Looking forward to pickin’ time ...

In a Pear Tree © 2011 Karen Mathison Schmidt
5 x 7 inches • oil on Gessobord
gloss varnish for UV protection

Click here to bid
Auction ends June 4

The pear tree in our back yard will be heavy laden with these ripe golden pears by summer’s end. They’re always so sweet and juicy; I can hardly wait ’til pickin’ time!

This afternoon when I finished the pond landscape I was working on, I wasn’t quite ready to wrap things up, painting-wise, so I did this little one, using the same color palette as the landscape. Fun to do some quick, loose brushwork after working on the color layering of the landscape.

Sorry, no work-in-progress photos on this, but I will divulge that I started with a bright red underpainting. You probably could have guessed that by looking closely at the edges of the pears and leaves!

Ever singing, march we onward

Joyful, joyful, we adore thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flowers before thee,
opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day!

Joyful, Joyful © 2011 Karen Mathison Schmidt
6 x 6 • oil on 1/8" Gessobord

SOLD • private collection, Georgetown, South Carolina

Late spring is the heyday for these red Asian lilies around here. I love these that are growing in big pots on our front patio, blooming to beat the band before their time on center stage is up and it’s time for them to take a back seat to the daisies, roses and marigolds that thrive in the summer months.

The title of today’s painting was inspired by the first verse of one of my all-time favorite hymns, which the author wrote to be set to the melody of Ode to Joy, from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Here’s the complete hymn:

(Click here to hear a contemporary version by Casting Crowns)

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.

- HENRY VAN DYKE, 1852-1933

The Well-Read Cat

The Literary Cat © 2011 Karen Mathison Schmidt

5 x 7 • oil on Gessobord

SOLD • private collection, Jacksonville, Florida

Here’s Ray, relaxing amongst a few of his favorite volumes: A Tale of Two Kitties, To Eat a Mockingbird, The Sound and the Furry, The Cat Is a Lonely Hunter, Tuna Lighthouse, and, of course, his favorite of all time ... *ahem* ... The Great Catsby.

(If these punny titles evoked a good-natured groan from you, my goal has been achieved. Maybe you all can come up with some more feline-friendly titles in the comments section.)

Hey, I just learned that Ray, although he is a bicolor cat, is technically not a tuxedo cat. He’s what is called a “cap-and-saddle” cat; his dark color is a cap on his head and a saddle across his back and tail. Well, I guess you DO learn something new every day. At least I do. Not only does Ray have a saddle, he has chaps, too, as you can see in this photo. He’s ready to ride!

And now, some work-in-progress photos:

First, the sketch in purple & burnt sienna acrylic, followed by an overall glaze of indigo blue.

Now, a yellow glaze on his eyes and the bookcase:

After the underapainting is dry, I start adding the oil colors. I know this is backwards or upside-down from the way we artists have been taught, but in a portrait, whether person or pet, I always start with the eyes, and get that detail completely done right off the bat, because if you get the eyes right, that’s a big chunk of the work already done. And this might sound kind of weird, but with the eyes bringing the painting to life at the start, it’s more fun for me to work on the rest of it.

Notice also that the eyes are almost never just mirror images of each other. Everyone’s right eye is different, even if only slightly, from their left. And because the eyeball is wet, it’s always going to have several different color reflections in it, and sometimes more than one highlight.

Now I paint the bookcase, leaving some of the greenish underpainting showing through to suggest the grain of the wood:

In the finished painting, below, you can see I’ve added a suggestion of highlights on the top front edge of each shelf, I painted the books and added color in the surface of the top shelf to suggest the reflection of the books. In the previous photo, notice how incomplete his face looks without any suggestion of whiskers or ear hair.

Now there’s the Ray I know and love!

Work-in-progress photosplus Bailey and the Pears,a comedy in three acts

I almost forgot I was going to show the work-in-progress photos for this Pears on Stairs painting. Pears on Stairs ... sounds kinda like a Dr. Seuss book!

First I did a pencil sketch right on the Gessobord:

Next, I went over the sketch in purple acrylic, 

and added some yellow in the pears ...

and more yellow in the lightest areas of the stairs.

Now, I add a red glaze over the whole painting, 

turning the yellow areas orange-y.

Cool.

After the underpainting is dry, 

I start adding the oil colors on Bailey’s head:

... and now start adding in the lightest areas of the stairs:

I add detail to the pears and start developing

the reflections in the surface of the stair:

I think the painting is just about finished ...

... but wait, something’s missing.

I add whiskers, and NOW it’s finished!

And now, an extra added bonus:

Bailey and the Pears, a comedy in three acts

ACT I: DISCOVERY

ACT II: CONFRONTATION

Oops!

ACT III: TRIUMPH

Any of you other yahoos wanna mess with me?

No?

Okay then. That’s what I thought.

I guess they know when they’ve met their match.

Another New Day

PSALM 72:19 

Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.

Another New Day © 2011 Karen Mathison Schmidt
6 x 6 • oil on Gessobord

SOLD • private collection, Puyallup, Washington

No work-in-progress photos today, but I thought you might like to see my photo of the scene:

The title of today’s painting was inspired by an Eden’s Bridge song called Whole Earth, from their Celtic Praise CD. Because of some recent heavy rain, the pond in the pasture down the road from our house was filled to overflowing, splendidly reflecting the glorious colors of this late spring morning. It reminded me of this song.

You can listen to it here.

Whole Earth by Eden’s Bridge

Mist slowly rising,
The veil gently lifted
Revealing the splendour
Of another new day.
The valleys and hillsides
Are the prints of your fingers,
All lifting their faces
To the call of your name.

And I hear it beginning,
A feeling arising,
And a sense of your presence
In all I survey.

And the mountains and the hills
Shall break forth before you
With shouts of joy
And words of praise,
And the sunlight that glistens
Upon the waters
Will lift my heart
Once again,
And the whole earth,
The whole earth shall praise your name.

Flashes of scarlet
And glimpses of purple,
Echoes of birdsong
And the whisper of rain.
So intense an outpouring
Is bemusing my senses,
Creation responding
To the call of your name.

And I hear it beginning...

Improving on the ordinary

Pears on Stairs -- oh, and a cat, too © 2011 Karen Mathison Schmidt
6 x 6 inches • oil on 1/8" Gessobord
gloss varnish for UV protection and easy cleaning

CLICK HERE TO BID
Auction ends May 27

I was setting up a little still life on the stairs and Bailey decided to join the action.

According to her, three pears and a cat beat three pears any day.

I’ll post work-in-progress photos mañana.

Have a good night, all!

Iris beginnings ... plus wall surfin’

untitled iris painting work in progress
24 x 30 inches • oil on 2" cradled Gessobord

Man-boyhowdy, it’s been a while since I tackled a painting this large and a subject this intricate! My first idea for these irises was to do an 8 x 10 or so. But while I was doing a pencil sketch I suddenly flashed on how striking these flowers could be as a LARGE painting. I know 24 x 30 isn’t large for some artists, but it is for me. This one is taking some patience -- I’ve been working on this underpainting all day! -- but I’m hopeful it will turn out like I’m seeing it in my imagination. We’ll see!

Meanwhile, I thought I’d show you all how Andy likes to nap on a summery day like today.

In case you can’t quite make out what you’re seeing, his back legs are straight up in the air, and his front half is twisted around so that his front legs are flat against the wall.

We call this pose of his wall surfin’. The beadboard wainscoting must feel cool on his belly. Or maybe he’s just weird.

Probably a little of both.