"Barley" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

sold

"Barley" is for my new Facebook friend/fan, Susan.  She sent me the pictures of two dogs; I chose Barley because of his expressive face.  As it turns out, he is no longer with us.  Perhaps the sad thought influenced me.  Isn't the painting more distinguished and somber than usual?  The purple/soft yellow color scheme makes the guy look royal!

Barley was six when the picture was taken four years ago.  He was a soulful, sweet dog.  The (dog) love of Susan's life--love at first sight.  He was a mix of Australian shepherd, Labrador, and likely golden retriever.  He had the funniest habit of leaping backwards when something startled him or when he was playing.  Susan's husband wrote a tune for him called "Jump Back Barley"; the CD it was on was nominated for a Grammy!).

If you would love to see your beloved pet painted by me and shared on my blog and Facebook page, please email me at kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  Send me a picture or two, preferably taken in natural light without flash.  I will do a drawing at the end of September and give one painting away!

"Joy Run" (oil on linen; 8" x 8" sold

sold

A colt gallops joyously on a sunny spring day.  How do you like my "action painting"?  It is based on a picture that my good friend, Jo Mackenzie, sent me.  She couldn't remember whose pet it was!  So I am hoping someone will step forward and claim the painting.

If you would love to see your beloved pet painted by me and shared on my blog and Facebook page, please email me at kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  Send me a picture or two, preferably taken in natural light without flash.  I will do a drawing at the end of September and give one painting away!

"Rocky and Thelma Lou" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

"Rocky and Thelma Lou" is for two good friends, Jenny Frampton and Sherry Worshum.  The painting shows the ill effects of excessive TV viewing for kids.  Rocky of an unknown breed, on the left, is over-excited; Thelma Lou on the right, a Basset Hound, is completely dazed!  The two kids are best friends and often have playdates.  Don't worry.  They play outside too.  I've seen pictures.

By the way, Jenny is a good Samaritan.  She fosters rescued dogs until they find permanent homes.  Sherry teaches gifted children.  What awesome friends I have!

If you would love to see your beloved pet painted by me and shared on my blog and Facebook page, please email me at kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  Send me a picture or two, preferably taken in natural light without flash.  I will do a drawing at the end of September and give one painting away!

"Colden" (oil on linen; 8" x 8") sold

sold

"Colden" is for my good friend, Jo Mackenzie, who is a talented watercolorist.  Colden is half-lion, half-Collie.  Just kidding, but look at his mane!  He is so old that he can hardly stand up.  Jo is keeping him alive with duct tape and glue!

Jo has been painting pet portraits for a while and has a big following.  Please check out her Facebook page.  She also paints flowers and houses for her fans.  Painting pet portraits from fans' pictures and doing a drawing was something I learned from her.  Thanks, Jo!

If you would love to see your beloved pet painted by me and shared on my blog and Facebook page, please email me at kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  Send me a picture or two, preferably taken in natural light without flash.  I will do a drawing at the end of September and give one painting away!

"Kauai Rooster" (oil on linen; 8" x 8") sold

sold

Some birds are born to rule.  Look at this Kauai rooster with a red crown.  Kauai is called the garden isle for its lush vegetation.  Now people are calling it the chicken isle because it is overrun by roosters, hens, and little chicks!

Most of the birds are believed to be descendants of former fighting cocks unleashed during a devastating hurricane more than a decade ago.  The birds now forage at outdoor food courts and parking lots, and ruin sugar cane and corn crops.  They wake islanders and tourists with predawn crowing.

When we first saw them, we thought they were exotic and fun.  We took gazillion pictures.  But there were just too many of them to remain excited.  Some resourceful islanders capture them and put them in a chicken coop for future dinners.  The wild hens are edible, but remain tough even after hours of cooking.  How about roosters?  Well, as I said, they rule the island.

"Guarding Alcatraz Island" (oil on linen; 8" x 8") sold

sold

A seagull takes a break, while eating the famous San Francis sourdough.

Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles offshore from San Francisco.  It is home to the abandoned prison, the site of the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast, early military fortifications, and a seabird colony (mostly Western Gulls).  Today the island's facilities are managed by the National Park Service.  As far as I can tell, due to the recent budget cuts, the island seems to be guarded mainly by the seagulls!

By the way, the seagull population is skyrocketing and the birds are taking over San Francisco. Don't feed the gulls and pigeons!

August Newsletter

Hello, everybody!

Can you believe summer is almost over?  I hope you are all enjoying a great summer. We Virginians have been blessed with some lovely weather this year!  

I started a new, fun, ongoing series--"Pet Portraits".   If you love to see your beloved pet painted by me and shared on my blog and Facebook page, please email me at kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  Send me a picture or two, preferably taken in natural light without flash.  I will do a drawing at the end of September and give one painting away!  Since I first made the call for pet pictures last Friday, I already painted four pet portraits! I am totally out of photos at the moment and waiting for more.  Please check out my blog for the stories behind these beautiful cats and dogs.  

"Collage of Pet Portraits I"

When you are sending me pictures of your pets, don't forget to add their names, ages, breeds, and some fun facts.  And please send me more than one picture. My paintings will be as good as the reference photos, as I give every painting 110%.  I will work in oil for these pet portraits in various sizes, such as 6" x 8", 8" x 8", and 8" x 10". If you like the painting of your pet, you can buy it later.  By the way, it doesn't have to be cats and dogs; I can paint any animals.  Are you a birder?  I can paint from your favorite pictures!  The only condition is that you took the pictures yourself (because of copyright issues).

"Collage of Birds for Birders"

It was a summer without a vacation for me.  Instead, I've had a different kind of fun, creating watercolor paintings.  You wouldn't believe how exciting it is to switch back and forth between mediums. Watercolors do something oils cannot do; there are things one can do only with oils.  As I told a friend of mine, by renewing my watercolor ways, which were my first love, I doubled the fun!  I am sharing the collage of the paintings I did during my explorations on Yupo painting last month.  How do you like the collage of my July paintings? 

The paintings are available on my website or on my Etsy shop.  The prices are the same on both sites, but they offer you different ways of viewing and buying my art. Please check them out.

"Collage of My July 2013 Watercolor Paintings

My original plan for July was to do some more boat paintings, but I got distracted as you can see above!  A boat painting from June ("After Independence Day"), however, was juried into the prestigious annual landscape show at the Art League Gallery in Alexandria, VA this month!

"After Independence Day" (oil, 12"x 16"; $500)
For purchase information, email gallery@theartleague.org, or call 703-683-1780.

Exciting things happen in Kim Stenberg Fine Art Studio!  Thank you for your continuing interest in my art.  Enjoy the rest of the summer!