Blog

Hello,

I have an easel shot for you, and it's real!

Well, the paintings are ALWAYS real, but this one is actually sitting on the studio easel. For real.

As previously mentioned, that means with the phone cam and bad lighting, but at least you know what's coming (sort of) when I get the big camera out.

Therefore, your sneak peak:

It's another of the paintings from my adventure in Bruges.

It's on the studio easel because while in Bruges, one of us forgot to give these two guys chairs to sit on.

We found (made) them some once the paintings got home to Grinnell.  :)

I need to name this one still. And pardon the oil glare, as I said, it's still pretty new.

Later,

Karen

Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Grinnell, Iowa.

Truth, it seems like forever ago, but this was Monday. Monday in Bruge.

Right on the city central square, a fine cafe.

Interesting tidbit - this cafe as well as all the other cafes around the square set many of their chairs to face out, so folks can people watch while they have their espresso. Or beer.

There are a few things I plan to adjust, and I already have a studio painting started from this info, but for now -

Monday In Bruges.

10x10 inches oil on panel.

Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Bruges. 

Yup, I am painting in Bruges for a few days!!

AND remembering all the finer things about espresso that the US has to figure out yet.  :)

At any rate, these guys were not having espresso. An espresso does not last for 2 hours.

They were still sitting there when I left, but the sun was sure gone. And they must have had the kind of lenses that change  with sun light?

Either that or they both pulled clip-ons off while I was managing that bicycle.

But here you go:

Two Guys At hof Van Rembrandt.

8x10 inches oil on panel

Oh, and I guess maybe I should put some chairs under them?? Sorry about that.

The morning's effort was down the street a block, and around the corner.

Bistro Den Amend, Early In The Day.

Also 8x10 oil on panel.

And then I had a lovely lunch at Restaurant Beethoven. The Bistro had already closed for the day...

I think tomorrow I have to go find the big canal - I found a small one on the way to the art supply store this morning  :)

Later, Karen

Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Grinnell, Iowa.

I've been dragging my feet about posting today's entry on the website.

Let me explain, please.

At Bluff Strokes, one of our given challenges was to paint outside of the box, paint something a little unusual.

Some artists took that to mean if you normally paint subdued colors, then paint loud colors.

Others decided that since they normally paint in the countryside, that they would paint along a city street.

My thoughts about that - that's only outside the box for them. Surely there was something to paint that would be outside the box for everyone?

One of my housemates painted a pile of cement blocks. Yes!

So I found my spot. It's a little weird on the subject matter, but I like the painting.

So in all it's lovely weirdness, I give you

A View And A View.

8x16 inches plein air oil painting on panel

And for all of you readers wondering what is underneath those paint layers, here's a progress shot. I would estimate about 35-40 minutes into the game.

Greetings, and welcome to the Cooper studio, Grinnell, Iowa.

Today, I am thinking I should learn to become one of those plein air artists who paints the painting, clicks the photo, and 10 seconds later it's on somebody's screen. 

There would be no catch up, right??!!

Rather, I seem to be the person who eventually gets around to the photo part.

I guess that says the photo just isn't as important as the painting.

Bluff Strokes 2023 plein air - we get to enter one interior painting, if we want.

I want, and a tradition has started.

2022 and 2023 I can now say I have painted 1st And Main, in Dubuque.

Follows, the 2023 variant.

1st And Main, Before The Wake.

Yup, that's the title, they were headed off to celebrate Grandma, and only in those bar stools for 10 minutes.

But I believe I successfully caught them, in paint-speak.

The painting went off to Kansas City to live.

Happy day.

Thanks for reading!

Later, Karen

Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Grinnell, Iowa, where we have some excitement on the horizon. Yes, indeed. We are assembling the details, so stay tuned. Did I mention I am going to Belgium first??!

Today, I need to continue with catch up and getting paintings posted from Bluff Strokes. (my favorite Dubuque, Iowa plein air event!)

The back story - I had heard about a fire station in Dubuque, rumored to be the oldest in Iowa. Wikipedia will tell you a fire station in Davenport, Iowa, built in 1901 and 1902, wins the 'old' race. They must have overlooked the gem hanging out on the curve at 9th and Main in Dubuque. built 'before 1884'. Gem indeed.

I set my easel straight on, and started a value study. I could already see it, how it would be. Beautiful. 

Then, SQUIRREL!!

Yes, one of those moments when no matter how intensely the artist is focused on the task at hand...yes, you know where this is going.

90 degrees to my right, a motorcycle rumbles to a stop.

Right at the curb in front of Devour Cafe.

(Devour Cafe, itself a little gem, and they make a fabulous chicken curry sandwich)

Did I mention that the 90 degree turn pointed my gaze east across Main? And as it was still fairly early morning, everything was ever so nicely back lit.

I grabbed another panel and did something I never do. The motorcycle went on the panel and was believable before anything else was figured out. There's a famous artist from Minneapolis that says get the movables first because they probably will. (move!)

In reality, this one stayed quite a while.

I will show you the photos, but you must give me latitude. The photo evidence says I forgot to put the kickstand in. I remembered it last minute on the morning of turning the week's paintings in. One swipe of a skinny brush fixed it, but no time to take a new photo.

The new owner will never know, right??  

Stopped For Coffee, Devour Cafe.

8x10 inches oil on panel