july

With Xandie back home for summer I've invited her to join my morning art sessions in La Verne with friend/artist Lynn McCallion. My subject of the moment is the Monterey Cypress, a beautiful twisted tree that grows along the California Coastline. Completed some pencil sketches, a watercolor, and am now working on an acrylic...

"inspiration"

In progress

yard art

      The lawn solution ~ the drought is relentless and the back garden lawn is getting browner by the week.  My solution was to construct a labyrinth in the center to reduce the lawn and watering area. After a bit of research I decided to order a pre-printed 12' labyrinth template from The Labyrinth Company and do-it-myself. We have a few rather large stacks of used brick on site and I'd been wanting to use them for a project for years, so brick borders seemed like a no brainer. I used a plastic version of the much more expensive steel border material I always see in commercial applications to form a ring and hold the outer bricks in place.

The next step was to place the bricks to outline the pathway. I poured a sand layer as I went, otherwise I'd be covering up the outline on the template! I wanted a barefoot friendly surface to walk on but because of the unbelievable seed drop frrom an awful neighboring elm or walnut tree (not sure which, but it's huge, invasive, and non-native) I deferred to gravel for maintenance purposes. After a layer of cheap "cement-mix gravel,"  I poured a more expensive top layer of rounded Mexican Beach Pebble mix.

Here's a pic of the finished project!

something fishy

This weekend's endeavor; a watercolor Koi painting (9x13"). Happy with koi, but background not quite what I wanted... just keep swimming, just keep swimming.

blue vase & fruit (after Cezanne)

Playing with acrylic gel medium, and a simple subject, to get that bumpy oil paint look without the fumes and slow drying time. Took me two afternoon sessions; I think it's done.

blue vase & fruit (after Cezanne)

Journal from India

So, here are a few of my watercolors on this amazing paper... I love this handmade journal  from 100% recycled cotton fiber. (6"x9" format ~ 140 lb./deckle-edged)

onions

paper

So, really starting to become intrigued with watercolor paper. (From 90-140 lb. so far.) Amazing what difference the paper can make. One of my favorites at the moment is hand-made Punjabi paper from India. Pricey (at $40 a journal), but I've been buying it at 40% off which brings it down to a reasonable price range.

paper surface

not my photo, but typical result (so fun!)

portraiture

Ventured into portraiture today... first one ever in watercolor. (Worked from photo to avoid drawing errors.) Very happy with result for my 1st attempt!

original photo from Alyssas's fb page

first layer of washes

modeling tones / adding darks

finished painting

Weekend time

I'd say I was influenced by the color orange this weekend!

Must be the brightness and warmth of the sun.

inside cover for my new sketch book (9x12") of
Claremont sketches and paintings

"Poppies"

CA natives

I wanted to paint a sampler of CA wildflowers in bloom now and decided on 4x6" image size in case I wanted to print them as postcards or put in photo frames. Each subject was treated differently, but using the same palette of colors: loose wet-on-wet/ iris, washes/ manzanita, neagtive space/ lupine, O'Keefe close/ poppy.

Next, I'm trying to decide if I want to add thin borders and botanical names...

Douglas Iris, Manzanita, Lupine, CA Poppy

Finished hand-painted CA native plant series:

 2 postcards, a photoframe card and a mounted card sprayed with fixitive for protection.

Music & art

 I found myself completing some long standing projects at the end of March... A triptych and cello front for the Claremont Community Music School auction, a painted VSO (violin shaped object) for the Claremont USD District Office, and a watercolor entry for the annual Celebration of the Arts Show in La Verne.

"Trio"

"Arioso" cello front

"Harmony" back

"Harmony" front

"Watercolor Calla"

Making time for art

Looking at tutorials to try and learn about watercolors. This was the result of time and patience. (Negative space painting/layering washes)

Study in Negative Flora

Most recent paintings (2013 to present)

Paintings completed since starting my classes with Lynn McCallion, La Verne artist.

garden tomatoes ~ acrylic

cactus in bloom~ acrylic

California mission~ acrylic

moonrise ~ watercolor

landscape #1~ acrylic

the grove ~ watercolor

vase with oranges
(after Matisse) ~ acrylic

Otago lighthouse

Sherlock (adopted summer 2015)
~ acrylic

Magic (adopted summer 2015)
~ watercolor

Art folios...

While trying to solve a current problem (what to do with all my drawings & watercolors longterm) I decided to find my old porfolios in the garage. Wow... a virtual time machine of my artwork back to 1969! And under three names: Crandall (maiden), Norris (first marriage), and Kuenning (last marriage). It's so interesting to look back and see what I was doing then. I'll try to create a little slide show to post eventualy.

a new year

A new year brings us hope, change and the never ending resolutions (rarely acheived) we promise ourselves. Mine will be to try creating art (in addition to music making) as part of my every/other day life. I'd like to start a digital catalog of my art, from as far back as I have, (which requires physical organizing first) and to post some of my most recent endeavors.

Fall colors at last

Seems the change of season is so late this year; still in the 8o's most days, apple tree still in leaf (very odd), & butterflies still in the air. Autumnal colors inspire me to continuing my painting efforts , and so when an assignment of an Old Masteres dark underpainting style painting was given to me, a pet portrait of our new pup Sherlock was in order. 

time flies...

Hard to believe our one & only child is off to college at the ripe old age of 17!  Not only has she decided to attend Northeastern U in Boston (the opposite side of the country), but her first semester will be in Dublin, Ireland. Having gone on our "womenfolk" tour of Eire & to Usk, Wales this past summer,  I'm pretty comfortable with her being so far from home (it helps to have cousins just an hour away by plane). Even though we'll miss her terribly, I know it'll be a great adventure for her.

Mid-Winter nights

* * * 

At least we are now past the winter solstice and the days are growing increasingly longer.  This is the time of year for a rash of winter concerts in Claremont beginning with the Claremont Symphony Orchestra this weekend, the CSYouth orchestra in 2 weeks after that, and in another 2 week span we hold the the Claremont USD concerts. I begin to wonder how I got so involved in all of this!

To take my mind off of present things and create some light at the end of the tunnel, it seemed like a good idea to plan a "womenfolk" tour of Ireland next summer with my sister and daughter. Since Xandie will be headed of to college next fall I thought this would make for a memorable grad present and create some lifelong memories. More on that as it develops...

Autumn equinox

In 2014, the autumnal equinox brings the fall season to the Northern Hemisphere on: September 22 at 10:29 P.M. EDT. (7:29pm west coast time)

I look forward to the changing colors, but not the shorter days...

Ginko Leaves: P. Kuenning

I'm also looking forward to: time for gardening, hot meals once again, cooler weather, getting out my warm & snuggly sweaters and holiday gatherings.

"In spring when maple buds are red,

We turn the clock an hour ahead;

When autumn birds in flocks

Fly southward, back we turn the clocks,

And so regain a lovely thing,

That missing hour we lost in spring." ~ Phyllis McGinley

Summer...

If nothing else, I thought I would post quarterly for my own benefit. It's been a busy summer for some of us and relaxing for others in the Kuenning household.

Washingtom Monument~2014

Schwabish Hall

Pat's tomatoes

Daughter was off for 2 weeks to study journalism/communications at American U. Had a quick roundezvous with cousins Tom & Shelley who were kind enough to meet her at Dulles Airport and transport her to DC after an overnight visit.


In the meanwhile, husband Geoff was socked in with summer research at Harvey Mudd but did get away for a quick conference in Utah at Snowbird which, in the summer, has none (snow).


Daughter returns home for a week and then is off to the Goethe Institute for 3 weeks of German language and culture study in the picturesque Medieval German town of Schwabish Hall.

My summer has been a mixture of teaching cello, catch-up appointments, gardening, and home projects.

It has been somewhat of a preview of next summer when Xandie goes off the college of her choice and we truly become empty nesters.

Spring...

A one week break before the end-of-year onslaught of activities! Looking forward to slowing down my teaching activities but will be "on the go" with the visiting German exchange high school students.

 The patio project is now complete (after the sad demise of the largest acvocado tree) and we'll be able enjoy the redesigned space as the good weather approaches. A small potager garden is also in and I hope to keep salad vegies and herbs coming through the growing season ;-)