Artist's Statement: The charcoal shown below is the third of four I have drawn as studies for an oil painting of Miriam (Moses’ sister) comforting Yocheved (mother of Moses and Miriam) as Yocheved has decided to abandon her infant son, and place him in a basket on the Nile River, in the hopes of saving his life. In contrast to the other three charcoals, this one omits Miriam so as to guide me to a greater focus on Yocheved. In this charcoal, I see Moses’ mother moments afte

Artist's Statement: Last week’s post showed a charcoal sketch of Esther preparing for her audience with the king. As I explained, I made the charcoal sketch to prepare myself to do a painting in oil. Today’s posting shows the oil painting. In stark contrast to the charcoal, the painting uses a wide range of colors, which allows it to convey multiple meanings. For example, the red symbolizes danger, and the setting reflects the opulence of the palace. And, even though the

Artist's Statement: The woman shown in the charcoal below had as much wealth and status as was possible for any woman in 5th century B.C.E Persia. She is Esther, beautiful and beloved wife of Ahasuerus, the all-powerful king of the Persian Empire. But at the moment shown, Esther is tremulous with fear and weak from three days of fasting. She is about to risk death by approaching Ahasuerus without having been invited and further by revealing to him that she is a Jew. That s

Artist's Statement: Sometimes the Oil Painting Can Be a Prototype If you have been following the past several postings, you will remember that I use charcoal drawings as prototypes, to help me better understand the images I want to depict in oil. On occasion, however, I will do an oil painting as a prototype – as in this week’s posting. Here’s the backstory. Shortly after I had finished the oil painting of the Egyptian Princess (posted last week), the model on whom I had rel

Artist's Statement: In previous posts discussing the way I use charcoal sketches as prototypes, I have mentioned that sometimes a prototype teaches me that I want to make changes when I turn to oil on canvas. The charcoal for this painting did not do that. Instead, the charcoal helped me bring out in oil the solitariness and reserve that characterized and befitted her as a princess and daughter of the Pharaoh. Oil On Canvas 28 in x 22 in But there are other words for priva

Artist's Statement: In last week's post I described my experience drawing in charcoal and explained how currently I use charcoal almost exclusively to do "studies" in preparation for a painting in oil. As an example, I posted the charcoal study I did for "Fearsome and Fearless." Circumstances forced me to do the study in just two hours. I worked intensely, even furiously to depict the emotions I was imagining while dealing with the emotions of losing my terrific model. In c

Artist's Statement: When I first started working seriously in art, before I made the jump to full-time, professionally guided study, I worked almost exclusively with charcoal. Charcoal seemed to focus me on shape, shading, texture, and the interplay of light and shadow – without the added complexity of color and hue. And, by no coincidence, charcoal is the medium for the first year of full-time study at the Atelier in Minneapolis, Minnesota (where I studied for four years).

Artist's Statement: A single rose, painted on the smallest of surfaces. The background purposely indistinct: no stems, no leaves, no thorns. The vibrantly red petals and their asymmetrical but beautiful pattern are thus the focus and entirety of the painting. Oil on Wood Panel 5 x 5 x 1.25 in Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not. Ralph Waldo Emerson Essays, First Series, ch.12 ​ Love is a rose but you better not pi

Artist's Statement: This week’s painting might seem to be a detail from a much larger work – that is “a small part of a work of art, enlarged to show a close-up of its features.” In fact, this painting stands alone – though it is very small (5 x 5 inches). Painting on a very small surface raises a set of special issues, including the need for greater precision in fine details, especially in depicting the interplay between light and shadow. Yet despite the special challenges

Artist's Statement: If memory serves, my husband gave me these tulips. Two days later, I found myself distressingly anxious about a series of paintings I had then been working on for several weeks. I impulsively starting painting the tulips for escape, and the relief was immediate. Without every having read Harland William’s comment, I found that imagining and painting the lady bugs immediately eased my mind. Oil on Canvas 20 x 16 in I think people should maybe just go out

Artist's Statement: The yellow rose and its companion bud are from life, and I see their beauty and intense color as the painting's focal point. The background is from my imagination, but many viewers think it representational. Of course, what one viewer "sees" as the reality being represented often differs substantially from the reality "seen" by another. ​ Oil on Canvas 16 x 16 in You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension

Artist's Statement: Despite the lyrics quoted below, in the language of flowers yellow roses symbolize friendship – hence the title of this work. By happenstance, yellow roses were my mother’s favorite flower and are the favorite of one of my Israeli nieces. (My favorite flower is the red rose [love], when presented to me by my husband.) Oil on Canvas 15 x 24 in Do you think it’s unkind to suppose That the desert’s no home for a rose. Guess I’ll always wish I could know Thin

Artist's Statement: I remember first hearing the word “poppies” as part of a sleeping spell cast by the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz “Poppies … poppies -- poppies will put them to sleep.” The poppies in this painting have a much happier frame of reference. I found them growing among the weeds in a field in Israel. The field, which had once defensive structures for the military, was soon to become a vineyard. The poppy has a color so vibrant as to stand out wherever the

Artist's Statement: My mother’s favorite flower was a yellow rose. Red is by far my favorite, although I’ve never met a rose I didn’t like. For example, I think the roses depicted above are beautiful, though they are neither red nor yellow nor even monochrome. The interplay of pink and white in the petals gives the impression of a blush – hence the name. The long stems provide color contrast – color that is darker, less variegated, and less pronounced. Oil on Belgian Linen

Artist's Statement: The Stargazer lily is a hybrid, created so that the petals look to the sky rather than curve downward. Various colors exist, some quite exuberant. These Stargazers are primarily white, which allows the front-facing flower to provide the perfect backdrop for an intricate and elegant pattern in purple. Oil on Canvas 40 x 30 in The modest Rose puts forth a thorn, The humble sheep a threat'ning horn: While the Lily white shall in love delight, Nor a thorn nor

Artist's Statement: Purple – for some time in Ancient Rome, reserved to the Emperor. Purple – given an entirely different meaning by Jimmi Hendrix in “Purple Haze” and yet another by Prince in “Purple Rain.” In my painting, the greenery has the greater height, but the purple crocuses draw the eye. They are the focus. Oil on Canvas 36 x 24 in If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. ​ often misattributed to Buddha Jack Kornfield Budd

Artist's Statement: I am honored that my painting "Umbrellas, Walking Sticks and a Rabbit" was selected for the upcoming Oil Painters of America 2021 Salon Show - Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils OPA's 2021 Salon Show is being hosted by Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Gainesville, GA June 10-August 7, 2021. For more information go to OilPaintersofAmerica.com Oil on Canvas 16 x 16 in Art as an Oasis™ Art as an Oasis is a series of occasional postings from the art of Carrie Kl

Artist's Statement: Penzance is a port town on the southern side of the English county of Cornwall, about three miles north of the town of Mousehole. Penzance was once known for its pirates, and many parts of Cornwall have a hardscrabble kind of beauty. This painting reflects another side of Cornwall – the beauty of its flowers. Oil on Canvas 30 x 24 in We've got to learn how to not look at creed or color. Look at how beautiful a bouquet of roses looks like - different color

Artist's Statement I traveled to the south of England, visiting a few castles and manors scattered about. In one manor in Cornwall I walked into an elegantly decorated and furnished dining room. On the highly polished table stood a tall vase of orange, red and yellow tulips. I loved the light and shadow play from the window, reflected onto the table. This was a lovely quiet moment that I tried to capture in oil. Oil on Belgian Linen 23.5 x 22.5 in A tulip doesn’t strive to im

Artist's Statement: I composed this still life from items purchased in the shuk (open-aired market) in Jerusalem. The influence of Sephardic Judaism and culture is strong in these items. Many similar influences appear in Arab cultures; "Sephardic" refers to Jews who migrated to then welcoming Arab countries when the Romans finally crushed a Jewish rebellion and expelled all Jews from Judea. Oil on Canvas 24 x 19 in My novels are set in a global space and pace. However, I hav