Painting Intimate Moments of Motherhood: April 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

Dear Commission Clients ~ Holding On... Letting Go

(I'd like to show you the process of a new painting titled Holding On... Letting Go)

To my dear commission clients, past, current and future

~ Let me promise you one thing ~

If there comes a time when I am not feeling it, when your piece is not coming to me, I will step back. I will work on other pieces until the passion and fire returns - and it ALWAYS does.

It may be the middle of the night, 6am, or while I am cooking dinner, but when the fire sparks I grab the brush (or at least the pen, pencil, chalk or marker...) Then, watch out!

I desire to not push, force or fake a painting - and if I attempt to, it is terribly obvious.

Instead, I prefer to trust in the process and work on a separate painting until I am perfectly ready to attack the commissioned piece (or any piece, which is why I usually have 3-5 pieces in progress at any one time!).

If I did not feel the fire and passion when discussing your painting idea with you, trust me, we would not be working together! It takes only moments for me to know if I want to progress on an idea and I have turned down only a few jobs because the passion was not coming forth. This is your guarantee that your painting is more to me than a job :)

When I hear you describe your children, your emotions and inspirations for your family ~ your reflections of love and devotion ~ the embers begin to glow and I can almost feel the painting - it begins to compose itself in my soul and my mind's eye.

When I met with M.A. to discuss a painting we could create together (which turned out to be Holding On... Letting Go, shown here) and what it would mean to her, the images came to me very quickly - I wanted to get up and dance as I visualized the mother moving with her children - her arm twirling, the dancy feeling that would need to be infused. I was feeling the painting before it was even a sketch :) It was wonderfully inspiring.

Recently, while sketching, in tune for a client's piece, I contemplated adding a pillow which would transform the composition from a family sitting to a family lying in bed. And adding a lock of the mother's hair that would wrap around the father's shoulders, encompassing the whole family. Part of me felt it would be a good idea, part of me thought it may look strange.

I stared, then quickly drew in the lock of hair ~ instantly a lump formed in my throat and I knew it was to be so. My client responded very well to this as well (with tears).

Holding On... Letting Go (complete)

I adore the painting process, the process of futzing and creating/recreating - it ignites me - and I can't imagine having any other job.

It even pulls me away from my other daily jobs when I burn dinner so that I can get an idea sketched, or add a bit to a painting when inspiration strikes!

THANK YOU to (you-know-who-you-are) for your trust, inspiration, support, love & kindness - I have thoroughly enjoyed painting for you!

Holding On... Letting Go (details)

I hope you have a lovely weekend!
Love & Sincerely ~ Katie

Free Cards Friday ~ Priority Health Chiropractic ~ 5th Annual Mother's Day Event

Priority Health Chiropractic is presenting its 5th Annual Mother's Day Event

Bring a friend for girls night out and enjoy an evening of gourmet food, wine and live music.

Free massage, mini facials, pampering products, jewelry and candles, the lastest fashions and fitness trends, women's health resources and so much more!

AND Katie m. Berggren prints available!

My darling friend Donna Mac of Auntie Donna NW Pet Nanny will be gracious enough
to stand-in for me, offering my prints.

Thursday May 6th ~ from 6pm-9pm
Riverstone Marketplace ~ 3401 SE 192nd Avenue #100 Vancouver WA
(Same complex as Priority Health Chiropractic)

In honor of you and all that you do, this fabulous event is free! Brought to you by Priority Health Chiropractic.

If you are a Mother...
If you have a Mother....
If you know a Mother...
Then you are WELCOME!

You must RSVP for this event: ~ 882-7733 or email prioritypatients@comcast.net

This is where I see Dr. Min for my Chiropractic care, and this event will be wonderful, I would love to be there but I will also love being in downtown Portland experiencing First Thursday with the art galleries and street vendors.

It's Free Cards Friday! Comment on THIS blog post (here at the blog or on the Facebook page) and be in the running to win some cards ~ I'll choose the winner on Monday.

Love & Sincerely ~ Katie

Thursday, April 29, 2010

The Enchanted Gift Shop ~ Vancouver WA ~ Grand Opening Saturday May 1

I am honored to have had the opportunity to meet Gail and Jody - owners of The Enchanted Gift Shop and Tea Room in Vancouver, Washington.
And I am honored that they have decided to offer my 5x7 art cards and feature 2 of my paintings (Recharge and Pieces Of Me).

Upon entering, you can feel the whimsical enchantment of this shop, and inside there is a sweet, centrally located little tea room featuring 50 different loose leaf teas... with free samples daily! Not to mention the myriad of unique and inspiring gifts adorning the shelves and walls.

The Enchanted Gift Shop and Tea Room

502 Washington Street, Vancouver, WA

GRAND OPENING:
Saturday May 1st, 9am-9pm ~ Free Tea And Treats All Day

View the shop's Facebook Fan Page

Go, have fun, drink tea, find a gift you can't live without ~ then tell me all about it!

Love & Sincerely, Katie

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Mother's Child, today's 10x10 ~ Earthy Movement and Texture Inspired By a Tree...

Mother's Child ~ the newest painting in The Forty Minis Collection has arrived!
You can find this and/or the remaining available paintings in the collection in the Online Etsy shop.

The canvas that contains this painting previously held a tree ~ a big branchy tree full of bird life that was inspired by the tree in my front yard ~ a tree painting I had started but had not felt the desire to finish. I decided to create this earthy pair over the top of the tree and felt its influence in the natural colors and movement. Consequently, this painting has a heavily textured surface that gives me happy, inspirational goose bumps.

The Mother's Day Gift Pack is NOW AVAILABLE in the Online Etsy shop - 2 Prints and 2 Art Cards for $22 - that is a $12 savings :) It's 2 & 2 for 22!

Tomorrow is Free Cards Friday, (comment on tomorrow's post, here at the blog or on my Facebook page) and be entered to win some cards! I will pick the winner on Monday.

Have a great day! Love & Sincerely ~ Katie

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Sharing The Gift ~ Painting Process

Sharing The Gift, the second painting in the Working Mothers series is in process, and I'd love to know what you think.

motherhood painting: Sharing The Gift

I will let you know when the painting is complete, as it will be uploaded to the Mother/Child Connection Portfolio on my website.

Have a great Wednesday!

The new 10x10 for The Forty Minis Collection is complete and ready for Thursday morning's release. It is a very textural one!

Love & Sincerely ~ Katie

Monday, April 26, 2010

Recent Commissioned Piece ~ Free Cards Winner

This painting was created for and is in honor of a woman who has her own vital and vibrant identity ~ as well as being a devoted mother. I hoped to infuse attitude, energy, love, spirit, happiness and confidence with every brush stroke that went into this painting. (~xo N, thanks ~)

The sketch was so rough and loose - each time I attempted to finesse it, it went static on me - and that is no good. I yearn for the freedom of the canvas, and to tie the composition down with too "finished" of a sketch is such a bummer...

The Free Cards Winner for last week is Danielle - thanks for playing! Let's do it again this week.

Have a great night,
Love & Sincerely, Katie

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Inspired By Life...

...you've asked what inspires me to create...

Have a lovely Sunday,

Sincerely, Katie

Friday, April 23, 2010

Free Cards Friday ~ Life as a Process

How long does it take for us to realize who we are and how we are meant to go about our lives?

I’m almost 32 and as one piece falls into place – others are now following – one line in a book, one line in a song, one instance in a day - but I feel I am far from knowing all of my purpose… life is for certain a process, isn't it?

Now, the struggle for me is to remember all that I learn each day/week - gathering those glimpses and pieces - even writing them down isn't a guarantee because the journal or sketchbook or scrap of paper (or wall) that I write them on doesn't feel organized. Will I ever find these little messages to myself again?

(maybe our job is to write them down, and trust that when we need them, they will surface...)

Roots & Wings, 2007, 17x22", acrylic on boards, framed, $200

message from the artist, about Roots & Wings:
We've heard it said that the most important gifts we can give our children are Roots & Wings ~ roots for safety, security, and a place to call home ~ a mama whom they know will always love them. And Wings ~ freedom and trust that they may use to reach for their goals, look toward their dreams and take on the world in their own fashion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” Anais Nin

and while on the subject of processes, this one is oh so true:

“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.”
Julia Cameron

It's Free Cards Friday! Comment on THIS blog post (here at the blog or on the Facebook page) and be in the running to win some cards ~ I'll choose the winner on Monday.

Love & Sincerely ~ Katie

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

It Goes Without Saying ~ Today's 10x10 Release ~ Mothers Day Gift Pack

It Goes Without Saying ~ the newest painting in The Forty Minis Collection. You can find this and/or the remaining available paintings in the collection in the Online Etsy shop.

We lie together, wrapped together, we 3.
As he drifts off he tells daddy he loves him – I say “I love you baby” –
he sinks deeper into his comfort.
I run my fingers through his short hair and say “I love you angel” – he nuzzles his perfectly smooth forehead against my face – his eyes closed now. Then I realize,
it goes without saying… and he understands this:
to be a child is to love your mama.
And he knows I know. We lie together, wrapped together, me marveling at the absolute smooth beauty,
perfection and wisdom of my five-year-old son.

Get your peek at It Goes Without Saying here in The Forty Minis Collection or snatch it up for yourself in the Online Etsy shop

The Mother's Day Gift Pack is NOW AVAILABLE in the Online Etsy shop - 2 Prints and 2 Art Cards for $22 - that is a $12 savings :) It's 2 & 2 for 22!

Tomorrow is Free Cards Friday, (comment on tomorrow's post, here at the blog or on my Facebook page) and be entered to win some cards! I will pick the winner on Monday.

Have a GREAT Thursday!

Love & Sincerely, Katie

Monday, April 19, 2010

Free Cards Winner ~ It Goes Without Saying...

Thursday's 10x10 for The Forty Minis Collection is growing in the studio, it is called It Goes Without Saying, and here are the words that ran through my mind as I lay with my son tonite. The words I scratched madly while planning this painting. (I may show you an image before Thursday, or maybe not!)

It Goes Without Saying

We lie together, wrapped together, we 3. As he drifts off he tells daddy he loves him – I say “I love you baby” – he sinks deeper into his comfort. I run my fingers through his short hair and say “I love you angel” – he nuzzles his perfectly smooth forehead against my face – his eyes closed now.
Then I realize, it goes without saying… and he understands this: to be a child is to love your mama. And he knows I know.
We lie together, wrapped together, me marveling at the absolute smooth beauty, perfection and wisdom of my five-year-old son.

And I love it so much, that as soon as I started this new painting, I grabbed another canvas and began creating one based on the same idea, for my beautiful son.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow, YOU set a new record, there were 15 commenters for last weeks Free Cards Friday! So, yep - I'm randomly choosing two winners this week... Melody and Wendy! Thank you so much for playing, let's do it again this Friday!

Have a wonderful week,
Love & Sincerely, Katie

Friday, April 16, 2010

Free Cards Friday!

It is very late on Thursday night (now officially Friday), and I realize as I work on a commissioned piece, that I am a serious futzer! I can futz and futz over one (in this case, large) painting for hours and hours and hours :) it's the passion and desire to get it just so, I think.

Thus, this is all the energy I have, just enough to say...

It's Free Cards Friday! Comment on THIS post (here at the blog or on the Facebook page) and be in the running to win some cards ~ I'll choose the winner on Monday.

and...

When people go to work, they shouldn't have to leave their hearts at home.
~Betty Bender

The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.
~Arnold Toynbee

Which is Why I Keep Doing This!
Have a GREAT day!

Love & Sincerely ~ Katie

Above Image: Recharge

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

“A Nice Long Day” ~ the newest painting in The Forty Minis Collection

“A Nice Long Day” ~ the newest painting in The Forty Minis Collection. You can find this and/or the remaining available paintings in the collection in the Online Etsy shop.

Get your peek at A Nice Long Day here in The Forty Minis Collection
or order a print of it for yourself in the Online Etsy shop (the original painting has SOLD)

...My boys and I have had several of these days in a row, where we collapse heavily into sleep in the evening, the fusses and minor complications of the day forgotten, dwarfed by the many cheerful happenings...

The Mother's Day Gift Pack is NOW AVAILABLE in the Online Etsy shop - 2 Prints and 2 Art Cards for $22 - that is a $12 savings :) It's 2 & 2 for 22!

Tomorrow is Free Cards Friday, (comment on tomorrow's post, here at the blog or on my Facebook page) and be entered to win some cards! I will pick the winner on Monday.

Have a grateful day!

"Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, an antiseptic."
John Henry Jowett

Love & Sincerely, Katie

Monday, April 12, 2010

One Final 8x8 Painting Available ~ Free Cards Winner

The final opportunity remains – the final opportunity to own a piece of the 85 8x8s Collection. Pieces of Me is the final 8x8 available in the Online Etsy Shop.

In January of 2009, I had an idea to expand upon – I knew about all of the Painting A Day painters who created a small painting each day and placed it out into the world for everyone to see. I liked the idea, the challenge, the rhythm and the motivation – but I knew I’d be crazy to set myself up with something like a painting a day. I have trouble coming up with a new idea for dinner every day.

Plus, I wanted to make it special, make it my own. So, I took a month to ponder and came up with the 85 8x8s for $85 Collection. It had a nice ring to it, and was fun to brand (and I love to brand) so I went for it. Crossing my fingers that I wouldn’t wilt somewhere within the process, preferably not at the beginning!

Beginning February 1st I was releasing 1-3 8x8 inch paintings each week – some day of each week – until I realized that it would be even more rhythmic to make it the same morning each week. Thursday became the morning of choice. So each Thursday morning between 7 and 7:30am the paintings hit the streets! Via Etsy, Email, Blog, Facebook and my Website.

This collection was introduced as 85 pieces infused with my attention & passion ~ many may blossom into larger pieces, while many will be too intimate to recreate. Many will beg to be coupled, or hung in 3s & 4s.

Several collectors took advantage of this idea and purchased a multitude of 8x8s – displaying them lovingly in couplets and groups. With many of my valued collectors now owning up to 20 8x8s each.

These small intimate paintings did indeed inspire larger paintings, as you can see throughout this post.

I was staying up late on Wednesday nights, finishing the paintings, getting them scanned and ready, then updating the website, blog and the Online Etsy Shop, for Thursday morning’s blast.

Not only did I not wilt shortly into the process, I found it increasingly exciting! By the time I had released the first 10 paintings, a couple sold – when I reached somewhere around 15, a couple more sold and before I knew it the idea was catching on. Mothers all around were liking the idea, and so was I.
Song in My Soul (sold), 8x8

At several points the paintings sold within 3-20 minutes of being posted into the Etsy shop.

I felt like I was a part of a little community – a close-knit group of mothers who also wanted to catch and hold onto those tiny quick moments of motherhood. The kinship is warming.

We were chatting, we were sharing ideas and they were giving me feedback and inspiration that I could barely keep up with. All the while I was living with two little boys and experiencing the world with them, and the ideas kept pouring in. One simple day could yield the ideas for 5 or more paintings – the question was whether or not I could get them down or if I would need to try and recall them once in the studio at night.

Crush (sold), 16x20 ~ inspired by Song in My Soul, 8x8

The 8x8 Collection gave me the opportunity to get so many of my ideas OUT of my head, OUT of my sketchbook and OUT into the world! The challenges kept coming and the inspiration and confidence that bloomed was phenomenal. I would grab a canvas and begin a composition, not knowing where it would end up, then leave it alone and work on another. All the while the first one was growing in my mind.

This process strengthened my confidence – my ability to feel my way onto a canvas – not needing each piece to be perfectly planned – but letting the compositions take shape, the paints mix directly onto the canvas.

This process required and allowed me to make a complete mess of my studio – to give into the process, to surrender to the pull and the eagerness of my mother friends who kept asking for more.

This collection spanned three studios, as well, as our family moved twice during the process!

Nine whole months were required to produce these 85 pieces, The 8x8 Collection coming to a close at the end of October 2009.

My thoughts on the closing of the collection where these:

“It seems sad and isolate to let go of this collection that has opened me and closed me, stretched me and compressed me, delighted me and stressed me for 9 straight months.

I am happy with the finished family of 85, but is it really about the outcome? The finished pieces? Or is it about the process?

The stumble, the path, the walk, the doors that open pulled by inspiration and insight – pulled by experiences and quiet meditation – pulled by time with my boys that I know I will never retrieve…

Fresh young years of their life that have this one chance to be lived…I look forward to seeing what lies ahead in the long run, while I feel my way onto the canvas, as though my heart and soul is gripping the brush and my mind is but an extra appendage…I love what I do, and if I follow my soul I’ll be completely free to do what I am divinely called to do. The rest will be taken care of.”

Quench (sold), 8x8

I took a month off from weekly paintings to release a series of Limited Edition Giclees, then decided I must start a new collection.

By December 2009 when The Forty Minis Collection began, there were approximately 15 8x8 paintings remaining in the 85 8x8s for $85 Collection.

Keep (sold), 16x20 ~ inspired by Quench, 8x8

Today, four months into The Forty Minis Collection (a series of 10x10 inch paintings, one released – you guessed it – each Thursday morning between 7-7:30am) there remains just one 8x8 painting.

Pieces of Me was released on June 25 of 2009 – just about exactly half-way through the collection. She was first released as a cooler painting, then later warmed up and infused with Springtime.

Here are the thoughts about this painting:

“The time has come for me to pass my Maya Wrap on - the piece of motherhood that has been the source of some of my paintings, and allowed me to carry my little ones around with me - as if they were still a part of me.

pieces of me, 8x8 - detail

My boys keep growing and I'm becoming more and more of a "Mom" and less of a "Mommy", but knowing I'll no longer use my wrap is truly affecting me...”

I feel uncommonly grateful to the men and women who have lifted me up over this last year – who have provided their feedback and support – who have found connections in pieces (some of them down-right uncanny and almost spooky how the connections fit together) and took them home to share or keep.

But, now I know – I know that when you have an idea to expand upon, you better do it – and let yourself get tangled up in the challenge, the rhythm and the motivation – because great results come from good hard work.

The beginning of April 2010 marks the 16th month of producing at least one painting per week (I was pre-producing during the month of Giclee releases, preparing for the beginning of the Forty Minis Collection) – the challenge has been remarkable and at times unbearable – the way this has stretched both myself and my collection of friends and collectors has wowed me.

Thank you so much for your support, time, purchases, inspiration, feedback, kind and loving words and friendship.

Love & Sincerely, Katie

Oh Yes! The Free Cards Winner for last week... the winner is... Candi! Thank you all for playing - let's do it again this Friday!