"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 #acrylicpetpainting #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!

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

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

The paintings above are my share of the show. Here is your invitation to this online art exhibit with wonderful, original and unique paintings:

With more restrictions in place due to Covid, the annual spring show is online. The paintings are always better in person, more vivid, textural and colourful but this is the next best thing. These artists paintings have been juried into the show so not all paintings submitted made it into this show for various reasons, therefore so you have the best offerings. Please browse through, comment, share and of course treat yourself and your home. View show here.  @calgarysketchclub @karenoliversfineart #juriedartforsale #juriedpaintingsforsale #originalartforsale #originalpaintings #paintingmakesmehappy #canadianoriginalpaintings #canadianpaintings

"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