Just accepted for The Art of Healing Gallery exhibit

"Goodies for Your Garden"
Krys Pettit
Watercolor Painting on Yupo Plastic Paper
24"H x 16" Wide framed and Matted
Price upon Request

I am so delighted to announce I have been accepted to show my original watercolor painting "Goodies for Your Garden" in the Watch Your Garden Grow Art Exhibit at The Art of Healing Gallery at Florida Hospital Altamonte, Altamonte Springs, Florida.  The art will be on exhibit beginning March 14, 2017 and will remain in the gallery for 2-3 months.
Florida Hospital Altamonte has for many years hosted juried art exhibits for their onsite gallery at the Hospital. While you may not think of a hospital as the ideal place to display art, I have always welcomed the opportunity to be a part of these wonderful exhibits that Florida Hospital so graciously puts on.  Art is part of healing and many patients, visitors and staff members welcome the opportunity to take some time to set aside the challenges of their day and take in some beautiful and inspiring artwork.  Florida Hospital also kindly allows us to sell our work with part of the sale price going back to Florida Hospital to enable them to keep this gift to the community going.
Art is about sharing and giving and itis an honor to be a part of this particular venue.

Anything But This

"Shell Ginger"
Krys Pettit
Work in Progress
Watercolor

My daily routine is stress free but I find it requires more dedication than some realize.  Getting yourself into the studio every week day for 3-6 hours sounds like heaven but every once in a while you find yourself, well, blocked.  Tapped out. Not motivated.  Emptied.  Uninspired. Wanting to sit all day and watch an NCIS marathon on Netflix.  Clean out your kitchen cabinets.  Do multiple loads of laundry.  ANYTHING except paint.
I work in regularly in two mediums, watercolor and oil, three if you count the sketching and drawing I attempt to do on a weekly basis.  I work in my home studio so I can pretty much have everything set to go with little or no reorganization. But there are days I don't like, almost dread, going back there. It's certainly not a lack of inspiration and I try to not ponder the deep, dark meanings of why this occurs.
I like to think that the greats, like Michelangelo, DaVinci, Rembrandt, Rubens, Monet, Van Gogh, Turner, even the Wyeth clan, had down days. And can you burn out on being too creative, producing too much work, being pulled into too many creative directions?
So maybe a bit of binge watching and snacking on Cheetos is in order.
I'll let you know when my next inspiration hits -- it'll probably be tomorrow.
Visit my website below.  Send me an email if you have some ideas that will inspire me -- I'm always open to reasonable suggestions!
Krys Pettit Original Artwork

Is That For Sale? How to Own My Artwork

After I post my artwork on social media channels people often ask me if that particular piece is for sale.  It occurred to me that many of my followers, collectors and subscribers may not be aware that creating art is my full-time job – I paint for the joy of sharing my interpretations of images but I also paint because it is my business and livelihood.  So today’s blog is about how you can own my art. 

An Empty Easel Is Never Happy

Working on A Florida Landscape

To be honest I haven’t been too transparent with my loyal viewers concerning the particulars of my art.  I find that I have been negligent telling you the nuts and bolts of the painting, like the size, whether it is oil or watercolor, or whether it is actually for sale.  So, in an effort to be a better communicator, I will be posting more information about a painting when I share it.   I’ll also be adding a page with information on how to buy my work on my website.

Pricing can be a negotiable thing in the world of art.  If you send me a personal message or email I will happily give you a cost and we can come up with a final price that will work for us.  I make a effort to keep my prices very reasonable especially when selling privately and to collectors who own my work.

If you happen not to be in Central Florida, I can easily ship to you.  I have shipped my originals and prints all over the continental U.S. Items have arrived undamaged to many a happy collector.  

A Commission in Progress

If you see something that inspires you to want your own special work of art I am happy to work on an original one-of-a-kind commission just for you.  Commissions are no problem even if you live far away from me – we can email, message, Skype, etc. and I can provide you updates and concerns as I work on a piece.  

My Studio-and yes those are crayons!

If you want to just look at my work on my various social media pages and my website please do so and keep liking and sharing it – you are all a part of my process and your input helps me become a better artist.  If you live in the Central Florida area I usually am in an exhibit somewhere so you see my work in person.

Chatting with a happy collector
at a recent painting demo

I like to keep my “sales pitch” to a minimum but I don’t want to have you miss out on how to purchase one of my paintings or prints.  

And that’s the reason I like to create art – to be able to share it with you.  Thanks for being a part of my “team” and my continued inspiration. 

Visit my website so a sampling of some of the work I have available:

Krys Pettit Original Artwork

Proud to be chosen for this juried exhibit!

"Good Neighbors"
Krys Pettit
Watercolor on Paper

Each year the Central Florida Watercolor Society has an annual exhibit.  As a member I am eligible to submit paintings for acceptance but there is no guarantee my work that my work will be chosen and juried in.  But I am happy to say my watercolor painting, "Good Neighbors" was one of 45 pieces chosen to show in this special exhibit.  I have been a member of the Society for about 20 years and it is always an honor to participate in a show like this.
The exhibit runs February 1st through April 1 at the SoBo Gallery in Winter Garden, Florida.  The Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  You can find directions and information on their website:
SoBo Gallery Winter Garden Florida
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the show!

Who the Heck Am I -- The Artist's Statement

I suppose you could say I'm an artist.  And part of the being an artist is creating the dreaded artist's statement which says who you are and what you do and why you do it.  What that is exactly will vary -- it can be so academic your head will spin. Personally, I believe in the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid).  So behold, my Artist's Statement.  I've toyed with it for about 15 years now and the same images and thoughts still apply.  Is it safe to assume that's who I am?  Who knows - depends on the day and how simple I feel at the time.
Visit my web site to get an idea of some of my art that illustrates what I mean in my Artist's Statement.
Krys Pettit Original Artwork

Krys Pettit

Watercolor Artist

Artist Statement

I have always been fascinated by portals -- windows, doors, gates, fences -- ways we surround ourselves, secure from everything but yet enabling us to escape if we wish.  I find that nature interacts beautifully with these entrances – embracing, sheltering, decorating and coaxing – creating its own unique living work of art.

What calls to me are the quiet scenes that go unnoticed – the corner window, the gate hiding in the shadows, the door that waiting to be opened and to let someone in. So many of these man-made images are surrounded by nature whether as a chosen embellishment or through the dominance of the natural world over man-made structures. The seasonal outcome of their relationship will change and at various times one or the other becomes more dominant and more beautiful.  It has taught me as that sometimes the simplest images make the most intriguing and memorable paintings.

Using watercolor as my mediums, I paint these moments in time, impressions gathered from my years of observation and travel.  I paint memories, interpretations of what I have seen and recorded. Images speak to me and I feel a surge of energy to record that time, that instant, those colors.

This creative journey is what motivates me to paint, making every day an adventure and a joy where fleeting memories and moments in time are captured.  Sharing these memories and moments with my viewers and collectors are the reward I gain on this journey.

Watercolor Ain't For Sissies

Watercolor was once taught to ladies as part of their cultural training. And although watercolor has been used for centuries in illustrative and fine art it has never had the presence and strength in the world of collectors as oil and acrylic paintings. As a watercolor painter I find this remarkably sad but things are slowly changing in the art world.

Don't go thinking watercolor is a medium for delicacy and lady-like lyrical painting. There have been a number of strong watercolor artists, past and present that blow that theory away.  So many artists have made exceptional use of the watercolor medium that I was hard-pressed to choose which to feature in this blog entry.  I decided to highlight the ones that I feel influence my work and style.

JMW Turner
British romantic painter,  working in the 18th-19th century, he is credited with influencing the Impressionists in France many years later. I always felt he was instrumental in setting watercolors free to stand for themselves.  For more on his personality, rent the very British bio pic, "Mr. Turner."

"Fire at the Grand Storehouse of the Tower of London" Watercolor 1841

John Singer Sargent
Considered a leading portrait painter, in the late19th and early 20th century, Sargent had a way with watercolor that artists continue to study and strive to emulate.  His colors, techniques, his subject matter all work to bring watercolor painting to a new level.  He was, truly, remarkable.

"Corfu Lights and Shadow" 1909

Winslow Homer
Self-taught and producing his first watercolor painting in 1873, his later handling of medium was fairly modern.  He ventured out of his Maine studio and produced some monumental work while in the Caribbean and even visiting the Central Florida area in late 1800's and early 1900's.

"After the Hurricane Bahamas" 1899

Andrew Wyeth
Son of renown illustrator NC Wyeth, Andrew trained under his father from childhood and created strong images of his home landscapes in Pennsylvania and Maine.  This early watercolor was done when he was still in his 20's.

"The Road to Friendship" 1941

Jamie Wyeth
Andrew's son and also a spectacular contemporary artist -- check this video on Vimeo out to see how intense his work is -- on cardboard, no less -- no dainty strokes here.
Inferno

Dean Mitchell
A personal favorite and a constant inspiration as to how watercolor is done best.  Dean was born in the 1950's in a poor area in North Florida, and early on was encouraged by his grandmother to create art.  And create art he does.  And beautifully, often times painting the less than pretty parts of life.

"Debris" 2014

New Exhibit for January 2017

"Santorini Church" watercolor, acrylic gesso, pen & ink on paper
Kry Pettit

January is starting out slowly for me.  A nasty respiratory infection has me vegging on the couch watching art documentaries on YouTube and itching to get into the studio.  The spirit is strong, but, alas, my body is not cooperating. In a few weeks I think I'll be back at it and until then I watch, study and paint in my mind.  And eat oatmeal cookies and Cheezits.  Don't ask.

I am fortunate to be in an exhibit here in Central Florida for the month of January.  My mixed media painting,"Santorini Church" is showing at the SoBo Gallery in Winter Garden, FL. If you're in the Central Florida area Winter Garden is a great place to visit - along with the art gallery you'll find exciting and unique restaurants and shops. 

Take a ride and come see the exhibit which runs now through January 28, 2017. Below is a link for the Gallery and the Art Association.  Take a look at the great things the Winter Garden Art Association is doing for local artists and the Winter Garden community.  They are a marvelous and needed addition to the art scene here in Central Florida.

SoBo Gallery Winter Garden Art Association