Art demo at the Napa County Fair

I'll be doing not one, but two painting demonstrations at the Napa County Fair this year. I'll be there this weekend – Saturday and Sunday, July 2nd and 3rd. This year, though, I'll be painting inside the new Calistoga Art Center, which is a part of the fairgrounds. (That also means I'll be cooler!)

If you come by the art center, you can watch me paint and ask questions, you can watch or help assemble the art center's float for the Fourth of July parade, you can get involved in some children's art activities, and you can check out our beautiful big space – a great spot to come and get creative.

There's also lots to do at the fair to engage your senses and delight your creativity – including the art and photo exhibits to see.

I'll be painting from 5 to 8 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. I haven't yet decided what I'll do – maybe a landscape one day, maybe a mixed media piece the next? Hmmm... maybe I'll bring some block printing info down with me, too.... If you're in town, I hope you'll stop by. The fairgrounds – and the art center – are located at 1435 North Oak Street in Calistoga, California.

Painting landscapes and taking photographs

We'll be painting landscapes at the Calistoga Art Center this Saturday (June 25th), working from photographs. Although my students may be bringing their own photos, I'll have a nice big collection of photos they can choose from, too.

Painting Landscapes runs from 10 to 5 (bring a lunch, and come a little early if you like). You can find more information at my workshops website at www.NapaValleyArtWorkshops.com.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse at dusk • photo © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Last weekend, on a museum-visiting and photo-taking quick trip to the Monterey Bay area, I was able to shoot some photographs of Elkhorn Slough and the coast from Davenport north to Half Moon Bay. When I reached Pigeon Point Lighthouse at dusk, there was still just enough light in the sky to capture the lighthouse.

Simple Pleasures II

Cherry Trio • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Last Thursday's Calistoga ArtWalk was a wonderful evening for me. Thank you to everyone who stopped by for my reception! If you're in Calistoga sometime between now and the end of August, and haven't seen it yet, I hope you'll stop by All Seasons Bistro and take a look at the drawings I'm showing there.

I added a couple more small pieces shortly before the opening – okay, I started to get a little more paint-y with the apple, but I still consider these essentially drawings with color washes (albeit multiple layers). They're on either side of the wine library doors, and easy to miss, so be sure to go all the way to the back of the restaurant to find them.

Blue Plate Apple • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

By the way, All Seasons is a marvelous restaurant, well known for both their food and their very large wine collection. Their current dessert menu includes two or three desserts with cherries, so my little cherry drawings turned out to be thematic without my knowing it.

This show, and the work I've been doing lately, has really taken me back to my drawing roots, which has been a joy. My big brushes and canvases are calling, so I'll be returning to my bright, warm palette of colors and California landscapes soon... but I don't intend to stay away from my pencils and sketchbooks for too long....