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“Minibeast” – what even is this? In this Karen’s world, the powerful voice of innocence is found in peculiar places. Current and future works will strive to capture the minibeast spirit – small moment, big voice.
Oh, to be a Minibeast!
I bet you’re wondering why we gathered you here today, at the IHOP. Well, I’ll tell ya…
All shall be revealed, ask your questions here.
Is this art?
Its naked form
Emerges from the womb,
it is.
As the muse, you will be the guide,
And I will follow.
Holiness is found in peculiar places
And I don’t presume to know its whereabouts.
But I know to look beyond the veil. Beyond the church, the night,
The trickery of lights.
I look to you.
Inquire:
courtofminibeasts@gmail.com
Join along, at any of five commission plateaus and become a member of the 2022 coterie of Minibeasts.
I’m seeking clients who would like to put a future painting on lay-away, by paying an amount, either $50, $100, $150, and $200 for twelve months. In return, each patron will receive a unique piece of art painted in collaboration with the purchaser, and valued at $600, $1200, $1800, $2400, accordingly. Through regular monthly payments, your consistent support will give me a measured, monthly income – somewhat of a rarity in the life of a painter.
Will you be the one to join this auspicious court of museness?
In a month I’m releasing the paintings from this
most intriguing Minibeast cycle.
With the end of that cycle comes the start of a new one
Which means I am looking for my Court of Minibeasts for this third round.
Will you be my Minibeast?
This is the final of the 2020 Minibeast commissions, just getting ready to be shipped to Switzerland. It has been a wild year of cancellations, loss, and serious change. But my Minibeast patrons of 2020 have brought me through it by providing a steady income. This particular beast is my journey to create a painting for special woman who works as a librarian to enrich her students, which was no small feat during the pandemic. I hope you enjoy a look into the minibeast process.
I have released myself from duties for a few weeks to focus on my inner impulses to paint with the muse of my Minibeast Patrons driving the awareness of this spring’s awakening. Because of your support I have been able to isolate this obsession with the emergence of spring. With so much loss this past year, and so many tangled feelings clogging the wheels of daily life, we have set off on a tour of the Pacific Coast with some interest in the health of the estuaries, the shape of the wind, and the blooming of the grasses.
My husband, David George Gordon, is working on a revised edition of his book, Heaven on a Half Shell. His research is taking us to places where the wind paints the sky and pollenates the land. The mud is singing with budding young organisms and the ocean is roaring with the push and pull of the changing moon. Somehow, with all of our filth and waste, humans have continued to care to restore the estuaries, and happy new organisms are finding places to grow and flourish. Without them, we will not eat. My optimism is aroused as I’m witnessing nature in a state of rebirth. There is much interest in restoration if you look for it. The cradle calls.
The young people are asking, “Is renewal possible?” And the evidence is yes. I’m on a mission to find sacred moments in these places and hope to create paintings that sing for you, my dear Minibeasts. I wasn’t ready to come out to play. Spring seemed to come too soon for me, but as of this week, I have been pulled by the moon to a heightened state of awareness. And the paintings are coming forth. The flowers are ridiculous with their enthusiasm to bloom while we are barely able to trust our own emergence. Shall we join them?
All will be revealed
An exclusive gallery walk through with the artist
on Saturday, February 27, at 3:00 pm PDT
Here is a sneak peek into the process of a Minibeast painting.
Here they are, the paintings from the 2020 Coterie.
They are a group of only 35 art lovers who put a future painting from Karen on a lay-away plan over a 10-month period. This will allow Karen to continue her growth as a fine artist and pursue her desire to develop new ways to work with children of serious change.
Karen will ask each Patron Minibeast questions about their likes and hopes, what kind of paintings speak to them, what colors excite them, and then she will paint a unique painting within two months of the completion of the lay-away payments.
The Patron Minibeasts will periodically get updates, surprises, and special connection about the process throughout the year.
Payments plans will still be available for some paintings, but by committing as a Patron Minibeast, you’ll become a part of a special troupe of muses – your you-ness is an important part of this project, to be known and to be portrayed in a work of art.
Payments accepted via Paypal, Venmo, Square and good old-fashioned check in the mail.
10 People
$30 a month for 10 months, a 10”x10” (or so.) painting
10 people
$50 a month for 10 months, a 12”x12” (or so.) painting
8 people
$100 a month for 10 months, a 24”x24” (or so.) painting
4 people
$150 a month for 10 months, a 30”x30” (or so.) painting
3 people
$300 a month for 10 months, a custom-painted Nehru jacket or smoking jacket,
tailored by Sew Generously Bespoke of Seattle, WA. A couple of fitting consultations with the tailor are included.
Or a 40 x 40 (or so.) painting
Potentially Asked Questions:
What does it mean to be a Patron Minibeast?
It means you agree to commit to put a fine piece of future art painted by Karen Luke Fildes on lay-away for 10 months. Then you pick up your original piece of art.
How much do I have to lay-away each month?
The least amount is $30.00 each month for the smallest painting (10”x10”). $50.00 a month for 10 months - 12”x12”, $100.00 a month for 10 months - 16”x16” and $150.00 a month a 24”x24” painting to be painted within two months of the completion of your payments (if not before.) The sizes are approximate for each category. This year Karen is offering an original silk painting on a customed tailored nehru jacket or smoking jacket for $300 a month.
Can’t I just BUY a painting from Karen outright?
You can! And that is ALWAYS appreciated. But this effort is to help Karen in a specific way – to provide her with enough income to pay her rent and make sure she has the supplies of life. To be a Patron Minibeast is to be part of a special and dearly appreciated club of only 35 people – no more.
Any question is a good question. Let Karen know what you think. If you would like to join the Court of Minibeasts, Click the link below and reach out.
The first tier of Minibeast patrons will be able to view their commissioned works on November 1st, 2020.
I have decided that it is safer for my courtiers to view this new collection at a special show online from the comfort of your cozy chair at home. BYOB… Yes? Yes!
Will you be the one to join this auspicious court of museness?
On Sunday, November 1, All Saints Day as it so happens to be, the very first Minibeast Menagerie will have completed an exciting ten-month journey. Participants will be united with their paintings and a good time will be had by all. Well, a safe good time, anyway. We will be preparing a virtual show for you and will offer private showings of the works hung together at Walking on Water Studios in Shoreline, WA.
At the same time, a second Menagerie of Minibeasts will be embarking on a fresh ten-month trek—a journey of exploration that will result in an original painting, one custom-tailored to reflect your you-ness and presented at an exhibit in the beginning of September of 2021.
Join along, at any of four commission plateaus and become a member of the 2021 coterie of Minibeasts.
I’m seeking people to put a future painting on lay-away, by paying an amount, either $30, $50, $100, or $150 a month for 10 months. In return, each person will receive a unique piece of art painted in collaboration with the purchaser, and valued at $300, $500, $1,000 or $1,5000 accordingly. Through regular monthly payments, your consistent support will give me a measured, monthly income — somewhat of a rarity in the life of a painter.
Josef Forster (born in 1878) has only one untitled work. This became an emblem of the Prinzhorn collection- i studied the collection in Germany for a year to recover from my divorce and to ponder art and insanity. (Perhaps my own insanity ?)
Forster explained his image and I was able to read his account. “It does not weigh anything anymore, they no longer need to complain about their weight and are able to glide very quickly in the air.” the collection is a few thousand works by patients of insane asylums in Central Europe surrounding the time of WWII.
In the end of the day I learned that gifts can be misunderstood as disorders - insanity begs for compassion. If left to its own devices without a voice (art, music, poetry) it will explode while we look away. A new compassion for our troubled youth is necessary - they are sensitive because they are special. They are overwhelmed by the horrors of this world and their young awareness may have some poetic truths to share if we give them a chance before it's too late. We each hold the potential to be a part of the problem or a part of the solution.
All of the seats in the Court of Minibeasts, 2020 have been filled. And now, we have opened up the court to find ten children to complete the menagerie. Please contact the concierge at courtofminibeasts@gmail.com for information on how to sponsor a child. Also, you can contact Karen here via her contact page to learn more. This is so very good.
All will be revealed.
