Category Archives: making a living

Good Clients

I love working for really good clients. What makes a good client, you ask?  Responsive, present for our discussions, willing to make decisions when we need them, friendly (a huge bonus!), appreciative of the many images sent to them, patient … Continue reading

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Bright Ideas: Waxed Linen Twine

Mitchell goes through so much of this twine in a year when he has upholstery projects. This is the twine that ties the seats and backs! Bright Ideas multi-color journal (which I am not sure is still sold at Barnes … Continue reading

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Rona2: Day in a Pandemic Life

We are working, still, harder than ever it seems. As we have no employees and the people we work with all have their own studios, it is an easy thing to do except that now we spend much more time … Continue reading

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Studio Urban Sketching

Urban Sketchers has never allowed people who were stuck at home for either surgery or recouping or just unable to get out due to their medical issues to sketch their environment.  After being laid up literally on my back for … Continue reading

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Morning Coffee

I wanted to be writing a different kind of blog about my artwork “Morning Coffee” today. I sketch about our lives, and especially times with Mitchell and the cats, the best times of the day, cooking, laughing, color, sharing. Mitchell … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, calligraphy, cards, copyleft, creativity, drawing, ink painting, journal, making a living, memory, painting, pen & ink, ritual, sketchbook, tools, watercolor, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Shift In Goals: A Post from My Patreon Page

Goals are shifting for me, and instead of rewriting what I posted succinctly to my Patreons, I am sharing it with you, my blog followers.  I am a Patreon to several artists, and have my own Patreons, a modern way … Continue reading

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Memorial Weekend

The bliss of having several days unplugged from the business: The ability to do a personal check-in with my psyche. It is hard to process tragedies when you are swamped at work. To sleep in — Omi, so nice, and … Continue reading

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Yippee Ki-yo-ki-yay!

This big push is over. All the decorative parts are accounted for and assessed. Yippee Ki-yo-ki-yay! To hear about classes, follow me on Facebook or check out my new, improved dkatiepowellart.com “Memory is more indelible than ink.” Anita Loos, Gentlemen … Continue reading

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American Flag

Back to work 100% today. I find it so strange the way things come in waves. Suddenly we are getting calls and repairing various historic American flags. I love the colors and decided to do a detail. To hear about … Continue reading

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Table Legs

I had the opportunity to repair the finish on these lovely legs from a family table, and now I paint them.  They were stacked in my finish studio for a long time in this manner and reminded me of ancient … Continue reading

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Sketches toward the commission

I work a couple of sketches similar to the commissioned pieces. trying strokes for leaves, sky variations, whatever I need to play with! The two small studies of bungalows in NW Portland (below) turned out okay for test subjects!! They … Continue reading

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Walnut Park, Portland, Oregon Commission

A commission to create a painting from photographs for an intern leaving for the next leg of her journey landed on my desk. I typically work on several images at the same time; it relieves the pressure in case one … Continue reading

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NEW dkatiepowellart.com Site!

New dkatiepowellart.com site is up and running! This is far improved from my old site in that it is easier to  negotiate buying and selling of originals and prints on my own site (once I get the kinks worked out), … Continue reading

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Illustration and Commission

Today I am off to a workshop on illustrating children’s books.  I’ve always been available for commission work but did not know there were groups where I could meet others. I will be meeting authors and agents and find out … Continue reading

Posted in animation, art journal, commission, drawing, ink painting, making a living, painting, pen & ink, watercolor, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tools: Organization

I am one of those super-organized people. Even before I was an architect. I hear about how hard it is for people to keep track of their images — if on the puter. Understand I am not a Pinterest fan. … Continue reading

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Hand-Mind Creative Connections

Liz Steel asked this morning if the architects she knows who draw needed to learn observational skills in order to sketch as artists. I sketch, practiced architecture until I left it to pursue art, and am an artist.  Most of … Continue reading

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Sammy in the Studio

Sammy in the upholstery studio… He even has his own chair, the Moon and Stars chair. Black cats are not easy to paint.  Black on black on black… Pentalic Aqua Journal, Platinum Carbon pen with Platinum Carbon ink; Noodler’s Lexington … Continue reading

Posted in animals, art journal, furniture, journal, making a living, memory, pen & ink, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Fort Rock

You might remember that I painted a sketch of Fort Rock as part of a folding journal after the Endangered Places of 2015 was announced?  It was based  on the photograph by Craig Powell, #1 in the line-up, below, along … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, commission, making a living, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments