Tag Archives: Art

September 9, 2025 · 2:40 pm

Show at The Overlook

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of dropping off two of my paintings for a three month show at The Overlook. It was the first time I submitted for this particular show. I was very excited to learn I was accepted. The theme for the show is CONTRASTS which lends itself to a variety of definitions. The curator of the show defined it as:

Contrasting colors, textures, ideas and probabilities –
interpretations of opposites and ironies, Yin and Yang.

The first piece is one I painted earlier in 2025 and takes the literal approach to contrasting colors. When I finished this painting I wasn’t sure where it should “live”. I slid it into my portfolio and waited for the right opportunity. When the CONTRASTS open call went out I knew this was the piece to submit.

Game of Graces © Kathie Scrimgeour 11x14 monotype print on Bristol paper
Game of Graces
© Kathie Scrimgeour
11×14 monotype print on Bristol paper

The call allowed for a total of three pieces of artwork so I needed two more. I had been brainstorming a painting for months that would combine a photograph into the piece.

To Dream © Kathie Scrimgeour 20x24 Gel Monotype Print with image transfer on Bristol paper
To Dream
© Kathie Scrimgeour
20×24 Gel Monotype Print with image transfer on Bristol paper

To Dream actually came to me one evening while I was falling asleep. I found the idea to be a perfect juxtaposition of the waking vs the dreaming worlds. Plus it fit the requirements of the open call perfectly. In my efforts to produce this painting, I made the mistake of trying out a new process. This process should have been done with something smaller. When mounting the finished piece to the cradle board, the paper buckled. The painting was ruined. I did learn an important lesson, it was possible to replicate this piece. In the end, I did not attempt to mount this one. It was framed.

The last piece I submitted was, sadly, not accepted. After seeing all of the other artists’ work I understand why. Most, if not all, were abstract pieces and, as you can see, this is not.

Quiet Bloom ©Kathie Scrimgeour 11x14 gel monotype print with image transfer on Bristol paper
Quiet Bloom
©Kathie Scrimgeour
11×14 gel monotype print with image transfer on Bristol paper

I will freely admit, I LOVE THIS ONE!
The image is from a photograph that was inspired from an Unsplash photographer. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find their name to be able to apply the appropriate acknowledgment.

In the end, I was pleased when I heard two of the three were accepted. Thank you to the organizers for this honor.

If you are in the area please stop in for the show which runs until the first of the year.
The Overlook Restaurant
10555 N La Canada Dr
Oro Valley, AZ 85737

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April 15, 2024 · 3:13 pm

Artistically Yours….

As you know I have been participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge, and I have decided to be done for now. I found that the amount of time spent writing each blog did not leave any time for me to do all of the things I really want to do. It is a delicate balance that I keep with the amount of time in a day (still only 24 hours) and the amount of time I want to spend doing certain tasks (writing for the Master Gardeners, working in my garden, browsing art stores, painting, hiking, biking, and Pilates). The blogging challenge has taken too much time that I don’t have to spare.

With that said, I say thank you to those who visited over the past two weeks, and I ask you to return often. In closing, I want to share a few pieces of artwork I have completed recently. Let me know what you think of them. If you know of a gallery where these might find a home please post it in the comments.

Have a fabulous April!!

Kind regards to the entire blogging community especially those participating in the 2024 A to Z Blogging Challenge.

#AtoZChallenge 2024
Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge
#AtoZChallenge
a-to-zchallenge.com

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Wordless Wednesday

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September 21, 2023 · 7:00 am
April 27, 2023 · 7:00 am

Watercolor – How hard can it be?

About a year ago, my creative interests turned to the visual arts. In my never ending pile of stuff-that-should-be-donated, I came across some of my old sketch books. To share them here would be embarrassing, but just know that my artistic expression has faced challenges along the way.

One medium I never touched on much was watercolor. I watched high speed videos on Instagram and the way the color flowed across the paper had me mesmerized.

How hard can it be?

I soon found that watercolor painting can be both easy and challenging. While watercolor is often regarded as a more difficult medium due to its transparency and fluidity, I also found it to be easier to work with in some ways, such as its portability and ease of cleanup. I can paint anywhere as long as I have a little bit of water.

As a beginner I found watercolor to be a great medium to start with because it is relatively inexpensive and requires fewer materials than other mediums. However, it can also be a bit unforgiving, as mistakes can be difficult to correct once the paint has dried. BUT, a little mistake is just an opportunity to turn a smudge into a flower.

One of the challenges that I have with watercolor is its transparency, which makes it more difficult to achieve vibrant, opaque colors. It also requires a different approach to brushwork and layering compared to other mediums, such as acrylic or oil painting. My background is in oil painting so I have had to visualize paintings very differently.

That being said, I keep the mantra that, with practice and patience, anyone can learn to work with watercolor and achieve stunning results, so I keep plugging along. There are many resources available, such as online tutorials, workshops, and classes, that can help you improve your skills and develop your own unique style. I found YouTube to be filled with how-to videos, but the best place is SkillShare. This is a subscription based app, but the instruction is very detailed.

Ultimately, the level of difficulty in watercolor painting will depend on your individual experience, skill level, and artistic goals. As I have progressed through my sketchbook I can see the improvements from start through today. There is a long way to go, but like any new skill, practice and patience are the keys to success.

Today’s post is brought to you by the letter W and:

#AtoZChallenge 2023 letter W

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April 12, 2023 · 12:25 pm

Art Journaling

Journaling is something I have tried to do, but whenever I got started it seemed to slip away. I’d find the book months later with two or three entries and a hundred blank pages. It seemed daunting to have to think of something to write about every day (and here I am doing a daily blogging challenge LOL).

Recently I discovered Art Journaling. It was a game changer.

Art journaling is a visual diary that lends itself to a vast array of creative possibilities. It is a very relaxing way to shed some of life’s ups and downs. It is a way to express the day with a variety of art choices. What I really like about it is that this is a place to scribble, scratch, or freely draw, paint, or paste anything and everything. There are art journals I have seen that are a combination of drawing and writing. The possibilities are vast.

My first Art Journal. I glued mages on that I found online to the cover.

My first journal was small (5×5 inches) and filled mostly with sketching and watercolor. I like the smaller journal because I don’t put self inflicted pressure on myself to draw big. I am able to do smaller works that are finished in a day. Having the internet at my finger tips also opened a whole world of art tutorials. You-tube has an extensive library of art lessons that even the most beginner art journalist can follow. If you do a search on Art Journaling on You-Tube you will have a long list to choose from.

Happy Mistakes everywhere! This is the first journal page I did. All of the sketches are done by following a step-by-step tutorial.

The biggest lesson for me to learn is to allow for all those “happy mistakes”. Everything in life is a learning process and art is no exception. Those happy mistakes are perfect in an art journal because this is a place you can be free of judgement. The only person you will share your journal with is yourself.

If you decide to start your own journal remember to have fun. This is play time not real life. Allow yourself to let go. Breathe. When you are done with your first sketch it is OK to laugh at yourself and be proud of the fact that you just finished your first masterpiece.

Today’s post is brought to you by A to Z Challenge and the letter J.

#AtoZChallenge 2023 letter J

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