Color Blocking Series Continues...

Estuaries and Skies. Really BIG dramatic Skies. Maine has no shortage of natural drama. Truly inspiring.

Maine Big Sky & Estuary I,  Acrylic on Canvas 48x24

Maine Autumn Marsh Acrylic on Canvas 36x40

Big Sky & Estuary II, Acrylic on Canvas 40x30

New Studio/ New Track of Work...

Estuary/ Ocean / Islands and Sky, Acrylic on Canvas 3x6

Wow. These past 4 months have been filled with moving, setting up a new Studio and just moving forward on many levels. Yay!
My new series is inspired by some of my favorite Contemporary Artists. Rothko, Diebenkorn, Hopper & Mondrian to name a few. Their unique sense of color and how they view the world interests me tremendously.
I have been working on this series for the past year and thinking about it in broader strokes for several years. It was so exciting to paint two in the series.
I am calling this track of work "Color Blocking".
A Contemporary look at the Natural world. The Sea and Estuaries, so far. Mountains and Birches are on my radar moving forward.
A life change can be some powerful mojo!

Marsh & Sky, Acrylic on Canvas 2x4

NEW kdb ART Book, "Love Notes to Nature"...

"Love Notes to Nature" I just put together another kdb ART Book. You can download it onto your ipad for FREE. This is easy to download and you can view my "little love notes" as often as you wish in your e-book library. Check it out.

"Love Notes to Nature" 
ART by kdb
by kdb - Karen Dominguez, 
KDB-ART

Nature is impossibly beautiful. The Edge of the Sea is my favorite place to be. These paintings are inspired by the photographs I take on my mostly daily walks. Encaustic and Acrylic ART by Maine Artist kdb.

Encaustic " Edge of the Sea" Collection...

The Edge of the Sea...
This is part of a series I am dropping off at The Yarmouth Frame Gallery.
These were really fun and dreamy to create. I am using Antique Frames from the 1880's,
the effect is a bit surreal with the subject matter and medium!
This Exhibit opens on Saturday, August 3rd, 4-7 and hangs through the end of September.

Mussel in the Wrack Line

Encaustic + Oil  Pigments

Antique Frame

22.1/2 x 16

1500.00

Dune Grass, Hermit Island

Encaustic + Oil  Pigments

Antique Frame

27x22

1900.00

Clam Shell on the Sand

Encaustic + Oil  Pigments

Antique Frame

20x18

1300.00

Encaustic Sea Shells...

Summertime in Maine. Walking at the edge of the Sea is my favorite thing to do. I love to study the tumbled shells on the shore. So lovely and such a variation of colors and shapes.Today I am posting a collection of different Encautsic Sea Shells I have created. Some of these shells are available, others are sold but could easily be commissioned, in the size and background color you may be looking for.

Encaustic Clam Shell 36x36

Encaustic Clam Shell 16x16

 Encaustic Oyster Shells 6x18

Encautsic Oyster Shell 11x14

Detail of Encaustic Oyster Shell

Lavender Mussel Shells, Potts Point, Harpswell. 10x22

Encaustic ART for SALE...

The following is a list of the Stores, Galleries and Restaurants that are currently featuring kdb ART.
If you click to their websites, you will find directions and hours of business.
If you would like to come to my studio, I always have pieces available and you usually will see new work that has not yet been in an exhibit. Drop me an email or give me a call at 207.653.9334 to set up an appointment. You can also log onto the kdb-Encaustic Pinterest Page and see most of what I have for sale, or the kdb artist Facebook Page.
Thanks for being interested.
kdb
Encaustic Artist

The Salt Exchange Restaurant
247 Commercial st.
Portland, Me.

Couleur Collection
 240 US Route 1
Falmouth, Me

Yarmouth Frame Shop
720 US Route 1
Yarmouth , Me.

Blessings Home Store
11 Mason St.
Brunswick, Me.
(kdb is the featured Artist in Residence!)

Tao Restaurant
22 Pleasant St.
Brunswick, Me.

Chocolate Church ART Gallery
804 Washington St.
Bath, Me.

Summertime Skies & Dune Grass...

A series of Encaustic Paintings.  "Summer Dune Grass", some in Antique Frames. These pieces will be available at The Salt Exchange, The Cumberland Club, both in Portland Maine and the Chocolate Church ART Gallery
in Bath, Maine.

A Cornfield, some Fireflies and a Starry Sky...

March has been a very busy month. I have curated 3 Exhibits. The Salt Exchange "Farm To Table", Tao Restaurant, Maine Nature " Birds, Sky & Water" and later in the month at The Chocolate Church Art Gallery "Fiddleheads and Springtime Pleasures.
For the "Farm to Table" Exhibit I created a Series, "In and around the Cornfields".

A Cornfield as the Crow Flies 40x30 Acrylic on Canvas

   I was inspired by the thought of  a Crow, who would be swooping towards a Cornfield then up towards a fair weather sky, I was interested in the point of view that would translate onto a canvas.

Corn in a Twilight Sky  24x18 Acrylic on Canvas

CornStalk  18x24 Acrylic on Canvas

Cornstalks have many colors in the leaves and the stalks. It was fun to paint them with a Twilight Sky and on a Sunny day.

Fireflies on a Starry Night  48x24  Acrylic, Rice paper mounted on Birchboard

Fireflies are the magic of a warm summer evening. I loved the thought of these blinking beauties on a Star filled Night. Looking up over the tops of the Cornfield and up into the heavens. Life is a wonder.

Encaustic Etched Birds...

"Blue Jay" Encaustic, Etched + Oil Pigments 10x10

I recently completed these two Encaustic pieces.
The Blue Jay is a fun one, I was imagining him on his perch high above the forest floor, sqwaking.
The Jay is part of the larger family of birds called Corvids. Not surprisingly, this family includes Crows and Ravens. Explains the noisy nature of the Jay!

"Red Crossbill" Encautsic, Etched + Oil Pigments 10x10

The Red Crossbill is perched in the pines. The winter sky tells the story of a cold day. This birdy has its feathers ruffled out a bit to keep warm.

Seaweed Paintings on Rice Paper and Canvas...

Seaweed/Bullwhip Kelp Forest. 20x30 Acrylic + Rice Paper on Canvas

Kelp Forest II  24x36 Acrylic + Rice Paper on Canvas

This series of Kelp Paintings is very dear to me. When I am painting a Kelp forest, it feels like I am swimming in the currents of the Sea. So gentle, yet strong. These paintings are available. For  inquiries, please send an email.
 I love the sea, under the water, the surface and the rocky shore. Kelp lives in healthy Oceans. Fall in love with the Ocean, the Gifts you will receive are many. Check out the organization www.oceana.org this is a wonderful site, your curiosity will be engaged and delighted!

Encaustic Heron in the Marsh...

Great Blue Heron in the Marsh    Encaustic+Oil Pigments    30x20

Today I finished a very large Encaustic piece in my Studio.
This Heron has many shades of greys, blues and whites. It is a very large portrait, almost life size!

Great Blue Heron      Detail

Great Blue Heron      Detail

Encaustic Birds and a few Bees...

I have been busy working in my Encaustic Studio.
On these cold days the warmth of the hotplate and molten Beeswax (210 degrees) is a heady combination. Nothing is quite like Encuastic medium that smells like sweet honey!

Blue Jay - Encaustic + Oil Pigments - 16x20

Detail, Blue Jay

Kingfisher - Encaustic + Oil Pigments - Etched - 8x8

Bees Collecting Nectar from a Chive Blossom - Encaustic + Oil Pigments - 10x10

Opening Night at The Salt Exchange...

Come and see my Marsh Collection, featuring Encaustic Paintings of Herons, Egrets, a Kingfisher, a Raven and a Blue Jay with a few other Encaustic Painting surprises!
The Exhibit runs through the month of February. Tonight is First Friday ARTWALK in Portland.
The Salt Exchange Restaurant and ART Gallery is hosting 5 Artist's and will have the Band, Jazz Alchemy playing their sweet riffs. Great food, prepared by Chef Adam White. It will be a fun evening. I am excited!
5-8, Friday February 1st
The Salt Exchange Restaurant and ART Gallery
245 Commercial St. Portland, Maine

Encaustic Heron Paintings...

Heron in the Marsh, 8x10 Encaustic + Oil Pigments

I was going through my portfolio and noticed in the past few years I have created eight Encaustic paintings of Herons. I love to walk on the edge of the sea or on the paths that skirt Marshes and Estuaries, listening and looking for these majestic Shorebirds. In the winter in Florida they really are every where, Herons and Egrets, both very tall and gawky and kind of out of proportion. Herons have a 6 foot wingspan and are quite graceful in flight. They are easy to study because they stand still, always waiting for a fish to come by so they can spear them with their super-sized beaks. You can recognize their call, it sounds like this, krooooonk, if you made that sound deep in your throat.
They will always leave the summer marshes, and head south before the cold and ice set in. If you see a Heron in a winter setting, that Heron has chosen not to go south. They know they have just enjoyed their last summer in the marsh. Herons delight me. They are fun to watch, photograph and to paint.

Heron Caught a Fish, 8x10 Encaustic + Oil Pigments

Heron waiting for a Fish in the Marsh, 8x10 Encaustic + Oil Pigments

Heron in the Marsh, 8x8  Encaustic + Oil Pigments

Heron Wading in the Marsh, 10x22 Encaustic + Oil Pigments

Early Morning Heron 14x14 Encaustic + Oil Pigments

Heron Portrait, Detail, 10x22 Encaustic + Oil Pigments

Heron in the Mangroves, 10x10 Encaustic + Oil Pigments

Encaustic Paintings of Maine Birds...

A busy week for kdb and kdbcurator.com! The Exhibit Winter Wonderland opened on Friday evening. Hundreds of Art lovers showed up. Even the single digit weather could not keep these people from coming to this exhibit. So fun! Great ART, we sold several pieces. Wonderful!

 I have been up working in the studio most of the week. Always a joy. Birds seem to be flying out of my Maine Encaustic Studio lately. An Encautsic Crow, a carved Red Crossbill in the pines and a Blue Jay made there way out into the world this week. Also a few Encautsic Birch Forests. If you would like to see this work, please stop into the Chocolate Church ART Gallery, Winter Wonderland Exhibit. You will not be disappointed.