Kendall Kessler's Oil Painting Diary

How to Avoid Artist Tantrums and Shoot Em UP Bang Bang...

2012-03-09T17:51:00.003-08:00

I have been painting in oils for more decades than I care to admit to and it has always been a love/hate experience. I am appalled by people that think artists are having fun with their hobby. I am also appalled by people that think artists are always on the verge of suicide. Both extreme views are ridiculous. I do not play with paint and I am not going to kill myself because I never really get exactly what I want out of a painting. I learned long ago that aritsts have to live with a certain amount of failure.

Most of the time it is a great experience and I love putting the effort into it. Sometimes I get to the screaming stage which brings me to the title of this blog. There is one sure way to avoid Artist Tantrums. Give it up. Get rid of the supplies and all the paintings. Since that is not an option, once in a while I resemble a two-year-old that got her pacifier yanked from her mouth. Since I paint by myself most of the time no one has to hear me freak out.

My husband did not go to movies when he was growing up. He watched some television but he mostly liked to read. Our son is a movie buff and my husband is great about taking him to movies he doesn't want to see. I am not invited. Our son likes to make movie night a guys night so I stay home. Can't complain. As my husband says, the movies they see are always Shoot Em Up Bang Bang or Kick an Alien's Butt.

Be sure to check out my Limited Time promotions on Fine Art America. I offer three greatly reduced canvas prints each week!

I Think I will Report Them and Maybe X Squared Off...

2012-03-05T17:27:00.004-08:00

I have tried in the past to sell paintings on Craigslist without success. I received scam emails but nothing more. I keep forgetting about the listings and then they expire. A few days ago I decided to renew listings and add some different ones. I like to try as many venues as possible to sell my artwork. I live to paint but I have bills to pay as one of my artist friends always says.

This time I can't believe the number of scams I am getting. Almost every time I check my email there are three or four scammers wanting me to take the listing off, wait for their bogus check, and they will send their private shipping agent. I guess these scammers are able to email listers without reading the advert. I put in caps that I do not send my artwork by any kind of private shipping arrangement and I only take Paypal. They would save us both time if they actually read my advert.

My favorite one is one I got from two different people explaining to me that they can't buy the painting right now because their cousin wrecked their car but they are having success with an online job and wouldn't I like to try that? I wonder what would happen if I hit the link they send. Probably computer wipe out. I get so many scammers that I haven't alerted Craigslist but I think I will on the next one. This is getting very tiresome.

On Facebook this week someone posted an Algebra joke. Algebra, quit looking for X. She is not coming back. My husband quickly added - Maybe she squared off with Y and Z and then found out she was greater than them. Love it!

Be sure to check out my Limited Time specials on Fine Art America!

Sometimes the Answer is Staring you in the Face and The Shelf Life of the Consumer...

2012-03-01T17:51:00.002-08:00

I have been so stressed out with my painting lately that I am ready to fall over right now as I type this. I am determined to keep posting my thoughts. It keeps me sane the way painting usually does. Most of the time I love to paint and even though it is a crap shoot as I have mentioned before, I still love the effort and the uncertainty of the outcome. Once in a while, after many hours of working like a lunatic, the painting just doesn't come together and I have to admit defeat. That happened today but I am taking it in stride. There is always tomorrow and I still have paint and canvas. I hate scraping paint off of a canvas but that is the life of a painter. I have many more successes than failures so I can't really complain.

My husband has found a drink that when mixed with milk tastes great and supplies the nutrients he may be missing on his awful fructose intolerant diet. I have always read labels on foods and am amazed at all the additives. I always try to eat things that haven't been tampered with but there are some things that I just close my eyes to. I don't know how we got into this fix but my husband thinks the main reason is manufacturers are more concerned with the shelf life of food than the shelf life of the consumer. I think he is right so go get something you grew yourself if possible and have a great evening!

Check out my limited time promotions on Fine Art America. I have three canvas print specials each week.

I Need More Hours and I Put up a Sign...

2012-02-27T17:46:00.003-08:00

I thought that when I quit teaching at Radford University I would not be so stressed for time. How wrong I was! Now that I have more time to paint I am practically asphyxiating myself in the studio. I have an exhaust fan and I take breaks, but, more and more, I am like the girl in the poster for the first group show I was in many years ago. Someone drew a chain around my waist connected to a brush. I hope the fumes aren't too much. Many people think Van Gogh became ill because he spent too much time around solvents. Few people know that his family had a history of mental illness so I doubt the painting hurt him but it certainly is possible. I have so many other things I need to get done and there is always housework and meals. All I can think about is painting. People are always comparing the emotional intensity in my work to that of Van Gogh. I hope I don't flip.

I believe in humor. I don't know what I would do without it. I am always goading my husband into saying something funny. He is hilarious. I especially like to ask him questions I know that answer to because of his retorts. At night when I know he has just come from making sure the doors are locked, I ask him if he locked the doors. My favorite response is "No, I made sure they were wide open and I put up a sign that says come on in!"

Pushing the Clay Around and Sheldon and the Corpse...

2012-02-24T17:29:00.003-08:00

It is hard for me to believe two things these days. I can't believe I ever thought oil paint didn't cost that much and that our grocery bill was ever less than outrageous. I am not happy if I use the traditional thin to thick glazes of oil paint. The paint isn't that expensive if one uses that method. I push it around like a sculptor does clay on an armature. Sometimes I sink back into the old method and immediately go back to slathering it on and pulling expressive forms out of it. I can't get my unique color style or expression any other way so, yes, oil paint is very expensive. Not as expensive as our groceries but it is up there.

I don't watch a lot of TV for two reasons. I don't have the time and I am a movie buff. It usually takes me days to watch one movie but there are no commercials and the ones I watch seem to have much better acting and dialog then what I see on TV. The only show I like to watch is The Big Bang Theory and so does my husband. More and more the plots seem to be centered around the fact that Sheldon is an obnoxious know-it-all who drives the others crazy. My husband said Sheldon would drive a corpse crazy. No doubt.

Be sure to check out my Limited Time promotions on Fine Art America. I have three specials on canvas prints of popular paintings at about 40% off.

So Glad to Sell Two More Prints and Comment on the Good Life

2012-02-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

I am so pleased to sell my first Acrylic print! I'm not sure how long that option has been up but I know I haven't sold that type of print before. This time the print was of one of my oil pastel paintings of Mountain Lake in Giles County VA. This was the setting for the popular movie "Dirty Dancing" with Patrick Swayze. It is a beautiful resort and I have stayed there several times with my husband and son. I haven't met the medium I don't like but oil paint is my favorite and most of my work is in oils though I do have oil and soft pastel paintings, lithographs, charcoal drawings, and some water media works. Watercolors are beautiful but they are too fragile for me. If left in enough light the painting will fade away. Not so with oils or pastels.

Also glad to sell a regular print of "Reaching Out" which is one of my nude drawings. I am so glad my nudes are well received. I think they are elegant and tasteful.

Last Friday we were in heavy traffic when a car jerked in front of us causing my husband to break to keep from hitting it. The car had a covered tire on the back that had the words The Good Life on it in fun playful letters. My husband said they should add, Especially when I am getting ahead by cutting you off.

Be sure to check out my work at kendall-kessler.artistwebsites.com

Smelling up the House and In My Next Life...

2012-02-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

I am happily working on three large paintings right now and the smell from the paintings is rather strong. I have an exhaust fan that changes the air in the studio every five minutes but it really can't do much about oil paint layers drying on large pieces of hardboard. The first stages of my paintings are not interesting. I spend a lot of time analyzing the space and value pattern. In my opinion, and I think the opinion of most artists, how these two things are handled make or break art. All the dazzling color and intricate texture patterns can't make up for poor space or value patterns. I don't think the average person understands this but it is extremely important to me that my paintings have strong visual structure. I used to think teachers that talked about art this way were either nuts or making it up to sound smart. Now I talk exactly the way they did. Art is quite a weird journey.

My husband likes to make cracks about mirrors. The older we get, the funnier the cracks are. He said he caught a look at the mirror from a distance and it was laughing at him and saying it was going to go on strike. It couldn't take reflecting us anymore and it hopes to come back in the next life as a dog dish.

Be sure to check out my Limited Time offers on Fine Art America. My most popular painting, "A Break in the Clouds", is on special as are "Samantha", and "Alan by our Window".

I Knew That Would Not Last and If There Were an Award...

2012-02-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

When I started my latest painting I tried going back to a more traditional approach using very thin layers and not letting the brushwork show. Every once in a while I do that at the beginning of a painting and then decide it isn't me so I pile the paint on with expressive brush strokes . I am very pleased with the energy in this painting. I was listening to David Garrett's cross over version of Vivaldi's Summer and I think I captured that bursting expression that is in the music. It is no wonder I entitled it "Tulip Dance".

My husband and I try to look reasonably put together when we go out but in our home we dress in clothes people probably wouldn't even give to Good Will. My favorite pair of pants has a few holes, splotches of paint, and balloon out in the back. My favorite shirt is baggy and has a hole in the shoulder with some other kind of stains. My husband has a stained, baggy shirt I doubt anyone would be caught dead in and the pants are a saggy mess. If there were an award for worst dressed couple in a home environment, we would win it hands down. My husband said he would beat out homeless people that haven't had a bath for ten years.

Definitely Jealous and Small Smiles...

2012-02-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Michael on Fine Art America for his 340 print sale today! I am quite jealous and sure wish Groupon had selected my work for this great print deal. I can't image what it would be like to find out I had 340 sales. I am certainly going to work harder and harder at promoting my work to generate more sales. I really don't like living in front of a computer but I can see that is what it takes these days. This is the first day in a long time that my myafacial pain is hardly there so I can work more! Yea!!!!! Hope to continue to see improvement as I resemble a pretzel doing the stretching exercises.

We are getting sick and tired of a dental commercial called Small Smiles. So many commercials that are aimed at the young tend to be on the sappy side. Of course the message is that this great organization is genuinely concerned about children's dental care but my husband can't resist saying Small Smiles, Big Money. No offense to the Dental profession! I'm so glad there are people that are willing to work inside of people's mouths and I don't begrudge them the money.

Sold Two More Prints and He can not eat Bologna

2012-02-08T18:43:00.000-08:00

I am so pleased to sell two large canvas prints of two beautiful Virginia mountain scenes. The original Reflections on the James River is a featured painting in my current show, A Naturalist's Legacy in Blacksburg, VA. The original painting of Near Purgatory was sold the first time I exhibited it. It is great to be able to sell prints of these favorite mountain scenes my husband researches for birds and butterflies. My husband has introduced me to many wonderful vistas on the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding areas. Most of my paintings are based on these places. He is a well known naturalist in the New River Valley and has dedicated his life to educating all age groups about wildlife and conservation of his homeland.

My husband's dietary problems are always the topic of conversation in a crowd. Most people are not familiar with fructose intolerance and are surprised to find out there are people that can't tolerate most fruits and most vegetables. Everyone asks him what he can eat. At the Super Bowl the subject came up and a friend was naming foods and asking if he could eat them. She was going down the list and when she got to bologna(some people spell it baloney) her son said my husband can't eat bologna because he is full of bologna so that would make him a cannibal. What a comment and he can not eat bologna because of the additives.

Check out My Limited Time Promotions and You are Really Scraping the Bottom of the Freezer...

2012-02-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

I am excited about starting three large paintings and my new Limited Time Promotions on three of my most popular paintings. I am pleased that I can offer 40"x50" canvas prints of Stepping Stones on the New River and Golden Farm Scene. Also, 24"x36" canvas prints of A Break in the Clouds can be purchased for the next few days. This is a great way to get beautiful canvas paintings at a greatly reduced price, approximately 40% off my regular price. My new paintings will include another scene from Pawleys Island, Isle of Palms, and Rock Castle Gorge. If my head is not in the mountains it is at the shore.

As always, I like to try to include some humor in my blog and I have been really struggling for something this time. My husband almost always comes up with something in our daily conversations but not much has been happening lately so tonight I tried goading him in to saying something funny. My son's birthday is December 3rd and we didn't have any ice for his party that day so my husband went out and bought a big bag which is still in the freezer. I keep forgetting about it and use the trays. I asked him if ice goes bad and he said it goes so bad it eventually has to be arrested and jailed for being too slippery. I told him I was going to use his comment in my blog and he said you are really scraping the bottom of the freezer if you are going to use that. I love puns and it's all I have this time. Maybe next time will be funnier.

I am Going to Dominate This and Power Lunches

2012-02-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

As we all know languages change or they die out like Latin. There have been a lot of language changes among the young that I had a hard time getting used to but now seem normal. When I was a kid no one said awesome to mean anything but big. Now it is such a catch all word for anything exciting or astounding. It has been around so long I am completely used to that change. When someone has a serious illness they are attempting to fight kids say they will dominate it. I like that one. I am not seriously ill but I do have to cope with some sort of strange pain in my leg and hip. I have decided I am going to dominate it and stretch every time it starts to hurt even a little. I am starting to spend a lot of the day looking like a pretzel. Tomorrow, without fail, I am going to get started on three large paintings, with or without leg pain. I WILL DOMINATE IT!

My husband and I often discuss the economic problems in the USA and how some of the problems could be solved. Mostly, we are joking, as we don't really know how to solve these problems, but there are some obvious changes that may help. Corporations and wealthy citizens could pay their fair share of taxes like the rest of us and that would provide our government with more funds to work with. I'm sure there is a lot of pork that could be cut out of both corporations and government. My husband suggested that they do away with power lunches. I asked him if he gets a power lunch at work and he said he doesn't even get a power biscuit. No pork there!

I do not Have Time for the Pain and Statue of Limitations

2012-01-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

I know. My life sounds like an old Carly Simon song right now.

I am one unhappy workaholic right now. I am spending way too much time trying to keep from being in pain. The MRI did not show anything out of the ordinary so I guess it is up to me to figure out how to stop my leg and hip from hurting. If I just go about trying to do a zillion things in one day I am in so much pain it wakes me up at night and I wake up in pain. The pain is usually gone after exercise but it keeps coming back so I have to keep stopping and stretching out the muscles. If I don't get back to painting soon I will flip. I have a number of large paintings I want to start and I will start them soon. The physical therapy was useless so I think I will look into some sort of class that may help. Also, I will take Marlene's advice and have some blood work done. I HATE BEING SLOWED DOWN!

My husband has noticed that a lot of people these days are saying statue of limitations instead of statute of limitations. Do you think they are talking about the unfinished statue of St. Matthew by Michelangelo?

Going Around in Circles and The Only Thing the Doctor will discover...

2012-01-23T17:22:00.001-08:00

Most painters start out having a ball with paint and turning out a lot of things they like without a lot of effort. Then they start to discover all the intricacies of what they are doing and they try to control the paint too much and bye bye happy accidents. Then they try to balance between control and accident and worry over every brush mark, large or small, as the painting takes on a language all its own. I'll bet most painters would agree with what I just wrote. These steps lead to life long circles. I try to tell the painting what to do and it tells me what to do as I keep modifying my approach with each work. Painting is never boring. Right now I am using a much more traditional thin to thick technique I haven't used in a long time. Round and round. Where I stop nobody knows. As long as I am here I will paint.

Last Friday I had an MRI for pain in my rear end and leg. Since the pain is in the muscle and does not exist 24 hours of the day I figure the only thing the doctor will discover from the MRI is that the insurance doesn't cover the cost and I will have a big copay. Let's hear it for insurance!

Where was Murphy Tuesday? and Get Elected to Congress...

2012-01-19T18:16:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it! My husband and I put up my new show in Blacksburg and I didn't scratch a frame, drop a hammer, cut myself on a sharp corner, or leave a painting at home. Where in the world was Murphy? It was supposed to rain and it rained a little before we dragged everything out of the car and rained after the show was hung. I guess Lady Luck kicked Murphy right out of town. I wish she would show up more often. I didn't even have to adjust a frame. If you live anywhere near Blacksburg, VA be sure to see this show which is a tribute to my husband's environmental efforts. I have learned a lot from him over the years. He is a dedicated naturalist and a great guy! The show is at New Live Dental behind the Starbucks on Main St. in Blacksburg, VA. It will be there until April 15th. The painting here is Near Purgatory which is seen on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I love all the arts. As I have said before, if I had a lot of lives I would pursue them all. I'm so glad I play the piano. It is a great creative outlet that I don't try to market. Got to sell paintings but I don't have to perform. I have always been fascinated by actors and get a lot of DVDs. I told my husband that if I were an actress I would love to play a criminal. He said get elected to Congress and you won't have to act.

School Starts Tomorrow without Me and Where is Everything?

2012-01-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the first day of classes at Radford University and I will be hanging a show at New Life Dental in Blacksburg, VA. I will miss working with college students but I am extremely excited about being a full-time artist! Now I have the time to work at my artwork and selling it. Since no one is adding more hours to the day I had to cut out the teaching so I could have more hours for my art. In spite of what the physical therapist has told me is myafacial pain, I am going at it full speed. The MRI is in the works and I will do what I have to for my aching leg but quitting painting and exhibiting paintings is not an option. If you live in Southwest Virginia be sure to see my current show, "A Naturalist's Legacy" in Blacksburg. It will be there for three months and then go to Zeppolis which is also in Blacksburg.

I always try to plan in advance for shows. I try to have everything packed the night before and then gather everything up and shove it in the car an hour before leaving home. Something always goes wrong. Murphy's Law works over time just for me. One time I forgot a hammer at a show where the hooks were not strong enough and I had to go buy a new one. Another time I actually left one of the main paintings home which is a half an hour away. If I don't stab myself with one of the sharp corners on a metal frame I will think I am in the Twilight Zone. Can't wait to see what will happen with my sore leg since I have to take the paintings up a flight of stairs. Just hope I can keep from cussing in public. You have to truly love art to put up with it!

Gangway to the Studio Tomorrow and A Shark Would Leap out of the Water...

2012-01-12T18:22:00.001-08:00

Almost have everything ready to take to Blacksburg on Tuesday for my new show, "A Naturalist's Legacy". Got to show, got to sell, but most important, GOT TO PAINT! Tomorrow I will be in the studio before I start climbing the walls. I loved the recent FAA discussion about the warning signs of art. I don't need to look for the tell tale signs. I know I am hopelessly addicted and love it! I hope to die with a paint brush in my hands as I tell anyone that will listen. Sugar and paint. One of the happiest days in my life was when I asked my doctor Dad if people that are NOT over weight are in danger of getting diabetes if they eat a lot of sugar and he said NO! Years ago I tried to cut back on sugar and gave up. Not trying to give up sugar or paint. Addicted to both and that is just the way it is!

Discussions of my husband's dietary problems often come up when we are eating and he is missing something he can't have anymore. A country boy really needs his biscuits but they are out. The muffins I make with the special flour is okay but a wheat biscuit would certainly be nice. The substitutes we have made are okay but the one thing he hates is the rice bread. He said if a piece of rice bread were thrown into the ocean a shark would jump out of the water begging for its life. That should give you an idea of how rice bread rates in his fructose free, wheat free diet.

Up the Stairs with the Show and You can Always go Zooming down the Internet...

2012-01-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

Checked out the venue for my show, A Naturalist's Legacy, and as luck would have it there are stairs I have to carry my work up. My paintings are not that heavy but they are large and awkward. The venue is a Dental Office that pays an annual fee to have shows sponsored by the Blacksburg Regional Art Association every three months. I have been going to a physical therapist for this strange pain on my right side that is especially sharp by my knee. The therapy is not working and the therapist is baffled. I may have to go get a MRI. Don't think it is the piriformis I have been whining about for months. I hope the show is a big success to make up for the pain I am going to have to go through to get it up.

As I have mentioned before I try to include some humor in my blog. Where would we be without laughter? It is really is a great medicine. I have noticed that a lot of people don't have any problem with posting very colorful language on the internet. That type of language doesn't bother me but I don't use it because I know some people are very offended by certain words. Some of the funny lines my husband comes up with are either x-rated or just have words you don't see in a Sunday School bulletin. I told him I would like to post some of these quips but he said it is better to stay on the high road. You can always go zooming down the low road on the internet but it is probably not a good idea.

It Really is Great to be an Artist and I think Rotten is Better

2012-01-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been in contact with a former student who is selling very well. I am so proud of him! I told him if he keeps it up maybe someday I will be bragging to people that I had him in a Drawing class. I told him it is great to be an artist and I really mean that most sincerely! He agreed and said, "Amen, sister!" It is great! I am so glad I wasn't discouraged but followed my heart. I have no regrets and now that I am no longer teaching I am going to work harder than ever to promote myself and sell my work. My paintings are unique extensions of myself and I want others to experience what I experienced when I made them. Here's to 2012!

I am getting quite sick of the Pizza commercial where the owner makes the profound statement that his company believes "Fresh is better". My bird-watching husband's retort was, "I think rotten is better. "Ask a buzzard!" By the way, Radford City's great Vulture Festival will be held in February. Come learn about these miss-understood valuable creatures!

Working on the Promo and I think They are telling One

2012-01-02T17:50:00.001-08:00

"A Naturalist's Legacy" is scheduled to go up January 15th and, as usual, I am rushing around trying to get the promo out to the papers, getting frames together, mailing postcards to my mailing list, and wishing the guys would go back to work. The break is over but it has been snowing today so my husband and son will probably be home again tomorrow. Love them but I need alone time to start getting everything together and I was looking forward to an empty house tomorrow.

I am very excited about this show about my naturalist husband and I hope others will gain greater appreciation of this region through his efforts. A long time ago Loretta Lynn was being interviewed on TV and she was asked about her marriage which had a lot of ups and downs like most marriages. She said that when she heard couples say they never fought she thought they were telling one! I would have to agree but I have been very fortunate. No couple gets along perfectly but I did marry someone I love and honestly admire. He still won't pick up his socks but he is a great guy to me and I am proud to put on this show in his honor!

A Naturalists Legacy and There goes that Show

2011-12-29T18:12:00.000-08:00

My next show will be centered around my naturalist husband and his efforts over the years to educate people about this beautiful mountain region of Southwest Virginia many people call the Blue Ridge Mountains. Actually, only a small part of these Appalachian mountains are the Blue Ridge but I think the name has taken over due to the beautiful blue color that is so prevalent in the distant ranges. My husband has been working since the 70's to educate people about this wonderful region. He has led countless hikes, Christmas Bird Counts, Hawk Watches, and programs on the birds and butterflies he has been studying most of his life. The show will have a symbolic portrait of him and our son, Alan, when he was a baby. The painting is a new painting done from an old photograph. He has worked with all ages and will continue to work with all ages to preserve his home region.

When I told my self-effacing husband that this show would be about him and would include his portrait and many of the places he does his research, he said, "Well, there goes that show!"

Sold Another Original and Whatever Happened to Turn it On?

2011-12-26T17:18:00.001-08:00

I am so pleased to sell another original. This time it is one of my intimate face series. I am very proud of the design elements and sensuous surfaces of these little portraits of family members. My son has been my model for many paintings. I haven't done one of him since he grew up but I am considering a new one. These painting were based on old photographs. I enjoy interpreting photographs and expressing my feelings through the textures and colors. Although I am extremely eclectic, photo realism is not my favorite type of art. An artist cannot show expressive brushwork or interpretive colors in photo realism. Just not my thing.

Whatever happened to turn it on? Everything has become so complicated now. My son has everything attached to his TV but the kitchen sink. I have no idea how all of this stuff works so I am no help if something goes wrong. My husband and I have enough trouble baby-sitting the computer so we don't get attacked by a virus through that modern day trojan horse. We had to get a converter box for our TV so now we have three remotes. One for the TV, one for the DVD box, and one for the transformer box. If I leave the room my husband tells me to give him everything so he can drive the thing. I greatly appreciate computers as I am able to sell artwork around the world but sometimes I miss the days when no one could find me, the phone just had a ring, and the TV was turned on by a dial.

Uploading, Uploading, Uploading and Not Expecting a Problem

2011-12-22T17:50:00.001-08:00

I have been working hard at uploading paintings from various sources. Some are prints and some are slides and some are on negatives. Remember those things? I was very proud of myself when after about ten minutes I finally remembered how to scan slides. Not a difficult procedure but I think I am technology deficient or challenged. I have to find all the wrong ways to do something before I get it right. It takes time to find all the wrong ways so I am prone to use colorful language when working on my portfolio. Thankfully, no one is home right now. It is great to see a painting looking right in my portfolio. Just wish I could move faster.

I like to add humor to my blog if possible and my main source is the character I married. I try to think of things myself but I am not anywhere near as good as he is. Writers are like that. They tend to watch birds and are dangerously funny. One of these days I am going to require oxygen or someone will have to call 911. I hope that when we are old he will make me laugh to death. I say ridiculous things all the time in an effort to goad him into saying something funny. Works all the time. Today he said goading him for humor is like mining for uranium and not expecting a problem. I know it is quirky humor. But I love it!

Thank You for the Terrific Compliment and I think we need a New Name...

2011-12-18T17:45:00.001-08:00

Friday was my last day at Radford University. My grades are in and I am delighted that I am now a full-time professional artist. I have had a lot of great students over the years and I will miss interacting with students that want to learn. The ones that can't seem to get to class, let alone learn, I will not miss at all. Saturday I received a CD of Christmas songs from a former graduate student that I had in one Drawing class when he was earning his MFA. I don't think he ever missed class and turned in excellent work. He is now selling his work in San Diego CA and is also a web designer. When I told him I was retiring he said he learned more from me in one semester than he learned in all his time at Radford University. What a great compliment to end teaching on! If all students were like him, everyone would want to teach.

I read the paper everyday and I get more and more discouraged over our leaders and their inability to solve our problems. I think it is a fair statement that many are controlled by the rich and are doing their bidding rather than what is right for this country. My husband said that maybe we should change the name from Democracy to Stinkocracy. Don't miss-understand. I would rather live in the US that any other country but this partisan politics has got to go.

Sold Another Original to a Great Patron in New Jersey and Studies s

2011-12-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

I am pleased and a little sad to have sold one of my four most popular paintings in my portfolio. "Breakers at Pawleys Island" is a special painting that I have sold many prints of and hope to sell many more in the future. My family and I have been vacationing in North Carolina for the past ten years. Pawleys Island is such a beautiful place and I am proud of the paintings I have done of it. Right now I have "Breakers at Pawleys Island" in the Limited Time section. Who says I can't fix my image problems? The last time I put it in the Limited Time section I couldn't list it for 24"x36". I thought my photograph was okay but it must not have been. I took some more shots and this time the offer is for 24"x36" at a greatly reduced price. Check it out!

Yesterday on Facebook someone posted this scientific gem. Studies show that people that have more birthdays live longer. I love that kind of humor and just have to repeat it. I have told a number of people but that have already heard that joke. Oh well! Hope some people haven't heard it. Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays!

So Pleased my Nudes are Well Received and I think We Need to ask Congress this Question

2011-12-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

Just sold two more prints of my nudes. I am so pleased people appreciate my nude drawings. I spent umpteen hours in school learning the human form and I think my nudes look alive and the settings emphasize their beauty and the mood of the work. As I have said before and told many art students, anyone can draw a stiff, lifeless person. The mark of the artist is to get it right. Sometimes students get the drawing backwards. They carefully draw eyelashes on a face that looks like it is paralyzed or fingernails on a broken, limp hand. The figure must look alive and that takes a lot of practice and study.

The approval rate of Congress right now is extremely low. It is no wonder. I think most people see partisan politics and no real effort to solve our problems. I think we need to apply a little Grouch Marx humor to this situation. Have you stopped taking bribes from wealthy corporations? Answer yes or no.

Now for Something Completely Different and It is Difficult to go to the Grocery Store and...

2011-12-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

I decided I needed to add something new to my artwork at the same time that I am getting ready for my next show. I have always been interested in Typography so I am starting a portfolio of Kendall Letters. I am applying my unique interpretation of color and line to letters that would look great as small or large prints. Since these are 5"x7" and 6"x9" I can scan them directly into the computer and patrons can get quite large prints. I also have these on Zazzle so they can be put on just about anything. Be sure to check them out! I will be adding more soon.

Since High School I am have been concerned about the quality of food in grocery stores. I have come to the conclusion it is difficult to go to the grocery store and come back with food. You can come back with a lot of food additives, high fructose corn syrup, excessive amounts of sugar and salt, way too many calories for the amount of nutrition, and items with more oil than anything else. My father was a great doctor and he believed people should down a lot of vitamins because of the over processing of food. I do the same and I try to stay as basic as possible. I don't think anyone is monkeying with the potato or with a banana or other basic fruit and vegetables but a lot of the meats are scary and most of what is on the shelf has ingredients I have never heard of. Oh well. Dad lived to be 90.5 and he always gave everyone great health advice. I sure do miss him.

Check out my limited promotion this week and I must have a sign on the back of my car...

2011-12-04T12:16:00.001-08:00

I am pleased to offer large canvas prints(24"x36") of popular paintings at a greatly reduced price this week. I am very happy with how well my work shows up in the search results on Fine Art America. One of the specials is for "A Break in the Clouds". This painting is number one out of 5436 in Nature Oil Paintings. It is number one out of 1094 in Mountain Oil Paintings and number two out of 8344 in Original Oil Paintings. I work hard to promote my work and it is great to see the results in the searches and in sales. My work is my life and I want it to reach as many places as possible.

I have come to the conclusion that there is a sign on the back of my car. It must say, FOLLOW THIS CAR AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN. No matter what the speed limit, no matter if I am going the speed limit or going over the speed limit, I always have cars so close the bumpers could kiss if they had lips. Am I the only one that thinks cars should be a car length apart for every ten miles they are traveling? It creeps me out to have cars so close. There isn't anything in my car of interest and I am not going 20 miles over to get them off my back. Oh well. Please back off!

I was the Only One and Send Him An Attachment

2011-11-30T18:21:00.001-08:00

My students are required to turn in an assignment each week on various principles of art and design. The last two weeks of class they are to put everything they have learned into one assignment and I do not give them any advice. Since I don't give them advice, they have the option of working in class or somewhere else. They have to show me their progress each day and then they can stay or leave. So I have something to do I am showing a fantastic art history docudrama on the Medici family, Godfathers of the Renaissance. The DVD is optional but I hope some art students will be interested in this great PBS work. I was the only one watching today. I hope I will have some viewers tomorrow. I will miss some things about teaching but I will not miss the sad fact that there are art students that are not interested in art history. As one art historian said, "All right, go out and invent the wheel!" She hit the nail right on the head.

I received an email from a student who claimed he was too sick to come to class the day after the break. For some reason, students think they can leave early for breaks and come back late. Like they are really going to have nine days break for Thanksgiving when they get into the real world. Anyway, this student took a picture of the project that was due on Monday and thought he should get full credit for it even though he did not come to class. My husband said send him a picture of an "F" as a jpeg . Tell him to let you know if he can't open it.

Sold Another Print and What to do with the Curmudgeon that hates Doctors

2011-11-27T17:35:00.001-08:00

I am so pleased to sell another print of "A Break in the Clouds". This is a view of Rock Castle Gorge on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. My husband has spent much of his time studying birds and butterflies there. I often tease him that he should have a mailbox there. It is very difficult to get a signal in that region. I hope his CD on Butterflies of the Blue Ridge will be out soon. The photographer needs to get his act together so this project can be finished.

I decided to put the bit about my curmudgeon husband and his reluctance to go to doctor on the Fine Art America discussion section. I did it mainly for humor as I know he will get to a doctor soon. There were a lot of fun responses about surgical removal of wallets, and pain being a notice to idiots to do something about the problem. My favorite was from the moderator. Her solution was to convince him he needed to go, then hire two huge, burly blokes to kidnap him and plant him at the doctors office :))

No Painting Tomorrow and how to get a Curmudgeon to the Doctor

2011-11-23T17:50:00.001-08:00

I really do live to paint and although I like Holidays I am always on edge because I can't paint. People think artists are nuts. I used to think that was ridiculous but now I'm not so sure. I want to paint every day of my life and when I can't I am not happy no matter what the celebration. I am working on a double portrait that will be the center piece for my next show that I am going to try to get a lot of promotion for. This show will be a culmination of many years of work and I hope I can get a lot of traffic for it, not to mention sales for all the time and effort in my studio. Sometimes a friend drags me away for a while and I am always thinking about my current work when I am out trying to have some fun. My work is my fun and I will be so glad to get back to it on Friday.

My husband has a lot of physical problems that have to do with pain. I think he would benefit from a doctor's help who would probably direct him to a physical therapist. He walks for miles every day and spends a considerable amount of time doing various stretching exercises so he thinks it is pointless to go to a physician. He says if he goes to a doctor the doctor will say, "Give me your insurance card. I am going to squeeze the bank!"

Excited about my upcoming show and Not as Many as there are in Washington...

2011-11-20T17:54:00.001-08:00

I am confident that I will get the main painting for my next show ready in time. The show goes up January 15th and now that I am retiring from teaching I am sure I can get the painting and the promo going in plenty of time. That is a great feeling! I have been wearing too many hats for a long time and now I can concentrate on my career as an artist and straightening out our house or the dump as we prefer to call it. People have often commented that I am a very organized person. When you live with two slobs, make and exhibit artwork, and teach on the college level, you are either organized or dead. I love my guys but they couldn't organize a pair of shoe laces.

Yesterday we came across another skunk on the road. I love Southwest Virginia but we do seem to have an awful lot of skunks. I mentioned to my husband that we have a lot of skunks in Radford and he said not as many as there are in Washington. If you really want to check out a stench, walk in on Congress. Skunks galore!

Sold Another Print, Limited Time Promotion on Favorites and I think I will buy a rack...

2011-11-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

A great patron in Temple Texas bought a print of "Blue Ridge Jewels" last night. That was a nice email to wake up to. It is great to see my work reach more and more places. I already have work in Texas but this is the first print for Temple. This week I have three favorites in the Limited Time Section at the top right. "A Break in the Clouds", "Marsh View at Pawleys Island", and "Natural Rhythm" can be bought at a greatly reduced price. Check it out!

I do a series of stretching exercises before I get out of bed. Then I do a yoga stretching exercise. Before I walk, dance or swim I do stretching exercises which I repeat after I am done. At night I work with weights and do one more round of stretching exercises and I STILL HAVE PIRIFORMIS! I think I will get a Medieval torture rack and just lay there until these muscles unwind. Don't send me a link. I'll look for one on ebay.
LOL

Fighting with Computers and Did anyone ask the Deer...

2011-11-09T17:40:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I sent out my monthly newsletter. Usually it goes well and I have no problems with the program but this time my preliminary draft was sent out instead of the final one. When I tried to send out the correct one I received the notice that it had been sent out to everyone already. I changed the title but I was still told it had already been sent out to everyone on the list. Then I tried to send out a new one and got the same message. I gave up. I include my email on the list and received the preliminary draft which wasn't too bad. Computers baffle me. I was going to try again this morning but the final draft had been sent out after all. People had opened both. I decided to send another one explaining the situation but when I got ready to hit the start button the message again said it had already gone to everyone on the list. Enough is enough. I will be more careful next time and hopefully I won't run into this problem.

The other night there was a news story about a deer that crashed through a glass window of a store, raced around the store for a few minutes and then left. According to the News Team the deer was unharmed. Did anyone ask the deer? That could not have felt good! It crashed through glass and was unharmed? I don't think so.

Limited Time Promotion Coming Soon and How I Saved Countless Lives

2011-11-06T17:44:00.001-08:00

I am offering two of my most popular paintings at a 40% discount this week only. "A Break in the Clouds" and "Stepping Stones on the New River" are paintings that express the joy I have experienced living in Southwest Virginia in what is commonly known as the Blue Ridge Mountains. Actually, only a small part of this area is the Blue RIdge but I use the term for other mountain ridges since it is the accepted name in the New RIver Valley. Both of these paintings have the atmosphere I have come to love my whole adult life. I am originally from McLean, VA but I can't imagine living anywhere else now. I think I was a mis-placed mountain girl. Look for my promotions. They should be up soon!

In a about a month I will retire from teaching at Radford University, VA. I have enjoyed working with highly motivated students and I think I was able to help them better understand what are the exciting and beautiful aspects of visual art. I won't miss the students that don't seem to be motivated and do not put much effort into learning. Years ago I gave make-up tests to students who had various reasons for missing tests. I would have around twenty students per class I had to schedule make-up tests for. Then I decided to rate the tests so I wouldn't have so many make-up tests to give. If a student missed the test then the second one would count double. If they missed both tests then the final would count for their test grade. I saved countless lives. After I started the new test policy grandparents stopped dying, girlfriends stopped going to Emergency rooms, and room-mate's dogs stopped getting run over. Students came to all of the tests and everybody was happy, especially me.

Time to get Away and What a Pinball Shot!

2011-11-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

The stages of a painting can be exasperating so I am always glad when I have arm wrestled it down and can decide on a few more brush marks that finish it off. It is always a fight but I love it. I think the reason my husband and I don't fight and argue is that we fight and argue with our artwork and that is enough for us. I don't need any other drama. As the late Roanoke Times Art critic, Ann Weinstein said, in so many words when she retired - Artist's skinny souls fly through their art. I can't remember exactly how she put it but I like the skinny souls part. Friday will be the last day I work on this painting and then I will get it on the net as soon as it dries.

Yesterday morning I knocked my coffee cup on to the floor where is smashed and covered the floor, my delicate white curtains, my son's shoes by the door, the fabric cushion on the seat, and the dog's blanket in her bed under the table. What a pinball shot! I got everything in that section of the kitchen. I think that is the last home-made forty dollar coffee cup I am going to purchase.

I Know Why Sargent said That and I am Not Going Any Place Where...

2011-10-30T18:05:00.001-07:00

John Singer Sargent made a good living off of painting portraits of people that could afford them. Commissions are very difficult. What artists consider to be a good painting is not always what the sitter wants. People always disagree on what is a good likeness, even if the portrait is a photograph-oftentimes especially if it is a photograph. When Sargent hit fifty he closed shop. He said he would paint your barn or your fence but not your face. I think you have to be a painter to know how frustrating portraits can be. I have been fortunate and no one has ever complained but I have not done that many. I will still do them when asked but it is a difficult task.

My naturalist husband is always at his studies. When he is not doing field work he is compiling data on the computer. He has devoted his life to educating as many people as possible on what we have and how to take care of it. He is still working on a CD on Butterflies of the Blue Ridge which I hope will be out soon. Problems with the photographer have delayed progress. I have often wondered why he doesn't want to travel to Africa or South America for a completely different experience. He has studied species in Mexico and North Carolina but no where else outside of Virginia. I asked him why he won't travel to more exotic places and he said he isn't going anywhere where the wildlife is waiting for him with a fork and spoon as soon as he gets off the bus. I see his point.

A Great Way to Finish and Kiss them and Run!

2011-10-26T17:35:00.001-07:00

I have taught a total of nineteen years on the college level and will retire from teaching at the end of this semester. I have enjoyed working with Art students but I can't say I have enjoyed teaching Linear Perspective. It is my opinion that anyone in any visual art field should be well grounded in this subject but it is extremely hard for some students to grasp. I like to display good work by the students in the hall for everyone to see and this is the first semester that I will be displaying some of their oblique perspective assignments. What a great way to end my teaching career and begin work as a full time professional artist!

My husband and I were watching the Mike and Molly sitcom the other night. In this episode Molly, her mother, and her sister were having heated arguments and Mike was being drawn into the fireworks. His situation was getting worse and worse and my husband said Mike needed to get out of there. Sometimes all you can do is kiss them and run!

Sold Another Original and All Choked Up

2011-10-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased that I sold another original to a great patron in Missouri. Now I have artwork in eighteen states, Washington D.C., Canada, Germany, and Australia. My artwork marches on! As I have said before, I want to cover the planet!. It is such a wonderful experience to be appreciated. I work so hard at my profession and will never quit trying to get homes for all of my paintings. They are extensions of me and I hope they exist after I am gone. The painting is "Chrysanthemum Shift" and it has an exceptionally sensitive surface and exuberant color contrast.

Last week the Virginia Tech Library where my husband works in Government Documents had a celebration regarding the changes that are occurring right now. My husband's staff had a huge cake with the letter "C" on it and some pirate cookies. My husband said he had to leave the room all choked up. He wasn't choked up about the changes. He is fructose intolerant and can't eat cakes or cookies or a lot of things most people can eat. He was just kidding around. He has made the adjustment to his diet and lost thirty pounds. He just likes to make jokes about his dietary problems. The last time I mentioned one of his dietary laments on Facebook, I got a long stream of advice from well wishers. Not necessary!

What a great Experience and Thats what I Tell the Face in the Mirror

2011-10-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

I work so hard at my painting and when the different stages of a work finally come together it is like a great celebration. Painting can be an exasperating struggle. I live to paint but sometimes it is not a great life. This week a painting I started over four times is coming together and I can hardly wait until it is completely done, dry, and on the net for everyone to see. Now, if I can just get through the last week of Linear Perspective life will be great again. Why is Linear Perspective so hard for some students? This is my last semester of teaching and I look forward to NEVER having to teach Linear Perspective again! I have enjoyed working with art students but it is time to pursue my career full time.

A few days ago my husband was joking about not being able to find his brain. He thinks it is gone and I told him he had a great brain which was probably full of wrinkles since, as we all know, it is not the size of the brain that indicates intelligence but the amount of wrinkles. Wrinkles are a good thing. He said that is what he tells the face he sees in the mirror every day.

Back to Closing the Door and Do you think it was because of Parents Weekend?

2011-10-16T17:31:00.001-07:00

When my son was a toddler I would close the door of my studio so I could get some work done. He hung out with his Dad for an hour and then would come and knock on the door. An hour is better than nothing. My paintings have become so complicated that I have to cover them when I am not working on them so I am not bothered by what needs to be done. I need a lot of time to paint as I always work wet-in-wet. I have gone back to closing the door and I tell the family to stay away so I can work. They can handle that. There is never enough time for an artist.

My husband is a self-taught naturalist and he gets up at the crack of dawn to check out the wildlife, especially the birds. He rarely sees people at 5:00 in the morning but he had a story to tell Saturday. He was checking things out by the New River at Bisset Park when he saw something swimming in the middle of the river quite a distance from the shore. It was a young man swimming. The morning was cold enough that my husband had a jacket on so he was very surprised to see someone stand up and look over at him. We talked about a number of reasons for this incident and then I remembered this week-end was Parent's Week-end at Radford University. I jokingly told my husband that he was hiding from his parents because his grades were bad.

Halfway There and Lights on a Turkey

2011-10-12T18:25:00.001-07:00

I have taught a total of nineteen years at Radford University. I taught full-time for eight years and part-time for eleven years and I decided this semester would be my last. I have enjoyed working with the students but I want to work full-time at selling my own work. I make part of living off of my sales and it is my dream to make all of my living off of my sales. The semester is half over and I am getting more and more excited with each passing day. I am taking one thing home a day from my office so I won't have so much extra work during exam time. Soon I will be able to devote more time to promoting myself and moving artwork. I am in seventeen states,Washington D.C., Canada, Germany, and Australia. Time to cover the world!

My husband and I were talking about the great change in holiday celebrations. When we were kids no one put up lights for Hall ' o Ween, people did not put Christmas lights all over their roof and fence, and no one exchanged gifts for Easter as many people do now. Weeks ago we saw Christmas lights on at a home nearby. There are all kinds of huge Hall o' Ween ghoulish balloons in yards. My husband said the next thing will be lights on a Turkey for Thanksgiving. That is one I want to see!

Working on the Next Show and There is no place like this Dump!

2011-10-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

Time to get to work on the promo for my next show that will be up January 15th at Zeppolli's in Blacksburg, VA. I used to put on more than one show a year but now I find I am doing much better selling on the internet so one a year is enough. I have sold a lot of paintings locally but I do live in a hard sell area. Radford is not Chicago by any means. Got to get the details together to attract some attention. I still don't have a title for the show because I am not sure I will finish a painting that I wanted to center the show around. Just have to wait a little longer to get the title together.

We live in a modest active solar home that is all we need but it is a little cramped so we do plan to move eventually. It is great having everything one one level and I have a nice studio that my brother-in-law added to the house before he got married and had five kids. We haven't seen him since. Just joking! Whenever we are away on a trip when we get home my husband says over and over again, "There's no place like this dump!", "There's no place like this dump!" Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz!

Visions of Students Jumping Up and Down and Does anything get that Dog Down?

2011-10-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

I hardly ever miss class. Spring Semester I didn't miss one. Students are expected to turn in an 18"x24" assignment every week. It is my opinion that when Professors are easy on students they are not doing them any favors. College is the last step before the real world and the real world is not made up of loving parents and kind High School teachers. Saturday I picked up a nasty bug complete with congestion and fever. I only cancel class when I can not be there. This bug has been so bad that both classes this week were cancelled. As soon as I hit the send button on the email I imagined students jumping up and down with joy that the mean ol' teacher cancelled class and they had two more class days to finish the assignment. I told them the assignments had better be good...

Sixteen years ago we went to the shelter and got a very friendly, sweet, mixed labrador mutt. She was medium-sized and we didn't know if she was a puppy or full grown. She didn't get bigger. She still acts like a puppy in her old age. She jumps all over us, pulls on the lease, and wants to be with us all the time. Obedience School was a complete disaster. Yesterday she was practically lame. She was holding one paw up as she walked and it was swollen. She tested positive for Lyme disease and I immediately thought she would probably die. The neighbor's dog died of Lyme disease. After one dose of medicine she took last night she is jumping around on all fours and the swelling is completely gone. She is even going over to the fence where the neighbor's shrimpy dogs bark like at mad at her while she just stares at them. What an amazing old dog! We are all glad she is still around.

If People only Knew and Abduction to Mars

2011-10-02T16:11:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I hear people talk about an Art Appreciation or Art History course as if it was not worth any time or effort. I remember one young man saying all the teacher did was show pictures. Visual language is an incredible, thought provoking language that I wish everyone could understand. In school we are taught verbal and mathematical skills but not visual skills, in my opinion. I wish the average person could understand the tremendous effort that artists go through to communicate what they think is important about life. My work is intensely emotional but I think many people just see a pretty picture. Every color and mark is labored over to achieve the most intense visual communication possible. I never get exactly what I want but I get close. The perfect one is always right around the corner.

Just for fun my husband and a friend play the lottery once a week. They each put in a dollar and I always tease him about the fact that we still aren't millionaires. He says he has about as much chance of winning the lottery as he does of aliens hauling his butt off to Mars. I definitely would prefer winning the lottery. We are not the Bobbsey Twins but we do get along.

Still Arm Wrestling and Are We the Neighborhood Diner?

2011-09-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

My current painting has been quite a trip and I don't mean to the beach. The arm wrestling has gone on for such a long time my mind is reeling with all the different directions I have taken. I think I see daylight now but I thought that before so I can't wait until Friday when I can attack it again. Thursdays I teach most of the day and then take some young adults bowling so I just have to be on edge until I can get back to it. What a roller coaster ride!

I have mentioned before that our old dog is so nice that I caught her staring at a cat eating her dog food one day. She didn't budge or bark- just stared at the cat. I oftentimes see cats sneak into our yard. Birds take her food and dip it in her water bowl to soften it. One small dog squeaked his body through the fence and now my husband says squirrels give him a dirty look if the bowl is empty. Are we the diner here? I fully expect the goats at the end of the street to show up one day for a snack. Such is life!

Sold Two More Prints and My Fat Missed Me

2011-09-25T18:28:00.001-07:00

I can't complain about this week-end even though I worked almost every minute of it on art, housework, or taking care of a sick kid. I used to brag about my great feet that never hurt. Those days are over. Sold a print on Friday and one today so that sweetens up a mostly sour week-end. It is great to be appreciated.

I have had to watch my weight my whole life. I was never very overweight but there were times I did have some extra. Fortunately my mother could have founded Weight Watchers. She cooked meals that are just like what you see in Weight Watcher menus. None of us are overweight and I have managed to keep the extra pounds off since I left home many years ago. I have a number of friends that are still fighting the battle of the bulge and keep trying this diet or that. They want to insist I am just one of those people that doesn't have to worry but it isn't true. I tell them Weight Watchers is the group to join. One of my friends lost quite a bit of extra weight and then slowly put it on over a period of a couple of years. She told her husband, "My fat missed me".

Arm Wrestling and Head Stuck in the Fence

2011-09-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

Years ago when I was struggling with a painting that was not turning out the way I wanted it to a teacher made the remark that painting was like arm wrestling. You get it in the direction you want it to go and then it messes up and then you get the effect you want again and so on. It is always fun in the beginning and then it becomes more and more difficult and then you just want to get it done. If an artist works hard she or he can get close but never exactly what is desired. It is such a great experience when one is arm wrestled down and you feel like you won. I think my current painting that was started over a number of times is about to cry uncle! It never stood a chance against such a stubborn artist. Defeat is not in my vocabulary.

The tiny, noisy dog next door was squealing the other day. I am so used to hearing it bark like mad at my poor old dog that I didn't pay any attention at first. After a while I realized it was making some sort of distress cry and found it with it's head stuck through one opening in the chain link fence. It was jumping and spinning around in a circle trying to free itself. It looked a little guilty when I went over to help it. Usually it barks and bears its teeth at me but not this time. The owners were not at home so I called animal control. I could not get it loose but I stayed with it and tried to calm it down until help arrived. The animal control officer was able to free it and I think the dog and I are friends now- at least for a while. It still barks like mad at my dog.

Sold Another Painting and You have the Wrong Number

2011-09-18T16:16:00.001-07:00

I am so pleased to sell another original oil painting to a great patron in Morganton NC. It is such a wonderful experience to mail artwork out of my studio. Painting is my life and people that purchase one of my paintings are getting a part of me. Visual art is such an intense means of communication. I try to promote the good things in life with my work and "Flower Field" is one of my favorite paintings for reasons that I can't explain. Sometimes the colors and textures come together in an especially sensuous way that makes all of my efforts worthwhile.

My husband has a cell phone that he doesn't use. He just has it for emergencies but has to add minutes every three months to keep the service. He has 500 minutes and will probably just keep adding to that number. He can't understand why cell phones have become so popular. If a lot of people started to try to contact him by cell phone, this is the message he would like to put on it.

You have reached the wrong number. Even if you think you have the right number you are wrong. Bye.

He would never really do this. He is one of the most diplomatic people I have ever met but at heart he is a curmudgeon.

I have not done that for a long time and Artistic Environmentalists

2011-09-14T18:35:00.001-07:00

I live to paint but once in a while it is a terribly taxing experience. Today was one of those days. I try to move fast so I don't get too critical of one painting but this time I was determined to work through the frustration to get the effect I want. It wasn't happening today so I became very vocal about it after making sure no one was around. Sometimes it is very helpful to throw a tantrum. Right afterward things started to work right and I am confident it will be a success. Control and accident. I doubt the average person has any idea of what that means. They would if they took up painting.

My husband likes to tease me when I make certain comments about nature that pertain to being an artist. Certain trees have a type of visual accent that makes them stand out from the rest to my eye. Since my husband and I are both environmentalists he says artistic environmentalists hug pretty trees.

This Would Not Happen if I had Time and The Only Alien I am going to see

2011-09-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sure all artists that don't make their living off of their artwork can understand this problem. I make part of my living at it and I will never give up on getting paid for what I consider to be my job but I need that rich patron to support my efforts so I don't have to stop in the middle of my work. I wish I could spend as much time as I want on my paintings. There are so many other things I have to do that I am frustrated with all the starting and stopping. Still whining for extra hours to the day...

My husband and I were talking about movies with aliens in them. I have seen so few and really don't like alien movies. Some of them are so gruesome and some of them are so frightening that I avoid them. I have enough nightmares. My husband is not that interested in them either. He said the only alien he is going to see is the one staring back at him from the mirror

Sold Another Print of Marsh View at Pawleys Island and Hot Water

2011-09-07T17:54:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased to sell another print of Marsh View at Pawleys Island to a great patron in Ridgeland MS. I am especially pleased with this painting. It is 41"x 60" and takes up a large section of the wall in my living room. I'm so glad there a number of people with prints of this work. I hope someone will want to buy the original but I think they would have to be local. I have never shipped a painting that large. I know there are shipping services for such an item but I haven't crossed that bridge yet.

I am still whining about piriformis and have decided that I am probably having this problem because I have stopped two activities that I used to do weekly - skating and swimming in a heated pool. I only like to skate at rinks but I have become too worried that I might have a serious accident . I hated to give it up but I don't want to break a hip at my age. The heated pool at the hospital is no longer having free swim sessions so that is the end of that.

I told my husband that I think people our age need to spend time in hot water. He said he is always in hot water. Not true! He is one of the good guys.

Sold Burning Shore and I Think I am going to call it Nastyformis

2011-09-04T18:03:00.001-07:00

I am so pleased to sell one my favorite paintings to a great patron in Florida. "Burning Shore" has a wonderful visual intensity. I am especially pleased with the color contrast and emotional brushwork. I thought "Burning Shore" was a perfect name considering the strong sunset colors that permeate the whole work. I am now in sixteen states, Washington D.C., Canada, Germany, and Australia. I hope I cover the planet!

I am still griping about the piriformis that is causing so much pain in my right hip. Ten years ago I had such a bad case of piriformis in my left hip that I was practically screaming in pain. Since then I have been doing the exercises a great nurse friend told me to do to prevent it from flaring up again. That time it went away after a few days. This time I have been suffering since the end of July. The pain is not anywhere near as bad as the first time but I wish it would let up! I think a better name for it would be NASTYFORMIS.

Sale of Beautiful Nude and NBC?

2011-09-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a great patron in North Carolina bought a framed print of one of my beautiful nudes. "Reaching Out" is an intense charcoal study of a model that looks like she is trying to reach beyond the picture plane. The light effect and flowing marks are especially strong in this one. I am so pleased that I am selling prints of these nudes and getting wonderful comments from other artists. As I have said before, the ability to draw the nude so that it looks alive and not just a combination of detail is part of the discipline of a good artist. I hope to sell many more of these drawings that are so important to me.

I am still suffering from piriformis and am wondering how long this will last. I am using a heating pad which helps but I still can't work on my portfolio update. I am too sore to drag my heavy easel out doors to photograph artwork. I am really getting tired of this pain in the butt. I told my husband I need a new butt and where can I get one. He said, "I don't know, maybe NBC - New Butt Club". Not sure how that works as humor but it made me laugh.

So Excited about my Current Painting and a Bucket of Fudge

2011-08-28T17:37:00.001-07:00

A lot of artists do portraits of famous personalities that they have never met. I assume they have never met them so they rely on photographs and either stick rather closely to the photograph, modify it somewhat, or completely change it to accommodate their individual expression. It has never occurred to me to paint a portrait of someone I don't know. Recently I decided there was one personality I greatly admire that I haven't seen a lot of paintings of and I thought I would give it a try. I am enjoying the experience and am using a number of photographs to get the likeness but the painting is all mine-my expression, color, and brushwork. I hope it turns out as well as I want. Painting is always a crap shoot between skill and what happens in the process. So far, so good!

Whenever I see a report in the newspaper that politics are working out the way I want them to I become very excited. I see hope for what is important to me and I like to discuss these things with my husband. The other day I mentioned an improvement and he said the results are based on a poll and you can never tell about them. He said one party probably calls up twelve members of their party and tells them to answer yes on five questions and they will get a bucket of fudge in the mail. So much for polls and good news. I think I will just believe the poll results. That makes me happy.

Just Sold Another Print and Peanut Butter on his Hands

2011-08-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

I just sold another print of one of my most popular paintings. Natural Rhythm is a feast of color and texture and the canvas print will go to a patron in Perth Australia. I have originals and prints in private collections in sixteen states, Canada, Germany, and now Australia. I hope I can cover the planet! I literally work my butt off as I am still suffering with Piriformis this week. Those of you that have it know it is a muscle spasm in the rear end that presses on the sciatic nerve causing a lot of pain. I'm glad I paint standing up. Sitting and lying down are hard on this problem. Hope it is better soon.

My husband is getting so sick of rice bread that he is thinking of spreading peanut butter on his hand and then licking it off. The diet for people that are fructose intolerant is very restrictive. I posted this on Facebook and got a zillion replies on how to improve his diet. Most of the suggestions included things he can't eat. Who would have thought that there are people that can't eat apples, string beans, bread, broccoli, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, etc. We have found a lot of substitutes but the rice bread is getting him down. We are looking into other types he can eat.

Back to Oil Paint before I Flip and Little Known Nonsense

2011-08-21T12:16:00.001-07:00

I am so glad to be back to oil paint. I know I say this too often but I truly do live to paint. Pushing colors and textures around on a canvas or board is such a wonderful experience and it keeps me together. In a world where adults and children kill others when they are unhappy, where spouses beat up on spouses and children, where animals are mis-treated, I need my paint to be happy. Yes there are many wonderful people and things in the world but there is too much of what is wrong that weighs us down. I emphasize what is good in life in my work. It is a great form of communication and I am thrilled when people understand it.

I have been having some trouble with periformis for some time now and hoping it will get better soon. Those of you that have experienced this problem know that it is literally a pain in the butt. One muscle spasms and then affects the sciatic nerve and ouch!!! I was complaining to my husband about my aches and he said it is because I married a dip stick. According to him, marriage with a dip stick causes physical pain and mental stress. Little known nonsense that is not true in my case. I did not marry a dip stick. Put Clyde Kessler in Google and you will see what I mean.

Where would we be without Art and Once you are Over the Hill...

2011-08-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

What would people do without Art? I know many people live for sports and cars but how many people have nothing to do with Art? More and more people are getting tattoos and I only know a few people that don't watch TV. I love all the arts and can't imagine a world without them. If I had a bunch of lives I would pursue them all. I live to paint but I also spend some time playing the piano, line dancing, and watching great DVDs. One of my patrons that works in the library orders the sort of things I like and calls me up when they arrive. My artwork is in sixteen states, Canada, and Germany. I may never become as successful as I would like to be but the time to work is all I really care about.

Since we bought a home many years ago my husband has kept the computer room covered up with all his activities. I greatly admire his environmental efforts and his poetry that he has had published many times but I can't clean a room that has the bed piled up with boxes and notebooks and the floor mostly covered up with the same. Of course, if I try to organize everything he won't be able to find anything. I finally came up with a solution. I am slowly cleaning the room and organizing his things with him so he will know where I am putting things. I am not quite done but it is so much better that he thanked me. It is true what Charles Schultz put in one of his cartoons.

Once you are over the hill you pick up speed!

I knew I would add Charcoal and There is no Place like...

2011-08-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

Still working on an old drawing that I thought needed some accents. The drawing is a pencil nude and has great space - just didn't carry very well. I was determined to stick with graphite and make it work but I got out the charcoal. Now the drawing has strength and is a strong visual experience. Like many young artists I started with pencil and then moved on to charcoal, conte, and pastels for drawing. There is nothing wrong with graphite but it was only for me when I was young. I will add the drawing here when the weather cools down so I can get a good outdoor shot.

My husband, son, and I live in a small, active solar house that we bought as a starter house on a nice street with three houses and wooded areas. It seemed like an ideal place for an artist and a naturalist. It was a great place for two years then every lot was sold and the sloppiest people on the face of the earth moved next door - no exaggeration. At one time they had seven cars that did not work on their lawn with old TVs, furniture, and assorted trash. We have been fighting with them since they moved here. I even made a video and took it to the city and nothing happened.

Finally, after many years, social service made them clean up and now we may be able to sell our house if we find what we want but we have had a lot of fun here and had a lot of great neighbors and friends for my son. It really is true that there is no place like home. Whenever we travel we always say when we get home, "There's no place like this dump, there's no place like this dump!

Thankfully Back in the Studio and We Know we are Home when we hear that Sound

2011-08-04T06:05:00.001-07:00

I love to visit my family but I am always uneasy when I am away from my studio. I get quite nervous and distracted. Painting keeps me together so I never stop unless I have to. My mother celebrated her 89 birthday and I saw my siblings, and some nieces, nephews, and other in-laws. I am thankful that I don't call them out-laws. We all get along pretty well but I was so glad to see the Radford sign yesterday. I am working in graphite for the first time since the 80's. It is true that artists do go back to old works and modify them. The trick is not to destroy the work in the process. I have gotten good at that over the years.

As soon as we got in the door, the little dogs next door started yapping away. They still bark like mad and bare their teeth at our dog as she just looks at them by the fence. She isn't going to stop patrolling the back yard but she also doesn't bother with barking back. These dogs are as small as Chihuahuas but they don't look at all like them. They are very unattractive to me- sorry dog lovers. My husband just calls them Chiuglies.

Various Comments on my Work and Run Over by Chocolate

2011-07-24T09:26:00.001-07:00

Over the years I have received a lot of interesting comments on my work. Artists and patrons have often compared me to Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Cezanne. One artist saw the influence of 20th century colorist Pierre Bonnard on my work. Many artists have seen the influence of Claude Monet. These are artists I greatly admire but I think my work is unique to me and I have developed a style that has a tremendous amount of visual strength through my own layering process.

My favorite comment that I hear a lot from admirers is that my paintings make them want to touch them. I am especially pleased with my complex surfaces that can only be understood through visual language that the average person does not study. I think the comment that they want to touch the surface indicates the visual communication has been successful.

I have received a lot of praise from patrons over the years but my favorite comment came from a woman that bought my painting at the Three Rivers Art Festival in Pennsylvania. She sent me an email and said she made her husband buy that painting for her and when they divorced it was the only thing they fought over. I'm sorry her marriage didn't work out but what a compliment!

I love chocolate. I don't know any people that don't like chocolate. My favorite kinds are the chewy kinds - especially chocolate with caramel centers. I am quite the sugar addict. What do you call someone that has been run over by too much chocolate? Tootsienami!

I have to Cover Them and I Hope the Multi taskers are not...

2011-07-20T05:45:00.001-07:00

My studio is a room that my brother-in-law attached to our house many years ago. Then he got married and had five kids and we haven't seen him since! Just joking. Anyway, I can see my easel from my bedroom and I used to study my paintings from a distance during the day. Now they have become so complicated and intense that I have to cover them when I am not working on them. Every change in light makes such a difference and I can't work on them all day long. Now I understand why the famous 20th century artist Pierre Bonnard would turn them to the wall so he wouldn't become too involved in them. I tell my students that when you are analyzing every square inch and making decisions on whether or not that section looks right and whether or not it looks right with the rest of the work then you are into heavy duty art. It doesn't matter whether it is looks like something or not, there are zillions of visual decisions to be made. What a fascinating experience!

I am becoming more and more concerned with other drivers. I think it much more likely to be in an accident these days than when I was young. I am now much aware of what is going on around me. I just hope that all the multi taskers that eat, talk on a cell phone, watch a movie, read, and check their hair in the mirror are not multi stupid.

Looking for the Light and So is an Old Piece of Cheese

2011-07-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

I have become acutely aware of how different lights effect my paintings. There are so many colors that the light is extremely important. I have learned over the years how to set up so that I know the light will be most helpful when painting. The number one reason I don't paint outdoors is the tremendous change in appearance of the painting when brought in doors. My paintings aren't meant to hang out doors so I have to paint in my studio. I have day light florescent lighting but the light is still completely different at different times of day. I have learned I can't paint in the afternoon because the painting is tremendously flattered. I can't paint at night because the warm colors practically disappear. I paint in the morning. The light in the studio is the best for the final result that will look right where I want them to be- on someone's wall.

I have always teased my husband about his looks. I think he is very handsome and is what many people would call a "pretty boy". He joked about that at work and now they all call him PB. He doesn't think much of his looks and says he looks especially bad now with age. I tell him he has just matured over the years and still looks great. He says an old piece of cheese matures but it still stinks!

Sometimes I Play and am I being Silly to Ask?

2011-07-13T09:26:00.001-07:00

I work very hard at my paintings and usually have a clear objective for each one but sometimes I just want to play with the colors and see what comes up. My most recent upload is an example of one of those works. I started with a flower motif and then let the colors and textures happen until I thought it was a good visual experience. There is nothing like oil paint to me. Sometimes I enjoy working in pastels but my medium is oils. I hope I die with a brush in my hand. Painting is my life.

Am I being silly to ask if Congress could greatly reduce the debt if everything were cut a small amount? That way no one could scream about being cut out. I'm sure even the military has some pork that could be reduced. I certainly am not advocating any harm to defense but I'll bet there are some things that could be cut out without putting our country at risk. Seems to me this would be the thing to do in a Democracy, but I am not a politician, just a worried individual.

The Final Brush Marks and Frances is just Too Nice

2011-07-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

It is always so hard to know when to quit on a painting. I have learned over the years to let them alone for a while before deciding if they are really done but it is so difficult to stop. Often times I feel like I should push one a little more before I quit but that usually just creates more problems to solve and perfection is always out of reach. Since my work is representational people that don't understand abstract art are always trying to get me to explain it to them. I tell them that I can't explain what all artists do. I believe the only way people that only understand art as a picture of something can understand how all art is abstract is for them to take it up themselves. Whether the artwork has specific shapes from nature or not there are a multitude of decisions to be made based on how it looks as a work of art created by one personality.

Just put the last marks on one I am pleased with. It's not exactly what I want but it is close.

Our dog Frances is just too nice. The other day we saw her about two feet from her dish. She was calmly watching a cat eat her dog food. She didn't bark or go after the stray cat. I guess the natural animosity between dogs and cats is not always true. She is still periodically staring at the neighbor's dogs as they bard like mad at her. She never barks back or bares her teeth at them. Sweet old dog.

It is Paint and Can We be Friends?

2011-07-07T06:14:00.001-07:00

When I was young I didn't understand the phrase artistic license. I thought that it was an excuse for the inability to reasonably reproduce things. Like many young artists I was working on my drawing and painting skills and had no idea what artists that understood the phrase meant by it. When a teacher would try to explain to me that all art is an abstraction from life I would smile politely and think the teacher was either nuts or making up some nonsense.

Now I talk exactly the same way to students and I don't think I have flipped. When critics of Manet's portrait of Emile Zola said the pants didn't look like pants he said in so many words they are not pants. It's paint! Regardless of whether the painting looks like something or not it is an arrangement by the artist that is in some way an abstraction from life. My work is a visual arrangement of my feelings for the natural world and I am thrilled when people understand the "license" in my paintings.

My old dog was running back and forth at our fence while the very small dogs next door chased back and forth barking like mad. Now our dog, Frances, likes to just go to the fence and walk around a little. The dogs still bark like mad and bare their teeth. Frances just looks at them and never barks. If she could talk I'll bet she would say, "Can't we just be friends?"

Glad to Sell another Print and Adult ADD versus CRA

2011-07-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

I was so please to sell a print of one of my nude drawings. They are very special to me. I put a lot of energy and linear accents into my nudes. I have sold a number of prints on FAA but this is the first print of a nude other than a couple of greeting cards. The human form is beautiful and I think it is sad that some people are offended by the nude in Art. As I tell my students, anyone can make a poor, stiff, lifeless drawing of the human form. The mark of a true, accomplished artist is one that can make it look alive!

I write things down. I make lists. I put dates on the calendar and I still miss things. I'll never forget the day the dentist called up and asked if it was possible to change my son's appointment which was on the next day. I told them I couldn't change it and then I forgot to take him! I don't think I will ever live that one down. I jokingly told my husband I have adult ADD(attention deficit disorder). He said he has CRA(Can't Remember Anything) but he isn't sure because he forgot.

Painting, More Painting, and When was the Last Time You saw a Green Heron?

2011-06-30T18:24:00.001-07:00

I have been enjoying returning to some paintings that I haven't sold yet and working on them here and there. I rarely do this. Once I finish with a painting I move on to the next one and let the other one live. It is so easy to get too worked up over one. It is hard to return to a painting due to the fact that I am always changing my methods even though they always have my touch. I have to remember what it was that motivated me to do the painting in the first place and the particular approach I took then. My palette has lightened up over the years which is typical of many painters but recently I have returned to darker colors in current work. I go around in circles but they are all extensions of me. I love what I do!

My husband, Clyde Kessler, is a well-known naturalist in the New River Valley and has been asked to become part of a business venture to promote tourism and wildlife studies. He leads tours for a new group called Radbird and was an excellent guide this past week-end at Bike Virginia in Radford. What a wonderful float down the New River from River View Park to Bisset Park! This tour was called the Green Heron Tour as there are always a lot of Green Herons on this part of the river. We were all pleased to see many Green Herons, and a Great Blue Heron that showed up right on cue as did around 50 other species of birds. It is great have such a knowledgeable husband who dedicates so much of his time to educating the public about the wonders all around us. There are so many wonderful things to do that don't require batteries.

Paintings can become Old Friends and I miss my Big Stomach

2011-06-27T06:12:00.001-07:00

Most of my paintings that I think are successful are out the door before I hardly have a chance to look at them. Some other paintings I think are successful go unnoticed and then some that I am not too pleased about are big hits with others. Either way I don't sell them all and I am quite prolific so I have paintings around me. Some of them have problems that bother me and some become old friends. Most of my paintings improve with age. I forget what it was that was bothering me and just see what is successful. I enjoy looking at the old friends and hope they will be bought eventually.

I have fought the battle of the bulge my whole life. I can remember being teased about being a little chubby when I was five years old. I won the battle in High School and have kept my weight down ever since. I love to eat but I can't stand to carry around extra weight. My husband was thin as a rail when we were married and gradually put on extra weight and became rather portly. Last year we finally found out why he has so much indigestion and pain in his abdomen. He is fructose intolerant and has had to cut out certain fruits, vegetable and wheat products. As a result he has lost thirty pounds and is slim again.

One night when we were lying in bed watching TV he said he missed his gut. Took him years to get it that way eating the foods he can no longer eat. I guess some people would rather have the extra weight than give up certain foods!

The Road Less Traveled By and My Sore Feet

2011-06-23T06:05:00.001-07:00

Many readers of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" think the poem is about being an individual. I had thought that for most of my life until my painting time became such an exhilarating experience. For many years it was discouraging and frustrating. I destroyed many paintings that I thought were awful. Now that I know exactly where I belong in regards to style and purpose I live to paint and every day is exciting.

I could be wrong but I think Frost was talking about becoming an artist which is not a typical path in life, but for me IT HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED BY IS THE GREATEST ROAD IN THE WORLD!

All my life I have bragged about my great feet. I have heard others talk about their sore feet and was so glad that never happened to me. I could stand up and paint all day long. I never sat down when teaching classes. Well, I guess my feet are finally showing some wear. I can still stand up for long periods of time but sometimes my feet are sore. That's life! I may be a little sore going down that path but I will stay on the road.

Almost to the Finish Line and So What if they are Little Shrimps?

2011-06-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

I am almost to the end of a grueling painting. It is nice to achieve close to what I want which is all anyone can ever do. Painting is a never ending learning process and the next one will be perfect. Painters have to learn to live with all most and wait. They look much better later. Time to get back to work on one I was not at all happy with. I'm sure I know what to do now. Hope springs eternal.

Our neighbor has acquired a number of very small dogs. I'm not sure what breed they are but they sure can bark. We have an old medium sized labrador mutt and she seems to be getting into checking out the dogs at the fence. We have a shed that blocks off part of the fence. She goes to one part of the fence and they bark like mad. Then she runs to the other side and they bark like mad. My husband said she probably likes the company. So what if they are little shrimps? They are her own kind and she sure looks happy running back and forth.

Be sure to check out my Limited Time Promotion on two popular paintings at kendall-kessler.artistwebsites.com

I Hate this Part of the Conversation and I did not like her Hair

2011-06-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

Paintings talk back. I always start out with a plan but somehow the painting always takes over and starts telling me what to do. Then I get to the point where it seems successful except for a few things that are bugging me. This is always the worst part of the conversation. Many paintings are in danger of being destroyed at this stage so many painters put them away for a while and then decide if it is truly done.

Usually the parts that seem so wrong don't seem like much at all after some time has elapsed. I always try to let paintings live. I destroyed a lot of good paintings when I didn't understand this part of the process. Got to tear myself away and work on something else.

I was looking at my students evaluations and wondering, like a lot of other college teachers, how did we get to the point where students tell us if we are effective teachers? I don't understand what their qualifications are for evaluating me? I get great evaluations but I know of very tough, demanding teachers that get poor ones. I don't think my course is easy but perhaps it is. I hope my high evaluations are for what I teach and not how difficult the course is.

I tease students about this all the time. I tell them that when they have an advanced degree, have taught on the college level, have a family, and work in the community then they can tell me how good a teacher I am. I also tease them about the written comments. Students give great criticism. I didn't like her hair. They always laugh on that one.

It is not Just a Paint Job and Mom always said I was Crazy

2011-06-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

I was working away at a difficult, intense painting today and, as always, thoughts from various teachers were going through my mind. I remember one teacher said that when he got the idea for the painting, the rest was just a paint job. For me, nothing could be further from the truth. My paintings go through many stages and I use so many colors and textures that the complexity of visual information is overwhelming. I don't think the average person can understand what I am talking about, but I think it is safe to say that for most artists it is not what you paint but how you paint it. My work is a unique interpretation of what is in front of me. Hopefully people can see the intense feeling that I put into every painting through the colors and brushwork.

My mother, whom I dearly love, often told me I was crazy. She is my greatest supporter and a wonderful person. She encouraged me to be an artist when many parents discourage children to pursue art. She is a fantastic pianist so she understands what it is to be an artist. My energy, my ways of doing things, and my unusual views on life are the reason she called me crazy. She is right but I wouldn't be any other way! Thanks Mom!

The Painting is Working and Why People Say Swear Like a Sailor

2011-06-16T04:41:00.000-07:00

I live to paint but it is a serious discipline. Over the years I have discovered so many personal directions that my abilities are stretched every time I paint. As most painters will tell you, what worked for one painting doesn't necessarily work for another painting. I have only discovered one absolute direction for all paintings and that is to not let much time go between each session. It is like playing a musical instrument. I have to be at it everyday. If I miss a day then I seem to lose my place in a painting. Years ago I discussed this with Dorothy Gillespie when she graciously taught a course at Radford University. She certainly agreed. My current painting is working out but I have to get in there and keep going.

Last night I was thinking about the saying "Swear like a Sailor". In my experience, that has been true but I wonder why we have that saying. My husband said if you had to spend all that time on a boat with no place else to go what do you think you would say? I mean no dis-respect to sailors. My father was a medical officer in the Navy during WWII and I miss him and his sometimes colorful language very much.

Coming Along and Breathing for Dummies

2011-06-15T04:04:00.000-07:00

My current painting is intimidating to say the least. It will be the featured painting for my next show in November. I live to paint but sometimes it is an agonizing process. It is so easy to be too controlling and then the painting can't talk back. I have to let the magic happen so the result is something that can't be reproduced. My paintings have become so visually complex that I can't stand to see them when I'm not working on them. There better not be any barking dogs today.

My writer husband and I were talking about all the self-help books that you see everywhere now. He decided he is going to write "Breathing for Dummies". I think that would catch on like wildfire. LOL

My promotion on "Marsh View on Pawleys Island" is still on. Be sure to check it out in the Limited Time Only section on Fineartamerica.com

Better Day in the Studio and Why My Marraige Works

2011-06-14T05:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I arm wrestled a painting down. Still not happy about it but it is much better. Now is the time to let it live for a while and then see if I want to go back into it. I'm back on the balance beam but still shaky. Painting will drive me crazy if I let it. I refuse to let that happen. Too much else to do.

New promotion on one of my favorite paintings, "Marsh View, Pawleys Island"! I have 20"x24" canvas prints for sale until June 18th. The price is $136.00 which is about 30% off. Just check out the Limited Time Only section on kendall-kessler.fineartamerica.com

My husband and I figured out why we hardly ever argue. I never listen to what he says and he never listens to what I say. Just a joke! Love you, sweetie!

Not my Favorite Day in the Studio and The Crystal Ball

2011-06-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day for my Limited Time Only offer on "Breakers, Pawleys Island", "A Break in the Clouds", and "A Pair". Check it out!

Yesterday I had one of my difficult studio days. Good art is a balancing act and I fell off the beam. I am looking forward to fighting with the painting today. If it was easy and I could get exactly what I wanted out of a painting it would be boring. I love art because it is partly a magic act full of surprises.

When I was growing up I remember a saying my mother repeated often. She is extremely conscientious and is always bothered by hindsight. She grieves over making the wrong choice. The saying is no one has a crystal ball. Last month she decided to try out a month by month retirement home. It was a lot of trouble to move over there and get set up. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would not like it and move back home. Friday she moved back home. For once I had a crystal ball.

Last Day of Special Promotion and No Screetching Dog on Monday

2011-06-12T05:31:00.001-07:00

Don't miss out on buying one of my three most popular prints at a greatly reduced price today! kendall-kessler.fineartamerica.com My work will light up any space. Over the years I have received numerous compliments from patrons regarding their purchase. One patron has my still life in her kitchen and she says it brings her so much joy as she begins her day.

I am so excited about my current painting. I am working on a simple rose study that won't be simple when I am done with it. It will reach out to the viewer with so much exciting color and texture that people will want to touch it. That is my favorite compliment. I want to touch your paintings. My paintings have exquisite surfaces with intense, emotional brushwork. The painting here is Bull Mountain.

Tomorrow my sweet, old dog will be at the groomers all day so I can work on photographing my work. I put her in the shade and she squeals and cries until I am done. I guess she just can't stand to be tethered anymore. She will feel a lot better when she gets that coat shaved. I don't think she will be around much longer. She is a very old dog that still acts like a puppy.

Last Two Days of Special Promotion and Claytor Lake

2011-06-11T04:11:00.000-07:00

Just two more days of my special promotion on three of my most popular paintings! "A Break in the Clouds", "Breakers, Pawleys Island", and " A Pair" are in the Limited time section on Fine Art America. Don't miss this opportunity to get a canvas print at a greatly reduced price! Mountain lovers, beach lovers, and pear lovers need to check this out!

Yesterday this workaholic spent a few hours at Claytor Lake. I don't know why I love the water so much but I am as excited about getting in as I was when I was little. It is no wonder that many of my paintings have water. Shores, rivers, creeks, lakes and ponds. The look and feel of water is incredible!. I am so happy swimming and talking with my friend Patty. I'm so glad my mother insisted we all learn to swim. My husband never learned. He is missing so much!

Sale of Blue Ridge Morning and My Screetching Dog

2011-06-10T06:33:00.001-07:00

Sold another print yesterday! A great patron from Providence, Rhode Island, bought a framed print of Blue Ridge Morning. It is great to be appreciated! I live in such a beautiful region of Virginia. My father used to tell me that when he flew he was always impressed with how beautiful Virginia looked from the air. I try to stay out of airplanes but both of my parents loved to fly. I never tire of trying to capture beauty. I agree with Georgia O'Keefe that it isn't possible to really reproduce anything but it is such an exciting experience to try. Of course, I am also adding my own expression into the work which adds intense emotion to the painting.

I have, for some time now, been working on updating my images for reproduction. Since I have to take the work outside I have to have the right light and weather conditions. It is tedious work and my dog has figured out a way to make it an extremely aggravating experience. I have to put her in the pen and it is too hot so she cries the whole time I am working. I tried tethering on the shaded car port and she cried anyway. Yesterday I tethered her to a tree in the shade that was near me and she squealed. I have had it for a while! I am waiting for cooler weather to continue. Such is life!

Special Promotion on Three Favorites and Good-bye Goats and Chickens

2011-06-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

Right now I have three of my most popular prints at a greatly reduced price here on FAA. Just go to the Limited Time Only section above. "Breakers at Pawleys Island" and " A Break in the Clouds" are on page one. "A Pair" is on page two. Just four days left! My artwork will light up any home or office. One patron emailed me to tell me that when she and her husband divorced, my painting was the only thing they fought over!

As I said in the last post, the neighbor down the street in this suburban neighborhood has goats and chickens. I'm still painting to the sounds of screaming babies, noisy children, boisterous neighbors, screeching cars, goats, and chickens. The neighbor is moving so I won't have nyaah, nyaah or cluck, cluck, cluck anymore. I must say, baby goats are so cute and the chicken crossed our street to peck around in our yard. What a hoot! Or, should I say, what a cluck!

Also, check out my recent upload of "Bluestone Lake"!

Pawleys Island Sales and the Goat at the End of the Street

2011-06-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

So pleased to sell two more prints of "Breakers, Pawleys Island", and "Marsh View, Pawley's Island". Interestingly enough, my last sale was prints of these two paintings. My painting experience is becoming more and more intense as I find it so difficult to attend to my other responsibilities each day. I always feel like I am screaming for more time. Sometimes a friend gets me out of the studio for a while. I would probably flip if she didn't do that.

The older I get the more obsessed I become with sales. It is great to sell prints but I want to sell the originals as well. I hope the internet will continue to improve my sales.

My neighbor down the street in this Radford City suburb has goats and chickens. I don't know him but I hear he is working on a doctorate and makes violins! I have done a lot of paintings to the sounds of dogs, crying babies, and loud children but now I paint to Nyahh, Nyahh, Nyahh.

What an interesting artist's life I have!

Living with Autism the sale of Color Blast and the sales of two glicees

2011-03-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

As any parent of an autistic child knows, it isn't easy living with mental illness. My husband and I love our son and always will but some days are so hard when he is extremely difficult to communicate with. I wish someone would find a cure for this illness. I do not agree with people that think there is nothing wrong with autism and the only problem is that the rest of us view it as a disorder. It is a handicap and I doubt whether he will be able to successfully live on his own. I'm not asking for sympathy. It is just good sometimes to vent a little. He is a good person and he does the best he can with his lot in life and we will continue to assist him until we are no longer around to do so.

I am so glad I am an artist. Everyday I am excited about whatever time I have to work at my art. It is such a wonderful experience and I love making part of my living at my sales. I will never give up on making it my only job but for now all sales are great. Recently, I sold the original painting entitled "Color Blast". This past week two giclees of Pawley's Island were sold to a patron in South Carolina. My visitors have doubled in the last few months and I look forward to future sales but the most important thing is to paint which I will be doing tomorrow morning as soon as the dishes are done.

Classes and the Sale of Wildflowers Near Fancy Gap

2011-01-30T17:07:00.000-08:00

I am so pleased to have more freedom this semester as I only have two classes. It is great to have more time to work at what I live to do. I get depressed if I can't keep up my painting schedule. The process is much more complicated than the average person realizes. It isn't just a matter of picking up a brush when inspiration strikes. Art is an intense discipline and I can't go more than one day with out losing something that pertains to the particular technique I am using for each work. I have been building on a style that is unique to me even though people can see similarities to various established styles. I lose something and gain something with each painting. I have learned over the years how to let them live and not work them to death.

Control and accident. I have said this before but I think one has to be a serious painter to truly understand this difficult balancing act. As Dorothy Gillespie once said to me in so many words, "Painters always have this feeling that they are falling off a cliff when working." It is a job that is only partly thought out. The rest is a leap of faith.

As always I am so pleased that I recently sold one of my favorite paintings. "Wildflowers Near Fancy Gap" is one of my favorite paintings and I know the patron greatly appreciates it.

Currently I have paintings on ebay and always on ebay classified for Blacksburg, VA
Prints on clothing, paper products, and kitchen wares can be purchased at www.zazzle.com/newriverartist

Hope to post the final state of Reaching Out soon

2011-01-13T10:21:00.001-08:00

I have been having a great and challenging time working on oil paintings and a pastel at the same time. I am very pleased with the final state of "Reaching Out". I have been wanting to use some previous drawings as starting points for expressive pastel works and I am off to a great start. I love the direct approach of pastels and the beautiful cosmetic like surface they create. When people ask me for portraits I try to talk them into pastels.

Anyway, here is the final state of "Reaching Out" which I will post on kendall-kessler.artistwebsites.com as soon as the weather is good enough for me to get an outdoor shot.

Back to Pastels

2011-01-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

I decided a while ago to take some of my black and white figure drawings from years ago and re-interpret them in color. I have wanted to get back to my second medium which is soft pastels. Most artists work in more then one medium but oil paint is the one I married for life so it is tricky working in what some call a drawing medium. I prefer to call pastels painting without a brush.

It is such a direct medium that it is tempting to simplify the technique when it is just as complicated as any other medium. One great thing about pastels is they are extremely forgiving. I love being able to change my mind without waiting for it to dry like oil paint. I am pleased with the somewhat electric effect I have achieved so far. I think I am close to done and will post it soon.

Here is another painting, "Blue Ridge Mountain" from my current show at Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea in Blacksburg, VA. The show will be there until January 15th.

Reaching into the Past

2010-12-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

Since we are snowed in I am able to work more than usual. I am excited about my current portrait of my husband and son. The photograph that I am basing the painting on is twenty-five years old. Since then I have been through so many different approaches to oil painting that they are all converging in my head as I paint this one. I started out using the traditional thin-to-thick method of layering oil paint but I have since explored many levels of the impasto technique. I still apply the paint in layers. Most oil paintings are made that way but I am often asked if I use a palette knife as the brushwork is visible on close inspection.

It is so exciting to look at the photograph and make visual decisions partly based on the photograph, partly based on my personal expression, and partly based on combining various impasto techniques. Painting is a magic act. I balance between control and accident and arm wrestle it down as Paul Frets once told me.

Here is another painting I want to add to my portfolio when the weather improves and I can get a good outdoor shot.

Blogging and Looking for Hours

2010-12-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

So much to do all the time. I wish someone would add hours to the day. Today I put in several hours on a portrait of my husband and son. The painting is based on a photograph I took when my son was nine months old. I have done a number of portraits of them from photos but I didn't think this one would work but now I realize it is an excellent start for me to build on with my personal expression. I am so excited to be reaching into the past with this work but I need to take better pictures for several pages of my website portfolio, work on images for my classes next semester, work on items that need repairing in my house, spend time with my husband, son and friends... The list goes on and on and all she wants to do is paint!

Here is one of the paintings I want to add to my portfolio among many others that I need good weather and good light to revise. Hopefully I will get some of that done next week. I am especially proud of the brushwork and delicate color contrast in this painting, " A Tree Poem".

Check out my work at kendall-kessler.artistwebsites.com

Line Dancing and First Place on Fine Art America

2010-12-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

The Country Line Dancers are at it again. We have a performance the 27th and the 29th. I live to paint but line dancing is definitely second place.
My painting, "Dominion Skating Rink" took first place in Maximum Expression Through Minimum of Means today. It is great to be appreciated! I am having a wonderful time going back and forth between oil paint and pastels right now. I haven't met the medium I don't like but oil paint is my main love.

I will be glad when the weather is better so I can get back to updating my portfolio. I am on page five but I am anxious to get the whole thing straightened out. I have to take the shots outdoors due to the inadequate light in my studio.

I have a number of items on auction on ebay right now. Check them out! Also check out the paintings on ebay classifieds for Blacksburg, VA.

Just Hung a show At Mill Mt Coffee and Tea and did not knock over a single person

2010-11-26T06:56:00.000-08:00

Sunday my husband and I hung my latest show, "This and That" at Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea in Blacksburg, Virginia without any problems. It is always tricky to hang a show in a business but it was early and I am pleased to say I didn't bump anyone.

I am, of course, joking. I have hung so many shows I could probably do it blind-folded if my paintings were lighter. Most of them are 30"x40" and on hardboard. I usually do it by myself but my husband offered to help so I took him up on it.

The show looks great and I have already had numerous compliments. Compliments are great but I hope to get some sales. There are landscapes and a few portraits. Please check it out! The show ends January 15th.

Too Much to do and the sale of Samantha

2010-10-27T18:37:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to blog when you are trying to update a portfolio, get ready for a November show, teach four classes, and keep up with housework. I am worn out but I wanted to write about Samantha which I recently sold. The paintings and pastels that I did of my son's friends are very special to me. I was neighborhood Mom for many years and it was a wonderful time. I took kids skating, swimming, bowling, and fishing. They are all adults now and their portraits are more than paintings to me. They are monuments to some of my favorite years.

I hope they will all continue to be viewed in other homes after I am gone. I work hard to sell my work. I don't want them to be thrown away. I hope someone will see them and experience the joy I experienced in raising my son.

Wonderful Meeting with Senator Mark Warner in Draper, Virginia

2010-07-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday my husband and I were invited to a special round table discussion with Senator Mark Warner who was the previous governor of Virginia. What a great experience! I talked on the importance of the Round the Mountain Artisans Trail that he founded when he was governor and my husband spoke on important conservation issues that are essential to promote effective tourism in Southwest Virginia. Senator Warner was most supportive and spoke on both The Crooked Road music program and Round the Mountain.

My husband, Clyde Kessler, is a well-known naturalist in the New River Valley and spends much of his time working with various conservation issues. He is actively involved in the preservation of several butterfly species that are in danger of extinction and will soon put out his CD on Butterflies of the Blue Ridge. Clyde was born in Ferrum, Virginia and his great uncle George Kessler was one of three founders of Ferrum College.

I was proud to be part of such an important discussion.

I am Overwelmed by the Work I have to do

2010-07-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

I have so many paintings to re-shoot that I am worn out before I start. I wish I had been born into the digital age. The 35mm camera techniques I was taught in school for photographing art aren't good enough for large prints. I have a collection of slides that look great on the screen but when viewed at full resolution are blurry. I uploaded many paintings on FAA before I even had the equipment to show me if the images were good. Most of my paintings are 30"x40" and are on heavy boards made heavier by the amount of paint I use. I have to set up outdoors in the sunlight which at times is so strong shadows are created by the brushwork on the painting. The clouds keep shifting today but I am going to try to get good prints. Yikes! What a chore! Such a long of list!

I am so glad I am a painter. Tuesday I received a big disappointment but all I needed to do was pick up a paint brush and all was well again. If I end up in a wheel chair I know I will still be painting. I hope I won't have crippling arthritis like Renoir but I will keep going. How wonderful to love what you do!

Where is "A Memory"

2010-06-29T12:54:00.001-07:00

What a day! Everything has gone wrong. I haven't had time to paint and to top it all off I just discovered that one of my large paintings has disappeared. I have been trying to track it down but the last time it was out was at a gallery but they said I picked it up. I have a reasonably good image on my website where patrons can obtain different size prints but I am worried that it is not clear enough. I will try to modify it on aperture but I have a feeling I will only be able to offer small prints.

I hate to lose a painting. I can't figure out what happened. Years ago when I was a student one of my paintings was stolen. I hope the person wanted the painting and didn't gesso over it for their own use.

Anyway, if you have seen this painting, please send me an email on my site, kendall-kessler.artistwebsites.com
trees prints

trees framed prints

trees greeting cards

trees posters

mountains paintings

Color, Color, and More Color

2010-06-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

I am so excited with my new anything goes approach to painting. I am doing some paintings totally from my imagination based on images that I have seen. I am reacting to the color in much the way the Abstract Expressionists did but with representational forms.

My paintings keep me going in a world of disasters. I read the other day that Henry Ford once said that History is one damn thing after another. I wish everyone would take the study of History more seriously. Of course we repeat the same mistakes since many think the study of History is unimportant. What could be more important?

Please check out what makes my life wonderful on ebay. Just put Kendall Kessler in the search. Also check out kendall-kessler.artistwebsites.com

This painting is "Clouds over Buffalo Mountain".

green framed prints
green greeting cards
green posters
trees paintings
trees drawings
trees pastels
trees canvas prints

Smith Mountain Lake Ending this Evening on ebay

2010-06-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

I thoroughly enjoyed working on a boat scene from Smith Mountain Lake. When I was young I spent a lot of time with my father fishing and crabbing on the Rehoboth Bay and the Chesapeake Bay. I have always enjoyed looking at boats.

This painting has a sensitive, colorful surface with small brushwork that makes for a varied surface that I am very proud of. My paintings are for people that appreciate a continual change in color and texture. They are complex, sensual, positive reflections of life. There is so much sadness and tragedy in the world. My paintings are positive assertions of what is good in life.

landscape drawings
landscape prints
impressionist posters
trees canvas prints
landscape pastels
landscape canvas prints
landscape framed prints
landscape greeting cards
landscape posters
green paintings
green drawings

COLOR FLOW Ending today on ebay!

2010-06-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased with the work I am turning out lately. I feel like a big weight has been lifted off of my shoulders as I just let the paint go and knock off all of the pre-conceived notions I have about process, public appeal, and style.

I had gotten to the point in my development after learning so many things about oil paint that it was becoming hard to just relax and enjoy what I do. I am back to that initial joy of handling the medium and I am truly coming into my own.

The world must see what I do. I must sell these works so they can live on their own. Be sure to check out "Color Flow" on ebay before the auction ends tonight. It is a feast of color and sensuous texture. A treasure.
impressionism drawings
impressionism pastels
impressionism mixed media
impressionism canvas prints
green canvas prints

I am so proud of "Cozy"

2010-06-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I completed a sumptuous painting with an exceptionally intricate system of brushstrokes. When I was young I didn't quite understand why art books would show close-ups of a tiny portion of a painting. I know now that the purpose is to show the complexity of the visual integration of the visual elements the artist has achieved in the work.

My paintings have become so complex that the rag I wipe my brush on has an incredible number of colors and nuances of color. Painting is such an exciting experience for hard-working disciplined artists. I wish I could make my living at it rather than just part of it but the most important thing is to create and I will never quit.

sunset paintings

river paintings

impressionism prints

impressionism framed prints

green pastels

The Joys and Aggravations of Painting

2010-06-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was crestfallen when I took my brush and wiped out a painting that just wouldn't turn out. Painting is always a crap shoot. It doesn't matter how talented an artist is, how much training the artist has, or how dedicated he or she is. It is always a difficult balancing act. On the same day I was ready to tear my hair out another painting worked out great! One of the best surfaces I have ever achieved on a painting! Go figure

I am trying more and more to get attention for my work. I work like a fiend and would like to be compensated for my efforts. Be sure to check out my work at kendall-kessler.artistwebsites.com. Also I sell on ebay. Just put Kendall Kessler in the search.

mountain paintings
figure impressionism greeting cardspaintings

I love my scanner!

2010-06-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

I mostly paint fairly large oil paintings(30"x40") but I have a wide size range. I especially like to paint 5"x7" oils so I can try different things without using an enormous amount of expensive oil paint or take so much time in the process. Small gems are a great way to explore and create wonderful paintings that I can scan directly into the computer for sites.

I am amazed at how accurate the scan is and huge prints can be made from these little paintings. How great to be able to get a perfectly accurate 40"x60" print on paper of canvas of a 5"x7" painting? I hope someone orders one soon from my site kendall-kessler.artistwebsites.com I have sold small and medium prints but no large ones yet. Maybe soon!
impressionism posters
impressionist pastels
green prints