"PIPER"
Acrylic on canvas with 2 1/4" sides, # 20025221
​\For Sale/Display in "What The Woof" pet supply store in Sicamous, B.C
#dogportrait #petportrait #petpainting #acrlicpetpainting #KarenOliversFineArt #whatthewoofpetsupplies

 I usually stand when I paint as I need to move energetically. This canvas has 2 1/4" sides and just would not stay put on my easel so I set up on my desk. It actually felt relaxing and having my reference so close was very different for me. I did the underpainting in a warm orange/red colour as Piper was mainly cool colours. I tried to keep the underpainting peeping out in places in the final background and bits in Piper.

This commission was a pleasure to paint as Cindy told me quite a bit about Piper's character and found her coming to life as the painting moved further along. Piper was so fun to paint, that I did one portrait in oil (click here www.karenoliversfineart.com/blog/piper-a-pet-portrait-in-oil) and this one in acrylic. Cindy chose the oil painting. I was finally able to meet up with Cindy and Piper for a walk and wanted Cindy to see both portraits for her final decision. The timing is perfect as Cindy needed to talk to Sheena in "What The Woof Pet Supplies" and she took Piper's acrylic painting and pet cards for sale in her store!
Below is a photo of Piper and myself with the 2 paintings in the background (thanks Cindy).

"Sammi"
Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas, 9" x 9",  #20022221
#karenoliversfineart #petportrait, #dogportrait, #funwithpaint #canadianartist

This is Sammi, Mike and Teresa's beloved dog. Sammi was interesting to paint as she  really has tall ears or at least in this view. Her subtle colours were fun to paint in non-traditional colours and seemed to match her personality. I had a few paintings in line before Sammi but I was intrigued by her and bumped her up the list. This was commissioned by Teresa for Mike as a surprise gift. When it came in the mail, Teresa surprised Mike and sent me a photo with "OMG Karen, the painting is beautiful and Mike loves it. Fabulous...trust you, it is amazing and Mike won't stop looking at it. He can't believe how you got her eyes perfectly." Yup, a happy dance on my end!

"Celebrating Movement"
Mixed Media 9" x 9" on 1 1/2" thick canvas, #20021221
Currently juried in the Federation of Canadian Artist (FCA) gallery in Vancouver "Abstracted Show" February 22 - March 7, 2021
https://federationgallery.com/show/2021_abstracted

This mixed media piece involved a lot of moving while making it as I thought of all the activities I like to do and have done movement wise. The older I get, the more I appreciate what I have actively enjoyed and am continually grateful for movement in my life. The first photo is the series (in the raw), middle photo is the work in progress and the last one is a value photo. 

This is the first year I am trying the #100dayproject and this post brings me up to Day 12. Days 1 to 6 here. My challenge for myself is to do a viewing, semi-blind or blind drawing of a person or face in one long continuous line keeping my drawing tool on the page the whole time. I have done this while travelling to draw the vehicle ahead while my husband drives. By keeping my pen on the paper with the road  so bumpy, I did not have to keep finding a place to start or continue. Most of these have been drawn during a zoom meeting or watching online. I have not subjected any live people YET! 

The first four are semi-blind (meaning that I glance from my subject to my paper quickly so I can see where I am). The last two are blind (I place my pen on paper and do not look until done). I am more enamored by the last two and was quite amazed when I saw them that they were recognized as human. I think it is both beginners luck and the fact I was on #11 and #12. I knew for myself that to finish a 100 day project, it had to be quick, use very few supplies and interesting. 
#continueouslineface, #100dayproject, #karenoliversfineart #semiblinddrawing #blinddrawing #funwithfaces

This is the first time I have been involved with an international art project. This project is self driven and self defined. I have chosen to draw faces, 1 per day in a formal, semi blind (looking at paper to get bearings only), and blind (not looking at paper until done) in one long continuous line. Top row, left to right: blind (notice inside of ear on right), , semi-blind, semi-blind, lower row: blind, blind, blind.

​This challenge is proving to be very entertaining to me as it is a surprise when done. I can see what I was focused on and sometimes missed pieces of the face or hair altogether. Glasses seem to be the most challenging as there is an inside and outside to draw. Hope you are as entertained as I am with these. Fun and laughter is always good for the soul!

​#continueouslineface, #100dayproject, #karenoliversfineart #semiblinddrawing #blinddrawing #funwithfaces

"One Is Never Enough"
​16" x 20" Oil on canvas  #20010221 For sale

I stood under the branches of our cherry tree last summer to take a very close up reference photo. The cherries were ripe for the picking and it was "one for me, one for the bowl". There is nothing sweeter than picking fruit off the tree and biting into it. While the very cold weather is upon us, I decided I needed a refreshing taste of summer. I pulled some cherries out of the freezer for desert tonight and then proceeded to paint. #KarenOliversFineArt

This is an international art project that started on January 31, 2021 and continues for 100 days. The idea is that you make up your own project that you would like to try and sustain it for 100 days. I am going to do a continuous line drawing of a face or person. Hopefully I will be able to keep this up and then use them in collage or project. What I am really trying to do is look closely and draw quickly in a single line. It is called semi-blind when you only look briefly at your paper (to make sure you are still on it) and keep my pen/pencil/felt pen moving in one continuous line. Blind contour drawing is when you don't look at all until you are finished. Those are usually really funny and intriguing. I hope to do a mix of both but for the first six it has been semi-blind. My apologies to those I have chosen, hopefully you recognize yourself in this learning project. Now that I have done six, they look like caricature drawings. #continuouslinefaces #100dayproject

I have a dairy allergy so a lot of really great treats are not available to me. A box of beautiful Belgian chocolates were on my Mother-In-Law's table as an after dinner treat. I loved looking at them and decided to draw them as they were so pretty. They were not on my paper until I photographed them so the angle and shadows are different. This is painted in an inexpensive sketch book that doesn't work as well as water colour paper. The small candy tins (on the upper part of photo) have a plastic gum insert put in to hold my water colour and gouache travel paints. It works perfect!. Quotes from Forrest Gump kept running through my head as I painted these, yup I am easily entertained!

PIPER
Oil on board, 12" x 12"  Unframed  #20027121 Not For Sale
​#dogportrait #petportrait #petpainting #oilpetpainting #KarenOliversFineArt

This is a commissioned dog portrait of Piper. I was given a series of photos to choose from. There were a lot of photos of this dog playing but I liked the front on resting face. A quiet time for this busy dog. The background colour started as a warm colour as most of Piper's colouring was in cool tones. Waiting to paint the eyes was different for me as they don't seem to have personality while painting until they are looking at you almost like you are having a conversation. The background was painted with very active brush strokes to show the normal busyness of this loved pup.

"Freedom Lies In Being Bold"
​12" x 12" Original acrylic painting on canvas with 1 1/2" painted sides (no framing required)
#20028118 To buy this painting on sale, click herewww.karenoliversfineart.com/painting-of-the-week.html

This painting is part of a 50's Fashion Series. Travelling together on one bike was both a skill and common. Dressed to be seen and having a blast with your best friend was the feeling I was presenting. A bike provides freedom, time, space and adventures ahead. The title is a quote by Robert Frost and is a reminder to keep that part of being young.
​

This started as a series of abstract "play with new colours" mixed media. Starting with collage, marks and mixing the limited palette. Setting it aside and working on other pieces with the same colours, I left them to dry. I often see faces in my abstract work and this was no exception, a lady with a crown kept looking at me so I continued looking and saw a variety of people and objects from my past (won't spoil the view with listing them). You, the viewer will put your own experiences, views and relate in a different way to art...enjoy!

"The Queen's Court"
9" x 9" Mixed Media on watercolour paper,   #20020121

Picture 1 below - starting new mixed media pieces  2. photo in black and white to look at values, as I can't do the artist "squinty eye thing".  3. Work in progress

My friend Karen is helping to update my website and my inventory. Consequently I am looking at some of my favourite work and adding it. This is one of them, an encaustic abstracted landscape or weather view. I love the rich colours and the thick texture in this one!

​ "Winter Weather Coming In"
16" x 12" Framed in a 23" x 19" Burgundy frame, Original encaustic painting #20018121
  This week $300 including shipping in Canada and USA (Regular price $350 without shipping)      #paintingoftheweek #originalencausticpainting #karenoliversfineart #canadianart #abstractedlandscapepainting #winterpainting #originalartwork #paintingforsale #colourfulwinterpainting #canadianartist

I am so excited!!! I now have card sets on this website. My friend Karen has been helping with my website and now offer these beautiful printed cards of my paintings. They are in sets of 4 for $20 (shipping and handling included to Canada and U.S.A.) Please place order them here. 
Florals

Landscapes

From "My Happy Place"

"Beyond Habitat" 
​ Acrylic on water colour paper, max. size 29" x 21"  #20015121
​

I took a 2 day workshop with Connie Geerts called "Loose and Large". This was the first painting we worked on, all using our own designs after Connie gave a demo. It felt like speed painting to me with large brushes on a full sheet of gesso'ed water colour paper (30" x 22") and we only had the morning (couple of hours) to work on it, whew!! The bottom left is in the stage I took it back to my studio, then a black and white photo to check for values. I am not sure if I am going to mount it on a canvas, or a board and frame so not sure of the final size.

"Canmore" 
16" x 20" oil on canvas, framed     #20006121  Not For Sale

This is the first painting that I did as a Christmas gift this year. I painted it in oil so it needed about 3 weeks to dry once completed. A friend posted a photo on Facebook of the Three Sisters Mountain range in Canmore Alberta after they did a wonderful river walk. I don't paint from anyone's photo without permission, but did to surprise them with it as a Christmas gift. Their family have created many wonderful memories here.  #paintingmakesmehappy #landscapepainting #canadianartist #originalartwork #giftedpainting #oillandscapepainting
#karenoliversfineart #joyfulpainting #thinkingoffriendswhilepainting

Meet Mojo, my sister Shannon's very busy pug puppy. This is a surprise Christmas pet portrait to hang with her paintings of her deceased pug ChiChi. When ChiChi passed away, the stars aligned and very quickly Mojo came into their lives. It was great to hear the laughter that only a new puppy can bring. I painted the background of Mojo's portrait to represent just how busy he is at this stage!

  "Mojo", Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas, 9" x 9"   #20130220

I was at a workshop with Connie Geerts called Loose and Large. We could paint from an animal reference that Connie brought or one of our own. I quickly sent our daughter a text asking for any photos of Freddie. This painting is on a full sheet of watercolour paper 30" x 22". It was very strange to paint a pet portrait that large and FAST!. I managed to get what you see above finished in the class. I outlined first with tape then with chalk, to see the final composition and size that I wanted, so I did not waste anymore time and paint on the rest.

"Freddie" Acrylic on Water colour paper,  mounted on board  #20128220
This is the finished painting. I wrapped and mailed it to our daughter and son-in-law in their Christmas parcel as sadly they could not be joining us this year (due to Covid restrictions). I would of wanted to see their reaction. It was really hard painting an all black dog, but I did have fun with wild non-traditional colours.

A huge thank you to Vernonique, Sue, Ross, Kathi, Deb and Bill for their purchase of original paintings in the fund raiser for the Red Barn Art Center. Also thank you goes out to those people that supported me with their kind comments, likes and shares on social media, it was wonderful to be supported. Dec 27 a $480 e-transfer was made from this fund raiser. There are a few days and 4 paintings left if you are interested - click here.

   "Pierre" Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas, 9" x 9"  #20131220

This was a surprise Christmas gift for Brent (a friend of our son's) of his dog Pierre.  I have wanted to paint Pierre for a long time and this Christmas season with the extra time at home, I finally had a chance! Pierre seems like quite a character and has wonderful shapes to his face. The photo above is what I based my painting on. The photo on the left is the "work-in-progress", working up the shapes to get the features. I loved the orange/red background to work on and how it peeks out of the final painting.

For someone who gets carsick quickly and randomly, interestingly I can sketch in the car while being a passenger. Looking straight ahead or at the sketchbook page seems to help. When we are driving behind a vehicle for awhile, I quickly sketch what I see of the vehicle ahead. I don't know anything about cars so really have to look as their shape or details (brake lights) etc. are not known to me. I have to sketch quickly as they may turn, pass or be passed at any minute. I usually sketch in ink as there is no time to erase and it is hard enough to keep my sketchbook and pen in hand.

​My favourite is to sketch in one continuous line without taking my pen off the paper. This makes some areas have multiple lines as I go back and forth and all the road bumps make very squiggly lines but I love the character it gives.

 #inksketches #sketchingontheroad #travelsketches #karenoliversfineart #sketchingforfun #urbansketch

This mixed media piece has layers including tape, pastel, pencil, acrylic paint. It was a cold blustery day and I was watching the wind blow the leaves off the trees. I wanted to capture the trees fullness before they were stripped of their beauty for the winter. This painting has been juried into the Federation of Canadian Artists "Works On Paper" and will be for sale at their Vancouver Granville Island Gallery January 25 to Feb 7, 2021.

"Tangled On The Prairie"
Mixed media on watercolour paper, 8" x 10"  #20101220
#karenoliversfineart  #colourfulart #mixedmediaartfun #canadianartist #colourfulartwork #originalartwork #mixedmediapainting

I felt like I needed to have some fun and two things came to mind right away - being outdoors (currently cold here) and cycling. Looking through my photos I found one that I had taken on a holiday. There was a dark brick wall behind the bike which did not suit my mood. I started with a painted drawing, then added a colourful underpainting (1). Building the brick in and defining the bike (2) then took a black and white photo to check the values. The finished painting is now on my drying rack (bottom photo). Hopefully this looks as fun as it was to paint, just what I needed! I will have cards made of this painting with a blank inside so it can be used for anything fun or celebratory.

"The Beginning And The End"
16" x 20" Oil on canvas, #20126120    For Sale under "Just For Fun" tab
​#paintingmakesmehappy #oilpainting #paintinglife, #canadianartist #originalartwork #karenoliversfineart #happyart #bicycleoilpainting

​Oh this was fun! I was working on an underpainting and this one painted itself. When I was done, removed the tape and turned it around, there was a white dog looking at me. It immediately reminded me of our daughter and son-in-law's dog Freddie. Freddie follows commands but "wait" is hard for him as he gets so distracted by anything and everything around him. Freddie is completely black so it was fun that this dog is white and very similar in looks.

Now that we are in cold weather again, my thoughts turned to my "snowbird friends". This would of been the first winter we could of gone away for an extended time. The cold swirling air around my "homebird" while looking shocked at me from the end of her branch is the internal view I have of this situation.

 "Snowbird, Now Homebird"
Mixed media on water colour paper, 6 3/4" x 10"  #20116020
#karenoliversfineart  #colourfulart #mixedmediaartfun #paintedimaginarybird #canadianartist #colourfulartwork #originalartwork #mixedmediapainting, #snowbird