Karen Waltermire

New work in my store – “Stretched to the Limit”

I recently completed this little painting – 11″x14″ oil on canvas.

I was feeling pushed and pulled in too many directions for a while and needed to paint how I was feeling.  The colors are bright and cheerful, her heart is bright red, and she is sort of smiling so you know the stress she is feeling is not too heavy duty.

She is available in my store to purchase.  FREE shipping to the US only.  I don’t ship outside of the US.

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Foundry Gallery – Artist Choice 2024 Juried Show

I am thrilled to accounce that I will have two paintings in the Foundry Gallery Artist Choise 2024 exhibit (August 2 through September 1).  The reception will be on Sunday, August 3, at 4pm.

Foundry Gallery
2118 8th Street, NW
Washington, DC

Gallery hours: Friday-Sunday from 12-6

 

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Prints, Cards and Art Merchandise

  I now have prints, cards, and art merchandise available here with my work on it.  This is a great option if an original painting is not in the budget or if you want to buy a few different pieces in different sizes to mix and match.

If your budget does allow for the purchase of an original painting, please check here to see what I have in my online store.

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Handcrafted Oil Painting: “Ready”

I painted this about seven years ago and I remember so clearly that my goal was to show the woman sitting in a way that shows she will bolt up and run off at any moment.  She is ready for the next step in her life.  This is one of my earlier attempts at using the background to hold the figure in place and made the background into a painting on its own. I remain as fascinated by the background as I am of the figure.

“Ready” is for sale in my online store.  Explore my curated collection of drawings and paintings and find the perfect piece for your home.

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New oil painting -“Spreading Love”

A new abstract expressionism painting created from my imagination will be on display in the Van Landingham gallery in May.  “Spreading Love” is a handcrafted oil painting on canvas (20″ x 30″) of an imaginary face that is part of a flower bouquet.  The wind is blowing and the petals of the leaves are flying around spreading love to everyone.

Come by the gallery next month and view this artwork.  It might be just what you need in your home or office!

Van Landingham Gallery
inside The Torpedo Factory
105 Union Street
Alexandria, VA  22314

Open daily from 10am to 6pm

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New Abstract Expressionism Painting

This handcrafted oil painting on canvas is one of seven paintings on display through April 30 in the Van Landingham Gallery.  The title is “Washington Monument”, the size is 6″ x 8″, and the price is $250.00.  I worked from stock photography (photos that are royalty free) to get cherry blossoms and changed colors and moved stuff around.  When I started painting this series, I decided to break the composition into pieces and for this size it worked well.  I painted it in pieces of color and put warm and cool temperatures next to each other for depth and contrast.

Explore all seven paintings that are on display this month and find the perfect artwork to enrich your home.

Van Landingham Gallery
located inside The Torpedo Factory
105 Union Street – 3rd floor
Alexandria, VA

The gallery is open daily from 10am to 6pm.

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Always Believe in Yourself

I love creating faces and compositions in a style I loosely call abstract cubism – not fully abstract and not fully cubist but a combination of the two.  When I create faces, I am creating my own little world of people and I love getting lost in it.  How do I want to align all parts of the face?  Do I want to leave off any parts of the face?  I recently started paintings florals and landscapes again after many years of not doing it.  The challenge – and it is fun – is to paint a landscape or floral in my style while maintaining an interesting composition for the viewer.

I don’t have, and will never have, a BFA and an MFA in painting but have been studying for over 20 years.  I won’t be a full time painter until I retire because I work full time to support myself.  I love painting at home because I am surrounded by my work all the time and I like have my paintings close by when I am trying to figure out a problem with composition or color.  I don’t think my constraints make me less of an artist – they make me more devoted to painting my vision.  I have always been fascinated by business.  Running my art business and learning all that I need to in order to be successful is very satisfying.  It is exciting to be a one woman operation and I refuse to give it up.

So, I always remind myself to keep creating, keep growing, keep studying other artists, and keep learning from them.  Most of all, I remind myself to never lose hope in me and what I can do.

 

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DC scenes for April 2024 show in Van Landingham Gallery

In April (the first through the 30th), I will have seven small paintings (6″ x 8″) in a show at the Van Landingham Gallery called “Cherry Blossom Dreams.”  The gallery is loctated inside the Torpedo Factory on the 3rd floor.


Address:  105 Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Open daily from 10am to 6pm

 

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New work – ink drawings

I really get lost when I am creating faces…I try to let my mind empty and see where my pen goes as it glides over the paper.  When I am creating, I think of the phrase “the eyes are the windows to the soul.”  The eyes are a good indicator of how we are feeling and what we might be thinking, so I start there.  I love exaggerating facial features, adding what doesn’t belong and even leaving out a feature or two.  For these drawings, I used gel pens that I bought at the Dollar Store and CVS.  They are on the same level as Micron or Tombow but are fun to draw with and it is nice to use regular pens to draw with.  I like the colors and the gel moves on the paper easily.  One day I will buy some metallic pens to mix with these.   Each drawing is playful and happy.  My work, whether it be a painting or a drawing, is an exploration, a way to figure out how to improve or change.  Sometimes, like today, I am exploring and experimenting to see what happens.  Enjoy the ride!

 

 

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