Kane Oil Painting

This painting is of Kane, a rescue puppy from Houston, Texas who now resides in Indiana. This is a 8x10 oil painting that was a gift for his owner! 

This painting was a fun one, working on a dog that is mostly white is a bit of a challenge. You really have to look and see the variations of color within the white areas within the photo. So often I used violets or blue's as undertones and built up from there. When oil painting there is a bit more mixing that can be done on canvas, compared to acrylic painting. 

Also I apologize for the lighting in this video, my oil station has a camera that likes to adjust to focus on its own and I don't have the angle of the camera perfected. 

Luman the Lab/Pit Mix Painting

I absolutely adore this painting, I mean look at those eyes! He is all grown up now, (and still cute, I've seen pictures) and this painting is to remember his puppy days. 

“Luman is a pit bull and lab mix. He is a very curious, gentle, playful, and caring dog. He loves to dig, and get into things he shouldn’t. He will sometimes follow me around or sit next to me and watch whatever I am doing. He can be very playful, he gets very excited when we come home and will force us to play fetch with him. He often whines playfully when him and my boyfriend are goofing around. What I love about Luman most is that he is a very gentle dog. When giving him a treat, he will slowly move his mouth towards it and grasp the treat with his lips, it is very cute. And in the mornings, we often wake up to him giving us soft and gentle kisses. You can tell that he really loves his home, and my boyfriend and I! ”

— Meghan

Sally Painting

This painting is of Sally, the beautiful herding dog who sadly is no longer around. This was a fun painting to do because the background was really nice to paint along with the dog. The painting is 8x8 in Acrylic.

Detail

““Sally came from herding stock and we bought her at a feed store.  When she was a puppy I played soccer with her and she would nip at the backs of my legs to herd me.  She was a very loyal dog and was protective of her small pack.  If my mom and I weren’t walking right next to each other on a hike then she would run between both us to make sure we both were okay.  She was sort of an alpha female and when she played with other dogs she sort of tried to herd them and would sometimes bark in a shrill tone.  She was intelligent and really enjoyed playing find it in the house.  We would put her in her crate and then hide a toy or food and she would search every room and hiding place until she found it.   ”

— Laura

Sally and the reference photo!

Dottie and Maui Painting

This piece was commissioned by Dottie's daughter as a gift for her 93rd birthday! Dottie along with her cat Maui are featured in the painting.  According to her family, friends and many accomplishments, Dottie has lived a remarkable life - read more about it here! 

Painting her was a pleasure and was a nice challenge as I don't paint people that often these days. You can view the timelapse below.

Here she is receving it on her 93rd birthday! 

Time Lapses upload time!

This painting was a commissioned one as a gift for her owner, she was a pleasure to paint! 

And some more of the process on paintings!

Organizing a NEW YEAR!

Happy NEW YEAR! It is 2018 and everything is bright, new, and shiny! Well not really, but we can pretend the slate is wiped clean and we get to start again.

With this New Year comes planning and organizing for the New Year! While I attempt to do this to an extent every year, I usually end up with a hodge-podge organization system by, oh, February. I am the type of person who writes things down on paper, multiple pieces of tiny scrap paper that is.

So this year I am starting with a Bullet Journal. A Bullet Journal is essentially a planner where YOU get to (have to?) write everything down. The method was originally created by a gentleman who wanted a simple method to keep track of to do lists, it has evolved into a cult of crafty people who obsess with penmanship (not really, just people passionate about planning). While I am NOT passionate about planning, I do like getting my thoughts on paper and it does help me focus.

Monthly Layout.

Weekly Layout. 

Daily Layout. 

Another reason I am going with this planning method is, I knew I was not a fan of pre-printed pages, as they never really contain what I personally need. In this, I can add pages on goals, business plans, monthly, weekly and daily layouts, and more. I can create all my lists in one spot and work in (hopefully) one place.

So in planning out the New Year, one of my goals is to use this system and try to stick with it. If you have questions on this system let me know and I can direct you to resources!

An X-Mas Post!

Merry Christmas! This post is a bit sappy, so thanks for reading :)

Painting from the first bit of 2017!

Looking back on the year 2017, I can’t believe that it is almost over. This year has gone by in a flash. I started the year off a bit directionless, I knew that I wanted to paint, but I was not sure how to make money doing it. The first half of the year was spent doing freelance design and working on selling paintings I had made. I wanted to try being a “daily painter” (an artist who paints a small painting every day and then posts it online to sell) this, however was not my style. It was a lot of stress, and thinking of something new to paint every day was awfully hard. I was ready to apply for graphic design jobs and go back to the 9-5.

Some of the design work from the beginning of 2017.

Looking forward to 2018 I really hope to continue to go down this path, and grow my business. Thank you for reading, encouraging and working with me in all aspects of my life! I now am going to explode from eating way too many cookies and watch the Grinch for the millionth time! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!

Love, Kendra

Time Lapses!

Here are a few more of the time lapses that I have not posted here yet! 

Small Business Need to Fight for Net Neutrality!

This post is a bit different than usual, but just as important. 

On December 14th the FCC is most likely voting to dismantle Net Neutrality.

Net Neutrality allows that every service (websites, information, products) on the internet competes on a level playing field and are treated equally. Without Net Neutrality big companies with lots of money will be able to speed up or slow down websites based on corporate or political interest. This could undermine small companies before they even have a chance to develop.

Without Net Neutrality companies like Comcast, AT&T, or Verizon can set up tiered package costs, meaning customers can’t access your website quickly without paying more. Internet service providers could pick the market winners and losers – for example, your website could not show up in google results as rankings depend on speed. (Your website being slower as than others because it’s not in the fast tier.) Or those companies allow your website get a decent connection to customers - as long as you pay $$$ for prioritization. Small business can’t afford $$$, but the multi-million competitors can, putting your small business in the slow lane, cutting off your customer’s road to you.

This all matters to small business owners – especially ones that do most their business online like artists who take commissions and sell online! Make your voice heard, take action.

Start Here: 

https://www.battleforthenet.com/

Write Congress first, then call, then join the day of action December 12th.

Caring for your New Painting!

Great so you just got a new painting! But how do you keep it looking its best and care for it?

I try to include a little sheet with a version of the following with the paintings I send out. I thought it would be good to post about it and let everyone know my tips for caring for a painting.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR PAINTINGS  

It is always a good idea to handle a painting with care, they aren’t the most fragile things, but they are not rock solid either. Try to avoid touching the front surface of your painting. Holding and touching your piece won’t ruin it, but the oil from your fingers can linger on the surface and that’s something we’d like to stay away from.

Your painting is protected with varnish*, so it is okay to blow away the dust from the surface on an as needed basis with compressed air. Another option is to take a soft bristle brush and wipe away the dust.  To clean the sides, use a soft, non-abrasive cloth and apply gentle pressure to wipe. It is best to only clean the front if absolutely necessary.

HANGING TIPS

Keep your artwork away from direct sunlight. The best type of light for your painting is indirect sunlight, recessed lighting, or halogen lights.

It is not advisable to place your artwork above a heat source such as a fireplace. Keep your painting away from Ultraviolet light.

It is not advisable to hang paintings in a moist environment such as a room which has a bath or shower. Try to display your paintings in a place where the relative humidity and temperature levels are fairly constant.

TRANSPORT & STORAGE TIPS

Storing canvases vertically is ideal!

Canvas can be stretched or punctured fairly easy. So avoid stacking or leaning anything with an edge or corner on your painting. Even stacking or leaning one painting against another can leave an imprint. If you need to store your painting, it is best to store it vertically.

If you are needing to ship or move your painting, I would suggest wrapping it in an acid free paper, or if that is not available, wax paper.

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*Acrylic paintings are protected with a final varnish. Oil paintings have a retouch varnish on the surface. Oil paintings cannot have a final varnish applied until it has been dry for 6 months to a year. If you can get your painting to me to apply a final varnish I would be happy to, otherwise take it to a professional to varnish.