by Kristen O'Neill | Sep 19, 2023 | Uncategorized
Negative space, also known as the space around and between the objects, can be just as important as the objects themselves. As a painter, understanding the power of negative space can help you create more impactful and balanced paintings. Here are a few ways for...
by Kristen O'Neill | Aug 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
Developing your own painting style can be a rewarding journey. It can also be hard to know where to start. After years of teaching, I can tell you, that everyone has a unique style that underlies all they do. What we need to do together is to nurture that style, bring...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jul 18, 2023 | Uncategorized
As a painter, you want to create a painting that is visually interesting and draws the viewer’s eye. One way to achieve this is by creating a focal point in your artwork. A focal point is the main area of interest in a painting. In this lesson, we will explore...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jun 7, 2023 | Uncategorized
Painting is a powerful way to bring ideas to life. The ability to edit (or exclude!) elements within a painting is crucial to creating a good painting. These techniques not only enhance the overall composition but also enable artists to refine their message and draw...
by Kristen O'Neill | Apr 11, 2023 | Uncategorized
Earth and mineral pigments are natural pigments that are derived from the earth and are prized for their rich, earthy tones. They’ve been used by artists for at least 40,000 years. In this lesson, we’ll explore the world of earth pigments, how...
by Kristen O'Neill | Sep 27, 2022 | Uncategorized
Creating a value scale is an essential and simple task for a painter. The basic idea is that we need to see the range of values that one or two pigments can create. Values are an important part of painting, creating contrast, mood, form, and help guide the eye. It is...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jun 21, 2022 | Uncategorized
When I think of going to the ocean, I immediately think of standing on the rocky cliffs. While I grew up around the famous beaches of Santa Cruz, I really always connected to the cliffs. I loved the view, the lack of messy sand in my shoes, the tide pools, and the...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jun 16, 2022 | Uncategorized
Color of Sand While sand comes in a variety of colors from the black sand beach of Hawaii to the white sands of the Caribbean, most of the beaches I have spent time on are a, well, “sandy” color of beige. I have found that the best way to arrive at a paint...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jul 29, 2021 | Uncategorized
Understanding the roles and differences between artist, curator, and jurys. I was in high school when I first saw a Sol LeWitt exhibition. His enormous, colorful installation work overwhelmed me. At first, I thought, “Oh, okay. These are kinda cool.”...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jul 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
One of my favorite places is to be amongst old growth Redwood trees. They are ancient, gigantic and beautiful. The energy around them to me feels slow, deep, and completely peaceful. These ancient trees were saplings back in the days of a powerful Roman empire. They...
by Kristen O'Neill | May 12, 2021 | Uncategorized
The Slater fire poured smoke over my house from 40 miles away. Closer to the front line my ex-husband evacuated my daughters’ from their home. The fire was the result of everything going wrong at the same time, and strong winds from an unusal direction drove...
by Kristen O'Neill | Mar 21, 2021 | Uncategorized
All the sudden I see lines. Inspiration keeps whispering to me about vertical lines. I think it is after a trip to see another forest fire location. These tall, straight trees that you find in Oregon. They stick up and you have to raise your eyes to the sky to see if...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jan 25, 2021 | Uncategorized
I have been toying with the idea of “common ground.” For about a year, I have been pondering what to do with this idea. Common ground in what issue? How would I seek it out, recognize it when I see it, and create something visual from it? After the attack...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jan 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
I remember the first time someone shared a timelapse video of a painting in progress with me. I always feel like they cut off leaving me to want to see more. Of course, it is like the comedians say – leave them while they’re laughing. But, I decided to...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jan 6, 2021 | Uncategorized
My latest struggle is that it is the New Year and I am a goal-setting kinda gal. Which you may think goes hand in hand. Normally it does. (I may have a collection of spreadsheets with goals from past years. Yes, you can be an artist and love spreadsheets. Totally a...
by Kristen O'Neill | Dec 30, 2020 | Uncategorized
After months of pushing against my mental block, I feel like it is finally crumbling away. I have a loose idea of what I want my next series to be about now. However, loose is not well defined. I need to do more research. Inspired by the Timber Wars podcast on Oregon...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jan 9, 2020 | Uncategorized
And yes, there is a story to art. AND people want to hear it. There is an old tale of a poor boy that walks 12 miles to give his friend a gift. It is a small gift, and when he gives it to his friend, his friend is astonished. Why walk so far to give something so...
by Kristen O'Neill | Sep 21, 2019 | Uncategorized
From about 2002 to 2016 I didn’t sign the front of my paintings. Why? Because I felt like signing was interfering with the pictorial plane. Ever see wonderful artwork but you find yourself distracted by some gigantic signature? I saw that more than once. When I...
by Kristen O'Neill | Apr 8, 2019 | Uncategorized
The magic of seeing art in person You probably shouldn’t touch the Van Gogh. That being said, I recently was in a conversation with a two different women who have touched a Van Gogh. One woman had the experience when she was a little girl, and everyone was...
by Kristen O'Neill | Mar 26, 2019 | Uncategorized
by Kristen O'Neill | Jan 11, 2019 | Uncategorized
Children speak a truth that strikes at the core, don’t they? My daughter, age 4, asks me the other day, “Mama, is painting real?” I paused. I had a flood of answers flow into me so fast my words didn’t form. Things like, “Trompe...
by Kristen O'Neill | Apr 30, 2018 | Uncategorized
I enjoy the up close and semi-abstract qualities that nature gives us. To me these feel like little portraits of the many faces of nature. I love these moments where the realistic becomes the abstract. Here, the water slides across the the sand as the waves...
by Kristen O'Neill | Jan 23, 2017 | Uncategorized
To Anyone Who Thinks We Should Cut the National Endowment for the Arts: Civilization and culture are what happen after someones basic needs are met. They can go forth and be the best that humanity can be, rising above “where is my next meal coming from?” When you look...
by Kristen O'Neill | Apr 27, 2016 | Uncategorized
If you read my prior blog post you know that our family recently decided to do something about all this plastic in our lives. Today I went to the grocery store. Whoa. With my eyes wide open on plastic use, boy did I notice a lot of it! Today I wanted to make some...
by Kristen O'Neill | Apr 22, 2016 | Uncategorized
Why does my salad look like a bunch of plastic bags? This was the thought that rolled into my mind as I made my lunch. I’ve become more aware lately of how much plastic is creeping into our lives. I am great with plastic when it is truly needed for the job, like...
by Kristen O'Neill | Mar 25, 2016 | Uncategorized
Gardening: Spring is Sprouting My onions are sprouting and I have begun transplanting them into the new garden. I love onions and put them in just about everything I cook. Unfortunately I can’t remember which flat is the red onions and which one is the white....
by Kristen O'Neill | Dec 13, 2015 | Uncategorized
What a surprise! We awoke to find the world wrapped up in a beautiful snow blanket. My youngest had her very first snow day! Nature is always full of beautiful surprises. And do you see the checks on this kid? I know I’m biased, but what a cutie! I love going...
by Kristen O'Neill | Nov 20, 2015 | Uncategorized
Exploring Artworks: My favorite painting in college Lyonel Feininger “Longeuil, Normandie” oil on canvas, painted October 1909 31.75” x 39.75” One day in painting class my professor gave us a task to do. Go into the museum and find our favorite painting and our least...
by Kristen O'Neill | Nov 14, 2015 | Uncategorized
We are starting our garden soon. We’ve been poring over seed catalogs. Dreaming of a better tomorrow is always so much fun. It appears that we have good dirt in the back yard and I’ll be posting more as this develops. Now, what does this have to do with...
by Kristen O'Neill | Sep 26, 2015 | Uncategorized
Hi there! Here are the currently scheduled upcoming events for me this season. Art Along the Rogue October 3 & 4, 2015 Free to attend Art Along the Rogue Come downtown Grants Pass and see me and 36 other artists do chalk street paintings on the ground as you...
by Kristen O'Neill | Aug 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
Umpqua Plein Aire September 16-19, 2015 Umpqua Valley Arts Association Artoberfest October 16-18, 2015 Southern Oregon Guild of Artist and Artisans
by Kristen O'Neill | Jul 30, 2015 | Uncategorized
In the days before I knew I was a landscape painter I encountered Neil Welliver’s work. It is difficult to say to what exact degree his work influenced me, but my interaction with his large landscapes of Maine was the first time that I really thought about landscapes...
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