Katharine Krieg

Hey, Look What I Built! And It Works, Too! "Society Finch"      5x7"       oil Greetings from the studio and happy spring!  Spring is a season that is full of awakenings and new beginnings. I have been enjoying my adventures in oil painting. "Society Finch" is a recent work that is a change from the still life I was making with somber, dark backgrounds emphasis placed on chiaroscuro. I wanted a more open, delicate feel to compliment the subject of the bird. Society finches are not found in the wild and were bred to be companion pets. Hence the choice of domestic items to place with him. I don't own a finch so I spent a lot of time in the local pet store watching them and I am pretty sure the employees now think I am some bird stalking lunatic that has no life. And to that I say ... "what of it?!" This painting is framed and available. I have been wanting a lighter, more mobile easel for plein air painting so I spent some ti...

"Baoding Balls"       oil       6x8" Happy Fall! Hope your summer was as refreshing and inspiring as mine.  Monhegan did it's thing and I came back with a lot of good studies for paintings that will make for a strong basis of next year's open studio.  I also came back with memories and experiences that fuel ideas to carry over into the fall and winter studio here in PA. The open studio was well received and a bit different with a mix of mediums and subject this year.  Charcoal and graphite, some oils that I have been pushing into and, of course, watercolors. I also included more works of still life and some of my PA work was there as well. Many visitors remembered me from previous years and saw my work outside of marine/coastal watercolor for the first time. It was interesting to hear visitors' reaction to the mix.  Most enjoyed the variety and the feedback was very, very positive. Only a few asked which medium was my "favo...

Summertime, and the Studio's Busy! "Lighthouse Ridge, Monhegan"  watercolor  17 x 29"     Summer!  A good time to make a new post with lots of new happenings in the studio.  I have been busy gearing up for two new shows and my open studio on Monhegan Island in Maine.       I am delighted to be part of the group summer show "Summer Vacation" at Patricia Hutton Galleries  in Doylestown, PA.  Paintings of coastal New England will be featured and I have several pieces from Monhegan hanging. The show opens Friday June 22 with a reception from 5 - 8pm. I will be attending this and am looking forward to seeing all the other works by some very talented artists that I am pleased to be showing with.  It promises to be a wonderful show and runs all summer. Please stop by if you are in the area.      In July, I was invited to be part of the Bucks County Audubon Society  "Art of the Barn"  tour on...

I thought it would be a good idea to show a bit of how I go about making a painting.  It's a bit of a rough explanation but gives a decent overview of the process.   I paint what is important to me. I think this is some of the most important rule to follow for any artist and I know this advice has served me well. Step 1:  "The Subject" Any time you can work from life definitely do so.  There is information gained from first hand observation that you just don't get with a photo. Never copy a photo.  Years ago, I tried to do this and found it so stifling almost jumped off the roof.   Photos are fine to use but should be used as REMINDERS only!  I know I sound bossy but I am only trying to save you a trip to the roof. *Now, photos are helpful reminders in other ways. Say your studio cat gets angry at you for whatever the latest stupid reason is and decides to drag your subject off and in the process has rearranged the drapery and you need to ...

Really happy to announce that I am included in the upcoming January issue of American Art Collector Magazine - Collecting Still Life.  This is the first time I have been in a magazine and I have to say it was pretty cool to be invited.  They contacted me with the deadline and asked me for images and color marks. I had no idea what 300 dpi or color marks were but I said "Of course I can do that!" and then promptly slammed into a 45 degree learning curve. The team that puts this magazine together are wonderful to work with and very, very patient. I want to send a thank you to Jos Van Riswick, a very talented artist from the Netherlands who created the site  http://www.contemporary-still-life.com/index.html   which is where American Art Collector saw my work.  Please check out the site and check out Jos Van Riswick's online videoblog project "Postcards from Holland".  http://www.postcardfromholland.com/ I am also really pleased to have been accepted i...

                                        "Green Lane"   watercolor   17x27" It's been a while since I last updated my blog. I had plans to update as soon as I returned from my open studio in Maine but quickly became deluged with everything that gets piled up when one holds an open studio in a separate location like another state.  So I will keep my updates to quarterly/seasonal and keep paving this road here with good intentions. I have two upcoming shows in November. One is the 64th Annual Soroptomist Art Show and Sale in Phoenixville, PA on November 5 & 6 in the Center for Arts and Technology, Pickering Campus in Phoenixville, PA. I am pleased to be a featured artist in this show and the above piece, "Green Lane", will be part of the 12 - 14 pieces I am to bring. The second show is in the Indian Valley Library (in connection with the Indian Valley Arts Foundation...

I will be having an open studio on Monhegan Island, ME from July 23 to Aug 6.  The studio is located along the road to Fish Beach and I will be there each day from 12 - 3 or by chance.  Please stop by if you are on Monhegan those days.  The painting below "Monhegan Wharf and Swim Beach" will be part of the recent works on display. Each summer I go to Monhegan Island, ME. It is a place about halfway along the coast of Maine and 12 miles out to sea.  It has been a magnet for artists for over 100 years and it is quite natural to see artists pretty much all over the place especially in the summer. During college I heard of Monhegan and I was told of it from friends who grew up in Maine and visited. They suggested I go there since I am an artist. So I visited for the first time 5 years ago and each year I try to increase my time on the island. Although Monhegan is small (only about 1 mile by 1.5 miles in size) there is a vast amount of subject...