2016 - Let's Go!

"Your life is an occasion. Rise to it."

- Edward Magorium, from 'Mr. Magorium's

 Wonder Emporium'

 

Current work in progress

Welcome to my on again, off again, art blog.  It's been quite a while since I last posted anything.  It's the first week of a new year and maintaining a blog was one of my resolutions so...here we are.  

I've been working on this painting for sometime.  I had to leave it alone for a while because of the holidays and having some work done around the house.  I have no more excuses so it's time to get back to the studio.  

I have a rule that no matter how frustrated I am with a painting I won't give up on it.  (There was one canvas I had to throw away because it was cursed but that's another story.)

I've been trying to fine a good shadow and highlight color and I don't think I've found the right combination yet.  That quest is what I love about painting.  I enjoy the challenge.  It's a puzzle and you just have to keep trying different things until you arrive at the answer.

I hope to have this finished soon, there are so many other projects waiting in the wings.

So this was the month I said 'goodbye' to Facebook.  Closing my account was something I had been thinking about for a long time.  It was so sad to have people tell me they'd miss me.  Hopefully a few will find their way here.  If so, please note you can comment here.  We can still chat!

  

I read somewhere that Facebook was responsible for a lot of people being depressed because they compared their lives to those of other people they knew on fb.  I'm sure it's easy to fall into that trap. 

Today while I painted I listened to several 'TED Radio Hour' shows on NPR and tonight I'm going to begin reading a book.  A real book with pages and everything!

I have a natural curiosity about life and I'm looking forward to living in the real world again!

What's going on in your life?

Cheers,

Karyn

 

My Two Sides

"When I heard that there were artists, I wished I could some time be one. If I could only make a rose bloom on paper, I thought I should be happy! Or if I could at last succeed in drawing the outline of winter-stripped boughs as I saw them against the sky, it seemed to me that I should be willing to spend years in trying."  - Lucy Larcom

"My Two Sides"

Most people love Halloween.  It's an opportunity to get into costume and become something else; a superhero, a sexy maid, or maybe a zombie.  For a few brief hours we hide behind the masks and become something we normally are not.

Being an artist affords me the same opportunity.  I get to try new things and take that essential step outside my comfort zone.  

Some days I just want to sling paint.  On other days it's all about the detail in light passing through a wine glass or vase.

Below are a few examples of my two sides.

"Skatepark"

9" x 12", Acrylic 

http://fineartamerica.com/products/skate-park-karyn-robinson-framed-print.html

When I painted "Skatepark" I wanted to experiment with an image that would appear both realistic and abstract at the same time.  I liked the play of light and shadows. 

"Grandmother's Silver"

30" X 36", Acrylic

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/grandmothers-silver-karyn-robinson.html

"Grandmother's Silver" on the other hand, was all about realism and I took days meticulously painting the details in the tarnished silver.

"Pandemonium"

Triptych

24" x 36", Acrylic

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/pandemonium-karyn-robinson.html

My triptych, "Pandemonium" brought out my inner graffiti artist.  Creating it was very rewarding and great fun.

"Strawberries"

8" x 10", Acrylic

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/strawberries-karyn-robinson.html

In a return to realism, painting "Strawberries" was equally enjoyable.

Every artist seeks guidance from those more experienced and the one thing I hear over and over is 'find your style', or 'develop a recognizable style'.

Perhaps one day I'll heed their well intentioned advice, but right now I'm having too much fun.  I prefer to seek counsel from the writer, Doug Adams who proudly proclaimed:

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I ended up where I needed to be." 

Visit my gallery and celebrate the dichotomy that is my Art.

http://karyn-robinson.artistwebsites.com/index.html

My Arizona

"My Arizona"

Why I Love the Wild, Wild West

"I shut my eyes in order to see."

- Paul Gauguin

It's time for a trip down memory lane.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/prickly-pear-flower-karyn-robinson.html

  I began my painting career by painting that which I love best, which is always a good place for an artist to begin.  We moved to Arizona nearly 25 years ago and I was immediately taken with the desert.

Where some see only rocks and dirt I see incredible beauty.  I love the sculptural shapes of the cacti and the way light plays on their forms.  I love the mystery of the desert by moonlight.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/barrel-cactus-karyn-robinson.html

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/saguaro-cactus-karyn-robinson.html

I love the plants that thrive in unbearable conditions...

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/desert-agave-cactus-karyn-robinson.html

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/prickly-pear-with-fruit-karyn-robinson.html

...like extreme temperatures and little water.  Their adaptations are an inspiration to my spirit to 'find a way' even in the most challenging of times.

I love the self-defenses of desert dwellers like thorns and needles, still their beauty screams 

'I dare you not to love me.'

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/southwest-contemporary-art-desert-solitude-karyn-robinson.html

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/southwest-contemporary-art-the-purple-window-karyn-robinson.html

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/mission-san-xavier-del-bac-karyn-robinson.html

I respect and admire the Mexican, Spanish and Native American cultures that came before me and give my state a look, a feel, a sound and a taste like no other.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/homage-to-inlay-1-karyn-robinson.html

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/-homage-to-inlay-2-karyn-robinson.html

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/desert-jackrabbit-karyn-robinson.html

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/-turquoise-necklace-karyn-robinson.html

I love the craftsmanship of Native American artists and their  respect for the land and animals.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/prickly-pear-abstract-karyn-robinson.html

But what I love most about Arizona is how its beauty and its people awoke the artist in me 

and inspired me to paint.  

A passion as strong as mine cannot be contained purely in the heart.  

Love leaving the soul is art.  

If you'd like to see more of my work, including more southwestern images, please visit my gallery at 

http://karyn-robinson.artistwebsites.com 

"Coronado Island Expedition" and "Overlooking the Cliffs"

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures."

- Henry Ward Beecher

Daily Painting #11

"Coronado Island Expedition"

8" x 10" Acrylic on board

Original painting, $100.00

Daily Painting #12

"Overlooking the Cliffs"

8" x 10" Acrylic on board

Original painting, $100.00

I'm one of those people who gets 'carried away' with things.  I commit myself to whatever I'm working on with my entire being.  I can be preoccupied with something to such an extent that I'll even dream about it.  

That is how I've become since I started painting seascapes.  There is something very familiar in these scenes.  I like to think I was a painter in another life and it's all coming back to me just now.  Maybe I'm remembering my own childhood spent on the beaches of Florida.  Whatever it is, it's comfortable and it makes me happy, and 'happy' is why I paint.

My recent paintings are the first time I've painted from my own photographs.  I still have one more to do; a young mother holding a toddler in her arms as both gaze out to sea.  I can't wait to get started.  

Will I paint more?  Undoubtedly.  The Siren's call is strong and I will once again be drawn to the sea. 

To purchase either the original painting or a reproduction, visit my gallery:

karyn-robinson.artistwebsites.com

"La Jolla Flowers"

"I dream my painting and I paint my dream."

- Vincent van Gogh

Daily painting #10

"La Jolla Flowers"

Acrylic on board

9" x 12"

125.00

I recently spent some time in La Jolla, California and I saw these two elderly women sharing a bench overlooking the beautiful, blue Pacific ocean.  There is an assisted living facility nearby and although I do not know for certain, I like to imagine these two are residents and the trip to the beach is a daily occurrence.

Still 'California girls' at heart, they don their sun hats and hit the beach.  Once comfortably seated they begin to share their stories; stories about their children, their dear, departed husbands, the parties they once threw and the boys they once dated.

Those lucky enough to call La Jolla home may recognize the two as a fixture on that bench.  Each day they dress in cheerful colors, like the flowers that line the cliffs overlooking the beach below.

Any woman fortunate enough to have a dear friend probably sees something familiar in this painting.

The two are lucky to still have each other, and they know it.

Purchase the original painting or a reproduction visit:

Purchase a reproduction here:

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/la-jolla-flowers-karyn-robinson.html

New Art for Sale - "I'm Not Dead Yet"

“To create one’s own world takes courage.” 

-Georgia O’Keeffe

Daily Painting #9

"I'm Not Dead Yet"

Acrylic, 12" x 9"

100.00

With apologies to Monty Python for the title.  This little guy is indeed, not dead yet.  It appears his compatriots have bought the farm, though.

This painting represents my gardening skills perfectly.  I kill everything.  I'm not neglectful; in fact just the opposite.  I have a tendency to 'love everything to death'.

Too much water.  Too much sun.  Too much fertilizer.

I believe this is a succulent of some sort.  The owner probably didn't realize how hot it gets on the balcony or the window sill in the midday sun.

Poor little guy.  Give him some love...and a good home...before it's too late!

To purchase either the original or a reproduction visit:

http://karyn-robinson.artistwebsites.com/

New Painting for Sale - "Last Light"

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." - Unknown

Daily Painting #8

"Last Light"

Acrylic, 12" x 9"
$100.00

Memorial Day is the official kick-off for the summer season and while many families will spend the day grilling hamburgers and playing games, more than a few of us will head to the beach.

In my painting "Last Light", a young boy lingers just a while longer near the swirling foam as the sun sets behind him, illuminating the sand and his tanned skin in a golden glow.  

I can imagine his mother gathering the blankets, sun screen, and toys while his father grabs the cooler and folding chairs.  They call his name.  He pretends not to hear.  "Just a little longer" he thinks to himself.  

"Just a little longer."

Purchase the original painting or a reproduction here.  Be sure to take a look at the variety of options like gallery wrapped canvases, and artwork printed on acrylic and metal.  Very cool!

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/last-light-karyn-robinson.html