Blog

15 Aug Art is a Unifier !

It’s a real boost to my Art-spirit when I walk along a busy city street, as I did yesterday in downtown San Diego, and see lovely sentiments of support for art!  These 3 doors into a large office building each had a patriotic message that the arts are for everyone, that they are a unifying agent in our society, and reminder that we have more likenesses than we have differences.

I am in San Diego to judge the awards at this year’s San Diego Watercolor Society’s (SDWS) annual international exhibition and start my “Color, Composition, and Collage Workshop” tomorrow.  It’s wonderful to be back at my old Alma Mater, San Diego State University, and work with the great artists here.

The SDWS International exhibition opens in September and if you are in the area, I can guarantee it will be well worth your efforts to come see the exhibit of 103 national and international artists’ paintings selected from 750 entries.  Be sure to check the San Diego Watercolor Society Gallery (2825 Dewey Rd., San Diego, CA) for specific hours then come enjoy that important bond we have with each other that reminds us of our unifying humanity and culturally rich creativity.  Kathleen

15 Jul Summer Painting En Plein Air!

Three En Plein Air events in a 6 – week  span, plus teaching in Canada in between, is a lot!  I really must not be so busy next year, me thinks.  But then… what do I want to eliminate?  Nothing.  So, I remind myself to just totally enjoy all that I do while I can do them.  Painting with wonderful artist-friends new and old, spending time with family and established friends I love and capturing those new inspirations in my sketchbook for another time.  Life moves too quickly and there will be a time when I don’t want to move at such a high speed.  Then I’ll paint all those wonderful paintings in my head …. off to the Calgary Stampede !!  Creatively yours, Kathleen

Planning my Painting                                                                                                               Capturing nature in watercolors

15 Jun Arts for Everyone

Coast to coast the painting competitions, art associations’ shows, museum exhibitions, street fairs and En Plein Air festivals are happening.  And that’s just the visual arts!  There is so much more.  The arts are a true unifier in our divided times and a welcome reminder of the beauty in our world that still soothes the soul.

This past month, in my working-painting world, I’ve been enjoying both ends of the competition spectrum by judging and demonstrating for the San Diego Watercolor Society.  As well as competing, being awarded and even collecting another “rejection” letter as well!

On June 7, I traveled to the beautiful Kenosha Public Museum in Wisconsin and was thrilled to receive the Georgia O’Keefe Award (see picture below) from the wonderfully organized and supported Transparent Watercolor Society of America (TWSA).  Next year will be their 50th anniversary with big celebrations planned.  I better start painting now for next year’s highly competitive exhibit!  But first, I’m off to the Greater Traverse City area to paint in a long En Plein Air (on location, rain or shine) event.  Hard work and fun ahead!

I hope you all make room in your busy schedules to visit an art exhibition, attend a concert, enjoy a play or listen to live music or create something yourself!  Art is a magic healer of many ills!  Creatively yours, Kathleen

At the Kenosha Wisconsin Museum, Kathleen Receives this special award

15 May See me this summer in Marquette

This summer the Lake Superior Art Association has invited me to give a talk at 7 p.m. on May 20 about travel sketching and turning those sketches into paintings.  I will share sketches and paintings from my recent travels to Antarctica.

I will also be showcased at Zero Degrees Gallery in Marquette.  And in 2026 I will have a solo exhibit at the Devos Art Museum at Northern Michigan University.

Please check out my website at: kathleenconover.com to see all my online art galleries and to learn about me and my painting techniques.  You can even see some videos of me painting!    Until next month, happy painting!   Kathleen

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