My annual Spring Open Studio event, held on the last weekend in April, was a resounding success, with several major works finding forever homes. I thank everyone who came out to my Lindsay studio to see my new landscapes and nature study paintings, and have a chat and a tour of my creative space.

Everyone who attended was eligible to enter a free draw for my 'Rocks of the Rock' painting, valued at $400. The winner was Erika Thimm, a naturalist and nature photographer from Port Perry (shown with me above).

Erika has been attending my art events for the last 20 years and she brought to my Open Studio a new Canadian Kurdish family of six from Syria, that came one year ago to Port Perry. The children, artistically inclined, especially enjoyed seeing some Canadian art. Erika made this comment after the show: ''I so much enjoy Karen's work, because she brings the spirit of the subjects to the canvas - what I see and feel in Nature.''

Shown below are several photos of my studio, taken just before visitors arrived.

The photo below shows three paintings in progress on my drafting table. Visitors enjoyed this glimpse into the process of my artwork creation and I spoke to many people interested in attending my watercolour classes.

I truly enjoyed hosting my Spring Open Studio. This was a perfect time of year  and I look forward to doing it every April.

If you have any ideas, questions, or comments to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

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Last fall, I created this watercolour painting from a photo taken in Nova Scotia during our 2017 Maritime trip.

I love the apparent simplicity of this composition, with three smooth pebbles sitting in a cleft of weathered driftwood. But the image implies a more complex meaning to me; one of shelter, security, togetherness, and family.

When the painting was completed, I posted a picture of it on Facebook, to ask my online friends for suggestions for a title. The image got a strong response, with about 50 title ideas coming forward. The one I selected was 'Fitting In', but I made note of all the suggestions, to use on future paintings I am creating in a series about cracks and crevices. An artist friend also suggested I add a living creature to the driftwood cleft, peeking over the stones. Hmmm... food for thought.

Then I entered 'Fitting In' in the This Is Home painting competition, sponsored by Artwork Archive. My artwork took first place with over 800 votes on Facebook, winning the Voter's Choice award of US$300. A few weeks later, two of my paintings, including 'Fitting In', were accepted into the PineRidge Arts Council 18th Annual Juried Art Exhibition (shown above). This competition had 190 pieces submitted by 103 artists, with only 65 paintings being accepted into the show by the juror.

During this time, I recognized that this image would be an excellent subject for a watercolour class, allowing me to teach several key aspects, such as choosing a focal point, contrasting light and dark, depicting smooth and rough textures, and mixing subdued colours, to name a few.

So this spring, I taught this subject twice in classes held in my Lindsay studio, and my instincts were correct; my students LOVED painting this scene and learning all I could impart along the way. They used actual stones from my rock collection as reference, to make their creations unique.

Here are photos of my students with their finished pieces:

Several of the students made comments after class:

"I learn so much when I take workshops with you. You have such a fantastic knowledge base. You explain the why as well as the how! Painting in your studio, surrounded by your incredible paintings, is such an inspiration. And you are a joy as a teacher! Thanks a million for an incredible time!" ~Diane S.

"We had such a wonderful time. I learned SO much about handling watercolour and how to achieve different textures. The "ah ha" moment for me was learning how to mix all those subtle colours from just three primaries. Karen is an awesome teacher who is able to convey so much of her knowledge and experience to her students." ~Jan Z.

"Thank you so much for the whole experience. It was such an inspiring and educational two days. I know that is due to your organization, presentation and overall thoughtfulness of your students. I did not really believe I could leave that workshop with a piece of art that resembled what Jan had shown me after she attended the 'Pebbles' workshop. What an amazing feeling that was... Thank you again for sharing your expertise and delighting in the pleasure that your 'gift' brings others." ~Roz G.

I made a new demonstration painting during each session, to show the students various painting techniques, and I decided to add a living creature to each one, to make paintings that were different from my first version. Here are the three paintings shown as a series:

In considering appropriate titles, I first came up with 'Fitting In', 'Sitting In', and 'Flitting In' for the series. Then I thought, since possibly these three paintings will end up in the hands of separate collectors, the humour might be lost. I decided a more appropriate title for the version with the squirrel would be 'Curiosity', and for the version with the butterfly, 'A Moment's Rest'. I would love to hear your thoughts on titles.

These three paintings, part of a group of almost 40 pieces, will be on display at my Spring Open Studio (weekend of April 28 and 29, 1 to 5 pm) in Lindsay. I hope you can meet the trio in person. One can't help but smile when seeing them.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please let Karen know by clicking on the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

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A few days ago, I heard a thump on my studio window. I thought maybe it was Santa's reindeer.

Upon investigation, I discovered it was the Christmas Turkey!

I took some quick photos with my phone from my studio window.  I think this fine fellow has his eye on the beautiful stones displayed on my window sill.

Maybe he was just checking out his reflection in the window glass.

Or perhaps the cactus garden looked good enough to eat.

The flock moved around our house and I took these photos below from my other studio window. What majestic, large creatures these are.

They look black from afar but are very colourful up close. Their body feathers are purple and bronze with black tips.

This photo below was taken from our living room window. My husband counted 18 turkeys in the flock. They are digging for food in a field that grew soybeans earlier this year.

These turkeys live year round in the farm fields and hedgerow behind my home and studio, but they don't always grace us with an up-close-and-personal visit. I guess they were full of Christmas cheer on this occasion.

I hope you are enjoying special holiday time with friends and family. I am profoundly grateful for the support I have received all year from friends, followers, students, galleries, new clients, and my faithful collectors. I wish you every happiness and success for 2018.

Do you have a wild turkey story to share? Please use the 'leave a comment' button at the top of this post.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

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It seems I live a charmed life. From every show I have exhibited in, for the last few months, I have brought home an award. How long can it last?

My recent winning streak started at The Northern Art Show in Apsley in August, where my display booth won the People's Choice Award and a cash prize. Here are photos of parts of my booth.

In September, I had two paintings accepted into the Kawartha Art Gallery's Annual Juried Show, and they both won awards and cash prizes. Rhapsody in Red won the 'Technical Skills & Use of Colour Award', and Caught in the Rain won an Honourable Mention. Both paintings are pictured below.

In October, Ajax Mayor Steve Parish presented me with the Mayor's Award and cash prize at the PineRidge Arts Council Annual Juried Art Exhibition, for my painting Sunbathing Swallowtails, pictured below.

This show of 64 paintings is now being exhibited at the McLean Community Centre, 95 Magill Drive, in Ajax until November 26. The juror selected the paintings in the show from 178 pieces submitted by 96 artists, and the PRAC awarded almost $5,000 in prizes.

Here is a detail from Sunbathing Swallowtails:

My next big show will be the 40th Annual Buckhorn Fine Art Festival next August. Wish me luck!

And what did I do with all my winnings, you ask? Well, I tucked it all away in our 'vacation jar', ready to fund our upcoming winter snowmobiling adventure on Baffin Island. Stay tuned!

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I just completed a fun art project for a special fundraiser, to support newly-arrived or soon-to-arrive Syrian refugee families in Port Perry.

As one of 20 artists invited to participate by Meta4 Gallery, I embellished a wooden bird house with a totally new art form for me - Zentangle.

I painted the birdhouse white, and then inked all four walls and the roof with black Zentangle patterns. I used over 40 different motifs.

I decided to leave the colouring options to the buyer, and have included a package of Winsor & Newton artist markers with the birdhouse. The buyer can leave it black and white, or be creative with colour.

More than 20 of these one-of-a-kind creations will be on display at Meta4 Gallery, 200 Queen Street in downtown Port Perry, from March 18 to 28, 2016 as part of a silent auction.

And if you just can't bear to miss out, there's a "buy it now" option too.

Meta4 Gallery is open daily except for Good Friday, March 25. I hope you will be able to see the display of birdhouses, and perhaps make a bid or purchase one to benefit this worthwhile cause, before they all 'fly away'.

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These are the official photos of me accepting my medal and a framed illustration award from the Reader's Favorite Book Awards, for my book Watercolour Toolbox: Essentials for Painting Success.

I was one of about 250 authors honoured at the ceremony, which was held in the nightclub of the Regency Hotel Miami last November, during the week-long Miami Book Fair International festivities.

Among the award winners were two authors from Canada, some from Australia, Denmark, England and other foreign countries, with the majority from the US. Everyone was dressed in suits and party dresses, just like the Academy Awards in miniature! My husband and I had a grand time that evening, chatting with authors and their spouses, all with interesting life stories to tell (go figure!).

We also spent a morning walking through the street fair portion of the Book Fair. There were hundreds of booths showcasing authors, publishers, publicists, printers, and other facets of the international book industry. Many venues hosted seminars and presentations by writers.

The first picture above shows me with my book in front of the Reader's Favorite booth, and the second gives a view of part of the Book Fair, which took up about six city blocks in downtown Miami. I tell you, the book industry is a whole other world out there...

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Isn't it interesting how most artists need affirmation of their work? That is certainly the case with me, and I received a great boost this week.

At the PineRidge Arts Council's 15th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, my watercolour painting Blue Rose of Sharon (pictured above with me at the opening reception) won the Mayor's Award and a cash prize.

It was an honour to have Ajax Mayor Steve Parish present the award to me on Friday night (see photo above).

He made a lovely speech beforehand, touching on the recent, tragic murder of a Canadian soldier as he stood guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Mayor Parish noted how art can bring all people together in harmony, no matter their religious or ethnic backgrounds, and he reminded all of us how necessary art is to bind multicultural communities together.

The Juried Exhibition is on display at the McLean Community Centre in Ajax, Ontario, until November 22. About 60 art pieces are on display, chosen from 178 entries.

Thanks to Mary Cook, PRAC photographer and webmistress, for taking the photos and sharing them with me.

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I have some exciting news to share.

Readers' Favorite Book Awards announced recently that my art instruction book, Watercolour Toolbox: Essentials for Painting Success, has won an Illustration Award, as well as a Bronze Medal in the 'Non-Fiction Home/Crafts' category of their 2014 book competition. The awards will be presented at the annual Miami Book Fair International in November.

Earlier this year, my book was a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and a Bronze Medal winner in the How-To category at the Independent Publisher Book Awards, both held in New York City.

When I wrote Watercolour Toolbox, I focused all of my talent and energy into offering simple solutions that would help artists overcome universal artistic challenges. I illustrated the manuscript with photos of 40 of my watercolour paintings, and chose FriesenPress as my publisher because they could make my book available virtually anywhere books are sold. I wanted to share my painting techniques and strategies with as many people as possible.

It feels great to have my efforts recognized internationally, as each of these competitions attracted thousands of entries worldwide.

For more details about where to purchase my book, click here.

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I'm delighted to let you know, my painting instruction book Watercolour Toolbox won a bronze medal in the 'How-To' category at the Independent Publisher Book Awards in New York City this spring.

This international competition attracted over 5,500 entries, from all 50 U.S. states, 9 Canadian provinces and 32 other countries.

Watercolour Toolbox also was a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards that were announced in May, and was awarded a Five Star Review from the Reader's Favorite Book Awards earlier this spring.

It's lovely to have my book recognized by industry experts, but it is the appreciation my readers and painting students express that really warms my heart.

Order your copy of Watercolour Toolbox here.

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