Primarily Primary

"Primarily Primary"
Watercolor on paper
30" x 22"

The green cup and leafy saucer were on loan from Sondra Freckleton, but the rest had already auditioned for this setup.  There's a story behind every item in this painting; including the only Rolls Royce I'll ever own.  I loved laboring on every detail of this one.


I spent years painting intimate detail with tiny brushes on large paper. It's what I enjoyed at the time.  As I look back on this and note my palette in other mediums in a different decade altogether, I see I still prefer the primary colors. Some things never change.

This painting is not for sale, but please enjoy the works that are for sale on Dailypaintworks.com

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

At Sondra's

"At Sondra's"
Watercolor on paper
30" x 22" 

I had been painting for about twenty years, before I took my first watercolor class.  It happened to be a workshop with my idol, Sondra Freckelton.  I spent a week with Sondra and her husband, Jack Beal at their upstate New York home.  It was one of the highlights of my life.  I painted this piece during that week.  I had collected the marbles in Corning, New York on the way there.

As Robert Genn recently wrote: "The best workshops are conducted by practicing pros who feel the need to share.  Often humbled by the demands and foibles of creativity themselves, these pros can offer sincere student-hood and practical, insider understanding."  I couldn't agree more.

Carol Marine had a similar impact on my life as an artist during a three-day workshop last March.  Spend time with the best, it will pay off. 

This painting is not for sale. But thank you for stopping by to see what I've been doing.  

See this and my gallery of posted paintings at Dailypaintworks.com

Carol 

Lisianthus on Damask

"Lisianthus on Damask"
22" x 22"
Watercolor on paper

Look familiar?  I posted the acrylic study for this watercolor on August 18th. Traditionally, watercolor was the "study" medium for most artists back in the day.  It wasn't considered a stand alone medium until the early to mid 1900's. 


Being my first love, I sometimes hanker to paint a large, complex watercolor.  The photo already existed, the composition issues had been solved, and I had a sheet of Fabriano paper to use.  The table cloth was wiped out through a stencil I cut of the damask pattern.  Cool, huh?

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks auction.  Please check out the other wonderful artists on this site. Thank you.

Carol

Purple Pansy

"Purple Pansy"
8" x 8"
Oil on wrapped canvas

She was one of the darkest pansies in the planters up at the top of the ski lift at Winter Park, Colorado last summer.  Most of them were pale, small, lacking oxygen, like I was.  Or maybe it was just my perception up at that altitude.

Purple Pansy was painted with glazes of dioxazine purple and permanent rose.  I waited for her to dry and buffed on a glaze of a transparent yellow to warm up her overall appearance.

This and most of my paintings presented here for you are available on Daily Paintworks, where they are also for sale through an auction.

Thank you for stopping by.
Carol

Balboa Park Begonia

"Balboa Park Begonia"
20" x 16"
Oil on wrapped canvas

I saw her from a distance in the Balboa Park Conservatory in San Diego. At first glance I was attracted to her translucent petals. But by the time I got close to her the light had changed, and the leaves became almost more stunning than her bloom.

Here we are again with my favorite palette of colors—red and green.  I seem to be attracted to this combination, and in this case, the black background served me well.  I had left it white, but it was less than stellar.

This and most of the paintings you see on my blog are shown on Daily Paintworks. They are also available for sale through their auction.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Ooh-La-La

"Ooh-La-La"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas

In the bouquet she didn't seem any more special than her vase-mates. But when I isolated her, she perked up and strutted her stuff. 


It was a treat to paint this little beauty.  I sponged the entire canvas with a cool lemon yellow, then added the details that made her so unique with a brush.  I loved losing the edges of her dark petals to the background.

This painting can be seen with a lot of other fab paintings on DailyPaintworks.  And she's for sale on an auction on that site, too.

Thanks for visiting!
Carol

Joe's Coat Rose

"Joe's Coat Rose"
24" x 36"
Oil on wrapped canvas

Back when "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" was performing in Chicago, some Keene cousins were production carpenters and electricians. They referred to it as "Joe's Coat."  Since this white rose is everything BUT, I gave it, what seemed, an appropriate title.  

"Joe's Coat" was executed with a half dozen sponges loaded in a variety of cool reds. Then warmed in the end with some cadmium yellows and oranges.  

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks auction.  Check out my gallery on that site. 

Thank you for visiting.

Carol 

White Zinnia

"White Zinnia"
16" x 20"
Oil on wrapped canvas

"To the bed of white zinnias," shouted an elderly woman to her caregiver.  The man picked up his pace pushing her in the direction of her pointing finger.  I changed directions and kept up with them.  I hadn't seen a whole bed of white ones, but there they were! 

This was one of the perfect ones; no goofy offshoots, or extra anything going on, so I cropped her and fit her perfectly onto a sixteen by twenty and enjoyed every stroke of every petal.  

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks auction. 

Thanks for stopping by today,

Carol 

Puzzle Moon

"Puzzle Moon"
24" x 24"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas

When autumn chilled the Puzzle Moon she dipped down to take comfort in the Earthly warmth of colorful leaves, a rippling stream and a halo of golden stars.  


I doodle puzzle shapes in real life.  Interconnection, spacial relationships, and graphic representation surface like this in my work cyclicly.  This style visited for a short time, then left.  I took the cue, and hung a series of them in my guest room.


This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks auction. 


Thank you for stopping by.
Carol

Dahlia Daze

"Dahlia Daze"
10" x 8"
Acrylic on canvas panel

Morning's light hadn't penetrated much past her face, when Dahlia stretched to her full-blown girth.  Night crept away over leaf and stem, and dozed in the mulch close to the earth.

I painted the canvas black except where the bloom would be. Crisp edges were easy to keep with the acrylic. Then I built up layers of green to fill the corners.  I enjoyed building the intense light and hard shadows on the leaves. 

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks auction. 

Thank you for visiting,

Carol

Lacecap Hydrangea

"Lacecap Hydrangea"
24" x 24"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas

There were dozens of them in each arrangement, but I zeroed in on the heart of one single Lacecap Hygrangea.  Probably, it wasn't how most of the visitors at the Chicago Botanic Gardens viewed the exhibit. 


I began painting this piece in a traditional way; large brush, lots of color and then I lost my mind!  I switched to colored pencil for the details; the veins, bud separations, highlights and deep shadows.  I couldn't help it.  It's exactly the look I was going for.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks auction.

Thank you for stopping by today,
Carol

Lucent Lily

"Lucent Lily"
18" x 18"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas

She had been pulled from her stem by a chubby fist.  Handed to me as a loving gift.  One curled petal was missing, but the rest of her looked darn good.  I put her on the doily next to my faceted paperweight and rolled in a couple marbles. Not half bad. 

I lit the flower from the bottom so I could take advantage of the texture on her petals. This painting became all about light, texture and pattern.  The orange of the flower pleased me.  The purple and blue elements keep it interesting.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks auction.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Dots a Nice Cabbage

"Dots a Nice Cabbage"
24" x 24"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas

At an early age I was fascinated with all the extra "fabric" around the hem of each cabbage leaf.  Still am!  They're built that way for our entertainment, right? 

I Photoshopped the cabbage photo for this painting so it wasn't simply green. Then I painted it with a Q-tip.  Well, actually with some Q-tips.  Okay, with a box of them.  Then I covered the tip of a fresh swab with a one inch square of pantyhose.  It made a dandy dotter.  No fuzz, no stragglers, no ruffled dots.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks auction.

Thank you for visiting today,
Carol

Lisianthus in Crystal



"Lisianthus in Crystal"
12" x 12"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas

The crystal bowl was a moving gift from a friend. He moved. Didn't want it. Knew I would. I washed it and immersed my white lisianthus into the clear, warm water.

This was a monochromatic piece from the start.  I learned a lot about my bowl, and used it several more times with different flowers.  But while the lisianthus were fresh, I painted a watercolor of the set up, too.  I'll post it tomorrow.

This painting is listed with and for sale through a Dailypaintworks auction. 

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Bob's Pink Hydrangea

"Bob's Pink Hydrangea"
8" x 10"
Acrylic on panel

I had photographed her larkspur, roses, morning glories and was ready to leave Peg's Garden, when Bob took my elbow and directed me toward his pride and joy.  I gasped and thanked him.

The texture of the leaves and the center of this pink lace cap delighted my sense of adventure. Painted on a black background in acrylic, I'm ready to try this one again, but larger and in oil. Bob will recognize this beauty at any size or medium. 

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Dailypaintworks auction.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

More Toys

"More Toys"
9" x 12"
Watercolor on paper

A newly-formed art marble took comfort in a crisp linen napkin nestled in my mother's parian bowl.  A skeptical observer kept a watchful eye on the goings on, aware of his inability to change a thing.

Overlap, stuff, fold, tuck and stack. That's one way to put this many things into a painting and keep it interesting.  I found by this time that I loved painting my mother's linens.  The addition of a live flower breathed life into the composition and I made up the background long after the subject matter was finished.  It needed more than a flat background.

This will end the current series of watercolors. Next... acrylics!

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Dailypaintworks auction.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Labor of LOVE (Stamp)

"Labor of LOVE (Stamp)"
16" x 12"
Watercolor on paper

It was indeed a Labor of LOVE (Stamp) to sit in my mother's studio painting her doll-sized wicker chair without using masking fluid.  The cut work linen, a full-blown pink rose... imitating art, and another parian vase posed on a scalloped shelf against her favorite shade of aqua.

I drew the wicker and painted it first.  I was convinced if it looked right the rest would follow. The light in her studio was ambient window light.  Any additional light would have been too hot. There was no air conditioning in her Florida home.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Dailypaintworks auction.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

My Mother's Toys

                                                                                                            

"My Mother's Toys"
12" x 16"
Watercolor on paper

When I finished painting my mother's blue and white plate I found other items to paint before coming back to Illinois. The rose was live, and deliciously fragrant.

The vase's soft pastels set the tone for the rest of the painting. I would like to have painted it again with a darker, more dramatic background. 
Maybe some day...

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Dailypaintworks auction.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Bennington Parian



"Bennington Parian"
10" x 14" 
Watercolor on paper 

These were the kinds of "toys" I got to play with when I visited my mother's art studio in Florida. No Nintendo there!

The blue and white plate was challenging, in that it had to be color-specific to its manufacturer.  The trinket box, vase, pitcher, bowl and ivory netsuke seemed appropriate companions to sit on one of her favorite placemats.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Dailypaintworks auction. 

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Barbara's Plate

"Barbara's Plate"
12" x 16"
Watercolor on paper

When she heard about my plate series Barbara brought me one of her new dinner plates. I flanked it with two milkglass pieces, and linens befitting her lovely offering.

With as much white as was actually in my set up, I changed the background whites to a salmon I isolated in the bouganvilla on the plate.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Sweet Peas

"Sweet Peas"
12" x 16"
Watercolor on paper

Sweet Peas' blossoms intrigued me as she lounged in a plate groove in a resale shop. Her colors and her asymmetrical design suited me.

Incomplete words tease and stimulate the brain. Placed as they are here, they become a focal area. The other players are linked by the meandering strand of beads. The contrasting value in the arc of the plate leads back to the the words. 

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Dailypaintworks auction. 

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Spring Plate

 

"Spring Plate"
12" x 16" 
Watercolor on paper

That spring when I found this single dinner plate in a clearance bin, I surrounded it with favorite old items, and welcomed that plate into my collection. 

When I had finished painting the plate I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to paint another.  I did! The next few posts will feature several in my series of plates.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Landscapes Woven Through Time

"Landscapes Woven Through Time"
10" x 7"
Watercolor on paper(s)

In the beginning I painted in watercolor.  I taught myself to paint trees and leaves. Blue skies and sunsets. Grassy hills, ragged weeds, rocks and ponds.  Suns, moons, snowflakes and stars.

Recently I sliced one of my carefully painted abstractions of a (1979) landscape into eighth inch vertical strips. Then I cut up and wove snippets from my past and slivers from the present together to form Landscapes Woven Through Time.  It appears I've remained true to my innate sense of color.

For a week or so I'd like to share my watercolors with you.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Pink Hibiscus

"Pink Hibiscus"
18" x 18"
Oil on wrapped canvas

She faced straight into the camera with a headlong glance, more like a formal portrait than my casual intent. She posed. I clicked. It worked. 

Various shades of pink and green were swirled across this canvas with cubes of sponge; one for each color of red, each color of green, to keep the glazed colors from getting muddy.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks.com

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Cherries on a Platter

"Cherries on a Platter"
16" x 20"
Oil on wrapped canvas

They rolled around on my old crystal platter until they came to rest against the fluted edge. What made the turquoise reflections?  Bright turquoise daisies in a vase just out of sight.  They were the original subject of my photo shoot, but these three cherries stole the show with their crescent-shaped highlights repeating the markings on the platter.

It was a joyful moment when I realized I'd be covering a lot of the surface of this piece with cadmium red light. I had only used it a few times prior to this and loved the way it responded to glazing with my sponge.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks.com

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Lady Hibiscus



Hibiscus
12" x 12"
Oil on gessoed panel



She wore a pleated white skirt, cinched with a scarlet sash around her slender waist. An audience watched, green with envy, as Lady Hybiscus twirled her skirts in the breeze. 

Complements again. I've discovered this about myself; I seem to find the most comfort in painting with a complementary palette.  Nature provides a lot of opportunities to derive that kind of comfort.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks.com

Thank you for visiting,
Carol 

The Goddess Hoarfrost

"Hoar Frost"
8" x 16"
Oil on wrapped canvas

This cornfield up in Bull Valley surrendered her edges and contrasts to The Goddess Hoarfrost.  The field and trees wore her flocking like a gossamer shawl, and waited for the sun.    
  

This was an exercise in texture and technique.  I had acquired a device called a Colour Shaper by Royal Sovereign, and wanted to use it for more than just scraping texture on a rock. It was more fun than I anticipated.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks.com

Thank you for visiting,

Carol

Party Peony

"Party Peony"
24" x 36"
Oil on wrapped canvas

She cupped the stamens in the hollow of her bowl, like confetti about to be tossed.

Once the darks were established in the corners, I sponged layer upon layer of color toward the center of this full-blown peony.  I connected the petals without regard to the interior goings on.  Then once the architecture was correct, I began brushing one stroke at a time to create the "celebration."  The addition of Radiant Turquoise on the stamen tips added life to the party.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks.com

Thank you for visiting,

Carol

Picket Fence Rose



"Picket Fence Rose"
24" x 24"
Oil on wrapped canvas

Close to the road on my way to somewhere is a home with a picket fence.  The straight white boards shoulder a tangle of greenery, dotted with oodles of fat, white roses. 

I layered cool blue shadows on the outer rim of this rose.  Then rubbed in a cool pink,  knowing that I'd glaze the furnace inside her belly with several yellows.  I kept the innermost petals pure permanent rose, like lipstick on her pouty lips.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks.com.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Devil's Thumb Ranch

"Devil's Thumb Ranch"
"12 x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas

Sky reflections sparkled in the grass as I crossed a tiny bridge on the property of Devil's Thumb Ranch at the Continental Divide in Colorado. I stopped to document the rapidly changing light as the sun dropped behind me. It wasn't much as waterways go, but as a serpentine mirror, it was fab. 

Yes, I paint landscapes.  My first watercolor paintings were rural house portraits for realtors to give as closing gifts. I was kept busy enough back in the seventies to learn to use the medium. That led to teaching watercolor twice a week for ten years.  After that I branched off into acrylics when I was asked to paint a mural. That started a fifteen year career of standing on ladders and scaffolding!  I've only recently begun to paint in this fabulous medium of oils.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks.com.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Agave Desert

"Agave Desert"
24" x 36"
Oil on wrapped canvas

I live in a part of the midwest where leaves do not grow in shades of dusty blue.  The ground is not ocher and crunchy under foot. I come from green, and plenty of it!  My bare feet delight in verdant carpets of cool grass and clover. Yet, I long for different. 


I photographed the desert and the agave separately.  I intentionally defied convention by sponging the plants onto the canvas as large as would fit, then painted the vastness of the desert from close up to miles away.  I didn't particularly care that the eye wouldn't see it the same way my heart did!  I also enjoyed the colors.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks.com.


Thank you for visiting,
Carol