Kristen Doty | Kristen Doty Artist

Happy Spring!

by Kristen Doty | Apr 2, 2024 | Exhibitions, Paintings, Watercolor, Work in Progress

Robins are singing, birds are gathering materials for their nests, the days are getting longer, and many flowers and trees are blooming! These are the delightful signs that usher in the new season, thankfully transitioning away from the dark cloudy, rainy and shorter days of winter here in the Pacific Northwest. Happy Spring!

This is always a busy time of year for me in the studio creating new artwork and preparing for the year ahead.

The Plein Air Washington Artists had a paint-out at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge on March 30. It was a beautiful day to get out in nature and practice plein air painting!

Plein Air painting at Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

It is exciting to share the watercolor painting, Bowl of Cherries, was accepted in the annual juried members exhibition, Waterworks Online.

Use the arrows to scroll through a few photos of the painting process below.

Bowl of Cherries

17″ x 21½” | Watercolor

A few photos of the painting in process…

2024 Waterworks Online

NWWS Annual Juried Member Exhibition

Opening: April 26, 2024

Art lovers, family and friends are welcome to attend the online Opening & Awards Presentation. You may register to attend through the NWWS Website.

From the Northwest Watercolor Society:

“Juror Laurie Goldstein-Warren had the pleasure of viewing 479 watermedia paintings entered (from artists in 32 states and 10 countries) in Northwest Watercolor Society’s (NWWS) annual Waterworks Online Membership Exhibition. And the difficult task of choosing just 75 out of so many worthy artworks. The exhibition begins April 26, 2024 at 5:00pm Pacific Time when Goldstein-Warren awards over $12,000 in cash and merchandise during the online artists’ reception. Friends and family are invited to attend this free event by clicking here for a Zoom link to be sent to you.“

The Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS) was founded in 1939 in Seattle, Washington. From modest beginnings, NWWS has grown into the internationally recognized, historically rich organization of today with a membership over a thousand Signature, Lifetime and Associate Members across the USA, Canada & internationally.

Northwest Watercolor Society: NWWS.org

Thanks for your interest and have a beautiful day!

Best Wishes,

Kristen

Preparations Awards

by Kristen Doty | Oct 28, 2023 | Colored Pencil, News, Paintings, Publications

It is a great delight to share the news that my artwork, Preparations, has garnered very special awards. They are an honor to receive and I am over the moon!

- Juried in to the Colored Pencil Society of America’s 31st International Exhibition and awarded the Blick Art Materials Award ($1,000) in July! The juror was Jerry N. Smith, Chief Curator and Director of Education at the Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio. The exhibition was held in Cincinnati, Ohio and is online on the CPSA website: CPSA
- International Artist Magazine Favorite Subjects Challenge – GRAND PRIZE! This issue is currently on newsstands (through November 28, 2023) and also available online in both print and/or digital format: International Artist Issue #153 October/November 2023

Preparations in International Artist Magazine #153 Oct/Nov2023

International Artist magazine is a favorite, and I have been a subscriber for over 20 years! It has contributed to my ongoing art education and the quality of the articles, artwork, instruction, and even the printing and paper is top notch! Thank you to International Artist for producing such a wonderful magazine and for this award. It is truly an honor. Congratulations to all the winners!

Thanks for your interest and have a beautiful day!

Best Wishes,

Kristen

Northwest Pastel Society Exhibit

by Kristen Doty | Sep 13, 2023 | Exhibitions, News, Paintings, Pastel

Birds and their feathers, nests, and eggs have always fascinated me, and I enjoy seeing, hearing, and interacting with them. Their behaviors are interesting and sometimes surprising. Their calls, noises and songs can even bring back memories of a particular place and time, just like hearing an old tune streaming on the radio/device.

The setting of this painting is on the bank of the Necanicum River in Seaside, Oregon, on a cloudy and chilly Christmas Eve. It is remarkable how herons and other birds can tuck in their long necks and stand on one leg for an extended period. This pastel is the first in a new series of planned avian paintings and I’m very happy that it is included in this exhibition!

2023 Northwest Pastel Society Members Art Show: Celebrating Pastel Artistry

Dates: September 16th through October 21

Venue: Larson Gallery, Yakima, WA

Necanicum River Heron | 18″ x 24″ | Pastel

From the Northwest Pastel Society:

“Join us for a celebration of creativity at the 2023 NPS Members Art Show, proudly sponsored by the Northwest Pastel Society!

Immerse yourself in the world of pastel art as our talented members come together to showcase their recent works. This event is a testament to their dedication and skill, and we can’t wait to share their creations with you.

Let’s celebrate the power of art to inspire, captivate, and move us. Mark your calendar, spread the word, and invite your friends and family to join this artistic journey.”

Paintings shown, clockwise from top left: “An Open Book” by Bithia Bjurman, “Sunset Villa” by Janice Wall, “Nikkis Pond” by Laura Haroldson

The Larson Gallery is housed in a beautiful new (2021) gallery building! Please call, email or check the website for current and additional information.

The Larson Gallery: larsongallery.org

Northwest Pastel Society: nwps.org

Thanks for your interest and have a beautiful day!

Best Wishes,

Kristen

Little Gems

by Kristen Doty | Jun 16, 2020 | News, Paintings, Pastel

These past weeks have been like no other the world has seen. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a huge strain on everything and to varying degrees, disrupted our lives and continues to affect us all. More than ever we all need compassion, understanding, patience, gratitude, love, caring and beauty.

The Plein Air Washington Artists are currently having a show at the Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes, WA, titled Little Gems. This is the 5th Annual Juried Member’s Show, where the work could be any subject, 11″ x 14″ (28 x 35.5cm) or smaller, and painted either “en Plein Air” (outdoors) or in studio.

I’m pleased and delighted that three paintings I entered were accepted and are currently in the gallery and the entire show is online, on both the Scott Milo Gallery and Plein Air Washington Artists Websites (links and info below)!

These three works are from an ongoing series of Grand Canyon landscapes. While I enjoy plein air painting and working in a variety of media, these were all happily created in my studio using my own reference photos, sketches and memory with soft pastel on sanded paper.

O’Neill Butte | 10″ x 8″ | Pastel

The Beginning | 10″ x 8″ | Pastel

As a Pacific Northwest native, I grew up surrounded by an abundance of beautiful scenery; towering and dense forests, water everywhere−including from the sky−and relatively young, tall snow-capped mountains. Grand Canyon is also a stunning and intriguing place, but is nearly a direct opposite; with sparse vegetation, harsh desert climate, and a deep chasm with multi-colored exposed layers of ancient earth. Perhaps it is this stark contrast that fueled my curiosity about it, the drive to hike to the bottom (twice!), and my desire to paint this challenging and inspiring landscape.

Hiking in and painting the beauty of the canyon has had a profound effect on me and invited a study that became wildly fascinating. Questions surfaced about the how and why, the history, geology, stories and facts, and it became a springboard to ponder the big universal questions about humankind and our place in time.

Please take good care, and stay safe and well!

Best Wishes,
Kristen

♦

The Great Unconformity | 6″ x 6″ | Pastel

View the entire Little Gems show and consider making a purchase of your favorite painting to help support artists and the gallery:

Scott Milo Gallery is now OPEN (limited hours) and you can visit in person!

Website: scottmilo.com

Please call, email or check the website for current information.

420 Commercial Avenue
Anacortes, WA 98221
Phone 360-293-6938
Email: [email protected]

Plein Air Washington Artists Website: Pleinairwashingtonartists.com

Pastel Artwork in New York City

by Kristen Doty | Sep 27, 2017 | News, Paintings, Pastel, Work in Progress

It is an honor and I am thrilled that my pastel painting, Ages Upon Ages was juried in to the Pastel Society of America’s 45th Annual show, Enduring Brilliance! and is currently on display at the National Arts Club in New York City!

Below are a few photos of the work in progress. This painting was created with pastel on 24″ x 18″ Ampersand Pastelbord, sand color.

Normally when working in pastel or oil, I prefer to establish lights and darks and block in major shapes with an underpainting. However, because the tone of the board was already a medium value, I didn’t feel an underpainting was necessary, so I skipped that step and just dove right in after the initial drawing of the major shapes was finished.

Please note: Minor adjustments are often made to colors as the work progresses, but in this case, after the sky was completed (second photo) the color was not changed. The variations in the photos are due to the different lighting conditions when the photos were taken.