Foothills

"Foothills"
8" x 20"
Pastel on watercolor board

The peaks in the distance looked like mountains to me, but the locals laughed when I referred to them as such. The big boys soar well above these, but they're also quite a distance from my friend's home. So I settle for the foothills when I visit my girlfriend in Colorado. 

I broke two pieces of my hard pastel as I began this painting. When I picked up one of the broken pieces, I squiggled its side, instead of the tip, on the board. It left a nifty mark. I did the entire painting with the sides of broken pieces.  It has an Impressionistic quality to it. And once again, the subtleties are not captured by the camera. It's pretty translucent and overlapped in reality.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
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Path to the Fence

"Path to the Fence"
5" x 7"
Pastel on gessoed canvas panel

The landscape was a simple one, it was the textures that intrigued me. There were only a few elements, but they were gnarly and nubby and easily represented on this surface.  

I used the clear gesso on a previously painted and sanded down acrylic painting. The rep at the art supply store told me it would be possible, so I tried it. The underlying texture made for interesting new textures for the pastel painting.  I'm liking this medium more as I test its limits.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
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Nautilus

"Nautilus"
6" x 8"
Pastel on canvas panel

A friend sent me a photo of this shell tonight. I had just finished a piece to post for January first, and felt pretty good about it, so before putting away my "toys," I pulled the colours in the shell and painted it.  

I have a nautilus shell similar to this one on a shelf in another room, but mine lacks this much colour. It's more like a standard opal than this "fire opal" kind of presentation.  It was fun to try to capture the essence of the shell.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
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Heavenly Hydrangea

"Heavenly Hydrangea"
8" x 10"
Pastel on gessoed canvas panel 

The jewel tones of the hydrangeas caught my eye as I walked past buckets of them in my grocery store. I had my camera in my purse, so I clicked off a few shots. 

I've painted these beauties before, but now I'm trying my hand at capturing the essence of this closeup with pastel painted on a black canvas panel. I applied clear gesso on it then dug in.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
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The Gang's All Here

"The Gang's All Here"
8" x 6"
Pastel on gessoed panel

While I was perusing my photos from the Botanic Gardens I came across this riotous scene. I happened on the colourful plantings when the shadows were deep and the blooms were at their finest. 

I'm thankful to have shot thousands of images from which to choose on days when my actual surroundings are grey, colourless and pretty much buried under layers of slush.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
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Morning Behind Me

"Morning Behind Me"
4" x 4"
Pastel on hardboard

I saw this sky in my rearview mirror as I drove that morning. The opalescent colors lingered in the humid air and presented me with a rectangular gift of color for about twenty minutes. 

I tested a couple of products to achieve this texture.  I painted Liquitex clear gesso onto an aquabord panel. The gesso gave additional tooth to an already textured panel.  I didn't  sand it, just toned it, as usual, and proceeded. I'll be experimenting more as time goes on.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
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Tapestry Roses

"Tapestry Roses"
4" x 4"
Pastel on gessoed hardboard

The roses in the pattern on my new scarf appealed to me — reminded me of roses I've painted in oil. Yet I wanted to depict them in the way my hand wants to paint some subject matter now. 

My paintings with this loose kind of scribble have generated a lot of comments. I'm intrigued with this style and plan to pursue it, if I can, in larger pieces.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
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