The Truth About Collecting Art
By Shirley R. Kleppe, Outrageous Red ARE YOU AN ART COLLECTOR? Chances are you are an art collector! Maybe you bought or were given an original art piece from a local art fair or from an art group show. And maybe, you have purchased one or more pieces of art from a...
Zambezi Tapestry
It is common for artists to return to the images of past paintings for new work. I have done this myself. Previously, I would make a half sheet (15" by 20") "study" of a finished composition to work out the problems. Later, I would do the same scene on a full sheet...
Army Dock
How easy is it to look and not see? The story of this painting is rooted in my early years of growing up in Sedalia, Missouri. Part of my greatest memories as a child was spent visiting the Lake of the Ozarks, in south central Missouri. My family and I would travel...
The Backstreet Of Portofino
In The Beginning In ancient times before the internet, cell phones, and Amazon, my husband and I took our first trip out of the U.S.A. How did that happen? My little secret was: I filled out all the information postcards from various travel...
Serene Zambezi
On one of our many trips to Africa, we decided to see some different countries. We had never stayed on the Zambezi River in Zambia, so we decided to do two camps there. The first camp was Tongabezi Camp, which is only 15km from Victoria Falls. From that camp, we...
Ants In The Pants
I am always on the hunt for new ideas for paintings. The easiest way for me to keep them in mind is by photographing them. On this particular day, I was on a day trip in New Zealand to a private garden. Besides being very unusual in old buildings and farm...
Iris Delicata
Faced with many, I was free to interpret what I saw. My usual approach in a new painting is to make a ‘trial run’ by painting a half sheet of watercolor, 22” high by 15” wide. Iris Delicata was painted on a smooth Arches hot-pressed paper, stretched and mounted on...
Lacy Summer Sunshine
During a summer cruise vacation, we stopped at Taormina, Sicily. It is by far one of the most beautiful locations in the whole world, looking over at the great Mt. Etna. Sightseeing, people watching, and great food are my favorites there. We take the elevators up...
Fiberglass Flowers
I had been doing many forms of Japanese sumi-e painting for many years. In the past I painted on regular or plant embedded rice paper that was mounted to illustration board with a 50/50 mixture of water-soluble white glue and water. The Aquarius Paper was just the...
Primary Senses
The year is 1989, and I was getting into every show! My work was hot and it was showing. I was back in Arizona and looking to experiment. Collages have always been a winner with jurors, so I decided to try it. I had watched several watercolor ideas on pouring...
Delta Dawn
In early 1983, I was experimenting with the popular use of plastic wrap placed on top of a watercolor wash. Also during this time, I was flying to South Texas to visit a friend. The two events collided together when I pulled the plastic off the full sheet of...
Ruthless Reds, Rogue Oranges, and Virgin Whites
After being painted, nothing is better for a painting than a great title. Feeling like the owner of the amazing horse Secretariat, I felt this painting would be a real blockbuster. I needed a real shocker of a title, something real hardcore. Whenever I title...
Fire Pots
“Fire Pots” is the third painting in the “Pots and Jars Series.” It is the only painting in the series that is a quarter sheet of watercolor paper, 11” high by 15” wide. The first painting in the series, “Pots and Jars,” was a serious study in natural,...
The Great Gold Squaw
During 1982, I had my own adult watercolor classes. It met every Thursday morning at 9:00am to 12:00 noon. There were six to seven women ranging in ages, who were very enthusiastic and eager to learn each week. Each week I started class with a special demo that I...
Ha Ha Tonka Ski Stop
We love living at the Lake of the Ozarks. When we lived in Oklahoma, we drove there as often as we could. One of our favorite places to visit on the lake is Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Just Google it! It is up the Big Niangua River that feeds the lake river system. One...
Jewels Of Fire
“Jewels” had a long and successful showing in exhibitions. It is the 8th painting in the “Pots and Jars Series”, and completed April 3, 1992 on a half sheet of watercolor paper, 15” by 22”. It was completed after the most successful “Breathless Reds”. Since...
Red Hearts And White Lips
Living in Arizona, there are so many things to do. My husband and I love to hike and had friends who did too. Our friends had hiked the Chiricahua National Monument Mountains in the area called ’Heart Of Rocks.’ The good news, you park two cars, one at the start of...
Shadow In The Rain
While I was teaching my private adult watercolor classes in 1984, I took many trips to visit the Scottsdale, Arizona art galleries. After one of these trips, I decided to “stage” a composition. I dressed my daughter, Nicole, in western cowboy boots, long skirt,...
