Getting Ready for the Studio Tour this weekend

"The Lookout", pastel, 19x25, $1500

Getting ready for the Studio Tour this weekend......hang art, make & hang labels, clean house, hang Christmas decorations, send postcards & e-mails,clean the dog, get snacks, ....each year I forget something but it all works out ....and I haven't done Christmas shopping yet!

If you have a moment during the next two weekends c'mon by and check out my new work, new prints, new cards....have some yummy hot apple cider, enjoy the fire & music and chat. 

Happy Holidays everyone :)

Kim

Twins on the Tour!

"Twins" 24"x30", pastel

I painted this commisssion in July 2010 and just retrieved it to display during the Chatham Artist Studio Tour I'm in the next two weekends in December (3&4 - 10&11) from 10am-5pm. 

Usually I'm critical of work that I haven't seen in a while, but I am so proud of this piece and the boys in it!

Adopted from Vietnam by two wonderful parents, they wanted to capture them at this precious 3 year old stage.  What an honor! So I went to meet them and took hundreds of photos....settling on a photo of them interacting and ignoring me with the camera.  Much thought went into the composition, light/dark and warm/cool balance as well as color intensity and soft edges.  But especially the mood and energy of them.

I'd love you to come to my house and see me and my work on the tour :) see the map at this link http://www.chathamartistsguild.org/map/map.html or just mapquest me at 120 Creekwood, Pittsboro, NC  27312.  Open from 10-5.

Hope you can make it, I'd love to see you.

Thank you for viewing my art.

Kim



"Annie"

"Annie", pastel, 12 x18"

As Christmas is coming more orders for last minute commissions come in too.  This intelligent young black labrador retriever was quite playful as I tried to take her picture...stealing my hat and running all over the yard with it.  I enjoyed the chase...we became quick friends :)  The owner thought she'd be hard to photograph, but with a treat in one hand and the camera on the other I caught her with her eyes bright and her ears up, the light coming from one side. 

Yes, Rembrandt lighting works for doggie portraits too!  I always like to paint black animals with blue...the black tends to fill in and look flat...can't really depict warm or cool, just values...and it turns out more like a charcoal drawing instead of a pastel painting.

Hope this portrait makes a great Christmas surprise....

Thank you for viewing my art.

Kim

"Joonie" Commissioned Portrait

"Joonie", pastel, 9x12"

This wonderful dog is the rescued pet of a good artist friend who asked me to paint their dog for her husband's Christmas present.  I love being in on surprise gifts :)  I get to be in on the fun! 

She asked me to paint smaller than I usually do...this is done on a 9x12"pastelboard.  This surface allows for great details, yet I usually prefer colorfix paper.  Joonie was great for her photoshoot - sooo smart yet friendly.  It was late afternoon when the light and shadows were fabulously dramatic...I left the sky the intense blue it was....reflects Joonie's equally bright spirit!

A pleasure from start to finish.  Love painting pet portraits...they make the best gifts!

Thank you for viewing my blog :)

Visit me on the 19th Chatham Studio Tour

"Winnie", 11x14" acrylic on wraparound canvas

Come on out and visit me on the upcoming Chatham Studio Tour .    I'm #31 at 120 Creekwood, Pittsboro, NC  27312 for both weekends, Sat.-Sun. Dec. 3&4 and Dec. 10&11, from 10 am - 5 pm.

Featured here is "Winnie", a commissioned portrait of a lovely terrier painted in acrylic on wraparound canvas last year.  She has since passed on, but her colorful portrait will keep her loving memory fresh for a long time. 

Portraits make lovely Christmas and Birthday gifts - of your favorite pet, or the perfect gift for that animal lover.  You can always give a gift certificate if my schedule is too full for Christmas, it will be sure to please :)

To see more of my work, please see my website at Kim Werfel Portraits & Fine Art.

Thanks for viewing my blog :)  Feel free to share with your friends !

Kim