Etsy Copper Artists

This is a treasury I made using an inspiration piece from the nonteamchallenge on etsy. There are some really wonderful art pieces using reused and recycled copper. Enjoy!!

My New Journey

I have painted over 100 cow paintings over the last ten years. I stopped counting when I registered my work as a collection with the copyright office about 4 years ago, but I know I am now well past that number. Since they have all come rolling straight from my imagination, that is a lot of silliness and whimsy that has been rolling around in my head and coming out of my brush. Prior to the cow obsession, I did lots of different kinds of work-memory paintings, my "People on the Couch" series, my "Black and White" series, Impasto paintings....but having done the same thing for so many years with the occasional recent foray into other animals, I am feeling the need to finally go in a different direction. At this point, I don't know what that direction is. I had walked into my studio several times over the last week with the intention of creating something completely new...and when I started....blank. nothing. I couldn't conjure up the faintest thing that I might want to paint. I had declared myself officially stuck. Like writers block, I had no impetus for my creativity to begin anew. Until I discovered Inspiration Avenue's Weekly Challenge. What a life saver! It got me to PAINT something without judgement,expectation, committment- just painting! This was just the jumping off point I needed and is perhaps the vehicle I need to help me move along on my journey to who knows where. While I will not abandon the body of work I have already developed....I see each new painting as a stop a long the way to the next phase of my art. I intend to use these weekly challenges to move me along, help me discover new things about myself and possibilities for my work. My husband and daughter and I used to jump in the car on a Saturday morning (before gas got so expensive) and just drive until we saw somewhere interesting to stop. We would go on that way, discovering places we hadn't been with no set plan, we would just let the road lead us and stopped when we recognized something cool. That's what I am doing with my art. My first cool stop is a painting in blue. The challenge from Inspiration Avenue was to pick a color that does it for you and paint something with it. So here it is, my neighbors pigeon coop from the window of my studio.

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My Holiday Hiatus

Another Philadelphia Christmas tradition, the lights at what was Wannamakers- now Macy'sLunch at Ho Sai Gi on 10th Street- Yummy!


New Years day isn't a party without the crazy Mummers!Chinatown on New Years Day

Dinner is almost served!

My girl with her new pal Vincenzo made by etsy artist outlawheartcreations

My beautiful daughter with her ukelele......

Our 12 ft. Christmas tree...

So here I am emerging from all the Holiday hub bub~ wrapping, running around, cooking, baking- all the things that go along with this most wonderful yet crazy time of year. I had a great season, beginning with my annual Christmas party which is always fun and I so much enjoy welcoming friends, new and old into our home. Christmas itself is usually quiet, our tradition being that my daughter and I attend the early service at our church and when my husband comes home from playing in the praise team, we all eat pizza and watch "It's a Wonderful Life" next to a blazing fire. On Christmas day we breakfast with dear friends, come home and rest and then settle in for a big roast beast dinner. As an independent artist, I was also very busy with my work, hosting an open studio at the beginning of the month and running various specials and sales in my web presence, especially on etsy. I have to say honestly though, and this isn't probably the smartest thing as someone who needs to sell her product, but there came a time when I was becoming tired and depressed at the cacophany of e-mails in my inbox daily enticing me to buy this item and that. Around the 16th, I decided that I didn't want to be a part of it anymore, that I needed to sit back and enjoy and reflect on what the season was really about- the birth of Christ. This is not an indictment of anyone else, it IS the biggest selling season of the year and, next year, you may be getting e-mails from me right up until Dec. 25. But this year, I just felt the need for something else. Needless to say, I didn't sell a lot, but that's ok, because what I got was a chance to reflect on and appreciate the most important things in my life~ family, friends, health, my gifts and talents, our home...the fact that I indeed have "a Wonderful Life" and that was what made my holiday season so special...

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all in Cyber land a very Merry Christmas and a Mooey New Year!

Are You Famous?

Do people stop you on the street and say "Wow, you're her!" ? That's what one of the children at the Landenberg Christian Academy asked me the other day when I went there to do a book reading for them. Sadly, I had to reply no, only that I was a legend in my own mind and someday maybe... LOL! The kids were really great. I started with the preschoolers who I didn't really expect to be able to sit well through my 40 page book. They were really very well behaved and excited. They sat quietly and listened and at the end got to come up with the school director Julie Malone and give my 4 ft stuffed Millicent the cow a big hug. Next I read to the older grades, 3-5. They were also very well behaved and asked great questions at the end. I got to do a little more than just read with this group. I brought all my early writings, scribblings and sketches, in addition to the original paintings used for the book, so I was able to present the entire process of how I wrote and illustrated the book from beginning to end. It was a very fun day and I hope to do it at other schools in the future on a more regular basis.

Julie Malone had this to say about my visit

"I would highly recommend having Karen O’Lone-Hahn visit any school. It is incredibly valuable for students to see real life examples of people who have put a dream into reality. It is also valuable for them to see that even published authors need to work hard and persevere through the entire writing process from the initial ideas, to the rough drafts, to the final published work. Our teachers were extremely pleased with Mrs. O’Lone-Hahn’s visit, as it proved to be a highly educational, as well as inspiring experience for all of our students."

Millicent and the Faraway Moon Reloaded

This is no longer available at Lulu.com . Get it on Sale on my etsy page.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/33528826/childrens-book-millicent-and-the-faraway

Artists are like Diamonds

Even though there are millions of diamonds in the world, each one is unique and shines with its own specific beauty. Such is the way with artists. Each has his or her own unique vision and talent and like a diamond, is special and brilliant. I am privileged to know many other artists whose work I can marvel at and enjoy. I know glass blowers and potters, fabric artists, wood carvers, metal smiths, jewelers-the list goes on and on. I never tire of seeing what someone else is up to, reading the stories that they tell in their work. Every time I go to an art show or a gallery it is like a banquet, a feast for my eyes. Today I spent the day gallery sitting at the Artists Connection Gift Shop in Oxford, Pa.. Truth be told I was regretting signing up to do it as I felt I had too many things on my plate to take a day to spend gallery sitting. I have to say that I am glad I did. I had such a nice time talking with Dave Bliss ( a photo restorationist) and a member of the Connection who was sharing the shift with me. If left up to me, I think I would sometimes corner myself into a cocoon with things I think I HAVE to do, missing out on the company of wonderful human beings like Dave. I am new to the Oxford Artist Alliance and am also glad I went as I got to spend more time talking with Paula Graham, a jazzy watercolorist and creativity coach. When left alone, I spent my time looking around the shop, enjoying the work of various artists. Larry Denver is a masterful wood carver, his pieces generally being inspired by nature. There was lots of jewelry-cool stuff by Storm Fight Designs (Stacey Peterson and Jamie Cox) Deja Vu Artisan jewelry (Cheryl Gross), quilted wall hangings, photography, fabric accessories, paintings by Dianne Blanche Stirrat and the work of several others (myself included)..... The day was quiet though. Only two people came in. Oxford is a tiny Pennsylvania town that is working its way from sleepy rural community to one that is trying to catch up to the rest of the world. I am sure that their are plenty of art lovers in Oxford and the surrounding region and as the Alliance becomes better known, the traffic in the gallery will increase. I hope that those of you who are reading this, if you are local, will take the time to go there and see the awesome work being offered by the artists in the shop. It is located at

38 South 3rd Street in Oxford

Gift Shop hours:
Thursday 11-4
Fridays 11-6
Saturdays 10-5