Art Inspiration from a Football Player

'Sweet Dunes'         8x10        pastel       ©Karen Margulis
available $145

Even if you aren't a football fan keep reading! I came across a quote from a football player that applies to art as well as football. Really! It makes perfect sense. Read it below and think about how it can apply to painting.

Planning for a painting is not always fun. Once something inspires us we are often impatient to get right to the painting. Doing a thumbnail can slow us down....or so we think.  Taking time to plan the painting will actually save us time in the long run. Planning is the 'unspectacular preparation'. But planning pays off. Often with some spectacular achievements such as a painting we are really happy with! Preparing for a painting gives us a roadmap to follow. We can then let go and paint with passion.

I took about 20 minutes to plan today's painting. It began with finding one of my plein air studies from my trip to Ireland. Got excited about the scene and decided to make a larger studio painting of these rose covered dunes.

my 5x7 plein air study

Next I went through my photos and found two photos I took of the dunes. I printed them out. I took out an index card and my value markers and did a quick 4 value thumbnail sketch. I still wasn't ready to paint. There was one more step to my preparation.

The plan for the painting....4 value thumbnail and reference photos

I took a few minutes to go through my big box of pastels to choose the palette for my painting. I arranged the pastels by element in the scene and placed them in a tray. Now I was ready to step up to the easel and paint! The preparation wasn't exciting but it helped me paint with more joy and confidence!

Selecting my pastels before I start the painting

Which is More Important in Making Art: Quality or Quantity?

This is an interesting question for a daily painter. By default I have to go with quantity. The more I paint the more I learn and the more I improve.  Over on Patreon we have been reading the book 'Art & Fear' by David Bayles and Ted Orland.

One of the passages we have been discussing is the idea of quality vs quantity. In the book the authors share a story about a pottery teacher who divided his class into two groups. One group had the entire class series to work on making one perfect pot. The other group was instructed to create as many pots as possible during the same time period. The result was that the quantity group produced better pots because they had more practice. The quality group spent more time studying and trying to figure out how to make the perfect pot and so they didn't have enough time to practice and lean from their mistakes.

What an eye opening idea!  I believe it is true that the more you practice the more you learn and improve. Quantity will ultimately lead to quality!

This has been the case for me. I began painting everyday shortly after I took up pastels in 2005. Practicing has made a huge difference for me. Have look at one of my very first pine tree paintings. This one was done plein air about 6 months after I started painting. I can look at it now and give it a good critique but at the time I thought it wasn't too bad!  I have learned much over the last 12 years. Now scroll up to the top of the page to see two pine tree paintings that I did this month. Quantity leads to quality. I  am looking forward to seeing what I will do after another few years of practice!

click here to see my very first blog posts:  http://kemstudios.blogspot.com/2005/07/

How to Try a New Medium without Fear

'Reimagination'          30x30    acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas         ©Karen Margulis

The results really didn't matter. And that was the key. I unlocked something that I am so excited about and can't wait to try again. All because THE RESULTS DIDN'T MATTER!

The backstory: I bought some square gallery wrapped canvas at a great sale a few years ago. I haven't touched them. (except for one unsuccessful attempt) I thought it would be fun to do some loose and fun acrylic paintings. But I don't have much experience with acrylics. I know that I will only get better at a medium if I PRACTICE. But I was afraid to even try. Paint is expensive. Canvas is expensive. What if I make a mess? What if the results are awful? I was filled with Fear!

Fast forward to last week. I was redecorating the bedrooms. New, floors, fresh paint, new bedding. I needed some new artwork for the walls and I needed it fast.  I wanted a neutral palette of grays and browns. I had several jars of sample paint colors left over from choosing paint for the walls. These would be perfect for my little experiment. The paint was cheap. I had the canvas and the results really didn't matter. It was just going to be a fun experiment. I had removed the biggest barrier to starting a new medium.....I was no longer afraid to try.

The Results and the rest of the story:  I had a blast slinging the paint on the canvas and letting it drip. Since the paint was cheap I was generous and laid it on thick with a cheap brush. I thought it would be fun to loosely suggest some Queen Anne's Lace flowers. It was so much fun and the result was interesting. My daughter loved it. I wasn't so sure. I set it aside thinking I wouldn't use it after all but happy that I had fun with it.

Yesterday though I had a thought. What if I used this painting as the UNDERPAINTING for a more representational version of QA Lace with some more color? Out came the painting and my stash of acrylics. The thick and drippy painting was perfect for my new vision! I only spent about 30 minutes refining some shapes and adding color before I was satisfied. Now I was excited!

What I learned from this experience:

• Changing my attitude and approach when trying something unfamiliar made it less scary. As soon as I took on this 'What If' attitude I let go of any pressure to make something good and I just had fun.

• Even if materials are expensive most of the time they can be reused and reimagined. I didn't waste a good gallery wrapped canvas when I didn't care for my first attempt. I reimagined it into something I did like.

• Don't put off trying something new. You never know what you might discover.

I'm ready to dig out the other canvases and try some more!

Permission to Paint What you Love

'Seek and You Shall Find'       8x8         pastel       ©Karen Margulis
available  $125

After the camera stopped I slipped into the zone. I found myself getting lost in the tangle of flowers and grasses that I was creating. I wove the grasses with thin strokes of hard pastels. I added flowers and softened others. I was transported into the scene that I had visited many many times. I was at home and I was having fun! That is what happens when you paint with passion and intimate familiarity.

Yesterday's demo painting

I painted Queen Anne's Lace for yesterday's Facebook Live broadcast. If you have watched it you know that I didn't do the finishing marks on the video. I needed to allow myself to get to the place where I could let go. How do we get to this point of intuitive passionate painting?

 Paint a lot and paint your passion.

Last week I blogged about painting miles of canvas. We all know the importance of painting a lot. Daily painting truly made a huge impact on my progress. But things really took a leap forward when I started painting what I LOVE.

I am passionate about wildflowers. I LOVE painting them. I give myself permission to paint them over and over again. It is what allows me to be intimate with them and paint them with passion.  For today's painting, I simply took the demo underpainitng from yesterday's video and tried to interpret it in a different way. Just another day in the studio!

the underpainting done with Art Graf Carbon Disc

TRY THIS: This week why not paint the thing you are most passionate about. Paint several variations on the same reference. Let go!

Note: There is certainly a place for painting subjects that you don't love for the sake of learning certain things. I don't do that often enough. Push outside of your comfort zone of course. But be sure to make time to paint what you are passionate about.

An Important Lesson for All Artists

The Evolution of a Painting......Losing the Detail One Step at a Time
all available in my etsy shop

I went down into my studio with a plan. I had given myself an assignment for the weekend. I call it Friday Fun. I allow myself to paint for the sake of play and experimentation. There is no pressure to perform or do a 'good' painting. I give myself an assignment....something new to explore. But that is just a rough guide. 

Today I learned an important lesson. Play is important! But it is also good to let go and let the play and experimentation evolve. LISTEN to the voice in your head that is asking you the question 'What if?'

I went into the studio with a plan but the plan quickly changed and I gave myself permission to change direction. 

 My goal was to do paintings that broke my self imposed rule of no blending. I did a couple of these blended paintings but they quickly evolved into paintings with detail. I enjoyed the early stages of the blended paintings. It raised the question "What if I did a painting and just left it in that early state....What if I tried to do a more abstracted landscape?"

The first painting ....it started me wondering What If?

I started down this road to more abstraction in the landscape and below are the results. I am not sure where it will take me but I do know I was filled with this wonderful feeling of excitement and anticipation for the next painting while doing these little studies.  I'm glad I listened and I am glad I played.

The second version has less detail      8x8 pastel    $75

 Below you can see how I tried to add less and less detail in each painting. (top left to bottom right)

"Children smile 400 times a day... adults 15 times. Children laugh 150 times a day... adults 6 times per day. Children play 4-6 hours a day... adults only 20 minutes a day. What's happened?"  Robert Holden

How to Get Inspired to Paint

'Roadside Inspiration'           11x14           pastel        ©Karen Margulis
available $225

Everything is moving right along. My weekly blog themes are slowly rolling out and I am excited and inspired by them. I have to work to find paintings and ideas to fit the themes and that in itself is filling me with inspiration!

Welcome to Inspiration Monday! Why not start the week out with some inspiration? On Mondays I will share a quote or practice that I find inspiring. It will be something that will hopefully guide my week and encourage greater creativity. So the big question is.....How does one get inspired to paint or find something that inspires a painting?  Here is a great answer from Matisse.

"Don't wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working"   Henri Matisse

The underpainting on Canson Mi-Teintes paper moonstone color

In fact while I was researching artist quotes on inspiration, quite a few said something similar. Inspiration happens when you are actually creating. It happened to me today. I was faced with an empty easel and a pile of reference photos. I couldn't decide what to paint. I guess I wasn't feeling particularly inspired by any one of them. I puttered around the studio finding excuses to start a painting. Finally I just picked a photo. It was a scene I loved but it didn't grab me right away.

Once I started painting things changed dramatically. All of the sudden I was engrossed in the scene. I recalled all the details of the day. I felt pulled into the scene and it became a part of me. Two hours of painting had passed and I realized something......I was inspired!  

Just starting the painting was enough. Once I was working the floodgates of inspiration was opened.

The pastels used for this painting....Terry Ludwig and Diane Townsend

Sometimes we face blocks. There are things in our lives that prevent us from painting. We feel uninspired. If it is possible to pick up a pastel and just start painting inspiration may just follow.

The Ultimate Inspirational Experience

'Changes'       8x10      pastel       ©Karen Margulis
available $145

If you love pastels please keep reading. Tuesday 9/20 at noon ET is the day to reserve your hotel room for the ultimate inspirational experience for pastel artists of all levels....IAPS 12. This year the Hotel Albuquerque opens reservations before convention registration so be sure to call to book your room.

click here for a preview of the IAPS 12 Convention

click here for more information on the convention hotels and contact numbers

Update from IAPS: The only number that will work for IAPS reservations is 866-505-7829. Please do not try to call the main hotel number, you will not get our IAPS rate, and they will not take your reservation.


If you have attended the convention then you already know the many benefits.....great demos and workshops by the pastel rock stars, the candy store (pastel vendors), the fun and friendship of the artists, the beautiful location in New Mexico....I could go on. But if you have not yet attended the convention please consider coming in 2017.

It doesn't matter how new you are to pastels. You will be inspired!

The year I first began painting with pastels the IAPS convention was in North Carolina for the first time. An easy drive away. I could have attended but I didn't feel like I was 'ready'. I know better now. There is something for everyone and everyone will welcome you and make you a part of the pastel family. Every time since I have gone to the biennial convention. (now as a part of the faculty) Every year I leave motivated and inspired.

Make your room reservations and start a special piggy bank labeled IAPS INSPIRATION. Save your pennies for the ultimate pastel inspirational experience!

The start....big simple shapes

I welcome your questions about the convention. If I don't have the answer I will do my best to find out.  Please send your questions to me at [email protected] and I will answer them in an upcoming post.

Today's painting: I used a piece of white Pastelmat. I always forget how much I enjoy this paper!

The Challenge of Overworking a Painting

'Deep in the Daisies'          11x14        pastel         ©Karen Margulis
available $175

 It is the most challenging thing about painting. Knowing when to stop and actually STOPPING. It is especially challenging when working with an interesting underpainting. How much is too much? How do we keep from going too far and covering up the wonderful underpainting?

You've probably heard the familiar advice. Take a break. Put a frame or mat on the painting. Turn it upside down. Look at it in a mirror. Make sure the value in the underpainting is correct. (otherwise we cover it up trying to get it right.) Gradually build up your marks rather than making drastic changes. All of this is great advice. But it still is a challenge.

How about a little reminder from our friend Bob Ross.

“It gets to feel good and you want to just keep doing it, but the key is restraint.”  — Bob Ross

close-up of a daisy

I love this quote. It is so true. We get painting and we start to enjoy the actual act of painting. We might even like what we are doing. But too much of a good thing isn't good! Stop sooner than later. Have restraint and don't overdo and overwork.  I could have painted grasses around my daisies all day long. It felt good! But I had to make myself stop and call it done. Thanks Bob for the reminder!

A Summer Painting Assignment

'Summer Love'         6x8       pastel        ©Karen Margulis
available $75

School starts on Monday. The stores are filled with Halloween decorations and fall attire. Where does time go?  But then I realize it is still July! Summer is still with us. In fact we are in the so called Dog Days of Summer...those hot and sultry days that leave us feeling lazy.

dog days. the sultry part of the summer, supposed to occur during the period that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun: now often reckoned from July 3 to August 11. a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence.

I love autumn and the changing of the seasons but there is no need to rush it. I am pledging to enjoy these long hot days of August. I want to savor the sights, smells and tastes of summer. A delicious garden tomato or a ripe juicy peach. The smell of freshly mown grass. The buzzing of the bees. The fields overflowing with my favorite wildflowers. All the things that inspire me and make my heart sing.

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Join me in savoring the last month of summer. I am giving myself an assignment and I invite you to join me. I am making a list of my favorite summertime memories. I will then choose four memories as an inspiration for a painting....one for each week of the month. I will share my painting here each week and invite you to share your paintings with me by email. I will make a collage of your summer paintings at the end of the month of August.

Enjoy and paint the lazy days of summer!

More Painting Advice from Degas

'Mountain Memories'           8x10         pastel         ©Karen Margulis
available $150

It really is amazing. We have the ability to retain so much information and to recall it at will. This ability can help us create stronger paintings if we let it. But we often don't allow it to happen. We become slaves to our references. If we work from photos they often become a crutch. It is a scary thought to put the photo away and work from our memory and experience with the subject  of the photo. But giving ourselves the freedom and permission to put the photos away can result in paintings that have more meaning. We tend to only include what we remember....what meant the most or made the biggest impression.

I happened to find another quote from Degas that made me stop and think as I finished today's painting.

“It is very good to copy what one sees; it is much better to draw what you can’t see any more but is in your memory. It is a transformation in which imagination and memory work together. You only reproduce what struck you, that is to say the necessary.”-Edgar Degas

my thumbnail from the small phone photo

For the painting in today's post I followed Degas advice quite by accident. I had a private student and we decided to do a paint-along using a photo she had on her phone. It was a scene from the Blue Ridge mountains, a place I have visited many times. We looked at the photo to create a quick thumbnail but then as we painted I could no longer see the photo.

I found myself transported to the mountains and my memories kicked in and guided my hand and my choices.  I realized that I really didn't need the photo at all. I just needed to channel my memories and imagination and create an interesting composition that expressed what I was feeling. It was a wonderful feeling. I was FREE from the restraints of the photo.

Try It!  Take a scene that you are intimately familiar with. You can use a photo to start the painting but then put it away and let your memories and imagination take over. See what develops. Trust yourself!

NEWS!!! My Sunday Studio video is now available on YouTube. I know that many of you requested the videos be shared to You Tube and now they are. I'd love for you to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel! Here is the link:https://youtu.be/YOItsLcDxiY
I am planning to do another Facebook live broadcast this Sunday so if you are on Facebook stay tuned!

How to Get Back into the Studio After a Break

'Dancing with Friends I'        5x7       pastel       ©Karen Margulis
available $50

I haven't been home much this summer. My studio has cobwebs and is in need of a deep cleaning. I miss my studio and the long leisurely days of nothing on the agenda other than painting. My travels and adventures were wonderful and they have filled my inspiration bank full to the brim and now I am anxious to get back to regular daily painting and blogging.

Sometimes it is hard to get back into a regular routine after a break from the usual painting schedule. The habit has been broken and other habits may have taken the place of painting. If you have been away from home there will be things that need your attention....bills, laundry, chores, catching up with family and friends. And you may feel rusty and unsure. It is easy to find excuses and painting gets put off.

Action leads to more action....working leads to inspiration. 
I find it is important to get right into the studio and paint something within a day of returning home. Paint anything! Something small and simple just to break the ice. Set a timer for 30 minutes and allow yourself the luxury of creating something. (I usually throw in the laundry and then paint something while waiting for the cycle to finish.)  The longer I put off painting the harder it gets to restart the habit. It is important to break the ice and pick up the pastels....the chores can wait 30 minutes!

'Dancing with Friends II'      5x7     pastel        $50

I just spent a wonderful week with my family at Disney World. It was so much fun seeing one of my favorite places through the eyes of my two year old granddaughter. They left for their home in Chicago today and as soon as they left I threw in the laundry and pulled out some old unfinished poppy paintings. The underpaintings were finished but they had been put aside. They were the perfect icebreaker paintings. Something fun and familiar. Now that the ice has been broken I can't wait to get back to my regular schedule!

Watercolor underpaintings on white sanded paper

Advice for Rescuing a Failed Painting

'Music of the Marsh'           8x10       pastel       ©Karen Margulis
available $165

It was a pearl of wisdom. Just a sentence but it was just the bit of advice I needed to hear. How many times do we have a painting that has good bones but just doesn't sing? I have piles of paintings that sit waiting for resuscitation. But it is sometimes hard to know just what they need.

I came across this pearl last week in a Facebook post. It was advice from Frank W. Benson  (1852-1951) an impressionist plein air painter who focused on capturing the light. Here is his simple but profound bit of advice:

"If you find a thing is going badly, go back and make more strongly the effects of light and shadow."  Frank W. Benson

The 'before' painting

I searched through my pile looking for a painting that could benefit from this advice. I found an old one done several years ago. It was painted on Pastelbord which is why I had not thrown it away. It needed help!

• It was too busy...there were too many blades of grass and leaves on the bushes.
• The pathway didn't sit right and came up from the corner leading nowhere.
• The aerial perspective or sense of depth was not there.
• There was no strong sense of light and shadow...where was the light coming from?

I brushed off most of the fussy marks to simplify 

I began the rescue by brushing off most of the top layer of pastel. This simplified the scene allowing me to see the bones better. I then sprayed some workable fixative to darken and give me more tooth.

To emphasize the light on the marsh I expanded the shadowed area in the foreground. By darkening and expanding the shadows I was able to emphasize the light on the grass.  I used a heavier hand when painting the light on the grass so that it contrasted with the darker shadows.  I also changed the size and direction of the path adding light to the sunlit portions of the path.

It was the perfect bit of advice.  I know it will come in handy!

"If you find a thing is going badly, go back and make more strongly the effects of light and shadow."  Frank W. Benson

The Magic Word for Artists

'Summer Love'         9x12       pastel         ©Karen Margulis
available $165

I didn't have an answer right away. My head was too full of inspiration and I couldn't choose just one thing to share. But as I thought about everything I had learned from my weekend as a volunteer at Richard McKinley's workshop for the Southeastern Pastel Society, one thing kept cropping up. It was something Richard repeated several times. I realized that it was the key! It was a single word which means so much. I will go as far to say that it is the MAGIC WORD for artists.

We all want to be the best artists possible.  We may have different goals but we all want to improve and grow. We want to get better! We want our paintings to speak...to express what is inside of us. Most of us want to move beyond having technical proficiency and create paintings that move others.  In order to do this we need the magic word....We need to give ourselves PERMISSION.

Watercolor underpainting on white Wallis paper

Permission. It's simple really but hard to do sometimes. We need to give ourselves permission to try things, to experiment with techniques, with color, with design. We need to give ourselves permission to play. We learn the most when we are having fun and letting go. We need to give ourselves permission to move away from the reference photo....we don't need to be literal to the scene. It's OK to let the painting lead us in a different direction. Let it happen! Don't hold back!

I love that Richard reminds us that we can give ourselves permission to think outside of the box and to follow our own voices. We need to enjoy the journey and with time and practice it will all fall into place.

2.5 x 3.5 inch color study

I decided to continue my exploration of this familiar subject and interpret it in a new way. I printed my reference photo in black and white so I could create a new mood with cooler colors. My previous painting was a warm sunset mood. For this painting I did a watercolor underpainting on white paper. I took the time to do a small color study to test out my color ideas. I gave myself PERMISSION to play and explore this scene in a new way.

black and white reference photo

Advice for Surviving a Juried Art Exhibition

'A Special Kind of Quiet'         18 x 24       pastel       ©Karen Margulis
available $500

You have probably heard it before. A painting that was rejected for one show gets in another prestigious exhibition. Or a painting that doesn't win an award wins Best in Show in another exhibition. It happens. I've had something like this happen.  So if your painting was rejected or you don't get a prize it is helpful to keep this in mind. It might ease the sting a little.

I have been rejected from many shows over the years. I have had paintings accepted and not won a prize. ( I am always happy just to get in though) It can be an emotional roller coaster and it can really get you down if you let it. I usually allow myself a day to feel disappointment but then I put those feelings aside and concentrate on becoming a better artist. It is all a part of the growth process.

Tonight is the opening reception for the Southeastern Pastel Society's 17th International Exhibition. There are some fantastic paintings in the show and many more great paintings that didn't get in. Some will win awards and some will not. A juried show is full of ups and downs for everyone. Sometimes the whole process of entering, rejection, winning, and not winning can seem overwhelming .

I happened to come upon this quote today which is a good one to keep in mind for those who are entering or are considering entering juried shows.

" Prizes are nice, but the real competition is with yesterday's performance."  
   Irwin Greenberg

Prizes can be acceptance into a show as well as prizes given at the show.Both are nice but they are not a measure of your success as an artist.  Competition can be good if you can keep the ultimate prize in mind....your own personal growth as an artist. Be the best artist you can be at the moment and the rest will fall into place.

Why It's Good To Be a Frustrated Artist

'River of Inspiration'         16 x 20        pastel         ©Karen Margulis     available $250

 No one told me it would be so hard! It has gotten easier but there is always a challenge to overcome. That is one of the reasons why I love being an artist....it isn't easy. So when I am successful it is very gratifying. I can clearly recall my earlier days of frustration. The days at the easel when the learning curve seemed too steep to climb. The days when I thought maybe I should try another hobby.  I am happy that I was able to find ways to get through the hard parts. I decided that it was actually a good thing to be frustrated. 

When handled correctly frustration can lead to growth as an artist.

close-up detail

I have been following a post on facebook by an artist who is experiencing frustration after having information overload at the recent Plein Air Convention. Many are chiming in expressing how challenging it is to get back to painting after experiencing so many wonderful demos. Feelings of frustration, confusion and self-doubt are common complaints of artists who are in learning mode.

It's not so bad when we first start painting. We just don't know what we don't know. It is when we start learning about all that goes into creating a good painting that our progress can be stopped by the fear of the learning curve. Frustration sets in. This is great news! This means that we are learning. We just need to push through it and keep painting. After awhile we overcome the frustration until the next challenge. And through it all we become better artists.

When you are experiencing frustration, embrace it and keep painting!

• Tackle one concept at a time. For example if you are frustrated by value, find exercises that will help your understanding. Don't try to learn it all at once!
• Paint often. Go ahead and embrace the paintings that don't work out....they are part of the growth process.
• Take a break. Sometimes a break is needed to allow information to sink in. You will return to the easel refreshed. (just don't stay away too long and be sure to keep studying)
• When you paint remind yourself that it is only paper and no one needs to see the studies!

Today's Painting: My demo from my Uart Underpainting workshop. Uart with dry wash underpainting