Freesia Jubilee

'Freesia Jubilee' . 9" x 11" . oil on linen
© 2013 kay eneim
SOLD

The colors in those freesia from the market were quite beautiful! and different from any I had seen before. They were the inspiration for this painting.
I'm especially drawn to those little hops tree flowers, too.

This painting is available through The Howard/Mandville Gallery's 23rd Annual Invitational Small Works Show and Sale.

My painting, 'Peony', will also be available through this show.

Preview of artwork begins October 11th. The reception and sale of artwork will begin on October 19th and will continue through October 31st.

Delphinium Blue

'Delphinium Blue' . 14" x 18" . oil on linen panel
© 2013 kay eneim
available

Dried Delphinium, Hops tree blossoms, and a wee little quail egg...

Cherries & Oriental Jar

"Cherries and Oriental Jar" . oil on wood panel
© 2013 kay eneim


Rainier Cherries... wouldn't it be nice if they were in season a little bit longer?!

Peony, Too

'Peony, Too' . 4" x 6" . oil on linen panel
© 2013 kay eneim

I am usually swamped in May and the beginning of June when the peonies are in bloom... and am unable to get in the studio to paint them with any time! This year was different.
And I'm so glad they are available here... through the markets.

But that's about it now for peonies... until next year!

Peony

'Peony' . 6" x 8" . oil on copperplate
© 2013 kay eneim
SOLD


Peonies... glorious peonies!
And every year I want to paint them, but haven't...  for many reasons. Not the case this year!

Home... Oh... Sweet Home...

The first vaseful of flowers to go into the new studio... they're from an incredible blooming desert tree, a Hops tree. The blossoms cluster together... a little like hydrangea flowers, but not.

They just seem to arrange themselves in a vase without any help. I don't know why I haven't seen these blossoms around the desert landscapes before this!

Now it feels like home.

Of Zurbarán's 'Agnus Dei'

work in progress
"Of Zurbarán's 'Agnus Dei'" . 6" x 8" . oil on copper
© 2013 kay eneim

Every year during Lent, I paint an old master's work that focuses on an image related to Christ's Passion.

This little painting is a work in progress of Zurbarán's original work that was 15" x 24" and titled "Agnus Dei". It's dramatic effect has always had an impact on me. I imagine him painting a real lamb laid on an altar-type structure in a dark studio with the natural light directed 'just so'... and consider it his way of explaining Christ's Passion that is both scriptural and allegorical... much like C.S. Lewis' image of the lion in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Francisco Zurbarán's work mainly consisted of religious subjects for monasteries and churches in southern Spain.

He was born in Fuente de Cantos, Spain on November 7, 1598 and died in 1664.

An Artist's Signature

I know, it has been a long while since posting... the subscribers to 'Impasto!' know a little as to why : -)

In the meantime, I decided to write a bit about an artist's signature.

There are those who like to sign their paintings with prominence (Norman Rockwell comes to mind), and those who, for the most part, only sign on the back... and then there are those artists who like to sign in an inconspicuous, but visible, place on the front so as not to draw attention to the signature. I tend to do the latter.

There is a way and reason I sign my religious paintings... on the front... that goes back to a symbol for 'Ave Maria' that is centuries old. Perhaps you are familiar with it... it is written with a superimposed 'A' over an 'M'.

I saw this symbol some years ago in a little chapel built on the top of a hill in Portofino, Italy. The 'Ave Maria' was beautifully designed into an altar railing gate.

For signing the religious paintings, I use that ancient symbol... with a little change to it by adding three dots over the letters... to symbolize God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit crowning Our Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Ave Maria!

"Of Fra Angelico's 'The Annunciation' "

"Of Fra Angelico's 'The Annunciation' "  22.5" x 30.5"
oil on wood panel

© 2012 kay eneim

not for sale

... no impasto on this one. I wish you could see how the layers of glazing appear in real life... a photo just can't convey that translucence.

Though Fra Angelico painted many versions of "The Annunciation", he painted this particular composition sometime between 1438 to 1445.

He was the foremost artist of his time... even so, he remained a simple, holy man.

'Of Mengs' Adoration of the Shepherds'

© 2008 kay eneim

MERRY CHRISTMAS, Everyone! 

and 

Happy Holidays!

Painting Outside

photograph 
© 2012 kay eneim

I left the house before dawn last week... to paint at Saguaro Lake.

It's just about the most perfect time of year to paint 'en plein air'... the crisp nip in the air... so peaceful and quiet... and the shadows long for a longer time in the day (that's a nice thing)... and no snakes!

It was incredibly beautiful.

Even though the painting wasn't finished before I had to leave... it couldn't have been a nicer way to start the day... incredibly beautiful it was.

I might just 'have' to go back to the same spot to finish that painting.

It might help as a way to take in all that is good and beautiful... and to remember the love we have for each other... especially for those who are suffering so greatly at this time... bearing such horrific tragedy.

May God give them the graces to cope with their great loss.

Shallot, Red Onion, & Garlic

"Shallot, Red Onion, and Garlic" . 8" x 10" . oil on linen panel
© 2012 kay eneim
sold

Aren't onions  b e a u t i f u l?
... especially luscious red ones!


This painting has been accepted into The Best and the Brightest Juried Fine Art Show and Sale in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The opening reception will be January 10, 2013.
To purchase, please contact the Scottsdale Artists' School.

A Giveaway!

I offered a  GIVEAWAY  quiz contest today... just for 'Impasto!' e-Newsletter subscribers...

A giclee print on canvas (the last one of the painting shown above!) was given away. The contest was offered only to subscribers to 'Impasto!' as a way to show my appreciation for their interest and support.

Congratulations to Sue!  She was the first to answer 'Green Pomegranate' !!

Your Clue!

For all 'Impasto!' readers... your clue is:

SMALL WORKS COLLECTION
at  EneimFineArt.com


I'll explain later for those of you who aren't subscribers!  (:

Gardening & Painting

Working the soil and watching things grow mean a lot to me. If you garden, then you know what I mean.

There's nothing quite like fresh cut flowers in the house... and fruits and vegetables from the garden... they are so beautiful... so incredible.

And even if they aren't used in a painting... well... I still think they have a deep influence on how I paint.

Morning's Glory

'Morning's Glory' . 9" x 12" . oil on copper
© 2012 kay eneim


I do love this sheep barn in Vermont... especially in the early morning hours of Springtime.

It was a rainy day, this one... but all was cozy inside the sheep barn.
The little sparrows were flitting and resting on the ledge, soaking up the morning light... waiting for the sheep man to bring some grain for the nursing ewes with lambs.

In the pastoral collection at eneimfineart.com

A Rose By Any Other Name

'In From The Garden'

'What's in a name? ... a rose by any other name...' (thank you, Mr. Shakespeare, sir)

It's uncomfortable to forget a person's name or to not know how to pronounce it, right?

I know our last name can be tricky... so... in case you were wondering how to pronounce 'Eneim'... it's really very simple.

Eneim is eh+name... that's it...  short 'e' + name.
Or sometimes the family says 'eeee name', especially when pronouncing it over the phone.

So... Eneim is 'eh name'......... in case you were wondering... (  :

Saving Paint

I suppose there are many ways we can try to save the paint on our palette... and I have probably tried most of them.

I'm not crazy about the idea of freezing the little blobs left over on the palette... I know freezing can change things chemically.

The idea of covering with water never went far for me.

Here's what I have been doing for quite a while now.... I cover the palette with a double thickness of plastic wrap and then cover that with foil. I have used the same sheet of foil for a very long time. I now have some heavy cardboard that I have wrapped with the same foil I started using a long time ago. (I'm showing the foil side up, but actually the foil side always touches the plastic wrap.)

I like this system.

However, the dry summer heat here usually makes the paint set pretty quickly on the palette... usually after a few hours of painting. Even the cadmiums don't usually last much longer than a couple of days on the palette.

My dabs of paint are small, but that's mostly because I prefer to refresh them after a bit in these summer months, rather than work with crusty tops and thick paint... or I sometimes know that I will only have a short bit of time to paint.

Oh... and I wash my brushes every night... they stay much better under that wrap until I get them washed.

It's July! Already! Really??!!

May God bless America... please.

... and the next two weeks are ready to record.

I have been enjoying... a lot, actually... Gennine's Art blog.

I've taken her sketch/journaling idea and am excited to run with it...

... this is not exactly oil painting, but watercolor and pen... a much more immediate medium... and so fun.

BUT... nothing is quite like oil paint...
... to me, oil paints touch the heart like nothing else.

The Barn Window

"The Barn Window" . 9" x 12" . oil on copper
© 2012 kay eneim

... a glimpse from inside that cozy sheep barn in Vermont... the little sparrows were busy guys, chattering and flitting everywhere on and off the window sills.

They were cute... that's for sure.

This painting is available in the pastoral collection at eneimfineart.com