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.

Where to buy Watercolour Toolbox

Due to our upcoming move from the Port Perry area, this spring was my final chance to host a site on the Lake Scugog Studio Tour.

I was delighted to welcome 450 visitors to my place on the first weekend in May. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with everyone and had record sales. Several keen patrons purchased art and books from my web site before the tour even started.

The photo above shows visitors' shoes in my foyer on the tour weekend. There was even more footwear piled outside on the porch. We were busy!

Thanks to all of you who went home as happy new owners of my paintings, prints, books and art cards. My artwork will be much happier in your home than in a moving van. (And I have much less to pack now!)

Here's a sampling of the paintings I sold during the Studio Tour:

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The first half of April was busy with more workshops learning how to paint realistic stones. The workshops were one or two days in duration, all at my Port Perry studio. Check out these smiles:

Sand Pebbles 1-2-3

Underwater Stones (class #2):

Underwater Stones (class #3):

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Here are the smiling faces from my March Watercolour Workshops. Everyone worked hard, had some laughs and learned a lot.

Sand Pebbles 1-2-3:

Evening Light:

Underwater Stones:

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to receive timely email notices about future watercolour classes.

I had some great news today - I am thrilled to be the feature artist on ArtsyShark.com, which is an American web-based company that teaches professional artists how to promote their work.

I started following Artsy Shark's blog about a year ago, when I was investigating ways to market my art instruction book Watercolour Toolbox, and found their blog posts to be full of great advice on all aspects of art marketing.

I applied last fall to be featured, but did not know until today when my work would be showcased.

The article captures my story in a nutshell - how traveling with my camera inspires my artwork and my art classes - and is illustrated with ten of my paintings of rocks and flowers.

Here is the link to the photo article.

I read this excellent post on Artsy Shark today and wanted to share it with you. It's about why artists should continue to share their creations with the world by finding buyers for their art. I especially like the closing statement:

"As you have already experienced and know in your heart, your collectors are forever thankful each time they lay eyes on your art and the life-enriching spirit that is seamlessly wound into your art and bonded with their hearts.

My best advice after 50 years of sales: Love yourself, your talent, your art and your client’s long-term needs. Help them, guide them, and encourage them to become owners, today; not for the money – but because it is the right thing to do."

Click here to read the full article.

This week I entered my painting instruction book 'Watercolour Toolbox: Essentials for Painting Success' in several international book contests. Judging will take place later in the year and I will keep you posted if I win any medals!

One of the contests, hosted by Readers' Favorite, also provides written reviews for each entry, and I was pleased to learn today that my book was awarded a 5-star review (that would be 5 out of 5).

Here is what the reviewer wrote:

"Watercolour Toolbox: Essentials for Painting Success by Karen Richardson is a useful guide to all painters and those who are learning to paint. The book guides you step-by-step with useful strategies and demonstrations. It speaks about problems that painters face while painting and, apart from being helpful to novices, the book is also helpful to experienced painters. The book guides you in a sequential manner and speaks about everything that a painter would love to know to improve their techniques and skills. The book covers extensively the right usage of colors, brushes, and good textures for paintings.

The book has eight demonstrations by the author which is really educational and useful. It gives useful tips to improve your techniques and widen your perspective on how to handle the complexities of art. The examples will tell you how to avoid or fix the challenges presented while using watercolors. The tips to keep in mind before you start with the painting are very helpful. It helps you in planning your picture and how to go about it methodically. The book also tells readers about the classic design guidelines and traditional painting methods which will help them improve their craft.

I will recommend this book to all artists and beginners. The most common painting challenges faced by painters and the simple solutions offered by the author will help you enjoy painting. This 65-page tutorial is very helpful when it comes to improving your style."

For information on where to buy my book, click here.

Most years, in mid February, we embark on a multi-day couples' snowmobile trip to celebrate our Valentine's day wedding anniversary. In the past, our trips have taken us to Labrador, Quebec City, the Gaspe region, and several parts of northern Ontario.

This year, my husband John organized a six-day excursion to discover the winter wonders of the Bruce Peninsula, which lies between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, in central Ontario. Four couples took part, trailering their sleds for as much as eight hours, to congregate on a Monday at our 'base camp' at the Days Inn in Owen Sound. The Inn graciously allowed us to park our trucks and trailers in their parking lot until we left the following Saturday. We like to tour on week days as the trails are less busy.

Day one we snowmobiled about 200 km up north to Tobermory (that was our longest day at 11 hours of riding); day two we made our way back south and west to Port Elgin; and day three we meandered eastward to return to Owen Sound. All three days were cold and clear for the most part. The trail was very smooth and fairly easy to navigate, taking us through rolling hills, hardwood bush, and lovely open farmland.

Day four, which was Valentine's day, we made a big circuit east towards Meaford under cloudy skies, then south and back to Owen Sound, passing through the scenic Beaver Valley. We stopped for a delicious gourmet lunch at Ted's Range Road Diner, directed there by a sign on the snowmobile trail reading "Ted's - hot food - cold beer". This was our third visit to Ted's (see my Owen Sound post from last spring) and we have never been disappointed. Don't let the humble Quonset hut disguise fool you!

After dinner that evening back at Days Inn, the group gathered in our suite to play a version of 'The Newlywed Game' for valueless prizes, and enjoyed Valentine's treats and conversation.

The next morning we all headed home, thankful for such a great week - 750 km of sledding in great company, beautiful scenery, and gorgeous, classic winter weather.

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Courtesy of Artsyshark.com, here is some fabulous, practical advice for artists wanting to sell products on line.

I already use several of the recommended solutions: I sell my reproductions on Fine Art America, design and update this responsive web site on Shopify, and use Square to accept credit cards at shows or in my studio. Definitely worth the read:

http://www.artsyshark.com/2013/12/17/ecommerce-solutions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+artsyshark%2FNCiC+%28ArtsySharkFeed%29