Searching For Success In A Hot Mess Sketch

At September 07, 2023
By katzp
In Process, Recent Work, Teaching, Travel
4

La Palette, a famed historic bistro at the corner of Rue Jacques-Callot and Rue de Seine in Paris, has a storied past as a gathering spot for art students.

It’s reported that Cezanne, Picasso and Braque were also frequent patrons.

Step inside and you will find a variety of palettes and paintings adorning the walls above and around the bar.

It’s an interesting place with tons of atmosphere. It’s also a complicated building to capture in a sketch with its varied awnings and angles. There’s just a whole lot going on in the scene.

Travels

At April 14, 2023
By katzp
In Behind The Scenes, News, Recent Work, Travel
0

What a joy it was when the world opened up post-pandemic and we felt freer to travel around the world once again.

I made the most of it, and many of those travel sights and experiences showed up in my sketchbooks and in my studio works. This is a sampling of my travel themed works you will find at our upcoming show.

All are presented in the traditional watercolor way with mats, glass and frames.

You can see them on view and on offer at our upcoming Artists’ Workshop Show and Sale happening at Grace Westminster Church (505 10^th St E in Saskatoon) on Friday, April 21 (5-8), Saturday, April 22 (10-4) and Sunday, April 23 (12-4).

Santa Barbara Plein Air Workshop

Amongst the many things I missed during pandemic times was the opportunity to attend art workshops and learn in person from other artists.

Simply being able to do that again was a major highlight of the Plein Air Watercolor Workshop that I attended in October of this year.

Santa Barbara, California served as home base for the five-day workshop. I quickly came to see why it’s referred to as the American Riviera.

The weather was superb and steady – mid 20s C, sunny, with barely a breath of wind. The red tile roofs and the white stucco feel very Mediterranean. The place is very pedestrian friendly. Restaurants abound – great bakeries included!

American watercolor artist, Brenda Swenson, led the sessions. I’d previously taken a week-long studio class from Brenda and learned a great deal.

So I was excited about working en plein air under her instruction, and I wasn’t disappointed! Brenda is knowledgeable, well organized, and very available to her students. A winning combination!

Tools For Sketching On The Go

Sketching on the go, whether it’s while vacationing in a foreign country or while sipping coffee in your local neighborhood cafe, is an exciting way to experience the world.

I’ve had a number of requests to share some info about what I take with me on these excursions. The answer varies depending on where I am, how long I’m planning to be out, and what I’m hoping to capture. But, that said, here’s the scoop on the basics and the extras.

Perspective – #6 In The Glimmer Of Hope Series

At December 06, 2020
By katzp
In Glimmers of Hope Series, News, Recent Work, Special Events, Travel
0

Perspective is #6 in my Glimmers of Hope Art Series. It was inspired by the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.

When visiting Boone, NC, for a watercolor painting workshop, I set off early one afternoon to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. There’s nothing like a little distance to put things in perspective.

5″ x 5″ original watercolor on paper. Mounted on 6″ x 6″ mat board.

Price: $50 (plus $5 to cover tax & postage). The painting will go to the first person to express their interest in purchasing via email to: pat@patkatz.com.

Glimmer of Hope: the belief that there is a slight chance that something positive will happen.

Backstory: This pandemic of 2020 has put a huge dint in our lives – restricting our ability to gather, to travel, and to feel safe and at ease in the world.

I look forward to a time when once again we will feel free to roam and engage with confidence. Until then, it seems we’re destined to gaze longingly through our respective windows on the world, sustained by patience and hope.

To help us get through this final month of what seems like a very long year, I’ve created 31 original paintings in a series called, Glimmers of Hope.

Wine Country – #4 In The Glimmer Of Hope Series

At December 04, 2020
By katzp
In Glimmers of Hope Series, News, Recent Work, Special Events, Travel
0

Wine Country is #4 in my Glimmers of Hope Art Series. It was inspired by a visit to the See Ya Later Ranch vineyards on Hawthorn Mountain in the Okanagan and this view looking north towards Skaha Lake.

5″ x 5″ original watercolor on paper. Mounted on 6″ x 6″ mat board.

Price: $50 (plus $5 to cover tax & postage). The painting will go to the first person to express their interest in purchasing via email to: pat@patkatz.com.

Glimmer of Hope: the belief that there is a slight chance that something positive will happen.

Backstory: This pandemic of 2020 has put a huge dint in our lives – restricting our ability to gather, to travel, and to feel safe and at ease in the world.

I look forward to a time when once again we will feel free to roam and engage with confidence. Until then, it seems we’re destined to gaze longingly through our respective windows on the world, sustained by patience and hope.

To help us get through this final month of what seems like a very long year, I’ve created 31 original paintings in a series called, Glimmers of Hope.

Parliament Hill In The Snow

At December 16, 2017
By katzp
In Behind The Scenes, Recent Work, Travel
4

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.

Canada 150 Art Project – Saskatchewan

At August 30, 2017
By katzp
In Canada 150 Artworks, News, Recent Work, Travel
4

Welcome to the last in a series of ten watercolor paintings to honor Canada’s Sesquicentennial – this one featuring Saskatchewan. Read on to learn more about the backstory behind this painting, and to find out how you can make this painting yours.

The Backstory: The final image in this Canada Art 150 series brings us to my home province of Saskatchewan. I know there are many who believe this place is one flat grain field stretching from horizon to horizon. Those folks might expect to see a painting of the great plains as seen cruising along the Trans Canada Highway.

But wait, as they say, there’s more to Saskatchewan than that. For example:

the Big Muddy badlands with its rough terrain and sandstone outcroppings
the grasslands and the Cypress Hills with their Ponderosa pines
the Great Sandhills with their shifting sands and desert topography
the parkland with its rolling hills, sloughs and willow bluffs
the Boreal forest with its lakes, spruce and aspen
the northern shield with its rock, muskeg, and moose

So, what did I choose to share with you? A country road. And not just any country road. This one runs past NW 17 33 26 W2 – the farm where I grew up eight miles south of the village of Viscount. The rise of land looked north to our home quarter on the right and to our land on the left.

This scene was my ‘coming home’ greeting at the end of a daily 40 minute school bus ride. The road was designated Thoen Road in 2008 in honor of our family, and in particular my Dad who drove the snow plow that kept this road open through all the winters of my childhood.

How You Can Make This Painting Yours: In honor of our country’s 2017 anniversary celebrations, I’ve created one watercolor painting to honor each province.

One unique provincial landscape, seascape or streetscape will be featured each week throughout the summer. Ten paintings are up for grabs – one for each province – and one each week.

Each original painting is 8” x 10” in size and each one will arrive mounted in a double white mat bringing the outer dimensions to 11” x 14” – ready to pop into a standard frame of your own choosing.

The price for each painting will be $150 (taxes included) plus $15 for shipping to anywhere in Canada.

If you are looking for a unique remembrance of Canada 150, and you’ve always wanted to buy an original watercolor from the Pauseworks Studio, here’s your chance.

Just send me an email message ( to pat@patkatzart.com) with the words ‘Canada 150 – I’ll Take It’ in the subject line. The first reader to call dibs on each week’s masterpiece takes it. Good luck to all!

If you wish to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to notifications from the Pauseworks Studio Blog,

you can do so in the Let’s Keep In Touch area on any page of the Pauseworks Studio website.

Canada 150 Art Project – Quebec

At August 23, 2017
By katzp
In Canada 150 Artworks, News, Recent Work, Travel
2

Welcome to the ninth in a series of ten watercolor paintings to honor Canada’s Sesquicentennial – this one featuring Quebec. Read on to learn more about the backstory behind this painting, and to find out how you can make this painting yours.

The Backstory:

I first visited Quebec to attend Expo 67 in Montreal. That experience opened my eyes to the world and seeded my lifelong interest in travel. The Expo extravaganza was something this prairie girl could never have imagined – even in her wildest dreams.

I’ve since returned many times to explore more of Montreal and Quebec City. I’m always delighted to have a chance to: converse in my sadly lacking but serviceable French, enjoy the amazing food, and soak up the European atmosphere.

I’m especially enamored by the Vieux-Quebec area with: the Chateau Frontenac, the funicular, the Breakneck Stair connecting upper and lower town, the shops, stone buildings and narrow cobblestone streets. La Fresque des Quebecois near Place Royale is a massive trompe-l’oeil mural that is definitely worth a visit.

This restaurant, Aux Anciens Canadiens, sits on Rue Saint-Louis. It operates out of one of the oldest houses in Quebec, which was originally built in 1675.

One of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life as a Canadian was the night of the 1995 sovereignty referendum when (thankfully) Quebecers voted to stay in the confederation by a narrow margin of not quite one percent. I did not then and do not now wish for a separate Quebec. La Belle Province is most definitely a part of my Canada, and I look forward to exploring more of it in the years ahead.