The Art Hibernation begins!!!

Am digging in for the winter to fatten up the portfolio....

'Fall Kitty', acrylic on panel, 2013

   Hard to believe that the last time I updated this was in June.
I was so busy this past summer. Now that fall is here and winter is approaching quickly, my studio time has lengthened and my art hibernation begins.
Winter is the best time for most artists because we have a lot more free time to spend creating...  It's my favorite time of the year and it seems to be when I am the happiest.
My stress and my zen levels are balanced which makes me smile and feel at peace.
It's a good place to be....

Summer recap...

 This was the summer of gardening!!  I had decided this summer, I would trade much of my  studio time in order to dedicate it to home and garden projects. I had lots of things I wanted to do around the house this year and I was able to get many of them done. I am SO glad I did!!

This year, we broke ground and built this lovely garden!  We used to have these huge overgrown, thistle-y, evergreen bushes that I absolutely hated on this side of the house. There were also a couple tree saplings that insisted on growing all the time,  a defunct well and old pump for a sprinkling system that no longer worked and the huge steel post(which we had to cut down) from an old satellite dish tower... I had always wanted to put a garden here since it is the sunniest side of the property. So this is what we built! :)

I was able to hide the satellite post by putting the garden lady over it. I made the armature with chicken wire and a styrofoam head. Her basket held my gardening tools and also contained a couple empty beer bottles... Why the beer bottles? Well I am an organic gardener and slugs LOVE beer so hey...it was fitting for my lady to be a wee bit of a lush! ;)

In my garden this year, I grew two kinds of heirloom tomatoes. One I will grow again next year for sure, the other (Kellogg Gold), not so much...
My favorite was a Russian variety called 'Black Sea Man'. It is primarily a greenish purple tomato, when fully ripe and the flavor is just phenomenal!!! BEST tomato I have ever eaten! A close second is another heirloom variety called 'Hillbilly', which I have grown in years past. Both are a beefsteak variety. The picture on the left are the Black Sea Man tomatoes as they just started forming. They were so cute!!

The other thing I love to grow are hot peppers! These are Caribbean Red Habanero peppers. I had a bumper crop this year! I also grew jalapeno's as always and Chiltepin(extremely hot)  peppers.  This habanero is a scoth bonnet variety and it is SMOKING HOT!!! I dried them all but a small bag of them. I am going to make some hot sauce with what is left and the rest we will grind up to use to season foods with.
Capsaicin , the active component in peppers that makes them hot, is actually very good for you if you can stand it! When ingested, it causes your body to release endorphins which help to alleviate lots of ailments such as pain from arthritis, shingles and diabetic neuropathy. I have to say that it DOES work for neuropathy, as I suffer from that myself.

How lovely these peppers were this year!! Very few were eaten by insects and it was a warm summer so they thrived in the heat and the new garden bed they were planted in.
Chiles tend to like being ignored and will become hotter if not over watered. Now I did water my garden well this year but these chiles certainly didn't lose any of their potency!!

House projects!!

Now I also wanted to use this summer to complete a couple long awaited projects....

I had scrimped and saved for a VERY long time(about 10+ years) in order to save up enough money to replace my old 1970's white electric stove for a newer modern (but not very expensive) gas stove with 5 burners. This was the year! Summer began by shopping around for that.

Once we purchased it, I installed it myself because the husband was taking waaaaaay too long and I could not stand it anymore! Thank goodness I purchased that adjustable furniture dolly a couple years back. I just rolled it right in and used a minimum of 'shemale' brute force.  The new stove would NOT be complete without ripping out the old white tile backslash from the 1970's as well so that was my next project.

Now I didn't want, nor could I afford to replace the old laminate counter top so that forced me to coordinate the tile I chose. I wanted something with a higher end look so I settled on a darker, variegated color tile and a grout that matched the color of the counter top.

Ripping down the tile was a royal pain in the back side but it did alleviate some pent up frustrations because I could essentially beat the crap out of the wall with a hammer!

HOWEVER.....that causes a couple minor problems...see pic on the left...

Now some might panic over this but not me...I am always a 'I can fix that' kind of gal. I knew I had some scrap wallboard out in the garage so I decided I would just cut a piece to fit, mud it in and problem solved.

 VOILA!! Problem solved!!  Who say's chicks have to be all girly and act all ignorant and helpless...ppssfffttt....
I LOVE getting my hands dirty on a good home project!! Its fun to me! It's like creating art...the finished project can be seen in your head even before you start. When you can see it in your head, you map out how to get to the finished project so the plan is in place.

 I decided to lay the tile on a diagonal because laying it traditionally just looked stupid...so we had to buy a tile saw. Now that thing, albeit messy, was cool as hell!!
I had to wear a rain coat and a face shield but man, it makes short work of tile! These were thick tiles too so it took a wee bit of time cutting them all.

Finished!! Now one of my friends, there is always ONE, pointed out 2 errors...can you see them???? I surely didn't. He told me now that I know about them, it would bug the crap out of me...it did for about 2 days and then I said forget about it...nothing in lef is perfect and almost every great masterpiece has a few flaws so I am alright living with this very minor flaw...

Where is Waldo???  Do you see it??

 

Summer art show

This year I entered for the very first time, The Elkhart Showcase of art, which is one of our biggest regional shows.  I entered 'The Spanish Market'. This piece took me 3 years to complete and it quite large, 42"x30". It was very well received however I exempted myself from any 'purchase awards' because the highest 'purchase award' was $900.00 and the Best of Show Award was $1,200.00. Had I made myself available, I would have had to forfeit my painting and I am not ready to do that. A large chunk of my life went into creating that painting and I value you it much more than that...I just could not give it away.

Now I will enter next year and paint something smaller and valued more appropriately for those award amounts.

I was happy that my high-school art teacher, Pam Smith-Hellwege, a person that greatly influenced to my creativity, drove from St.Louis and attended the event. I was most happy to see her there! Here is Pam and myself in front of my painting.
I wish I had not worn that blouse because it made me look like convict or a referee..one of the two...

Cindy Marks, another of my former teachers, was in the show as well. Her entire family won purchase awards for their art.

It was a great show and there certainly were some STUNNING pieces of art there...

Great experience to be in the show...

Getting crafty!!

Cherry Pie a la Mode earrings

Most of my friends know, I like to create stuff...be is sculpting, baking, growing, sewing, building stuff...I just like doing it!  So, at the end of the year, I am trading in my nurses uniform for paint covered cloths and scruffy hair and will be creating full time.

Now most of my artist friends know that making a living selling paintings can be tricky so there are more than one way for artistic creativity to earn an income.

I will be making some fun things to sell at the gallery I am affiliated with and online. Will try my hand at whatever floats my boat. I have made several pairs of foodie inspired earrings and am also designing and painting some one of a kind floor cloths I will sell...I must say, it sure if fun creating these items! :)

This is a custom floor cloth I designed and created. It was a whole lot of fun making this because it also included sewing which is something else I love to do as well!  All the designs I will be making will be completely unique one of a kind creations.   They are easy to care for, if they get foot prints on them, just wipe them off.  I have always loved the look of these things and have wanted to make one for a long time. So here they are!!! I have a lot of exciting designs that I will be creating..

Here is a sneak peek at my current project. It looks quite a bit different now however...                                                                             Stay tuned for the progress on this one! I am loving creating this little painting!! :)

 So lets wrap this thing up...

Well....this was long winded! It's been months since I have blogged so lots to catch up on...

Keep watching me in the future because I am about to get really funky and creative in the very near future!!

Have a great day all!!

 

Kath

...The People have spoken...

...Gardens of Art...

2013 Peoples Choice winner, DeFries Gardens 4th Annual Juried Art Show

So this year I decided to enter the DeFries Gardens Annual Juried Art Show again. 

My submissions were 'Jungle Kitty'  and a painting I recently completed,  titled 'Glisten'.  

I was pretty certain i did not place for an award this year. Last year I received an email ahead of time letting me know I won however this year I did not get 'that' email.

So I went to the show feeling reserved but excited to see the wonderful art there.

I milled about looking at some very stunning works that didn't place and some works that felt felt should not have placed, but that's the nature of a juried show. You don't always agree with or understand what the judges 'saw'.

I felt some things were more worthy of awards than others purely by the thought, message and caliber of the technical ability that was put into them.

There were a couple one artists whose paintings kept drawing me back.

This gentleman's painting I thought was fantastic!!

His name is Keith Blanton and he is a local guy that I was unaware of. We had the chance to meet up and chat after the show and congratulate each other. I let him know I thought his work was just fantastic, especially this market painting.

Eye for detail is what draws me to a painting. When someone takes the time to go to such lengths, that hows fortitude, patience and a love for your work. Couple that with knowledge of structure, use of color and proper value...it ends with a stunning work of art and his work certainly met all those.  It was a joy to look at and brought a smile to my face.

Another work that I thought was just phenomenal was this one...its difficult to see since it was a water color under glass so photographing it was difficult.

This was done by an artist named Jan Lucking. It was a visually striking water color of a pair of old work boots, a pair of baby's feet, two wedding bands, a mouse trap hanging off the boot lace, a torn photo of an old photo of a young girl and a cob web with dew drops. THIS painting told a life story. It was full of symbolism of the cycle of life, the ups and downs and to me, THAT made for a spectacular composition and it was extremely well executed!! 

I felt this painting should have placed for an award but it did not. It dumbfounded me.

Now here is a painting that took the first place award. This is an oil. I was again dumbfounded by this choice because I felt the caliber of the work that was at the show, superseded this painting but I am not one of the judges. They like what they like.

While this painting is nicely done in a loose palette knife technique, I just felt it was flat and not as technically challenging as the two previous works I have just shown. 

Again, that's just my opinion and the only opinions that matter are those of the selected judges for the show.

All in all, there was a phenominal array of work there and it goes to show that no matter where you live, art and artists are everywhere!

Here in the heart of the Midwest, it makes me happy to realize that fact!

 So getting back to my painting 'Jungle Kitty'...

Imagine my surprise when I heard my name called for the last prize...

'The Peoples Choice Award'!!

I was SHOCKED!!! I was standing clear towards the back of the garden because I knew I had won nothing...until I heard my name!

To me, at a show like this...thats the BEST prize you can get because the jury are the patrons that went to the show. They choose what they like. Your public is the BEST JURY there is!

I am humbled, surprised and quite happy about the outcome of the show! :)

Oh but I can't forget to show you my second submission I had in the show. I titled this piece

'Glisten' and it is an acrylic painting of one of the flowers in my garden.

I was told that this was the runner up in the Peoples Choice Award category so that as well made me quite happy! This painting and 'Jungle Kitty' will soon be headed to the gallery I submit my work to, the Kingsbury House Gallery in Howe, Indiana.

The gallery is housed in a beautifully restored turn of the century hotel in the heart of a quaint Midwestern town. In the summertime there is a Saturday morning bustling true farmers market directly across the street in the town square.  If you get a chance, and would love to have a fantastic tour of the wonderful Amish countryside...travel to Howe Indiana for a stop at the gallery and an enjoyable ride. Linda chase, gallery director, has created a lovely, lovely space for us local artists. 

I am very pleased to be a contributing artist for this gallery!

Well that's about enough prattling about all things art today.... time to jump in the shower and begin the Fathers Day Festivities!

Happy Fathers day to all you fathers! Have a WONDERFUL DAY!

Kath

...So why not 'Just Paint It'...

Class is in session

Teaching my first class was a hit!

I have long dreamed of doing some teaching part time and spreading the joy of painting. 

I have worked very, very hard the last few years trying to reach a level where I felt I could make this a reality. It has finally happened and that makes me very happy!

For the past 12 or so years, I have focused on being a 'good' painter. I have been quietly studying and learning as much as I can and that has finally started to pay off.

For the last few years, I have had this idea in my head just to teach basic painting. To show people how easy it is and why it doesn't have to be difficult to 'see' things and understand that it's 'just paint' and if you screw it up, so what, you can fix it!

Paint makes people smile. It forges otherwise unlikely friendships and can take your life in directions, you may have never thought possible. I have made friends all over the world simply through painting and for that I am ever grateful!

   My first class was taught on February 8th, a Friday evening. For months prior to that event I began preparing by gathering everything I thought I would need, which is quite a bit!

I hung new lighting, purchased bulk supplies and started making thinking about how I would go about even teaching a class.

I wrote lesson plans and worked on projects all the while still working my regular job as a nurse.

To sum it up, I've been very busy!

Honestly, I think most people just came for the cookies!

They were a big hit! I baked them right before people started arriving so that my little studio would smell divine!

The first student to arrive was my best friend Rhonda. She and I have been friends since grade school. Honestly, she is more like my sister than anything. She's my extra right hand when I need her and she helped me get things set and also helped me straighten up at the end of the evening.

The next student to arrive was someone I had yet to physically meet but had been introduced to through my good friend Lisa, who lives in San Diego. Lisa had told me her friend Judy and her husband were moving to the area and we really should become friends. I have to say that Lisa was right! Judy is a wonderful person and one I am so glad to have become friends with!

As I said earlier...paint forges wonderful friendships!  I hope that the people who meet at my classes, discover, not only that they have a talent they didn't know existed, but forge otherwise, unlikely friendships in the process. Painting is nothing to be afraid of, it's just paint! If you muck it up, you fix it, no big deal so to that I say...Just Paint It!!

 

...Just who IS The Man...

So I have had this idea in my head for a few years. It was more of a simmering idea related to the things that aggravate you in life. The things that hold you down and lock you in. 

I could see this image in my head of this looming, powerful guy walking on the backs of people to get what he wants/demands. The cost of those wants is social decay, humiliation and absolute power over something...

'The Man' can be anything...it will mean something different to everyone and it's not based on any one particular person, more a group of issues.

 I decided that i needed to finally evict this idea out of my head and to bring it to life on canvas.

This subject is really a HUGE departure from my other style of paintings. This one is straight out of my head.

I wanted to keep some elements of the image almost caricature like and have parts of it be realistic.. 

At first, I was going to have The Man be a looming face-less entity in a dark suit and hat because that's what I have seen in my head and symbolically, that fits however as things flow, things change and I decided to give him a face. A big 'winning' smile that draws people to a character that is deceptive. A wolf in sheep's clothing as it were. I was also going to have every person on the 'road of people' be facing downward in a submissive position but I decided to have one facing the viewer. I am not sure if I will have the eyes closed or open yet...for now they are closed. I have one more element to add however I won't disclose what that is yet! ;)

This image to the right is how the idea started to flow out onto the canvas and you can see, much of it has changed and morphed as the ideas came out.

The idea for the industrial background was inspired from the Pink Floyd's  'Animal's' album cover.

I have always liked that image and so when I had the idea for this painting, that dystopian look fit what I saw in my head so that's where that one came from.

The idea to have to road be people was an easy one. I wanted it to almost look like a heard of sheep...sheeple. The turnip is easy! Everyone knows the old saying that 'you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip'...HOWEVER...The Man CAN!

Once I started roughing in the turnip (from a photo ref I took of me grasping a turnip from my garden), I decided to top just didn't work. I had to come up with something else, something more symbolic. Since the turnip basically represent the heart of mankind, then the idea hit me...have the top literally be the vessels of a human heart. So that's how that transition occurred.  As far as the other elements in the painting, I'll leave that up to the viewer to decide. I know what they mean to me but as i said, this will mean something different to everyone who sees it.  I know its a controversial departure from my usual work but I just had to get this guy out of my head. I am actually enjoying painting this very much! Its like a huge puzzle of dark symbolism! This piece has generated quite a bit of interest and I am allowing people to watch my progression on my Facebook page, The Art of Kathy Leib.

 

...Going back to High School...

   A few years back,  local high school art teacher Wendy Sparks, had contacted me about coming to speak to her junior and senior art class students. Wendy had seen my work at a local gallery and had read the review the South Bend Tribune had published about my solo show 'Faces' at The Spurious Fugitive Gallery, South Bend, Indiana. She asked if I would be willing to come in and talk to the students and I agreed.

I was really nervous that I would have nothing to say. She asked if I would bring in some of my paintings.  I brought 6-7 paintings with me and had a disc of images burned so that I could give a slide show. I finally got over my stage fright about halfway through my presentation. 

There were about 40 kids and it was early in the morning so some of them slept which is understandable in high school however it was those 4-5 kids that were genuinely interested that made me happy. They asked questions and studied the paintings and were just really interested in what I had to say and show them. 

The kids had done some really great work and a few were quite proud to show me their paintings and tell me about their plans to go to art school. Just this memory alone is making me smile and give me some goosebumps! It was something that thoroughly touched me! 

Those 4-5 kids, will be the ones who inspire you later in life. Those few kids will be the movers and shakers in the creative world...they will make their teachers very proud!

   I am pleased to say that Wendy has once again invited me back to speak to her kids and I am thrilled to do it. I don't think I'll be quite as nervous this time around however. 

I look forward to seeing what these kids are up to.  I will be thrilled to share their enthusiasm again!

   You see, the thing about art is that most dream of being this famous fine artist in Chicago, LA, London, New York...but then when you grow up, you realize artists are everywhere and have quite diverse and unlikely occupations. For instance, I put myself through nursing school at  age 23 so that I could have job stability. I have never regretted that decision, however, I have also never let that dream of being a painter...so I do both! One of my artist friends is a physician (pathologist) and you should see the detailed work he pulls off! 

   My talk this time around will be similar to what I said the last time...it will be one about never letting go of your dreams and telling the kids that despite having a job they may not have envisioned, they can still make art!

   

...It's THAT time...

Time to head off to this lovely little studio of mine, pour myself a hot cup of coffee and, grab a bite to eat and get this day going!!! 

I have a couple folks coming over to share part of the day with me. My friend Judy is coming over around 10:00 am and I also have a student that I agreed to teach for a couple hours for an impromptu class. After that...The Man will get some fresh paint applied to him!

I hope you all have a wonderful day and I will leave you with the luscious image of fresh Amish Cinnamon rolls!!! I am telling you, here in the heart of the Midwest Amish community, there is no taste much sweeter than that!

Have a great day!!

Kath

Is it Better to Be Respected or to Be Rich?

Well OBVIOUSLY by my appearance, you can see I am not rich! My shoes have holes in them and are eighteen years old and my overalls are covered in paint, tattered and are just about the same age...but does that mean I am not rich? Remember adjectives can be deceptive. Appearances can be quite deceptive. Perceptions are most often wrong.
In my case, I am not money rich by any stretch but I am quite 'rich' in many other regards.
I have great friends that I value highly have managed to cultivate over the years. Most of my good friends I have made because of paint and that's been a genuine blessing to me. Along with my true friends I also recognize those false friends. I see right through them. True friends are genuine and stand by you when your down and lift you up when you've been emotionally beaten. This is the type of person I try to be and I don't ask anything in return because that is not the nature of true friendship. True friendship comes with no strings or ulterior motives attached.

True friends: myself, David Naylor and Jerome Borris

Why am I mentioning this? Its simple, half of the people we meet are false friends. Those people do NOT have your best interest at heart. They will walk on your back or stab you in the back in order to  to get ahead in this imaginary race called life.
A local business man (I can't use the word artist, thief is a more appropriate word) I personally know, worked side by side with and saw a fellow artist demonstrate her talents.
He in turn deliberately undermined her to artistic achievement, something she had worked years to build, and self proclaimed that he is 'King of the Mountain'. This has generated a whole lot of ruffled feathers in the airbrush industry. The irony is, it doesn't take long for word to travel around the world, it literally only takes minutes. He made a grievous mistake.
The web has literally made our world such a small place. So small in that what goes around, comes around that much faster!
This man, is one of those I spoke of. Pe is a peacock. Peacocks have no actual money but they sure can posture! Lesson here, never assume the peacock is 'rich' because of his fancy plumage. This man is far from that in all regards...
For me, I would much rather be respected than to be 'rich'. I think it's far more important be 'rich with dignity and respect' because after all...the only thing you win in the end is dirt!

....What's cookin....

So I've been a little squirrel this Christmas. When my Mom and Mother-in-law asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I did what I always do and asked for things I need...for the most part.

I mean in addition to the usual white cotton socks and random colored sweatshirts, I also asked for a six foot folding table, four metal folding chairs, table top easels, gift cards for Menards, Jerry's Artarama and Hobby Lobby. I am trying to outfit the studio(on a tight budget) for some art classes I am hoping to build. I am hoping this is an investment in the future.

I am following that voice Ray heard in 'Feild of Dreams', "if you build it, they will come." So, I am trying to build it, that dream I have had all these years to be a working artist and do what I love to do the most, paint for a living. I know it's a far fetched dream and will be difficult but I have never been a lazy person. I KNOW I can do this and I know I will do it well.

My goals are to offer a few different classes in TRADITIONAL painting...NOT airbrush like all my airbrush friends are 'assuming'. Why not airbrush? Simple,  because everyone and their brother is doing it! I want to do my own thing and not just follow the herd. Not saying I won't offer that locally as an advanced technique in painting, I might but the place to start, is with well grounded basics.

I want to teach the true reason to paint and that should be for joy, not the lure of money. I want to get people excited about painting! I want to show people that the rewards in painting are most often NOT monetary but are very rich in many more ways...the fellowship is payment enough!

So stay tuned to my FaceBook page The Art of Kathy Leib ,website www.kathyleib.com  and of course here for updates.

...Art being worked on....

So I have a funky, weird, dark painting I am working on that I am calling 'The Man'(which I won't show much). This concept has been in my head for about 3 years now and I finally decided to let it out on a large canvas I had made. Not sure how long I will keep the work once it's complete. Once I have the high res image for my portfolio, I may well just recycle the canvas but we'll see.

The Man is a conceptual piece full of symbolism. It's not meant to be super realistic or even be 'realism' at all. I am mainly painting it to purge my head of this idea and to lock it down for ever how long the painting decides to stick around. I have some paintings that I have sanded and gessoed over in the past because I don't like looking at them. This quite probably will be one of those pieces as time goes on, we'll just have to see.

I am currently prepping a bunch of small panels (as you see in the first picture) in hopes that I will do one small still life per week, perhaps two. I want these to be quick and loose so that I can hone my skills even further and grow more as an artist. These will be artistic exercise works and ones I will quite probably list up for sale once they are ready. They will be primarily works in acrylic and oils but I might throw in the odd watercolor.

Speaking of oils, I finished my first full oil painting from a still life about three weeks back. I gave it a gloss coat of varnish yesterday so now it will sit to dry for several more weeks. This one I will frame and hang in my studio kitchen because I love it! :)

The still was set up from items I collect and love. The coffee percolator is a vintage Farberware percolator I found on Ebay about 1-2 years back. The coffee tin is part of a four piece set I found in an antique store. I hand picked them specifically for the studio kitchen. The mug is a set of four that I purchased many years ago at an auction. I use one of these everyday(using one right now in fact). I have two at home and two at the studio, they are my most favorite coffee mugs! I LOVE coffee!! So this little piece was fun to paint! My good friends know I enjoy coffee so much that I might be persuaded to sell my soul for it but I'm not there yet! ;)

So with that...I bid you a good day! I need to actually get to the studio and make some time to paint! I've been sitting here for a few hours updating website, FaceBook and now my blog. I have gotten this far on my new class flier's 'start new project'! LOL! Tomorrow is another day so I'll sit and work on those then.

Have a great day whoever reads this! :)

Kath

Lets get this PARTY STARTED!!!

Classes set to start January 22nd, 2013

So I am finally taking a leap of faith and going to start holding some small art classes  at my studio starting on January 22nd,  2013 at 6:30pm. 

Check out my nifty little brochure I created below! I just had 50 copies printed up yesterday so we'll see what comes from it all.

This is something I have thought and dreamed about for years and quite frankly the catalyst for making the jump now is due to the uncertainty of the healthcare industry. The new healthcare mandate quite frankly upsets me greatly and I have kind of just about had all I can take. So with that been said,  it's time to create my own personal 'Plan B'. I know my boss feels similarly so we are all thinking about that B Plan! What's quite unfortunate is he isn't the only physician that feels that way, A LOT feel that way...

   Honestly, as far as teaching a small art class goes, I think I have something valuable to offer.  

I want to keep the class sizes small, manageable and hands on. I also want to keep them based at my cozy little studio so that in and of itself is limiting. I think people will really enjoy what I have in mind which is a basic class that teaches the basic 5 key points I have outlined.

   At this point, I have an in depth, 6 page course syllabus written discussing each key aspect I mentioned in the brochure. I have included diagrams, images and some suggested literature as well.

In the future, if this small class takes off, I hope to spin a couple more off this one. The next might be a more advanced and technical class that will also include the use of the airbrush, which is something I am most proficient at. I also want to do a fun night out class for anyone regardless of skill level!

So for now...we build it and just see who comes... 

The still life and where I am at on that....

Many of my friends know that I like to continually try and experiment with new things. I have taken up oil painting and I must say I am enjoying it IMMENSELY!!!  It's not like I am new to painting, I am just fairly new to this medium. This current painting is my first full oil painting from life using only natural unfiltered sunlight. 

I set up a little still life in the studio and set another easel next to it. I put a board I prepped on the easel, drew the base drawing and away we went! I am really not trying to be SUPER DETAILED, in fact I am trying to 'loosen' up a bit...so we'll see where this goes... What I have realized is that I need new hogs hair brushes since I only really have two and they blend oils REALLY WELL!      Most of my brushes have been only used for acrylics and water colors and those mediums prefer softer bristles. I have also been doing some finger blending and that ALWAYS makes me happy because I like to get into my paint and get dirty with it! :D You know your in the zone when you lose track of time and before you know it...5-6 hours have flown by and your like "Oh CRAP...I have to get home and make supper!!" Its days like these, I LOVE my crock pot and load that sucker n the morning so I can be zoning along all day without a care in the world... bring on the snow man because I have both a crock pot AND all wheel drive!!! So far so good with this little piece! I am quite happy!

Elkhart Artwalk is on again!!!

Wednesday December 6th, 5-8pm, downtown Elkhart, IN

I know I am going! It's a really fun time!! Local artists/galleries set up their work at downtown businesses and venues and people walk to each one. Check out their Facebook link  https://www.facebook.com/elkhartartwalk

There is one venue that has creative fun things for kids to do. They have snacks and beverages set up at others.  I think we are going to start out at the local brew pub http://iechyddabrewingcompany.com/  and 'load up' a bit with some brews and grub then walk it all off at the artwalk.

Oh and IF you have NOT YET tried the beer at the pub...you HAVE to...it's some GREAT stuff!! My personal favorite, and actually the only one I have had so far is "Murry the Hump" Pale Ale. YUM!!!!! Oh boy am I looking forward to this night out with friends!!

Spanish Market update!!!!

I almost forgot to show you where I am with it since I am back on this one.... Just a bit more to go and I will call her done. Going to wait till I get a few new brushes to do the proper oil glazing for the glass reflections on the case. At any rate, very close to being done now....

Just a bit more to do yet on the wine bladders, the case reflections and the very top right corner then BAM!!! DONE!!!

Okay...well that's about all I got for this installment...have a great day and go create something!!

I think I'm about to go 'create' a couple loads of laundry!! :D

Kath

Whew... Thank God Summer is over!!!

Now bring on the snow....

"Magic Sands Beach" Kona, Hawai, 8-26-12

Hawaii trip 8-2012

 Summer, friggin busy summer

So let's see ...what has happened since summer? Well you all know I did the Farmers Market to earn some vacation cash. Can't say that it was a great fiscal move(I broke even) but it sure was fun and I got to hang with my cousin Lori.  Hawaii was and absolute BLAST!!!! A once in  lifetime trip!

   Since summer, I have decided to pare down my activities to focus mainly on painting and art. I have too...this summer just wore me out! I completed a commission, repaired the commission (shipping  didn't treat it so well), went to Hawaii, worked on a magazine article, came back to find out commission again didn't fare well in transit(that whole things just stressed me out and made me sick inside), contacted a great friend in California who was willing to repair the painting, made oodles of hot sauce and salsa from all my garden bounty and have been drying all the peppers and just completed another portrait and now moving onto oils.... sigh...I'm TIRED!!!
   As for the condition of commissioned painting, as of yet, my customer has still not contacted my friend Tim who was willing to pick the painting up, repair it and deliver it free of charge to customer. So this whole thing has left me a bit sour and I have decided to take on no more commissioned work as a result. This whole thing just makes me upset but I know I did everything I could possibly do to right the situation. Perhaps I'll change my mind about commissions, because we all have things that go awry now and again however I'll have to let some time settle between now and that decision...

My magazine cover and article

Before I left for my vacation, I was in the middle of doing an interview with my friend Marissa Oosterlee from Holland. We did the interview over Skype, then firmed up and edited the article while I was on vacation. Man technology is great or what???
So I am 'officially' published now (save for some newspaper articles and gallery promos) and I am quite thrilled!! 

I am featured artist in Issue 39 of Airbrush Technique Magazine

I thought the article in Airbrush Technique Magazine turned out quite well!  It really captured me as a person and the subjects I like to paint.
I mainly just like to 'create' things and I don't make much money at. Nursing is my main gig. The latter affords me the ability to paint what I want versus what others want me to paint for them. 
When you paint what you want, your personality rings through clearly and people learn to see you from the inside out ward. You enjoy the subject matter more and so its almost effortless and joyful while your creating each piece.

I do take many of my paintings to my little local gallery, The Kingsbury House Gallery in Howe, IN. I am slowly starting to sell my work  but things are starting to pick up a bit and that just thrills me!!
Its a bit of pocket change and that's a nice feeling! :)

a heartfelt memorial tribute...

Most know that I am a nurse and that's something that I feel I am 'meant' to do. 

In a small office like ours, you really develop strong bonds with your patients and many times, you have entire families that you see. One such family was that of a husband and wife who had been married for 50+ years(I think 52). They had just went to a family wedding where they danced...

During that dance 'Bo' had told his wife how much he loved her and then proceeded to hug her and kiss her. She recalled that "It was so out of character for him" to show such public displays of affection but he did and his wife was so happy that day! 

When they went back to the table to sit down, 'Bo' suffered a massive stroke. He was hospitalized where he had several more strokes and subsequently passed away. They both were/are very close to all of us.

His wife came in 2 weeks after he passed away and I sat down and counseled her. She told me this story while shedding many tears though intermittently smiling and laughing as she recalled 'Bo'. 

She asked me if I thought he knew he was about to pass away because of how he acted during the dance... I said 'no, but I think 'someone' gave him a gentle shove and left you with an extremely wonderful gift!'  

It was at that point if asked her if I could paint him for her, to kind of give him back to her in my own way. That gave her something to look forward to(which was my intent). She spent much time finding just the right photos to give me. One photo was an older one and one was from the wedding,  taken right before they danced.

It was a challenge because the photos I had, two were not great but 'enough'. They were two 3x5" images that were taken at a distance. I had no way of scanning them (my old scanner was no longer compatible with my new computer) so my good buddy Tom gave me some advice and upon his goading, I purchased the large format Mustek scanner he told me about. It is working out very well for me! 

I did a 'Frankenstein' maneuver with photo editing software and came up with a composite from both images. It was a challenge and a learning process. 

I completed the painting yesterday and I am pretty pleased...although it's not photo realism, it's a very, very nice painting and that's about as good as I could get with what I had...  Here is Bo!

If you would like to see a step by step completion of this project, you can do so by visiting my Facebook page, The Art of Kathy Leib.

There you can look in my album titled 'Bo' and you can see the photos I had and the composite I ended up working from. I also show in progress images so you can literally watch him come back to life!

My new friend Harry Kirkpatrick drove down from Chicago and spent that first day with me when I started this painting. All in all, this whole process has been challenging and a blessing as well. :)

next projects and things to come...

 

My first full oil painting from life

I always like to continually grow and challenge myself artistically so I have taken up oil painting as well. I have always wanted to try my hand at oils but had been too afraid of them. I tried once years ago and wound up with mud but after much studying and growing as an artist. I took the leap.

Many of my friends have seen my EPIC painting I have been working on for 2 years now, The Spanish Market. My friend Stuart Hughes finally convinced me to layer oils over acrylics and that's what I have done.

This tank of a painting has been such a behemoth to complete however its a labor of love and one I am extremely PROUD of!

I am still in the process of correcting colors, values and layering oil glazes on top of the acrylic under-painting. Its been an extremely long process with many art interruptions in between.

So now my plan is to work on the still life painting during days with good adequate natural light, which equates to about 2.5 working hours a day on studio days which is just 3 days per week AND work to complete this massive monster during the other hours in the day... I hope to complete this by January. Thats the new goal!

Things to come......ART CLASSES!!!

In January/February 2013 I'm going to start heading up some local art classes, one night per week at the studio. Each session will be roughly 3-4 hours and I'll charge a modest hourly rate. We'll focus on drawing and painting skills, use of color and the necessity of correct value. I am going to JAM PACK the knowledge in! 

In December, I'll start advertising. I had no intentions of ever doing anything like this but had entertained the though in my head with a couple other friends(one a professional illustrator and the other a dynamic sculpture). My new friend Rob Smead was the one who got to ball rolling hoping to get a group of painters together in order to learn, improve... Cyndi Marks, my old high-school art teacher thought of me and linked me with him. Funny part is, Rob works with my husband!!! Small world! 

So, I am going to put together a lesson plan, just the core basics and we'll have a project to work on, something simple... Not quite sure what to call the class...was thinking "Paint that POP!...How to get your painting to POP with life!" I dunno...just tossing things around...

Thank God snow is around the corner because now I FINALLY have time again to work all things art!!!

Okay...THAT was a long winded catch up to what's been going on and now my hand is a claw and I need more coffee!!! 

On that note...I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Kath

To Market we will go.....

To Market we will go...

Howe Indiana Farmers Market, June 30th, 2012

Hi Ho the derry-o to market we will go!!

So this is where my creative self and my equally creative cousin Lori Brouse, can be found some Saturdays through the summer/early fall.  Most of my friends(a few have been my official taste testers) know I make spice blends and have many enjoyed my creations for sometime now.  That got me thinking...you know, I  really need to try and take this one step further......
I did....Krazy Kat's Spice Blends was born!! For now, I am able to sell at farmers markets, roadside stands and directly from home.  We have decided to settle at the Howe Farmers market because it's busy, fun and a peaceful country atmosphere filled with a fantastic crown of good down to earth people.
The vibe at the market is kind of like a small town carnival in that everyone is friendly and happy and you get to know good people.
The stand next to ours is a husband and wife team who have a herb farm and we have become chatty with them. I have purchased two plats from 'Kathy' so far and it's been fun supporting local community people.
Here is a picture of our little stand...

Krazy Kats half of the booth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Together we call ourselves "Sugared and Spiced"

 Lori makes wonderfully delicious jams, marmalade and scrumptious baked goods! She is using all her late Mothers recipes(her Mother passed away when she was 9 years old) and it has been a way for her to reconnect with her Mother again. Its wonderful stories such as her's which are great at these local markets. They are honest and heartfelt and thats why I enjoy local people so much.

My little half of the booth is the Krazy Kat half. I get A LOT of laughs and funny giggles about Old Man Neighbor who graces my table!! Its a great story and people really enjoy hearing about the incarnation of this character....he is a fictional caricature but he is based on that annoying neighbor everyone has...he is the creation of my good friend Tom Nguyens imagination and artwork! (Tom is a professional illustrator/inker/photographer. His main line of work is for DC Comics) He has allowed me to use the character on one of my spice labels and to grace my table. Now I just have to repay him with some spices....test batches and your own table top OMN coming soon buddy!! :)

On the art front..

I have started a commissioned portrait of three lovely little girls. I have spent 3 sittings with them and have begun to firm up the faces for tight detailing. I am doing this as a grisaille type painting in which I work primarily with one color and white. I like portraits done in this manner because I feel they a more classical feel and I just like the way one color adds drama. I think sometimes for portraits, color can get in the way but there again it depends on how you use it and how artful you make the painting.

There is a young artist I enjoy named Teresa Oaxaca  ( teresaoaxaca.com ) who has some really fun and very  imaginative portrait works. Her use of color amplifies the mood of the painting and sets the tone of the piece. I love her paintings. She is a bit quirky but a very nice person and EXTREMELY talented!

There is another portrait painter out of Cleveland, Stanka Kordic, whose work again is so imaginative and full of life! Take a look at what she does...
 http://www.alternativeportraiture.com/HOME__.html
I absolutely LOVE her portraits because they have such spirit and they just sing with life....
Each of her paintings are unique and different and she has a funky fun personality. They key point for her work is she really gets inside the mood of the painting and lets the painting tell her what to paint.... her work in my opinion is best described as being 'ethereal and playful'. 

To be as great a painter as these two women, you have to zone out and zone in on the act of just creating and letting it speak to you.  Just get in it!!
I think about all these things in a way to develop my own 'painters voice'...as far as my own use of color I prefer bright and vibrant colors because that what I see in my head except with people...I see them as 'black and white'...its a mental thing for me. I prefer to see people stripped down to their basics...their core beauty is simplified down to the basics...  I think this is why I prefer monochrome portraiture HOWEVER I would LOVE to branch out more and explore some playful imaginative color... I am still trying to figure out where I am going and who I want to be... ;)


Well, I see the husband has rolled up into the driveway from his bike ride....so proud of him! He's doing something he enjoys and getting healthier! he's become so passionate about his bike riding and it makes me happy that he has this passion... I know I enjoy my little passions of creativity! Its what makes life joyful!

Have a wonderful Sunday!!

Kathy