I just wanted to take a minute to give a shout out to my painting students. I have been teaching at the Hoffman Center for the Arts for the past five months and it has been wonderful. I have one student who has taken the class every month. Others have taken only one session and some have taken a few. Like life, people come and go. But every one of them has been a joy to teach. It's so fun to watch them progress from the insecure, to the mildly frustrated, to the Ah-Ha moment and finally sit back and realize they did it. That's the joy of being a teacher.
What A Story!
I just have to share the rest of the story of "Standing Watch". I attended the Opening Reception at the North Country Recreation Center in Nehalem, Oregon. I was so very impressed with the turnout and the support of this community. Three leaders from the Nehalem-Catsop tribe were present and shared their gratitude and what they are doing to work toward restoring their national tribal status with all of its rights and privileges. Two of the leaders kept asking me about the painting. I told them how I had researched their people and tried to place myself in the place and time of the early people. I talked about what it would mean to stand watch and wait for my sons and/or my husband to come home. And how I felt that there would be a Chief and perhaps even a Great Spirit standing watch, waiting for the People to come home. One of the leaders, with tears in her eyes, told me she'd had a dream (I don't feel that the details are mine to share here) and when she woke she knew the dream was about her people coming home. They were so touched by my painting that the tribe has decided to purchase it. I am so honored and excited. What a great opportunity this turned out to be. Not only was I inspired to create something, but also to touch the lives of others, and share a moment in eternity with some incredibly special people. Definitely a memory I will treasure.
Mindful Mandala
In April I will be teaching a workshop for the Hoffman Center for the Arts. I'm calling it Mindful Art. They asked me to create an image for publicity. It started out to be a personal mandala, but quickly turned into one about my thoughts and feelings regarding my children. It's amazing how impossible it is to keep yourself out of your art. I had a wonderful conversation about this with a fellow artist during my opening reception for the Hoffman Center in January. It reminds me of a thought that often comes into my head, "No matter where I go, there I am." And obviously, no matter where I go, my kids are with me heart and soul.
They Make Me Sound So Good!
Most artists I've worked with suffer a similar plague, that of feeling like their art isn't good enough. I'm an artist, not a salesman, and I have a very difficult time promoting myself. So when I read the Hoffman Center of the Arts blog post and advertisement for my art class, I was pretty surprised at how good they made me sound.
February’s Oil Painting session starts Thursday, February 4. If you’ve been worried that oil painting might be too difficult, don’t worry. There’s no mistake you can’t fix because the medium is so flexible.
Materials don’t need to be cost prohibitive either, because Karen teaches color mixing with only three basic colors.
Once you’ve given oils a chance, you’ll never go back!
And here’s a hearty endorsement from one of Karen’s recent students:
“I love your teaching style, Karen. I’m enjoying your class very much. I have to say, I normally don’t take art classes, but you’ve changed my mind with this one. You take time with each student, and I’ve learned some great new techniques.” Jan Layne, student in the January session of Karen’s oil painting class.
This is an ongoing oil painting class that takes participants from where they are to the next level. Karen has been teaching art for eight years and is experienced in teaching beginning students as well as those who have been painting for years.
Class participants will learn the elements of art and design, classic painting techniques, and color theory through the process of creating their own paintings. Each session is three hours long.
Tuition: Students pay $165 for 4 sessions at a time. There is an additional $20 supply fee per period if students don’t have their own (bring materials fee to class for the teacher directly). If students know they will miss one of the sessions there will be make-up session on Thursday, March 31st.
Time: Thursdays, Feb 4, 11, 18, 25 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Hoffman Center for the Arts, 594 Laneda Avenue, Manzanita
A minimum of 4 students is required for the class to go forward. Please register no later than Thursday, January 28 to ensure the class will proceed.
Students who already work in the medium are asked to bring their own supplies. A complete list will be provided at registration. Students new to oil painting can use provided materials for an additional $20 (paid on the first day of class directly to the teacher).
Click here to register. For questions about the class, contact Karen at peasehouseart@gmail.com.
Local artist Karen Gale (peasehouseart.com): After a 16 year career in education, Karen studied in the Department of Art and Design at Southern Utah University. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, she has created Pike Road Painters artist group in Yamhill, Oregon as an art teacher, joined Currents Gallery in McMinnville as an artist and art teacher, and founded Pease House Art in Oregon City. She now lives in Bay City with her husband, teaches art locally, paints, and is illustrating a children’s book.
Bay City Arts Center
Friday was the Opening Reception for my exhibit at the Bay City Arts Center. I appreciate the opportunity to show and talk about my work. A friend advised me that "it's all about the lighting". While I actually had no control over the lighting, her remark proved true. One of the board members for the BCAC shared that when she walked in and saw the exhibit she picked out a painting that she liked the best. Then the lighting was turned on and suddenly she saw everything, literally, in a whole new light. In this photo I am discussing "Supplication". She said that once she saw it lit, she couldn't take her eyes off it. So fun see the magic happen.
The Show is Hung
Well, it's done. My faithful Young Women came and gave service hours to help me hang my show. They did such a great job and were so cheerful and helpful. I love them! And I have to say, they did a wonderful job. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Of course Andrew was my right hand man and with me every step of the way. His love and support are what keep me going day in and day out and especially on days like today. Now I just have to wait until Friday for the Opening Reception. Oh my...
A River Runs Through It
I don't get to paint every day. But if I can't paint, the next best thing is being inspired by my students. Richard just retired as a pediatric neurosurgeon and decided to try those hands at painting. He had never touched a brush to canvas before this class. Pretty impressive, don't you think? I love then enthusiasm of my students. They warm my heart and motivate me to get back to my own canvas as soon as possible. What a fun day.
Summer Shore
I love finding words that say it better than I can...
Tree Line
Sometimes when I paint I struggle and fuss and play with color, brushes and technique and still seem to have a hard time getting it right. Other time, like today, magic just seems to happen. The right brush chooses the right color and it seems to simply paint itself. Always fun to paint on these days!
That Magic Moment
Oh. My. Google... I had a magic moment today! I was taking pictures on the beach and became fascinated with the dry sheds of some sand fleas and the patterns the sheds had made. The sheds reminded of some curious things I'd found last year that looked like leaf skeletons - like you find in late fall when a leaf has decayed all except the veins - only these were on the beach so they couldn't be leaf skeletons. I had gone home and looked it up and discovered they were Purple Sails. You can read all about them here (Blue Zoo). After reading about them I thought that I had missed my chance to see a live one.
I continued to explore more of the beach when suddenly, right there in front of me, was a Purple Sail! I immediately dropped to my belly to get as close a picture as I could. To my further joy I discovered that the tide line was littered with them - not thousands, like in some of the web site photos, but scattered all along where I was standing.
It's interesting that this memory came to me right when it did. If it hadn't, I may not have been paying close enough attention to realize what they were. They are so much smaller than I would have thought. Crazy how things work...
When I first moved to the coast I would go the beach in hopes of finding this or that specific thing. I've come to trust that if I arrive with no expectations the Ocean will gift me with something very special every time. Today was a treasure beyond treasures. I couldn't wait to get home and start editing the photos. So exciting! Enjoy!!
"Purple Sail at Twin Rocks"
"Purple Sail Trio in the Sand"
"Stranded Purple Sail"
"Scattered Purple Fins"
Grateful Moment
It has been fluctuating between rain and clear sunny skies all day. One minute it's a downpour and the next the sky is such a bright blue and rain on the fresh spring leaves sparkles in the sunlight. I took a quick opportunity during a break in the rain to explore a little finger on the Tillamook Bay that's been taunting me since I moved here. I've seen fishermen and clammers down there, but it's often deserted. I didn't get far before the wind picked up and the rain threatened again. But it was fun to know I broke that barrier and introduced myself to a new corner of this heaven where I live. As I stood there, taking in the chill, the bite of the wind on my cheeks, the smell of the varied types of moisture, the sound of the waves and the rustle of the leaves I sensed a message coming through. I laugh at the dramatic changes in weather in the fall and call it the menopause season - hot flashes and cold chills. But I felt that rather than an impending sense of imminent cold and miserable weather, Mother Nature was tell me that it heralded the coming of hope in the form of fresh blossoms, budding leaves, new plants and baby animals, and the joys of spring. My whole being took it in and relished it. What a grateful moment in time!
