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!

The Moon and Our Fascination

Moonlit Bay, sketch

oil on  canvas

© Karen F. Rose

Forty one years ago on July 20th, we on the good planet earth looked skyward watching in awe "as man walked on the moon".  I remember that night just like it was yesterday.
My fascination with the moon hasn't changed much over these many years, but my interest now is painting the moon, not walking on it.
Painting moonlit scenes plein air is a challenge because, well...it's dark outside and hard to see your palette. It's best to choose a night when the moon is full and you will be amazed at how much color you actually can see once your eyes adjust to the light.
I was in Sarasota a few months ago at a workshop at the M Gallery of Fine Art with artist Mark R. Hanson. The highlight of the workshop was the night a group of about 10 of us painted in a park that overlooked the Sarasota bay. What a beautiful night! The lights of the city in the distance illuminated the sky and the sound of tree frogs serenaded in the night breeze.
The next full moon is Monday, July 26th, 2010. I'll be packed and ready to go with my booklight to light both my canvas and my paints and of course bug spray. Hey we aren't the only ones who love the moonlight!

Atlantic Nocturne

Atlantic Nocturne, 8x8", oil on canvas
2009 Karen F. Rose
For the past six months I have been studying,

observing and reading about tonalism.

This style of painting is serene, emotional

and even spiritual, capturing the mood of dawn,

twilight and moonlit scenes.

A move in this direction as a painter is going back to a way

that I painted years ago, using glazes to create a luminous

quality to the painting.

KFRose the Artist, the I Phone and Tell Me Where App

Earleton Meadow Moonrise
© Karen F Rose

oil on canvas

I love the I Phone and I don't know how I
functioned without it. Ok I know that sounds
crazy, but it's a great resource for the traveling
artist. Keeping up with emails, a phone with readable numbers,
the ability to show my paintings on my web page and blog and
ENLARGE the picture.
And the new Tellmewhere app from the I Tunes store,
lets me find everything from the nearest gas station or
art supply place to hotels and restaurants and so much more.
The painting I'm working on above is a nocturne, a tonalist painting,
called Earlton Meadow Moonrise. The meadow shows Lake Santa Fe in Melrose, Florida in the
distance. By the way, a great place to eat in Melrose is Blue Water Bay restaurant.
Go ahead look that restaurant up on Tellmewhere!