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Studio News and Workshops from Karen O’Brien

By Karen O'Brien, 63 contributed posts
View all 's posts.
About the author: I am an artmaker, pathfinder, teacher and storyteller. I use whatever materials inspire me to begin my journey. My style is a blend of Folk and Fantasy Art. It is a fusion of what I see everyday, dream and imagine. My paintings evolve over many layers, using paint, marks and intuition to find the soulful, imaginary characters I call my "urban folk." See her artist listing at SOAR! Karen is a self taught mixed media artist and teacher who began her creative journey as teddy bear and doll artist. She added collage and paint over 10 years ago and is still inspired with the infinite possibilities of combining her favorite materials. Her approach to her art and teaching is: "no mistakes, just dive in and see what happens." Karen art has been published in Somerset Studio, Art Journaling, Art Doll Quarterly. She is a featured artist in Incite: The Best of Mixed Media, Incite: Color Passions and a guest artist in Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals by Carla Sonheim. Karen strives to provide her students with a fun, inspiring classroom environment where they feel free to take creative risks and enjoy the results. View Karen's teaching listing at SOAR

KEO Art Logo - Karen O'Brien

Imaginary Characters book cover, by Karen O'BrienStudio News

I have just added a new workshop in sunny San Diego, May 21 at Art on 30th. It is a beautiful new art and workspace. You will have a chance to not only make some art, but also be inspired by original art in the gallery space and on almost every wall. Details on the class are below.
My book Imaginary Characters: Mixed Media Painting Techniques for Figures and Faces is now available from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Bring your copy to any of my teaching events and I will be glad to add a little drawing and signature. I thank everyone who has given such wonderful reviews. I am enjoying the art from some of the projects, on Facebook. Keep the photos coming!

Creating Character, workshop with Karen O'BrienCreating Character: May 21, 2016 at  Art on 30th San Diego, CA.

We will spend a fun filled day exploring the world of whimsical character creation, using drawing exercises and mixed media techniques to help you discover you own unique style. You will come away with a multitude of new techniques, characters and ideas for future projects.  You can view the space and sign up for class now by contacting them on the website or calling  (619) 894-9009.

 

 

Magical Characters, workshop with Karen O'BrienMagical Characters: Painting with Fluid Acrylics

at the Pacific Northwest Art School on beautiful Whidbey, Island, WA July 9-10, 2016. 2 full days of painting magic. I will take you on a journey from inspiration to your finished piece. I will cover drawing, faces, backgrounds, transfers and how to use my favorite paint techniques and provide plenty of individual guidance and encouragement along the way.

 

 

Mixed Media Tip from Karen O'BrienMixed Media Tip

To add texture to a surface, try using anaglypta wall paper as collage. Anaglypta is a paintable texturized wall paper, found at your local home improvement center. It can be glued down, like collage, to your surface. Paint will pool in the patterns and give your painting depth. If you can’t find textured wall paper, try using gel medium through a stencil. This example shows the use of both techniques. Have some creative fun with this!

 

April 21st, 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Category: Art Community Posts, Art Forms, Art Matters..., Artist Posts, by Karen O'Brien, Classes and Workshops, Classes and Workshops, Collage, Cultivating Your Talent, Mixed Media, Painting, to Artists

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