2014 -2015The Great Mandala sculpture exhibition Toyota Community Spirit Gallery Melbourne
Karen Hopkins Artist CV
Karen an exhibiting artist (painter and sculptor)for over 20 years has works in numerous corporate and private collections both nationally and internationally. She holds solo exhibitions annually and regularly participates group shows. Her recent abstract paintings draw on themes inspired by nature, emotions, human interactions and virtues within us. Using colour, texture, form and rhythm she aims to take the viewer on a journey and explore the deeper levels that connect us all.
‘Journeys’- an exploration of physical and spiritual journeys into unknown or confronting terrain leading to self- discovery and growth.
‘VINEWORKS’ and Vines 2’ a large and small-scale examination of vines and vineyards in western Australia’s Swan Valley.
‘AQUAESSENCE’:-an appreciation of water as an essential energy a life force running through us.
ARTOPIA 05: Studio open
‘Something fishy @ RISEBOROUGH ’: water from a fish’s point of view
‘Earth’ its rejuvenation and our connections with it
‘Moments’ -exploring moments when we are present
‘West to East ‘-a personal expression of moving interstate and dealing with change’
‘Bayside and beyond’ a diverse exhibition of paintings and sculptures inspired by varied landscapes and their impacts
‘Elements’ an exhibition of vibrant paintings and mixed media sculptures and exploring an appreciation of the Elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Air; their pure energy impact and our interaction with them.
‘Connections’ observations of urban life contrasted with vast spaces in nature exploring connections we make in our lives, relationships and our interactions with different places.
‘Contemplations’ an exhibition of paintings and sculpturesexploring a cross section of subjects in nature and some aspects of what it means to be human
‘Impermanence’ exploring change
‘Changing Seasons ‘an exhibiting of paintings sculptures and poems exploring seasons in the landscape and ourselves
‘Venice Reflections ‘paintings in various media, sculpture and poetryinspired by a month-long residency in Venice in 2017.
Solo exhibitions:
2001 Transformational Moods (MOORES Gallery Fremantle Western Australia)
2003 Journeys (Gallows Gallery Mosman Park Perth Western Australia)
2004 VINEWORKS (Houghton winery Gallery Swan Valley Western Australia)
2005 AQUAESSENCE (Gallows Gallery Mosman Park Perth W.A)
2005 Vines 2(invitation exhibition for Spring in the Valley at Houghton Winery)
2005 Something fishy @ RISEBOROUGH (Riseborough Winery –Gingin WA)
2007 Earth MONART Studio Gallery Dalkeith
2007 ARTOPIA studio open
2009 Moments Kingfisher Gallery West Perth
2009 Recent Works- Perth Concert Hall
2009 Studio Art exhibition
2010 West to East Suburban Gallery Brighton Melbourne
2011 Bayside and beyond Without Pier Gallery Hampton Melbourne
2013 Elements Yering Station Yarra valley
2014 Connections Gasworks Art Park Melbourne
2015 Contemplations Without Pier Gallery Melbourne
2016(Dec-Jan 2017) Impermanence Yering Station Gallery Yarra Valley
2017 April –Artist residency and group exhibition Venice-Biennale Fringe
2017 Changing Seasons Hawthorn Studio Gallery
2018 Venice Reflections Without Pier Art Gallery
Blue Skies & Beyond | Painting the Sky with Pastel
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Painting the Sky You See
Every landscape painter knows that the sky illuminates the scene. Think of it as a household lamp. The sun represents a warm light bulb, the ozone a blue lampshade surrounding the light bulb and clouds a decorative pattern suspended upon the lampshade. The position of the sun, degree of atmospheric particulates and density of the clouds all interact to produce the effects we see in the sky. Painting the sky and capturing these luminous effects successfully with pastel can be made easier with a few helpful painting tips gleaned through observation.
Visually, we are closer to the portion of the ozone layer, which is the blue of the sky, directly above our heads. The farther we look into the distance, toward the horizon, the lighter it appears. Landscape artists often embellish this effect by darkening the sky at the top of a painting and lightening it towards the horizon to magnify the appearance of depth within a painting. The intensity, or chromatic brightness, of a blue sky also diminishes as it recedes toward the horizon. This is due to the compounding of reflective light across the surface of the landscape. It is more pronounced when the sun is positioned lower in the sky. The farther into the distance you can see, unencumbered by mountains and trees, the more evident the effect. Typically, painters will start with a rich dark blue-violet at the top of the sky, transition to blue in the mid section, and place a lighter, slightly grayed, blue-green nearer the horizon. In some instances, a dull pink may appear right on the horizon, especially in distant desert or water landscapes. In higher elevations, landscapes tend to have darker, deeper blue skies due to the closer proximity to the ozone layer and the thinness of the air. When painting this type of sky, don’t be afraid to make the sky a darker value and more intense in color than in a wide-open, lower elevation, scene. To represent the quality of light and heighten the luminosity of a painted sky, many pastel painters fracture color, utilizing an analogous (brother/sister) system of color application and leave it unblended. An example for a blue sky would be a broken application of blue, blue-violet, and blue-green pastel. This system works well for clouds as well.
The Landscape On a Cloudy Day
Overcast skies are often thought of as being cool in terms of color temperature. While the filtered mixture of warm sunlight and cool ozone light may appear colder in temperature than direct sunlight, the light emitted from an overcast sky is really a warm gray. Even if there appears to be cool blue/violet shadows in the clouds, as happens during an intense thunderstorm, they are never as chromatically bright as the clear blue of the ozone. Utilizing various analogous hues of gray will also create more luminosity, just as it does for a blue sky. Mount Vision soft pastels make a wonderful 25 assortment called Thunderstorm Grey. It is a favorite with many pastelists who enjoy painting cloudy/overcast skies.
Top instructor Liz Haywood-Sullivan shares her passions and skill for painting landscapes in pastels with colorful skies and realistic water in her Painting Brilliant Skies & Water in Pastel eBook. Get your copy and keep the blue skies rolling in!
