that my oil painting The Sentinel was accepted into the 2012 Florida Juried Artist Exhibition. Mark your calendar to view this exhibit at Santa Fe College President's Hall Art Gallery in Gainesville, FL January 13 to February 8, 2012.
This show represents artist entries from all over the state of Florida and the submissions were juried into the exhibit by Jack King, a professor of art from the University of Tampa.
Towering pines.
They are the first to catch the morning light.
The soft breeze carries their voice and song throughout the day.
They reach toward heaven.
They speak in hushed tones.
Are we listening.

Dachshund oil painting

Leo
© Karen F. Rose
oil on canvas
in private collection

I always enjoy painting portraits of dogs. Especially ones I have had the privilege of getting to know.
What a character this guy is!
Leo is a long haired dachshund, with short little legs, the courage of a lion and a look that will melt your heart!

Artists as Collectors - Your Walls Their Art

Tending Alice's Garden
archival inkjet print
© 2011 Mary Hatch

What do artist's collect and hang on their own walls? That's the question fellow artist
Nanci Hersh posed on her blog.
As Nanci's "guest blogger" this week, I am sharing one of the artworks hanging on my wall. This digital fine art print, Tending Alice's Garden by was created by my friend, mentor and fabulous figurative painter Mary Hatch.

Hope you will hop on over to Nanci's blog and Mary's website to learn more.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Randy Higbee Gallery 6" Squared Exhibition, Fall 2011

The Randy Higbee Gallery 6" Squared Show, Fall 2011

My three oil paintings, Morning Sentinel, Safe Harbor and Seeking Calm will be for sale through the Randy Higbee Gallery, 102 Kalmus, Costa Mesa, CA from December 3 to the 22, 2011.
The Gala Artist's reception will be on December 3, 2011 from 5 to 9 pm.

I'm honored to be juried into this year's show of exceptional paintings.
Over one thousand paintings were entered and half of those entries were accepted.
Gorgeous paintings by talented artists from all across the country -
Be there and be squared!

The Artist and Her Silent Movie

Press the Play button to view 

my silent movie 

painting a poetic vision in oil and pastel

© 2010 Karen F. Rose

I am very anxious to see the newly released black and white silent film The Artist,
with handsome French actor Jean Dujardin, Beranice Bejo and huggable John Goodman.
You gotta love the old silent films stars. Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino and Mary Pickford acted with so much emotion through their facial expressions and communicated without a single word spoken.
According to last week's segment on Sunday Morning, this new film "The Artist may just be the first silent film to win an Oscar since "Wings" in 1927".

Seeing that clip reminded me that I had my own silent film. Playing with Imovie, about a year ago, I had put together a film of some of my oil and pastel paintings.

My silent film, painting a poetic vision in oil and pastel, includes portraits, landscapes, a still life and figurative works made by "this artist".
This silent film won't be up for any academy awards or Oscars, but does include some paintings that were award winners.
Hope you enjoy it.
So sit back, turn off your cell phone and pass the popcorn please!

On the Road Again, The Kindness of a French Stranger

Leave the roundabout at the first turning. 

During our trip, we met the most incredible warm and friendly people. 

But my thanks goes out to one man in particular who got us on the road again. 

We had a rental car and of course before we returned it to the train station, we had to gas it up and bring it back with a full tank.

We were at a gas station in Coustelet in Provence, on a Sunday evening with no people in sight. Try as we might we could not get the pump to accept our "plastic" card. 

We decided to return on Monday morning and try again but still no luck.

Getting a little nervous that we might miss our train or worse run out of gas, I asked a gentleman in the car in front of us if he could help. He tried putting the card in upside down, sideways and backwards and still no luck.

He did not speak English, but without hesitation, he motioned to us to "follow him" and he drove us through town to another station that thankfully was open and would take euro.

Now he could have just driven off and not been bothered with tourists, but he took time out of his work day to help total strangers.

Renting a car on a vacation in a foreign country is an adventure no matter where you are, but the kindness of strangers makes the trip even more memorable. 

If you are planning a painting trip to France here are a few tips .

1. Take along a GPS device, it is invaluable to find gas stations, restaurants and places to buy art supplies.

2. Call your credit card company ahead of your trip and tell them you are traveling  overseas so you don't have them deny your card while you are there.

3. Pack light. If you are hopping on and off trains the lighter suitcase the better. Cause you have to be nimble on your feet!

4. Use Rail Europe to purchase you train tickets before your trip. It is an easy site to use and your tickets will be mailed directly to your home before you leave.

5. If you you are renting a car, be sure you know exactly where the rental car station location is. Hopefully you rent from a company that has the drop off location next to the train station.

6. If you use the Paris Metro be sure not to put your tickets near anything magnetic,

like the clasp of a travel purse. They become demagnetized and are useless! Buy a carnet, ten tickets at a time, and save a few euro.

7. Use Trip Advisor to help plan your trip. Get the low down on hotels from people who have stayed there.

8. To and from the the airport book ahead and prepay with Super Shuttle. They meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. You are sharing a van ride but what a great way to meet new friends!

9. If you don't speak the language and you do take a taxi, write down your destination address on a slip of paper and hand it to the taxi driver. Nothing get's lost in translation!

10. If you rent a car and are traveling in the countryside have enough cash to pay for a tank of gas...just in case your credit card doesn't work at the pump!

Any travel tips you would like to share?

Lavender in Provence

Lavender Sketch
© 2011 Karen F. Rose

Provence, think warm glorious sunshine and fields of sunflowers and lush purple lavender.
The lavender was not in bloom when we visited Provence in October, but the air still had a sweetness that well, you just can only imagine.
Just wish I could make one of those scratch and sniff patches to let you smell the aroma right through your computer screen.

And while in the beautiful countryside in Coustellet, Provence you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about lavender at the Musée de la Lavande.  There is an educational tour and a lavender gift shop with all things lavender.

Did you know this about lavender? 

Lavender was used by the Romans in baths and to freshen their linens. Oh those Romans.

It is part of the mint family and putting drops of essential lavender oil on your pillow can aid relaxation and sleep. 

Memories De Provence

Gathering Light Provence
© 2011 Karen F. Rose
6x6"

Peter Mayle wrote the best selling book A Year in Provence, in which he tells of moving into a 200 year old stone farmhouse in Provence. We had about ten days in the Luberon in Gargas, Gordes, and Avignon.
Incredible food, warm gracious friendly people, ancient buildings, ochre soil and glorious light.
Did I mention the beautiful light?

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

My pastel painting We're Not in Kansas Anymore, shown above and mentioned in two previous posts, caught the eye of Pastor Dorothy Saunderes-Perez of the Red Mountain United Methodist Church in Mesa, Arizona. She emailed me, asking permission to use my painting in their church newsletter. I was honored and pleased to share this painting with her congregation. Here is the link to the church's web site http://mesachurchaz.org/home
The November newsletter has her special message and the painting.

Thanks to all who commented on my Paris and Beyond blog posts.
Kathy Cousart is the winner of a little something from France with my special thanks to her for taking the time to read and to write a comment on almost every post!
Thanks Kathy. Check your mailbox!
My trip was so memorable and now that the suitcase is unpacked..time to get back to painting!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Paris and Beyond

Le Train Blue Gare de Lyon Paris

Photo Karen F. Rose

Getting there

One of the highlights of our trip was taking the high speed train (TGV) from Paris to Avignon. The restaurant Le Train Blue is located in the station and was built as part of the 1900 Paris exhibition (same as the Eiffel Tower) and was located at the Gare de Lyon to showcase the best of Paris... The ceiling has 41 paintings of places you visit by train. 

Look closely, can you catch a glimpse of Coco Channel, Brigitte Bardot or Dali seated at one of the tables? They were once frequent patrons of the this restaurant. 

Fast forward to the Avignon TVG station where I saw no paintings hanging on the walls, but the station is a work of art itself, with sleek modern high speed trains that will spirit you to Paris at speeds of 185 miles per hour.

Travelers at TGV Avignon
Photo Karen F. Rose

Automobiles
May I just say that part of the art of driving in France is mastering roundabouts....? For those of you who live in the Midwest, where there are wide streets and large avenues and may not be familiar with this free flow of traffic concept, let's just say that instead of a four way stop you enter the outer lane of the circle and pray that someone will let you exit when you need to!!!
I think in Provence, there were roundabouts at every intersection.

Concept Car Art
photo Karen F. Rose

Automobiles
Much to my husband's regret, this was not our rental car while we were traveling but is a work of "car art" in a Paris showroom.

Planes - Waiting to board a plane in Jacksonville International airport, you notice the large mural at the end of the terminal, 

Art at the Jacksonville International Airport

Terminal

Photo Karen F. Rose

Can't help wondering, "That guy must be flying first class cause he will never fit in a coach seat. Don't you just love that image!

Must also say the art in the Atlanta airport international terminal that welcomes you as you come back to the states and head into customs and passport control is magnificent. What a Welcome Home!

My birthday trip was so memorable and as promised, if you are a subscriber to my blog and made a comment on these Paris and Beyond posts, I will put your name in a "beret" and choose a winner from all the names as a thank you to you for "contributing to my blog". So don't forget to subscribe!

Rose Valland, a Heroine for Art

Plaque on the Jeu de Paume in Paris
Photo Karen F. Rose

As you walk around the Tuileries in Paris you can't help but notice the beautiful fountains and flowers, but on this day I was in search of a special piece of history.

On a wall outside the Jeu de Paume in the Tuileries Garden in Paris is a plaque honoring the art historian, member of the French Resistance and perhaps one of the most heroic French women during World War II, Rose Valland.

To honor Rose Valland

I had often asked, "How did the great works of art survive the destruction and the ravages of World War II"?  

The spellbinding documentary The Rape of Europa  and the book The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel tell the heroic story of Rose Valland and the Monuments Men. The plaque on the Jeu de Paume is in honor of Rose.

During the war, the Nazis stole art works from museums and private collections and stored them in the Jeu de Paume, and all the while, Rose secretly kept records.


Wikipedia says that, "For four years she kept track of where and to whom in Germany the artworks were shipped and risked her life to provide information to the French Underground and about railroad shipments of art so that they would not mistakenly blow up the trains loaded with France's priceless treasures". 

Watch this video clip. Click  HERE 

Chambord
Photo Karen F. Rose

Chambord is the location where, as the Nazis advanced toward Paris, Leonardo Da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa, and the ancient Greek sculpture Venus De Milo, as well as hundreds of other priceless works of art were taken from the Louvre museum and secretly stored for safekeeping.

Venus De Milo
Louvre Museum
Photo Karen F. Rose 

When you see the actual film footage of this story unfold, you too will forever remember Rose Valland and the Monuments Men.
An amazing story.

Midnight In Paris, Not the Movie but the Experience

The Eiffel Tour viewed from a boat ride on the Seine
Photo Karen F. Rose

Passing under the Napoleon Bridge
Photo Karen F. Rose

Part of the joy and adventure of my trip to France was a birthday gift my daughter gave me, a boat ride at night on the Seine. The weather was perfect for seeing "The City of Lights".

Locks of Love on the Pont Des Arts bridge in Paris
Photo Karen F. Rose

Walking from the Louvre across the Le Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge, to the boat ramp, I was surprised to see thousands of locks covering both sides of the bridge. Hundreds of people were sitting, chatting and picnicking on the bridge. The locks glistened in the night air almost as if they were ornaments on a Christmas tree.

Being curious, I just had to ask. "What's this adornment of the bridge all about"?
I was told that people "who are in love" come to the bridge and afix a lock to the bridge as a testiment to their everlasting devotion to each other then throw the key into the Seine.
Well. such an event is not without controversy. Government officials were concerned that all these locks are defacing a national monument, a French treasure. So, one night in 2010, in the middle of the night. government officials removed all the locks.
Just as quickly as they disappeared they reappeared again.
Ah love is always in the air in Paris, I guess.

How would you feel if thousands of people wrote love messages on one of our Vermont covered bridges or placed padlocks all over the Brooklyn bridge? I am curious to hear your thoughts.

In my next post I'll introduce you to a French woman, an art historian
who I've wanted to meet, if only in spirit.

If you have not already done so, I invite you subscribe to my blog. Who knows, you might be the winner of a little something from France I am giving away at the end of my Paris and Beyond posts!

Blanche Nuit in Paris, October 1, 2011

Blanche Nuit in Paris October 1, 2011

Art Walk, Gallery Hop whatever you call it in your town, the French have one night a year, usually in October, and they celebrate contemporary art from 7 PM until dawn in Paris.
Blanche Nuit, white night in Paris is a huge event where tourist attractions, museums and libraries, galleries host art and cultural events.

The Mayor of Paris says, “The most creative and most innovative work on the French and international scenes will be here for one night”.

To explore the night's festivities visit the official web site. Click HERE 

Musée d'Orsay - No Photography?

You have traveled thousands of miles to see paintings you have long admired in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay. You remember them from your art history classes. You have your camera, an extra memory card and back up battery.

There you are in front of that Degas sculpture, Monet, Renoir, or Van Gogh painting you absolutely love...wait, what did the museum guard say, "No photographs please"???

Degas Sculptures in Musee d'Orsay
taken before the ban on photography
Photo Karen F. Rose

Thatched Cottages at Cordeville, 1890Vincent VanGogh
oil on canvas
Musée d'Orsay
photo Karen F. Rose

The Musée d'Orsay now has a no photography policy throughout the museum.

While I can understand no flash photography, which is annoying and over time could be damaging to works of art, and no photography of works that do not belong to the museum, but for artists and who want to study a painting or sculpture in closer detail...what a hugh disappointment...no photographs...not even with your smart phone.

Art Info has an article about shutterbugs going to the Musee d'Orsay once a month to protest. Take a look at that article click HERE

Should museums limit non flash photographs. A Euro for your thoughts!

Want to Be a Copyist in the Louvre?

Sketching in the Louvre
Photo Karen F. Rose

Copyist in the Louvre
photo Karen F. Rose

Copyist in the Louvre

photo Karen F. Rose

Mary Cassatt visited the Louvre in Paris, the most famous art museum in the world,  to study and copy the masters. Renoir, Henri Matisse, Degas and countless other artists were copyists at the Louvre. Examining the brushwork, composition, color and lost and found edges of paintings by master painters is part of the copyist tradition.  

In the Louvre, you are allowed to bring your own small sketchbook and draw to your hearts content. 

If you wish to paint one the masterpieces, you must apply for a copyist permit. The Louvre will supply the easel, and your seat. You supply the canvas, oil paint, determination, talent and concentration.
Just think of the concentration required. If you've ever painted in front a small group of people, imagine painting in front of several thousand museum visitors.
There are a few stipulations about your painting, your canvas cannot be the same size as the original work of art and you are not allowed to copy the original artist's signature.

Is there a copyist program at an art museum near you?
If you could, what artist's work of art would you try to copy?

French, Female and a Portrait Painter

Self portrait of Louse Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun and her daughter
(detail)
Louvre Museum
Photo Karen F. Rose

In my last post, I showed the portrait of Marie Antoinette and asked who painted it and where is it hanging now?
The French female artist who painted that portrait of Marie Antoinette was
Louise Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun (1755- 1842) perhaps the most famous female painter of the 18th century.
Above she is pictured in this charming self portrait with her daughter that hangs in the Louvre.
Being a painter is tough, being a woman who paints portraits is even tougher and being a woman painter during the age of the French revolution and having been a portraitist to the queen of France ...well enough said.
You might want to read more about this amazing woman posted on the website of Kings College  HERE   
In answer to my "Paris and Beyond Art Adventure" questions
Marie Antoinette's picture now hangs in the Petit Trianon at Versailles.
The architect of the Louvre's pyramid was I.M. Pei
and the Musee d' Orsay was converted from a train station into an art museum.

In the next few weeks I will post art, food and history related questions about Paris and Provence. And, we will do a little sightseeing.
Hope you will join me by subscribing to my blog...just click on one of the subscribe buttons on the right.
Please leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you.
If you had your portrait painted, what location would you choose? Would you choose to be formal or select casual clothing. What would best reflect your personality?

Follow Me on a Paris and Beyond Art Adventure

I'm excited to begin a Paris and Beyond art adventure and hope you will join me by subscribing to my blog. In the next couple weeks, I will post art, food, and history related questions about Paris and Provence. And we will do a little 
sightseeing.

Who painted this portrait of Marie Antoinette and where is it hanging now?

Who designed the Louvre Pyramid?

The building housing the Musee d"Orsay was what before it was an art museum?

If you subscribe to my blog, make a comment on these Paris and Beyond Posts... ooooh la la ...you just might be the winner of a gift from France. 

How do you subscribe? Just click on the blue "join this site button" or the "follow this blog" button on the right hand side of the blog.
Have your passport?  
Got your bags packed? 
Ok lets go on an adventure. 
Check the next post for answers to the Paris and Beyond Art Adventure questions.

The Mob Art Exhibit, Thornebrook Gallery

Tonight is the opening of The Mob art exhibit at Thornebrook Gallery in Gainesville, FL. David Arrighi, the gallery's owner is having a 30 year anniversary celebration.
I am delighted to have one of my original oil paintings
Twilight Companions featured in this exhibit. Thirty artists will have just one of their artworks on display for just five days.
So hurry in and see this show before it's gone. Closing reception is Wednesday, Sept. 14th from 5 to 8 PM with music by the talented singer Cathy De Witt.

Also just one more day for the Putnam Land Conservancy Art exhibit at Bellamy Art Gallery in Melrose. There is a special reception Sept 9th in the evening from 6 to 9 PM.
A portion of the proceeds for the sale of all works is donated to this worthy cause.
I have four paintings on display there.

As many of you have heard Carol Marine and her family along with hundreds of other families have lost their home to the devastating fires in Bastrup, TX. Our hearts go out to all of these families. If you would like to know how you can help the Marine family family please click here.

Seeking Calm

Seeking Calm
© 2011 Karen F. Rose
6x6"
available

Find the calm within yourself. Share it. Whether soothing words or acts of kindness,

be the calm for those who need it.

A Hole In One - Making the Right Choices

Hole in One
7 iron 172 yards

If you play golf, or know someone who does, getting a hole in one is "a big deal". Some people play golf their whole lives and never make one.

It is for one shining golden moment... the perfect shot.

Over the weekend our son called to say he had made his first hole in one at a public course near his home. He was needless to say pretty excited.

To mark the occasion, I had some fun making a "folk art" painting for him today. Now you can interpret that as folk art as in Grandma Moses style or
just one from "the folks".

Anyway, I tried to capture two moments in one in the painting; the view of the flag 172 yards away on the green with the mountains in the background and the  moment of truth as he looked down into the cup to see the ball smiling back at him.
You who don't play golf may ask, does making a hole in one take skill or luck? There are usually course hazards to get into your head to intimidate you. The lay of the land can have bunkers filled with sand, a pond or a creek for your ball to swim in or rough around the green to catch your ball. YOU have to clear your mind and make some wise decisions.
Choose the right playing partner as they will attest to your honesty, choose the right club for the distance, aim correctly, swing just so, and with some luck and no spike marks on the green your ball will roll straight into the cup.

In golf or painting, as in so many activities in life, making the right choices at the right time makes all the difference. 
Have you ever had a hole in one? Wishing you good luck and hoping you have a "hole in one" kind of day making the right decisions, at the right time, for whatever life challenges fill your day.

Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor
© Karen F. Rose
oil on canvas
6x6"
available

This painting is a memory of my visit to the beautiful and historic town of Essex, CT this summer. I walked down to the Connecticut River to see sailboats moored not far from the docks.

Hoping you were in a safe harbor this weekend as hurricane Irene made her way up the coast, disrupted life for many, knocking out power for thousands.

 I have a tip for your hurricane preparedness. There are converters you can purchase for your car (which of course you filled up with gas before the storm) that will recharge your cell phone, camera battery or laptop. It has a usb port and an ac outlet. 

Believe me when your electricity goes out and may be out for days, you will be happy you can go to your car and recharge. 

Here's a link to one available at Best Buy

Oak Hammock Art Presentation

Earlier this year I gave a presentation to the Oak Hammock Art Group. One of the subjects I talked about was exercises. We all gotta love 'em. They are good for our health. Push ups, sit ups, arm curls..ooh I am beginning to sound like a 2 AM infomercial. And truthfully I did not talk about those kind of exercises but rather art exercises.

As an artist, you often squint and look as light cascades across the surface of an object. You see a beautiful color. You ask yourself, just what color is that? So how can you fine tune and develop your "color sense"?

Larry Moore, an artist whose work I admire, gave out a painting exercise during one of his workshops and this is the art exercise tip I shared with the group at Oak Hammock. You might want to flex your painting muscles and give it a try.

Go to Lowes, Home Depot or your favorite paint store and pick up a dozen free paint chip samples. Pick out a few samples (no pain, no gain) and try to match the colors in that sample using just red, yellow, blue and white paint.

Pick a Paint Chip Sample

You really have to study the sample...is it warmer or cooler than what you are mixing on your palette, or perhaps lighter in value...you get the idea.

I smiled when I left the paint store the other day with a handful of green, brown, blue, mauve and orange colors "exercise" samples.
The clerk said to me,  "Wow, that must be some room you are painting"!

Karen F Rose Paintings from QR Code to Your Phone

QR Code for my website
www.karenfrose.com

So what are these little square all about? Wondering if I have I become an abstract painter? Well those of you who know me, know I love innovation and advances in technology.
You may have seen these little boxes with strange patterns in magazines, newspapers and print ads.

QR Code for Karen F. Rose Daily Paintworks Gallery

They are QR codes. Simply a fast and easy way for you to find an internet site by using you cell phone.

Just download a FREE QR Reader app for your phone. If you have an iphone, go to the I Tunes app store and download the free QR Reader. If you have a blackberry or android just download the QR reader for your make of phone.
Once you have downloaded the reader, just hold your phone steadily over a QR code for 2-3 seconds you will be directed to the web site. No more typing or misspelling the url address!
Go ahead and give it a try.
Click on your QR reader program, place your phone over the image on the screen so it can be read and voila see what happens! Pretty amazing huh?

Twilight Companions

Twilight Companions

© 2011 Karen F. Rose

oil on linen canvas

Large oak trees are symbolic of strength and perseverance for me. They survive strong gusts and storms and give relief to those creatures who huddle under their strong outreaching arms.

When I pass by this group of trees at twilight, I often think of dear friends whose character is much like that of an oak - in the face of life's troubles, they weather life's winds of change. And with the breaking new day, they are there, steadfast to greet the new day with hope and resolve. 

What an inspiration. 

This Week's Daily Paintworks Auction Painting

Above It All
© Karen F. Rose
oil on canvas
6x6"
Available through Daily Paintworks Auction

I am excited to announce I am now a member of Daily Paintworks.  To view my auction --> Daily Paintworks Auction Site

Above It All will be auctioned on my site and part of the proceeds of the sale of the painting will be donated to the Putnam Land Conservancy, a non profit land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting important natural areas in Putnam and surrounding Florida counties.

A new painting for your home or office or as a gift for a special someone and a donation to the Putnam Land Conservancy. Now that's a great gifting idea.
Thank you.

Painting Donation to the August 27, Putnam Land Conservancy Fundraiser

Firefly Nocturne
© 2011 Karen F. Rose
oil on canvas
6x6"

"Nothing is as fleeting as summer, except childhood."

What are your fond memories of long summer nights when you were growing up?
In our little town after dinner, the neighborhood children would gather with mason jars in hand to catch fireflies in someone's yard. Yes, back then we did play outdoors.
If you caught enough fireflies you would poke holes in the lid of your jar and keep it by your bedside. That lime green light would glow well into the night. I don't want to say what the boys would do with their catch! Let's just say glowing Indian war paint was their objective.

This memory painting will be available at the Putnam Land Conservancy Fundraiser and Art Auction, Sat. August 27 from 6 to 10 pm at Melrose Bay Art Gallery and Bellamy Road Fine Arts in Melrose, FL. A portion of the sale of the painting will be donated to the Conservancy. Thank you for supporting this worthy cause.
I'd also love to hear one of your childhood summer memories!