August Painting Workshop

Join me Saturday, August 18th from 12-4PM at A Whole New Light to learn how to paint this 12" x 16" rustic peach pallet sign. No experience is necessary and the class size is small to ensure everyone has an enjoyable experience. $40 includes all supplies, light lunch, and refreshments. Click here to register

My Experience Using Watercolors Again

The latest painting that I created is a portrait of my friend’s Jeep Rubicon. I am an acrylic painter by choice but I decided to create this painting using watercolor. I thought it would be fun to share the process and my experience using watercolor again.

So why did I choose to use watercolor instead of my preferred acrylics? Well, it has to do with our recent family trip. While we were on vacation in West Virginia our truck’s AC stopped working on one of the hottest days. Lucky for us, the friends we were visiting own a mechanic shop and were able to recharge our system. Instead of a payment, they asked to barter for a painting.

On our way home, we stopped at Jerry’s Artarama in Wilmington for my birthday. While I was shopping, I saw they had a half pan of Lukas Farben watercolors in stock. I’ve been thinking about trying watercolor again and thought this was the perfect opportunity! I ended up purchasing it over 50% off during their moving sale. I can’t believe I got such an amazing deal on it!

For those of you who do not paint, I'll explain some of the differences between acrylics and watercolor. Acrylics are an opaque, thicker painting medium whereas watercolors are thin and transparent. When using acrylics, you generally start by painting the darkest values first and layer the lighter values on top to create depth and volume. Watercolor, to me, is must like drawing. You start with lighter washes/values and work to the darker values.

This is the first watercolor painting I’ve done for myself (besides teaching samples) in over 10 years. I definitely had fun with it and I really enjoyed working with watercolors. Just like acrylics, they can be versatile but, obviously, in different ways. I like that I could create gradients rather easily. It also was nice to be able to work a little faster and more freely. However, I still prefer my acrylics! 

Below is the time-lapse video of the painting.

"Deb's Rubicon" - Watercolor on Paper - 8" x 10" by Kimberly English ©2018

To order your own vehicle watercolor painting, click here: http://bit.ly/2uQJRD9

Painting Progression: The Nameless

Last June, my sister-in-law, Windi, flew in from Indiana with my niece, Brooklin, to stay with us for a visit. During that week, we went to my friend Kathy's house to see and feed the farm animals. The kids had a great time feeding the chickens bread and watching them run around the yard. It was a very hot, muggy summer day. After we finished feeding the chickens, some retreated to the shade under Kathy's Ford tractor. I took a picture and I knew I needed to paint it.

While I was working on the painting I thought about chickens and their role on the farm. They provide eggs and meat for our consumption, eat bugs throughout the yard, and provide fertilization for gardening. I understand how important they are and thought how ironically most times in large flocks chickens are not named. I wanted to title the painting "The Nameless" to bring that paradox to the viewers' attention for consideration.

Below is the painting along with the progression video of it's creation. 

Please leave me a comment, I'd love to hear what you think!

The original painting is available for purchase.

It is also available in archival prints, greeting cards, and pillows. Click here to shop

Upcoming July Painting Workshops

I have a couple of new painting workshops coming up for both adults and youth! No experience is required and all supplies are included in the price of the workshop. Click the images below to register. Class sizes are small to ensure everyone receives my personal attention and has a happy experience painting.

Sunflower Canvas on 7/21/18 from 1-3PM - $25

Paint a sunflower on canvas using complementary colors. 

Hei Hei Youth Painting Workshop on 7/21/18 from 10AM-12PM - $20

"The chicken lives!" Young artists will learn to draw and paint Hei Hei, the silly chicken from Moana. Shading and highlights will be used to create dimension and texture. 

Studio Location
A Whole New Light
328 Harding Highway
Elmer, NJ 08318

A Wild and Wonderful Weekend

This past weekend we spent a couple of days in the beautiful state of West Virginia to celebrate my birthday. We stayed at an AirBNB in Rio and made plans to visit a former co-worker of mine as well as ride the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railway Train. We had fun exploring the countryside on the winding roads and taking in the mountainous views. Below are some pictures of some inspiring scenes.

Mail Pouch Barn on Route 50

Barn in the center of Romney, WV

Potomac Eagle

View from Potomac Eagle

Eagle sighted during the train ride

Mail Pouch barn on Route 50

Berries on the side of the road