Karen Matheis: Dr. Sketchy presents Heidi Delight Sunday, October 2 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm The Loft 1331 Union Ave 4th Floor Kansas City, Missouri Meanwhile, here are some pics from the last Dr. Sketchy with the KC Roller Warriors.

Karen Matheis: More on de Kooning

De Kooning is often called “A painter's painter." Many of my friends love his work. Many find inspiration.  Stephen Johnson owns seven books about his work.  I own three, plus his biography.  


What exactly is de Kooning's relevance to present day painters? His best work was painted in the 1950’s.  Shouldn’t we be looking at contemporary artists? Are we drawn not only to de Kooning's work, but to the myth of the Bohemian artist who rejects popular tastes?

The east coast reviews of the new MOMA show about deKooning’s work do not bring any new insight into the artist.  In fact, many writers use the familiar quotes of de Kooning:

 "I don't paint to live, I live to paint"

"I'd like to get all the colors in the world into one painting".

"I don't paint with ideas of art in mind. I see something that excites me. It becomes my content." (1959)

"Even abstract shapes must have a likeness"

"Flesh was the reason why oil painting was invented"

To help answer my question of relevance,  I booked a flight to New York to see the de Kooning exhibit for myself, in person.   My hotel is one block away from the MOMA.  I will be there in November. 

Karen Matheis: Willem De Kooning: Retrospective

Willem de Kooning. Pink Angels. c. 1945. Oil and charcoal on canvas, 52 x 40" 

When I go the Nelson, I always say "hello" to my friend Bill, (Bill de Kooning).  I see his painting "Woman IV" that he created around 1953, and feel his presence right in front of me.

There is currently a retrospective of Bill de Kooning's work at New York's MOMA.  According to MOMA's website, "This is the first major museum exhibition devoted to the full scope of the career of Willem de Kooning, widely considered to be among the important and prolific artists of the 20th century."

Karen Matheis: Open Model at KU

Join us in a free open model session at KU this Saturday, September 17.   The model for this Saturday is Emma. 

KU is a nice space to draw. The lighting is nice, and they have big easels.

These sessions are only certain Saturdays and are free and open to the public.  The times for these are 11:00-2:00 in the afternoon.  Bring your own drawing supplies.

Karen Matheis: September Paintings

Welcome to our blog.  

For this first post, I decided to show a current landscape.  The weather has been nice. I've been making sketches near Baldwin. 

Mark and I are making plans to have work available for sale at Final Fridays.  All work will be $40.00 or under.  Our current plan is to have a traveling show that will go up and down Massachusetts Street.