Best of 2012!

Happy New Year everyone! I wish you a year filled with creativity, adventure, health and safety, a warm heart and inspired soul. All mixed together with a bunch of kindness. A lot of kindness. At this time of year I always do my Top 10. This year I'm doing something a little different. I am doing the top 5 in three categories: non-represtational, daily paintings and landscape. And I just wanted to send out a HUGE thank you to all my friends/fellow artists/subscribers in this beautiful blog world we love. I can't tell you how much your support, comments and friendships have meant. It is an incredibly enriching part of my life and I am so thankful to have this opportunity. You are the BEST!

~Landscape Top 5~

Great White Oak, acrylic on canvas

Forsythia Branches, acrylic on canvas

 presently untitled, acrylic on canvas

 Bowmen Swamp, November / acrylic on canvas

Mist, acrylic on canvas

~Non-Representational Top 5~

 Autumn, acrylic on canvas

 Jewels, acrylic on canvas

 Kites, acrylic on canvas

 Lovers, acrylic on canvas

Snow, acrylic on canvas

~Daily Paintings Top 5~

 Merry and Bright, oil on canvas

 Lunch (kickin' it old school), oil on canvas

 Concords, oil on canvas

 Yum, Yum, A Chelsea Bun, oil on canvas

untitled, oil on canvas

Party!

These are my party shoes. I bought them for a black dress I got at Christmas. In reality the heel is much higher. When you see them from the front or look down on them from above, they look like a simple black pump. I joke that they are my "mullet" shoes: All business in the front, party in the back : ) I'm wearing them tonight to go out to dinner. I can only wear these after I've calculated how much of the evening I will be standing. Ah...what we go through : )
6"x6" / oil on canvas / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

50% online sale continues for 3 more days!

Three days left for the online 50%-off sale! All 6x6 and 6x8 paintings are $50 including free shipping worldwide. More on that in a minute.

But first things first: for those that celebrate, how were your holidays? I had a great Christmas filled with many hours of games (Trivial Pursuit, Dominoes, Cranium, Clue, cards, Dixit, Scattergories, Blokus) and hanging out with those I love. And tomorrow I stop all the gingerbread cookies and chocolates. Seriously. But gosh, they are delicious. And Candy Cane Chocolate Fudge Crackle ice-cream? *happy sigh*

Okay. Back to the sale. I took a snapshot of a handfull of paintings in the studio. If you've got any questions or there's something in particular you're looking for, let me know! If you see something you like, send me an email and I will make a revised PayPal button for you reflecting the new price. Cheers!

Merry & Bright - SOLD

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, 

everything is softer and more beautiful.  ~Norman Vincent Peale

6"x8" / oil on canvas / SOLD

Christmas Balls

More Christmas balls : )
6"x6" / oil on panel / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

Christmas Trio

Christmas ornaments are part of the holiday tradition I love. When we decorate the tree and pull out the ornaments from Christmases past, each has a memory. A walk down memory lane.

6"x6" / oil on canvas / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

50% Online SALE continues + An Antique Christmas - SOLD

Whoa - it's been a week since I posted. To get you up-to-date - that canvas I last showed? It turned into a pile of mushy junk. Yep. All scraped off now. Also I've been plugging away in the studio, regrouping paintings, cleaning up etc... Exciting stuff. Yawn ; )

So this is an antique decoration that belongs to my Dad. It sits in an old shaker basket full of Christmas balls and other birds. I will snap a picture of it and share later this week - it's so lovely! Anyway, I like the way he paired the cardinal with the Christmas ball branch. Festive.

And THANKS to those who have ordered paintings from my sale! It continues through the month of December.

6"x6" / oil on canvas / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

what I'm working on today...

Looks a little bubble-gummy right now but do not fear. Early days. Oil on canvas.

50% off online daily painting sale!

Hi friends! For the month of December I am having an online 50% off sale on all 6x6 and 6x8 paintings. Paintings are now $50 including free shipping! Above are some of the paintings I have in my studio that are available. If you'd like to buy, just email me letting me know and I will send you a link with a PayPal button reflecting the new price. Happy shopping!

Latest woods painting - done!

I'm done. And happy! Acrylic on canvas. Title coming soon.

Other news...Have to say I am completely enjoying my book: Painters Eleven: The Wild Ones of Canadian Art by Iris Nowell. Engrossing! And I find the painters lives/paths fascinating. I highly recommend it. You know that feeling when you come across an eloquent passage and think: Yes! That's exactly what I've been trying to put into words. Well, here's a well-stated thought by Nowell that I love: "Crucially for me, I learned that appreciating Abstract Expressionist art begins with surrender, by allowing a painting to posses you. Once this occurs, you stop looking for symbols or messages or meanings, and experience instead rhythm, energy, power, grace". 

Woods in progress + 50% off sale!

Here is what I was working on today. It still needs a lot of time yet, but it is developing! Also, the 1/2 off sale begins tomorrow! All 6"x6" or 6"x8" paintings are $50 - including shipping! I have spent some time updating the "Available" images under my blog  masthead, or you can click here or here to see more. Thanks to the early bird who purchased yesterday. Heck, in order of fairness, I may as well change that to the sale starts right now ; )

Gift Ideas + 50% off sale

Hi friends,
For those of you that don't see the side bar of my blog, I just wanted to mention that I have a book of some of my favourite small paintings available for sale. You can flip through the entire book below if you'd like to check it out.
AND...I am having a special 50% online sale of my daily paintings the entire month of December. All 6"x6" and 6"x8" paintings are marked down to $50 which includes free shipping worldwide!
If you've had your eye on one for your home or would like to give one as a gift, now is the time to shop!
You can see a bunch online here or you can scroll through my entire selection on my blog. Happy browsing!
p.s. Message me and let me know what you'd like to purchase and I will adjust the PayPal buton accordingly.

Kim Rempel ~ small works by Kim Rempel | Make Your Own Book

In where I get dropped into an enchanted wood...

Today I felt like I'd been dropped into an enchanted world. I kept expecting to see some mythical creature pop out from behind a tree and beckon me with a crook of its gnarled finger. Wow.

It was cold: there were wisps of snow dusted here and there. My brush was freezing up on the second pass. But it was magical. I didn't have time to complete my painting but here is my start. As for my other photos here - they're going to be paintings too. A winter project!

Mist

This is a plein air piece I painted in the woods this week. There were lots of trees in the background and leaves and twigs carpeting the forest floor. At first I had more detail in but when I stood back I realized I didn't want it - that it was taking away from the feel of the piece. Now it is simpler, but more dramatic. It's all about editing, right? 

Here is a close up of the trunk in the foreground.

By the way, people often ask me what plein air means. It is simply painting in "the open air" or more commonly, painting outdoors. 

12"x12" / acrylic on canvas

And just another friendly reminder. Come shop, sip and savour THIS weekend!

Bowmen Swamp painting sketches

More paintings from Bowmen Swamp. These are small painting sketches that I will use to work up into larger studio paintings. While I quite like the vibrant red ground in the top piece, in reality it is the magenta colour in the painting below. These are acrylic. By the way, Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers. Have some pumpkin pie for me please ; )

Bowmen Swamp + an invitation

This is a small acrylic piece I painted at Bowmen swamp. I love that place. Something about the reflections and the rhythm of the trees, branches and logs in the water. It has the best feel! Some places you just feel a kinship with and that is Bowmen swamp for me.

Also, THIS Saturday and Sunday is the Christmas HandMade Market. I will be at The Good Earth with a collection of my small paintings. There are wonderful artisans there, food and wine (and one year they had sipping chocolate and handmade marshmallows!). Consider this your personal invitation. A great chance to shop local and one-of-a-kind.

Timmy love - SOLD

Those north of the 49th parallel can get a little obsessed...

6"x6" / oil on canvas / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)