Monday, November 25, 2024

*Sea Pie

'Poser' 12x12" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner
 

That place at Washington Park...

It is a curve in the road. 
Over to the side,
the stairs head downward
rocky beach to the left
flat rocks to the right.

If you are lucky,
you may spot a few 
Oystercatchers 
hanging out on those 
flat rocks.


*Sea Pie,  shortened for Sea Magpie, is the original name of Oystercatcher. 







Thursday, November 7, 2024

still life


'After Party' 24x24" graphite on paper; Kathleen Faulkner


I came upon this cloth remnant lying on the beach.

It had a history

I wondered where it had been,

what it had seen, 

it's original function.


An artifact of the 21st century




Monday, October 28, 2024

In the deep

'Twilight Zone' 28x24" colored pencil on panel


That other world
dark and dreamy, mysterious
a comfort for its inhabitants


Humans swim. We float. 


Do you ever wonder what is swimming beneath you
and looking up at you
as you float along

on top of all that mystery?









Sunday, September 22, 2024

Changing Seasons

'Skeleton Crew' 18x18" oil pastel, Kathleen Faulkner

It is the Autumnal Equinox.

There is a chill in the air, leaves are turning color
 I notice the light has changed.

I like this season best
even though it
leads to the struggle of winter. 

Most living things get ready to sleep it away
and we are left 
with only a skeleton crew 
to take care of business.





Monday, September 9, 2024

end of a dry spell

     Photo: Kathleen Faulkner     


I usually create art from my mind, sometimes photos.



While walking on the beach,
I came upon this material 
all wrapped into the rocks.

Looking at it,
I knew immediately
that I wanted to create something 
from it.

A challenge!
Will I use pencil or ink?

It's going to be Large.



Sunday, June 23, 2024

the fix


'WildWood' 28x42" oil pastel on panel; Kathleen Faulkner


I like to walk early in the morning.

It is quiet, no people.


I enter this divergent community 

that I feel more comfortable in 

than my own.


As I walk,

I breathe in the tree medicine 

while the bird songs

permeate the air.


It makes the day so much better.







Friday, June 7, 2024

soft green

'The Wilds' 12x12" oil pastel on panel;
Kathleen Faulkner

I spent a lot of time in the woods as a kid.

I always imagined the moss as a blanket 
that I could use if I were ever lost.

I still think that
when I see the large, green,
beautiful
carpet of living
earth.




 

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

musings

'Sticks' 9x12" ink, colored pencil on paper;
Kathleen Faulkner


I live close to forests.
Moving around in them 
is like eating healthy food.

I makes me feel good.


WIP 3@6x6" ink, colored pencil;
Kathleen Faulkner




Sunday, April 28, 2024

Tidelands

'This Moment Becomes a Memory'
18x18" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

 

Here comes the tide rushing in,

the second of the day.

This landscape changes 

constantly, 

clouds and water

moving.

I never tire of watching the action.

Each glimpse is

different.




Friday, March 15, 2024

breathe deep

 
**

Have you noticed the distinct 

smell of a forest?


Many of the terpenes and terpenoids 

emitted by conifers

give off a lovely scent and 

are 

good for our health.



But, aside from the scents of the forest:


A study done by Yale University had 200

people identify 80 aromas

and these are the twenty most recognizable smells.

Some smell good, some, not so much.



coffee

peanut butter

Vicks VapoRub

chocolate

wintergreen oil

baby powder

cigarette butts

mothballs

dry cat food

beer

ivory bar soap

juicy fruit gum

orange

cinnamon

lemon

tuna

banana

crayons

cheese

bleach


Source: Crayola



**'A Path of Least Resistance' 18x24" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner



Sunday, March 10, 2024

Here we are

 

                        

These different worlds:

The Salish sea, the rivers
The fields
The forests
The mountains

Each live in a unique reality
Each is a world rich and bursting with life

It's all here 
in this 
Paradise.


'High Life' 18x24" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner                     




Thursday, March 7, 2024

Field of Dreams

               'Floooded Field' 18x24" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner


This field that grows our food

is flooded after a storm

It is an annual occurrence.


I am grateful for these fields.

They keep development away

thanks, in part, 

to 

Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland. 




Tuesday, February 27, 2024

something new

Claire demonstrating a general 
underpainting technique

I took an underpainting class this weekend with 
at the 

I am self-taught in the oil painting department 
so I was looking forward to this workshop.

I was not disappointed.


some tools of the trade


Claire demonstrated two different techniques.

This second technique is handy 
for night scenes and glazing.




My two underpainting examples 
that I will finish up at home.




Thank you, Claire Johnson. 
I learned so much! 

If you want to know more, 
consider her class next time!




Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Time Travels

 
'Marine, West Coast' 24x30" oil on canvas; Kathleen Faulkner


Perry and Carlson Gallery is transitioning into Artist representation.

The grand opening of this event is April 6, 2024, 2-5pm. 

There will be a group show in one gallery 

and a solo in the main. 

I am so pleased to be the solo for this opening. 


'Time Travels'

This body of work is about my life in the Skagit. 

I have lived here now for over forty years. 

All the work that I do reflects this.




Saturday, January 27, 2024

Family reunion

Extended Family, Family Portrait, Family Tree'
oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

 I am pleased to announce that I have artwork

 in the Museum of Northwest Art'

group show,

Silva Cascadia: Under the Spell of the Forest

This exhibition runs from February 3rd - May 12, 2024

with the opening on Saturday, February 3rd at 1pm

Following is a panel discussion from 3-4 pm


'Minders' oli pastel; Kathleen Faulkner


Featured artists include:

Maria Cristalli, Linda Davidson, Kathleen Faulkner, 

Patty Haller, Laura Hamje, Hart James,

 Claire Johnson, Donna Leavitt, Karen Lene Rudd, 

Juliet Shen, Kimberly Trowbridge, and 

Suze Woolf.


I can hardly wait to see all the great forest artwork 

in this show!


also,

I will facilitate a free collaborative drawing event on March 9, 1:30 pm

and

MoNA exhibitions are always free!



'I am Madrona' oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner





Monday, January 22, 2024

sticks, stones and other things

 

various objects found on walks


I am working on a series of brooches.
Some of these things will become icebergs.

They will join these:


'Berg',"4.25x1.5" sterling and reticulated silver,
plastic, acrylic; Kathleen Faulkner




'Growler' 1.75x2"sterling silver, plastic, acrylic;
Kathleen Faulkner



The sticks will join these:



'Stickpin, Again'  4.75" sterling silver, wood;  
Kathleen Faulkner




'Stickpin' 4" sterling silver, wood;
Kathleen Faulkner





Assorted stickpins, wood, sterling silver, 
madrone berry;
Kathleen Faulkner, photo by David Scherrer




Stickpin, too' 4x1" sterling silver, gouache, 
paper, mica; Kathleen Faulkner




'Stickpin' 3.5x1" sterling silver, 
gouache, paper, mica;
Kathleen Faulkner



Who knows what the other objects will be.




Sunday, January 14, 2024

How to build a Madrona Forest


I bought this roll of Strathmore paper years ago.

I decided to start a drawing and see where it would lead.


I began this in August. 
I work on it a little most days
and a lot now and then.

I'm working on a 10 yard roll, 42" tall.




This drawing is from my imagination. 
I draw as I go.




I was drawing on my bed. 
I had a piece of plywood under it. 
It was still an issue.




I mentioned this drawing to a friend who 
had a brilliant idea: work on the kitchen table 
with an oversized piece of plywood underneath.
.
I don't think of these things since I would have no way 
to get a large piece of wood home.

My friend brought one over.

It's hard to ask for help.

Friends are a godsend.





Kitchen table work space. 
A beautiful painting by Laura Hamje 
is keeping me company.




I worked on this section during the Holidays.
At some point, I will go back over 
the work done and refine it.




A new year and a new workspace.
I'm currently at around 7'

Moving along..