I am thrilled to announce that this year I will once again be creating special commemorative drawing for the 2010 Kentucky Derby celebration! This artwork will be exclusive to the Hyatt Regency in Louisville, and only those who take part in the Hyatt’s Derby Package Weekend will receive a signed print. They have a few rooms left, so if you are planning to attend this year’s Derby Festivities, make sure you contact the Hyatt! And you’ll get the added bonus of collecting a piece of my work that is not for sale to the general public! Following are the details that I have received from the Hyatt regarding the Derby package:
“Book your Kentucky Derby weekend at Hyatt Regency Louisville and enjoy exceptionally low rates starting at $499 per night, 3-night minimum required.
Included in the package: Luxurious accommodations with a champagne welcome reception on guest arrival Thursday, April 29; Evening turndown service; Racing forms and programs for the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby; Special gift to commemorate the Run for the Roses; Derby Club access.”
As a personal plug — I stayed at the Hyatt last year and they had just about the nicest accommodations and staff that I have ever enjoyed while traveling! You can contact the Hyatt via web or phone:
Hyatt Regency Louisville
320 W Jefferson St
Louisville, KY, 40202
502-581-1234
Become a Fan of the Hyatt on Facebook
Due to popular demand, I have added the Canton, Ohio drawing to my CafePress store. This allows me to offer various products with the imprinted image without any further delay! Plans are still in the works for note cards and prints, though as those items are printed up front and in bulk, they take a bit more time.
Click here for:
- Canton Coffee Mug
- Canton Mousepad
- Canton Greeting Cards
- Canton Note Cards
- Canton Magnet
- Canton Coaster
- Canton 2010 Calendar
- ALL Canton Lives Products
I just completed two new drawings, both in pen & ink. These will be used for Sunday bulletins at the churches.
This is my latest pencil drawing – a large piece titled Canton Lives. The artwork was created partly in response to a Forbes Magazine article which placed my hometown on the Ten Fastest Dying Cities List. Needless to say, many of us who live and work here disagree with that!
My editorial on this subject was published in the Canton Repository on February 24, 2010: Canton ‘Miserable’? Some Beg to Differ.
The drawing features many well known Canton landmarks: The Football Hall of Fame, the Palace Theater, The Courthouse Tower, The McKinley Monument and the Canton Art Museum.
BIOGRAPHY
1946: Born in Baulmes, small village in the «Nord vaudois», Switzerland.
Lives and works in Saint-Camille, Quebec, Canada since 1999.
VISUAL ART EDUCATION
1970: M.A.Fine-Arts. University of Art and design, Geneva, Switzerland.
1968: B.A. Decorative Arts. University of Art and design, Geneva, Switzerland.
2000: Visual Art Certificate. University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
ARTISTIC PROFILE
My creative process starts with the observation of natural elements or phenomena, which I aim to transcend, to express a hidden essence. I organize my work by themes, exploring the infinite possiblibilities of pictorial representations, often working on variations, as in music.
Karen Baker Thumm doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t want to be an artist or love horses. Like so many little girls of her generation, she grew up drawing horses constantly (when she wasn’t running around like a horse, whinnying and pawing the ground). Early artistic influences were famous horse illustrators Paul Brown, Wesley Dennis and particularly C. W. Anderson whose style she strived to emulate.
Karen set aside art for many years to start a family but returned to college and received a degree in commercial art in 1984. For ten years she did pet portraits and then horse portraits and is now concentrating on fine art. Sporting art and english riding are her particular favorites. Although she also paints, pencil remains a favorite medium. She is an associate member of The American Academy of Equine Art and an award winning artist.
Karen has been a horse owner for many years. She is learning classical dressage and likes to trail ride on her special horse, Scottie. To see more of her work, visit her website, Alpha Mare Equine Art or follow her blog, Drawing on Life; The Art of Karen Baker Thumm.
Dear Owner,
- When you are tense, let me teach you to relax.
- When you are short sighted, let me teach you to see.
- When you are short tempered, let me teach you to be patient.
- When you are quick to react, let me teach you to be thoughtful.
- When you are angry, let me teach you to be serene.
- When you feel superior, let me teach you to be respectful.
- When you are self-absorbed, let me teach you to think of greater things.
- When you are arrogant, let me teach you humility.
- When you are lonely, let me be your companion.
- When you are tired, let me carry the load.
- When you need to learn, let me teach you.
- After all, I am your horse.
And now for the TRUE story……
- When you are tense, let me teach you that there are dragons in the forest and we need to leave NOW!
- When you are short-sighted, let me teach you to figure out where exactly in the 40 acres I am hiding.
- When you are short-tempered, let me teach you how to slog around the pasture for an hour before you can catch me.
- When you are quick to react, let me teach you that herbivores kick MUCH faster than omnivores.
- When you are angry, let me teach you how well I can stand on my hind feet, because I don’t FEEL like cantering on my right lead today, that’s why.
- When you are worried, let me entertain you with my mystery lameness, GI complaint and skin disease.
- When you feel superior, let me teach you that, mostly, you are the maid service.
- When you are self-absorbed, let me teach you to PAY ATTENTION. I told you about those dragons in the forest.
- When you are arrogant, let me teach you what 1000 lbs. of yipee-yahoo-gotta-go horse can do when suitably inspired.
- When you are lonely, let me be your companion. Let’s do lunch. Breakfast and dinner sound good, too.
- When you are tired, don’t forget about the 300 lbs of grain that needs to be unloaded.
- When you are feeling financially secure, let me teach you the meaning of “veterinary services”.
- Author unknown
I haven’t participated in a Life Drawing session since my college days! This was a fun event, and sponsored by the Canton Artists League. We gathered at the Canton Museum of Art for the February 201 First Friday event to give a demonstration of artists drawing from a live model. The night yielded a giant snow storm, so unfortunately foot traffic to visit us was light. We’re hoping for more cooperation from Mother Nature next month!
After years on the fence, I have finally jumped back into the aviation art realm. My first two biplane drawings years ago, Stearman and Wacos, were quite successful, and many people have asked when I would be creating more aviation art. Yet I always seemed to have some other project that came first.
Last spring, one of my customers, Tim Corban, began egging me on for more aviation artwork. Not one to take “no” for an answer (or at least not for long) Tim periodically emailed notes of encouragement and mentions of his hopes to see new drawings of planes come off my table. When I started to whine about not having enough good reference photos, Tim sent his own!!
The result of those photographs is my new Waco YMF biplane drawing that you see here. Prints of this drawing are now available, as well as products such as biplane coffee mugs, totes and mousepads.
As a measure of my gratitude to Tim for his encouragement and help on this project, he will become the recipient of the original Waco YMF pencil drawing. Thanks Tim!
Tim Corban, aka Captin Tebo, has loved flying since a very young age. “I discovered it around age 8, when my family went to an airshow. Ever since that day, I would look up into the sky and envy the birds flying so freely. I dreamed of the day that I would be able to fly. Any time I was outside, my eyes were on the sky…looking for birds, airplanes or anything else that flew! To me flying represents FREEDOM. Like many pilots will tell you, it is almost a spiritual experience.” Tim now has over 150 hours of flight time logged and is working towards his commercial and instrument ratings.
Tim is also an avid Biker with a fascinating blog: The North American Biker. This year he will be touring the US via bike. You can visit his blog and cast your vote as to where he should travel next! To cast your vote, visit: The North American Biker – 2010 Tell Tebo Where To Go Motorcycle Tour.
I stumbled over a wonderful blog post today: Five Lessons from a Pencil. The story is so inspirational that I wanted to share it here. I have requested permission to post the article in it’s entirety, but until and unless that permission is granted, here is a link to the blog’s original post: Five Lessons from a Pencil.
2-3-10 Update: I received permission to re-post this article in it’s entirety! Please read on:
Five Lessons from a Pencil
When I was walking today, on the Island Mali Losinj, I felt my mind reach out over the blue sea to an island shimmering in the distance. When my mind returned, it brought a story with it, a story of spiritual instruction. Strange are the ways of inspiration.
Here is the story:
When Mohan returned from his journey to Jagannatha Puri, he was a changed man. Those who had never met him were impressed with his character, but those who had known him before were suspicious. Why was Mohan so clear-minded and suddenly so happy? There seemed to be no good reason, because while Mohan was on his way to Puri, his spiritual master, Gurudeva, had left his body.
Mohan had become Gurudeva’s disciple while they were both in the Himalayas near Devaprayag. Mohan was a slow learner, and he had been too busy with his agricultural fields and his two cows to spend much time on spiritual practices. Still, he had a deep interest in the spiritual tradition of his fathers, so he had continued to go from time to time to learn from Gurudeva.
Then misfortune struck twice. First, Mohan’s wife died from tuberculosis. Second, the cows, who were as good as dependent children, as the couple had none, were killed by a tiger one day. Mohan was grief-stricken to have lost so much within one year.
Then Gurudeva asked Mohan to accompany him to Puri. While inviting Mohan, Gurudeva had looked long into Mohan’s eyes and said mysteriously, “There is an ocean at Puri. I feel that my ship will come and take me back to the land of my origin.“
Mohan could not understand what that meant. He knew that Gurudeva was from South India, but why would he want to return to South India from Puri by ship? There were more comfortable ways to travel. read more…
