More painting progress

 Ellie work-in-progress • 12 x 16 inches • oil on GessobordTM

Got a bit more done on Ellie today; I think I’m just about done with her face, which is the part I always spend the most time with. Toward the end of the afternoon I started venturing off into the stones on the edge of the patio, and some of the foliage in the garden. I want to do a little more in the garden and patio areas before I start painting the rest of her body and tail, to make sure I have her darks and lights just right. 

What a joy she is to paint!

Moving right along

 Ellie • 12 x 16 inches • WORK IN PROGRESS

We had word last Friday that we are AT LAST coming to the end of the process of selling our big house, and next week we hopefully will be able to get on with our renovation at the little old farmhouse we will be moving into. I’m so excited I can hardly stand it!

Meanwhile, I’m sitting myself down at the easel this morning to work toward completion of this commission, which is also exciting and a joy to work on. As you can see, I started with a fairly detailed sketch with a soft 2B graphite drawing pencil. This is less the method of the impressionists and more the method of turn-of-the-century Golden Age illustrators like Beatrix Potter, Elizabeth Shippen Green and Jessie Wilcox Smith. (As a side note, here’s a little window into the way my mind plays sometimes -- well, okay, most of the time: every time I went to pick up the pencil I would think, “2B or not 2B? That is the question.” I know, I know. A real groaner.)

I’ve just started layering in the oils over the underpainting of acrylic glazes. I love starting with the eyes. It seems to bring life to the painting right from the start.

And now, back to the easel to see what happens today!

A new kitty commission

This is Ellie. She’s a ragdoll cat who lives in Pennsylvania, loves to chase butterflies in the garden, and she is the subject of a new commissioned painting I’ll be starting in the morning. 

 Her “Mom” sent me lots of photos for reference. 

Painting progress pics to come ...

Can’t wait to paint those beautiful baby blues!

Happy Painting!

Sitting Pretty

Cats are mysterious kind of folk - there is more 
passing in their minds than we are aware of.

SIR WALTER SCOTT

Cats are dangerous companions for writers because 
cat watching is a near-perfect method of writing avoidance.

DAN GREENBURG

(I dare say that goes for painters as well! - KMS)

Here’s my new original orange tabby oil painting, 

now available for purchase

 Sitting Pretty II: Pontoufle  © 2015 Karen Mathison Schmidt

24 x 12 x 2 inches • oil on 2" deep cradled Museum Series GessobordTM

gloss varnish (UV protective) • sides painted dark umber

can be easily hung with or without a frame

$295.00 plus shipping

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE

from my ebay store

And here’s the new Limited Edition ACEO 

Collectible Art Card from this painting:

Sitting Pretty II: Pontoufle

ACEO (Art Cards, Editions & Originals)

Limited Edition Collectible Art Card

signed & numbered on the back by me, the artist!

comes packaged in its own archival clear sleeve for easy handling

$7.75 (free shipping in US)

OR

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE ART CARD

from my ebay store

A Golden Oldie

Golden retrievers are not bred to be guard dogs, and considering the size of their hearts and their irrepressible joy in life, they are less likely to bite than to bark, less likely to bark than to lick a hand in greeting. In spite of their size, they think they’re lap dogs, and in spite of being dogs, they think they are also human, and nearly every human they meet is judged to have the potential to be a boon companion who might, at any moment, cry, “Let’s go!” and lead them on a great adventure.

DEAN KOONTZ

 Jake  © 2015 Karen Mathison Schmidt

16 x 16 inches • oil on 2" deep cradled GessobordTM

Commission • Houston, Texas

Signed & numbered Limited Editions available here

Hey, everyone! I haven’t posted anything in a while because we have been busy making more preparations to move, but we just found out it will be roughly three more weeks and a bit before we close on the sale of our house, so today I’m back at the easel and the computer while we wait just a bit longer. (I’m reminded never to pray for patience unless you want a LOT of things to come up in your life to practice on!)

I’m also playing catch-up on answering art-related email. Thanks to all of you who have sent messages and questions; I apologize for the delay, but I’m answering each and every one, hopefully by day’s end tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I wanted to share this new painting of Jake, the Golden Retriever, which was commissioned by his “Mom” as a birthday surprise for his "Dad.” Jake LOVES to go swimming. Here he is after a good swim, dripping wet and grinning from ear to ear while he dries off amidst a crowd of cheery Texas bluebonnets.

My husband says Jake and the Bluebonnets would make a great name for a Texas swing band. I can hear it now: “Ladies and gentlemen -- LIVE from Austin City Limits -- it’s JAKE and the BLUEBONNETS!!”

And the crowd goes wild.