"Pomegranates with Lime"

I love pomegranates....they are both tasty and interesting to paint! I also love painting small works..aka..miniatures (altho' this is not a true miniature in the sense of scale). Painting on such a small canvas helps me to have a sense of immediancy in brushwork and spontaneity in composition and color. I don't get "buried in the details". Many painters have a blog advertising "a painting a day." I do not try to keep that schedule. There are too many wonderful ideas in my head that simply won't fit that daily rigor. The pomegranates in my kitchen, however, seemed to beg to be captured in this simple, but appealing still-life. Please feel free to enjoy...or maybe you'd like to buy a pomegranate & share my enthusiam?



Oil on Canvas...5 x 5"...gallery wrap (needs no frame).. http://www.vonniekohn.com

"Signs of Spring"

It's nearly the season for painting in "plein air"-a term the French used to painting outside. Here in Texas the bluebonnets are in their seed pods waiting to burst forth and announce the arrival of Spring! It is also the season designated as a sign of "new life." This beautiful Arabian, belonging to one of my friends, has just experienced a sign of new life with her son, "Prophet." Can you smell the flowers yet?

12x16..oil on canvas..available (framed)
http://www.vonniekohn.com

"Cloak of Honor"

It's been awhile since my last posting...Christmas was a busy time for me. As vice-president of Shows for my local art guild, I had to oversee the installation of the Western Art Show that is being held concurrently with the Ft. Worth Livestock & Exposition Show in Ft. Worth, Tx. Our Western Show will be held during the entire month of February. It includes not only western, but Native American, wildlife, landscape & photography. One of the entries is this painting of a Cherokee man who is known as the "Principal Chief". As head of the Cherokees, he dons a turkey feather cloak when welcoming other tribal dignitaries, at weddings, or any ceremony which requires his presence as acting Principal Chief. Only a man who exhibits great leadership skills for guiding his people has the honor to wear this robe....hence, the "cloak of honor."
Pastel on Canson paper...18 x 24...Private collection

"No Generation Gap"

In today's society, teenagers and younger siblings sometimes grow apart in their common interests. Native American society, however, is a little different. Native children learn by the role-playing of the matriarchal members of the family. This painting is very contemporary in nature, enjoining the past with the present. These two sisters, a decade apart in age, are sitting in a living room, replete with contemporary decor, yet on the wall hangs a war shield reminiscent of days long ago. The elder sister is lacing a toy cradleboard for her younger sibling. In turn, the younger sister observes the method of lacing while holding a doll made by a beloved grandmother. Strengthened by the common bond of their Native culture, these sisters have "no generation gap."

22 x 30 watercolor on paper

collection of the artist

New Website...

I now have a new website... www.vonniekohn.com. Please come by & visit. I don't have a guest book page, but you are invited to add your comments on the "contact us" page. I hope you will enjoy...

New Works: I have been working on a painting of a ranch near Gainsville, Tx. The silos that sit near the road have intrigued me for years. I am now putting them into a watercolor painting. I will post it when I'm nearer to finishing. I've included the black angus cattle that seem to always be about. Have a good day.

"Antique Pitcher with Fruit"

It's been awhile since I've last posted. The Autumn foliage is turning into a collage of beautiful colors, too numerous to describe. It lasts only a short while, though, until all of the leaves will fall, leaving the spiry branches of our trees to stand bare and alone. I was standing under some trees behind our property amid a rainbow of leaves that drifted all around me. It was like standing under a waterfall of leaves when the wind blew! It's inspiring me to paint an autumn scene.

My art gallery is preparing for a miniature show & I have been painting some small works..mostly still-life. It has been a good change of pace from the large studio works I painted for the Arboretum Show in Dallas. Here is an example of my recent efforts....

Original..8 x 10 Gallery Wrap (needs no frame)- $125

"Bountiful Harvest"

Anyone for pumpkin pie? This is a new technique for me. I originally intended to paint this with brushwork, but the background needed a different approach to texture, so I picked up a palette knife & started painting. It was so much fun that I just continued to cover the canvas with paint. The colors were so luminous that I couldn't stop painting! It was the old tractor combined with the surface of the pumpkins that challenged me to paint another way.

24 x 30...oil on canvas (sold)