Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Grinnell, Iowa - the very same studio, from where, tomorrow morning, I will load three paintings into the dweebvan and point it east on I80.

Destination?

Quad City Arts Center. Rock Island, Illinois.

If you haven't already heard, The Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa is hosting the exhibit 

French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950

I consider it a must see!

And that's on my agenda for tomorrow as well.

But let's get back to the title of this post "And A Trio Of Cooper Paintings". 

The Quad City Arts Center (on the Illinois side of the river, quad city metro - Rock Island, Illinois) is hosting a companion exhibit to the Figge's.

Regional artists were juried for the exhibit, and voila! Three of the four paintings I submitted were accepted to show. Yes, I am quite pleased!

Links to help you with your day of impressionist art excitement:

Quad City Arts gallery

Allevents.in RockIsland

French Moderns: Monet to Matisse (at the Figge)

Have a great visit to the Quad Cities. I know I will!

Karen

Al Fresco. La Concorde.

Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Grinnell, where the painting we are talking about today recalls a time when the studio was in Lipetsk, Russia.

Now, before I confuse you:   I am in Grinnell, and the painting du jour was painted in my spiffy little Grinnell studio, yes, indeedy.

But the reference material -  THAT comes from when my studio was a balcony off our Lipetsk apartment.

Time flies. A year ago this date, we were busy getting in one more Moscow adventure.

When we returned to Iowa, and the Grinnell studio was finally ready to work, I wondered if I would feel okay painting from reference material that came from our "grand adventure". It was, after all, over and done with.

But here's a funny for you. I am getting quite impatient with myself for not getting MORE of those adventures onto canvas FASTER.

Oh, if I were speedy!!

But! For the painting of the week of this focus, I WAS!

I used the brown craft paper color sketch method for a quick thumbnail, simplified to ONLY what I wanted to say, put the paint on the canvas, and presto! Effervescence!

And yes, it's already in my website portfolio (click, link)

Also a link to my 'painting of the week' column for a look at those references  (click link)

Effervescence.

A bit of sunshine for you to help you remember summer, until it comes again!!

Later, Karen  

Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Grinnell.

Today, I am asking (up there in that blog title) a redundant question, because I'm fairly confident it has already happened.

I was sitting in the studio, thinking about the petunias I need to add to the current easel painting, not paying attention to what was at the end of my gaze. Then, I DID focus. On this:

It's on my website, and has already been to one exhibit as "Bykhanov Park News".  

I've told you in past messages here about writing on the back of the canvas, my focusing thought for the concept of the painting.

The back of this canvas reads "the light that peaks through".

Yup. I got that right, didn't I?

But as I sit here in my studio this morning (yes, the sun is shining beautifully on crisp fall leaves) I remember the pleasant mornings spent in the very same park where this gentleman is reading his news.

Summer mornings where the sun has already informed you, that it's going to get warm today, really warm. And a bit of shade on your park bench is ever so enjoyable.

A special morning where all you've got on your agenda is to sit on a park bench and read the news. 

Ahhhh, summer.

Can I change this painting's name? Absolutely.

Stay tuned!  (portfolio, click)

Later, Karen

and if you'd like a few more photos, they're available for your viewing pleasure on my painting of the day column  (click link)