Keep Believing

This past week or two has been full of mixed emotions--yin and yang moments that have really pulled at my heart. For the past eight years I have been home raising my two little boys. In two days they will both be in school full time and it is really hard to reimagine my days.

I do look forward to more painting time, among other things, and thought I'd start out with some color play on these fun dandelion pieces. (Visit my website to see the others.) I shared this particular one on my Facebook art page yesterday and one man wrote, "Great colors, but they're just dandelions." I shared the comment with my husband and he was disappointed, but for that man and probably many others I guess it's true. They are just dandelions!! But for others, I guess some like to focus on the feelings or the memories associated with this particular image.

6x6 on 1/8" museum quality panel
www.halliekohnart.com

Jalapeño Hands & Rusty Brush

I made a huge batch of salsa today, and forgot how painful it can be to touch jalapeño seeds! If you've ever made the mistake of rubbing your hand on the seeds to release them from the pepper, then you know the burn I'm talking about. Together with my "rusty" brush from lack of painting, it's amazing anything was accomplished.

There is still a lot of confusion regarding melding what I learned at my workshop with my own style of painting. This is the first painting that I've felt accomplished that pretty well. And you know, practice will definitely help, so looking forward to lots of painting soon.

6x6 on 1/8" museum quality panel
www.halliekohnart.com
www.facebook.com/halliekohnart

Sunflowers & Coneflowers

After my workshop, I honestly thought "I will take the last few weeks of summer to enjoy family time and paint after school starts." However, the urge to get back in the studio after days of JUST painting was too much to take. I grabbed a few 6x6 panels and took some sessions to try and incorporate new ways of painting merged together with my own style. Of course, I need more time! Luckily the boys were occupied, so my "mother's guilt" was kept to a minimum. :)

Sunflowers
6x6 on 1/8" museum quality panel
www.halliekohnart.com

Coneflowers
6x6 on 1/8" museum quality panel
www.halliekohnart.com

A Workshop with Dreama

I'm beginning to crave interaction with other artists more than I have in the past. Not sure if it is because I see time opening up for me a bit more or maybe I'm more comfortable in what I'm doing as an artist... Whatever the reason, I decided to take a second workshop with artist Dreama Tolle Perry.

I was very focused at the class and interested in doing things the instructors way to try and stretch myself. Please know this can be uncomfortable! The way each artist paints has taken years to develop, but it's also very necessary if hoping to grow.

Dreama has a wonderful way of speaking; I compare her to a motivational speaker. She has so many enlightening, positive things to say about this growth process and the progress we make in our art and our lives. I'd love to go on and on about her sentiments, but don't think I could ever do her justice. She is inspiring with words and of course with her art.

She got right to work with excellent painting demonstrations and the rest of us would go off to work in a similar style using the same inspiration photo, palette and tools. I used some colors I hadn't before, mainly transparent, and of course a painting style completely new to me. I was pleased with the process and felt really supported by both Dreama and the other artists in the class. 

On the final day we each brought in our own inspirational photo and attempted to paint it by applying what was learned on the prior days. I did this to the best of my ability, easily the toughest part! Using the new knowledge, making all of the choices myself, and fighting against ways I would typically paint really had me out of my comfort zone. I wouldn't have it any other way!

I highly recommend a session with Dreama; everything was so well done and the environment was so supportive. Here are the paintings I completed while there in the order they were done, the last done from my own photo of the sunflower field in my town: