Prepping for the First Painting of 2012 by Kathy Michels

Happy New Year! Time sure seems to fly when the holidays are here. Now it is time to get back to my art. This is the drawing for my newest big project. This wonderful storefront caught my attention in Middletown. I happened to see a man peering in several windows as he waited for the bus. I had him look at the bikes
and snapped a few pictures. The reflections of the signs across the street were great. Inside the shop you could see all the bikes, picture frames, and various
items. It has been fun and a challenge to draw with so much going on. When I paint and fade out the bikes and put in the glass and reflections you will get a better idea of what is going on. I have just a few more things to finish drawing this weekend. I can't wait to start painting.

Watercolor In Progress

This week I took advantage of the warm, sunny days to get some photos. Yesterday I started painting this 8" x 10" watercolor for practice. Normally all my paintings have people so this is
definitely out of my comfort zone. But I am having fun adding the layers to bring the wood to life. Tonight I will be detailing that wood grain and plan to finish it tomorrow.

To see more of my work please visit my website at www.artbykathymichels.com

Front Page Feature Story - Kathy Michels

Photo by Jeremy Long, Lebanon Daily News

www.ldnews.com/ci_19075547

It was a great surprise to find my story on the front page of the Lebanon Daily News.
Telling the story of someone's illness is very personal and intimate. I am so happy
with the way writer, Andrea Gillhoolley told the story. She did a wonderful job.
I am hoping it will inspire others facing lifetime illnesses, to try their hands
at some type of art or craft. It will open up a whole new world and it will give them
peace.

Facial Expression Study Watercolor by Kathy Michels

Well, we are finally bouncing back from effects of the hurricane here. Fortunately our house did not suffer but many neighbors had problems. We couldn't get out for a couple of days because of all the flooding across the roads. Today our boil order was lifted so finally there is a light at the end of this tunnel. During this down time I worked on some small paintings. I wanted to try and work on facial expressions. This picture was the one. These little girls just couldn't believe their ears! Their teacher was telling them about their next move. They were just so shocked and intrigued. It was so fun being able to capture those expressions first with the camera and then with paint!

Watercolor Hibiscus Flower

My watercolor hibiscus painting is nearly finished. Normally everything I paint has to have eyes. I love painting people so much. So I was really surprised with how much I enjoyed painting this. . . Though I am trying to bring it to life. If you look close you can see a little bud just starting to peek out in the corner. My big flower is trying to offer encouragement to the little bud! My paintings always have to tell some kind of story. It is such a blessing to be able to create and love every second of doing it!

To see more of my work please visit my site: www.artbykathymichels.com

Flamingo Watercolor by Kathy Michels

I am so glad to being back on my painting schedule. This summer has been crazy. We moved in June. I got a bad sprain in July which sent me to the emergency room and in a split for a few weeks. It is still putting up a fight. Then to make matters worse I had an anaphylactic reaction to food

two days later. After giving myself a shot it was back to the er and on iv's for four hours. Not much fun when you are trying to unpack. Needless to say it's so nice to get away from everything and back to painting. This is a flamingo that I photographed in Florida. They are so fun to watch when they play in shallow water.

Creepy Crawler Watercolor

Oh this little bug was so ugly he was cute. Since I paint photo

realism he did look like this and he did look like he was smiling - such a happy little bug.

My adorable model with my "Degas Project" painting

Sophia taking her original pose - sooo cute!

So much fun! This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Through the York Art Association, 30 artists went to the Greater York Dance studio for a photo shoot. These students were running back and forth working their little hearts out. They did numerous costume changes, stopped by the make-up station, posed, jumped and had a blast. They were the greatest bunch of children and teens. They were all so polite and just so happy to be there. Shown with my painting is my dear little model. She was a darling girl full of smiles and giggles enjoying each moment. It is so much fun to paint someone who is truly enjoying the occasion. There are moments in your life that you will never forget . . . one is when a mom cries at seeing a piece of art of their child. Just such a precious time. Even her brother thanked me several times for painting her sister saying it made his whole family so happy and they loved it. How sweet is that for that child to take the time to say that. It doesn't get any better than this. I am so blessed to have this wonderful opportunity.

Degas Project Opening Reception

The last couple of weeks have been intense as we prepare our artwork for the "Degas Project". York Art Association teamed up with Greater York Dance to provide a unique opportunity for 30 artists as well as dancers from the school. With cameras in hand we made our way around five different stations shooting photographs (such as the one I have shown here) of these young dancers. Some of the dancers giggled as they raced back and forth changing out of outfits and being made up in the halls. This was to give the artists as many opportunities as possible for various outfits, colors, movement, etc. The reception will showcase those three weeks of intensity as the artwork goes up for show and sale. The dancers will also be performing. I think we are all waiting to see all the wonderful artwork on display. We each can see the beauty in so many different ways. There is so much grace and emotion with the dancers. While one artist will show the motion through an abstract piece another might show emotions through color and still yet another aims at showing dance through realism.

On Mother's Day, May 8th from 2-4 p.m. will be the opening reception. This will be held at Greater York Dance at 3524 E. Market St., York. There is plenty of parking at the rear of the building.

Juried into Baltimore Watercolor Society's Mid-Atlantic Show

Baltimore Watercolor Society's Annual Mid-Atlantic Exhibit opens April 9th at the Strathmore Mansion. The reception and awards presentation will take place on April 17th from 2-4 p.m. If you are in the area please stop by. My painting "At Least the Monkey is Happy" was one of 95 pieces selected for the show.

The Degas Project

I am so happy to be part of York Art Association's "Degas Project". The group has teamed up with the Greater York Dance for a special opportunity. 30 artists will meet at the dance school where there will be five dance stations set up. We will be grouped and move from station to station doing a fantastic photo shoot of these dancers. We will then have 3 1/2 weeks to complete a painting from our photographs (or sketches). In May there will be an opening celebration where are work will go up for show and sell. Dancers will perform and we will have the opportunity to meet with the families of these young dancers. This is such a wonderful opportunity for the artists and dancers. I can't wait!

Newest Watercolor "Mommy and the Girls"

My newest watercolor painting of my pregnant mommy and her little daughter is complete.
They were such adorable models. Some paintings are so relaxing and such fun to do it is almost kind of sad to finish them. I am finishing up the drawing for my next painting and will be ready to start this week. I really hate having a day when I have nothing ready to paint. I love putting in about four hours each day on painting.

As a lupus patient, it is so nice to have something I am so passionate about doing. I am so limited at times at where I can go and what I can do. The day to day challenges can be overwhelming. Having the art to concentrate on makes the world a brighter place. One of my goals for 2011 is to get together lupus patients for photo shoots. It is so important with this disease to have some outlet. Once we get this underway I plan to get the group into some social networking sites to display our work. Hopefully in the coming year we will have a great local show so people can see the world through the eyes of us lupies. They might be surprised. Hopefully our networking will encourage lupies and others with illnesses to get creative and enjoy life. I will be updating here in the months ahead.

Watercolor in Progress

This year I am going to try and take more time for my blogging. I am having such a great time painting that sometimes it is hard to pull myself away to sit down and type. This painting has been such a joy to do. Since the little one was actually the daughter of my pregnant model there was just that genuine love there. It really comes across in the photographs. I couldn't help but paint these two.

Drawing for the next painting

I am working on a drawing of these two little friends. This will be a fun one to paint. These children all seem to love this dance school. They are just so attentive and happy which just added to the fun.

Watercolor Painting by Kathy Michels

Happy New Year - 2011

As we start the new year I plan to be on here doing updates much more frequently. It is so much fun to share tips, ideas and thoughts with others. This is another little ballerina I

began working on at the start of the new year. I plan to have her done at the end of the week and will post the updated photo then. I wanted to do her as she is so fair skinned it presents a bit of a challenge. Yet there seemed to be so many colors reflecting off her little face that it was just intriguing. With watercolors you have that ability to keep the paintings real yet add these beautiful mix of colors. I will

have to get a photo in better lighting so you can see the purples and greens. I am getting ready to add some pinks and bring this little thing to life.

Watercolor Portrait by Kathy Michels

Another little cutie. This photo does not do justice to the colors in her hair. Her hair glistens

with reds, blues and lavenders. Once I get the good quality photos done I will repost. I am

still working on the portraits of these little ballerinas.

Watercolor Portrait by Kathy Michels

This is another little ballerina in my series. These little ones are so fun to paint.
They are just so into their dancing and waiting for their turns that they seem to
remain focused.