Karen Richardson Virtual Studio

To say an artist is ‘talented’ or ‘gifted’ somehow implies that they have not needed to try as hard as the average person to make great art. This could not be farther from the truth – artists become good at what they do through sheer hard work, determination and tons of practice.

That being said, there is a huge advantage in using the best of materials and equipment to make art. Inferior products often result in inferior paintings, despite artistic skill.

My watercolour materials and equipment come from Europe and I recommend all of them to my watercolour students.

From England comes Winsor & Newton’s sable/synthetic brushes and watercolour paints, from France comes Pebeo Drawing Gum and d’Arches 300 lb. 100% cotton paper and from Italy comes Miserable superior watercolour paints.

These professional quality tools and materials work predictably and consistently to produce the most wonderful results."

~Karen Richardson

Virtual Studio

This page gives you a glimpse of my life in the studio and beyond. Find out what I have been up to - paintings in progress, artistic achievements, excursions, exhibitions in progress and art classes I have taught. Please visit often!

During the summer if we are making any interesting trips, I keep a picture journal of 'Tales From the Road' at artistjourney.karenrichardson.ca. I invite you to take a look from time to time and I welcome your blog comments and emails.

November 2011

I Get to Have Fun Now

Once my watercolour teaching duties finished for this year I was able to indulge myself by taking classes in other creative pursuits - basket making and pottery.

Here are a couple of photos from the basket class I enjoy once a week at Noreen Crosier’s house. She has a very friendly cat named Smokey who just loves to curl up on the table next to us as we weave. Smokey insisted on trying out my basket for size the minute I finished it! Fortunately one of my weaving buddies had a camera handy. (Forgive the bad hair day I'm having...it's my day off after all!)

I made pottery for two months at weekly workshops at Jennie Creeggan's house. Pure unadulterated joy!

October 2011

Fall Watercolour Classes

Would you believe I had 42 watercolour students this fall, in workshops at my Port Perry studio as well as at the Lindsay Gallery and the Art School of Peterborough? Whew what a busy month it was!

Here are photos of some of my students as well as a few of their comments.

"It was a pleasure finally meeting you ~ I have enjoyed your work for about a year now and look forward to seeing it in many exhibits to come. I learned a lot from you in a short time at the wet rocks workshop and hope to take more of your workshops. Thanks again, Mary D."

"I really did enjoy the experience and consider taking your workshop a pleasurable indulgence. The organization and depth of skills outlined, allowed all of us to be very successful - an amazing experience. I especially enjoyed learning your double brush technique, a magical way to control the paint! I hope to join you again this year after I have some more practice under my belt...Thanks again for sharing your talents. It's fortunate for aspiring watercolourists that there are generous people like you around. Merrill M."

"I truly enjoyed the class I attended with you and I feel you are an excellent and patient teacher. Thank you, Lesley D."

"Thank you so much for offering me a spot in your MAPLE LEAVES 1-2-3 class... It really was just what I needed to help me work through my grief. I included a very special leaf into my painting which allowed me to create something truly memorable...the timing was perfect! Much appreciated. Karen C."

September 2011

Vacation's Over...

After our summer travels are over and we unpack and clean our trailer, I have the big job of getting my perennial beds back into shape.

This year, on the recommendation of one of my clients, I hired a gardener by the hour. What a blessing she is! Her knowledge of plants far exceeds mine, so it was such a relief to have her do the heavy weeding, transplanting and cutting back while I caught up in other areas.

All I have to do is dig up my canna lily tubers after the first frost next month and store them in the basement for the winter. Anyone need any red cannas for next year?

Studio Tour Planning

Once again I am the secretary for the Lake Scugog Spring Studio Tour and we start our planning meetings this month for the May 2012 Tour. I will be showing at my own studio next spring and my guest artist will be Don McLennen with his wonderful glass art for the home and garden.

Enjoying the Outdoors

One weekend this month we stayed at our friends' cottage near Wilberforce and took part in a very strenuous ATV Poker Run, a fund raiser for the local fire hall.

We were out all day and encountered lots of muddy spots. In the photo below, one of our friends tows another out of a particularly nasty mud hole.

The day ended with a home cooked dinner at the community hall and our group walked away with lots of door prizes, including a chain saw that John was particularly delighted with.

Killbear = Paradise

September is still a lovely month for camping and the campgrounds are so nice a quiet this time of year. We stayed four nights in Killbear Provincial Park on Georgian Bay and it was gorgeous. Rocky shores like you would not believe! Plus I took about 100 photos through our trailer window of deer munching on fallen acorns in our campsite. (I think all of those acorns hit our trailer roof BANG as they fell in the night!)

August 2011 - Buckhorn Fine Art Festival

Two shots of my Buckhorn booth right after set up. I had a marvelous time at the show (my 21st year there) visiting with artists I have come to know as friends and staying overnight with my good friends Patti and Brian at their new lakeside home. Attendance at the Festival was really sparse this year despite cooperative weather. I sold two paintings before the show even started but during the weekend sold only art cards. I heard of several artists who sold nothing at the show and my heart goes out to them.

May 2011

Pittsburgh Trip

We visited Pittsburg, Pennsylvania for five days over the May long weekend, along with four other couples. Our accommodations were in the luxurious Priory Inn, where monks used to live. We had a super time in this clean city, visiting two famous properties designed by Frank Lloyd Wright - Kentuck Knob and Fallingwater. A baseball game, several outstanding meals and a visit to an outlet mall filled the rest of our itinerary. I also took some excellent photos of spring flowers to use as future painting subjects. What a great trip!

John and I are pictured above, posing in front of Fallingwater, and in the photo at left with our traveling companions.

May 2011

Spring Studio Tour

This year I was a guest artist at the home of jeweller Daine Smith for the 12th annual Lake Scugog Spring Studio Tour. These photos show two of the displays I set up at her home. We had a fun weekend but crowds were fairly sparse this year.

New Trailer

We had a test run with our new travel trailer to the KOA campground in Barrie one weekend this month. We call this the 'Shakedown Cruise' and it gives us a chance to test all the features in our new rig, which we purchased from CanAm in London at the Toronto RV show in February.

It's a 29 foot ultra-light trailer made by Earthbound RV and weighs only 4500 lbs, which is about 1500 lbs lighter than most trailers that length. The 31 foot fifth wheel trailer that we traded in for the Earthbound weighed over 9000 lbs. The new trailer has no wood in its construction, only steel, aluminum and composite materials that are all recyclable. We are so looking forward to our summer travels with our trailer, kayaks and mountain bikes.

Teaching in Lindsay

The Lindsay Gallery invited me to teach a weekend watercolour workshop this month. We worked on a beaver pond scene from northern Ontario, practicing masking, graded washes, reflections and negative painting. Well done everyone!

April 2011

UOIT Commission

I was hired to make a portrait of the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities in downtown Oshawa by the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, as a gift for their retiring president. This is the painting below.

UOIT commented afterwards:

"Ron was absolutely delighted with his gift and others were quite impressed. Just today, he told me that his wife, in particular, was thrilled about the picture and has already found just the right place to hang it at their home in Victoria.

Karen, I can’t thank you enough for doing this in such short notice, so professionally and for achieving an outstanding piece of art for Ron to remember us all by.

With sincere gratitude.

Regards,

MaryLynn W."

Birdhouse Donation

I was one of 40 artists asked to decorate a wooden birdhouse for the Durham Children's Aid Foundation's annual auction, which was held at Meta4 Gallery in Port Perry this spring.

Being such a rock lover, I created a stone cottage look which I named Bluebird's B&B. These photos show the front and back of the completed piece, which sold for $200. Proceeds from the auction were used to send kids to summer camp.

Wild Words Runner Up

My design for the book cover of the Writers' Circle of Durham Region's annual anthology was awarded honourable mention in a competition that attracted 22 entries.

The design is based on my new painting

'Wild Wonders - Lynx'.

April 2011

Spring Classes Resume

After I took the winter off, it was lovely to get together with 24 enthusiastic students at my Port Perry classes this spring. We painted lots of pebbles and spring flowers. These photos are taken in my gallery/studio and the comments are from my students.

"Thank you for such a good day. I thoroughly enjoyed the class, I have not painted in watercolour since last summer! I will finish this picture as I love tulips and when I do I will send along a picture. Thanks again. Nancy L."

"Hard to describe how satisfied I feel, having created something. Thank you so much for your expert guidance. I'm thrilled. Ann P."

"Thank you again Karen for a delightful day. I'm always amazed by your great talent. I also enjoyed seeing your studio. Pauline D."

March 2011

Time For Me - Pottery

I studied pottery and glazing in high school and at night school years ago and really enjoyed it, so I decided to take Jennie Creeggan's pottery class this spring.

She has a great studio at her home in Ballantrae with room for six students on a large worktable, as well as two wheels for throwing. I was surprised how many pieces I was able to get done in six classes. Here are some photos of the more successful ones.

February 2011

I Can See Again

I had my cataracts removed this month - a very simple, painless procedure that just takes a few minutes and instantly improved my distance vision.

The surgeon implanted intraocular lenses in place of my natural lenses that she removed, so I guess I'm a Bionic Woman now! The big change is that I am farsighted instead of severely shortsighted.

The most surprising thing I noticed right away is that colours are so much brighter with my new eyes. This was most apparent during the ten days between surgeries. When I looked at a white object, my eye that still had the cataract saw the object as a dull tan colour, like weak tea. All colours appear more brilliant now but blues and whites are where I notice the most improvement.

When I look at all the paintings I've done that are hanging in my gallery, the colours seem overly bright, almost garish, with my restored vision. But because I usually paint from photographs, and therefore was seeing both the photos and my paints in the same way, the paintings are actually accurate depictions. It did not take long to get used to seeing brighter colours.

Another cool thing happened the first time we went for a walk in the evening. I could see the stars in the sky, after perhaps a year of not being able to see those tiny pinpricks of light. I experienced numerous moments like this that made me realize again and again how precious one's sight is.

After about a month of applying daily drops to assist the healing process, I got my new prescription glasses. I still have to wear trifocals but they have much thinner lenses than my old glasses and everything I see appears larger now, which makes it easier to read and see small details when I paint. Life is grand...

October 2010 - Week 4

Lake Temiskaming

Four students had fun and learned many new skills when we painted the cliffs of Lake Temiskaming last week. We worked with sponges, masking fluid, salt and primary colours to make a variety of textures in these large paintings. Everyone worked hard and made some great art as you can see below.

Painting a Rock Shelf

The photos above are from the advanced level workshop I taught this week. Our subject was a rock shelf emerging from a northern lake. Using a larger format paper (22 x 10") called for substantial washes with large brushes. There was lots of opportunity for textural details in the rock sections. A very challenging subject, we all agreed!

Charitable Donations

Some years I feel like I donate more art than I sell!

All kidding aside, I am very glad to be able to support worthwhile causes with my paintings.

'Undercurrents' (above) I donated to the 15th annual Art Auction which will be held on Nov. 13 to benefit the Art School of Peterborough.

I am donating 'Solace' (left) to the 1st Scugog Mayor's Annual Gala for the Arts, to raise operating funds for the Scugog Council for the Arts. John and I will be attending this $125-a-plate dinner on Nov. 25 at the Scugog Community Centre in Port Perry. The evening will include a farewell roast for our retiring Mayor Pearce, who has been an untiring supporter of arts and culture.

October 2010 - Week 3

More Pebbles...

The first class I taught in my home studio this fall was a weekend beginner class called Pebbles 1-2-3. In this photo below you can see how well all the paintings turned out. And we had such fun doing it!

Both students live in Toronto and one decided to spend the weekend in Port Perry with her husband. They stayed at a B&B and enjoyed a gourmet dinner in one of Port Perry's fine restaurants.

Here is what the students had to say about the workshop:

"Karen's workshop, "Pebbles 1-2-3", was the perfect course for me; the catalyst I needed to finally make the leap to watercolour painting.

Karen is an excellent and well organized teacher. Through demonstrations of basic watercolour techniques, individual attention and encouragement, she gave me the confidence to explore this medium of expression. The hesitation I had felt previously was gone.

At the end of the workshop I was quite proud of the "pebble" watercolour I had completed.

I would highly recommend Karen's course."

Carol S.

"I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for the opportunity to take a painting course with you.

You are an excellent teacher and my usual ‘fear of virgin paper’ did not happen with you.

Your step-by-step paint-along approach allowed me time to understand each layer in the process.

I was extremely pleased with my finished result and have had compliments from many with my husband wanting to frame it.

Many thanks for a wonderful weekend of painting with you."

Christine W.

Painting Accepted into

PRAC Juried Show

The painting shown above, 'Desert Oasis', watercolour, 8 x 12" was one of 61 pieces accepted into the 12th annual PineRidge Arts Council Juried Show, from 223 entries submitted.

The exhibition of paintings and photography is hanging in the McLean Community Centre in Ajax until Nov. 28.

October 2010 - Week 2

My Painting Buddy

This is Aprille, my friend and painting buddy. We met years ago on the studio tour when she bought one of my paintings. Since then we have become good friends and meet at each other's houses once a week to work on our own paintings, chat and have tea. We have lots of things to learn from each other, as Aprille is an accomplished painter and a creativity and business coach. My morning with her is a treat I look forward to each week. Everyone should have a painting buddy.

I'm Not Going Blind!

I got some fabulous news on the medical front this week when I went to see an ophthalmologist about my eyesight.

I've worn glasses for astigmatism since I was ten. When I was in my late 20's I learned I had an inherited disease of the cornea that might impair my vision in my old age and if so I would require a corneal transplant. Fast forward to my early 50's when my distance vision started to deteriorate and my close up vision was not as sharp as it used to be. My optometrist suggested diabetes (which my GP ruled out with tests), cataracts (although he could see none) or corneal dystrophy (the dreaded inherited condition). So he referred me to the eye specialist to determine what could be done.

The good news is that she confirmed I have advanced cataracts, which are very easy to remove and replace with new corrective lenses. The surgery will be done this winter and after that I will have good distance vision, see colours more vividly and see objects full sized rather than reduced. As you can imagine, I and my family are so relieved.

This means I will not be teaching classes this winter but hope to fit some in in April 2011.

Stocking Up For Winter

Once the cooler weather arrives in the fall I get the urge to prepare food for the coming winter. It must be a trait passed down from our caveman ancestors.

From Dad's home grown tomatoes I canned salsa and from my own garden I canned a big batch of rhubarb syrup that makes a fabulous drink when mixed with club soda (or wine on occasion!).

My husband John is a member of a hunting club that journeys 16 hours to a hunt camp near Geraldton (NE of Thunder Bay) to hunt moose for a week every October. This year one of the group shot a cow moose and a bull calf, so each family in the club was delighted to receive about 55 lbs of boneless roasts, steaks and hamburger for their freezers. The meat is tender, delicious and naturally organic. It tastes milder than deer venison, closer in taste to domestic beef, but darker in colour and much leaner.

So now I am having fun preparing large pans of lasagna and chili stews for the freezer. Soon it will be time to start the Christmas baking...

October 2010 - Week 1

Teaching at Art School of Peterborough

I was hired by the Art School of Peterborough to teach their weekly Intermediate watercolour class this October and November. There are 12 students in the class and I am so enjoying sharing many techniques that will help them along their watercolour journey.

I thank my watercolour student and ASP board member Trudy Nisbett, who took these photos of my first painting demonstration, painting pebbles on a beach. This project took three weeks for the class to finish. After drawing the pebbles, the first layer of paint establishes the spherical shapes of the rocks, using a neutral grayish brown.

September 2010 - Week 4

Culture Days Across Canada

My Mom visited with us for three weeks this month. She is 90 years young and lives in Surrey, BC.

While she was here I hosted an open studio weekend as part of national Culture Days and in the photo at right you can see her in my studio working on her cross stitching by the window.

Culture Days was a celebration of arts and culture from coast to coast. All events had to be free admission and open to the public, with an opportunity for some interaction and education.

I had a display of my art cards and photos of my watercolour students working on their paintings. On the lap top on the right I had my Cable TV interview playing.

This photo above shows the watercolour demonstration setup in my gallery for Culture Days. There was not a large turnout that weekend, but the people who did come stayed a long time and tried their hand at watercolour or watched me paint. I finished three paintings that weekend and got some new students too.

September 2010 - Week 3

Out of the Ashes Exhibit

Since this year marks the 125th anniversary of the rebuilding of Port Perry after the devastating fire of 1884, I was invited by Scugog Township and Scugog Council for the Arts to participate in an exhibition featuring work by local artists, inspired by artifacts from the Scugog Shores Museum and the rebuilding of Port Perry.

Here I am at the opening of the 'Out of the Ashes' show at the Scugog Shores Heritage Centre and Archives in Port Perry. My painting is on the wall and below it is the little kettle that inspired the art work.

'Solace' Acrylic on Canvas, 16 x 20"

I decided to get out of my comfort zone and create an acrylic painting on canvas, and I did the painting in our RV in Temagami from photos I had taken at the Museum in the spring.

Here is the Artist's Statement about the painting:

"When searching the Scugog Shores Museum for inspiration for this project, a somewhat battered brass and copper kettle glowing in sunshine from a nearby window caught my eye. The kettle was resting on a beautifully wrought cast iron stove. The scene brought to mind a feeling of warmth and security, so I imagined survivors of the Port Perry fire of 1884, taking comfort in a soothing cup of tea.

I titled the painting 'Solace' for its literal meaning: finding pleasure and enjoyment in the midst of devastation, or finding comfort to alleviate sorrow, misfortune and distress.

Perhaps this refreshing pause in the Lee's kitchen would make survivors look more positively towards the future and help motivate them to rise above the challenges and disappointments life has thrown their way. As someone once said, our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but how we react to what happens; not by what life brings us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results, such as the rebuilding of Port Perry."

September 2010 - Week 2

Artist on TV

Right out of the blue, I got an email from the local cable TV station to do an interview and watercolour demonstration on their Daytime TV show. They wanted to publicize my art classes.

So of course I said yes and headed down to Oshawa on the appointed day.

The hosts Kasia and Christian were friendly and exuded high energy, so it was easy to fill an eight minute spot with a short painting demo as well as conversation about my artistic background, paintings, classes and web site. Love that free press...

I purchased the rights to the video so I could show it to you here on my web site.

Click on this photo to view

Karen's video interview and

painting demo on Cable TV

(8 minutes):

Getting Fit

This fall I decided to make my health a higher priority, so I enrolled in a Curves women's fitness centre. It is just a 15 minute walk from my house, so I get 30 minutes of walking and 30 minutes of strength training on the circuit each time I go, which is three times a week. I also attend Curves' free nutrition classes once a week and have started eating healthier - emphasizing whole foods like whole wheat pasta and breads, brown rice, lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, chicken and lean meats and dairy products. After just four weeks I am seeing good results - losing weight, gaining muscle and feeling really good. I highly recommend the Curves program to any women looking to stay healthy. The members are very friendly and range in age from 20's to 80's, but most of them are in the 40's to 60's age group.

September 2010 - Week 1

Back Home in the Studio...

There has been a lot of catching up to do at home, now that our vacation trip is over.

We spent about ten weeks camping in northern Ontario in the Temagami to Cochrane region this summer. It was a fun and relaxing time, fishing, kayaking, hiking, swimming, ATVing, berry picking and getting to know the area better.

Of course I took my camera with me whatever we were doing and came home with some great photos. We traveled a total of over 8,000 km and saw lots of wildlife including fox, bear, beaver and moose.