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Showing posts from 2017

Current exhibit and holiday season updates

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Gold II, sold   Wow. It has certainly been a while since I have done my regular blogging! To all of the new subscribers to my newsletter who are seeing this for the first time, I have to say, don't give up on me yet! I am planning to be posting very regularly again in January.  I have had a full and blessed "art year". I have had the privilege of being in several art groups, in several exhibits and competitions, part of a film about artists, and teacher for a couple of classes this year. I hope that through all of these things, I continue to grow, both artistically and personally.  Gold II is one of the paintings currently on display at my exhibit in The Gallery in Warsaw, IN. This exhibit is called My Favorite Things and contains several of my favorite paintings, (see below) as well as paintings which are favorites of my family and friends. I wonder whether YOUR favorite is there!  

Hope

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Hope Our son has been visiting us from Dallas Theological Seminary for the last week or so, and it has been such a delight to have him here! (His mother missed him!) He brought home a book that he thought I would enjoy reading, and it has been a good book, though I must admit it is slow reading. It is a study of epistemology   and is written using common words in uncommon ways.  I think, though, that it is really teaching me some things about learning and knowledge.  SOLD 20" x 20" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on deep gallery-wrapped canvas Ready to hang In my daily Bible reading, I came a few days ago to 1 Corinthians 15 . I don't even have a guess as to how many times I have read this part of the New Testament, but this time through it has been challenging and convicting to me. I know that my heart needs to be tuned to understand what my Heavenly Father has for me in this section, and He is using common words in uncommon ways to ca

Ornament give-away

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group shot of ornaments  On my Facebook page , I announced last week that I am planning to give away one Christmas ornament to a newsletter subscriber . Everyone who is already subscribed is eligible, and any new subscribers will be added to the drawing, too. I will choose a winner December 4, and will announce it to my newsletter email list.  I had so much fun making these ornaments! I took a workshop from abstract artist Carol Nelson a few years ago, and this technique is adapted from what I learned in her workshop. I love working with these colors and shapes and surfaces, and the ornaments turned out beautifully.  Ornaments are 3" x 3" and have a gold loop attached for hanging. Each is $15 and you can choose the color of the ornament you want. (If you want a particular one that is pictured, please contact me.) Main color of ornament Red Orange Yellow Purple   I hope that by tomorrow, I will be able to post the painting I have been working on.

Sold at the art fair!

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Little Seascape Last Saturday I was part of an art show/fair in my hometown - and INDOOR show, which made it  fabulous! There were so many good artists there, and it was a good turnout for a first year show when there were SEVEN OTHER LOCAL ART AND CRAFT EVENTS !!! Unbelievable!  I was so pleased to sell these two paintings, along with a small ACEO painting and several ornaments that I had made.  Thanks SO MUCH to the friends who came to the events of this weekend, and to those who also purchased work from me! I will have ornaments for sale soon, so if you see a color you like in the photo below, please contact me to reserve one.  Whatever My Lot Ornaments in progress

The FIVE is released!

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 As of Friday, November 3, 2017 the film 'The FIVE' by Marc Eckel is released for public viewing! This project is a film featuring five artists, of which I am one. My role in this film was to represent the daily painter - an artist who strives to complete a painting each day. I do participate in daily painting challenges a couple of times each year, so it was a role that appealed to me. It was a privilege to work with these artists. I think the film turned out well, too. BIG thank you to Marc Eckel of Blue Spaghetti Films!  Marc has uploaded this 40 minute film to YouTube, and I invite you to have a look at it!

Progressive #4

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Progressive #4 After what has felt like a whirlwind week, I am slowing down just a bit today, and I plan to enter this painting, Progressive #4, in a local show and contest at Lakeland Art Association. If you have been following me on my blog, then you know that I have tried a new idea lately with this painting. I started here  and am at least pausing the progress today because I like the painting at this point.  NLA 12" x 12" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on deep gallery-wrapped canvas Ready to hang Click here to view or purchase on my website. One thing that I am loving about this painting as it progresses is the way that each step, each stage of the painting, leaves a permanent mark on the final work of art.  It may not be very large or noticeable, or it may be glaring, but it is still a part of the complete picture. I love how this is a representation of life, in a sense. I think about how each of us is a work in progress, and how

November Gold ACEO

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November Gold ACEO "The first demand any work of art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way. (There is no good asking first whether the work before you deserves such a surrender, for until you have surrendered you cannot possibly find out.)”  ―  C.S. Lewis ,  An Experiment in Criticism I have not posted any new paintings for a week or more, but have done SOME work as I have been preparing for a really full weekend! I painted 24 new Christmas ornaments for sale and have been preparing for an Art Fair (as those who are signed up for my newsletters will have seen.) Part of my preparations for the fair have included making new ACEO cards for sale. I wanted to have some original art at a lower price point available, so this is one of the things I will be displaying.  Sold 2.5" x 3.5" ACEO Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper These tiny works have been f

Still Life painting with friends

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Still Life with Friends So, I have been griping quite a bit about it, but MY COMPUTER IS DEAD. So everything is more challenging, except the actual painting. THAT is still a lot of fun, thankfully! But organizing, blogging, pricing, posting, getting and responding to messages... all of that is not going as smoothly as usual, and I really don't have much room for error! *wink* I am posting this painting without a Paypal link. If you would like to purchase, please contact me! It is a 9" x 12" on a canvas panel, and the price is  It was my privilege this week to paint with artist friends in someone else's studio.  We all gathered to paint, and the person who is a realistic still life painter was ready to give tips if we wanted to try. He brought photos for us to work from and was gracious with helpful suggestions. In all honesty, my still life is FAR from the quality of his work, but it is also pretty far from my usual. I really enjoyed trying something different

Progressive painting, 3rd version

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It seems that my computer has bitten the dust. I sure hope I am wrong, but it will take a repair person to figure that out. RATS! Painting was fun today, though! I have been doing some studying and wanted to try a thicker application of paint, since many of my favorite paintings have that characteristic. So today's progress was made using a couple of palette knives, and careful placement of each load of paint. To learn more about this work, check out my posts from the last couple of days. 

Progressive painting, 2nd edition

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Progressive painting, 2nd edition If you saw my previous post , you will recognize what this post is all about. This is the second installment of this painting, which will progress until someone just "has to" have it, or until I decide to call it quits on this project - whichever comes first. As you can see, I have only added a small amount before photographing today. I love the white and the transparent fogginess in the one area. And once again, I know what I want to do next with this painting, so it is challenging to wait!  Otherwise, once again, I will be changing, adding, subtracting - doing something new to it by this weekend.  I hope you enjoy this progression!

A Progressive painting?

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Progressive Painting, day 1 I have decided I want to try something that I think might be fun for both you and me. I am going to call it a progressive painting. Here is how it will work. Today I started this painting, and if you love it and NEED to have it, you must contact me within a day or so before I paint over it! Each day I will continue by painting over the painting until I like it's new look, then I will post it on my blog and my facebook page, Brenda Kay Paintings . Since I expect it to change dramatically each day, I haven't signed it or decided which is "right side up", and so you can decide that! This painting is on a 12" square, deep, gallery wrapped canvas, and can be ready to hang or framed. It is painted with acrylic paints, as always. I will start the price at half of what I usually charge for a 12" x 12" painting, and will increase it each time I repost.  I am actually loving this painting right at this stage, but I also hav

Lament

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Lament Houston. Florida. Mexico. Caribbean Islands. Montana. South Asia. Las Vegas. Heaven, help us. 22" x 30" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame Contact me to purchase. John 11:35 Jesus wept. Psalm 137:1-3 (ESV) By the waters of Babylon,     there we sat down and wept,     when we remembered Zion. On the willows there     we hung up our lyres. For there our captors     required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying,    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

In Focus

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In Focus I finally got to go back into our woods for a walk today. Between extra wet weather, traveling, and other factors, I have hardly been back there at all this year. And I have missed it. One thing that I noticed as I climbed over and through fallen branches and pushed brambles back off the path was that it felt like I couldn’t SEE anything. I don’t think it was my (ahem) bifocals, though they could be a factor. I think it felt so unfamiliar that I couldn’t really see the textures, the prints from animals, and my favorite plants.  I had to focus on the trail, and on staying out of poison ivy, and on getting over fallen timber. Walking on the boardwalk in our town has felt kind of the same way this fall. I have fewer obstacles, but I still feel like I cannot SEE where I am walking. A few times, I have been deeply troubled as I walk, and of course, that makes me almost blind to my surroundings. I “see” the headlines, or personal situations instead of the beauty surrounding

Hidden Treasure

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Hidden Treasure It is the 30 th day of the 30paintings in 30 days challenge for September 2017, and I think this year I have come the closest to doing all 30 of them. Considering what all has happened this month, it is remarkable to have gotten 27 paintings done, and I would guess that all of the artists participating would say the same thing. I really wanted my last painting to be spectacular.  My hope was that everything that I have learned and all of my comfort in my studio would come together and I would create a MASTERPIECE. Well, I am beginning to wonder whether I will recognize a masterpiece if I ever do paint one! Sometimes it takes weeks to begin to really see what is happening with a painting. I don’t really know how to explain for those of you who are not artists, but I can get so involved with the details that I lose track of the big picture. No longer available 12" x 12" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep ga

Autumn Abstract

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Autumn Abstract Due to appointments and interruptions, I am running behind today. I will still be painting, but I am posting an abstract I painted earlier this month and have been keeping just in case I had a day like today!  6" x 6" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on Art Bite panel Ready to frame I really hope your day is as beautiful as ours is here, though I don't know whether that would be possible, since it is absolutely perfect here today! Anyway, here is my blessing for you today, from the Old Testament.  Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV) "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

Tag-along

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Tag-along This morning on the treadmill I finished a book that I really enjoyed. It was a who-done-it by Josephine Tey called the Singing Sands. She has a style of writing that makes me occasionally laugh out loud, and I find I did not completely solve the mystery before the end of the book. I have not really been a fan of mysteries before, though I do love reading the Father Brown books by G. K. Chesterton (along with any other writing by him, I have to say!) I have also recently begun reading some other authors that are newer to me based on the recommendations of my friend, Emma Lou. Though I have loved to read for as long as I can remember, I still have to give myself excuses for sitting still and reading! Especially novels. But even non-fiction books that are important to my painting or to my spiritual life can feel like a guilty pleasure sometimes. Is that the case for you, too? So I have come late to the party of people who read on the treadmill. Ha ha! I have enjoyed vi

Celebrate!

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Celebrate! Acts 20:32 (HCSB) “And now I commit you to God and to the message of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.” First thing this morning, as I was watching the sunrise and reading my Bible, I saw this verse, and it made me think about my kids. They are capable, levelheaded adults, and one would think that their mom would not be thinking about their welfare CONSTANTLY. But I am. Almost all the time! And I am guessing most moms are right there with me in hoping for and praying for the best for their kids. Right at present, a couple of bigger needs have come up in their lives, and though I know it is all part of becoming a successful adult, I really want to find a way to rush in and solve the problems! As I talked to my daughter today, though, my mouth said to her, “God will provide. He always does. He has never failed.” (To which she answered, “I know” – the perfect answer to make this mom’s heart ha

Divided and Distracted

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Divided and Distracted Australian Sky Blue by Matisse is one of my favorite paint colors. I had a large tube of it that was nearly empty, so I started this canvas with that color. I couldn’t seem to come up with a theme, composition, or color choice today, so I decided to just start and see where it went. I decided on a muted orange-yellow to play complement to the purplish blue, so that came next. The result was very unsatisfying, so I started doing this and then that to try to fix it. 20" x 24" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on deep gallery wrapped canvas Ready to hang All day today I have been a bit distracted with the deep divisions being expressed in our country YET AGAIN. Social media, educators, athletes, the President, my Christian brothers and sisters,  Gen Xers… everyone is shouting and no one is listening. We are all taking our stands and throwing memes, videos, and proclamations at each other. EVERY topic has the two sides

The Water of Life

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The Water of Life This morning our speaker at church talked about heaven, or more precisely, he spoke about the New Jerusalem as described in Revelation 21 in the New Testament. It is a passage that has some special connection for me, besides just my longing to see Jesus there. If you have followed my work for a while, you may remember that I painted a series about stones – particularly precious stones – mentioned in the Bible. Revelation 21 was one of my main Biblical sources for 12 of those paintings. I felt very privileged to be able to share my grouping of paintings (see below) at church today as a way to encourage people to think about the beauty God is preparing for those who love Him. 9" x 12" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Ready to frame The beautiful descriptions took my breath away again today. GOD designed beauty, and HE is expressed through beauty, somehow. I absolutely love it that the GOD who created me, a

Not My Style

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Not My Style My hair stylist is the best! I suppose a lot of people feel that way, but really, they should try Tony. She has taken my hair through all kinds of interesting phases, and now I have a creative, artist-y haircut. When I was a barista in our own coffee shop, I had smooth, shining hair that was just right for that job. But now that I get to paint – ZOWIE! My hair sticks out in unpredictable places and sometimes is purple. When I am at art events, sometimes people will say, “Are you the artist? I thought so. You have artist hair.” I love that comment. Sometimes, though, on a “bad hair day”, my hair looks “nice”. Rats! Sometimes it lies down nicely and looks like an ordinary short hair style. I am sure I would like it on someone else, but it is definitely not my style!  (I have to say, too, that although my smooth style as a barista worked for me at that time, I think most who know me would agree now that it was not really my style either.) NLA 12" x 12"

Fortitude

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Fortitude September 21 is my daughter’s birthday! I would love to be going to visit her today. I have to admit, though, in one area I failed at least half the time. I rarely got a birthday cake baked for my loves. I have no idea why I consistently failed in that area. We had a lot of other birthday traditions that we practiced, but those cakes always seemed to get the better of me.   One of the things we started at one point was decorating our meal table with photos of the honored person. I spent a day going through photos, both digital and printed, to choose the best ones or the ones that helped tell an interesting story. We have a pretty large table, so it would take a LOT of photos to cover the whole thing. I would put a clear heavy plastic cover over all of it to protect the whole scattered, jumbled, fun bunch of memories.  The collection would stay on the table for weeks, and sometimes we would switch from “our spots” at meals to enjoy a different photo grouping. What fun

How Do Ya Like Them Apples?

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How Do Ya Like Them Apples? “How do ya like them apples?” After a really cursory google search, I found that this phrase may have originated in WWI, and has been used since the 1920s. For some reason, I am familiar with it, maybe through books or movies I have seen. It is not a straight forward question, as many of you already know. In fact, I would say it carries more than a little bit of irritation or sarcasm. We have lived in our home for 21 years now. Our kids grew up here, for the most part, and it now seems too big for us. We have a small orchard that we planted years ago, and it produces loads of apples,  peaches, pears, and some other fruit too. The problem for us is that we don’t have the time or energy to take proper care of it anymore. We don’t get it sprayed, pruned, or harvested, and lots of ugly, bug- and bird-eaten fruit goes to waste. We feed a little to the cows, and we do manage to pick up some of it, but it is way more than we can manage. 22" x 30&qu

Legacy

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Legacy My dad had what he called “Lake Fever”. Almost every trip in the car or vacation we went on ended up near a lake. For many years, all five of us would pile into Dad’s small plane and we would fly to a park or a town with a lake nearby. Today is the day Dad would have turned 81. I cannot imagine him at that age, of course. Dad worked and flew until he was taken to the hospital right before he died. He was intensely involved in aviation, and intensely in love with my mom.  And more significantly, he was intensely a follower of Jesus Christ. NLA 9" x 12" Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on canvas panel Ready to frame I am so thankful for my dad. The most significant things in my life are things that he lived, and I picked up through his example. I learned to fly, and to see the clouds as playgrounds that are unadulterated by human interference. I learned what a loving family and home life looks like. And most significantly, I lea