Blessings galore

Majesty  © Karen Mathison Schmidt

48 x 36 inches • acrylic & oil on cradled GessobordTM

Commission • Lafayette, Louisiana

A couple of weeks ago I enjoyed a wonderful drive down to Lafayette to deliver this commissioned painting to its new home. After weeks of emailing and texting it was fun finally meeting Annie in person.

She and her husband collect Louisiana artists, and it's an honor to have one of my paintings in their beautiful home. And a double honor that they had me to this painting on the occasion of the birth of their second son. So cool to think that growing up, he'll think of this lion as his very own painting.

To top it all off, Annie very kindly gave me some popcorn snacks and a huge bottle of water for my drive back home. Thanks, Annie!

(From the “You might be an artist if ... ” file: I’m sure all you artists out there already noticed how the Sea Salted Caramel is totally color coordinated with my notebook cover. And my charge cord.)

And then: the perfect ending to a wonderful day ...

Hallelujah.

Morning view ...

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;

let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

PSALM 96:11-12

In the Morning II  © Karen Mathison Schmidt

16 x 20 inches • acrylic on cradled GessobordTM

private collection • Shreveport, Louisiana

I love this view out toward our front gate, just as the morning sun clears the tree tops of the woods across the road.

I’ll be delivering this painting to its new home in Shreveport on Monday. The new owner says she was drawn to it because it reminds her of her childhood home, which, as it turns out, is just about ten miles up the road from us!

Small world.

Benediction

The sun be warm and kind

To you,

The darkest night, some star

Shine through,

The dullest morn

A radiance brew,

And when dusk comes –

God’s hand

To you.

by ELEANOR POWERS

published in Good Housekeeping magazine, 1932

SOLD

Benediction  ©2017 Karen Mathison Schmidt

12 x 12 x 1½ inches • acrylic on 1½" deep cradled Gessobord

After doing a little gardening first thing this morning, with Jo’s invaluable assistance ...

I spent a wonderfully quiet day at the easel finishing today’s painting, which was inspired by a photo I took at sunset on the first day of spring.

Mishaps before coffee

A cheerful heart is good medicine ...

PROVERBS 17:22a

My husband wanted spaghetti for breakfast today (I know; we’ve never had a very strict definition for the term “breakfast food”) and I started making it before my coffee. I picked up the almost-new three-pound box by the wrong end and the entire contents slid out onto the floor. 

I stood frozen for a split second, empty spaghetti box in hand, looking down at the resulting sculpture (which brought to mind a game of Pick Up Sticks with approximately four million sticks) and just couldn’t help busting out laughing. Demonstrating almost unbelievable presence of mind since I hadn’t had a drop of coffee yet, and before the dogs realized what they were missing, I quickly and gingerly scooped up the whole sculpture – which was surprisingly cohesive – out of their reach. 

Took a lot longer getting it back into the box than it did getting it out.

Back to the studio!

SOLD

Midwinter Hope II  © 2017 Karen Mathison Schmidt

12 x 12 inches • acrylic on deep cradled GessobordTM

private collection • Duaringa, Queensland, Australia

Experimenting with opaque and transparent colors, and simplified shapes in a craftsman style illustration. It was so cold in my studio today, with only a little space heater to boost the warmth seeping in from the living room. For a while I thought it would make things a little more fun if I imagined it was 1905 and I was working in my little Parisian garrett in the dead of winter. 

But then I started craving an éclair with café au lait, so I took a break and went next door to warm my hands by the fire for a bit, surrounded by snoring dogs.

Here's the reference photo that inspired this painting, a beautiful Christmas day sunset:

Red River Revel recap ...

Burning Bright  ©2016 Karen Mathison Schmidt

16 x 16 inches • oil on 1 ½ deep cradled GessobordTM

gloss varnish (UV protective) • sides painted dark umber

$695 (FREE SHIPPING IN US)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

 the original painting from my eBay store

SIGNED ART PRINTS ALSO AVAILABLE

here in my eBay store

The Red River Revel arts & music festival last week was full of good fun, food, music and art of all kinds, with beautiful weather all the way through the eight-day event (nine if you include the Preview Party on Friday night before the first official day).

This is my third year to be juried into the Revel, and ever since that first year my sister Kathy has come out every time to help. I look forward to the “sister time” as much as the Revel itself!

Kathy designed and built our display. (Note the “Joanna Gaines” dusty blue shiplap touch in our corner storage area.) My brother Alan did the lighting.

Meet Madyson, one of my collectors. Last year she got a big horse picture, and here she is with this year’s acquisition, “Birdwatching,” which she has renamed “Darla” because of the resemblance to their family’s barn cat. We had a very nice conversation about pets and art (she’s an artist, too) while I signed her art card. We also discussed horses, and she told me that for her recent fourth birthday she had a horse party. (I’m not sure whether it was a party with her friends that was horse-themed, or a party where horses were actually invited. Either one sounds fun.)

As she walked away with her family, she called back over her shoulder, “See you next year!”

I’m honored to be included in her collection.

One of my favorite things about the Revel: meeting new artist friends.  Ana Maria Andricain, who designs and makes beautiful jewelry, was one of our “tent-mates” this year. We really enjoyed getting to know her and her Dad, who was there helping her all week.

Fellow artist Chase Mullen was one of our Revel neighbors for the last two years. A wonderful Louisiana wildlife artist, here he is tending his booth, talking with his wife on the phone, and working on a painting one of his collectors had commissioned at the beginning of the week. Who says men can’t multi-task?

I love the look of the Revel at night!

Farewell, Revel! Hope to be there next year!

A teaser ...

... for what’s on my easel right now.

And yes, I’m painting this as a shameless and not-at-all-subtle marketing ploy targeting any LSU or Grambling (or Auburn perhaps?) alum and/or fans who may be prowling around the Red River Revel arts festival in a couple of weeks ...

And I’m having fun doing it, too!