Showing category "The Art of Painting" (Show all posts)

Paintings from the show...In the Eye of the Beholder

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, In : The Art of Painting

In the Eye of the Beholder, 2012

Oil and gold leaf on panel

14” x 18”

I did this piece when I first found out I had the degenerative eye disease called keratoconus.

I was full of fear.

Losing my eyesight had always been one of my great terrors, and now it looked like having serious vision challenges was going to be a part of my life forever.

This painting began a series of works that turned into my first solo show, Beauty in the Eye, which was all about vision loss and eye diseases.

My family...

Paintings from the show....What He Threw Away

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, In : The Art of Painting

That's me as a first time bride in 1995.

And that's me, divorced, in 1997 and standing next to the only time I ever showed this painting of my first ex-husband, Doug, until showing it in my solo show, Couch to Canvas.

I called it What He Threw Away.

It was an assignment in class in the style of another artist (Klimt).

I remember when I did this painting I was only a month or so out from my separation from Doug and in the middle of big pain and complete confusion. I now see how this work, even the...

Paintings from the show....Kitty Hawk

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, In : The Art of Painting

Kitty Hawk (assemblage version), 2018

Watercolor and paper

24” x 30”

This is a portrait of Nora. Nora is a spitfire of a girl whose personality reached out to me so strongly, that I could feel it over the internet. She stands boldly in her body and I felt it was appropriate to juxtapose her in front of the hill at Kitty Hawk, which holds deep personal meaning for me as a place of bravery and discovery.

It is also an homage to all the brave girls and women who must learn to fly in the conte...

Paintings from the show....Finding Out I'm the Sister-of-Jared (or Tight Like a Dish)

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, In : The Art of Painting

Finding Out I’m the Sister-of-Jared (or Tight Like a Dish), 2019

Oil on panel

18” x 36”

Here what it's about.

One day I was lamenting to my therapist about how I didn’t think I could take anymore, go any further; how I was feeling abandoned and broken beyond fixing.

Right in the middle of processing these feelings I had a very forceful memory come to mind of a talk I had listened to months earlier. The talk was When My Prayers Feel Unanswered, which people commonly refer to as the “fo...

Paintings from the show....The Fire Inside Her Burned Brighter

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, In : The Art of Painting

The Fire Inside Her Burned Brighter, 1998

Oil on panel

12” x 20”

This is the oldest piece I had hanging in my solo show Couch to Canvas.

In 1997 I had returned to SUU after separating from my first husband to finish my degree in Illustration. Waiting for me there was a new art teacher, Brian Hoover, who was a visual storyteller, and the medium of oil paint which I had not previously explored much. I had originally come to school with the intent of being a teacher, children's book illustrat...

Paintings from the show...The Process of Laying It Down and Picking It Back Up

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, In : The Art of Painting

The Process of Laying It Down and Picking It Back Up (assemblage version), 2019

Oil on panel

24” x 30”

This piece started out as a series of small watercolor studies that I did to try and reclaim and heal something.

I knew I was going to do the piece, but I wasn't sure if I would show it to anybody.

One of the scariest (and coolest) things about art is that you can't control what happens in the mind of the viewer after you put it out there. I had a very personal and specific meaning for this...

Post Couch to Canvas Show Musings

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, In : The Art of Painting

The show is not what I originally had planned. I signed up to do it early last fall when I was feeling really good about my life, like I had the energy to execute my vision. I had solid recent works I was proud of and ideas for five new pieces in my head.

Then things got super messy again and I was in survival mode from the end of 2018 through the summer of 2019.

You know what happens when you're in survival mode? Not much. So there I was, two months out and only two of the new works done beyon...

Upcoming solo show, Couch to Canvas

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Sunday, July 7, 2019, In : The Art of Painting

I'm pleased to announce Couch to Canvas,

A solo retrospective focusing on how the artist uses art as a tool for healing.

(Or, in other words, a vulnerable spill of horcruxes ranging from 1997 to the present showing how I use therapy as art and art as therapy, heavy on self portraits that at this point I'm wondering why in the world I decided to publicly share.)

Showing at The DiFiore Center

August 17- September 28th

Opening reception August 17th

6:30-8:30 pm

If you'd like a mailed invite or to be ...

The Thing That Is Left Is Love

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Sunday, January 5, 2014, In : The Art of Painting

As an artist I have a tendency to feel like a failure for so many reasons; I don't use my talent enough, I don't make enough money selling art, I have too many other things I need to do, like to do, I don't draw every day, I don't work enough from live models, I'm not in a bunch of fancy galleries....When I allow those things to fill my mind making art becomes depressing instead of a joy. Then there will come opportunities that remind me what is really important about me making art. Today w...
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Arts To Zion Studio Tour

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Wednesday, January 1, 2014, In : The Art of Painting

Well, it's 2014 and time for the annual Arts To Zion Studio Tour. Each year I am privileged to be included in a group of amazing artists who open their private home studio's to the public. Each year I am wishing I was not on the tour so I could be the one who could go snoop around in these artists' creative spaces. I am endlessly fascinated by what items people surround themselves with, what books are on their shelves, what materials they use, how they set up their space, and how their art fi...
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Roll-A-Witch! Easy Halloween Drawing Activity

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Friday, October 25, 2013, In : The Art of Painting

Here at The Drawing Room Studio when the kids get done with their assignment for the day they are allowed to do a free draw project. This is usually quite popular, but there are times (and those times usually revolve around high candy usage by the kids) that the students become distracted, loud, and lose focus. When I know times like these are approaching I try to have a variety of guided drawing activities available for the kids to chose from. This seems to refocus them and some of the kids ...
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The Pin Project!

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Monday, September 30, 2013, In : The Art of Painting

The latest community project I'm involved in is called The Pin Project.The Pin Project is a wonderful creative project that will raise awareness and funds for the Big Brother Big Sister organization in Southern Utah. Seven local artists are working with adult mentors and their youth (a “big” and a “little”) from the program, to create collaborative

bowling pin art piece. Local artists working on the collaborative pins include: Kirsten Beitler, Jeff Ham, Joyce Whalen, Carol Bold, Eva Pe...

In Memoriam, Brutus, Celestial Chicken

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Saturday, August 24, 2013, In : The Art of Painting

Here’s the newest member of the Celestial Chickens Series and the first rooster to be so honored, Brutus. This painting is in memoriam, as Brutus, a six month old Mille Fleur Serama cockerel that belonged to KATHY SHEA MORMINO, THE CHICKEN CHICK® passed away suddenly this week. You can read more about Brutus here.

I love painting chickens. I love their feathers, their colors, their personalities. Where does the “Celestial” come from? I’m not sure exactly, but it started out as a jo...

Recycling Our Happy Accidents

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Thursday, August 22, 2013, In : The Art of Painting

Here is one of the most important items in my art classroom.

Yes, that's a trash can. Let me tell you something parents. You have to be able to let your kid make mistakes. You have to be able to allow your children the freedom of non-performance sometimes. When parents sign their kids up for art classes at The Drawing Room Studio, I try to explain to them that their child may not bring something home after every class. If a student does something they don't like, they can throw it away. If a s...

Healing Through Art

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Wednesday, March 20, 2013, In : The Art of Painting

We all handle grief in different ways. Most of us get to the point, after wading through our shock, anger, disbelief, sadness, where we feel the need to DO something to put away our feelings. They never really go away, but we end up doing something that has meaning to us to help us kind of wrap the experience up and put it on a shelf so we can stand to live with it. Some people plant a tree or maybe go on a trip, listen to a special song, make a photo album, write. I've found that art has bee...
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Celestial Chicken Prints Available

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Saturday, March 2, 2013, In : The Art of Painting

Most of my artwork is kind of personal, including lots of portraits and self-portraits so I've never thought much about doing prints. I can't imagine someone wanting a living room full of me's, or if there is such a person it's probably better that I NOT enable them.

I have, however, received many requests for prints from the Celestial Chickens series. So if anyone is wanting a print, I've set it up with Fine Art America. You can go to their site, choose your image, choose your size and canv...
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Arts To Zion Studio Tour 2013

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Monday, January 14, 2013, In : The Art of Painting

I'm excited to be a home studio artist in the Arts To Zion Studio Tour for 2013! In preparation I've scrubbed my front porch, which was looking pretty white trash, cleaned the chicken coop, and completed four new Celestial Chickens and four new paintings for the Mask series.

The "Arts to Zion" Artists Studio Tour/ Washington County, Utah is a self-guided art adventure though our beautiful, mountainous, breathtaking countryside. This annual event, will be held over the Martin Luther King we...
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Mother and Child

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Monday, December 10, 2012, In : The Art of Painting

With my love for Pre-Renaissance religious art feed by my recent trip to the LACMA and The Getty which both featured 100's of delicious icons, altar pieces, and illuminated manuscripts, you know that the inevitable result would be similar pieces. Of course, most of my pieces feature chickens. I'm not trying to be sacrilegious or anything. I just really like painting chickens.

Here's my nod to the venerable subject matter of the Madonna and Child with a chicken lovers twist, "Mother and Child...

Christmas Chickens

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Monday, December 3, 2012, In : The Art of Painting

Here's a little painting from the Celestial Chickens series to help get you in the Christmas mood!

"Three Candy Canes" by Kirsten Beitler watercolor and gold leaf 12"X12"

Newest Chicken Painting

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Tuesday, October 16, 2012, In : The Art of Painting

Here's my latest Celestial Chicken. She's number six in the series. Isn't she a beauty?

This is watercolor and silver leaf. 12 X 12"

Painting My Chicken

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Wednesday, July 18, 2012, In : The Art of Painting

I thought ya'll might like to see a bit of the "process" that goes in to my painting. Those are snarky air quotes because it's honestly nothing spectacular. I don't have a lot of great theory to back up my work, nor do I take it too seriously,maybe I'd be a better artist if I did. Who knows.

One of my hens died so I thought I'd add her to my Celestial Chickens series. The Celestial Chickens are just fun to paint. It's not a portrait of a person, so the stress of a true likeness is gone and chi...

Valentine's Day Then And Now

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Friday, February 10, 2012, In : The Art of Painting

It's that time of year again. Valentine's Day. First of all, I have a problem with all the candy now associated with every holiday. When I was a kid, candy was a big deal. If you got candy in your valentine, the kid that gave it to you was probably rich. If my family was feeling splurgy we'd get a bag of candy hearts to add to our valentine cards. I would painstakingly go through each heart, making sure that the right message went to the right person. Couldn't have that kid with the sweaty ha...

"CHAIR"ity Event

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Sunday, January 29, 2012, In : The Art of Painting

If you're a "creative" of any sort, you know. People are always asking you to do things for them. Create something, sing something, sew something, paint something--for free.

Maybe people think that creating is such a bliss that I'd better be glad to do it any time for any one for any amount? How many surgeons get asked on a regular basis to perform a boob job, "just to be nice and help a girl out"? Probably not very many. Now I'm a pretty nice person, and I'm always glad to help frie...
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The Studio Tour

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, In : The Art of Painting

So it took me about 2 weeks to spiff up the studio for this tour. I tend to be a bit of a hoarder and messy when in the midst of a project. I went through stacks of papers, stowed things in closets and placed my junk on shelves in artistic arrangements. I vacuumed eraser dust, charcoal, gold leaf flakes and spider webs out from behind the desk, scrubbed the floor and the baseboards.The bathroom in the studio is the only place in our house ...
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Arts To Zion Artist Studio Tour in St. George, Utah

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Sunday, January 8, 2012, In : The Art of Painting

My studio has been chosen to be part of the Arts To Zion Studio Tour! This is something new and exciting for artists and art appreciators in the southern Utah area. It's like a parade of homes kind of tour, but with the opportunity to peek in the private home studio of ten artists and ten public galleries.
With their ticket ($10.00) attendees will receive a numbered map of the private and public locations. After enjoying their tour, tickets with at least five home studios and five g...
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Christmas Chicken

Posted by Kirsten Beitler on Saturday, December 10, 2011, In : The Art of Painting

Here's the latest from my celestial chickens series, Three Candy Canes. Watercolor, acrylic, gold pigment and gold leaf on 150 lb cold press watercolor paper. Merry Christmas!

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A Little Introduction...

Kirsten Beitler

I am an, artist, teacher, florist, and single mom of four boys, not necessarily in that order depending on the day! This blog is about things that interest me and. things I can't keep my mouth shut about; art, relationships, friends, kids, teaching, adoption, chickens, divorce, therapy, life...

My Brush With Life

Showing category "The Art of Painting" (Show all posts)

Paintings from the show...In the Eye of the Beholder

Paintings from the show....What He Threw Away

Paintings from the show....Kitty Hawk

Paintings from the show....Finding Out I'm the Sister-of-Jared (or Tight Like a Dish)

Paintings from the show....The Fire Inside Her Burned Brighter

Paintings from the show...The Process of Laying It Down and Picking It Back Up

Post Couch to Canvas Show Musings

Upcoming solo show, Couch to Canvas

The Thing That Is Left Is Love

Arts To Zion Studio Tour

Roll-A-Witch! Easy Halloween Drawing Activity

The Pin Project!

In Memoriam, Brutus, Celestial Chicken

Recycling Our Happy Accidents

Healing Through Art

Celestial Chicken Prints Available

Arts To Zion Studio Tour 2013

Mother and Child

Christmas Chickens

Newest Chicken Painting

Painting My Chicken

Valentine's Day Then And Now

"CHAIR"ity Event

The Studio Tour

Arts To Zion Artist Studio Tour in St. George, Utah

Christmas Chicken

A Little Introduction...

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