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Garden of Artistry Invitation Art Show July 22-24, 2016

Please rejoice with me because I’ve been invited to participate in the annual Garden of Artistry Fine Art Show in Ponderay, Idaho, at the Ponderay Garden Center on Hwy 95 (just north of Kootenai Cutoff Road).

This is the first art show that Don and I visited after just moving into this area; we were so surprised and delighted to see so much high quality art in such a remote area!

Many people make a special trip to this regional Fine Art Show and I’m so honored for the invitation to be part of the show.

I hope you can make it to the show and please stop by to introduce yourself!  My booth with be selling my oil and watercolor paintings and my handmade jewelry.

Show hours will be 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Sunday hours will be Noon to 5:00.

ArtWalk in Sandpoint, Idaho

Hello Friends!

I’m excited to announce that I have been selected to participate in Sandpoint’s famous 38th annual ArtWalk. This is an art show located in downtown Sandpoint, Idaho, that showcases both local and regional artists.

The ArtWalk opened on June 19, 2015 and will run through September 11, 2015.

My work is on display at the Sandpoint Business Center (Columbia Bank), 414 Church Street–my work is on the 2nd floor. I hope you can visit Sandpoint to enjoy the amazing art on display and for sale during this exciting event.

Since moving to the area, Don and I have been very impressed at the high quality of art produced by the many local artists. I’m humbled to be part of this summer-long art show.

This particular show is unique in that the displays are inside the local businesses who wholeheartedly and generously support this art show. Maps are available at each venue indicating where art is being shown.

I hope you can come join in the summer fun of Sandpoint and enjoy ArtWalk 2015!

Have a blessed summer! Dottie

Winter is Done Auction–“Sundancers” Watercolor

“Sundancers” is an original watercolor (sized 12×16) that welcomes the joy of Spring! These jonquils are sure to bring a smile to your face as you shake off the winter doldrums.

Here are the auction rules to buy this little treasure.

The auction will end on Wednesday, April 15, 2015, at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

You are bidding for the painting unframed.

How to Bid:

  • To enter your bid, just click on “comment” below to add a comment (your bid).
  • Click on the button in the comments section to be notified of new comments (bids) so you can raise your bid.
  • Minimum bid begins at $50 – yep, that’s it!
  • Bidding increments of $10
  • No reserve price. Winning bid gets the painting.

Good luck! I hope you get the painting.

Please forward this to your friends so they can join in the fun or post with a link in your social media accounts.

Sundancers, 12x16 Watercolor, $1,152
Sundancers, 12×16 Watercolor

Treasure Trove Auction–“The Weekend” by Dottie Kinn

The Weekend, 6.5x9 Watercolor, Auction!

“The Weekend” by Dottie Kinn

Original watercolor on paper

6.5×9 Framed & Matted

This was so much fun to paint and encompasses some of my favorite elements–water and mountains. I couldn’t resist painting some nice, colorful boats, too. Can you smell the campfire?

To bid on this original piece, simply make your bid in the Comments section below.

Here are the auction rules to buy this little treasure.

The auction will end on Saturday,November 23, 2013 at about 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time (or whenever I manage to log in).

You are bidding for the painting framed and matted.

How to Bid:

  • Minimum bid begins at $100 – yep, that’s it!
  • Bidding increments of $25
  • No reserve price. Winning bid gets the painting.
  • Just bid in the comment section below.
  • Click on the button in the comments section to be notified of new comments (bids).

Good luck! I hope you get the painting.

Please forward this to your friends so they can join in the fun or post with a link in your social media accounts.

Lazy Days-Treasure Trove Art Auction

” Lazy Days” by Dottie J. Kinn

8×10 original oil on stretched canvas

Lazy Days, 8x10 oil on stretched canvas

 Based off a couple of photos and pure imagination, this was a study working several elements from various sources into one composition. I wanted to capture the bright sunlight and the lazy summer ambiance out in the middle of nowhere.

To add this little gem to your collection, make your bid in the Comments section below. Please register with a legit email account so I can notify you that you have won.  

Here are the auction rules.

The auction will end on Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at about 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

You are bidding for the painting unframed.

How to Bid:

  • Minimum bid begins at $100 – yep, that’s it!
  • Bidding increments of $25
  • No reserve price. Winning bid gets the painting.
  • Just bid in the comment section below. Remember to click on the “Follow Comments” button so you’ll be updated with each new bid.
  • I’ll notify you when you win and send you a PayPal invoice for payment.

Good luck! I hope you get the painting.

Please forward this to your friends so they can join in the fun or post with a link in your social media accounts.

Incredible Pastel Art

Just now I followed a rabbit trail of links and ended up on the website of Vicente Romero.  This artist paints incredible pastel art that is truly inspiring.  I don’t know him, have never heard of him before, but I pray that one day, after years of hard work, I might just accomplish a fraction of his quality of work.

I hope you can take a break from a stressful day to visit his site and stroll through his work.  I think you’ll be glad you did.

Blessings to all, Dottie

Summer, Vacations, and Random Thoughts

Summer has always been such a fun time for vacations and for kicking back and taking life a bit easier. In writing this, I’m reminded of my childhood summers, some of which had memorable vacations.

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. is definitely at the top of the good memory list. I don’t really remember seeing much art but I do remember that we didn’t have time to go through all the buildings.  The one section I still have vivid recollections of is the gem stone area–sorry, but I’m sure it has a much better name than that.

Perhaps that excursion through the gems and stones displays, some cut, some uncut, was what gave me my love for jewelry. Sounds like a good enough reason to love gems that sparkle!!  As an adult, I’m still fascinated with cut gems.  A dear friend is an expert jewelry appraiser and she explained to me the geometry involved in a good gemstone cut–absolutely fascinating!! Perhaps that is the appeal because I love geometry (yep, definitely a visual thinker here).

The colors, clarity, and size of cut gems have always drawn me; I could spend hours prowling through stores studying the cuts, admiring the colors. Even today, Don and I love window shopping at jewelry stores! God was kind enough to bless me with a husband who shares most of my interests.  I’ve purchased several books about gem stone quality, their origins, their organic composition and of course, lots of nice color photographs.

What does this have to do with art? Nothing!! and Everything!!  Jewelry is also an art form and I’ve seen some incredible creations over the years.

These are just random thoughts and this is nothing more than an opportunity to let you get to know me better.  OH!!! Maybe I’ll do a series of paintings of gem stones…….

Have a blessed Summer and please be safe while traveling.  Try to prowl through an art gallery here and there and buy something that strikes you.

Dottie

New (and really cool) Products!

A couple of months ago, I stumbled upon a really cool website called Zazzle. They carry an impressive array of really useful products on which any image can be printed. So, I’ve set up a store and designed thousands of products with my art and designs.

You’ll find dozens of t-shirt styles and color, sweatshirts, several coffee mug styles, water bottles, dog or cat bowls, pet sweaters, caps, aprons, clocks, dart boards, kitchen towels, placemats and napkins, necklaces, coasters, etc. etc. etc.  Please cruise over and check it out!

I hope you’ll bookmark my store so you can go shopping there the next time you need something for yourself or a truly unique gift to give.

And remember, every purchase you make helps support an artist!!

Thanking you in advance! Dottie


View more gifts at Zazzle.

Browse other gifts from Zazzle.

New Painting–“Field of Daisies”

THIS PAINTING HAS SOLD!! 

Reproductions are available at Fine Art America in a variety of sizes and textures or as greeting cards. I hope you’ll stop by!

Here’s my latest oil painting entitled “Field of Daisies” which was inspired by the flowers. I just wanted something soft that reminded me of the country in summer and I hope you can feel the warm breeze on your face and smell the pasture and hear the bees buzzing in the flowers. Lazy Days is a pastoral landscape scene with white wildflowers in the foreground, yellowish green fields in the middle, and soft grassy mountains in the background. The soft blue sky is accented with white billowy clouds.

The original oil painting is 8×10 in size, oil on stretched canvas, so it can easily fit either on a decorative easel or on that wall space that just needs “something.”  Priced at $600. Please contact me to purchase the original or you can visit my store to purchase prints on your choice of media (giclee, metal, acrylic, poster print, etc.) in a variety of sizes.

 

Field of Daisies

What is a Giclee Print?

What is a Giclee Print?

Giclee (pronounced g-clay) reproductions are museum quality reproductions of art printed on either canvas, watercolor paper, metal, or poster paper. The ink used to print these works is a special UV resistant ink so the works are guaranteed not to fade for 100 years, provided they aren’t hung in direct sunlight, of course. As with any other fine art reproduction, they should be protected from exposure to direct sunlight.

I’ve had giclee reproductions made of many pieces of my own art and Don has trouble telling them apart from the originals. The technological advances in ink jet printers, ink, digital imaging, and software programs has given rise to this new type of reproduction.  Giclees printed on canvas should be sealed with a water resistant sealant so the inks aren’t damaged and the sealant also protects them from dust and other surface damage. Many printing companies seal giclees printed on other surface types as well. They are normally framed like you would an original; canvas can be framed without glass, gallery wrap canvases don’t need a frame provided the sides are finished; watercolor reproductions can be matted and framed as usual; poster prints can be framed like a poster.

Many artists, including myself, do limited editions of giclee reproductions and these are similar to what you’ve seen with lithographic reproductions. Each print in the limited edition run is numbered and may be signed by the artist and they may also come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

Many art galleries either specialize in giclee reproductions, since they can be sold at a lower cost than the original, or they have giclees mixed in with the originals. It can be difficult to tell a giclee from an original if the artist sealed the painting themselves and matched the brush strokes with the image.  I encourage buyers to view giclees and then view originals and train their eye to see the subtle differences. If in doubt, ask and open-ended question to the gallery representative. Like any reproduction, a giclee reproduction should be disclosed by the seller so that the purchaser knows exactly what they are getting.

The good news is that a high quality giclee is so good that it can be hard to tell the difference!

I hope this article has been helpful!

Emergency Supplies and Preparedness

Yes, this is an art blog and no, this is not a posting about art.

We live in San Francisco and several months ago, we decided we had best be prepared in case the big “shake” happened sooner rather than later. Yep, we’ve been living on borrowed time!

I’m the researcher in the family so while Don did the heavy lifting, I spent quite a bit of time at the computer researching options and what’s needed to ride out an emergency. One must think about these things and Hurricane Sandy really brought it into focus! Water, food, and shelter–the 3 basic necessities.

I encourage you to set aside some time and focus on how to provide for you and your family the necessities during an emergency. We found a great gravity feed water filter system and dehydrated or freeze-dried food supplies are great for long-term storage.

As a convenience for you, here’s a link so you can head on over and check out the food stuffs at The Freeze Dried Guy.

This is a topic that most of us really don’t want to think about however, if something does hit where you live, do you want to be caught unprepared? I sure don’t! Now that we are prepared, it’s a great feeling knowing that if something does happen, we can eat, we’ll have fresh water, and we’ll be able to shelter ourselves.  If nothing happens, we’ll have some extra food and some water.  Oh, and we can use the tent for camping on weekends.

One of the Proverbs tells us to remember the ant how it stores away food during the summer……  I’m an ant!  Hope you will be, too.

Blessings and peace for you and your family this Christmas!

Dottie

Super Christmas Sale

I pray you had a blessed Thanksgiving!  Truly I am grateful for another year to celebrate life and paint!

So, I hope you will help me celebrate Christmas by cruising through my art website because I have REDUCED all prices on my original oil paintings, original watercolors, and original pastel art. Simply e-mail me from the Contact Page or call me to make arrangements for payment and shipping. 415-310-0936. This is a great Super Christmas Sale! Remember, originals are one-of-a-kind.

Also, included in this Super Christmas Sale is all reproduction art.  Whether you like giclee prints, poster prints, metal prints, or paper prints, I hope you can find a unique gift for that special person in your life or maybe just a special something for yourself! Brighten up that dull spot on the wall! Just visit the store to purchase online your favorite piece(s). These are shipped to you in protective packaging and come with a 30-day return policy.

Remember that any of my art can be turned into amazing greeting cards. These are beautiful 5×7 cards with a lovely high gloss finish that makes the colors POP! You can print your own message inside or leave them blank for a handwritten message and they come with an envelope.  Forget the crowds at the stores and malls, order online and have these shipped to you!

Thank you for visiting my site and I hope you find something you really like that will bring you years of joy.

Merry Christmas! Dottie

Lighting Tips for Showcasing Wall Hung Art

Since my work is normally hung on walls, either framed or not framed, this post addresses the many issues one should consider to properly light a piece of art. The information can apply to prints as well as original works.

Incandescent bulbs used in ceiling spot lights, especially the natural sunlight variety, are good but are a vanishing breed thanks to Uncle Sam. I’m not a fan of the fluorescent bulbs as they do strange things to colors. If fluorescent bulbs are all you can find when replacing a burned-out bulb in a fixture that has a regular sized socket, then look for a full spectrum bulb or natural sunlight type. Perhaps this might be a good time to switch out the light fixture and replace it with one that can use LED lights.

Please avoid halogen bulbs at all costs because they produce a lot of heat and UV rays and can actually damage many original works as well as prints.  Xenon bulbs are a good choice since they are cooler in temperature and provide a nice full spectrum light. The absolute best would be LED lighting as it is free of UV light that causes so much damage.  Both the LED and Xenon bulbs are cool and inexpensive to operate!

The Xenon bulbs and LED bulbs are much more expensive to purchase than the other choices, however, you’ll be better off in the long run knowing you haven’t damaged your art.

If you are installing something new you have the opportunity to get a good lighting source that you’ll be happy with for years.  There are some nice small ceiling mount fixtures now available that are very energy efficient as well as decorative exterior mount ceiling fixtures.  Just remember, placement of the fixture is also important.


When positioning your lighting in relation to the piece of artwork consider several variables. To help reduce glare, place the light at a 30-degree  angle from the piece. Add 5 degrees to the angle for a larger frame, which helps to avoid casting a shadow. Reduce 5 degrees from the position if you are trying to accent the texture of a painting  (see figure 1).Museums advise the lighting be 30 percent brighter than the ambient light in your room.  Hmmmmm what exactly does this mean?!?  Too much light is just as bad as too little light.  Have you ever sat somewhere and you ended up being “spotlighted”?  Nasty shadows, too bright reflections, and heat.  Your art will experience all of these so play around with different bulb wattages and think about using a dimmer switch.I hope this has been helpful!Happy Thanksgiving everyone and remember to tell someone you are thankful for them!

God bless,

Dottie

Decorating Tips for Art

Decorating Tips For Art

Buying original art or art prints is a lot of fun! You see something that grabs you, that you absolutely LOVE, you buy it and carefully transport it home. Now what!??! Where do I put it? Do I need special lighting?

First off, decide if your newly acquired original art or art print is to be the center of attention in the room or simply an accent piece. Sometimes the size makes this determination for you. A large piece of art simply begs to be placed front and center.

Don’t crowd your new painting onto a wall that is too narrow for it, especially if it is a large painting. Have at least 4 inches of wall on either side of it for art that is 16 inches wide or less. The wider the piece, the more space you’ll want. An easy way to preview something before putting holes in the wall is to lay the piece on the floor in front of the wall you want to use, centering it where you’d like it on the wall. Then step back and squint and use your imagination. This is a really good way to arrange groupings. You can rearrange until you find the most pleasing set-up before making holes in the wall.

Remember to look at what is on nearby walls to make sure they coordinate with your new art. You might want to re-arrange your other art in that room to create a similar content theme or color theme. As an example, if you love lighthouses and have several pieces of work featuring lighthouses, that would be a nice theme for a room. Keep your furniture in solid neutral colors with perhaps an accent pillow here and there that reflect a color in the art. Or if you have several predominately blue pieces, then those would work as a blue theme. The important thing to remember is to keep your furniture patterns (stripes, florals, etc.) to a minimum or only solids so the furniture doesn’t compete with your art.
Always use two hooks with nails to hang art (please don’t succumb to just using nails). An easy guide to spacing the hooks is to take the number of inches wide the painting is and divide by 2. That is how far apart you nails should be. As an example, if your painting is 16 inches wide, then you hooks should be 8 inches apart. (16 divided by 2 equals 8). SIMPLE!!

How to Hang Art

The best tip I’ve been given is to always hang your art at 57″ on center (measuring vertically from floor). “On center” means that the middle of the picture is at 57″ (obviously, the hook will be higher). Interestingly, the 57″ standard represents the average human eye-height and is regularly used as a standard in many galleries and museums…

What WE have discovered is that if you stick to this standard, you create a harmony among ALL the pictures in your home, as they will always hang in relationship to one another from their centers, not their sides. Additionally, we have also found that this helps solve the problem many people have, which is that they hang their pictures too high.

Step By Step:

1. Measure and lightly mark 57″ on the wall
2. Measure top of your picture to the middle (or take height and divide by 2)
3. Measure top of your picture to the tightened wire (a small amount)
4. Subtract this last amount to tell you how far above 57″ your hook should go
5. Measure up from 57″ with this last amount and lightly mark on the wall

Example:

1. Picture is 20″ tall
2. Middle is 10″ down from top (this should rest at 57″)
3. Wire comes to 2″ below the top
4. 10″ – 2″ = 8″
5. Lightly mark 8″ above your first mark OR 65″ on the wall

Though this may seem complicated to read, it is quite simple when you do it. The thing to always remember is that the CENTER of all your pictures are hanging at the same 57″, and you are just figuring out where the hook goes above it.

This 57″ also applies to groups of pictures. Think of a group as ONE picture. After you arrange how you want them all to hang (doing this on the floor makes it easier), start with the center picture/pictures and get them at 57″ on center. Then surround them with the rest of the group. Using a level and tape measure makes this easier.
In my next newsletter, I’ll pass on some information about lighting. For now, DO NOT hang fine art (original or prints) where they will receive direct sunlight. The UV rays will destroy your art by fading it.

Art Show During Union Street Wine Walk-October 11, 2012

Original Fine Art by Dottie Kinn will be available for viewing at Littlewood Financial Group during the Union Street Wine Walk on October 11th, 2012. Wine refills will be available at this location and we hope you’ll take some time to enjoy her beautiful art.

The address is 2147 Union Street, Suite 2, in San Francisco. Dottie will be present from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm (the hours of the wine walk) and will be happy to answer questions about her work, her inspiration for its creation, and of course, she’ll be delighted to sell you one of her original creations or provide information about ordering prints.

See you there!

Art Auctions

Don (husband) and I attended an art auction last night that was so much fun! We saw some incredible work by famous artists such as Picasso, Chagall, Deyber, Kondakova and my personal favorite, Felix Mas, who we had the honor to meet on another occasion. Boy, I wish I could have purchased one of his originals…..

The bidding process for art is like any other auction, you register, receive a number, and when the piece is shown that you want to buy, you make your bid and then the fun begins.  The buyers at this particular auction walked away with some impressive pieces at great prices.

If you’ve never been to an auction, there are a couple of very important things to remember.  First and foremost, determine beforehand how much money you plan to spend.  Always remember that there is an additional premium added to the total (10-15% normally) that the auction house gets.  If this is a surprise to you when checking out, it can be very embarrassing.

Second important step in any auction is to attend the preview and look carefully at the pieces.  Most auctions (art or any thing else) are for the piece you actually see so it is important to inspect it and make sure there isn’t any damage. Look at the back of the piece as well as the front and sides.  Surprises when you get the art home aren’t fun.

Many auctions for fine art, antiques, or high-end merchandise will send out a preview catalog. I’ve learned that it’s a good thing to go through the catalog, mark it up as to what you like best from the picture, and then check out those pieces first during the preview.  The catalog will save you a lot of time and confusion when you’re at the preview.

The great thing about auctions is meeting the other people there who obviously have similar interests.  Enjoy yourself and talk with some other people and make new friends. Honestly, Don is better about that than me because he’s the people person in our household.  I’m the analytical  thinker who is happy  in my own world.

Hope this helps! Auctions can be so much fun, whether buying or just watching.

Dottie

How to Buy Art

You’ve made the decision that you want to start buying original art! Congratulations! This is an important decision and I hope you’ll enjoy your purchases for a lifetime.

There are many theories about what kind of art to buy. Many new collectors believe they must buy art from a well-known artist because they’ve read that they should. They are often afraid to buy from an unknown artist because they are interested in protecting their investment and are afraid of spending money on something that might not “hold its value”.

These are important questions to address, however, as an Art Collector and an artist, my personal opinion is that any Art Collector should buy what they like. In fact, I believe someone should LOVE the art they buy. Think about how long you’ll be looking at the art you purchase. If you don’t like it, does it matter if the artist is well-known? If you love the piece, does it matter that the artist is unknown?

To me, the questions one should ask when considering a purchase of art are: 1) Does this art move me in some way?; 2) Do I LOVE this piece of art?; and finally 3) Will I enjoy looking at this piece of art for the next 20-50 years? If you answer yes to all 3, what are you waiting for? Buy that piece!! If you answer yes to 2 of these, then by all means purchase that beautiful piece of fine art.  If you answer yes to only one, call that artist and buy that piece.  Original works of art are valuable because there is only one. If it moves you and you love it, then you can’t go wrong.

If the piece of art you are considering purchasing gets a YES to all 3 of these, then by all means buy the piece. The investment in something you love that moves you and that will bring you joy for years to come is what is most important. If you are looking for a financial return on an art investment, stick to the stock market. Art is meant for the soul!

Enjoy the journey to becoming an art collector and relish the process of surrounding yourself with beautiful art that moves you!

Dottie