Christmas In July!

Merry Christmas....a little early! Last week I taught a craft class at the Lowcountry Senior Center. We shared the holiday spirit as we made these shell filled and crushed shell embellished ornaments. It was a great afternoon!

I plan to teach more arts and crafts projects in the days ahead. As of June 30th Eddie and I closed our cellular phone store. The last few months have been consumed with store closing related details and I've had little or no time to be creative.

After a brief period to catch my breath I'll be teaching classes again. I'm in the process of exploring additional venues. My son, Michael, is also helping me launch a new web site that will feature ornaments like this one as well as ornaments personalized with your favorite photo inside. We'll also have an arts and crafts section for both classes and finished home accents. Finally, we'll have a fine arts section with oil paintings for sale. How does that sound?!

Let me know what you think, and what else you might like to see on our new web site!

Kathy



Contact Kathy At kathysweeney@gmail.com

Setting Sun

Today's painting is of a sunset here at the beach. This is one of those simple pleasures that we take for granted. A simple pleasure that our armed forces have always fought to preserve for us. It's something that we all too often take for granted.

Please take time on this Memorial Day to remember those living and deceased who sacrificed so much so that we can enjoy a simple sunset in peace.

The 10x10 painting is on a gallery wrapped canvas and sides are painted a deep lavendar. It hangs very nicely without a frame. It's priced at $45 which includes shipping to the US.

Enjoy your day!

Kathy

To purchase via PayPal please contact Kathy At kathysweeney@gmail.com

Fall Garden Path

This 8x10 is done with the same flat brush technique as my last posting. The oranges and yellows of the foliage, as well as the greens of the shrubbery really lend themselves to this technique. I do need to work on the tree trunk in the foreground on the right as well as the path itself as it recedes. They're both in shadow in the reference photo, but I'm not happy with them as is. I'll post again after I rework it.

Have a nice weekend!
Kathy

Contact Kathy At kathysweeney@gmail.com

Country Lane

I've really enjoyed the flat brush exercises that Joyce has us doing. We mass in the large shapes with a filbert as a value underpainting. Next we use a flat brush to add choppy strokes of the appropriate colors and values. In the finishing touch we used a small round brush for the detail work.

I enjoy this style and they work up so fast. I'll post another tomorrow.

Kathy

Contact Kathy At kathysweeney@gmail.com

Roses and Brass

This little 5x7 was inspired by the amazing work of Elizabeth Pruitt. I took a workshop with Elizabeth a few months ago and was just blown away. She is as nice as she is talented. I want to paint just like her one day.

I know that's a stretch. I'm only a beginner but I Dream Big, as my mom would say. That was mom's mantra when I was growing up. I passed it on to my children. I encouraged them to get out there and follow their dreams. And I tried to remember to do the same.

I remember when I wanted to fox hunt, but I hadn't left the class ring yet! My good friend Rod Swanson drove me and my horse over to Hitchcock Woods in Aiken, SC. The facility serves as a training course for the steeplechase. He made me jump every fence 3 times. I must have jumped 100 times that day. I hunted that season and eventually earned my colors as a member of the Middleton Place Hounds.

Painting is my new passion, and I hope to remember the lessons that I've learned not only about dreaming big, but also about having a plan in place to help make that dream a reality!

So Dream Big!!


Contact Kathy at kathysweeney@gmail.com

Stepping Out

This little painting was a challenge for me. The reference photo, taken by my son Michael, was of these gorgeous old oaks in the shade...with the sun poking through on some branches and shining on the distant marsh and tree line. It's hard, for me anyway, to convey the shade in the foreground and the sun in the background.

If we don't push ourselves to try new things then we never learn. It's not easy moving out of our comfort zone, is it? Yet, when we do manage to take that step we start to expand our comfort zone! Here's to stepping out!


Contact Kathy At kathysweeney@gmail.com

Playing with Clay

I always loved a brand new container of Play Dough! I can still smell it! Well, two of my painting friends, Sandy McTier and Judy Nicewicz, were having so much fun and creating such gorgeous clay treasures that I had to dig in too!

Sarah was staying with us for a few days over Spring Break and I had some heart shaped Altoid tins ..... a recipe for fun!  We played with clay on her last visit so that was the first thing she wanted to do when she arrived.

We went to work and made these two tins...one for Eddie and one for Rebecca, Sarah's mom and my sweet daughter.

We love them...Eddie and Becca love them...and Sarah and I had a ball!

Happy Passover and Happy Easter!

Contact Kathy At kathysweeney@gmail.com