Thrilled To Join the Artists’ Workshop

After so many years of working and painting solo, I decided to take a leap and try something different. Earlier this fall I joined the Artists’ Workshop group, and I’ll be working and showing with them for the 2018-19 fall and winter season.

The other twelve members of the group have made me feel very welcome. It’s been a treat to spend my Mondays painting at what I refer to as ‘Studio 2’.

The group itself has been in existence for 27 years – although various members have come and gone over the years. Each Monday finds the artists hard at work in the hall at Saskatoon’s Grace Westminster Church. Members develop and bring their own projects to work on. However, there is rich informal exchange of ideas and information about techniques, resources, and marketing during each of the weekly sessions.

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Kristi’s Cottage Commission

Back in February of 2016, I celebrated the 30thanniversary of my business by inviting supporters to enter a draw for: a bundle of publications, a donation to a charity of their choice, and an original ink and watercolor sketch inspired by a photo of a place that mattered to them.

The first two prizes were dispatched right away. However, it took the winner of the original sketch, Kristi Glover of Saskatoon, a couple of years to claim her prize.

Life has a way of tossing roadblocks in our path from time to time, but now Kristi has her prize in hand. I was delighted to be able to create for her an original sketch of her family cottage at Waskesiu Lake in Prince Albert National Park.  Read more….

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Ink & Watercolor Workshop Round Up

The temperature was hot (35C), and the enthusiasm was high for the Ink & Watercolor Workshops that I delivered through Black Spruce Gallery in early August.

I’m not a novice in the world of leading workshops. I’ve been doing that my entire career. However, I am new to delivering workshops in the world of art. And, in a word, I had a blast!

When participants are eager to learn, it adds so much to the workshop experience. And that was definitely the case with the two groups of enthusiastic artists who took part in these programs.

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Commissioned Painting For CAPS

I’ve been a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers since its inception two decades ago. Over the years, I’ve attended and presented at conventions and chapter meetings, played roles on various committees, and served as the President of our National Board.

Last year, CAPS celebrated its 20th anniversary as an organization. In honor of the occasion, I was invited to use my skills as an artist to create something unique to mark this special milestone.

Since our 20th Anniversary aligned with the 150th anniversary of Canada, and our 20th convention was held in Ottawa, I was asked to create a painting that featured Parliament Hill and to include a special element that would reference the CAPS 20th.

The image you see here is the original painting that I created featuring an autumn view across the Ottawa River looking towards the Peace Tower and the Parliamentary Library. Cruising down the river in the foreground is a boat carrying the name, CAPS 20.

This original painting was presented to the CAPS National President, Suzanne Stevens at a special pre convention reception hosted on Parliament Hill. Here is a photo of Suzanne with the framed original ready to take a place of honor in her home.

In addition, each person who served on the planning committee, volunteered for special tasks at the event, or presented a session at the convention received a reproduction of the image, matted and ready to frame and display.

Print in Recipient Grant Ainsley’s Office

The paintings were a tremendous hit. Some declared it the best convention gift they’ve ever received! Many recipients have sent me photos showing their prints proudly on display in their homes and offices.

I was delighted to be able to use my skills as an artist to support an organization that has played such a significant role in my professional life. Special thanks to Rhoinda Scharf for the inspiration that led to the request and, ultimately, a throng of happy recipients.

 

PS – You can purchase your own copy of Celebrating Canada 150 – CAPS 20 through this online link.

 

Pat On Art Video

Last summer, I was fortunate enough to have a video crew offer to interview me about my experiences in the world of art.

This is the final edit of the footage taken on that warm sunny July day in our backyard garden.

I hope you enjoy this conversation about the place of art in my world, and that this prompts you to give a thought to the place of art in your world, too.

Thanks a million to videographer, Justin Upshaw, and interviewer, Adam Leclaire, for their kindness and generosity.

Parliament Hill In The Snow

 

It’s dusk in Ottawa. The snow has been softly falling all day long.

You’ve just spent two hours roaming the salons of the National Art Gallery.

Inspired by what you’ve seen, your fingers are itching to sketch.

You sit down for a coffee in the NAG cafeteria.

 

 

 

As you gaze through the glass walls across the Ottawa River towards Parliament Hill, the lights begin to glow through the snow.

You only have ten minutes before you catch your cab to the airport.

You decide that’s just enough time for a quick sketch to capture the moment.

And so you do, and here it is!

 

See larger version of color image.

See larger version of shades of gray image.

DoodleWash Featured Artist

How cool it was to be invited to appear last week as the November 3, 2017 Featured Guest Artist on the Doodlewash website. Click here to see the feature for yourself.

You’ll be able to read about: my philosophy of art, my creative process, how art evolved in my life, how I market my work, and my favorite materials.

Doodlewash is a website coordinated by Charlie O’Shields. It and Charlie are dedicated to all things watercolor. One of the services that Charlie provides is profiles like these on various watercolor artists and their work.

So far, some 340 watercolor artists from around the world have been featured on World Watercolor website. This map shows you who has been featured in the past and where they live. It also offers live links to their feature articles.

I hope when you enjoy these peeks behind the scenes in the lives of artists around the world.

I’d be delighted if you’d share link to my Guest Artist Feature with the art appreciators in your circle of acquaintance.

  • PS – A special welcome to all the new PauseWorks Studio blog subscribers who have joined in to follow news from the studio as a result of the DoodleWash feature. I look forward to staying in touch and sharing more of my art and my world with you.

Colour Colour Everywhere!

The one thing you’re sure to find in any artist’s studio is colour and more colour. Tubes, pencils, powders, pens, bottles – it’s everywhere.

Like most artists, I have my favorite ‘go-to’ colours. I’ll share a bit more about those in a future post. Yet, sometimes a painting calls for something a little bit out of the ordinary, or I’m tempted by the promise of some intriguing new pigment.

It’s a constant challenge for me to narrow down the number of colours in order to amp up the possibility of harmony in the art.

These days, when I’m working in the studio, I find myself doing a bit more colour planning before I start putting paint to paper.

I’ll grab a scrap of watercolour paper, and create a sampler of intended colours and mixes – thinking about where and how I’d like to use the different pigments and which ones I could do without or create from two colours already in the mix.

The challenge is to see how I can create the widest range of options from the fewest colours.

The sampler you see perched on the palette above is some of the pre-work I did to work out colour choices for the painting of a Venetian canal.

The second image shows how those colors came together in the piece itself.

Sweet And Soothing Sausalito

Sausalito, California, was our kick back and put our feet up destination after a recent cruise out of San Francisco to the Mexican Riviera. We enjoyed the hospitality of the charming Gables Inn on Princess Street. And I loved starting each day with a coffee (and a sketch) on our sunny veranda with its views of the bay.

Sausalito (with a population of just over 7000) is located at the north end of the Golden Gate bridge, a short ferry ride across the bay from its big city sister, San Francisco. Over the years, Sausalito morphed from a World War II shipbuilding center into a vibrant arts community with a quirky collection of houseboats, and a plentiful array of shops and galleries.

American gangster, Baby Face Nelson called Sausalito home in the 1920s. Otis Redding wrote Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay while staying on a houseboat in 1967. And authors, Isabelle Allende and Amy Tan, call Sausalito home today.

If you’re looking for a sweet and relaxing little get away spot – close enough to San Fran for big city adventures – but far enough away to get some rest and renewal – this could just be your spot.

Over the course of our three day stay, I created a number of sketches. Click on each sketch featured below to see an enlarged version and to read a bit more about how and where they came to be.

All originals are available for purchase. Just inquire directly about size and price. And, of course, each image is also available as a reproduction on paper, canvas, acrylic or metal through the Fine Art America service. You’ll find the size, medium and pricing details when you click through to the images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Or Without? Survey Says…

One of the things I love about watercolor is the brilliance of the pure white paper. To preserve that freshness, I’m often inclined to leave a lot of the white paper showing. – especially in some of the vignettes that I create.

On a recent excursion with the Saskatoon Plein Air painting group, I sketched a sweet little daffodil blooming in the Mendel Conservatory. I initially left the background white, with the flower framed by a black line squiggle.

 

After scanning that image in its ‘natural state’, I decided to experiment by adding a contrasting blue background inside the frame.

I then posted the two images to Facebook along with the questions: “With or without? And why?”

53 Facebook followers weighed in with their opinions. A huge majority (a whopping 94% of the voters) preferred the image ‘with’ the blue background.

They gave these reasons: contrast highlights the flower, makes color more vibrant, makes it look warmer, gives it depth and dimension, makes it more positive, feels more finished and complete, makes the flowers pop, and gives context.

The two votes for ‘without’ chose the image with the white background because of its simplicity and understatement.

One of the ‘without’ supporters mocked up a couple of images with colored mats to show how the frame choice could make the image pop in different ways. This reinforces the point made by another respondent who was squarely on the fence, saying the preference for a white or color background ‘depends on the frame’.

One artist that I studied with (can’t remember who) noted that if you are wondering whether you should or whether you shouldn’t (change a line, add a color, tweak the background), the answer is always, ‘Yes, you should.”

His point was that the change just might be successful; and if it isn’t successful, at least you’ve learned something about what NOT to do next time. Grand experiments in the pursuit of learning!

PS – Are you wondering which version I prefer? That’s just like asking a parent to choose a favorite child. I demur. I love them both.

Copyright © 2016 - Pauseworks Studio - Patricia Katz, Optimus Consulting
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