"Washington Monument Sunset" (oil, 7" x 7") sold

sold

The painting depicts the Washington Monument, viewed from the Lincoln Monument Reflecting Pond, against a spectacular sunset sky. It was fun to paint a big picture in a small size.

"Grand Canal Sunset" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 12")

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It is the golden sunset in Venice. Take a gondola and glide along the Grand Canal. We just passed Santa Maria della Salute. Ah, life is good!

"Chesapeake Bay Sunset" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 12")

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The sun is setting in the Chesapeake Bay. Tundra swans are flying over the dock pilings. It is an altogether peaceful scene.

"Assategue Island Dusk" (mixed media on paper; 18" x 14") sold

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A popular camping site along the mid-Atlantic coast, Assateague Island is also famous for its feral ponies.  I was aiming for the peace and solitude that can be found at dusk when the crowds are gone.  The painting is a mixed-media piece, with colored pencil and oil pastel on watercolor.  How do you like it?

"Paris Bridge of Love" (oil on stretched canvas; 11" x 14") sold

sold

June 1, 2015 was the day the love died. That day an estimated one million padlocks, dubbed “ love locks,” were removed from Paris’ famed Pont des Arts bridge—connecting the Louvre and the Institut de France across the Seine. Love locks may be gone, but the romance of Paris lives forever!

"Big Ben Sunset" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 12")

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The Big Ben and British Parliamentary Buildings are the iconic image of the United Kingdom. The sunset sky makes the view of the Big Ben across the green Westminster Bridge incredibly romantic!

"Jefferson Memorial Cherry Blossom Sunset" (oil on linen; 10" x 12") sold

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Jefferson Memorial, dedicated to an extraordinary man, is my favorite memorial in the city of memorials--Washington, DC.  I have painted it many times, often set at cherry blossom season, like this new one.  Below is the sketch done in chalk pastel pencil on toned scrapbooking paper that I drew while watching TV in the evening.  I liked it so much that I decided to do an oil version in pointillist style.

"Jefferson Memorial Sunset" (chalk pastel pencil on toned paper, 8" x 8")

The Collage of My August 2015 Paintings

The collage of my August 2015 Paintings

I guess I was in the mood for flowers last month.  Look at how many florals I painted in August!  Which painting is your favorite?

"Enchanted Harbor" (oil on stretched canvas; 18" x 18") sold

sold

As my husband is from Minnesota and has lots of relatives there, we often visit Minnesota.  We spent a pleasant day in Grand Marais on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota during one of our visits a few years ago.  It is a picturesque artist community with two harbors and lighthouses.  The reference photo for the painting was backlit and pretty much black and white.  But I loved the composition and wanted to make a painting out of it.

I transformed a bleached-out, afternoon scene into a romantic twilight moment.  I went wild with dots in the water, sky and everywhere.  I hope you like my pointillist style as much as I do!

"Rialto Bridge Dusk" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Venice is always beautiful.  At dusk, it becomes breath-takingly ethereal.  Ride a gondola, like the couple in the painting, and glide under the famed Rialto Bridge in the sunset.

"California Sea Stacks Sunset" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Have you ever seen the sea stacks along the Pacific Coast?  These picturesque landforms, formed by erosion, consist of steep and vertical columns of rock in the sea near a coast.  My painting is of the stacks in Trinidad Head in northern California.  The setting sun transforms the summer scenery with wildflowers into an enchanting place where the sky, sea, and shore become one.

"Provence Lavender Sunset" (oil on stretched canvas; 9" x 12") sold

sold

The sun sets on the lavender fields of Provence, France.  One can almost feel the warmth of the golden light and smell the intoxicating fragrance of lavender.  Bury me under the tree in the painting when I die, because this is my heaven! 

"Lincoln Memorial Sunset" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

sold

I've noticed that some artists who are participating in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Challenge actually have a theme for the month.  They are very wise and I admire them.  I, for one, have no such luxury.  Some days I wake up in the middle of night wondering what I am going to painting the next day!  That's is why I decided to paint my favorite scene one more time.

We Washingtonians don't go out of way to pay respect to these famous memorials but for the out-of-town relatives.  More than 10 years ago, before the digital age, a cousin of mine from Korea came to visit and we took her to The Mall.  It was a beautiful spring day.  As the sun started setting, the marble structure began to glow against the golden sky.  Green leaves burned orange.  It was a magical moment.  So pardon me for repeating myself and please tell me that the new painting is better than the old one!

"Lincoln Memorial at Sunset" (oil, 11" x 14"; sold)

"Hawaiian Sunset" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

The sun sets in the Big Island, Hawaii.  The orange sky glows against the grays and soft pastels of the ocean and the dark volcanic lava rocks. Very peaceful.

"Sunset Beach" (oil on linen; 9" x 12")

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I did four pet portraits in a row for my Facebook fans and am now totally out of pictures.  While waiting for more pictures to arrive in my inbox, I thought I would go on an artistic vacation.  This is a sandy beach in Kauai, where my family vacationed in early 2012.  We saw several sunsets there, all of which were spectacular.  The sunset doesn't last long, but what a golden moment it is!

"Sail Away" (oil on linen; 8" x 8") sold

sold

Reference photo of the sail boat

Fishing Creek

Last Thursday, an artist friend of mine and I went to Annapolis, MD for a day of sketching.  The weather could not have been better--sunny, low humidity, and in the mid-70's!  We visited several sites for my friend's future workshop, had a nice lunch, and did a sketch or two at a park.  At the end of the day, we visited Thomas Point Park, from which one can get a nice view of the Bay Bridge.

On the way to the car, we saw a sail boat returning for the day. I was dying to paint a scene like this, but the background of the reference photo lacked poetry.  So I superimposed the image on another picture of the same place, Fishing Creek, just a few minutes' walk from the first location.  I changed the time of the day to a sunset too. How do you like my artistic license?

"Cherry Blossom Festival at Sunset" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

"Cherry Blossom Festival at Sunset"
sold

"Waterlily Pond" (oil, 8" x 8")
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In the morning of the last day of Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop, we did a wild thing. Each student was given a reference photo, in my case, a pink waterlily; some students, including myself, had to paint their pictures upside down.  We were given about five minutes to get the painting started.  After that, we did the unimaginable thing.  We moved to our neighbor's easel and were given three minutes to work on her painting!  After five "musical chair" effects, we returned to our own easel to face the music.  Dreama told us to finish the painting with three additional strokes.  Yes, three strokes!  (I added a few more strokes after lunch.)

The point of the exercise was, I believe, non-attachment.  We get so hung upon the product that we sometimes forget to enjoy the act of painting or live in the moment. By being forced to go around working on other students' paintings in such a limited time, we had to toss our attachment. Strangely enough, I felt like living truly in the present. I also tried to do my best, to leave each painting a little better before moving onto the next.  I was sincere.

When I turned "my" painting right side up, I saw a beautiful work of art.  It was a gift from the workshop participants.  Look at how nice these "collaboration paintings" are!

"Collaboration paintings"

After lunch, we had to face music one more time by working on our own paintings.  To be honest with you, I was freaking out quite a bit.  Here is why.  I don't want to paint like Dreama.  I am no body's copycat.  At the same time, there are many things I admire in her work.  How do I incorporate what I learned from her into my own work without losing my artistic integrity?

I chose a reference photo I took at the Tidal Basin last week.  This is the kind of stuff I paint all the time.  But as you can see in the finished painting, it was done differently.  I started with a dark/mid-tone underpanting, which seemed to suggest a sunset scene. So I followed my gut instinct by changing the time of the day from early afternoon to dusk, which meant that the cherry blossoms could not be as light as in the photo. The painting became quite moody and more interesting.  If I had been left to my own devices, I would have added three hundred more strokes for the dainty cherry flowers. No, I did not succumb to the temptation.  Dreama loved my colors.  I was pleased like a little girl at her praise!

Reference photo for "Cherry Blossom Festival at Sunset"

I am going to end my "Dreama experience" with what she said at the very beginning of the workshop.  She encouraged us to be true to our heart.  She pleaded us to be not our own harshest critic, but one's own best friend.  Each name tag she had made for us came with an uplifting message.  Mine read: "My paintings are extraordinarily great!" I was meant to become an artist.  Don't ever forget why I am doing this. Style will come with doing lots of paintings.  But what guides my life is the JOY of creating art.

DPW Spotlight Interview with Kim Stenberg and a Painting Giveaway

The following is my interview with the Daily Paintworks Spotlight Interview.  I am very excited about it!  By the way, I am giving away "Morning after Snowfall."  If you have bought a painting on DPW in last 30 days, you are eligible for the giveaway.

DPW Spotlight Interview: Kim Stenberg

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. 

To enter to win Kim Stenberg's painting, "Morning After Snowfall," go to Daily Paintworksand click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Kim's DPW Gallery page:

I received a PhD degree in British history at the University of Minnesota in 1993. Taking art classes turned out to be a life-changing decision and I have been using both sides of my brain ever since. I retired from teaching recently and now paint full time.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I had always admired people who could draw and paint. When I finally had leisure time after receiving my PhD, I checked out Betty Edwards's "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," tried all the exercises, and realized I could draw! I got hooked. I started taking art classes at The Art League School in Alexandria, VA in 1994. The rest is history.

Morning After Snowfall
(click here to see original image)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the home page announcing Kim's interview.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

The only time when I didn't paint was when I had my daughter. For a year in 1999, I didn't paint. Obviously, it was tough for me to live without art! After years of hesitation and self doubt, I finally found courage to quit my job as a college professor in 2011. I now paint full time, living my dream.

Glory of Iris
(click here to see original image)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I first started out with colored pencil, as it seemed the easiest. It was, however, too time-consuming.  So I switched to watercolor, which many beginners choose somehow, thinking that it is easier than oil but isn't in reality. Anyhow I was successful as a watercolorist, received many awards, and was published in a book and magazines. Eventually, I fell like I hit the wall and decided to try acrylic, first on paper, then on canvas. My then art teacher told me that oil was easier than acrylic for the reason that the latter dries so fast that it makes blending difficult. So at a whim, I tried water-mixable oils about four years ago. That is when I found my true path! I am done exploring, although you never say never again. I have a brand new box of Holbein oil pastels lying around in my studio!  One of these days....

Many of your paintings have this wonderful, sun-washed glow to them. How are you capturing such a beautiful, but elusive quality?

Oh, thanks. As so many artists say, we are in the business of painting light. I can't say honestly how I do it. I guess I go for a subject with a strong sense of light and try to capture it as best as I can. I learned that, in order to paint light, I have to paint rich, luminous darks and mid-tones. Does that make sense?

Bishop's Garden at National Cathedral(click here to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?:

How do I dawdle? Suddenly I feel like cleaning my studio! If I paint everyday, or almost everyday, painting becomes a routine. Then I don't dawdle. Besides, it's now my job. I have to show up.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?:

I usually work from photographs, although I go outside to paint when the weather is too good to stay inside. I have a stack of pictures--mostly landscapes and florals. I go though them from time to time and set aside a pile of let say 10 pictures. When I come to my studio, which is at home, I pick one from the pile.  My decision depends partly on what kind of mood I am in and partly on how much time I have that day because some subjects require more time for drawing.  I don't spend hours trying to figure out what to paint. This also answers the above question of how to avoid procrastination. When you know what to paint and are excited about it, you are less likely to procrastinate.

Happiness of Donuts(click here to see original image)

How do you keep art "fresh?" What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?:

They say that you have to find your brand, your niche. That is a good advice, but I would also argue that one has to have several interests so that you don't get bored or burned out. I paint landscapes, architecture, florals, still lifes, animals, and occasionally figures. I paint en plein air, I paint from life, I paint from photographic references. I paint snow, I paint water; I paint tulips in the garden, I paint peonies in a vase; I paint birds, I paint dogs. I go back and forth. This way, I avoid boredom. Boredom would be the death of a daily painter!

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?:

Last year I took a still life class for a year, which taught me a lot about composition and color mixing. Through my own experimentation last year, I learned to use more paint in my work. I continue to learn to mix better grays, mid-tones, and clean bright colors. As long as I live, I will be aspiring to become a better painter.

Sunset Over Marshland
(click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your art?:

Selling my paintings give me a momentary pleasure. But ultimately, the act of painting makes me happy. I recently came down with shingles over the holidays, which put me out of commission for a couple of weeks. When I started painting again, I still had lingering pain. But while I was painting, I didn't feel any pain. How about that!

Thanks, Kim!

"Twilight Snowfall" (oil on linen; 8" x 10")

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Snow falls gently in the country at twilight.  All is silent.  All is beautiful.

"Key Bridge at Sunset" (oil on linen; 11" x 14") sold

sold

I don't believe in multi-tasking.  One thing at a time is my motto.  Having a dinner while conversing, or painting and listening to music at the same time, are some of the few things I would do with profit and pleasure.  Try doing something that requires concentration and simultaneously listening to your teenage daughter's angst.  You may be able to, but I can't.  These days many drivers put their and other people's lives in danger by texting while driving.  One thing at a time, man.

Sometimes, however, I end up multi-tasking.  Here is the story.  Thursday was a very busy day.  It started with a photography session with a client for a commission painting, followed by ice-skating practice, grocery shopping, a visit to my daughter's doctor's office for her flu shot, cooking dinner, and a fundraiser holiday concert at a bookstore where I also got half of Christmas shopping done!

I had started "Key Bridge at Sunset" the day before, but didn't get to finish it.  It was going well.  This was the second time that I tried the same subject; I wanted it to be better than the first painting ("Georgetown at Sunset"), which I felt looked belabored.

Paints were becoming sticky, and I had little time to do finishing touches during the day.  Painting in the kayakers was particularly nerve-wracking.  I didn't want the painting to be about the health benefits of kayaking.  Kayakers, especially the big one at the bottom left, were supposed to balance the painting and add a visual interest to the large expanse of the river.

"Georgetown at Sunset" (oil, 9" x 12")
sold

I finished the painting while grilling rosemary lamb chops and boiling new potato.  My studio, formerly known as the dining room, is right next to the kitchen, so I could pull it off.  Nevertheless, I felt like Daniel Craig playing James Bond, or Jason Statham as the Transporter!