Susan Kennedy Art

Ha! Love it, caught Smokey in the Sun next to a small stack of paintings. I mean a stack of small paintings. I know, the paintings should neither be a) in the sun nor b) near a fuzzy cat. They won't be in the sun long, and the cat needs good art. I'm dying to start a new series on florals. Flowers seem to be such perfect metaphors for people, I find the idea fascinating! Here's hoping you have a painting to paint and a cat to pet. May God bless you with a sunny day and love to fill it!

The other night I was cleaning off my palette and trying to use up great gobs of red paint. I started painting red flowers and went nuts...this little imaginary still life ended up being the most realistic. Red's my favorite color, if an artist can have a favorite. It always pulls one in and says "you're alive!" Sometimes landscapes are what I do for months on end, and the subtle colors and greens can seduce me, making me interested in the tiniest shifts of color and light. I forget about the slap in the face that large blocks of red can give a person. So happy to get a slap again! This still life is something that just came out of my head, the floppy roses were what I wanted to get right, not in detail, but in gesture. The black wasn't really intended, I think I was trying to make the mug (or whatever it was) dark blue, but the black insisted on staying. It actually started to look like a mug, and I put a reflective surface underneath to stabilize all of the shap...

This one is so bleak and poignant to me, it's delicious! Delightful to paint quickly and expressively, I hope you feel the way I do about sortof allegorical paintings like this little one. Allegorical only in the sense that it seems so much a description of our clambering, sometimes difficult journey over peaks, valleys, rocks and water...and that moody sky which needs to be more encouraging in the next painting. Whew! Get out your paints and show me your doodles! This one's on etsy at this listing, in case you want to see more of it.

Another painting, they're falling over and tripping me! This one (far left) is titled "Running and Not Stopping"; it looks breathless and hopeful to me. I hope it pricks your imagination, that's the idea! You can see it on my etsy store and if you'd like to get a pdf of my knife painting tips just click on the link (the one you just passed). You can see a thumbnail of the notes above. It's a real blast of fun and inspiration to pick up a painting knife, try it! I've got to stop. I crochet at night and paint by day, truly a tormented, obsessed but happy person who always has paint on her nose. I do teach oil and watercolor....so contact me if you'd like to know more. And I also design and sell crochet patterns, it's my hobby, while painting is my obsession. You can see more about my art at susankennedy.com _________________________________________________________________ If you're interested in my beginner-to-intermediate level classes you can...