Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Hanuman


Oil on canvas 24"x30" $795 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Yesterday was a lost day from lack of sleep so I did not
get a chance to finish the little painting I meant to have
ready for the blog today. I received a comment on
'Painted Pony' as to how unusual it was relative to the
other paintings the person had been seeing on my blog.
I then realized that people seeing my art on the blog
would think that. The truth is I usually only paint in a
geometric fashion when painting small. There are a few
exceptions, mostly older work. Todays painting is a larger
piece and more typical to how I work.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Cirque

Oil on canvas Reworked since posting.

It rained all Saturday and snowed all Sunday.
Never a dull moment here. The good news is
that the weather (with help from the blog) forces
me into the studio. I finished this little painting
and worked a larger one. I did a lot of thinking
about the blog this weekend and realized I can
use it to live out one of my art dreams. I am excited,
but I am not telling just yet. You'll see.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Red Shoes

Oil on canvas, diptych, 40"x60" $1600 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

I am not sure yet about yesterdays painting so I will
save it for Monday. I have been talking with someone
about the collaborative pieces I did with Cindy Bilotti
and I have been looking at them a lot lately so I thought
I would post one of them today. Life has been a bit of a
whirlwind lately so I picked Red Shoes. If you are
unfamiliar with the collaboration check them out on
my website www.katherinetreffinger.com.

Have a great day and don't forget to put on those dancin' shoes and dance to the tune
life hands us!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Number Nine

Oil on canvas, 14"x11" $275 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com


It is sunny here today after a snowfall yesterday in
which some of the biggest flakes I have ever seen fell
from the sky. Amazing! It was hard to concentrate in
the studio looking at those flakes. The neighborhood
kids are off for Spring break and I took them and the
dogs for 2 walks in the snow, Josie is 8 and Damian 6
and it was wonderful spending so much time with them.
They remind me to be playful with life and break some
rules and most importantly don't be afraid of getting your
feet wet.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Painted Pony

Oil on canvas 30"x40" $1295 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com


I just finished this painting yesterday, or at least I am
pretty certain it is finished. I had great fun painting it.
I love painting like this with such abandon and witnessing
the outcome. I don't think much while I paint these larger
pieces I just move and put paint on the brush. Then I sit
back on the couch and stare at it. Then something comes
to me and I am up and moving again. It is a very intuitive
process.

For some reason the thought keeps coming to me to try
and land a gallery in Chicago. I have never been there.
If you have any ideas about this or know Chicago and
have some suggestions please let me know.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Crossroad

Oil on canvas 9"x6" $95 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please email
me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

This morning I received an email from an international web
art directory saying that they had accepted my submission
and I now have a link on their site. The site is
www.wotartist.com. It does my heart good to get a submission
selected. So often I have submitted to a gallery or publication
to never hear back. I don't take it personally, there are so
many talented artists out there, but it certainly is nice when
they respond and say yes.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Watership Down


Oil on Canvas 14"x11" $275 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com
It was not to be that I go to the Monoprint workshop.
I did however get quite a bit done in preparing for the
coming season at my gallery in Cannon Beach. I had
an amazing experience. I was going through the
inventory I have now at the gallery and listed paintings
I thought I should pull out and rework. I went back to
make sure none of them had sold, as to not confuse things
with my communicating with the gallery. To my
amazement most of them were sold! The ones that are
left for the most part are the pieces I thought of as my
best work. Now that was something for me to see. Art
really is subjective isn't it! I gave up the whole project
and am taking pieces out based solely on their length of stay.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Bronze Medal

Oil on canvas 9"x6" $95 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please email
me at katherine@katherintreffinger.com

The art supplies arrived and it is back to the studio with me
today. I am looking forward to it as I have two pieces close
to being finished. I love this part of the process. Starting is
the hardest, putting the first paint down especially to a
blank canvas. I always want to hurry up and cover it so I
can start working the paint.

I think I am going to a workshop this weekend on Monoprint
making. If that is the case I am sure you will hear all about
it on Monday. I am very excited about the possibility.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Imnaha

Oil on canvas 9"x6" $95 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please email
me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Today will be the second and hopefully last of a two day hiatus
awaiting art supplies. I painted Imnaha last Summer. Why I
called it that I don't know. Imnaha is a very small town at the
end of the road about 24 downhill miles out of Joseph,Oregon,
which until I went to Imnaha, I thought was the end of the
road. It was the wintering grounds of the NezPierce Indians.
It is a magical little spot not far from the Idaho border. If
you take either of the dirt roads out of town you can see
vistas of Hells Canyon. It is one of those towns built on a
part of the earth that is clearly a power spot. It is no wonder
that in the book The Shack the main character converses
with God in a shack outside Imnaha.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Alchemical Jazz

Oil on canvas 48"x36" $950 plus shipping
If you are interested in this painting please email me at
katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Yesterday I spent the day working on a large piece as I have a
show to get ready for and need some larger work. I thought in
honor of my larger work I would post one today that I believe
is not on my site. One of my favorite things to do is take a
painting that is not working and turn it into something
completely different. Todays painting was a hawk standing
on a post. I went to town on it with oil sticks and paint and
this is what came about. Crazy daddy-o.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Tikal

Oil on canvas 9"x6" $95 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

In the early 70's I took off in my car and drove to Guatemala.
I did not speak a word of Spanish. Mexico and Guatemala
were very different then, especially southern Mexico. This
could become a very long story but I'll keep it somewhat
brief. I fell in love with both places and it became my
passion to return over and over.

I went back to San Francisco and took a full college
schedule of Spanish and returned the next year by
plane to Guatemala City. I stayed on a Finca (ranch)
for a couple of weeks and then took off for Belize.
I flew by cargo plane into the Selva (jungle) to the
incredible ruins of Tikal. I stayed in a plywood and
screen shelter on a cot next to the air strip. At sunrise
the next morning I took off to see the ruins walking a
15 minute trail that took me an hour. I was in complete
awe. The jungle came to life as I made the journey,
tropical birds and monkeys screeching warnings of
my impending arrival in their territory. I saw beetles
there that had the patterns on their backs I had seen
in pictures of Mayan artifacts. When I finally made it
to Tikal my traveling companion and I were the only
ones there. There were monkeys playing all over the
ruins. The experience was sublime!

We left Tikal that afternoon by bus into Belize, but
that is another story.

Monday, March 16, 2009

El Paso

Oil on canvas 14"x11" $275 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Todays post is in sharp contrast to the white world out my
window. I am beginning to think I get more colorful in my
art work as the world outside my window gets less so. Color
Therapy. I am waiting for a shipment of 9x6 canvases so I
can start posting some more new little paintings. One of the
minuses of living remotely, no art supply stores!All the other
wonders make up for it though by far.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Cathedral

Oil on canvas 24"x18"SOLD
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Today I am amazed at this blog business. I was hesitant to do
it, wondering how people would find the blog. Today is my
20th posting and I have had 607 visitors from 22 countries as
of yesterday. Isn't that so cool? What a wondrous thing this
internet is!!! We can enjoy and be inspired by each others
work, be it visual or words, and we can be anywhere in the
world. Now I am sure for you young people out there that
isn't so amazing, you grew up with this. For me, I am in awe.

Yesterday I changed my blog a little and placed Giclee prints
of three of my drawings on the side bar. Please take a look.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Caravan

Oil on canvas 14"x11" $275 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
contact me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

I now have three unfinished paintings going in my studio,
maybe today I'll get another one going. I am letting pieces
dry a little before I go back in. I did this piece in the fall.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Surfari

Oil on canvas 14"x11" SOLD

I spent all afternoon in the studio yesterday. What a great
thing! I think the painting is finished that I am posting today.
I signed it any how. Besides finishing (?) this one I worked
on a larger one and tried to remain a kid with it, playing with
shapes and colors. Some of my freshest work has been created
if I am successful at staying playful. Hopefully I am back to the
play room today. I'll make it to the studio at any rate.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Ugly Duckling II

Oil on canvas 40x30 $975 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Winter is back in the Grande Ronde Valley. It is snowing
and 24 degrees. brrrrrr Yesterday while I was out taking
care of replenishing the pantry I thought about art
and painting small. I realized that for me a 40" by 30"
painting is small. For some artists that would be huge.
Huge for me is something larger than I have done.
I love painting large. I probably have already said that.
Thinking about large brought to mind a series I did with
my dear friend, a very talented artist Cindy Bilotti.
She and I did a series of 13 paintings, mostly large format,
together. When I say together I mean at the same time on
the same canvas. We read a fairytale/myth before starting
to inspire the process. We made two agreements:
1. We would not hesitate to follow any instinct that came up
and 2. We would not hesitate to paint over the other persons
work. It was the most fun I think I have ever had painting.
In the process of doing the 13 paintings there was not one
tense moment. Mostly it was just plain fun. The largest
painting we did was 109"x48". I loved that size. The
painting I am sending you today is one of the smallest at
40"x30". We had read The Ugly Duckling. Visit Cindy's
work at www.cindybilotti.com or her flickr page at http:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26076381@N02/
or you can see the whole series on my web site
www.katherinetreffinger.com

Monday, March 9, 2009

Four Familes


Oil on canvas 40"x30" $1295 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

I did not finish any paintings this weekend, although there are 2 in process.
I am therefore posting a piece I recently reworked. I do that often. I may
even varnish the piece and send it off to the gallery. At some point I realize it
needs more or even needs to be radically changed and I remove the varnish
and go back in on it. I wish I could say I am headed for the gallery today but
I am not. Off to do the town thing.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Train Passes Hot Lake


Oil on canvas 9"x6" $95 plus $6 shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

I had an enjoyable time in the studio yesterday working both my large and small painting.
It's fun to do it that way. When I get frustrated with one I work the other.

Todays daily reminds me of the train rolling past Hot Lake. For those of you that
do not know Hot Lake, it is a small lake that maintains a temperature of 186 degrees.
It is about 10 miles from where I live. The local Indian tribes came to enjoy the springs at the lake.
They considered it a healing place and all discontent between the tribes were put aside
when they came here.

A Dr. Phys eventually opened a healing spa that is rumored to have been one of the most
desirable in the country at the time. At that point in time the train stopped at the spa and let
passengers off. Now the train no longer stops there, in fact there are no passenger trains
going through the Grande Ronde Valley. Now the old spa is owned by an sculptor.
I believe he has a foundry there.

The train does still roll through. My friends camp at the RV park there and the kids
put coins on the tracks for the train to flatten.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Sonata

Oil on canvas 48"x36" $1800 plus shipping.
If you are interested in this painting please email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Yesterday I worked on two paintings. I started a large piece and a small piece.
Neither of them are ready to show so I decided to post a large piece today that some of
you have already seen. Working large is my true love I have to admit. I love the broad
strokes and the amount of working the paint that happens. The more I work it the more
the history is evident and I love that. It is one of the things that holds my attention when
admiring others work.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Blueshell


Oil on canvas 9"x6" $95 plus $6 shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Today we are supposed to have thunderstorms so my little red painting felt appropriate.
It isn't signed yet and where I want to sign it could become a mess so I wait until it's dry.
This painting was done with a palette knife and a wine cork. I love working with a palette
knife because it keeps it out of control. I used to have a quote hanging in my studio in
Portland from Phil at The Drawing Studio (awesome teacher): "break the illusion of control".
I don't have it in my studio now as it has become such a part of my work that I need no reminding.
If you saw the wall behind my wall easel you would know I took the dictum seriously!


Monday, March 2, 2009

Serape

Oil on canvas 14"x11" Sold

I think I have decided I am going to take the weekend off from
my dailies so I don't go crazy trying to keep up with it.
I say I think because I always like to keep my options open
and be a little unpredictable. I am an artist after all.

The weather is warm here today, a toasty 60 degrees. Okay, okay you in those warm places in the world can laugh, go right ahead. Any how it is warm enough I won't even need a serape.
But I happen to have this new piece named Serape.

So there you have it. Have a fabulous day!