KENDALL KESSLER'S OIL PAINTING DIARY

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Back off Murphy and Do Not Put a Speedometer on Me

I think the famous Murphy of Murphy's Law which states that if anything can go wrong it will, loves to stalk people on vacation.  Every year we go to South Carolina with friends for a week on the beach.  We have had our share of mishaps in  the past but this one out did all the others.  The first day my  husband woke up with some pain in a leg muscle so  he thought the thing to do would be to take a long walk and stretch it out.  Wrong!  He made it much worse and could hardly walk for most of the vacation.  One of our friends was driving and was approaching a draw bridge.  He turned his head for a second and hadn't noticed the bridge was up and the traffic was stopped.  He TOTALED his car.  Fortunately, he and his girl friend were not hurt and no one was hurt in the car he rear ended.  We hit the one week this spring that the beach was not in the 80's or 90's so I was only able to swim the first day and the last day.  It was just too cold.  Oh  well.  We still had fun with our friends in spite of Murphy.

My husband is  becoming increasingly concerned  with his health  problems.  Between his stomach and the horrible muscle problem he just had he is wondering  if he is going to make it to the golden years. I told him he has to keep going and he said just don't put a speedometer on him because it  may not register anything.
Photography Prints
Photography Prints

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Murphy Found Me This Time and I Actually Had That Thought...


Last January I blogged about how I put up a show without cutting my finger on a metal frame, leaving an essential part of the show thirty miles away or making some other aggravating error. This time Murphy was with me the whole time. I knew he wouldn't stay away. I hurt the lower part of my back, banged a frame into a finger, left my cell phone at the site and remembered it when I was almost home, and I had to deliver one of the photographs of the artist that had the show before mine. In addition, the rain was pouring down as I un-loaded my car. If anything can go wrong, it will. Oh well. The show looks good and hopefully will get a lot of attention.

Many people think that artists are crazy. I used to try to convince them that wasn't so but I gave up. Maybe we are nuts or at least, maybe I am. The other day I was writing something down for the first time in a long time. Like everybody else I am pushing buttons on a computer. I wrote a word down that I was not sure of and I actually had the thought it would correct itself like on a computer. Now that's nuts!Art Prints!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Sold Another Print of Reaching Out and While I was Still in the Driveway...


Be sure to check out two more additions to my Beautiful Nudes Gallery. I am especially pleased with the linear accents and value contrast of these two works. My charcoal nude drawing, "Reaching Out" is now my best seller for print sales on Fine Art America. One was sold Sunday to a great patron in California. I am so pleased with the public's response to my nude drawings and all the great comments I am getting from my peers!

A few days ago my husband noticed that one of his co-workers looked extremely tired and down. He asked her if she was all right and she said she was so tired she just wished she could go home. My husband said that's nothing, he wanted to go home before he was out of our driveway. I think we need to win that lottery but I don't think we will be struck fourteen times in one day which I am told are the odds of winning it. In the past my husband has made jokes about things that came true- things we didn't want to come true so now he is making jokes about the Lottery. Maybe it only works on things we don't want. Oh well! All anyone really has is a limited amount of time. I try to live it to the fullest. I am so glad I am an artist!

Be sure to check out my Limited Time Specials on Fine Art America.
http://kendall-kessler.fineartamerica.com/

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Friday, April 13, 2012

Check out My Portrait of Violinist David Garrett and I Think it Did More Than...


I am so pleased to have finished my portrait of David Garrett and I hope everyone can see the visual music I put into this work. I greatly admire David Garrett and his efforts to bring classical music to everyone. I am so impressed with all musicians that make the sacrifices that are necessary to playing beautiful music. I come from a family that has a lot of artists and musicians and I am an amateur pianist. I have two relatives that attended Peabody Conservatory and I grew up on classical music. I love all kinds of music but I like classical the best and David Garrett's new CD Legacy is fantastic!

People often say that their get up and go, got up and went. Well I think mine got up, keeled over, knocked over some chairs, rolled on the floor, and then went. Just kidding around! Actually today is the second day in a row I have not had any pain in my leg! I am hopeful that this problem I have had since August is not permanent! We will be at the beach soon and it would be great if it were gone. I have my fingers crossed, legs crossed, arms crossed, and eyes crossed. Of course, all that crossing may not be such a good idea. Don't want to stir up any more aches!

Monday, April 9, 2012

It Can Not Be the Nude Drawings this Time and Just in Case...


A while back I posted a blog regarding my nude drawings. One of the charcoal drawings in my Beautiful Nude Series is selling as well as my mountain and ocean scenes. I put the same blog on Fine Art America as I do on Blogger.com and that day I received an unusually high number of hits on Blogger.com It didn't occur to me until a few days later that the reason for the activity may have been the nude theme. My hits went back to normal until today when I received a large number of hits and this time the blog had nothing to do with nude drawings so I am pleased that I am getting more attention. Blogging doesn't come easy to us painfully shy people but I am working at it.

The other day my husband was working on something with the TV on and thought he heard the name Justin Case. He couldn't believe anyone with the surname Case would give their son the name Justin. That is certainly one name to avoid in this case - pun intended. It turns out the name was Dustin Caseguard. That certainly makes more sense. I will never forget a friend in college whose last name was Swift. He told everyone his middle name was Natu. You have to have a sense of humor to go by Not too Swift. I always tell people that have trouble getting my name right that it is just like the motor oil. My mother swears that Kendall Motor Oil was not around when I was named.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Now That is What I Call Feedback and Maybe We Should call it...


My most recent patron that bought Blue Ridge Autumn gave me such great feedback that I just had to re-print it here. I always worry when I sell an original over the internet. Computer monitors vary so much so that I have no way of knowing whether or not the patron is getting an accurate image of my painting. This patron was quite pleased as you can see!

Absolutely breathtaking painting. Picture does not do the artist justice! It will look great in my living room. I will definitely be back. Very quick shipment of artwork. I love this artist!

My husband and I were discussing the amount of commercials on TV these days. We both think there may come a time when the commercials take up more time than the show. We are forever clicking the mute button. Maybe we should call it Mutavision instead of television. Oh well. I mostly just watch DVDs. I am a big movie buff and our library gets great stuff. One of my friends that works there calls me up when they get something she knows I will like. What a sweetheart!

Don't forget about my Limited Time specials on Fine Art America! I have my favorite small painting, "Burning Shore", up this week along with "A Break in the Clouds", and "Breakers at Pawleys Island". Check it out!
Art Prints
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Monday, April 2, 2012

Beach Time is Coming and Getting Rid of Them May be the real Art


It is no wonder I have a number of beach scenes in my portfolio. I have been going to the beach almost every summer of my life and it won't be long before we are there again! Even if I didn't like to body surf I would still love the beach. I just like staring at the water and the house we rent is on a canal with dolphins! I wish we could stay longer than a week but it is better than no beach time. Got to get my salt water fix! I have relatives that hate the beach. They don't like the sand. They say it would be a great place with out the sand. I love the sand and I especially love walking in it along the breakers.
I am still having trouble with my leg at times but that will not stop me.

Last night we were watching a I Love Lucy re-run and Lucy explained to Ethel that catching men is like riding a bike. Once you learn, you never forget. My husband added that for some women the real talent is not catching them but getting rid of them. I think he may have something there. Can't say I want to get rid of mine though.

Hope everyone that celebrates Easter has a great time!