Kathryn Ramos - A Day in the Life of an Artist Reinventing Herself

Late Night Painting

2012-01-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

On the night of my last blog post I did in fact stay up until the wee hours of the morning painting. In that quiet meditative state, time is irrelevant. This 16 x 20 painting is the outcome. Just in the mood to do a mixed media piece and with no particular idea in mind, this is the outcome.

Quote of the Day: "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are
doing the impossible." ~ St. Francis of Assisi

Welcome 2012

2012-01-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in my studio pondering life, not so much a part of my New Year's resolutions as just a couple weeks off and some time on my hands. The goal it to pick up my a paint brush and at least start something. To procrastinate just a little more, I'm going to share some art with you. The first piece is an old 8x10 oil of roses. I never pass up old paintings at flea markets, garage sales, ... and given the time and resources I would line my home with artwork of both old and new artists. I always have the hope that I will stumble upon a masters work and this is the closest I have come. This still life of roses is by the artist Marguerite Freytag Ciprico (1891-1973). She signed MC Ciprico. Found this one at a church rummage sale and I arrived just as they were cleaning and packing up. Still surprised that no one bought it as I love it and would have loved it even if it had been unsigned.
The other two paintings I have today are by my grandmother and were completed around 1960 and are fairly large oils. They are my favorites and hold great sentimental value.
Now that I have finished this very strong cup of coffee, it's time to see if I can pull my own artistic identity out of hibernation.

Quote of the Day: "Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin.Beginning makes the conditions perfect." ~Alan Cohen

Holiday Season

2011-12-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

Hoping all of you are having a wonderful, peaceful, holiday season. I'm posting a picture of an unfinished piece of stained glass I have been working on. It's new for me but I love the medium. This particular piece will be done soon, just need to touch up a few areas and then I will post the finished product. Already I have my next project in mind but as all of my artistic endeavors go right now, they will have to wait until the Christmas holiday. Just a quick thank you to my customers who have purchased paintings from me this Christmas season, it makes me feel special to know that one of my paintings will grace the wall of someone you care about.

Quote of the day: "Even if your hands are shaking, And your faith is broken, Even as the eyes are closing, Do it with a heart wide open, Say what you need to say." ~John Mayer

Whew...time for an update !

2011-10-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

As most of my artsy friends know, when school is in session for the year I get very little art done. Most of my artistic energy is poured into my classroom but I do have two wonderful tidbits to share. The first is the stained glass class finally got off the ground after some delays. What a treat it is! Just as I expected, I love it. The teacher is marvelous and very patient (always a plus!). Dealing with glass shards and lead is a challenge that I'm sure must get easier as time goes on. Our first project is simple but I will share the outcome in a couple weeks. With only 5 students it's a great opportunity to immerse in creativity for a couple hours every week.

The second bit of fun to share is Via Arte. This is the annual street painting event that I take part in yearly. It was just as much fun as I knew it would be. I chose a bright and colorful piece this year and honestly, it is so much better to go with bright colors on the pavement than some of my more muted vintage looking pieces. I've added a few photos of the process and the finished product to this post. It is 7x7. I work alone and it took me 12 hours, 7am to 7pm

Finished product :)

Quote of the Day: "To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved" ~ George MacDonald

School Begins...

2011-08-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

And school begins on Monday so my summer has truly come to an end as well as the extra time in my studio. My Summer of Color series will continue as I just did not get enough time to paint all of the very colorful images that are still waiting to make their way to the canvas. I suppose they will wait as I grab time here and there in between teaching. On the upside, I always enjoy the school year as well as the opportunity to have fun creating art projects with my students despite the voluminous California State Education Standards that need to be learned and loved.
And during my "free time", I'm taking a stained glass class this September from an artist whose work I adore so if I could just figure out how to get more than 24 hours out of one day. I will post work from that class as well as my ups and downs in learning how to do stained glass :)

Quote of the Day: I must govern the clock, not be governed by it. ~ Golda Meir

Travel, paint, travel, paint....

2011-07-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

This has been a month of traveling, concerts, and painting in between other events. So I just thought I would post a few pictures of my work studio and a three pieces I'm working on right now. The two cupcakes are a couple of commissioned pieces , very fun and lighthearted. They still need a lot more work but that's where I'm at right now. The larger piece on my easel is a more colorful but Rufus Porter-esque painting.

Quote of the Day : “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

VW Van and Blue Dog

2011-07-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

I just finished this painting a couple nights ago. A VW Van on a warm summer day, the potential for adventure is just an afternoon drive away...

Quote of the Day: "Adventure is worthwhile in itself." ~ Amelia Earhart

Thoughts on Plein Air Paintings...

2011-07-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

What is it about plein air paintings that are so enchanting? Why are they so intriguing? I spend a fair amount of the early mornings going to other art blogs. It's my routine to keep up on some of my favorite artists and more often than not, I find myself completely absorbed with the whatever plein air piece has just been posted. Maybe it's just a miracle to me that a moment in time was captured by the hand of the artist. That moment was never before and will never be again. Even more intriguing is to feel the essence of the artist in that piece. I guess that is why two artists sitting on the same bluff, overlooking the same landscape will paint a very different interpretation of the valley below.

Quote of the Day: I hope with all my heart there will be painting in heaven. ~ Jean-Baptiste Corot

New Painting and Notes on a Book...

2011-07-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

As the Summer of Color marches on, I'm adding this little number to the collection. It's an 8x8 on canvas and will be in my ETSY shop soon: www.KathrynRamos.etsy.com
Using these brighter colors, veering away from my normally toned down palettes has been, hmm, how can I describe it...a little like practicing penmanship with my left hand. I'm loving it because it feels like I'm exercising a different part of my brain.
I just bought the new Rufus Porter book by Linda Carter Lefko and Jane E. Radcliffe. If you like the art of Rufus Porter, I recommend it in a big way. It's full of history, art technique, and great images. Through the years I've studied Rufus Porter, often copied his work trying to extract that "something" that I love about his work. I've always felt a kinship for his limited palettes and historical landscapes.
As a matter of fact, for the last two years, I have been a participating artist at a street art festival called Via Arte. Every participating artist created magnificent pieces of art with chalk pastels on the pavement. Each year I have chosen a Rufus Porter piece to re-create on the pavement and the response I get is predictable and touching. Here in the Western half of the U.S., we have less exposure to the art that typically is found on the East Coast. Most working artists here in the west are doing lovely modern work. I find myself explaining the origins of artist like Rufus Porter, where to find true American Folk Art, and why I passionately love it.

Quote of the Day: "All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on." ~ Henry Ellis

The Beach Umbrella

2011-06-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

Finished this sweet 8x8 piece this morning. It makes me smile :) This afternoon when temperatures hit 100 plus I'll be back in the studio but for now, my garden is calling me, the roses needed to be thinned, the bougainvillea is taking over and my fruit trees are heavy and begging for relief. My newest paintings are now for sale on my website at www.KathrynRamos.etsy.com

Quote of the Day: "The really nice breezes blow through my body and into my soul." ~ Astrid Alauda

Painted Ladies with Blue Dog

2011-06-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

So after I inadvertently destroyed a painting while working into the middle of the night, I revamped my idea and finished a new painting today. In a way it was to my advantage to destroy the original as I tried to put a few finishing touches on in the middle of the night :( The second painting here had the kinks worked out and everything flowed much smoother. Many artists do much more than block out their entire painting before they work, they really, in essence, do two paintings. The first rough draft painting is to work out the placement, colors, unexpected obstacles... Then they are able to proceed with absolute confidence in the final piece. I may take a lesson from all of this as there is something to be learned from all mistakes.
The blue dog in this piece was inspired by my own dog, Scout. No she is not blue but she can sit in the same position forever as she waits patiently for me to share my lunch or take her for a walk or simply give her a belly scratch.
This painting (20 x 20 canvas) and the others in the "Summer of Color" series will be available in original and print form within a few days at my shop http://www.kathrynramos.etsy.com/

Quote of the Day : "When one door is closed, don't you know, another is open." - Bob Marley

Painting in Ruin

2011-06-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

I know better. I teach this. I preach it. STOP painting when you are tired, even if you are just a few strokes from completion. 11:30 pm...almost done...3:00 am ... complete ruin. That last brush stroke turned into a touch here and there and then "how can I fix this?" and by 3:00am it was beyond repair. After realizing that this wonderful painting was beyond hope, I covered it with a towel, set it back on the easel overnight while I mourned the loss. I couldn't bring myself to pull the towel off the painting until I had a very strong cup of coffee this morning. I guess there was that small hope that maybe it wasn't as bad as I remembered, maybe I could salvage it or even better, maybe it would end up being a "happy mistake" and be a creative work of genius. Nope. Awful. So I will let it go. The best way to cure the grief of a mistake is to start a new painting immediately.

Quote of the Day: "One cannot too soon forget his errors and misdemeanors; for to dwell upon them is to add to the offense." ~ Henry David Thoreau

Hot Air Balloons

2011-06-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

I had a great time with this painting. 16 x 20 canvas. LOVE hot air ballons and painting them is one of my favorite! There was a time when I never missed the annual balloon races in Reno, Nevada. Spectacular. In keeping with my mantra this summer, I'm using as much color as I can, as undiluted as possible. Trying to not overwork paintings...just lay down the color and capture the feeling as quickly as I can. This flys in the face of everything I normally do and I'm enjoying the feeling of careless abandon with my paint brush.

Quote of the Day: "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." ~ Henry David Thoreau

Contest

2011-06-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

I usually don't direct people away from my blog but today I need to show you the way to one of my favorite blog pages and a very cool contest that Laura Ingalls Gunn is hosting. It's for a shop called Shabby Apple, LOVE THIS SHOP . You have a chance to win a dress from Shabby Apple. Here is a link to the blog I'm talking about http://decortoadore.blogspot.com

Quote of the Day: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." ~ Henry David Thoreau

"Burano at Sunset"

2011-06-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

Finished the second in the Summer of Color series. This one is titled "Burano at Sunset". Both this painting and the one I posted yesterday are 16 x 20 canvas. After an entire day of painting, it's time to get some fresh air before the sun sets on this perfect day. Peace and Love ♥

Quote of the Day: "It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right. I hope you had the time of your life" ~ Green Day

1st Summer of Color Painting...

2011-06-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

I finished my 1st Summer of Color painting and I have posted it here. I don't recall if I completely disclosed my present state of mind but I believe I mentioned that I had been having very vivid dreams, very colorful. This has propelled me to realize that my life needs more color, my paintings need more color, rules need to be broken. So in addition to going against all of (well, almost all) of my art standards, I am choosing to unleash the fun at every opportunity. Carpe Diem! I took a spin around town at 7am on my pink cruiser bike. I danced to the the Blue Danube waltz in my living room. I opened a wonderful bottle of pinot noir midday. The music played, the wine flowed and is was a perfect day ♥

Quote of the Day: "May good fortune be with you, may your guiding light be strong" - Rod Stewart

Artistic ADD ....

2011-06-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

My artsy friends tell me I have artistic ADD. Okay, they may be right but I prefer to call it artistically adventurous. I like to try a lot of things and those experiments sometimes result in a very unique piece of work and sometimes they get relegated to the back of the studio, way back.

I've been having very lucid dreams lately. In these dreams I can see so much color it is almost overwhelming, so clear and vibrant. Will these colors come out in my work? Of course. If all of my contemporary folk art pieces look like Burano, Venice, Italy.... well I could be very happy with that. In salute to the colors of Burano, today it is a glass of wine (or two) and let the paint flow :) Cheers.

Quote of the Day: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness" - M. Twain

Projects, Paintings, Illustrations...

2011-06-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

Knee deep in many projects, paintings, illustrating a book for a friend, .... well, you know, all things that are wonderful and fulfilling and so ever-loving time consuming. Will post photos when I get at least one of these projects finished :) I couldn't ask for more except maybe to spend a few quiet hours in this bed with my Kindle.

Quote of the Day : "I am so busy doing nothing... that the idea of doing anything - which as you know, always leads to something - cuts into the nothing and then forces me to have to drop everything." ~ Jerry Seinfeld

And So Summer Arrives....

2011-06-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh...at last. School is out for summer and now I get to play artist again for a while :) One quick note as the school year ends, when the world seems crazy, so much bad news... I feel renewed in the classroom as I see an incredible amount of hope for the future. There are just so many great, great kids.

I stood at the door of my studio today looking at an embarrassing amount of dust covering everything. So first thing tomorrow it all comes out for a good cleaning. I can't work in clutter and dirt. I, like a lot of artists, need the mood and atmosphere to be just right. I need the music on, the view from my window, a good cup of coffee and no interruptions.
Aldo Luongo,one of my favorite artists said, "While painting, I’m confined, lonely, enmeshed in emotions and self-doubt". I guess that sums it up for me as well.

I'm including one of my favorite Luongo paintings:

Quote of the Day: "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time."
~ Thomas Merton

Brief Hiatus...

2011-01-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

Life can be tricky and ironic a times. Three weeks ago I was featured as the artist of the week at EBSQ, an honor I sincerely appreciated :) In my interview I talked about how important it is to blog at least once a week to keep readers up to date and interested. Two and a half weeks ago I was asked to take over a 4th grade class for a teacher who could not finish the year. I had not expected to work in a classroom this year and working out of my art studio was keeping me busy but I like a challenge and accepted the position. So much for blogging once a week as I am especially busy but to my faithful readers and customers I will return to posting during the summer months. I will miss you during this brief hiatus but I also love teaching and this is where I am needed right now so for now my friends, au revoir, ciao, hasta la vista, prosh-chavay, sizobonana, ... and good-bye for a little while.

Quote for the Day: "Happy trails to you, until we meet again." ~ Dale Evans Rogers

Thank You EBSQ...

2010-12-28T22:16:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone at EBSQ for featuring me this week on their art blog - http://blog.ebsqart.com . I've been with EBSQ for hmmm... at least 8 years I think. It's just an extraordinary group of self-representing artists. If you have a chance, stop by and take a look. If you click on the above link, you will get my interview but on that page you will also see the link to get to the artists and you'll be amazed. I'm always humbled by the talent that I find there.
Here are some of my favorite goodies for the day, things that I personnaly love and have found as I look around my favorite artsy web sites:
www.OhMyGypsySoul.etsy.com

www.CoastalArts.etsy.com

Quote of the Day: "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." ~ Maria Robinson

After Christmas 2010...

2010-12-26T23:15:00.000-08:00

And so here we are with Christmas 2010 making a quiet exit. Hope your holidays were wonderful.
I'm vowing to spend the entire day in my studio tomorrow, hopefully uninterrupted, music on, organizing, painting, ordering in for lunch and by the end of the day I will have entered the zone again. Of course, by "entering the zone", I mean something artful will be started. This past two weeks have been anything but relaxing or artful! Viva the Holidays!
This week I want to take minute or two and post some of my favorite things each day, just things I have come across that deserve sharing:
www.VintageGarden.etsy.com

www.AliciaNapier.etsy.com

www.SteveGibsonArt.etsy.com

Quote of the day: “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” - Hellen Keller

Karma vs. Career

2010-12-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

A fellow artist and I were having one of those wonderful artful conversations recently when he told me how hard it was to actually sell art to a friend. As a matter of fact, he found it so difficult that he had been gifting his art to friends if he found out a friend admired a certain piece. We create because we feel passionately about it and it's only natural to want pass on that good karma. And so this is where we come to an impasse...is something lost when art is sold and not given away? And if selling it diminishes the true, heartfelt value, then how does the artist merge the good karma of creating something beautiful with the reality of business? I don't have the perfect answer, but it led me to think about how I have felt when I purchase art from another artist and hmmmm... you know, I feel very good as though I have purchased a treasure. So maybe that's it, gift your art when you feel like it and when you sell it, enjoy the sale as you're earning a living and you're giving the buyer that feeling of having bought a treasure.

Looking Ahead...

2010-12-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

Today I still find myself working with these encaustic mixed media pieces. Rather than art cards, I've been making ornaments out of these small works of art and I've had such a positive response that next year I've vowed to start making them in July to create all that are knocking around in my head. This photo is a few that I've posted in my ETSY shop this weekend. We still have three weeks until the New Year but I've been tossing around my art resolutions and I feel a definite need to get back to my folk art, something I have abandoned for the last couple of months. Primitive or folk art for me is like "home", no matter how far I travel, how exotic the destinations, there are times when I want to return home and bask in the warmth and comfort of the familiar. There are times when re-treading the beaten path can be invigorating.

On a side note, I want to thank my friends at EBSQ for asking me to be the artist featured on Blogger of the Week at EBSQ on December 28th. More on that later but I have to say I love EBSQ and all that it does for self-representing artists. I've been a member for more years than I can remember and if you want to check out some terrific artists, head over to http://www.ebsqart.com/

Quote of the day: "First we'll make snow angels for two hours, then well to go skating, then well eat a roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can, and then to finish, we'll snuggle!" ~ Buddy in Elf

Christmas Ornaments

2010-12-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

Where does time go this time of year...? Maybe it is because I love the holidays so much that I want time to slow down. Every day I try to absorb all that is good with the Christmas season from music to decorations to remembering why we celebrate this season at all. I have, as usual, too many projects going on at one time but one of those projects is making Christmas ornaments. I should have started these weeks ago but hopefully I will get a few or more in my Etsy shop this week. Here are a couple that went on there today.

Quote of the day: ~ Us elves like to stick to the four main food groups. Candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.~ Buddy the Elf

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T11:01:00.001-08:00

New Christmas ACEO Cards...

2010-11-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

Just finished some ACEO art cards for the holiday season. Beeswax so changes the entire collage as soon as I start to work it onto the piece. After the collage/mixed media has set, the glue has dried, I add the beeswax on top. The heat causes the elements on the collage to change, pieces move, some materials curl, some color lifts off completely. As an acrylic artist I like the paint to stay where I put it, with these mixed media cards I have learned to love the unpredictability. Although the wax can be moved around, it's intriguing to see where it settles on its own.

Quote of the day: "I like to smile, it's my favorite!" ~Buddy the Elf

New Art Cards...

2010-10-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

I have been getting such great response on the art cards that I've been making, thank you to all of my new customers. I'm working on the Thanksgiving and Christmas cards now and will be listing them regularly in my ETSY shop. Here are a three of the newest:

I'm also working on illustrating an education themed childrens book for a friend of mine. That is a new avenue for me and I'll post more information about it when we get near completion.

Quote of the day: "Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~George Eliot

Hurray Chile !!!

2010-10-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

I'm celebrating with joy for the miners that have returned home !

Found Art

2010-10-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

I just received a package today from one of my favorite blogs : http://found-art.blogspot.com/ . There was a delightful collection of handmade postcards, note cards, book marks... You need to check out her blog to see what I mean. I love to recycle items into new uses and this has inspired me. The best part was the home-made envelopes. I'm not very handy with this type of thing but the way it is folded to make an envelope was very unique and so perfect. If I have a chance I will post photos of the package of goodies here soon. Thank you "Found-Art" !

Via Arte was a Success...

2010-10-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

Another year has come and gone for Via Arte. I went with a reproduction of a Rufus Porter painting and it came out beautifully. I'm posting both a photo of my work as well as an overall view of the whole event. What a fantastic time and such terrific artists all assembled in one place. My 7 x 7 piece took about 9 hours and as usual my back and knees are suffering today. It takes a few days and a good massage to get everything back to normal.

Quote for the Day : Be Glad, Be Good. Be Brave. ~ Eleanor Porter

What to do....

2010-10-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting very much this week as I've been busy with various art projects. It is already Wednesday and I still am not sure what I will be doing for Via Arte this weekend. I have a 7' x 7' plot of pavement and I'm still trying to find my inspiration before I lay down a chalk grid on Friday evening. Traditional American Folk Art is my love and what I did last year but I'm still back and forth between that and something more contemporary. Last year I replicated a piece by Rufus Porter, it came out beautifully and I wouldn't mind doing that again. The painting below is one of mine and one of my favorites and a more modern mixed media . I'm thinking of trying this one as it has enough detail and interest to make chalk on the pavement fun and not so much that I will go crazy.

Quote for the day: Perfection is self-abuse of the highest order. - Anne Wilson Schaef

Via Arte

2010-09-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Once again this year I'm a participating artist in the VIA ARTE ITALIAN STREET PAINTING FESTIVAL, a local art festival whose main purpose is to raise money for local art educational programs. If you are not familiar with street painting, it's where a large pavement area is blocked off, artists are given squares (mine is 7x7) and over the course of two days a fantastic piece of art is created using pastel chalk. There will be music and fun for all. I have two weeks to come up with my art project for this year. There is a certain feeling of liberation in knowing that no matter how great or how awful the chalk pastel art project comes out, in the end, rain or wind or traffic... will wipe it all away. The only drawback is that last year it took a deep tissue massage to work out the kinks in my back from working bent over on my knees for so long. I can't wait!

Quote of the Day:

We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. ~ Helen Keller

Beeswax Art Cards

2010-09-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been having fun with the beeswax projects lately. Ended up having a blast making mixed media art cards using beeswax, actually using many layers of different mediums but topping it off with beeswax. It's very addicting, not only the way it lays down, but also the smell. Hmmm, smells like honey when it's warm...just a very nice medium to work with. I also like the surreal look it gives the art. There is almost a dreamlike quality to the image after beeswax is applied. My only problem right now is keeping my cat from pulling the beeswax warming pot off of my studio table !! That is a disaster I would not want to explain to the veterinarian ! I know many artists add pigment to the beeswax but so far I just really like the natural coloring, maybe I'll add color later. I will be putting these art cards on my ETSY shop this evening but here are a couple samples of the finished work in a Halloween theme, of course:

Quote of the Day: We did not change as we grew older; we just became more clearly ourselves.

~Hall

Juried Art Show

2010-09-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

More on the beeswax experiments later......

I'm posting the three paintings that I'm entering into the Art Expo juried art show in Pasadena. Juried shows are odd birds, a bit subjective, but I enter them on the outside chance that my work is the "it" work of the day. I never paint to the show (too much pressure) but instead I like to choose what I believe are three of my best pieces from recent months. The three I chose vary in style but each are my present favorites. Even though I favor the primitive, folk type of work, I've been revisiting more traditional painting lately. The landscape is a product of that traditional exploration. The snow scene is sold but my wonderful customer has gracefully allowed me to keep it through the show.

Quote of the Day: I am doomed to an eternity of compulsive work. No set goal achieved satisfies. Success only breeds a new goal. The golden apple devoured has seeds. It is endless. - Bette Davis

Beeswax

2010-09-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

I can feel fall in the air and it feels good. Today is a classical music day in my studio, windows open wide, faint breeze... I'm heading into a project with a hot cup of coffee in hand. I like mixed media and once in a while I like to stretch outside of my comfort zone and add another element to my mixed media bag. Today, it's beeswax. I'm such a novice on the use of beeswax, it's too funny! But I have a 2 lb block of the stuff and an old iron and when I finish today, well, not sure what I will end up with. When and if this still unknown project comes to life, I'll post a photo here.

Learning and Product Expo: Art!

2010-08-22T01:52:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to the Learning and Product Expo: Art! again this year. It's held in Pasadena, California October 22 - 24. If you are in the area, it's a wonderful week to grab an art class or two but even if you don't have time to make the classes, the exhibits and juried art show is worth the trip.
Here is the link if you would like to check it out: http://www.learningproductexpo.com/pas/splash.html

Grape Harvest

2010-08-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

Living in the middle of California's farmland is especially beautiful this time of year. It's grape harvesting season and I commute daily through a back road that winds through the vineyards. It is very humbling...all the work that goes into producing that perfect fruit. We don't have the rolling hills of Napa Valley but it's lovely all the same. I'll be taking my easel out this weekend to set up for a little plein air painting at the edge of my favorite vineyard.

At The End...

2010-08-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

And so this painting has come to an end, well maybe... I like to live with a painting for a few days to see how it feels. But, yes, I think it is done. Next week it will photographed and placed on Etsy. For a long time I've wanted to do one of my modern American Folk art paintings on a much grander, much larger scale. I think now is the time. I'll be working on a 30 x 40 inch canvas and I'm anticipating a lot of detail so I think this particular piece will be a work in progress for quite a while.

Day Four of Beach Painting...

2010-08-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Finally had a chance to get back to my painting in process... it's almost ready for the finishing touches. I'm at the step where I bring it to life with people.

Back From the Beach.

2010-08-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a long weekend at the beach to rejuvenate and restore. Now that I'm back I have a sketch book of ideas that need to find a canvas :) Today I put the finishing touches on those vintage linens that I had bought a week or so ago. I made pillowcases out of them and they turned out beautifully. I'm posting some photos here and I've listed them on one of my Etsy shops: http://www.etsy.com/shop/KateCorbett?ref=top_trail

Time to Sit and Think...

2010-07-28T23:15:00.000-07:00

I need a long weekend to sit on the beach and soak up the sun.... My easel, my art bag, and a few other essentials and I'm on my way....

Day Three of Painting...

2010-07-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

Spent a little time on some details for the hot air balloons as well as the buildings. Marked in the areas to work on tomorrow :)

Day Two of the Painting

2010-07-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Day two on this painting....

On another note, I had the pleasure of discovering an antique shop today that I had not been to before. There are two types of antique stores. There are the ones in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills... when you enter you feel as though you have entered a beautifully orchestrated arrangement of historical treasures. Everything is arranged perfectly, Art Deco to the left, Mission to the right, Victorian - 2nd floor... and it all smells nice, like springtime. But the type of shop I really love, my discovery today, was my favorite kind. When you walk in, it smells like Grandma's attic, musty, very musty. And nothing was really arranged in any particular order. It was a treasure hunt and I found my own personal gold mine :) Buried in the back, under some old paintings that had caught my eye, was a trunk of vintage linens. It's a weakness, old linens, so I bundled the batch up in a raggedy, but still useful quilt, and bought it all as well as the old painting that had originally caught my attention. I do something special with old linens, something "artsy" so within a couple weeks I'll share some photos with you.

Unfinished Painting

2010-07-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

As usual I'm submerged in a number of projects right now but I wanted to take a few minutes to update my blog. When I teach art classes, I like to spend some time on the importance of patience, something I still work on every day. By patience, I mean that when you are in the trenches, working on a painting that is near and dear to your heart, it is very difficult to walk away from that painting in an unfinished stage. I will stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning to work on a painting simply because I can not walk away from it with so much needing to be done. When I do give it a rest, it's the first thing on my mind when I wake up (after a strong cup of coffee !). It's like mowing half a lawn, washing half a car, or getting a manicure on only five nails! Last night I gave it up at 3:30am :( Tonight will be another long night but I'm posting a photo of the painting at this stage. It is still rough and will no doubt change before I finish. More later ...

Van Gogh

2010-07-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

This week I finished a commissioned piece that I have been working on for the last few weeks. I feel both melancholy and happy to reach the end. Just as I do in every painting, I lose myself within the work, sometimes loving and sometimes fighting the process. But always at the end, I can see every step in each brush stroke and the feeling is one of bliss. Not long ago, on a trip to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, I was as close as humanly possible to Van Gogh's Irises when just for a second I could visualize his process. When you can see the texture of a brush stroke on canvas, it is as close as you can get to a great artist.

Cleaning the Studio

2010-04-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning my studio out this evening when I came across a stack of papers bound with a ribbon. They were older and I could see that I had taken special care to save those papers although for the most part I have no idea why!?!? There were two recipes for crock pot stew, a Christmas card from a friend, directions to a natural hot springs (that one has potential), and well, more mundane scraps that I won't bore you with. But there was one piece of paper that I had been looking for months ago and, yippee, it was bound in that ribbon. It is something a friend wrote me years ago. I was having a full blown pity party when she sent this to me, telling me what she does when the world is delivering lemons:

I just grin, put on my big girl pants, place my hands on my big 'ol hips

and walk away! (No verbal response, no emotional withdrawal, no blame).

They may continue to fling expectations (for days!) in a vain attempt to

fool me into believing such silliness -- but my emotional train just keeps

movin' down the track!

I just love that bit of advice!

On an artsy note, has anyone found a great crackling medium for acrylic. The one company that makes the very best crackling medium, Anita's Fragile Crackle, is no longer making it. I have about 1/2 oz. left and it is worth its weight in gold.

Gratitude for Thursday: Thank you to my friend Kelly for turning me onto Week's Roses, they are the BEST. My rose garden makes me look like I know what I'm doing :)

Madam Petronella le Strange Necklace

2010-04-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Love this new jewelry piece I finished today. The very best part is the broken glass from an old watch! That stuff is what I love, makes me wonder what history that old watch had. Maybe it cracked as the brave hero risked life and limb scaling the walls of the fortress... Okay, so I like a good love story :) Either way, the romance of the new piece is wonderful. I once read that an artist needs to create for more than just herself/himself. In other words, don't just paint what you like or make jewelry you would wear or design clothes you would buy. But for me, I just can't do anything else.

Love Fabric

2010-03-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today was the perfect day. I woke up, had the best cup of coffee, designed and assembled two new pieces of jewelry for my ETSY shop, worked on a painting, and then the ultimate: a trip to the fabric store! This is the seriously crazy part that I shared with my husband for the first time today - I LOVE FABRIC and I LOVE A GOOD SEWING MACHINE. I think I may need a 12 step program when it comes to fabric...I have always been infatuated with great fabric, the way it feels, the potential on every bolt. Consequently, I collect fabric like many of my friends collect, well, whatever it is they collect :) From the time I was a child, I felt the same way. When I was 18 (many years ago), just out of high school, all of my friends were buying their first cars. I bought a brand new cherry red Husqvarna machine to the tune of $1000. I walked out of the store with my new Husky and $78 a month payments and I loved it more than any car. I know, it's crazy! I don't sell anything I make, I don't really have time to sew as I have too many other things that pull at my time but today was the first time I finally admitted this to anyone. So my husband responded with a most sincere, "maybe you should be designing clothes". Gotta love that response! As you go through life trying to find the perfect mate, make sure the response you would get would be something just like that.

Gratitude for Wednesday: I'm thankful for a wonderful husband. And I'm thankful for my roses and wisteria in full bloom, they turn my garden into the English garden I dream of every winter.

16 Hours and Counting...

2010-03-07T00:18:00.000-08:00

I haven't been faithful to my blog lately. Well, it is now around 12:30am Sunday morning and I am taking a short coffee break to update my blog. I've been in my studio since 8am Saturday and I feel the cobwebs clearing from the corners of my art deprived brain. It is just the way I'm wired. Creativity is the cure. I will finish two paintings tonight and ahhh, it feels good. When I teach art classes, I teach the necessity and joy of doing at least one creative stroke a day. It can be as simple as a sweet daisy scrawled on a notepad and tacked up on your fridge to the perfect day of painting for at least 12 hours straight. I broke my own rule and paid for it. I think I will be back on track after this late night is over, either that or I will curse the moment I thought that 17 or so hours in my art studio was a good idea. More on that reasoning later when I'm more coherent...
Keep an art journal, read a book on the life of an artist, spend a few minutes cruising through an on-line art museum. Make a conscious decision to not abandon the right side of your brain.

Gratitude for Saturday: I really appreciate this good cup of coffee and choclate bar.

2010-01-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

2010-01-26T09:22:00.001-08:00

Thank you, Merci, Danke, Gracias…

2010-01-24T15:07:00.000-08:00

This past week I’m happy to have sold one of my favorite original paintings to Julie in New York and a totally cute art card to Shauna in Nevada. The art card is one in my angel series and the painting is from my primitive collection. Thank you, Merci, Danke, Gracias…

Gratitude for Sunday: I’m grateful to have enjoyed the company of good food, good wine and good friends last night.

Art Class

2010-01-13T20:47:00.000-08:00

As an artist I try as much as possible to give some volunteer time at a local elementary school. I go in and teach a one hour art class and I love it. I'll keep my soapbox packed away so I will just say that art is highly underrated in public schools and it saddens me. In order to be more “whole-brained”, schools need to give equal weight to the arts, creativity, and the skills of imagination and synthesis.

Part of my New Year’s “tweaking” this year is to simplify and trim down my collection of art supplies. I can never pass up a new (greatly discounted) art gadget, paint color, brush… well it can go on and on. I’m not a minimalist when it comes to art stuff. Everything has a use and I love to try something new. An art store can hold my attention for hours, literally. Fortunately I have artistic friends who also love to get a great deal on slightly used loved art supplies.

Most importantly today - God Bless and help the people of Haiti.

Gratitude for Wednesday: The warm sunshine that came out today.

Foggy in California

2010-01-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

It has been foggy here for over a week now. It seems that I do have a limit on how much wintery fog I can stand before I start to feel a little ~~oppressed~~ ~~mental~~ ~~sluggish~~ ~~street rat crazy~~ uninspired. My studio curtains are open wide but I paint for a short time before I start to feel blah !! And I love this weather but it seems I do have a saturation point. Lately I've been spending a lot more time reading blogs... of other artsists, the most wintery, foggy day activity I can imagine :)

Gratitude for Friday: It's "fast food Friday", goofy tradition that keeps me out of the kitchen on Friday nights!

Time for Change

2009-12-31T12:40:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve... when I was young I would imagine that by 2010 we would all be traveling in hovercrafts, hmmm, picture the Jetsons. I'm sure I have just dated myself :) But here we are, much is the same even with profound developments in technology. My lists for the new year are almost complete, so much to be thankful for but so much to do...

I see the new year as a time of change for myself. I am an artist but I am also a teacher. This year I am a teacher without a classroom, one of many California teachers who have regretfully found themselves a victim of the economic crisis. Regardless of how much "recovery" news is out there, it is not so for the many excellent teachers waiting for a classroom. I love my vagabond artistic life right now. I paint and create and even sell and I have met some wonderful people worldwide. But time to "re-invent" myself again. The arts in my life will continue but time to go back to school....again. I'm the most educated woman I know without a job! It's a good thing I have a sense of humor :D I would love to hear from other women who have re-invented themselves to pursue different careers.

Gratitude for Thursday: I'm grateful for the feeling of excited anticipation that I feel for the year ahead.

Preparing for the New Year

2009-12-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

And so another Christmas passes and I count my blessings again...

I'm working on my "lists" today. I'm making a list of things I like about myself even though some of them seem a bit quirky, well quirky if you are not me:) I'm making a list of things I'm thankful for, hmmm, is it wrong to include this great latte I just made with a dash of cocoa and a hint of cinnamon? Then comes the list of what I want to focus on this coming year. Not resolutions, just areas of my life that need tweaking. My biggest goal right now is to keep each list somewhere between 7 and 19 points. Less than 7 seems lazy, more than 19 feels too regimented, too anal.

No uninterrupted time for art this past week. Soon...

And finally, watched a great movie last night: Julie & Julia. I know, I know, it has been out for a while but I rarely ever see a movie at the theater. There were so many scenes that I completely connected with. I'm not sure if I would call it a "chick flick" or not but I watched it with my teenage son and my husband and I was the only one laughing (meltdown on the kitchen floor) and the only one tearful with joy as she finds success doing something she loves.

Gratitude for Sunday: Here in the Western U.S. where it barely feels like winter with these perpetual sunny days, I'm grateful for clouds and even a little rain today.

Two Days Away from the Studio

2009-12-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

I'm adding this link for the cloth and clay dolls website. I have to say, it is great group of people and I had such a blast making my first folk style doll, with instruction from the website, well I have to pass on the good stuff. I felt honored to have my first doll featured on the main page, very cool.
Cloth and Clay Dolls brought to you by Gritty Jane

I have not painted at all this weekend. Life got in the way but it was good. My son's soccer tournament and and an absolutly necessary day of winter deep cleaning at the homestead. I'm working on two paintings these days and each time I venture into the studio those darn paintings look so sad and neglected. One is a folk art countryside and the other is another in the angel series.

Gratitude for Sunday : I'm thankful for the bundle of firewood that warmed our home today.

Folk Doll and Newest Jewelry Piece

2009-12-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

I finished the cloth and clay folk art doll, just love her, came out very sweet. As a matter of fact, love her so much I just started another. I'm posting a photo of her as well as a piece of jewelry that I just put on my Etsy website. The jewelry is a charm bracelet that I made to pay homage to one of may favorite shows: I Love Lucy.

UNCLE !!!!

2009-12-06T20:15:00.000-08:00

And so I yell "UNCLE!!!" My "painting-a-day challenge" is now 7 paintings behind and I give in to my darned slow and meticulous painting technique. I did get pleasantly sidetracked by my cloth and clay doll project, a little different painting "canvas". I'll be posting a photo of the finished folk doll soon.
There are many blogs I check out in a quick read daily but there is one that I stumbled upon yesterday: Life Without Novacaine by Deborah Mori . I really enjoyed reading it but the one thing I loved the most was her "Gratitudes". At the end of each posting she puts one thing she is grateful for so I hope you don't mind Deborah, but I love that idea so much that I will now be including that on my blog. Why? Well, in these times we need to look for the silver lining. It's there but if I don't pause to think about it I look past it to see only the cloud.

Gratitude for Sunday: I'm grateful for the beautiful Christmas lights on my front yard, looks like a scene from a fairytale. What are you grateful for ?

Feathering the Art Nest.

2009-12-01T11:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, yes I am behind on my 30 Day Challenge.... But I'm an optimist so I will double up the next few days. I have to say it is a labor of love to do these quick paintings.

I spoke with a gallery owner this week and I always walk away with two feelings after the portfolio review: 1) it's great to talk art, it just is a pleasure and 2) there is always that moment when I find myself searching their face for more, guess I'm looking for more adjectives.

I'm not sure if other artists are experiencing this but with our economy, being what it is, the luxury of buying art is not at the top of the priority list. But the selling of materials and tools to make art seems to be thriving. I think about myself when it's time to tighten the belt, I always find a little bit to spend on that prized paintbrush to add to my collection or a new tube of paint or today’s purchase, masonite board for a new painting. Do I already have paint, brushes, and canvases?? Yes!! but I love to feather my art nest with more :) My walking shoes have a few more miles on them, last year’s coat still looks good and manicure? pedicure? not nearly as much fun as this new brush and crackling medium I'm anxious to try.

Happy Thanksgiving :)

2009-11-26T21:48:00.001-08:00

Wishing all of you the very best of this Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving Preparation

2009-11-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

A painting a day is still happening! I'm focusing on art cards :)
It is Tuesday and with Thanksgiving just a couple days away I'm also preparing to host a Thanksgiving celebration for 12 people. I love spending time with family and friends over a big dinner and always feel that if you are able to do that, well, you have a lot to be Thankful for.
Haven't had much time to work at the folk art doll but hopefully that will happen later today.

Yay!! Finally time to photograph.

2009-11-21T11:36:00.000-08:00

I'm posting a few photos today. Finally trying to get caught up on the backlog of photos I've gotten behind on :) The two cupcakes and the very primitive house with the sheep are part of my 30 Day Challenge. What can I say, I love cupcakes! The very colorful piece of folk art with the quilts hanging out to dry? Well, I spent half a day cleaning out my studio. I hope I'm not the only artist who does this but sometimes I finish a painting and then file it away to the back of the canvas stack. Usually I do this because there is something I don’t like but I feel pretty certain that I will see it with new eyes later and spot the flaw or maybe, as in this case, wonder why I tucked it away. I think when I completed this piece in 2006, I had been debating on whether to give it a crackle finish or not. I'm glad I didn't as I love the bright colors. It just seems to fit with the colors of the quilts. As usual these paintings will be on my etsy sight later today and tomorrow at www.KathrynRamos.etsy.com . The fourth photo is the beginning stage of a folk art cloth and clay doll I'm working on. I'm new to folk art dolls but I love them so wanted to give one a try in my "spare time" which is usually around 1:00 am. Many thanks to The Original Cloth and Clay Doll Workshop with Jane DesRosier. When I have a chance I will post a link to this fabulous group.

American Folk Art

2009-11-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

Painting my fingers to the bone...really and truly I'm not behind on my 30 Day Challenge but I am so behind on the photography ! By Saturday for sure... I'm focusing on primitive American folk art as that is what I know and love. Occasionally I like to stretch and try something new on the canvas but I always return to my first true love :) Three times a year I teach a class in American folk art and each time I'm amazed at #1: how beautiful each and every painting turns out and #2: how there is a unique skill connected to recreating that old world look that folk art enthusiasts adore. When I'm teaching I tell my students that we are not going to follow all of the rules of creating "good" art. In folk art we get to embrace the breaking of some of the more formal rules. I can paint in a more traditional manner with landscapes, still life and so on but folk art, primitive folk art is what touches my soul. I have an extensive collection of art books but the most dog eared are the folk art books. I never get tired of studying and appreciating these early works.

2009-11-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

I'm posting two more paintings completed during the 30 Day Painting Challenge. I have to admit the next piece is done but not ready to be photographed as I'm "crackling" it, a process that won't be fully finished until this afternoon. As I finish these pieces, they will be ready for purchase at my shop http://www.kathrynramos.etsy.com/ .

With all of this speedy painting lately, I've been thinking about artists who just seem to naturally have the gift for laying paint down quicky. This, of course, is not me. I'm painfully slow but it brought up a memory of an artist I had the pleasure of seeing in the 80's at the University of Nevada, Reno. I've been trying to remember his name but it just won't come to me. I think I even read that he had passed away but he was great. A huge, huge canvas, one song played while during that few minutes he grabbed paint and completed a portrait right there on stage, 4 minutes tops! Hmmm, not sure if that would even work with folk art but it sure did with these fabulous portraits of his.

Originality in Artwork

2009-11-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

I was talking with some friends recently about originality in art work. The general consensus is that it seems such an exercise in futility to be completely original. While I do agree that it seems everything has been done, it is still awe inspiring to see how each artist will replay what may seem to be an old subject. Angels have been painted forever. Landscapes?? Wow, they are everywhere. In just my lifetime I've seen more than enough landscapes, folksy or otherwise, to last a lifetime. But each time I see a new painting of these subjects, I am amazed at the subtle nuances that make a painting unique to the artist. Wow, how do they do it? I've seen the old wooden house on the hill but then along comes another old wooden house on a hill and that artist used a great combination of colors or gave a unique shape to the house or, well, you get it. I think that is what separates the people who love and appreciate art from those who would rather have their walls bare. We see the sweet, subtle, intriguing, or downright boisterous differences between his landscape and her landscape and we are again in awe.

1 down, 29 to go ...

2009-11-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

Okay so I didn't choose that huge canvas for the 1st day of the 30 day challenge but I did complete the first painting on an art card. 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. Sometimes it's fun to pull it all in and work in detail, nose practically on the work. I did a miniature piece of American Folk Art.

On a side note, I paint to music, always. Oddly enough I can remember every soundtrack of every painting. John Mayer, Frank Sinatra, 40's Big Band, The Beatles, ... well the list is too long and the variety of music is too extensive. I'm sure I am the only person in the world with Metallica, Mozart, Jimmy Dorsey, The Monkees and more on my iPod living peacefully side by side :)

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go !

2009-11-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

Friday the 13th lived up to its name and here I thought I would love the irony of beginning my 30 day painting challenge on this day. Feeling under the weather I let my acupuncturist pin cushion me back to health. Ahhh, much better... So, here I sit at my easel forcing myself to get out of my comfortable little box and stretch a little. My mantra: stop thinking, just paint...stop thinking, just paint...

30 Day "Painting a Day" Challenge

2009-11-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

In two days I will be starting 30 days of "paint one a day". It's my challenge to myself. I'm a meticulous, slow painter. Artists friends have raved about how liberating and beneficial it is as well as FUN. So my own 30 day challenge will start on Friday, November 13th. That's 30 days, rain or shine, sickness or health, even Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving painting will most likely be done in the wee early morning hours before the holiday festivities kick in☺ Photographing and and editing and placing them on my website at http://www.kathrynramos.etsy.com/ will run behind a little but I will try to keep up and keep photos posted here as well. If there are any other artists that would like to try this ~~crazy~~ challenge during the holiday season I would love to hear from you.

On Angels Magazine

2009-11-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

Like so many web sites, I found this one by accident but I'm passing it along as I LOVE the premise. I know how angels can work in our lives and a web magazine that celebrates them, well, I love that idea! So I'm passing the link on to you. www.onangelsmagazine.com/

2009-11-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

I genuinly love my paintings even when I look back later and wonder why I chose those colors or that landscape or whatever... But once in a while there is a painting that I truly LOVE and I can't really say why. On this particular piece maybe it is the face of the angel or maybe I'm just in love with its large size (30 x 40 inches), no I think it is something in the eyes. Hmm, well for whatever reason, as it hangs in my studio, I am entranced by it. I had already posted a photo a couple weeks ago when I finished this one but I will post one again right now.

Good news for my jewelry line at www.KateCorbett.etsy.com . The wonderful people at Hansen Co. Jewelry in Salt Lake City, Utah will be carrying some of my select pieces in the near future!

Pursuit of Joy

2009-11-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

Pursuit of pure joy is serious business. I'm paraphrasing someone and I apologize as I can't remember who said it, but is fits me to a tee. Having painted for most of my life, more and more I realize the need to close off the world when I am "at work". My home studio is a place where I lose all track of time and space ...if I let it! And that is where my heart of hearts can truly pour onto the canvas. The quandary happens when the phone rings or I hear a knock at the door or I start wondering what time I need to get dinner in the oven ... In other words, just because my studio is at my home location doesn't mean I can allow my mind to be at home. To really create, to allow my mind to generate ideas freely I have to block all of the mundane tasks of day to day life. I have read that this is true of home based businesses. From what I've read, even if your business is home based you need to get out of your pj's, dress for work and focus just as you would at the office. So it stands true for artists also, even though most of us LOVE it and we know we would do it for free even if we could never sell even one iota, we need to give ourselves permission to close out the world and focus on that pursuit of pure joy.

What is that noise?

2009-11-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

I was working on a painting in my home studio a couple nights ago, windows were open letting in cool late night air. It was very quiet. Unlike my usual music to paint by I had opted for the quiet sound of the late night. I heard a noise. This noise was not the normal late night crickets, frogs, breeze blowing through. It was the kind of noise that made the hair on my neck stand up. My ever fearless watchdog/studio hound was sound asleep but I called her name to see if she detected anything wrong. I cracked the door and told her to "go get it" and she took off like a rocket. I could see nothing out of the ordinary from my window but she barked and stood at attention, unrelenting. By now I had realized that my painting was going to be put on the back burner while I figured out whether to step outside into the unknown with my fearless dog or go hide under the bed! I couldn't let her bark all night so I turned on the spotlight in the backyard and safely behind my glass door I scanned the perimeter to see if I could see what or where the intruder was. And there up in a tree was a raccoon. After all that, a raccoon. He was staring at me, stunned and scared. So I called me dog off and stood staring at that poor alarmed creature and decided that all I could do was turn off the spotlight and let it go on its way. How does all of that relate to my paintings? Well, it doesn't really except that I’m sure that a raccoon will show up in one of my paintings very soon...

Let the Halloween festivities begin...

2009-10-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

The project for the school is complete and tonight it will be used for a school function. It came out good although I give credit to Charles Schulz as I did a Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin project .
Also,on another note, I have recently come across a cache of vintage glass and am making some jewelry pieces using that glass. WOW, looks beautiful! Look to the right and you will see a link to my etsy page for jewelry. In the next few days I will be adding some more of those vintage glass pieces. They would make GREAT Christmas gifts.
Just to clear up confusion, my name is Kathryn Ramos but on my jewelry I work under my maiden name CORBETT. It's nutty but a while back I felt a tug of nostalgia for my family name so I use that maiden name to honor that childhood memory.

Artistic Expectations

2009-10-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

I love being creative. I love it. Here is the only downside of saying, "Yes, I am an artist". Expectations!! When creativity flows and the Yin and Yang is in balance, I can feel it and it is exhilarating but when I have a creative job to do I can feel the hot breath of pressure down my neck. I can't wait around for the inspiration to hit so I sit, have coffee, peruse my favorite art books...still no inspiration. Time for a brisk walk, iPod, the dog, and motivating music. Nothing yet. Ahhh, finally, an idea for this project and yes, ~~I think~~ I can do it! So what is this project that threw me into artistic limbo today? Design a Halloween backdrop to use for the Trunk or Treat festivities at the local elementary school. I think a lot of artists are like this...no matter the size of the project, we want to create the masterpiece because we are, after all, the "artist".

Finishing Touches

2009-10-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

In my much younger days, I would start a painting and I could not work on any other painting until that one was finished. These days I find myself working on 3 or 4 paintings at one time, rotating throughout the day and week. My favorite part of the process is when I get down to the finishing touches on a nearly complete painting. It is as though, at that one moment, the piece comes alive. I'm posting the two pieces just completed this week. These will be for sale (or at least the prints)on my ETSY website within the week.
www.KathrynRamos.etsy.com

Fall is in the Air

2009-10-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

Love this time of the year...my easel is waiting for me, coffee is one, today's music is big band hits of the 40's. Okay, those 40's hit are way before my time but I still love them. It is about this time of the year that I pullout a painting that has been 3 years in the making. It is so wrong, really, 3 years on this one little painting. But once a year, maybe twice, I get this very wintery, holidayish feeling and when I do I pick up this one particular painting and add some more details. It is a folk art winter scene and just can't be worked on when it is blazing hot outside.
The java and paintbrush are calling...

Italian Street Painting Festival

2009-10-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous way to spend a weekend ! My back and knees have almost recovered from 12 hours of a continous hunched over position as I recreated a Rufus Porter piece of folk art. We had a great time, artists everywhere, great weather, live bands, simply perfect.