"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

Work in Progress - The Blessed Virgin Mary

a work in progress

Work in Progress . 'Blessed Virgin Mary' . 18" x 14" . oil on linen panel
© 2012 kay eneim

This image was first pointed out to me by my sister several years ago. At the time, I didn't think to make note of the original painter or the name of the painting, and I haven't been able to find the printed image she gave me. I do have it on my computer... thank goodness.

I would like to know the history of it... if anyone can help me with that I would greatly appreciate it!

Pink Grapefruit and Cherries

'Pink Grapefruit and Cherries' . 6" x 8" . oil on wood panel

© 2012 kay eneim

Citrus leaves... I love 'em.

It's hard to find citrus fruit (any fruit, for that matter) with leaves, unless you have your own tree. I don't...

... but I did find this leafed, perfectly beautiful pink grapefruit.

Available in the small works collection at eneimfineart.com

FAV15 Award for May!

'Pear' . 6" x 8" . oil on wood panel
© 2012 kay eneim

... this little painting was awarded the Fav15 Award for the month of May of the Bold Brush Painting Competition by the staff of Fine Art Studio Online. That means it was among the top 10-15% of the favorite paintings from over 840 entries. Thank you so much!

It was originally posted on this blog here.

Recollection

"Recollection" . 12" x 9" . oil on wood panel
© 2012 kay eneim
available

While the larkspur were still going to town in the garden the 'Crocus' roses were winding down to very small buds... but that's okay because their tiny blossoms were wonderful with the larkspur... and the snail vine buds, too.

I really like them together... a lot.

This painting is available in the small works collection at eneimfineart.com

Of Barocci's 'Immaculate Conception'

"Of Barocci's 'Immaculate Conception'". 24" x 20". oil on linen panel

© 2012 kay eneim

... recently completed... a larger piece and adaptation of 'Immaculate Conception', circa 1575, by the Italian Renaissance painter, Federico Barocci, (1526 - 1612).

Barocci was a very influential artist of his time and a leading painter of altarpieces in the 1500's.

Ave Cor Mariae!

Crocus Rose and Larkspur

"Crocus Rose and Larkspur" . 12" x 9" . oil on wood panel

© 2012 kay eneim

available

... of a new addition to the garden... a David Austin rose called Crocus Rose.
So beautiful.

And, for a change, the larkspur seeds that I scattered happened to do the best ever this year... not sure why, but I'm not going to complain! They have been blooming and blooming and blooming!

This painting is available in the small works collection at eneimfineart.com.

Sweet new life!

So, in case you were wondering...

that place I visited... in time to see the lambs... was the Grafton Inn (used to be the Old Tavern Inn) in Grafton, Vermont. It's a favorite place for us. Grafton is a small town tucked away in the woods, and best of all for me...

... were these little ones so sweet... so incredibly beautiful. I was grateful to be there.

Ambridge Rose

"Ambridge Rose" . 12" x 9". oil on wood panel

© 2012 kay eneim

available

...so nice to have these roses blooming... they're David Austin roses... new to our garden.

So happy.

Baby Lambs!

I had a chance to get away for a short time to paint and take photos at our favorite place.

It was a great trip in spite of the continuous rain for most of the time... I didn't get any plein aire painting done. It was a shame because the day I arrived was picture perfect... then came the rain.

There were 25 little lambs in the barn... after a day of rain, they were all wanting to get out into the pasture and romp! I guess it wasn't a good idea for them to be out in the rain.

Did I mention that I just missed the birth of the littlest one by the time I got to the barn... again?
Same thing happened the last time I was there for the lambs.

After I spent many hours in the barn, this sweetie decided that I wasn't so bad... she really loved having her head rubbed at that point! She was pretty cute... and a very good Mama.

Pear

"Pear" . 6" x 8" . oil on wood panel

© 2012 kay eneim

Pears... so beautiful and so fun to paint...

Happy Easter, Everyone!

© 2006 kay eneim

He So Loved the World...

"Of Zurbaran's 'Christ on the Cross' " . 16" x 12" . oil on wood panel

© 2012 kay eneim

sold

Painting Zurbaran's image became a powerful Lenten meditation for me.

Francisco de Zurbaran (1598-1664), a Spaniard, painted 'Christ on the Cross' in 1627.

Oriented

'Oriented' . 11" x 9" . oil on linen panel

© 2012 kay eneim

... dried purple statice flowers, seeded eucalyptus, and a ginger jar.

Harry

'Harry' . 16" x 20" . oil on linen panel

© 2012 kay eneim

not for sale

We have had a lot of dogs over the years... and 'Harry' was pretty much our best dog ever.

He had a long, dark cowlick that ran from his forehead down to his nose... and he loved to carry around his favorite toy... a stuffed toy pheasant. It was pretty cute.

We had to let him go a couple of years ago when he was overcome quickly by cancer.

It has taken me this long to be able to paint him... it was my Christmas gift to my husband this last Christmas. It wasn't quite finished then, but it's finished now.

Of Dvorak's Mother and Child

'Of Dvorak's Mother and Child' . 8" x 6" . oil on linen panel

© 2012 kay eneim

I painted this image as a way to learn the original artist's use of color and light.

It is an adaptation from the work of Frantisek Dvorak (1862-1927).

I was very moved by that painting... it was a joy to paint.