New Direction

Hello everyone! Lately, I have found myself unable to write about what I am doing in the studio. A new series is in the process of being created, and I needed to avoid words for a while and focus on image only. For me, painting is a way to think, a way to sort out the ideas in my head. When I write, the words seem to confound the issues I am working out in paint. Trying to describe painting in words - is it a futile endeavor? Perhaps. Or maybe I just needed to turn inward in order for this new work to become something. In any case, I think I may be far enough into it now to feel comfortable sharing some of it.

It all began when I was getting ready to teach my online class "Intro to Abstract painting." I had created a series of exercises designed to help artists explore and experiment. I wanted to see if my exercises had any merit, and began doing them myself. I had done many of the exercises before, years ago, in a modified version. As I was testing my exercises, I stumbled upon an idea.

small watercolor & gouache studies - approx. 6 x 6 inches

What if that wonderful, lively quality of watercolor or gouache could be replicated on a larger scale using oil paint? I have always loved watercolor. My first experience with painting was watercolor painting. When I am feeling stuck in the studio, or when I want to go back to the basics, I always reach for watercolor. I decided to try working from some small watercolor sketches.

Whenever you take an idea or sketch and push it to a completed work of art, there is always a transformation. In this case, I found I was exaggerating the qualities I love in the water media. I was not aware of this. It just happened.

"What Was Found." Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches. 

Above is the first one I finished. I have about five others in various stages of completion. I will be interested to hear what you think.

What do you see? Does this painting remind you of anything?

If you missed my online class, it is now available to take as a self study. Just click this link for more details.

The concept

Those of you who have been reading my blog or getting my newsletters know that I have a solo show coming up in April at the Metro Galleries in Bakersfield, California. I have been turning ideas over and over in my head for the show. I wanted to have something new that still had a strong connection to the work I have been doing. (Artists always want something new, doncha know.) As the days passed and the clock ticked, I began to fear that an idea would never come. Just when all hope was lost, it came. Whew! (breathe a sigh of relief for me here.) Now at last I can move forward with my paintings for the show. Since I abhor waiting until the last minute, I am really really happy about this.

Here it is: "Real and Imaginary: A Collection of paintings." I plan to paint a series of animals. Some will be done from real animals like what I've been doing with the desert animals, and some will be done from imaginary animals (mainly toys.) I am going to include the non-representational (abstract) paintings in the show. It is a way to show a progression: how far can we get from the way a real animal looks, while still recognizing it for what it is? It is a way for me to explain that my abstract work is not imaginary, as one might think, but rather a conglomeration of all the visual information that I take in all day every day.

Here is the first painting:

"Seated Horse." Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches. ©Karine Swenson 2012

This was painted from a tiny eraser I have, which was given to me by a dear friend. For one thing, when was the last time you ever saw a horse sitting down? If you compare it to what a horse really looks like, it really doesn't resemble a horse at all, and yet, somehow, we think of it as a horse, and we even teach our kids that something like this is a horse. There are more ideas that have been sparked surrounding my idea for this show, but I just wanted to give you a little taste. (this isn't a great photo of the painting, but it's too rainy outside today to get a better photo.)

What do you think of my concept?

I'm getting ready. Canvas and stretcher bars have been ordered. The first batch of art supplies arrived today.  Now I need to do some exploring of places with animals, to get some photos from real animals to paint. I will keep you posted on the progress here, just stay tuned.

"The concept is only the start of the process, the hardest work always comes after, when you're trying to make the idea real." - Harry West (Continuum's CEO)