Kimberly Abraham

Daily Painting

2010-12-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

I've started a daily painting challenge and have some of my artist friends have joined the challenge. The first week was great, but have slipped a bit since then. But it hasn't been a waste. One of my daily paintings won first place in an art challenge competition. I'm pretty excited about it.

Blogging on Tumblr

2010-08-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have been using Tumblr more for my "blog" because I never really feel like I have much to say. I just have images of my latest artwork and artist trading cards. Take a look:

http://happysangria.tumblr.com/

Robert Frost's Acquainted with the Night ~ the Cat Version

2010-04-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have danced in the rain -- and back dry again.
I have out stalked the whitest moth in flight.

I have looked down the greenest forest lane.
I have passed the hoot owl on his seat
And winked my eye, quite willing to explain.

I have stood still and lucked into fresh meat,
When next to me, an un-intending mouse
Climbed over some branches, and gave me a treat.

I was not sad for the mouse, nor did I begin to cry.
'Tis the law of nature. 'Tis the law of might.
O' pale judge, shiny against the sky,

Proclaimed me one with nature, neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

Sneak Peek

2010-03-10T03:41:00.000-08:00

Work in Progress

2010-02-26T19:51:00.000-08:00

This is an oil I'm working on. I can't seem to get the background right. I've actually wiped down the background since taking the photo. Maybe it needs to sit in the back of my studio for a few days and then I'll take a fresh look at it.

What in the World are Artist Trading Cards?

2010-02-22T14:07:00.001-08:00

I've been working on artist trading cards, or ATCs for short. These are little works, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, and are traded or swapped but never sold. I am absolutely loving this. It is a nice little community of artists and creative types who get together and share ideas, techniques, and inspiration. Sometimes we collaborate and make group cards or other art objects. Anyone can participate and it is all about sharing and collaborating. I have joined a local group called New England Artist Trading Cards Plus. We meet at least once a month and make stuff and trade cards. I have also joined a couple of online groups. The pointillism cards above were made for a mail swap. I've made four total and will be mailing them soon to the coordinator. I will get 3 mystery cards back and one of my cards will go to the swap coordinator as a thank-you for organizing it. It is all really very fun.

How to Make Gluten Free Flour Tortillas (with pictures) - wikiHow

2010-02-19T12:33:00.000-08:00

How to Make Gluten Free Flour Tortillas (with pictures) - wikiHow

A Good Day for Quotes

2010-02-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

Art is making something out of nothing and selling it. Frank Zappa

I've been looking up art quotes all morning. This one by Frank Zappa is funny and not at all cynical. Making something out of nothing is actually a cool thing and selling art is not the root of all evil. Honestly, making money motivates great art. It is foolish to think art is not made to be sold. My husband came up with this quote:

No man but a fool ever wrote but for money. Benjamin Johnson.

And we can thank Andy Warhol for this one:

Making money is art, and work is art, and good business is the best art of all.

These quotes are by way of working out lesson three from my online marketing class. Today's lesson is to flesh out my buyer, to imagine the type of person who would buy my art. I need to actually create this person in my mind. Give him or her a name, a family, a career, and some ready cash. Instead of that I've been google-ing quotes. I need to buck up my confidence and come to terms with the idea that I would like to make money with my art because, after all:

Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons. Woody Allen.

Who am I?

2010-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

No, not navel gazing here, just more marketing stuff ...

Still working on the idea of marketing myself. The latest assignment from Stacey Cornelius's online creative marketing class is to come up with an USP or unique selling proposition. It is to further define how I stand out from other artists. I still do not like my elevator pitch, so I've changed it.

I'm a pastel and oil painter living north of Boston.

Good, like this much better. The whole art history bit can come in my USP. So here is my list:

My painting style is contemporary realism.
I like to paint everyday life, portraits, and landscapes.
I'm always exploring new ideas and love collaborative work.
I'm a craft junkie. I like to work on artist trading cards because of their collaborative nature. And have been know to spend too much time jewelery making. I'd love to see craft art elevated to a higher art form.
I'm haunted by my art history background. Styles from the great masters always find a way of creeping into my work.

Better. All right, I'm on a roll. Now to add this to my facebook & whatnot "bio"s and go from there.

Marketing 101

2010-02-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

Today I began Stacey Cornelius' The Creative Marketing Foundation Course. Every four days I get one lesson in my email. Today I need to write my elevator pitch: a powerful and unique personal statement in 25 words or less. I guess the idea is to answer the much dreaded question: "what do you do?" in 20 seconds. It should show how I'm unique from all the other wannabe artists in the world. Step one: get over my dislike of self promotion. Blah, just the idea creeps me out. After a few ... ok, 20 ... crumpled pages, here is what I came with:

"So, Kim, what do you do for a living?"
"Well, I'll tell you, mysterious elevator person..."
I'm an art historian turned artist. After studying art history in college, I turned to painting with oils and pastels.

I know this needs work but Stacey does give me four days to work on this. I think I'm going to need all four days. This marketing course for creative types is from the website: The Studio Source and is (my favorite) free.

True Corners

2010-02-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

Today a few unrehearsed corners from my home.

I know what I'm doing tonight ...

2010-01-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

Picture is from:
"Gluten Free is Life" Blog

Here is another good recipe:
How to Make Gluten Free Shortbread - wikiHow

Another pastel

2010-01-05T11:09:00.001-08:00

Still working on light, here I'm trying to get the feel of twilight. I started a watercolor of this a few months ago, but moved onto a pastel version.

9x12

Learning about light

2010-01-04T12:24:00.001-08:00

I've been working on how to paint light using grey pastels on black paper.

9x12 inches

Part of a pastel portrait

2009-12-31T11:36:00.001-08:00

... because I only like part of it.
Pastel on paper.

Learning from facebook

2009-12-31T11:34:00.001-08:00

After Jeremy Lipking
pastel on paper

More Practice

2009-12-31T11:31:00.001-08:00

After David Kassan
Graphite

Some drawing practice

2009-12-31T11:27:00.000-08:00

After Charles Barque.
Graphite

First Snow, Weir Hill

2009-12-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

Weir Hill, North Andover.
9x12 inches.
Pastel on Paper

Cat

2009-12-27T18:37:00.001-08:00

This is a new work fresh off the easel. It's a pastel of my cat. He doesn't have a name, we just call him Cat. He came with my mom from Michigan about a year ago, and stayed. I didn't want a cat, but once here, we became too attached to him. When my mom's plans changed and she left North Andover, the cat stayed. He used to live with my grandparents but they passed away several years ago. My grandparents actually had several cats. This black one was the hardest to catch out of the bunch. When he finally got tricked into a pet carrier, my mom took him home and kept him in her basement for a few years. Her two dogs chased him so he stayed out of the way most of the time. He was a bit of a wild cat when he first came to my house, and hid all the time. Eventually he got used to my house and now hangs out just about anywhere, except where my newfoundland is. Cat doesn't mind the basset hound. Cat is actually quite devoted to me, and always looks for me. His favorite sleeping place is on my pillow. It is kind of sweet, in an annoying kind of way. So here is Cat. He is for sale, the picture that is.

Pastel on Paper
9x12 inches.

Fresh Paint

2009-12-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

Sophie and Odie at Weir Hill, North Andover
Oil on Canvas
11X14 inches.
Last sunday was the first big snow fall of the year and I took the dogs to Weir Hill. They ran around off the leash. I had my camera with me and I now have a collection of some really good snowy day photos. I'm going to paint a series from this outing and this is the first of the bunch. This one is really thickly painted and I tried something different with the layout. I masked off a long and thin composition and only painted in the middle of the canvas. This beauty is for sale, after it dries of course.

Email me for more information.

Brian Dettmer: Book Dissections

2009-10-03T07:23:00.001-07:00

There are some really creative, talented artists out there . Brian Dettmer is from one of my Artist A Day posts I get on facebook. All you librarian readers; proceed with caution, the following may cause some professional angst.

Brian Dettmer: Book Dissections

Here is a peek into Brian Dettmer's studio. I'm just ... flabbergasted. He also works with cassette tapes.

Shared via AddThis

Be Efficient at Studying - wikiHow

2009-09-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Be Efficient at Studying - wikiHow

Be a wikiHow Hero! If you publish an article in wikiHow in the month of September, they will send a book to a child in Africa. I found this topic in a list of needed articles and made this simple little how to.

Robert Henri

2009-09-24T18:48:00.001-07:00

Robert Henri, Portrait of Fay Bainter, 1918

I need to research the quotes I publish on facebook a little better. I liked a quote by Robert Henri, but did not know that much about him. My art teacher asked if I was reading his book, The Art Spirit, now I know I should. It's all about using color to create forms. But who would of thought his last name was pronounced in a way to rhyme with "buckeye" as in "hen rye" and not the french: "on-ree." Sigh ... so much to learn, still!

Herb & Dorothy

2009-09-22T03:20:00.001-07:00

He was a postal clerk. She was a librarian. With modest means, this couple managed to build one of the most important modern art collections in history. Meet Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, whose shared passion and commitment defied stereotypes and redefined what it means to be an art collector.

On PBS. Oct 13.

About Lucian Freud

2009-09-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

The only thing that's interesting about art present or past is quality. The whole mystery of art is why good things are good. - Lucian Freud

I have a new favorite portrait artist, Lucian Freud. Why I didn't know about him until a few days ago is beyond me. Good thing I don't call myself an art historian anymore, not that I ever really did. This artist was mentioned to me at AVEO Pharmaceuticals' informal art show. I chatted with a few people there and mentioned how I wanted to start painting portraits. Freud was brought up. Of course the next day I had to look this artist up and now I am in awe of his work. I'm impressed by the fact that his models will sit for 5 hours, 7 days a week, for several months just for one portrait. This is an interesting article about one model's experience: "Captured by Lucian Freud" by Martin Gayford. Another good article is: "Seeing Through the Skin" from The Guardian.

Yoga and Art - Together at Last

2009-09-14T15:56:00.001-07:00

I really want to take this class at the Essex Art Center. But sadly not enough people have signed up for it. I'm number two. They are going to cancel it.

Yoga Mat to Art Palette
Mary Ann McArdle
11 Mondays, 6-8:30 pm, Sep 21-Dec 7,
no class Oct 12, $160
Our artistic journey begins through the many postures of
yoga, breathing and meditation, gently transitioning to
paint, pastel and other media. No yoga or art experience
necessary, just a willingness to stretch the body, mind and
spirit. Students will create art at their own level, whether
they are a beginner or experienced artist. Please bring yoga
mat. Limit 8.

Pull

2009-09-14T09:35:00.001-07:00

Pull, originally uploaded by kmsmithabraham.

Crazy crazy crazy life today. Too much going on. My emotions are being pulled in too many directions.

First Oil and Other Rather Boring Stuff

2009-09-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

This little still life is my officially first oil painting. I'm happy with it, but it doesn't have much to say for itself. I picked the orange and green florals from a local craft shop because they looked good together and natural. The little orange pod like flowers have a nice fuzzy outer layer that I thought would be challenging to paint, but wasn't. The blue vase is from Sharon's studio. I wanted to balance the orange with a deep cobalt blue. The table is just one of those cheap folding wood tables you can find almost anywhere. I have yet to paint a still life with some fabric. It is not so much that I am shying away from the difficulty of painting fabric, rather I want to keep the setup uncluttered. Maybe I'm being too critical of this little piece. Boring is ok sometimes, boring can be good. Especially when my life tends to spin out of control. Art is where things can be perfectly still and calm.

The Once and Future Student

2009-09-13T06:44:00.001-07:00

This is my first oil portrait. It's not finished but I loved painting it and I liked the outcome. It has a certain style at a time when I'm not sure what my style is. I'm searching. I am looking at old masters and new artists for inspiration. Willem de Kooning was perfectly funny when he said: "I want to paint like Ingres and Soutine at the same time." I have stop worrying about my style. It will come. Art is like love: the more you try to hold onto it, the more it slips away from you. I need to let go. Life is the journey. And right now, I like the particular path I'm on.

Hello World

2009-09-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

A little about me.....

For most of my adult life I have orbited around the art world with various artistic and creative endeavors. I only flirted with the idea of being an artist. I have studied art history, dabbled in photography, studied graphic design, even worked as a freelance web designer. But I always wanted to paint. It took me some 40 years to finally find the courage ...