First, your invite for this Saturday is below with the details. This will be a wonderful, fun and inspiring event. I will have my paintings and art cards for sale as well as hopefully get in a little plein air painting, what fun. Also if you are in Sicamous BC between now and October 8, I am the featured artist in the Okanagan Regional Library, Sicamous Branch and have 6 large paintings on display. As well, my art is in the Courtyard Gallery and I will be the host on Monday September 9, and would love it if you would stop in to say hi between 10am and 4pm!!

My painting "Under The Open Skies",  will be part of the silent auction benefitting the Enderby artist run Courtyard Gallery. It is an oil painting, 24" x 18" on thick gallery wrap canvas

"Living Under The Open Sky" oil painting will be part of the silent auction in the Art In The Garden event at the Lily Pad Ranch in Enderby B.C. on September 7. I will also have a tent with paintings for sale and if time permits may get a plein air (on location) painting at least started. Come and join in the fun!! Your invite is below my painting.

@courtyardgalleryenderby, @karenoliversfineart, #artfundraiser, #artinthepark

So excited to be a part of this fun day! I will have a canopy set up with some of my paintings and art cards as well as set up to plein air paint at this beautiful location. Kamron is an international star with his chainsaw wood carvings and will do a demo at 11 am and 1 pm. He is donating any proceeds from the demo piece to the Courtyard Gallery. Kamron was commissioned to carve a tree on the Lily Pad Ranch for the owners that is absolutely breathtaking. It should be an amazing day for the artists, people out for a beautiful walk, meet artists and art lovers.

Update: I just received this email from the FCA "I am delighted to let you know that your piece "Cheers", featured in the 2024 On The Edge Exhibition, has been awarded the Honorable Mention in the Awards Jurying. Congratulations!"  What great news for such a fun painting, both in painting it and the memories of the event itself!
I am so excited that my painting "Cheers" has been included in this prestigious show at the FCA Granville Island gallery from July 29th until August 18. This show is an open call to all artists internationally and Canadian artists to enter and hopefully to be juried into the show. To get a sneak peak, click HERE to read and view all the paintings and sculptures. They are in alphabetical order by the artist's last name. Still doing my happy dance, cheers!

"Cheers"
​Acrylic on gallery canvas with painted sides, 36" x 22", $900 For sale through Federation of Canadian Artists, Granville Island gallery until August 18 2024

Wow, I am so pleased and amazed I actually finished this challenge! I now have card fronts for 100 art greeting cards that were made into cards for sale and gifted. Each one was from something that inspired me or I wanted to try in my daily life. . Lakeside again with birds building nests under our deck (#91, 92), seeing if oil paint can be painted on a photo of one of my paintings (#93), cutting up a large painting for pieces that I like (#98, 99) and of course the celebratory "YAY" for #100!!! When I thought I was done and getting ready to put them on my blog, I realized I did not have a #96 so that was completed after my "YAY", just how things work in my world!

I put these cards in the Eagle Valley Brush and Palette show and #22, 51, 53, 96, 98 and 100 were sold. #100 was going to be a wedding card, how great is that!

For this project, I looked around during my day to find something that inspires me. The tulips were up and looking so sunny in our yard, they were the perfect choice for #71, 72 and 73. The view out my studio window (#74), #77 painting with my 2 year old grandson, an Instagram post, ripening bananas and their stickers, etc.

So excited to share that Morning Call has been juried into the current FCA Abstract show. It runs until July 28. You can view all the paintings (by artist's last name alphabetically). This is the second year I have had a painting in this show and I am thrilled as abstract art is so much in the eye of the beholder. This mixed media painting is small (by abstract painting standards). You can see all the paintings here.

Flowers were still my primary focus for these 5" x 3 1/2" card fronts. Then I noticed and took off the banana stickers, stuck them on a card front and drew bananas around them. Back at the lake and beach scenes started emerging. It is funny to put these on a post in groups of 10 knowing full well that there is usually not a theme, except something in my daily life.
It seems strange to post these 4 months after completing them but life just got in the way. The project was finished in time (my second year in a row competing the @100dayproject, yay!).

Happy to post the next 10 card fronts for this self designed challenge. The #100dayproject is one that you design and do yourself over 100 days. Really thrilled I have completed this project (still more to post). These card fronts are done on water colour paper and will be made into cards for sale when completed. They are a compilation of ideas generated in my everyday or inspired by something I enjoyed online. The bottom 2 were done en plein air (stand up paddle boarding to the location).

It felt good to have completed half this project. We had been travelling and have more ahead so I am glad these are card sized. #51 and 52 are inspired by a video podcast featuring artist Dan Lee. I have happy completed this project/challenge today but am behind in my posting, oh happy dance!!

Making individual greeting card fronts (5" x 3 1/2") on water colour paper has been an interesting @100daychallenge. It is so portable that I can work on one easily once I have an idea. The idea may come from something in my day that has inspired me, or viewed online, I am always on the lookout. #45, 46 and 47 are from a still life painting done on location with other artists. Not having access to studio supplies has not limited me, in fact it has probably helped with limiting options. #50 was inspired by artist Dan Lee.     #100daychallenge

Finding something in my world that I would like to capture for this @100dayproject that would make a greeting card has been an enjoyable challenge. Using mixed media, water colour, acrylic and anything else I can get my hands on. Each one is painted or drawn on a 3 1/2" x 5" piece of water colour paper that I will make into a greeting card from when the project is over.

Each one of these 3.5" x 5" card fronts brings back a memory of something in my world that I wanted to capture or experience. I may go back and work on them later, adding more - more designs, colour, shapes etc, but for now, I am happy with them. When this project is over, I will make an art or greeting card from each one.

Chickens in Mexico seem to be street wise and always foraging. Biking around town, you always have to be on the look out for a skittish chicken "crossing the road".  I loved the feathers on this one.

"El Pollo"
10" x 8", oil on canvas pad  #20021424  Not For Sale Yet

On one of our weekly plein air outings, Linda spotted a juicing stand to paint. She went up to the lovely person working who said yes, she was welcome to paint his stand. Not only a yes, but he also set up an umbrella across the street so she would have some shade! I painted a courtyard scene that day but snapped a photo to paint later.

"Permiso Para Pintar"
10" x 8", oil on canvas pad, #20018424      Not For Sale Yet

It is interesting where and how inspiration comes. Around Christmas, Kara Bullock Art School had short, free lessons from different instructors that have courses on her site. One artist I enjoy is acrylic painter Emma Petitt and her figures. While enjoying the video on our deck, I was also enjoying the happy sounds from the pool area in the campground across the street, inspiration or what??!! I had to let the oil painting dry for a few days before I added the pool water.​ 

"Is It Cold?"
 10" x 8" Oil on canvas pad  #20014424 

This lovely Ejido, Crisanthea with her high pitched voice and quick Spanish sales pitch has endeared everyone to her. She walks the beach, selling her wares and if she saw you yesterday, she would still try....you just never know.  Easily walking under the umbrellas without having to duck, she is smiling and warmly greets everyone eye to eye. Walking in the hot sun, with her Canada ball cap and traditional apron, extra large sandals, she will show and point out all the colours of her jewelry and trinkets.

"Crisanthea"
10" x 8" Oil on canvas pad, #20012424  

These are drawn or painted on 5" x 3 1/2" watercolour paper to make greeting cards when I am back in Canada. This is part of an annual 100 day project that I read about online. Last year was the first year I participated and completed 100 3"x3" sketches. You design and make up your own project which is fun. There are all kinds online if you want to use their prompts or ideas. The portability of this project works well when I am travelling.

I had been here to paint last year with the plein air group and was not disappointed this year with the view and colours. It was a gray day but that made the flowers stand out even more. I took a photo of the scene before I started (below) as well as our group's WIP (work in progress). I think the rain scared away most of the  plein air artists. It was so unusual to get rain, it was lovely to feel and smell it.

"Road To Escondito's"
​8" x 10", plein air oil on canvas pad, #20029324, Not For Sale Yet

This was a fun day. Four artists and myself joined a group for an afternoon at a banana farm. We enjoyed a breakfast in the family's restaurant (Red Lobster) in town, hopped on a group bus and enjoyed an afternoon in 3 fresh spring water pools, painted, sketched, toured the farm and enjoyed a late barbequed lunch, what a day! Picture on left: The painting in progress, bananas are just to the right of the easel. Below right: A different type of larger bananas with the seed pod hanging.

"Banana Babies"
10" x 8", plein air oil on canvas pad, #20025324   Not For Sale Yet

Last year I did the #100dayproject, completing 100 3"x3" sketches. I never thought it was a project I could have success at but after finishing the #opusdailypractice and completed 28 sketches, I just continued on. It was fun looking for something to sketch in my daily activities. This year I decided to do 100 greeting card fronts in 100 days on water colour paper (5"x3 1/2") so I could use a variety of media using what I have while away from Canada. This time, it is something that inspires me in my day, it might be something I have seen, a Zentangle, an idea from online, IG or Facebook. Some of them I might go back and work on but the idea is down, if not complete. Below is the first 10 of 100.

The Saturday plein air group decided to go by the Malecon. Some sketched on the malecon, 1 painted on the beach and a few of us under umbrellas, views for everyone. I loved the colours of the rocks and the fishing boat resting on the sand. Pictures: Left, the view, Middle, my painting in process. It is interesting that my view from where I stood had the boat tilted (on pop bottles) not flat like the photo shows. Right, the plein air artists "WIP" works in progress. We take a photo when someone has to leave.

"Cleaned Out And Ready For Work"
8" x 10", plein air oil on canvas pad  #20018324   Not For Sale Yet

​What a wonderful group I have painted with in Mexico!! Amy volunteered to teach an oil painting class of a still life. She borrowed Janice's house so we could be sheltered and all together, set up 2 still life vases with flowers, cloths and lights. There were 6 of us, 3 at each still life set up. The class was fun, informative and productive. A huge thank you to Amy for all her expertise and work to set up and to Janice for opening her lovely home!! Top left: my easel and view, Top right: other still life, Bottom left: our paintings in progress

"Our Gift"
10" x 8" Oil   #20015324

It had actually rained the night before (almost unheard of) so the ground was muddy and wet. Only 3 of us ventured out for this week's event. The Red Lobster restaurant was chosen as the tables are under a roof and the view of the street is pretty and varied. I chose the bougainvillea tree across the road. I loved the old blue wood door behind it as a background. We sat and enjoyed a coffee together and I finished the painting at home.

"After The Rain"
8" x 10" plein air/studio oil on canvas pad  #20012324

Happily finished this art challenge in my little travel sketchbook. The paper is thinner than what I thought so had a hard time adding water colours and dark felt pen bled through to the other side so I often had to add Gesso to cover the blank page first.

Top left: Day 16 "Texture", Middle: Day 17 "Spectrum", Top right: Day 18 "Joy" Bottom left: Day 19 "Family. Middle: Day 20 "Vibrant" left over paint on my palette and ink. Bottom right: Day 21 "Fly"

Top left: Day 22 "Sharp". Middle: Day 23 "Face" a variety of faces in the bus station while we waited. Top right; Day 24 "Sky". Middle left: Day 25 "Momentum"., the fun of "floaties" in the waves Middle: Day 26 "History" bits of some of the new and old buildings from the patio in Guadalajara Centro. Middle right: Day 27 "Opus" (dictionary meaning is "opus means art" Bottom left: Day 28 "Abundance" plants so easily grow everywhere in the heat and humidity of sea level Mexico. Bottom Middle: Day 29 "Self" ​a continuous blind (not looking) line drawing in felt pen (I had to practice a couple of times to make it look human and was happy with the result, looks like me!).  Thanks @opusartstore for #opusdailypractice