Chia– In Heaven's Doorway

Giclée of Original Watercolor
SIZE: 21" x 28" • Unframed
RETAIL: $250
EDITION: 50 Signed and Numbered


My furry friend Chia sat in this patch of sun every afternoon. When she passed away at age twenty years, I couldn’t help but reflect on the life we shared. I used a wet-in-wet technique to create a soft, muted effect. After the painting dried, I lifted out color to create whiskers and highlights in her fur. I got a little carried away making whiskers! Earth tones were perfect to depict her calico fur.

One full sized giclée is available. To acquire this image please contact me in the comments below or via my web site. See more of my artwork at: www.kristinefretheim.com or @WatercolorHaiku.

This giclée is full size like the original painting. Giclées are considered museum quality fine art prints. Unlike large, lithographic print runs, giclées are printed just a few at a time with dye-based, archival quality inks on acid-free, archival watercolor papers. Each print is approved, hand-signed and numbered by the artist. Giclée prints should be displayed in a dry location out of direct sunlight. Proper care will add to their longevity and to enjoyment of them for years to come. 

Five To Three

Giclée of Original Watercolor
SIZE: 19.5" x 14" • Unframed
RETAIL $125
EDITION: 100 Signed and Numbered


When my son was growing up, he lived and breathed baseball. We spent our summers traveling from one baseball field to another with his team. They were pretty good! We went to Coco Beach, Florida one summer where they played in a national tournament. This painting embodies heartfelt memories– sunburns, sweat and clay dust, grass stained whites, the crack of bat on ball. Does it rekindle any memories for you? To acquire this timeless image for your home or office, please contact me in the comments or via my web site. It's available unframed or framed in clear maple.

See more of my work at: kristinefretheim.com or @WatercolorHaiku.

This giclée is full size like the original painting. Giclées are considered museum quality fine art prints. Unlike large, lithographic print runs, giclées are printed just a few at a time with dye-based, archival quality inks on acid-free, archival watercolor papers. Each print is approved, hand-signed and numbered by the artist. Giclée prints should be displayed in a dry location out of direct sunlight. Proper care will add to their longevity and to enjoyment of them for years to come.

Black Cricket Chirping

Giclée of Original Watercolor
SIZE: 29" x 22" • Unframed • RETAIL $250
EDITION: 50 Signed and Numbered

I found these Clematis on a hot summer day at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The shade was cool and insects were hopping. Can you imagine a cricket chirping as you stand there in the shade? There is one giclée print remaining in this size— unframed at $250 or framed at $650. Treat yourself or someone you love. To acquire this beautiful floral, please contact me in the comments or via my web site.

See more of my work at: kristinefretheim.com or @WatercolorHaiku.

This giclée is full size like the original painting. Giclées are considered museum quality fine art prints. Unlike large, lithographic print runs, giclées are printed just a few at a time with dye-based, archival quality inks on acid-free, archival watercolor papers. Each print is approved, hand-signed and numbered by the artist. Giclée prints should be displayed in a dry location out of direct sunlight. Proper care will add to their longevity and to enjoyment of them for years to come.

P.S. We Received A Merit Award

Hen & Chicks (detail)
Watercolor on Arches   19.5 x 15.5   © Kristine Fretheim

Hen & Chicks was selected for a Merit Award by exhibition judge Brian Stewart at the Extremely Minnesota 2013 - 17th Annual Juried Show. The exhibit at Robbin Gallery runs from November 7 thru December 14, and is open for public viewing Wednesdays thru Saturdays from noon to 4 pm and Thursdays 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Robbin Gallery is located at 4915 - 42nd Ave N, Robbinsdale, MN 55422.

Riding The Wave

Detail: Zen Garden Boogie
Watercolor On Arches Hot Press

One of the things I love most about painting, is riding along on the wave of creation to see what will happen next. In Zen Garden Boogie, my materials are dictating the way forward. The hot press paper led me to a flat, graphic style of work, and while it's fun to do, I miss traditional methods of layering to create depth and form. But here we are, and since there's a ten-pack of hot press waiting in my studio, I'm going to be learning a lot more about working with hot press watercolor paper!

This first piece forced me to let go of glazing to gradually build an illusion of dimension. The paper refused to accept layers of pigment, thick or watery, requiring me to simplify my methods and throwing my attention squarely into design. I'm drawn to complexity. I have no desire to mitigate or simplify what I see. I want my work to express a sense of the tangled intrigue that is our life. With this new method of painting, I'm relying on linear shapes of color and value weaving in and out of the picture plane to create three dimensional movement and rhythm. I don't know…is it working? We all see color differently. I do know it's deliciously fun!

In Boyé LaFayette De Mente's book, Elements of Japanese Design, he writes about muga (letting "it" do the designing). Sounds pretty wonderful and easy until you ask who or what is it? Ha! The penultimate question. De Mente defines muga as a state in which there is no sense of an individual self, a state of spiritual ecstasy arising from continuous training of body and mind. While training requires persistent effort, at the same time it requires letting go. I like the way Eugen Herrigel describes it in Zen in the Art of Archery:

"Do you now understand," the Master asked me one day after a particularly good shot, "what I mean by 'It shoots,' 'It hits'?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand anything more at all," I answered, "even the simplest things have got in a muddle. Is it 'I' who draw the bow, or is it the bow that draws me into the state of highest tension? Do 'I' hit the goal, or does the goal hit me? Is 'It' spiritual when seen by the eyes of the body, and corporeal when seen by the eyes of the spirit—or both or neither? Bow, arrow, goal and ego, all melt into one another, so that I can no longer separate them. And even the need to separate has gone. For as soon as I take the bow and shoot, everything becomes so clear and straightforward and so ridiculously simple…"

I love/hate these Zen stories. They grab my mind, twist it all around, then ring it out. When we're painting "in the zone", in the state of highest tension, academic concepts disappear, and the way forward— "it" becomes delightfully simple and clear. Brush, paint, goal and ego all melt into one another, and everything becomes clear and straightforward and ridiculously simple. Continuous training, our efforts to become a better painter, our frustration and our struggles, are all ingredients for the subtle alchemy called muga.

Unforgettable

Jensen by Jim Rogers

I've been haunted by this painting since I first saw it during the Minnesota Watercolor Society Fall Exhibition at the Colonial Church in Edina. I'm sorry my photograph caught a reflection in the glass across the top— please disregard. I visited this little gem several times. What is it about this painting that kept calling me back? We artists try to express what can't be described in words using a visual language created by brush, paint, skill and intuition. It's a deeply personal and often subliminal communication. In Jensen, artist Jim Rogers has created a sensitive portrait that speaks volumes. There is nothing generic about this piece. It's alive. It's personal. It's brimming with subtlety and mystery. What do those blue eyes see? Is she afraid? Perplexed? Is she scolding us? The artist has expressed the essence of this young girl so well, her spirit captivates and stays with us long after we turn away from the painting. The intensity of her gaze and the tangled curls of her hair are reinforced by the cool, dark color palette and loose brushwork of the background. Every choice the artist has made, conscious or not, supports the earnest, inquisitive expression of her face. I like this painting quite a lot. I hope the artist exhibits it in other venues so that you can experience it in person, too.

A Bonanza of A Disaster

Detail of a work in progress.

I've been experimenting with different watercolor papers lately. This time I tried hot press paper. It's machine made and quite smooth, whereas my usual cold press paper has a bit of tooth. I wanted to try a smoother paper because my work of late has been very detailed and I thought less texture might be easier to work with. Wrong. I spent about a week drawing and putting down the first layer of color. It seemed a little gummy in spots, but not too bad. So far so good. Then calamity struck. When I began to apply the next layer of color even the most staining pigments lifted right up. Now I'm almost two weeks into this painting and nothin' is working the way it should! I'm not one to give up easily so for me these periods of doubt and struggle are pretty interesting. First I wondered if maybe I didn't soak the paper long enough to break down the sizing. Then I wondered if this paper contains extraordinary amounts of sizing. Then I wondered if my pigments were so old they were separating from their gum arabic base. I wanted a solution to this gummy mess of brush strokes, and after trying several different brands and styles of brushes, from the softest squirrel to the stiffest synthetic, I finally settled on an old Cheap Joe's Golden Fleece. The brush gave me a smidgeon of hope that kept me from throwing the painting away and starting over. I'm pretty good at determining when to "put the brush down and step away from the paper!" This definitely was the time. So I sat still with my smidgeon of hope and my frustration and disappointment. And I sat still some more— until I realized I had found a bonanza of fun and potential. This confounding paper had set me on a new path and was forcing me to learn new ways to paint. I know this sounds silly to those of you who are wild and crazy experimenters playing with new materials all day every day. I'm usually focused on content and the most expedient way to express its message. This paper seems to be pushing me toward a more graphic, flattened style of communicating. We shall see where it takes me. I still have my cold press waiting...