Autumn-ish

"Autumn-ish"
5" x 7"
Acrylic on canvas panel

I scraped and scrubbed at this piece when Tuscan flower fields didn't materialize as I had hoped. It turned into a pine and aspen forest after a couple of swipes. So here it is, a first glimpse of autumn.  

That's my reward for being flexible and forgiving of misguided exuberance, AND having a wonderful scraping tool like my Princeton Catalyst wedge W-01 and W-06.  I've saved a few efforts with these scrapers.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
CarolKeene.com
Dailypaintworks.com
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Nothing Like A Sky

"Nothing Like A Sky"
5" x 7"
Acrylic on canvas panel

I began painting a pale blue sky with my palette knife. It progressed down the panel nicely, until I added some pink. The pale pink necessitated a hint of yellow to join the mix, then naples yellow leaped on my knife and wanted a watermelon pink to be next to her. The sky was no longer blue, nor did it look like a sky, so various hues of blue hopped on board to bring it full circle — as IF that would make it look more sky-like.  

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
CarolKeene.com
Dailypaintworks.com
Dailypainters.com

Phlox in the Garden

"Phlox in the Garden"
5" x 7"
Acrylic on canvas panel

The perimeter of one section of the English Walled Garden had shoulder high mounds of phlox – purple, lavender and white ones against the backdrop of various species of trees. I would have had to stand in the sun to paint them, so I photographed them instead, and planned to honor them at a later date… like today. 

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
CarolKeene.com
Dailypaintworks.com
Dailypainters.com

LIME!

"LIME!"
6" x 6"
Acrylic on hardboard

After painting the mango, I looked for something else to paint from life. It's easy to paint an ellipse on a table but a lot more fun to paint its juice bursting through the skin and onto the background. It yells "LIME!" instead of "lime." 

I'm having fun with my knife. It gives me the opportunity to explore subjects I've painted before with new eyes and spirit. 

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net

CarolKeene.com

Dailypaintworks.com

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Mango

"Mango"
5" x 7"
Acrylic on canvas panel

I had a mango in my studio — to paint, then eat. I had eaten its companion and knew the delights that awaited my tongue. I kept thinking of this mango's insides while I painted her smooth exterior and got to the point where her insides became more important than her outsides. I abandoned my initial "perfect mango" concept and let you have a peek at what was going on inside my head.  

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
CarolKeene.com
Dailypaintworks.com
Dailypainters.com

Hedged Wall

"Hedged Wall"
5" x 7"
Acrylic on hardboard
 

One of the walls in the English Walled Garden is a ten foot hedge. It's one wall of a section that has brick walls on its other sides.  The dark hedge makes a lovely background for small fruit trees and mounds of blooming shrubs and perennials like bee balm and day lilies. 

This was my second painting of the morning on Sunday when I was at the Botanic Gardens with my Sunday morning painting buddies.  We paint so differently, it's always a kick to see how we handle the same subject matter.  

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Carolkeene.com

Dailypaintworks.com

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English Walled Garden

"English Walled Garden"
8" x 10"
Acrylic on canvas panel

The storms that raged through the suburbs during the past few days skipped over the 385 acres that is the Chicago Botanic Gardens. No trees were downed or damaged. Visitors who stopped to chat while I painted there this morning agreed we were lucky to have only a few leaves on the walkways. 

We are fortunate, indeed, to have such a glorious place to visit, and have it spared when Mother Nature goes berserk.  

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
Carolkeene.com
Dailypaintworks.com
Dailypainters.com