Posted in daily painter, Small Town Life, tagged cabin, daily painter, impressionism, Landscape, oil painting, Virginia Artist on July 22, 2009| 5 Comments »
Lucky me! I got a new easel for my birthday last week so I did a practice run with it this weekend out at the cabin and painted the Red Chair that I posted about a few days ago.
Love the new easel and the ease of set-up. It makes plein air painting so much easier.
And here is the finished sketch. It is an oil on canvas panel measuring 8″x10″ and is SOLD .
I love that chair!
Posted in daily painter, tagged daily painter, daily painting, Landscape, oil painting, Virginia Artist on July 16, 2009| 2 Comments »
When you paint for a living you often spend a lot of time doing things other than painting. Marketing takes up a great deal of time – working on the blog and website can take hours of time that I would rather spend painting but that’s part of the deal.
Often I am asked to speak to groups about what it is like to be an artist. Today I spoke to a group of girl scouts who were working on a program about business ownership. In particular they asked me to talk about the role technology plays in my business. So they stopped by the shop, Delilah’s at 105 E. Main St. in Front Royal (shameless plug!) and I showed them my blog and website and talked to them about how the internet has changed the way artists sell their work.
They were a very nice group of girls, and along with their chaperones, they were curious about how I got to this point in my business. It’s always fun to speak to a group of people who have the same interests. Good luck girls with your “business badge”. And come see us again at Delilah’s.
And don’t forget to come to downtown Front Royal this evening for the 3rd Thursday Art Walk from 5-8 p.m. Shops stay open late and artists are demonstrating live. The farmer’s market will be open from 4-8 and there will be live music at the gazebo. What could be more fun than that??!! Please come join us.
Today’s painting is Through the Trees, an oil on canvas panel measuring 14″x11″ and can be seen at Delilah’s on Main Street in Front Royal.
If you are interested in this painting you can contact me at kwalker@doubledogdesigns.com .
Posted in daily painter, tagged daily painting, impressionism, oil painting, vegetables, Virginia Artist on July 13, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Green Onions I is an oil on canvas panel measuring 8″x10″ and is framed and available for $195. This painting can be seen at Delilah’s on Main Street in Front Royal, Virginia.
Green Onions II is an oil on canvas panel measuring 8″x10″ and is available framed for $195. It also can be seen at Delilah’s.
Posted in daily painter, tagged impressionism, oil painting, West Virginia on June 29, 2009| 3 Comments »
We love going to the cabin at Twin Mountain so the “boys” can run and play and I can paint. And that is just what we did this past weekend. Here is the result:
This is the spot we chose to paint from that morning. A gorgeous view of the West Virginia mountain range and the hay had just been baled and the aroma was strong.
As usual I start with a loose sketch of where I want to place the objects in the painting. The great thing about being a painter is that you can always move things around on the canvas to make it fit and to make a pleasing composition.
Next I start putting color on the canvas. One of the difficult things about painting outdoors (or on location) is that the light changes quickly. The sun rises, clouds pass over, etc. So you must mix paint quickly and set the tone of the painting.
I keep adding color and building the painting. Again, you have to work quickly or the shadows move. I often leave them out until the very end of my work and then add them.
And here is the finished product. I am happy with the result. This is a 9″x12″ oil on canvas panel and is available. You can contact me at kwalker@doubledogdesigns.com if you are interested in collecting any of my paintings.
And the best part of painting en plein air is that I have helpers. Jed was off making the area safe for us to hang out…but Truman, as usual, was watching me work. Truman is too old and distinguished to run around like crazy young Jed does. Notice he cleverly lays just in the edge of the shade but close enough he can help make judgments about my work. Thanks Tru!
Posted in daily painter, tagged Coastal painting, daily painter, impressionism, Marsh, oil painting, Virginia Artist on June 23, 2009| 3 Comments »
Another great day of painting on location at Hilton Head. I discovered a really nice town park right on the marsh and set up there to paint about 8:15 a.m. Boy, did it get hot fast this morning. Not a lot of breeze blowing and within an hour I was burning up. But I kept painting and got a nice little 9″x12″ oil painting completed. I took photos at different stages so you could see how I work.
I always take a reference photo in case I need to complete the painting in the studio…or in case I want to post it on the blog. 🙂
To start the painting I thin a dark color, ultramarine blue in this case, with turpentine and sketch the major shapes on the canvas.
After the basic shapes are sketched I start laying in the sky color and the darkest parts of the trees.
I continue to work the colors in the trees and the reflections in the water. I also add the background trees at the distance and start on the marsh reeds and the water.
Finally I complete the water and add the foreground reeds and grass.
I enjoy working on location even when it’s burning hot. (Did I mention that it was really hot out there today???) People often stop by to ask questions or just to watch and it’s always interesting to meet them. And as usual, my paintings are available by emailing me for more information. The paintings I did at Hilton Head this week are both oil on canvas panel, measuring 9″x12″, and are available framed for $225. Contact me at kwalker@doubledogdesigns.com .
Posted in daily painter, tagged Beach, Hilton Head Island, impressionism, oil painting, Virginia Artist on June 22, 2009| 4 Comments »
I spent a little time painting yesterday morning at the bend going to South Beach yesterday… South Beach at Hilton Head Island, SC. It was early but there was still quite a few people out walking and I talked to some very nice people from Ohio and Pennsylvania as well as locals. People are always curious when they see you painting. Some will come over and ask questions. This is the scene I painted. The three little lines you see (one at the top and two at the bottom) are the metal prongs that hold the painting on the french easel. I took this photo while still wet on the easel so I could get it posted right away. 
(This painting is SOLD.)
This is the reference photo that I took just in case I couldn’t finish. You never know what the weather might do so it’s good to get the reference in case you have to complete the painting in the studio. But yesterday was perfect for painting. A nice breeze was blowing, the sun was hot but not unbearable, and I got to paint on location. Does it get any better than that???!!!
Posted in daily painter, Small Town Life, tagged fruit, oil painting, still life, Virginia Artist on June 10, 2009| Leave a Comment »
There is so much going on with art this month in our community. First of all let me invite you all to the Blue Ridge Arts Council Member Show Opening Reception, Thursday, June 11 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at 305 East Main Street. This is my favorite show of the year. There will be 80 pieces from 23 artists shown at this year’s show and the work is always varied and wonderful. So please join us for the reception and support these local artists.
The Gazebo Gatherings have also started on Friday evenings in downtown Front Royal. Every Friday at 7 p.m. there is a free concert at the gazebo with wonderful entertainment. You can contact the Arts Council for the schedule at www.blueridgearts.org .
Today’s painting is Olives on Teal I measuring 8″x10″. It is an oil on canvas and is available for $145 (unframed). Contact kwalker@doubledogdesigns.comif you are interested in this or any other painting on the blog.
Posted in daily painter, tagged impressionism, oil painting, Virginia Artist on June 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The new blog is up and running. It is a lot more difficult to use than the last but hopefully it will remain online and I won’t lose everything again. So back to painting. Yeah!
Down the Lane V is an oil on masonite measuring 9″x12″ and is SOLD. I am still working on the “Down the Lane” series. We are even painting one in the Wednesday night art class at Blue Ridge Arts Council. Anyone interested in class just contact me at kwalker@doubledogdesigns.com .
Hope you are as glad as I am that I have a blog going again. 🙂
The Studio 