More Desert Creatures

Pono and I had a magical encounter with a desert tortoise yesterday morning on our hike. I took a video of it with my phone, which I had hoped to share with you. However, I can't seem to get the video to upload. Sorry about that. Photos instead...

Today's morning hike was all clouds and drama. As usual, no rain.

The studio has been absorbing most of my time and energy.

"Talking Roadrunner." Encaustic, thread, and ink transfer, 8 x 8 inches. 

There will be more work to share with you soon.

Thanks for all of your comments and emails! I cannot tell you how much it means to me.

Jackrabbit Dreaming

I had a dream last night that I was caring for a baby jackrabbit. That baby was about as cute as anything you can imagine, but BOY was it wiggly. It was hopping all over the place. In my dream, I had to take it somewhere (the vet or something like that ?) and I had a really hard time catching it. It fit in the palm of my hand. (Sweetest thing!) I woke up from this dream with a warm, snugly feeling. So fun! No one really knows where dreams come from, even if they say they know. I suspect that this dream came from a person I follow on Instagram (bunnymama) who has two pet rabbits. The only photos she posts are over-the-top cute photos of her rabbits. I am sure my obsession with jackrabbits probably came into play, as well. There is also this blog post about a woman who fostered a baby jackrabbit for ten days. I found it about 2 years ago when someone asked if I had any photos of a baby jackrabbit. (Highly recommend you click that link.)

You see, when you paint as many jackrabbits as I have painted, they start to inhabit a large portion of your brain. People tell you stories about jackrabbits. For example: A local woman at my last open studio told me that when her children were young, they had raised a jackrabbit. The part of her story that stuck in my head was that the vet (or someone of certain authority) had told them to be cautious when picking the jackrabbit up, because their hind legs are so strong they can damage themselves. Well, one of her kids picked up the jackrabbit and its hind leg caught a giant ear and tore it. The jackrabbit had a torn ear, just like the one I have painted a number of times. I wonder, did my torn ear jackrabbit tear its own ear? We are left only to wonder about these things when we see a wild animal with an injury like that.

"Torn Ear Jack." Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 inches. (sold) ©2012 Karine Swenson

In other news, I have returned to the studio FINALLY after some health setbacks and other things. Photos of new work are forthcoming. Here's one, just to wet your whistle.

"Leading Article." (desert tortoise.) Collage, acrylic and oil on canvas, 12 x 12 inches. ©Karine Swenson

Have you had any great dreams lately?

p.s. If you are on Instagram, you can follow me @karineswenson. I've been posting new paintings there first!

More Desert Tortoise stuff

The monsoon season brought the desert some much needed rain the past few weeks. Now, the sun is shining, and the desert floor has sprouted a green fuzzy stubble. More green than we saw during the past spring. (and as I've already told you, the tortoises are out, enjoying what the rain has brought us.)

I have been enjoying not just seeing the tortoises, but also seeing evidence of them. For example, tortoise tracks, and tortoise burrows. These creatures just fascinate me!!!

So, I had begun a new jackrabbit painting, when I had this flash. And the next thing I knew, I had painted this:
(well, it was not as easy as I made it sound, since I worked hard on it. A departure for me, since I invented a good portion of the painting. I mean, how many photos of tortoise butt do you think I've taken, anyway? Many thanks to Katie, my niece, for the reference photos. And of course, credit to George, my nephew Liam's tortoise, for being a good model.)

"Ready, Set, Go." Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches. ©2013 Karine Swenson

Painting vs. Photography

"Old Timer." (desert tortoise) Oil on board, 16 x 20 inches. ©Karine Swenson2013 

This year, my focus in the studio has been to strengthen my understanding of light and shadow. It started with the Imagined Animals. I know you thought those were just for fun (and they were fun!), but I did have a purpose in mind when I painted them. I wanted to really study what light did when it hit the smooth surface of those little toys. What kinds of shadows were created? What kind of reflected light did I see? Can I use the light to make the flat painting have a three dimensional quality?

This focus on light and shadow has continued into my other paintings of animals. I have finally decided to start painting the backgrounds more like the natural setting in my reference photos, in order to understand the light and shadow even better. Of course, photographs can be limiting when it comes to light and shadow. I think it is important for an artist to work from life as well as from photos, because there are things the eye is capable of seeing that the camera is not capable of capturing. I have done a lot of drawing and painting from life, which I apply to my work even when using photos.

I often feel that photography has been used as a measure for how successful a painting is. I have heard people say, "That painting is amazing - it looks just like a photograph!" Do people really think it's that hard to make a painting look like a photograph? I am here to burst your bubble, if you feel that way. Here are a list of reasons why I don't think it's hard to make paintings look like photos:

1. A photograph doesn't EVER move. The light doesn't change, the model doesn't get tired, the animal doesn't hop away, etc. You can conceivably work on a painting from a photograph forever, and it will always look about the same.
(of course, one of the reasons why I use photographs as reference for my animal paintings is simply because they don't move. It's hard to get animals to hold still. My sketchbooks are full of quick drawings I have done from life of animals. Some of those drawings consist of only one line, and then the animal moved. Not enough information for a full painting, I'd say.)

2. Modern technology has made it relatively easy for an artist to replicate a photograph. Many portrait painters simply project the photographic image onto their painting surface and trace the image. It is a common practice among other "realists" as well. Artists can also use a grid to transfer the photographic image onto the painting surface, preventing major distortions. This is particularly helpful in blowing up a small image to a large painting surface.

Just so you know, I don't use either of these techniques. I have to do everything the hard way - I do all of my drawing free hand.

3. A photograph is already flat. The artist doesn't have to try to take a three dimensional object and create a flat image with it. That step has already been done by the camera.

4. When working from life, time becomes an issue. If one is outdoors, the light will change - almost constantly. If one is working from a model, the model moves. He (or she) becomes tired and the body shifts subtly. The model will often take breaks, and when he gets back into the pose, there are always differences.
These kinds of challenges don't exist when working from a photo.

5. When working out of one's imagination, the artist has to have a basic understanding of how things look in order to make a believable painting. This is so much more difficult than having it all right there in front of you like you would when working from a photo!! (In fact, this is my biggest area of weakness - I am not very skilled at working from my imagination. I need to practice.)

A short list, but one I hope you will consider the next time you find yourself feeling impressed that a painting looks "just like a photograph."

Even though I use photographs for reference when I paint, it is my hope that the paintings I create will transcend merely "looking like a photograph." I want it to be a painting - to have qualities a photo will never have - bold brush strokes, unexpected colors, texture, and a physical presence only a painting can have. I am seeking something beyond the photographic image, because I am ultimately a painter. Not a photographer. I don't know if I am attaining that goal, but I am striving for it.

You may think that I don't admire photographers. This simply isn't true. I have seen some amazing photography, and it isn't that easy to take a great photograph. I want to take great photographs and then use them to help me make even greater paintings.

I leave you with a photograph I took on a hike of a tortoise we saw that was only about 5 inches long:
cute as can be!!!

This tortoise was in the shade of a fallen long, so I probably won't be doing a painting of it. But I thought you would enjoy it!
Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog, all.

Tortoise walk

The desert got some much needed rain last week. Well, not everyone got the rain, but near our house, we got two good, wet storms. Little green things are pushing up out of the soil and the rabbits finally have something to eat that I didn't plant. What a great relief!

On the walk this morning with Mr. Pono the fuzzy dog, we had a tortoise encounter!!! I am sure the tortoise came out to munch on some of those little green things. This tortoise had places to go, plants to eat.

I suppose if there were a desert creature I could most identify with, it would be the tortoise. When frightened or threatened, we retreat into our shells. Our insides are soft. We love to eat flowers and green things. We may be slow, but once we get going, yes, we do move. You don't see us out in the open too often, since we spend most of our lives hibernating....and we look prehistoric. ;) I'm not sure I could go a whole year without water, though, like the tortoise can. Such an impressive critter.

In other news, I am gearing up for the Hwy. 62 Art Tours, which is an open studio event for me. The last two weekends of October, you will be able to come and see all the new work that I have created this year. Or at least, all the new work that I haven't sold yet. I am happy to tell you that I am experiencing pretty consistent sales this year, and I am grateful for it. If any of you buyers are reading this, THANK YOU!!!!

If you want to see a short (3 minute) video of me talking about my work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxP8yhZGnP0

As ever, thank you for reading my blog!

Spring in the desert

hello Dear Blog readers!
My studio sale on Saturday went well, and I was happy to see so many friendly faces. Thank you so much for all of the well wishes, and thank you to all of those who came and bought some art!!!!! I am so grateful for all of you.

My parents are visiting from Colorado, and we have been showing them around the desert. I just wanted to check in with you, and share with you some of the wonderful flowers I have been seeing in the desert. It has been a rather dry year, and I wasn't sure there would be any flowers at all. So any flower I see is now greeted with much excitement and attention.

Last week, Matthias and I also got a chance to say hello to this fellow:

Ah, yes. I love spring in the desert.

A Thursday

Here we are, at the tail end of a week that has been rather unproductive for me, at least in the studio.  I have been struggling with some whopping headaches, which I am attributing to bad allergies.  I am frustrated by the setback, but at least today I didn't wake up with pain in my head.  It's the first time I have felt like myself in five days.   I still plan to move slowly, just to be on the safe side.

Here the iguana is again, running from my camera.

This will be a brief post, because I am anxious to get back to my paint.  I just want to show you the desert iguana I saw yesterday, sitting in the shade.  I have had some trouble getting a good lizard photo, because those lizards are quite shy, especially when I have my camera.  (I swear they seem to know!)  I now resolve to strap my camera around my neck, until a good lizard shot is accomplished!

Here is the first painting of a tortoise I have done.  Another in the "art journal" series.   And no, this painting was NOT actually inspired by my tortoise sighting earlier this week.  I painted it last week, from a photo I had taken a year or two ago.  Isn't it interesting that I painted this, and then had my tortoise sighting?  I thought so too.  I just realized that many of you are new to my blog, and probably haven't read my past posts about the desert tortoise.  So if you want to know a bit more about this amazing creature, click here. 

"mnop."  Acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 8 x 8 inches.  ©Karine Swenson2011

I hope you all have a sunny, ice cream-laden weekend.  I plan to lock myself in the studio until something happens.

Close Encounters

Because I spend so much time hiking and running with Pono, I usually get a chance to see a desert tortoise or two in the spring.  This year, I was beginning to despair that I missed my chances since I was out of the country for much of the prime tortoise-viewing.  I have been careful to go to the places where we've seen them in past years, but to no avail.  The hot weather is beginning to descend, and the flowers are fading.  I feared the worst - that I would not get a close encounter of the tortoise kind!  So you can imagine my joy this morning, when I returned to the car at the end of our morning run to find a tortoise, quietly hanging out about 20 feet from the car.  It was as though someone came along and placed the tortoise there and said, "wait for Karine."  I know that's not what happened, but it felt like such a gift to see her!  There isn't much that equals the wonder at seeing a desert tortoise in the wild.  I was careful not to get too close or make too much noise.  She merely waited for me to take a few photos, with a casual blink, every now and then.   

That one tortoise sighting was enough to make me float on a wave of happiness all day.  Maybe she was sent to me, to tell me that even though M is halfway around the world, and even though my paintings aren't turning out the way I want them to, and even though I am not selling as much art as I would like, it's all going to be okay.  From the blinking eye of a tortoise, who has endured much more than I have:  life goes on.  

The other recent close encounter was this one:

"uhhhh...what the heck is this thing?"

"Hmmm...smells exactly like stinky dog breath!"

Have a great week, you crazy kats.  And remember, it's all going to be okay.

Two reptiles and a painting

I took a break from the studio today. I should have spent the day cleaning and organizing my studio, but instead, I spent the day outside, digging in the dirt and working in the yard. It was a good day to be outside, since it isn't too terribly hot yet (about 88 degrees F for the high). Plus, I had a few plants that really needed to get into the ground. I pretty much wore myself out, but you will be happy to know that I was wearing sunscreen and lots of it. Maybe tomorrow I will manage to clean the house and the studio.



We have seen tortoises pretty much every day. I LOVE that. I think I am addicted to the tortoises, because even with two or sometimes three sightings a day, I cannot resist squatting down to say "hello" and take a couple of photos. Yesterday, we also saw a horned toad. They are so well camouflaged, it would be easy to step on one. Even in this photo, you can see how well they blend with their environment. They aren't as quick as the other lizards I see. Obviously, or I would have photos of other kinds of lizards. These horned toads are the only things slow enough (besides the tortoise), for me to get a photo. Hmm...I wonder if a horned toad is considered a toad or a lizard?? They look more like lizards, even though they are called "toads". I will do some research and get back to you. I haven't given up on the idea of a nice lizard photo. If I get one, be assured that you will be the first to see it!!

Yesterday was another long day in the studio. It may not have been as triumphant as the day before, but I managed a slightly overworked third painting to act as a triptych with the two I posted on Tuesday. I will post a photo when it dries a bit. I also mangled a small painting, and then did this one. It is oil on canvas, measuring 16 x 12 inches. I used the same colors on this small one as I did on those larger three, and I must say I am enjoying the colors.



A special thank you goes out to my friend, Nancy Medina, for mentioning my work in her blog and for all of her incredible support and comments. Thanks, Nancy! You rock my world. Welcome to all of you who find me through Nancy's blog!

Desert goodies

I have been busy all week, but if you asked me what I have been doing, I am not sure I could tell you. Just bits of one thing and bits of another. I did spend some time working on my sketchbook, because Thursday was the last class we had for the semester of figure drawing. I spent some time in my yard, I swept and mopped the floor, blah, blah blah. I have neglected my studio time terribly, and I hope to remedy that condition this weekend.



We have had the pleasure of many tortoise encounters on our walks. I also have a fun tortoise story for you. My friend and neighbor, Marjorie Franklin, was out in front of her house with her son and husband, when a tortoise marched right up their driveway. The tortoise walked past her husband, who was sitting in a chair, past her son. A tortoise with a mission, it trucked right on by Marjorie, who had camera in hand - attempting to film it - and through the gate to the backyard. Apparently, it has been there ever since!!! I guess they have been adopted by this tortoise now. I got to see a few of her videos of this tortoise, and it is a hoot to see how fast they can actually move. I may see if she will allow me to post one here on the blog for you to enjoy!

I have taken a photo of the fuzzy green creosote fruit, so you can see the next step after flowering.



Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Desert Tortoise Love

We saw another desert tortoise on our morning walk yesterday. This was a fairly large one, and I squatted down to take photos and admire it. I don't like to get so close as to frighten them into their shells, and this one simply looked back at me and blinked. You wonder what sort of wisdom this ancient looking creature could offer you, if you could speak its language. (At least, that is what I wondered, as I gazed at its blinking eyes.)

We also saw our first Desert Mariposa Tulip yesterday. I have been scanning for them in the places I remembered seeing them last year. This one was discovered on our way back, and I almost wonder if it bloomed during the time we were out walking. Hard to say, but I like to think it bloomed just for me. How selfish is THAT???

We have a busy weekend coming up, and Matthias will be home for it!! Cool. Most of the things I want to do are art events, so he may not come with me to all of them. The first event is my friend Marjorie Franklin's lecture tonight about the digital side of contemporary art. I am really looking forward to it. For those of you who live here, it starts at 7 pm, at the Copper Mountain College in room 219.

Tortoise Encounter

The blog has fallen by the wayside. On Easter Sunday, I got a call from my father. My grandmother (my mom's mother) had passed away. Grandma Betty was in her late 80's, and she had Alzheimer's Disease, so it wasn't a surprise. Still, I was sad, and of course I will miss my grandma. I spent the whole week last week getting ready for my talk on Friday, so that I could go to the funeral in Dinuba, CA. on Thursday. I have missed you, dear blog readers, and I am sorry for my long silence.

I was glad to go to the funeral and be with my family. Somehow, being with the family makes the grief more bearable, and it is nice to talk about memories of the person bereaved.

My talk on Friday went very well. I got to practice in front of my Mom and Dad the night before, in the hotel room. That helped enormously! I had given the talk to Pono the dog many times, but he usually fell asleep, and didn't offer any constructive criticism. So it was much better to have my parents for an audience, and they offered some really good advice. (At least I am now at the age where I value their opinion! It wasn't always that way.) There was a nice crowd of people who showed up for my talk, and even though my stomach was doing somersaults, once I started to talk about the artists, I was feeling better. People seemed to enjoy what I had to say, and I am glad I decided to be one of the speakers for this month-long art lecture series. For those of you in the area, Bruce Miller will be giving a talk next Friday about Lee Miller and Man Ray. The following week is my friend, Marjorie Franklin, talking about "Pixels in the Wind: The digital side of contemporary art".

My husband came home Saturday morning, and so today, Pono and I had company on our walk. It was a nice warm day, and we saw lots of my beloved desert flowers in addition to many lizards, one rattlesnake (which Matthias nearly stepped on!), and....
The tortoise!!!! Hurrah!!!



I have been wanting to see a tortoise since about 3 weeks ago when a friend of mine emailed me a photo of a tortoise she had seen with her sister, who was visiting. Then, another friend told me she and her husband had seen one, on a hike that I have been on many times. I was beginning to think I wasn't going to see one. I was so elated today when I saw this little beauty in the ditch next to the dirt road we were hiking on. I would have taken more photos, but I didn't want to frighten it back into its shell.

I will leave you with a photo of the Chia, which, as I remember from last year, is a member of the mint family. A lovely pom-pom of a flower.

More Desert Tortoise photos

I have been excited about the prospect of seeing the desert tortoise after our first encounter a week or so ago. On Friday, Matthias, Marti, Mr. Pono and I went to the same area as our first encounter for the morning run/walk. I had my trusty camera with me, of course. Fortunately, my desires to see one were realized. In fact, we saw two! The first one was alongside the road, and pretty much had retreated into its shell. The second one was not as shy, and with my trusty tiny zoom lens I did get a couple of photos.

To answer some questions about this creature, the desert tortoise is an herbivore. It gets most of its water from the plants and cactus that it eats. An adult tortoise can live for a year without water. (Impressive!) It survives the desert heat by digging burrows. It hibernates for 95% of its life. The burrows also protect this critter from the cold in the winter. It is a relative of the turtle, who lives in water. The tortoise is a land dweller, which is obvious when you look at its legs and feet. If you would like to read more about the tortoise, click here. I am quite infatuated with them.

As promised, I am posting two of the tiny new watercolor abstracts. These are postcard size (6 x 4 inches) and were painted on cold pressed, 140 lb. watercolor paper. (For those of you who aren't familiar with watercolor paper, cold pressed paper tends to have a bit more texture than hot pressed paper. 140 lb. paper is pretty heavy paper, heavier than most card stock. There are more of these coming. I am having trouble with a title on this first one. For now, I am calling it "Sienna and Blue." Not a particularly compelling title, is it? The second one is called "On the Edge." Since these are so tiny, I am considering using them as studies for larger paintings in oil. The first one is my favorite of the two, but I think they both have potential.

The Desert Tortoise and other Wonders

Today, we went for a long, eventful hike with our friends, Marti and Jason, and their two dogs. I have been wanting to see a desert tortoise, because I have heard so much about them, but hadn't seen one yet. It was going to be a warm day, because at 8 am when we started the sun was already beating down on us. The flowers continue to amaze me here. Marti and I chanced upon a few of the Mariposa lily (or tulip or whatever else it's known as). They are not large flowers, but they are a vibrant orange, and when you take the time to look at them, they are exquisite! Here is a close up.

While Marti and I were admiring (and photographing) the Mariposa, we had an encounter with a small, scraggly looking coyote. Pono also got some cholla cactus spines stuck in his lower jaw, and even with four people, it was impossible to get him to hold still enough to pluck them out. He is so strong. We walked along some more, after giving up on Pono's cactus spines. Then, Marti and Jason's dog also ran into some cholla, getting it in his mouth (tongue, gums, etc.) So we had another stop for tweezers and cholla removal. Fortunately, their Cochise is not nearly the fighter Pono is, and he lay down and let us remove most of the cactus spines.

When we finally turned back towards the van, I did have my wish granted. Not one, but TWO tortoise encounters!!!! The first tortoise was off from the road a little bit, and was frightened into its shell. But the second tortoise was not so timid, and was spotted by Matthias right in the middle of the dirt road in front of us!!! So cool. It did give us plenty of suspicious looks, but continued to trudge off into the flowers for more "desert flower breakfast." I was so excited! We didn't want to get too close, because these tortoises are listed as a threatened species. Plus, we wanted to get a look at one that wasn't hiding inside of its shell. Such an amazing creature. I had to zoom quite a bit for the close up, so it may be a bit blurry. I will remind you I am NO photographer. Paintings and drawings only. (Even then the quality varies, as we all know.)

I have been reading about Matsuo Basho, the famous Japanese haiku master in the February issue of National Geographic (yes, I am a bit behind), so I decided to compose a haiku about the tortoise:

small desert tortoise
eyeing us suspiciously
trundles slowly by


The rest of our hike was fortunately pretty uneventful, and Marti managed to comb the cholla spines from Pono's jaw in the van on the way home. So all in all, it was a good hike, and I am still smiling at the vision of those desert tortoises! This place is amazing.

I also feel obligated to tell you that according to Marti, this is an exceptional year for flowers in the desert. It doesn't happen very often, since the right amount of moisture from rain combined with the right amount of freezing temperatures have to occur in order for such a wonderful spring display of flowers. So I am feeling a bit like a Princess with desert flowers just for me! Thank goodness for my digital camera, and my blog. I am so glad I have gotten the chance to share it all with you, my dear blog readers. Don't worry, I have not run out of flowers for you yet! Stay tuned!