"Testing the Climate"
36x48 oil on canvas


I reach for truth, for understanding, I am testing my way and "Testing the Climate". Legends of mermaids inside of me, I bow my head and meditate on oceans that meet exotic lands as the wetness of a pond touches my toes. I am awakened by magical moons and mystical creatures that measure my journey towards female fantasy art, how far I had come and how far I could go was up to me. Did I need to paint a tail to swim to paint beautiful mermaid art?

"Your flight my art fairy, is up to you", breathed the Wind. "The moon is right, you need only to find your wings or tail 'in heart' to understand the mermaid legends you seek to glean from their valuable truths".

I love masks, secrets and hidden treasures. I keep them well cared for in my secret garden and pond. Sweet fairy in art, inner child in me, with a tear in my eye I pause. Reaching out for my brushes and paints I find everything is full of potential. The fairies in art, mermaids in me, in you, gather together in spirit. Close your eyes and touch your toes into a pond of possibilities and listen for messages that only a fairy or mermaid can tell you.

The greatest gift of any "Beginning" is that it holds the opportunity of learning. Everyone has a starting point, EVERYONE! So in the "Beginning" learning may hold some frustrations because it is about problem solving. Problems may not be considered problems if they bring us to the point of experiencing the present moment. 'Now', which is experiencing life as it is in the very second we live, is the greatest gift of all. While "Testing the Climate" I am testing my will. Does mermaid art need an ocean and a mermaid a tail to capture their story? As I so lovingly collect the objects of learning and accept lace and whispers from the women I paint I become transfixed on my goal of smelling the fragrance offered at the very second it is available. I learn from legends of mermaids and accept that everything I need to fly or swim is there inside of me right here right now.

"Beginning" 24x48 oil,lace and jewelry on canvas


"Fantasy Art of Exotic Women"

featuring

"In Search Of Klimt"Series


"I search for Klimt!" the artist in me spoke spoke boldly .

"Ahhh, then we must start at the Beginning!" said the Wind.

Pulling out oils, my canvas, poems and stories from an old wooden case, turquoise, silver leaf and jewels thrust past the lid and met the open sky.

The Wind confirmed my journey, "Your fantasy begins now, paint freely beautiful women goddess art "

And so I did.



"Beginning" is the first oil painting I did in my quest for the passions of Gustav Klimt. I wanted my fantasy art of exotic women to be full of energy and determination. Searching out the exotic meant distant foreign lands, birds not normally encountered, perhaps I would come across a magic swan? To search for Klimt meant to know emotion well and not to be afraid of what those emotions might tell me thus far unknown to science. I start my fantasy art woman paintings with music, usually Enigma; Dead Can Dance or something from Loreena McKennitt. Then I open my heart and the fantasy art woman inside of me begins. It feels like a daydream, a magical adventure. It is a dance and I become covered with all the colors seen in my oil paintings and on my palette. My imagining becomes so real that sometimes I can hear them breathing. It isn't the realism of the brushstroke on watercolor paper or canvas that I capture in this series, ahh no. It is something less tangible than a rendering. Have you ever met an accomplishment you thought you couldn't? Then stand back and wonder where the energy came from and like lace and whispers you say, "Did I do that, did this come from me alone?" Sometimes feeling startled by the women and their presence, something imported from another time in space captures me. I pause from the dance, focus my eyes and I see life. I breath in the art of the exotic women I paint. It is all a dance waiting to surface.

Soon to be on it's own website and available in greeting cards, posters, prints on fine watercolor paper and giclee fine art prints.

"They're Friends You Know"
24x48 oil, gold leaf on canvas


"Don't Be Intimidated At Art Openings, Bring CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES and Wear a Big Smile RECIPE Incl."

Joining an art group can be intimidating.....

I used to attend art openings, walk in, see my art on the walls and then walk out. I barely took time to see the other faces attending much less say hello and introduce myself, I was that shy. One day I read in the newspaper that one of the local art clubs was hosting an art marketing workshop and it was free... no excuses not to go. The morning of the workshop I read from "The Four Agreements Companion" by Miguel Ruiz. If you have not read "The Four Agreements", wow, pick it up at your local book store, it is fantastic and could be life changing for you. I came across a section that for the most part could be considered common sense, but for me at that moment resonated. The chapter spoke about the fact that our personalities are formed by 'others' when we are young and we often accept the role given to us and respond to life according to that definition. The words resonated because I realized that the people at the art marketing workshop had no idea who we I was or what defined me. I could be an axe murderer or an ex beauty queen for all they knew. So why, why let myself be pined down with the personality and limitations accepted since childhood? WHY? The obvious answer is NO reason. You know how some things for some reason just hits you and you relate so much that it becomes you? That is what happened that morning before the art marketing workshop. I decided that not only would I go to the art marketing workshop but that I would be amazingly friendly. I would introduce myself to at least ten people and I would open my mouth and figure out at least two questions to ask.. I DID! and the confidence I gained from that experience was phenomenal. I allowed myself to shine. I then found out when the next board meeting was for that art club and the other one in town that up to that point had intimidated me. When I went to the board meetings, keeping in mind that no one knew me and had no idea of my insecurities, I volunteered for just about everything. There is nothing like working together that encourages a friendship more. I also brought my 'now famous' "Kathy's Chocolate Chip Cookies" to every opening. I displayed them beautifully, after all this was an 'art' opening. People began to know me for my constant smile and friendliness and my cookies. After time I actually became President of one club and served on the board of the other. Who I am is now less defined by who my parents or sisters or old high school memories did. I am now more who I decide to be. So! Don't be intimidated! Go to the next art opening or art club or whatever else intimidates you and be who you know deep down you really are.

Here is my cookie recipe for a little extra confidence:

Kathy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together: 1 cup 'real' butter (not margarine!), 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 Tbl. black strap molasses, 1 tsp. salt

add and blend two eggs

don't overdo this part or your cookies will turn out weird.

sift together then fold into sugar mixture:

2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking soda

add and mix to above mixture:

1 cup coconut, 3/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal, 2 full cups chocolate chips

Bake at 325 degrees for about 12 minutes. Use only an old junkie cookie sheet... not one of the new ones, they tend to make these cookies cake. Take the cookies out 'just a hair BEFORE they are done'. Let them finish up after they come out of the oven.

That's it! So wear a big smile, introduce yourself and tell them who made the cookies!

Kathy

This is a journey of sorts from one frame of mind to another and the colors and moods that guided me. I describe three paintings and their process.

"Anticipation" (image above) 36x24 oil on canvas, dated, Sept. 1998 part of my "Passion Series" *
was actually a breakthrough piece for me. I had been
painting my "Victorian Series" for months, spending hours on
modulating the colors. I paint a lot from photos. My goal with the
"Victorian Series" was to put in as many colors in the skin tone as I
could. Looking at a photo or life long enough a lot of colors begin
to show themselves that normally go unnoticed. Modulating many
colors I became frustrated and board after finishing 10 or so of
them. I had a canvas that I had painted a dark blue and decided that
maybe it would be ok to just play.....and not modulate at all. I
found a picture that I liked, studied the colors, filled my brush a
fresh for each stroke and applied them to my canvas. I have not
modulated since. I continued painting with this color palette naming
the series "The Passion Series". I still tried to fit every color in
the rainbow on my palette as I do to this day adding small nuances
wherever I can. I would add here too that the series before "The
Passion Series" was "Hawaiian Legacy" which is predominantly done in
sepia, tones.


Another example of moving forward is "Girl On Phthalo Green" 36x48 oil on canvas, dated Oct. 2000 and part of my "Cosmopolitan Series" *
I became tired of the palette of blues and fell in love with phthalo
green for a time. I guess I still love it. This painting was
greatly influenced by Modgliani. When I was in high school, many
years ago, my mother asked me to copy a Modigliani for her house. I
painted a 60x72 piece for her in corals. I never forgot that
painting nor Modigliani. When I feel truly inspired paintings are
done quickly and the brushstrokes are done wildly. I am in heaven
during these times. I painted this in perhaps 3 hours over another
painting I did not like.

"The Power Within Me" 48x36 oil and gold liner on canvas dated
August 2002 is part of my "African Series" *
This painting is part of my "African Series". I used phthalo green
along with my beloved full palette in this series. I painted this
quickly as well. It almost feels like a fever, it just flows. I
attribute that to doing my homework so to speak. All those years of
modulating and painting in sepia tones, my constant drawing in
graphite gives me a base of understanding. I put down colors as I
feel them, almost in a dance and it is most certainly trance like. I
use a lot of paint and use big brushes. I work from darks to light.
I save the lights and small brushes until I am pretty sure that I am
happy with the painting in general. It is always tempting to use
small brushes and add some highlight but I remind myself that that
would probably ruin the painting and make it appear tedious.
Sometimes they don't work, but I just think, "So What!" I can always
paint over it, that is the gift of doing oils. I think sometimes
there is more freedom in oils than there is in drawing and most
certainly watercolors. Painting on large canvas' is also very free.
When I paint small I become locked up and back to where I started
when I modulated colors. When we draw on paper we try to tell
ourselves that it is 'just paper' to try to set ourselves free from
worry about the end results, but oils make a better friend to me.

In all of my paintings emotion plays the strongest part. This is
the part that takes the longest. If anything must be right it is the
emotion felt by the image, so that they can breath. Sometimes I
cannot get that part and it is so frustrating to me that I cannot
sleep at night. It becomes the only thing I think about. I choose
to paint mostly women because I am one and because I think they are
beautiful.

* Where to find the images of the paintings listed on my website:

"Passion Series" posted on my website #1
"Cosmopolitan Series" posted on my website #1
"African Series" posted on my website #4

"Neon's Obsession"
18x24 oil on canvas
available in giclee $235.
also available in prints, mugs and t-shirts


NEWS:


I have ANOTHER show in New York IN NOVEMBER! YAY!

I will post the dates soon. In the meantime check out Monkdogz Urbah Art in New York or visti their website. Say "Hi" to Bob for me.

Monkdogz Urban Art
547 West 27th Street
Chelsea, New York

http://www.monkdogz.com


If you would like me to send you an invitation please contact me via email through my website http://www.kathysart.com

"Baby Mermaid" oil on canvas

available in giclees, prints and cards



The attraction to mermaids and fairies is within us all, we want to know there is magic. There have been times in my life that their existence has been un-deniable. To some this will sound crazy. But for me to say that I did not hear giggles in the forest that came from fairies or that dragons took flight to meet me on an island, would be a lie. I suspect that things like that have happened to you too. Perhaps you were not ready and missed that dimension?

Today...let yourself free to believe

if only in secret.



"Dear Lydia Who Taught Me To Believe In Mermaids and Fairies"


Lydia
for a time
walked through the forest
Yes...I knew her once
but that was long ago

She was not a fairy
but a gift from the sea
displaced

I found her on the sand
rescued her from strangers
and from there I took her home
cared for her
never suspecting it was me who would find rescue

This mermaid
friend of mine
who in time lost her tail
adapted to her surroundings
despite her sorrow
missing of who she had been


"Someday I will go home
but for now"
she giggled
"I will gather rainbows!"
She put them in a mayonnaise jar
and later
released them on all her poems
a miracle I try to remember
whenever I miss her


With every glistening drop of water
that came down from the sky
I worried I would lose her
one day
before I felt ready

I simply could not bare it
a day that did not include her
Without her who then would I be?
I would not recognize myself

She smiled a light full of acceptance
who wouldn't love that treasure?
If I tried she always told me
Anything could be my goal

I could meet the forest
stand at an oceans door
take a breeze within my hand
fold in chocolate layers
and my cake would be most grand

She is a memory now
I took her to the sea
I kissed her cheek
picked flowers for her hair
and watched her as she swam away

It is not as sad
as I had thought that it would be
because she left me with the mayonnaise jar
and the rainbows to be freed

"The Power Within Me"

48x36 oil on canvas

available in giclees... coming soon in posters and cards! yay!



For My Birthday Give Me Art! Visions of Mermaids and Fairies, A Poem About the Creative Process.......


White canvas' and drawers full of color
brushes
clay
pencils and paper to write out my ideas
waiting for me

Inspiration
somewhere between folded memories and todays rainbow or stormy clouds
My creativity depends on my focus
I smile
I frown
I tear up and feel the pang of some ones defeat
oft times my own

Arrival at a mermaids den
flight of a nearby fairy offering her dust
Images of old masters who never knew their worth
How to books of arriving at someone else's vision
Movies of passion or tears
Fashion magazines and torn out pages of sensual poses
Fashion magazines of women who line up perfectly in a crowd
filed carefully to meet my mood

Melted, my treasures
together with music!
Ahhh music my muse!
Play it as loud as you can without alarming the neighbors
Feel the base and the pounding of musical notes as they meet their objective
Know the lyrics and sing to the top of my lungs
Yes sing!
All the magic around me is ready

Then dance!
Dance free on the sand of the closest beach I can find
Dance on fresh mown grass
feel the blood rush to my head
Dance like a fairy under flowers and leaves
Dance swimming swiftly just like a mermaid
Feel the wetness of her travel
close my eyes
yes, I am there!

So Swim!
All the fish adorned with their jewels of color
and the dolphins of yore
the sea lions chime in
and together we feel our artful journey

Love
all the beauty around me
breath it in
make it my pleasure to visit anytime I choose

I take out my pen and write all my childlike adventures
I write and it saves me
encourages me
protects me from my own self sometimes
gets it all out for all to see or to hide in my closet

I write
my friend, my pleasure this pen of mine
My companion from whomever the words are birthed

and then....
I cry
I cry because I lust for my arrival to that space
that space that dismisses criticism
that ache
I cry because it seems only inches away
at any given moment my teacup might fall

So I YELL
I YELL at the incoming traffic
floods of eyes showing disapproval
and I YELL at my own struggle

Turning around
I see me

I pick my battles and I run
I feel the breeze in my hair
sweat falling from my head to my neck that confirms my travel
and I feel the rush
because I run as far as I can

I lie flat on the floor
quiet
still and quiet I listen to the sound of my own breath
I try to think of nothing
no false prisons that lock out creative souls or the inner child
I think of nothing

Silence enters and I am calm
once again

Birds
the wind through the tree
my cat licks my face
I open my eyes

White canvas' and drawers full of color........waiting for me

19 August 2006

"She could Almost Touch Them"
18x22 graphite on paper


------------------------------------------------

A Poem About the Creative Process:


19 August 2006


"For My Birthday Give Me Art! Visions of Mermaids and Fairies, A Poem About the Creative Process"


White canvas' and drawers full of color
brushes
clay
pencils and paper to write out my ideas
waiting for me

Inspiration
somewhere between folded memories and todays rainbow or stormy clouds
My creativity depends on my focus
I smile
I frown
I tear up and feel the pang of some ones defeat
oft times my own

Arrival at a mermaids den
flight of a nearby fairy offering her dust
Images of old masters who never knew their worth
How to books of arriving at someone else's vision
Movies of passion or tears
Fashion magazines and torn out pages of sensual poses
Fashion magazines of women who line up perfectly in a crowd
filed carefully to meet my mood

Melted my treasures
together with music!
Ahhh music my muse!
Play it as loud as you can without alarming the neighbors.
Feel the base and the pounding of musical notes as they meet their objective
Know the lyrics and sing to the top of my lungs
Yes sing!
All the magic around me is ready

Then dance!
Dance free on the sand of the closest beach I can find
Dance on fresh mown grass
feel the blood rush to my head
Dance like a fairy under flowers and leaves
Dance swimming swiftly just like a mermaid
Feel the wetness of her travel
close my eyes
yes, I am there!

So Swim!
All the fish adorned with their jewels of color
and the dolphins of yore
the sea lions chime in
and together we feel our artful journey

Love
all the beauty around me
breath it in
make it my pleasure to visit anytime I choose

I take out my pen and write all my childlike adventures
I write and it saves me
encourages me
protects me from my own self sometimes
gets it all out for all to see or to hide in my closet

I write
my friend, my pleasure this pen of mine
My companion from whomever the words are birthed

and then....
I cry
I cry because I lust for my arrival to that space
that space that dismisses criticism
that ache
I cry because it seems only inches away
at any given moment my teacup might fall

So I YELL
I YELL at the incoming traffic
floods of eyes showing disapproval
and I YELL at my own struggle

Turning around
I see me


I pick my battles and I run
I feel the breeze in my hair
sweat falling from my head to my neck that confirms my travel
and I feel the rush
because I run as far as I can

I lie flat on the floor
quiet
still and quiet
I listen to the sound of my own breath
I try to think of nothing
no false prisons that lock out creative souls or the inner child
I think of nothing

Silence enters and I am calm
once again

Birds
the wind through the tree
my cat licks my face
I open my eyes

White canvas' and drawers full of color........waiting for me

"Hood"
Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
20x18 oil on canvas
(from the "Passion Series")

$400.

Artist's note: He sees; he thinks; he resolves and waits for a clearing. He is a man of wisdom.


This painting is hangeing at Aloha Outpost in Pahoa, Hawaii

------------------------------------------------------

On ezinearticles.com today:

September 1996

"Aloha" said the male voice over the phone.

"Hello?" I said with anticipation. "Is this Dennis Magnusen?"

"Yes"

"Did you graduate from Such and Such High School in 1965?" I asked.

"Yes" said the voice hesitantly.

"This is Kathy"

"Oh Sweetheart!"

He knew exactly who I was. Our story unfolds from there, inside a little window in time that gave us the miracle of a second chance.

1964

When I was fifteen, I noticed a tall blond head amidst the crowds of non people in my high school. I would look for him at breaks or lunchtime, see where he was and who he was with. His 6'2 1/2" frame with lovely blue eyes and calm demeanor my reward to glance upon from a distance. He was usually with another girl or a group of friends. I noticed him then and have felt my eyes and heart searching him out ever since. I was a very shy girl with no confidence about who I was or my place in circles of clubs and established friendships around me. I was born with the spirit of art inside me. It was my hideaway as well as my best friend. My Mother always told me I was pretty. I never felt sure if that was an asset or a hindrance. I was and am still blond with green eyes of Scandinavian decent. Scandinavian's tend to be reserved yet moody which fits me well. I never considered high school to be a highlight of my life, rather an intrusion into my underdeveloped psyche. I was still playing hop scotch in my front yard after school. My bed was filled with dolls that I still found delight in combing their hair and changing their clothes. I was a young 15 with pressures around me to grow up and become a young lady.

The above is an excerpt from a book I am writing about finding my long lost love. Below is a song I wrote years before finding him. I always loved him.

BTW, I am looking for a publisher/agent....whatever helps me get my story out.

"In You"

a song:

1)
In you... I saw a vision fleeting by,
no tale nor reason to de-nigh
a dream so dim
yet waiting to begin.

2)
In you...the ships could sail behind your eyes
encase a world or hasten time.
The color blue...in you
casts another hue.

3)
And you... escaped my grasp
I cannot tell
If all is lost I wish you well
another time
where stories never rhymed.

4)
In you... I saw a vision fleeting by
in songs, in notes, in passers by,
a stories end
no longer to pretend
in you.

"Suntouched"
24x48 oil on canvas


4 August 2006

Early in the morning
I picked honeysuckle from the edge of our yard
right before I walked down to that house
the one that burned to the ground last night
I smelled my branch of fragrance as I stood before it's ruin
Eyes from a calico cat met mine
She seemed to still expect breakfast in her bowl
But not from me
from the people that no longer had a home

Ahhh such a sight in the sky last night
Loud bangs as chemicals from a drug lab met fire
Cars quickly spun away
I bet they were surprised
Was everyone OK?
No news yet today.

The dogs from across the street yelped
as they watched me in my query
I wondered what they thought last night
still tied up
like always
as their owner leaves them each day

I locked up my own dog and two cats
safely
in the garage
Four fire trucks and their entourage
rushing down the road
too late
It seems no one called 911
Not for a long long time
'Til the house and what was inside
was almost gone.
This same house
and the people inside
wasted every second and moment of their lives
brewing up a substance that put us all in jeopardy
And this morning
standing in front of that house
that was
I still hope
that everyone is alright

One of the tied up dogs gets loose
He comes and sniffs my aura
Not to worry little friend
I am no threat to you
He cowers none the less
Too many days of being tied to a post

There is an elderly couple
living right next door to that now gone house
I hear the man in this back yard
running a weed whacker
Seems he was not affected by the glow
from night before

One last glance
wondering exactly what happened
I still did not know
not the people
who were only passers by
who hosted a constant flow of short visitors
Such a life
I can only wonder why
There but poor fortune
you or I

I sniff my honeysuckle branch once again
Say good bye to the dog at my feet
and the cat looking for it's bowl
Perhaps the elderly couple will take pity
Maybe they or I

At my gate I am met by my own little pets
A house still standing
and my husband
asleep
inside.

"Solace and Consolation"

chaos and distortion
I met my motivation for recovery
'twas bolted on the doorway
I muttered 
don't bother waiting
or complain of irritations 
I paint over all gilded cages

I force my fingers to make a fist
but oh
they refuse to bend
however will I recover?

yet there beside the light
cheese and wine are served 
what a lovely opening...
the doorway I mean
the one with bolted breaths
you remember that show?

I stood there in my mind
my compliments to the shadow
red was not on my palette
I reached for other colors 
they simply refused their mark

I will take your objections 
clearly 
I will point towards sleeping giants
wrap up their fingers
just like mine
and wait 

Twist your arm 
hold a hammer with your muted hand
there is nothing charming about this wall I said
there is noting here to keep me amused
I am board with it
I want to say I am finished 
and have you agree

pastel 
your breath I mean
what could you have been thinking?
I have all these boxes still
portions set in a line
put your two hands close together
and pretend them to be mine
you might be disappointed
there is no solace
no consolation  in getting it right
no matter how soft the colors return to you

"Bed of Dreams"
30x40 oil and gold leaf on canvas

New Poems:

18 May 2006

"Buried Roses"

if i had roses to give you
i would have buried them
muted their breath
measured their penitence
stopped the flood of overflowing criticism

the rain continues
I thought it's shoulders were undaunted.
horizontal landscapes catch the rhythm
hold gifts
good and bad
none the less given with due remarks of wanting shelter
in the presence of unadorned queens

was it you who never stopped noting thorns
of now quieted roses?
or me who allowed their travel?

-----------------------------------------

19 May 2006

"Defined By So Few Words"

neon blue continues on
i am neither sad nor happy
i guess i find myself relieved
waiting for tears if i need them

i never realized her poems to be so short
so inconclusive
so undefined
she always seemed so magnificently tormented

ahhh zelda
where are you when i need you?

pointing in the direction of the sky
i expected beyond
but the treasure was in the trees
my eyes gathered them
standing beneath and within
i bend my branches

born with a melancholy
poets charm that pathway
books and paintings
sculptures of flight
rounded off with a drunken stupor

my fingers feel numb
i approach the station to arrive
i have been there and back
i am coated with the very same torment
said with few words
on the pages that you sent to me

--------------------------------------
20 May 2006

'Neon's Unspoken Tales'

she said she knew you
i, of course took up her time
quoting our best/ worst moments
yet, only in my head
she never really heard our history
my memories burn still unspoken

be sure to call her everyday, she said

'every' day?
every single day?

just keep it short
that's really all that's needed

how do you fill a bottle too small?
how do you comb the hair of an old dolly
who's locks are now sparse?
how do you find the voices
remembered
take them back
comfort them
instruct them in the art of positive thinking?
my moods are not always my own

------------------------------------------
20 May 2006

'Feathers Carved In Stone'

i am not sure how it settles...
the stone past the surface of the water
my words, my appraisal

in a crunch i refer to little boxes
sometimes empty
decorated with ribbons
sometimes filled with feathers carved in stone
i fall back on their sentimental comfort
of who i wish to be
strong, undaunted
graceful despite the climate
just like all the other ladies i admire

yet i sit at the bottom of this pond
i am not sure if it is mirky or clear
if my visions make sense to me at this moment
it may just be lie

i must hold the flag of my own destiny
fold up notes that overtake my heart
but then
i think i might miss them
i feel afraid that if i stand tall
i will find i do not exist
pieces of my flight
though they be stone
brought me here thus far
i would be leaving the little girl
with paper dolls
alone and still afraid

---------------------------------------
25 May 2006

"A Promise and a Gift"

he fled from the mountains
arrived at the sea
leaving
all his gifts behind him
including me

white knights and sacred shells
reach out past sad
beyond
the sand a token
within this map

you came...so i left
you didn't notice
pretending
i never really cared




--------------------------------------
14 july 2006

"I Stroke Her Hair"

i stroke her hair
i mend her
again
despite her wild objections

defined by lines that did not match
she held herself closely
did not entertain streaks of light
river crossings
paths that led to lime green

i walk past her sigh and find it to be my own
buckle down you stupid girl!
consequences of moons that go unlocked
bring hues that grey up possibility

i shook her
i made her bleed
who did she think i was?

her eyes looked up
she asked for mercy
the kind that only i could give her

many a tormented heart is born out of passion
i stroked her hair
i gave her the box unopened
with all the gifts inside
because i was the only one who could
and the only one there

"Hidden Behind Social Masks"
40x48 oil on canvas

NEWS:

I have a show in New York:

Monkdogz Urban Art
547 West 27th Street
Chelsea, New York

http://www.monkdogz.com

May 18 - June 10

If you would like me to send you an invitation please contact me via email through my website http://www.kathysart.com

subject: Monkdogz Urban Art

Yay!

"Peace At Sunset" 48x24

I posted this article on a bunch of ezines...


"Mermaids, Fantasies and Art"
By Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

Article Word Count: 1069




About ten years ago I decided that when people asked me what I did or who I was, I would confidently reply, "I am an artist". No matter how I was making a living or if my status was that of a 'starving artist' or not, I would announce, "I am an artist". I would proclaim what I had fantasized myself to be since I was a little girl.

I started to draw at three and four years old, in the back seat of my parents car as they drove from state to state, looking for rainbows I suspect. I was a little girl drawing mermaids, angel art ,fairy art, fantasy art in general. I tried as best I could to make that world alive. I made my own coloring pages. As I grew older I had free paper dolls available to me anytime I decided to make drawings or little paintings of them. Drawings of mermaids and fairies that I imagined to be just like Renaissance paintings. My talent was as good as I decided it could be. My free paper dolls were not paper toys at all, my paper mermaid once given a chance became a real mermaid. Fantasy art would one day be wall murals of a world I would create from my imagination . I did not know of Pablo Picasso; Kandinsky; Marc chagall; or the softness of Mary Cassatt. I had never gone to an art gallery to see Salvador dali paintings; Leonardo da Vinci paintings; or Claude Monet paintings. Such a world to discover ahead of me, full of fine art; paintings and sculptures. As a child I had my own fantasy gallery though and everything I saw became magical.

So what happens as we grow older and those feelings of pretend and fantasy become dull? We find ourselves wondering what took away that spirit of optimism and adventure. When did paper toys appear only as paper, no longer something that fairies and mermaids and dragons became alive in? Does it matter? Is it OK that that part of us that became Tinker Bell or a dragon is no longer there? Or maybe is it OK to try to find them again?

People tell me all the time that they cannot even draw a straight line.

Do you 'want' to learn how to draw though? Do you wish you could? Did you draw when you were little? Often the answer is yes.

When you were going to school did anyone ever hand you a piece of paper and say, show me what you can do with algebra without any knowledge of it or any help? Did anyone ever tell you to write a story without first teaching you how to print individual letters? We do that kind of thing with art though don't we? We think that if a child sits down and draws and does a half way decent job that they are talented. Maybe they are, but maybe the kid sitting next to him could be too, even though he has no confidence to draw that straight line because no one taught him how to draw. I think that talent is 'desire' and the rest is practice. If you 'want' to be able to draw a straight line or mermaids or dragons then you 'are' talented. You are an artist waiting to happen! Somewhere along the line someone dampened your spirit so you stopped trying and stopped dreaming. It may not be in fine art, it may be in writing. You may be itching to say, "I am a writer!" even though you might be making your living as a lawyer or a dishwasher. It is art in our souls and I think we need it.

I am an artist! I paint and draw and sculpt. I try to remember all the visions of my childhood and continue on with those dreams. I paint some fantasy art, mermaids, mermaid babies, African women and African art, do some contemporary art, I even draw some naked art and pin up art. I have come a long way. I do sculptures, sell my oil paintings here and there and even have giclee prints. I try to paint or draw every day. Most of all I try to retain my childhood fantasies of 'being an artist'. I try to decide what that means to me. Part of it is my thirst to create but part of it is because without magic, without paper toys becoming real to me, I am only an adult, going through the motions of everyday life not noticing a little fairy dust.

"Paper Toys"

Be careful what you step on
It might just be my heart
Some wounds have no recovery
no place from which to start.

The box, packed with tiny ribbons
you made sure they did not get lost.
You flatter me...
to think that much of me
to handle them with such care.

I thank you for the cobwebs
and the way that they were groomed.
I know I should be grateful
that someone heard the loon.

I was greeted by a pattern
set in place so many days ago
I tried to reconstruct my thoughts
and make them not my home.
I stand erect and look from side to side
It seems I've made a prisoner of my thoughts
sad day of untidy means and sighs.

I thank you for the cobwebs though.
Through all the rubble
that may have gone unnoticed
and yet...
It's not as if you could not possibly understand
what to me was so obviously bemoaned.

I was a little girl paper dolls in hand
Making paper do
what others could not possibly understand.
I suppose I should close the box vacant,
without the ribbons that seemed to have been tossed.
Scold my attitude and measures of the loss.
I know I should be grateful for the memories held fast
but oh...
all the beautiful colors
when clipped could never last.

Farewell Mrs. King
Free at last, free at last.
Thank you.

Phd. Martin

by Dennis Magnusen

song:
1)
Phd. Martin I write you this song
I see some things I think you'd say going wrong
The sun is out, the sky is blue
But there's some things we've got to change to make it through.

2)
The people, they still gather 'round for a fight
They don't care whose blood, they don't care whose right.
They just want to see the young boy die.
They don't care the reason, they never ask why.

Chorus:
Where's that dream you had?
Everyone was talking 'bout.
Where's that dream you had,
it sounded just like mine.

3)
Phd. Martin my heart goes out to you.
There's so much we've got left to do.
The world ain't right and it's hard to see.
Phd. Martin light a torch for me.

"What Does It Take To Be Holy?" 36x48 mixed medium on canvas

I am adding titles, sizes, comments to each one of my paintings and sculpures. I will also be adding prices. check out whatever series interests you.

Sculpures:
http://kathyssculptures.blogspot.com/
Passion Series:
http://kathyspassionseries.blogspot.com/
Mermaid Babies:
http://kathysmermaidbaby.blogspot.com/
Erotica Series:
http://kathyseroticaseries.blogspot.com/
Victorian Series:
http://kathysvictorianseries.blogspot.com/
Watercolors:
http://kathyswatercolors.blogspot.com/
In Search of Klimt Series
http://kathysklimtseries.blogspot.com/
Hawaiian Legacy Series:
http://kathyshawaiianlegacy.blogspot.com/
African Series:
http://kathysafricanseries.blogspot.com/
Cosmopolitan Series:
http://kathyscosmopolitan.blogspot.com/
Commissions:
http://kathyscommissions.blogspot.com/
Watercolor Portraiture:
http://kathyswatercolorportraiture.blogspot.com/
Watercolor Flowers:
http://kathyswatercolorflowers.blogspot.com/
Watercolor Animals:
http://kathyswatercoloranimals.blogspot.com/
Lost At Sea Series:
http://kathyslostatsea.blogspot.com/
You Are Here... this blog
http://kathysart.blogspot.com/
Wild Side Series, Neon's Obsession
http://kathysart.com.blogspot.com/

"The Gossips" from my "Victorian Series"


I am going to be working on new blogs for each of my series. The one I am working on now is "The Victorian Series".

found at:

http://kathysvictorianseries.blogspot.com/

This series is on my website www.kathysart.com as well

I just LOVE this email from my friend Shan. I was blue because I felt overwhelmed and like a 'do nothing' yesterday. He propped me up with these words. Afterwards I asked him if he would send them to me in an email so I could digest it. Here it is for you too, essentially anyway... if you want a bit of Shan magic!


Hi Kathy,

"Few things in life have such obvious correlation's but the name or the word 'Sucksess' is a description of what happens when you go down the rabbit hole to the wonderland of your dreams. You get sucked in and you have to confront alot of things and do battle with them to overcome the power they have over you. Some ideas make you feel bigger others make you feel small and the ideas your mother gave you are filled with guilt so spit those suckers out. If you can't live your life the way you want doing what makes you feel good, who's life are you going to live? When you surrender and stop struggling then the war is over and you can go back to doing what your here for. Its all so simple if we could just choose the life we want "BUT" We have to face our own demons and then sweep them sweep them away. Your light is bright and your work is good. Every-time you feel that guilt thing come up. Recognize it for what it is and give it back to the person it came from and then do something
nice for yourself."

Aloha

Shan

What changes us?

What makes us decide 'one day'.... that 'this day' we will do better?


'This day' we will smile on everything as if we were seeing it for the first time.
'This day' we will take time out for our own selves.
'This day' we will climb that emotional mountain that seemed inconceivable 'yesterday'.
'This day' we 'will' do what we had only 'hoped' we would do 'before'.

'This day' we will FLY.

BE PROUD!

PS I have decided to update my blog weekly instead of daily. I am going to spend more time smiling at flowers, petting kittens and noticing the present moment.