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    Art

    Loosening Up My Painting Style

    December 5, 2022 by ProfK 2 Comments

    Dari's Hydrangea

    One of my painting goals for a few years has been to loosen things up and be more expressive. I want people to understand what they're looking at, but I don't want a photo-realistic style. For me, it's about painting from the heart. Regardless, I do tend to get caught up in the details and render my subjects too tightly. When finished, I am highly critical of how accurate my painting is! I think I'm finally beginning to break this crazy cycle. A friend once told me a way to reduce the … [Read more...] about Loosening Up My Painting Style

    Filed Under: Art Tagged With: expressiveness, mediums, painting style, pasetls, sketching, watercolor

    Revisiting a Painting

    September 5, 2022 by ProfK 3 Comments

    Revisiting a painting: hidden azaleas finished

    I usually know if a painting is finished. Something in my gut tells me there's nothing more to do and we've reached completion. If I'm unclear, I ask myself this question: "Am I futzing or finessing?" The answer will lead me to my next step. Futzing equals done! Finessing means I have to make a few tweaks. I can see some thing(s) that just doesn't look right. Yet, I might not know how to "fix" it. What tweaks should I make? That's when I put it away and revisit the painting at a later … [Read more...] about Revisiting a Painting

    Filed Under: Art Tagged With: Auburn Lake, en plein air, painting azaleas, pastel painting, Spectacle Pond

    Painting Azaleas at Auburn Lake

    June 5, 2022 by ProfK 2 Comments

    portil2104 - Azaleas on Blue

    I've always admired a pair of azalea bushes at Mount Auburn Cemetery's Auburn Lake. Their remarkable magenta and rose colors astound me. A Dawn Redwood tree provides a sheltering border. I love to paint in this quiet, magical area, especially in springtime. It's a very relaxing spot, very meditative. The only sounds I hear are birds singing. In fact, catbirds often watch me, probably because they build their nests there. Be sure to watch the video I made, posted at the end of this … [Read more...] about Painting Azaleas at Auburn Lake

    Filed Under: Art, Inspiration Tagged With: Auburn Lake, Dawn Redwood, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, painting azaleas, Spectacle Pond

    Transforming Belmont: Art on the Corner

    September 5, 2021 by ProfK 20 Comments

    Anne touching up the background on her transformer box

    Thanks to a generous grant from the Belmont Cultural Council, I was 1 of 5 artists awarded stipends to paint a transformer box! When I received the good news, I was super excited about diving into my first public art project and creating something that would beautify our community. But, I was also a little ambivalent because I had never painted anything this large. With a lot of guidance and encouragement, I found my way to the finish line! Transformer Box Proposal The “Transforming … [Read more...] about Transforming Belmont: Art on the Corner

    Filed Under: Art Tagged With: Acrylic Paints, Art Grant, Belmont Art Association, Belmont Cultural Council, Large-scale Art, Public Art, TransformingBelmont

    100 Day Art Challenge

    July 5, 2021 by ProfK 8 Comments

    100DayProject - day 100 - Purple Iris

    I’m always looking for ways to expand and improve my art skills. About a year ago, I took a Nature Journaling class at Naples Botanical Garden. It stretched me far beyond my comfort zone into the world of watercolor. This year, I participated in the #100DayProject, a free, global, Instagram art challenge to create something every day for 100 days. Moving back to MA after a few years in FL re-awakened my appreciation of the seasons. So, I chose “seasonal inspirations” as my theme. I set aside … [Read more...] about 100 Day Art Challenge

    Filed Under: Art Tagged With: art challenge, colored pencils, creative challenge, nature journaling, pen and ink, seasonal inspirations, watercolor, watercolor pencils

    Lessons Learned in Florida

    November 5, 2020 by ProfK 20 Comments

    Our time in southwest Florida is nearing its end, as Peggy (my partner) and I are moving back to Massachusetts in a couple of weeks. We've missed our community of family and friends, as well as the familiarity of places and offerings, more than we imagined. It's been a mixed experience in Florida: unusual circumstances, like friends moving away within months of our arrival; disconnect with aspects of the culture that don't resonate with us; surprises and delights with the ecology; learning … [Read more...] about Lessons Learned in Florida

    Filed Under: Art, Environment-Green-Sustainability Tagged With: Corkscrew Swamp, ecology, Everglades, Lake Okeechobee, palm trees, tropical flowers, water birds

    Finding Joy Out of My Comfort Zone

    April 5, 2020 by ProfK 20 Comments

    Orchid Valentine

    I've always loved watercolors, but never felt comfortable using them. Despite the many classes to learn this medium, the results were less than stellar. It was such a challenge figuring out how to control the water! At the beginning of this year, I finally found joy out of my comfort zone. I was 1 of 12 lucky people who qualified for a free watercolors class, funded by a grant received from Aroha Philanthropies by Naples Botanical Garden! It was called "Nature Journaling: Botany Through Art". … [Read more...] about Finding Joy Out of My Comfort Zone

    Filed Under: Art Tagged With: watercolor, watercolor cartridge brush, watercolor pencils

    Finding My Art Voice

    July 5, 2019 by ProfK 10 Comments

    Here I Stand - Finished Work | Pastel © 2019 Anne S. Katzeff

    Discovering my voice in art was a gradual process. When I returned to making art a few years ago, I was driven by the desire to convey the emotional, ethereal, spiritual experience of swimming with wild dolphins. Words did not suffice, so I had to express visually. Initially, I used colored pencils to sketch the dolphins in their oceanic playground. That was my most comfortable medium, stemming from years of using them to draw abstract, geometric mandalas. It was good to begin with a … [Read more...] about Finding My Art Voice

    Filed Under: Art Tagged With: Corkscrew Swamp, en plein air, florida, landscapes, pastels, vegetation

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    New Book Published!

    Kornegger book: Inside the Rainbow

    Art and design for book cover and interior

    Inside the Rainbow: Soul Connection in Nature, by Peggy Kornegger

    BUY THE BOOK!

    Peggy and I have completed our 3rd book together! This one is about soul connection in nature. Peggy is the writer, I'm the designer and artist. I think it's pretty darn special and hope you agree 🙂. Printed book and eBook are both available on Amazon.

     
    kornegger loseyourmind front cover
    Several of my paintings are in this book (including the cover)
    BUY THE BOOK!
     
    Check out my blog post about designing books: Self-Publishing Adventures

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    Testimonials

    I received the notecards on Friday and it was on my to do list today to email you my deep appreciation for them. They are amazing and I am so glad to have them to share. I am sure I will order more in the future. You are such a gifted artist and I thank you for sharing in a way others can use the art.

    — Shari Spokes

    Your new pastel "Lettuce Lake” is really beautiful. Very, very nice.

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    My dear sweet sister. I can’t tell you how much I love your pictures. I so much wanted something and was so sorry that I couldn’t pick something out at your sale. On the other hand, I so much wanted something that you had chosen for me. Its been on my mind and suddenly, your beautiful pictures arrived. They are beyond beautiful and I cried when I saw them. Sending you love and my bestness.

    — Marti from Reno, NV

    Copyright

    © 2000-2023 Anne S. Katzeff. All rights reserved. Unless noted, all artwork and text are copyrighted by the artist. Images may not be reproduced, manipulated, or used in any way without Anne’s written permission.

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