In this three part post, I’m sharing details of “Little Love Letters”, which is a series of 36 small paintings on paper in sizes 6×8” and smaller, each inspired by Realms of Wonder, be they plant, animal, human or elemental. (more…)
Welcome to Mid-Autumn Studio Update! Whether you celebrate The Night of the Ancestors (Samhuin), Dias de la Muertos, Halloween, or all of them, Happy Mid-Autumn Celebrations! (more…)
©Kathleen O’Brien, 12 Madonna Lilies10, 8×8″
Listening to the breeze and brittle leaves falling while inside writing to invite you to the Open Studio, brings up a myriad of responses. The windows are open now, but, tomorrow…. (more…)
As I’m getting ready for the 12th Annual Autumn Open Studio, I revisited Madonna Lilies, 1 of 3 large works that I’m showing for the first time. It’s also 12 small parts of the larger piece. I mentioned this artwork for the mid-summer Art of the Garden Tour, but never went into details about the story. (more…)
In addition to the latest artwork from the studio, there will be garden and home things you’ll enjoy, to buy at the 12th Annual Autumn Open Studio. I love preparing the herbs, and saving seeds from the garden that began with harvests in the spring. (more…)
Things that fly, like summer is a work that I began on September 15, 2015 (and was completed September 11, 2020) with an inspiration that (more…)
Four months of togetherness – Greg and me – resulted in a massive makeover (more…)
Here’s the last video of the Virtual Sunwise Open Studio Celebration, Journals, that was easy!
I hope you enjoyed these videos and touring my studio. Contact me if you have any questions, and feel free to buy art from a living working artist!
Enter the studio and look along the left side workbench where you’ll see the studio talismans, some art on display, and my shelf of loved ones who cheer the creative process. (more…)
Part 3 of the virtual Open Studio features Happy Days, beads and Horse Riding.
For you shopping enjoyment, explore the Jewelry Page!
The Art Dollies came from all over the world to see the eleven Love Letters to Humanity. They love to get out and around.
PS: Some of the dolls are Treasures of Italy dolls from the 1950’s, some are rescued from antique shows, some are hand made by Kathleen O’Brien.
Now we arrive at the light half of the year, the lusty month of May – how marvelous! The birds beam with loud trumpet. I am ever so grateful that I dedicated this year to move forward with faith. Everything has changed, (more…)
It has been helpful during this stay-home time to focus on the second in the series of the spring season, Love Letters to Humanity. More details will come in the mid- season studio update. I wanted to give a quick look at one of them. (more…)
In this blog series I reveal some words behind the art of “Love Letters to Henry Miller”. For each of the nine, I start with a note from my journal that were inspired by his writing and watercolor paintings. This is followed by a quote by Miller. (more…)
In this blog series I reveal some words behind the art of “Love Letters to Henry Miller”. For each of the nine, I start with a note from my journal that were inspired by his writing and watercolor paintings. This is followed by a quote by Miller. (more…)
In this blog series I reveal some words behind the art of “Love Letters to Henry Miller”. For each of the nine, I start with a note from my journal that were inspired by his writing and watercolor paintings. This is followed by a quote by Miller. (more…)
For the spring I’m starting a Love Letter series, the first is Love Letters to Henry Miller, a collection of 9 collaged paintings that will be displayed here and elsewhere online. The first picture is the complete series hanging now in the studio. As they are presented in the next blogs, for each artwork I’ve selected notes from my journal, followed by a quote from Henry Miller. (more…)
I had written a long email letter telling my subscribers about Love Letters to Henry Miller things around the studio, trip out west and yearlong plans. Plans kept changing with the times. The real truth is I have a serious case of spring fever. After years of neglect on my part, I am falling in love (more…)
It’s a funny time of year, and particularly this year a time to celebrate and embrace extremes, it seems to me. All I can do is move forward with faith. One friend calls it being time compressed, and I think you might be feeling it also.
The great joy is (more…)
On Dec. 14 Halcyon Days begins. It’s an ancient tradition, of celebrating tranquility for 7 days prior to until 7 days after the Winter Solstice. This is when I turn my activities and awareness towards the soulful meaning of the season. This is the time of the Great Return of the Light. For me I believe in its full meaning. (more…)
I’ve been telling more stories about the 36 artworks from the series Birds and Flora: Seasonal Garden Visitors on Instagram and my Facebook business page. I began with the stories in the previous posts, so please have a look on my page. Meanwhile, since Small Art Holiday Special artworks are selling fast I thought (more…)
Birds and Flora: Seasonal Garden Visitors is available November 29 on this website, finally all 36 small original paintings, some with collage, will be seen together and ready in time for the holidays. I’ll be notifying everyone by email about it. (more…)
Coming soon, at the end of the month, Birds and Flora; Seasonal Garden Visitors for the Small Art Holiday Special I mentioned in the recent studio update. Below is the press release I’ve been sending. However, I am releasing the art earlier to people on my list, with other deals, so if you want to be included in the notification, now is the time to sign up! (more…)
All summer and early autumn I’ve been quietly enjoying painting in the studio annex’s bright light. Now it’s time to present the 40 new artworks at the Annual Autumn Open Studio on November 2 in this new space. (more…)
September was the driest month ever on record in Kentucky. (see at note on this topic at the end…) Now I am grateful to have this Summer Portfolio of memories, reminders of earth’s delicate beauty and grandeur after a year of rain. It makes me ponder the concept of balance. I have faith in its universality. (more…)
Since the last quarter I’ve focused on gouache paintings that I put together into two spring Portfolios. Based on what I observed as new in the garden, one portfolio is of twelve birds, one of twelve flowers with a snake and firefly thrown in. (more…)
There are four days until the summer solstice, which happens at 11:45 AM, ET this Friday. This is part two of my self-directed assignment to record in painting the spring birds and flowers that arrive here at Sunwise Farm and Sanctuary. Is there anything more uplifting than to see the first flowers pop up, often through snow? (more…)
As we approach the summer solstice next week, I am completing my self-directed assignment to record in painting the spring birds and flowers that arrive here at Sunwise Farm and Sanctuary. The Red Winged Blackbirds started showing up early in March, soon they were coming by the thousands (more…)
I am excited to share what’s new; Spring Into Art, progress in the Studio Annex, a new art medium, the birds and botanicals of Sunwise, beads and bracelets, Atlas of the Year open for enrollment and the Carnegie show was great, I hope you saw it! (more…)
The time change happened early, it’s still winter, sort of. Its a rare sunny day but the air is cool, spring sensations, sort of. It’s more like indicators of liminal space. What do I do on the last week before my efforts and work of the past two years are presented in the world? (more…)
If you write a newsletter, are you struggling to come up with your own true title, different from others? This is a topic that a group of online presenters has been discussing. Instead of Mid-Season Studio Updates I want to use just one word, which makes it a bit challenging. If it were completely to the point it would be “communication”. True but dull.