I have always joked that I have creative ADHD. I paint wildlife in oil, but I also paint abstract encaustic paintings, and abstract oil paintings. I like to experiment with watercolor. I draw. I do like to work in a series, but I often have more than one series going on at any given time. Like a butterfly, I like to flit from one idea to another. (Sometimes even in the same day!) I never suffer from a shortage of ideas. A much bigger problem for me is being able to curate those ideas. Which ones are the most worthy of spending time on? Is it more important to make the work that is selling consistently, or should I focus on what brings the most joy and intellectual challenges? Friends have told me to paint what I want to paint. I do! I definitely do! But I don't always want to paint a rabbit, raven or roadrunner. Sometimes, I just want to paint - freeing myself completely from the representational world. I like to invent my own worlds sometimes. Sometimes, there is nothing I want more than to paint another jackrabbit. It varies, depending on the day. 

I see value in staying with one subject matter and one medium. Mastery is best obtained when we focus in on a specific thing. I also believe that when we restrict ourselves and enforce boundaries, it is within those constraints that creativity really flourishes. This may seem counterintuitive, but there are so many decisions made throughout the course of one painting. When you can limit some of those decisions, you will do better work and the core idea can really evolve. Recognizing that, I also have found that when I allow myself creative detours with completely different work and even different mediums, I can return to my regular work (wildlife) with fresh eyes and enthusiasm. For me, the abstract work informs the representational work, and vice versa. 

Working the way I do, I really have to spend a lot of time painting in order to complete full bodies of work in each genre. The time commitment is significant. Yet there is nothing more satisfying than being tired from work at the end of a long day in the studio. I need to paint - it is a balm for my soul and it helps me deal with the stresses of every day life in a crazy world. If I am unable to get into the studio for over a week, I start to suffer. I get cranky. I am saved by making art. 

I often say to myself, "Karine, you need to just stay with this one thing, and abandon those other interests. Let go of encaustic. Let go of abstraction." But then I find myself thinking, "Gee, I'd really like to make jewelry and write a novel!" Crazy artist brain.

How about you? Do you allow yourself other creative outlets? What works best for you as an artist?

This morning, we started out on our daily hike. Sometimes, we get in the car and drive to some public land near our house, but today we were both tired, so we decided to walk around our property. The dog found a mouse in the woodpile, and he was busy with that. My husband and I continued on. The path circles around our property, crossing over the arroyo twice. As we came down to the first crossing, I happened to look where the water forms puddles in the rock and to my surprise, a coyote was standing there. The coyotes here are shy - they are hunted - so it was a shock to see one so close. I quickly realized there was something wrong. This coyote was injured; missing one of its front legs. It had just happened, because as the creature tried to move away from us, it fell forward. It quickly got up again and again it fell. We did not want to cause further anxiety and suffering to the coyote, so we continued our hike and left it there. 

The encounter was upsetting. I don't know, but I suspect a neighbor who owns the adjoining property is trapping the coyotes. Even though a law was recently passed in New Mexico outlawing traps on public lands, on private property there are no such restrictions. I suppose it also could have been hit by a car, but we are a mile from the paved road, and the way that coyote was moving, it seemed like a stretch that it could have gotten far. It's hard to say, and I don't think I will ever know what happened. We have watched as our neighbor put up a fence (with "no trespassing" signs) all the way around his property. A year or so after that, another fence went up. Then, a few weeks ago, we spotted a longhorn on the other side of fence #2. So it would stand to reason that anyone with a herd would be inclined to wage the war against coyotes. I hope I am wrong.

The coyote has been hunted, poisoned and trapped since Europeans came to the New World. Funded by the government, no less. Despite all of our efforts to rid the world of this creature, Wile E. Coyote has outsmarted us all. The coyote can be found in every major city in the US, and their territory has even expanded beyond the western prairies to the East Coast and up into Canada. There is even evidence that they are breeding with dogs and wolves. We did coyotes a favor when we eradicated the grey wolf in most places, since they are predators and competitors with coyotes. You can read more about it here. 

Living in the Mojave desert gave me an opportunity to see and know these intelligent, adaptable animals in a way that has stayed with me. I love to hear their yipping. It makes me feel like I'm home. I think it's unfortunate that the only solution we see when we have conflict with nature is to eliminate it. I fear that one day, when we have finally killed off all the wild things, we will realize our error. By then it will be too late. 

I have always wondered why people don't take a little time when they buy art to understand what they are buying. Is it because art intimidates people? Is it because we don't know that much about it and are afraid to show our ignorance to people? I suppose I will never really know the reason. I can tell you that art is just like anything else - you do get what you pay for. I suggest that before you make a significant art purchase, you spend just a little bit of time doing research. 

As a working artist, I offer both original works of art for sale as well as reproductions of my originals. I do make an effort to clearly mark the reproductions (copies) as such. I have no intentions of misleading people. I also make sure that my reproductions are called reproductions rather than prints. Why? Why does it matter? Well, a print is a totally different animal (please excuse the pun - it was too tempting) than a reproduction. A reproduction is a copy of an original work of art. Whether the original work of art is a painting, a photograph, a drawing or some other original, it can be reproduced by digital means. For example, I take a high quality photograph of one of my paintings and then use a high quality ink jet printer to produce copies of the painting. The resulting work of art is a reproduction. 

A fine art print, on the other hand, usually refers to a work of art where the artist actually works on a matrix - like a wood block, a piece of linoleum, a stone, a metal plate, or a screen. That matrix essentially becomes the original work from which multiple images are printed. The artist is involved in each step of the printing process. The matrix can become worn as the prints are pulled, making the number of prints limited. An example of a fine art print maker is a friend of mine named Chad Nelson. You can see some of his beautiful work here. 

Why do artists even bother with reproductions? Well, I guess I can't answer for any artist other than myself. The reason I make copies of my paintings is because my paintings take time, and the prices I need to charge in order to cover the cost of materials and the time it takes me to create the work prevents me from pricing my paintings as cheaply as they once were. Offering smaller, more affordable reproductions has allowed me to be able to sell my work to those who may not be able to afford a big original painting. I like it when people who love my work can find something they can actually afford to take home and enjoy. 

From a collector's standpoint, if you can afford an original work by your favorite artist, you are always much better off buying an original than buying a reproduction. In terms of value, you are also better off buying a limited edition print (like a lithograph, a mezzotint, a woodcut or an intaglio) than a reproduction. 

I hope this gives you a little better understanding of what these terms mean. If you do fancy a little reproduction of mine, you can find many of them in my etsy shop. Oh, and I do have a few smaller originals available for sale there, too. Thanks for taking a look!

I have completed my 30 day challenge. I actually ended up doing closer to 50 of these, and I was joined by my friend and fellow artist Patricia Scarborough. Patty is a talented landscape painter, and her studies were amazing. You can see her work here. I am planning to turn many of these studies into larger oil paintings. I've already begun, in fact! This was a great challenge for me. I learned a lot. For one thing, I learned that art really is a practice. Some days are better than others, and with each day I practice, I improve. (at least, that is what I kept telling myself.) I also realized that when I am focused on larger paintings, I don't draw as much. The larger works take more time and energy. 

In other news, I finally tackled the coyote painting that I posted progress shots of, several months ago. It took me a while to figure out what I was going to do to it, but I finally worked up the courage to jump in. I think it's finished now. 

I have created a goal for myself of doing a study in color every day for 30 days. I got started a little after the new year, so now I have competed 22 little studies. I post daily on Instagram, and about every other day on Facebook, if you feel like following along. I have been joined by my friend and fellow artist, Patricia Scarborough.  Patty is a talented landscape painter who lives in Nebraska. To see some of her wonderful art, click here. 

Here are a few of the little studies, for those who aren't on social media. Of course, I urge you to follow along, either on Instagram or Facebook, and cheer me on. I'm nearly done, but since the fabulous Patricia Scarborough has agreed to join me, I will extend my studies to finish when she does. It's been a really good thing, to go into the studio and draw each day. I highly recommend it! 

I am working with markers, which is completely new for me! Prismacolor and Copic markers. The Prismacolor markers have been in a box in my studio for years, and when we moved, I didn't want to part with them. So I told myself I was going to USE them. So I am! I wanted to use a medium that couldn't be erased, so I wouldn't spend too much time re-working them or trying to get the drawings just right. My goal is to work more quickly, have more fun with color, and learn how to let go of my perfectionist tendencies. (is that possible?) At the suggestion of my friend Patty, I have now started to set a timer, to see if I can keep them under 30 minutes. (so far, that hasn't happened, but the timer does force me to work more quickly.) Maybe some of these little studies will turn into larger paintings. Who knows? Which one is your favorite? 

It's not often that I post progress photos. (Most of the time, I forget to take photos!) So I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of the coyote I am currently working on. This canvas is 36 x 48 inches. I did the drawing in vine charcoal, and now I am painting in oil. Hope to finish soon!