The Studio

What Kids Gain from Art

February 8, 2013 by kellywalkerstudios

Here is a great article from the Washington Post by Valerie Strauss from January 2013. Creativity, confidence, problem-solving are just three of the skills listed. Take a second to click here for the rest of this interesting list.

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Crocheted Dog Sweater Pattern

February 7, 2013 by kellywalkerstudios

Lincoln looking handsome in a blue sweater

Jed in a Green Crocheted Sweater

Since I started posting photos of my “kids” in their crocheted sweaters I have been asked to post the pattern. The problem has been that I don’t use a pattern. I just crochet and rip out and crochet again until I get it to work. But after encouragement I have written down a pattern for Lincoln’s Sweater. One thing to note is this is for a boy sweater where there is space left open under the belly at the back end to leave room for their pee-pee. Notice on Mamie’s (girls) sweater the sweater is solid all the way to the back. Keep in mind I am not a pattern writer. This is very basic. Make turns at end like you normally would when crocheting.

Mamie’s sweater and my matching hat. Photo by Sandra Patterson.

Lincoln’s Dog Sweater Pattern (Fits a long body dog weight 45 lbs. like Lincoln )

Chain 32.

Row 1: DC in each chain across. (32 DC)

Row 2: Increase DC by 1 DC at each end of row. (34 DC)

Row 3–13: Repeat Row 2 (ending with 56 DC at Row 13)

Row 14: Increase by 2 DC at each end of row. (60 DC)

Row 15: Repeat Row 2 (62 DC)

Row 16: Repeat Row 14 (66 DC)

Row 17-18: DC across with no increase

Row 19: Chain 14 and join with slip stitch to DC. Turn.

Row 20: Sc in each chain and in each DC around. (80 SC)

Row 21: DC in each SC around and slip stitch in beg DC at end of row. (80 DC)

Row 22-33: Chain 3. Turn. DC in each DC around joining with Sl St in beg DC.

Row 34: Turn DC in next 50 DC.

Row 35-36: Turn repeat Row 34.

Row 37: DC across decreasing 1 DC on each end. (48 DC)

Row 38: Repeat Row 37. (46 DC)

Row 39: Chain 18 join to DC with Sl St being careful not to twist chain.

Row 40: Turn. SC in each chain st and in each Dc around. (64 SC)

Row 41: Turn. DC around. (64 DC)

Row 42 – 47: DC in each stitch around decreasing 1 DC on each row. (ending with 58 DC)

Row 48: Turn. SC in each st around.

Row 49: Turn. DC around.

Row 50: Turn. SC around.

Row 51-53: Turn. DC around.

Row 54: Turn. SC around.

Row 55: Turn. DC around.

Row 56: Turn. SC around.

To join the opening and make holes for legs, join yarn to one edge evenly spaced so as to allow 10 stitches. DC 10 stitches across for 5 rows. Leave long piece of yarn when finishing off so you can sew the loose end to the other opening edge. This makes a band under the chest and makes two leg hole openings.

Posted in Crochet | Tagged Crochet, crocheted dog sweater, crocheted dog sweater pattern, dog sweater pattern, Dogs | 28 Comments »

Picasso Painting Sells for $45 Million

February 6, 2013 by kellywalkerstudios

Picasso Painting Sells for $45 million

Yesterday a Pablo Picasso portrait of his mistress, Marie-Therese Walter sold for $45 million. She was often called Picasso’s Muse.

Sotheby’s held an auction of impressionist, modern and surrealist art. The sale was the first of a series held in London this month by Sotheby’s, Christie’s and smaller auction houses. You can read more about the sale here.

You can also click here to read more about Picasso and his love of animals.

Posted in Little Known Facts, Trivia | Tagged Golden Muse, Marie-Therese Walter, Pablo Picasso, Picasso, Sotheby's | Leave a Comment »

Kleon’s “Steal Like an Artist”

February 5, 2013 by kellywalkerstudios

I just read Austin Kleon’s book, “Steal Like An Artist – 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative”. It was GREAT! I encourage everyone to read it. It’s a fast read with lots of tidbits to encourage creativity like my favorite on page 111, “Validation is for Parking”!

As Mr. Kleon’s states on his website, www.austinkleon.com, in describing the book:

“When I was asked to talk to students at a community college in upstate New York, I sat down and wrote a talk based on a list of 10 things I wished I’d heard when I was starting out:

Steal like an artist.
Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started.
Write the book you want to read.
Use your hands.
Side projects and hobbies are important.
The secret: do good work and share it with people.
Geography is no longer our master.
Be nice. (The world is a small town.)
Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)
Creativity is subtraction.

The text and slides from the talk “rocked the creative world” and went viral—since it’s been online, the original blog post has reached millions of readers. I expanded the post into a book-length work stuffed full of brand-new writing and illustrations, published by Workman Publishing in February 2012.”

It’s worth every penny of the $10.95 cover price. Pick up a copy and take a look for yourself. I highly recommend it.

Posted in Books | Tagged Austin Kleon, Steal Like an Artist | Leave a Comment »

Great Classes Last Week

February 4, 2013 by kellywalkerstudios

Kids Display Fruit Still Life

We had some great classes last week for adults and kids art. Join us on Wednesday from 10:30-Noon or 5:30 – 7 for Adult Class or on Thursday from 4:15-5:15 for Kids Class or 5:30-7 for Adult Class. Painting is all about the desire to learn. You can paint if you just want to give it a try. Contact me at kwalker@doubledogdesigns.com to learn more. See you in class!

Posted in Art Class | Tagged acrylic, Art Class, art lessons, impressionism, Virginia Artist | Leave a Comment »

Happy Birthday Norman Rockwell

February 3, 2013 by kellywalkerstudios

Norman Rockwell’s “A Boy and His Dog”

Norman Rockwell’s Triple Self Portrait

Norman Rockwell was born on this day in 1894. He was an American painter and illustrator most well know for his covers on the Saturday Evening Post. In 1916, the 22-year-old Rockwell painted his first cover for The Saturday Evening Post, the magazine considered by Rockwell to be the “greatest show window in America.” Over the next 47 years, another 321 Rockwell covers would appear on the cover of the Post.

Over his lifetime he produced more than 4000 original works of art many now in public collections. Read more about Norman Rockwell here.

Posted in Trivia | Tagged Norman Rockwell | 1 Comment »

3-D Art at National Gallery

February 1, 2013 by kellywalkerstudios

mobiles on display

Alexander Calder, untitled mobile, 1976

Posted in Travel, Trivia | Tagged Alexander Calder, Calder, mobiles, National Gallery of Art | Leave a Comment »

A Few Favorites at the National Gallery

January 31, 2013 by kellywalkerstudios

Henri Matisse, Odalisque Seated with Arms Raised, Green Striped Chair, oil on canvas, 1923

Every time I go to the National Gallery I see something new even though I must have been there a couple dozen times now. And over the years my taste in art has developed and changed. I am drawn to post impressionism more and more. And Matisse has become a very favorite so I always enjoy seeing his use of color and space. And then I discovered a Gauguin painting of Peonies (my favorite flower) that I had never seen before. What a treat!

Henri Matisse, Still Life with Apples on a Pink Tablecloth, oil on canvas, 1924

Paul Gauguin, Still Life with Peonies, oil on canvas, 1884

Posted in Travel, Trivia | Tagged Henri Matisse, National Gallery of Art, Paul Gauguin | Leave a Comment »

Restoration at the NGA

January 30, 2013 by kellywalkerstudios

Benvenuto di Giavannis

One fascinating thing I love to see at the National Gallery of Art when I visit is the work they are doing to restore and maintain the beautiful art. Sunday while visiting I ran across this painting group. It was five panels framed together (you see two of them here) that was painted by Benvenuto di Giovanni, an Italian painter (1436-1517) and is a depiction of five scenes in Jesus’ life. The panel on the right is called Christ Carrying the Cross, painted in 1491. It is tempera on panel board measuring around 16″x18″. You can see how much brighter this panel is than the one on the left. The right panel has been removed and cleaned. You can clearly see the difference in the cleaned panel compared to the one that still needs cleaning. What drew me to this grouping was that one of the panels was missing and this sign was in it’s place:It says: “Benvenuto di Giovanni’s Christ in Limbo, usually installed here, is currently in the Painting Conservation Lab for treatment. Each of the five panels in this series will be cleaned in turn.”

How cool is that?

If you want to see “Christ in Limbo”, the piece that is being cleaned, click here.

Posted in Travel, Trivia | Tagged Benvenuto di Giovanni, National Gallery of Art, NGA, Washington DC | Leave a Comment »

Michaelangelo’s David-Apollo at NGA

January 29, 2013 by kellywalkerstudios

David-Apollo side view

Michelangelo’s David-Apollo

One of the reasons I wanted to get down to the National Gallery this past weekend was to see Michelangelo’s David-Apollo (c. 1530) that is currently on loan from Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence until March 3rd. It is a wonderful example of Michelangelo’s work and of his habit of working non-finito (unfinished or incomplete). You can see in the side view the stone left uncut in the back of the sculpture. He leaves much to the viewer’s imagination, wondering what was his intent. You can learn much more by clicking this NGA link.

Posted in Travel, Trivia | Tagged David Apollo, Michelangelo's David-Apollo, National Gallery of Art, NGA, Washington DC | Leave a Comment »

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