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15 Apr Be a Lover!

My Blog message this month is “it’s good to be an amateur”!  Austin Kleon wrote that the original meaning of the word amateur is “lover of”!   He said that being an amateur at something just means that you are more interested in doing it for the love of that thing than for the money.  Doing our “thing” for the fun, joy and love of it is the best!  Whatever the creative endeavor may be:  gardening, cooking, volunteering or painting etc; let’s celebrate being an amateur and lover of that thing.  Never lose the aspect of newness, learning and loving what we do.  As a career artist, who is making money from the “thing”, I try to never lose being a “lover” of creating art.  I must consciously approach my day, my studio and each new painting as an amateur … because I DO LOVE THIS THING I DO!     Kathleen

                 Kathleen doing what she loves

15 Mar “Still Inspired”

My last month has still been living with my newest love, Antarctica.  Along with finishing two more paintings, I gave a presentation at the local Pine Island Library called “Antarctica through the eyes of an artist”.

Along with showing photos, sketches and a finished painting, I shared with the audience, many of them artists,  the process of going from inspiration to finished paintings.  I was thrilled with their wonderful response, and they asked to see the photos a second time!  On that high note, I agreed to give the program to the Lake Superior Art Association (LSAA) in Marquette in May.  I’m already looking forward to sharing it with my friends at home!  I hope to see many of you there, at the Peter White Public Library on May 20th!

In the meantime, back to the studio for more painting …. Keep inspired! Kathleen

15 Feb 2025 – “Inspired”

How do I begin to share with you a truly spectacular trip!  An inspiration from the “end of the earth” Antartica!  It is an amazing land of glaciers, icebergs, peaked mountains, whales, seals, penguins and dramatic rugged scenes everywhere.  Although a fragile environment, it is brimming with life!

Created by volcanoes millions of years ago, the landscape is contrasting vistas of volcanic warm-black, all shades of white, misty purples, straight-out-of-the-tube blues including icey turquoise mixed with a bit of green-gold.  It sounds so easy, with a limited palette, but so difficult to catch that “essence”.

My biggest inspiration is, what I call, the “Ice Sculptures of Antartica”.  After on-location sketches and at-home studio working/exploring my visual “language”, I’ve finished my first couple of full-sheet paintings.  I hope a picture is worth a thousand words and leave you with my first one.  I think it captures the essence of my Antartica experience.  And, I hope I can leave you with the feeling of being truly “inspired”.

Loving Ice Sculptures, Kathleen

Penguins share the space with a giant iceberg!

15 Jan A Cold and Snowy January

Greetings!

The Blog this month is from Kathleen’s web manager, Carol.  Kathleen has been on a once in a lifetime journey to Antartica!  It was Kathleen’s dream to visit all seven continents and this trip makes that dream come true.  I’m sure Kathleen has been painting while on the journey and will share some of those creative pieces with us.  In Michigan, we are having lots of snow and very cold weather, at least in Kalamazoo where I live, our snow has been daily for about three weeks.   Thank you for following Kathleen on her lifetime of painting journey as she continues to learn, teach and grow.   Please join us next month when Kathleen will be back on this continent!    And we can hear about her adventures!  Carol

15 Dec Happy Holidays 2024!

The Holiday Bells are ringing, generosity fills the air, signs of love abound, and my favorite, hope for Peace is renewed!

I wish everyone optimism and hope in our New Year.  Here is a little gift I give to each of you ….

my personal secrets of  “How to become an Artist”.  Enjoy!  Kathleen

15 Nov Novembers Blog

One of my favorite artists to watch and hear is Louise Fletcher from the UK.  Her most recent newsletter so perfectly expressed what so many of us are feeling that I am going to share with you some of her wisdom.  Part of her writing includes:

“It’s been a heavy time lately.  It’s hard to ignore the weight of what’s happening in various parts of the world, and even if we’re not all directly affected, we feel the tension in the air.  We worry for those who are impacted.  Sometimes, we catch ourselves sinking into it, watching the news with a mix of anger, worry, and a sense of helplessness.  I want to remind you of something crucial:  we have a job to do.  This is precisely when the world needs us the most.

When things get tough, artists have a unique role to play.  We are here to shine a light; to tell stories that comfort, challenge and inspire.  Our voices, expressed through art, music, dance writing and all forms of creative expression are more than just our own, they are mirrors that reflect the human spirit back to those who may need it the most.  Art has always been a force for change, resilience, and unity … even during history’s darkest moments.During difficult times, people need reminders of beauty, resilience and the simple truth that we are all in this together.”  Thank you,         Louise Fletcher!

Yes, we are in this together, and we will not only survive, we will thrive.  With the help of Art … the truth-seeking heart-felt Art, we create from our soul … including light and beauty!

I’d like to think my painting, “Found Object”, reflects beauty and a little light on a tiny member of our world that represents us so well.  The dragonfly is an adaptable creature beyond all others:  it hatches underwater, surfaces, spreads its wings on land and becomes a master of the sky with dexterity unmatched by any other!  Its ability to transform and adapt to its changing environment makes it a supreme survivor … just like us!

I am very appreciative that “Found Object” won Best of Show in our regional exhibition at the Lake Superior Art Association (on display through November), in the Deo Gallery at the Marquette Peter White Library in Marquette, Michigan.

The inspiration and title for “Found Object” came from a dead dragonfly I found and then taped to my studio wall.  Starting with gestural and detailed drawing, I exaggerated it and painted … so much fun!  Kathleen

15 Oct On the Road Again!

Since last Blogging, I have taught two workshops and painted on the beach … great fun, all of it!  The workshops in both Houston, TX (for WAS-H) and Springfield, IL (Sagamon Watercolor Society) were wonderful!  Artists are fun, hard-working, and caring people who love what I love – Art!  Being with them and sharing Art is the BEST.  In fact, it just doesn’t get much better than that.  Lucky, lucky us!  (Sadly, we were so engrossed in our painting that we forgot to take any pictures!).

Painting with the beach in water colors!

Then there was “painting the beach”.  Being an “experimental” artist I’m always watching for another tool or technique to explore.  The beach was there, a few beach weeds, twigs and leaves washed up, and opportunity could not be turned away.  I had a blast painting with the beach!  Not until I finished and looked at the photos my friend took, did I realize I was not painting alone:  there beside me all along was my muse, Old Crow!

Enjoy the last of our warm summer days, my friends!  Kathleen

16 Sep Feeling Lucky!

For most of us career-artists, at some point we realize that we don’t/didn’t choose Art.  It chose us.  At this stage in my life I feel like one of the very lucky souls that has been given the gift of “being chosen”.  Not the gift of “easy” but still Lucky, Blessed, Grateful and so happy to be able to keep working!

This week’s work took my artist-friend, Diana and I,  to her family camp.  A very special place in the wilds of Michigan’s upper peninsula (da’ U.P.), the Yellow Dog Plains and conservation preserve.  We had a marvelous day of hiking, painting, and learning about this very special and environmentally important preserve of old timber, bogs, meadows and water shed area.  Here is a picture of our view.

At the end of that already perfect day I received word that my painting, “Meet me at the Market”, had won the Holbein award at the National Watercolor Society’s (NWS) 104th International Exhibition!  Doubly thrilled because it’s so hard just to get into that highly competitive exhibition (I have the “rejection slips” to prove it), but then to win a top award!  Lucky?  Yes! Grateful? Absolutely!

Beauty is everywhere.  Sometimes it’s in front of our face and other times, we have to go hunting for it.  Take a hike somewhere in nature and it will be there waiting for you.       Happy Autumn!  Kathleen

15 Jul Mastrius Mentorship Program

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM STARTING SOON

I’m throwing my “hat in the ring” (brushes in the paint?) with MASTRIUS.COM, a highly organized venue for mentoring that gives amazing support to artists and instructors alike with emphasis on maximum flexibility for artists to study with different instructors.  You choose your small (3-8 artists) group to facilitate personal artistic growth, networking with like-minded artists, marketing skills and building an online community of creatives.  I’d love to have you, my friends, be in my first class starting August 6.  Check it out on: https://www.mastrius.com/kathleen-coover-mentorship/

Across from the large water falls at Lake Tahoe was a small run off flowing over stair steps of rock on its way to Lake Tahoe.

NEW PAINTINGS!

Once again, I had a lovely invitation to join 10 other artists to paint on location at Lake Tahoe.  We lucked out with perfect weather, companionship and creative energy to try and capture the grandeur of this beautiful place.  There’s nothing better than painting with art-ful friends.  So grateful!      I painted this piece called “Eagle Falls” while there.  You can find a series of new paintings from this trip in my Hot off the Easel  gallery series.  You can find it here.

MEET AT THE MARKET

The National Watercolor Society (NWS), one of our premier water media organizations, has accepted my new work, “Meet me at the Market”, for their annual 2024 exhibition.  I’m honored and thrilled (and always hopeful for a nod from the awards judge later this year).

Enjoy your summer, my friends.  Kathleen