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.

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.

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.

 

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

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

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's 

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

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..

coming up

'Suite of Trees I-VI, 6x6" each, colored pencil on panel,

$250 ea;

Kathleen Faulkner

These small drawings will be available

along with some jewelry 

at the Museum of Northwest Art store 

through the 2023 Holiday season.

The Arts Alive opening is happening this year on 

November 10th from 1 - 8pm 

and running through November 13th

I will have this piece in the Open Show

'Low Tide, Padilla Bay' 10x10" ink and oil on panel, 

$500; Kathleen Faulkner

Also,

some jewelry will be available at

the Beautiful

Scott Milo Gallery

in my hometown of Anacortes, WA!

'Windletter' earrings 2.5" sterling silver,

$200; Kathleen Faulkner

2024 will start off well!

I am included in a group show 

during the month of January

at the 

Wonderful Perry + Carlson Gallery in 

downtown Mt Vernon, WA

'Drift', ink, oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

Last but not least:

I am so pleased to announce my inclusion in

'Silva Cascadia: Under the Spell of the Forest',

a group show at my favorite museum, 

the Museum of Northwest Art

in LaConner, WA

This exhibition will run from 

February 3 through May 12, 2023

oblique intent

 

work in progress, 3.5x4+' and going, colored pencil;

Kathleen Faulkner

Many strange things happened during the pandemic.

I kept myself busy

drawing my friends wearing masks.

Something just for me.

Flash forward to the present.

Instead of an appropriate project, 

I'm drawing this huge thing 

that I won't be able to frame 

and no one will see

except 

YOU.

Another something just for me.

cure-all

'Wonder Drug" 24x30" oil pastel on panel; Kathleen Faulkner

I grew up in the city

but we spent a lot of time

in the wilderness.

I could wander off.

I always felt safe

and I always felt better afterwards.

These days, 

it's better to wander off

with a buddy.

 

It's a good spot

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

 

A friend said that there is not much 'wilderness' left. 

He felt that humans' management of forest lands

deems them no longer virgin and not truly wild.

I agree.

I walk in Washington Park

This area is regularly maintained

yet

highly beneficial to my good health.

I am grateful.

We are in it.

 

'New Growth' 24x24" oil pastel on panel;

Kathleen Faulkner

I feel the change from Spring to Summer.

The natural world in its own time.

I watch the wildflowers popping up in the Spring

Then the wild roses celebrate Summer

and the air is filled with their scent.

People are happier 

It's a great time to be alive!

a bedtime story

 

'Wild Life' 24x39" oil pastel on panel; 

Kathleen Faulkner

Out in the dark: 

it is late at night 

I can hear the owls in the trees behind me

I could lose my way 

this night life is so 

Wild!

greenness

 

                     '101' 24x24" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner         

I spent some time on the Oregon coast recently. 

It rained the whole time.

I remember the dark, rainy days when I lived there. 

So much rain that moss would grow 

on the sidewalks,

becoming a soft blanket of green.

I would imagine myself wrapped in it.

ghosts

 

'Ghost Pipes' 12x12" oil pastel on panel; Kathleen Faulkner

My father spotted them for me.

He said they were rare. 

As a child,

that experience left a deep imprint.

I thought I would never see them again

but, every now and then,

I spot the Ghost Pipes. 

getaway

 'Swift Creek' 20x20" oil on panel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Growing up in Seattle I would often think about how long it would take me to get out of the city in case of an emergency.  I would even factor in rush hour.

That amount of time will get me into deep woods here.

current events

 'Tangle' 20x20" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

'Oh what a tangled web we weave

When first we practice to deceive'

Sir Walter Scott

life cycle

'Minders' 24x30" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

 

The nurse logs

feed new growth

and life goes on.

If trees could talk

'Family Tree" (I & II) 24x24 / 24x20" oil pastel;  

Kathleen Faulkner

 

I don't have to go far

to see the natural history

around here.

The Innocents

'My Kingdom for a Home' 29x24" graphite on paper;  

Kathleen Faulkner

It's been a time

of political turmoil 

and a pandemic that is ongoing

add a mix of

fear, unrest, and uncertainty.. 

I'm concentrating on my

non human friends.