Winged Frog

"Winged Frog"
8" x 8"
Oil on canvas pane

To the right of the hobnail vase sits a winged pewter frog holding a glass vial with a daisy in it. He was the add in when I set up this arrangement. I needed something to go in that space that was not to heavy, not too dark, but Baby Bear... "just right." 

I set it up, shone a light on it and did a quick study.  I realized I would never paint it again. I wouldn't want to have to explain the winged frog. He doesn't read well unless you happen to know what he is. I love the colors, so maybe I will paint another, but not with him. 

Mr. Winged Frog will be listed with, and for sale through a DailyPaintworks Auction.

Thank you for stopping by today. Ribbit. 

Carol 

Peaceful, Easy Feeling

"Peaceful, Easy Feeling"
20" x 16"
Acrylic collage on wrapped canvas

And now for something completely different!  Yes, it's mine. I went through an evolution when my huge studio was brand new. I did things I had always wanted to do. And this epitomizes that time. I made it all up. The symbol means nothing, (hopefully not, anyway).  


The images are ones I shot, photoshopped and printed.  I tore the paper that I painted myself, and cut the stamp of the spiral.  I troweled texture medium on a canvas, coated it with white pearlized paint and then adhered the elements and painted on shadows.

This piece is listed with, and for sale through a Dailypaintworks.com Auction.

Thank you for visiting.  Peace.
Carol

Like a Red, Red Rose

"Like a Red, Red Rose"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas

She wasn't red when I photographed her, but merely a beauty of the deep pink variety.  I had fallen in love with red paint. Had allowed myself to smear red in its purest form—and leave it.

Using only one red and one green with a gossamer breath of white, I tackled this piece.  Cadmium Red Light and Viridian were the contenders. Nothing but those two colors.  Draw the rose, smear red on the entire canvas, add the green to make the darkest darks and create petals by painting shadows in a spiral out to and over the edge of the wrapped canvas.  Done!

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

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Fire in Malibu

"Fire in Malibu"
12" x  14"
Acrylic, torn paper on PVC 

This piece came from a place of turmoil in my family's life.  A green-eyed monster with a fire in his belly was devouring our very souls. His wrath torched all that was good and sent it simultaneously up in smoke and down the toilet with an agility only a demon could muster. 


I began this painting without a path, without knowing what would come of the tissue paper and paint.  But as I glued and dropped color onto the ground, It came to life.  I fanned the flames and let 'er rip.  We have risen from the ashes in many ways and find ourselves in a much better place.

This painting is not currently for sale, but it may be at another time.  However, it will be posted on DailyPaintworks. com and in my gallery there.  If you are interested, you may contact me.

Thank you for visiting my blog today.  I appreciate that you've taken the time to check in.
Carol

Pastel Succulent

"Pastel Succulent"
16" x 16"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas

This is another from the garden center that had all the pretty succulents.  I didn't know there could be so many colors in a single plant.  It amazed me then, and amazes me to remember it now.  

This was painted as part of a series of succulent paintings.  It was done with a brush I had worn down to a nub while painting murals. It seemed perfect for swirling on color in a dry brush technique.  I used that brush until the brushes were worn down to the ferrule... the metal part.

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

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Wisconsin Sunset

"Wisconsin Sunset"
15" x  30"
Oil on wrapped canvas

The sun set so quickly that I either had to photograph it, or enjoy it with my eyes.  I liked this particular shot. There were so many colors in the air over this waterway, I wondered if it was a gaseous effect of the marsh, or just focused wishing. 

This is another early oil painting.  I've only been using oils for a short while.  They delight me with their ability to let me ponder as I paint. Being a watercolorist and a muralist, I made a lot of art on the fly!

This painting is listed with, and for purchase through a Daily Paintworks Auction.

Reservoir Pond

"Reservoir Pond"
20" x 24"
Oil on canvas 

My first outing in a kayak was in this very water.  I loved being so close to my subject matter.  So close to the water with my camera.  The clouds co-operated and gave me some pretty nifty haze over the pine forest in the direction of where Cathedral Pines was located.  

I had to wait until I got home to paint this scene.  Fortunately, my photos were good.  I loved being at this vantage point to see at least three species of lilies.  

This painting is already sold, but it will be up on my Daily Paintworks Gallery. 

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE VARNISH!

Dear Readers,
In today's second paragraph, I mentioned a gallery opening.  Well, it isn't tonight.  It's next week.  So sorry for the wrong information.  Visit the gallery if you wish, but Toulouse and I will not be present.  Come to see us on Friday, September 30th, though.  
Humbly,
Carol

Toulouse, Your Moose Is Loose"

"Toulouse, Your Moose Is Loose"
24" x 24"
Oil on wrapped canvas

It was Saint Patrick's Day and I was in the produce department of my grocery store when I saw a guy ripping leaves off cabbages.  I nearly rammed him with my cart to save this particular one from being scalped. "He's subject matter!" I declared. Once I had it in my possession I realized he would need companions, so I collected a turnip, red onion, egg plant, tangerines, tulips and added daffodils to the mix. Then I filled in with a few miscellaneous items... including my moose. 


Tonight Toulouse, Your Moose Is Loose will be featured in a gallery opening called Recent Works.  He was juried into the show and will hang for a month. This was my first painting done with my handmade, English, Rosemary & Company brushes.  What a sweet ride that was!

Toulouse will be listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks auction during the same month as Recent Works.

Thank you for stopping by today.  I really appreciate your comments and e-mails.
Carol

Spring Stuff

"Spring Stuff"
24" x 24"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas

I was a faux finisher and muralist for many years.  When that phase of my life came to an end, I missed it.  This piece pays homage to a lot of years learning how to manage enormous expanses of wall with a degree of expertise.

This piece is sold, but lives on in my heart.  And before it left for its new home I added a third egg to the nest. However, I did not get a photo of that addition.

This painting will be shown on Daily Paintworks, but it is not for sale.  That would be silly.

Thanks for visiting my nest today.
Carol

In For A Landing

"In For A Landing"
16" x 20"
Oil on wrapped canvas

When I had my pilot's license many years ago, I thought about landing all the time, even while firmly planted on the ground.  The day I painted these clouds I had no idea what would be below them, so I plotted out an unlikely place to come in for a landing—unless, of course the pilot had a beak and feathers.  


This piece was totally an exercise in using the wonderful blending of oil paint, after years of acrylic and watercolor.  I changed the clouds many times before leaving them alone to dry.

This piece will be listed and for sale for a month on a Daily Paintworks Auction.  See my entire gallery of paintings on that site.  Go to Member Artist, and then my gallery.

Thank you for dropping in for a landing today.
Carol

Dahlia Daze

"Dahlia Daze"
18" x 24"
Acrylic and colored pencil on canvas

I sat on a short wall to rest for a few minutes and saw the under side of what was probably a fantastic dahlia.  It was a "petticoat" view of something I'd normally only photograph from the top.                                                                                                                                                                                            

The painting went okay, but I lost interest in trying to create all the subtle texture in the leaves, so I reached for my colored pencils.  Exactly what I wanted!

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

Thank you for visiting today.

Carol

Tuscan Flower Fields

"Tuscan Flower Fields"
24" x 48"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas

The Tuscan Flower Fields idea came when a young entrepreneur asked me to give an estimate on doing seven huge canvases for his entryway. I did several tiny ones, to scale, and this one; still smaller than any of the sizes he requested. Color was what he wanted. This is what I showed him.  


I rolled black gesso on the canvas then set about to make it a thing of beauty.  I loved knifing the colorful acrylic paint, letting it dry and adding more and more in textured layers.  I've never been to see the flower fields of Europe, but this is how I imagine they'd look.

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

Thank you for stopping by today!  I appreciate it.
Carol

Before It Was A Golf Course

"Before It Was A Golf Course"
16" x 20"
Acrylic on a panel 

A photo plucked from a shoebox full of images became an exercise in creating something from—not a lot.  What I found out after it was completed was, where there were cornstalks, there now are greens.  It's a golf course in Bull Valley.


This was done entirely with a palette knife on a black gessoed panel.  Is that how you'd begin a snow scene?  I don't know what I was thinking to have begun on black, but it worked.

This painting is listed with, and for purchase through a Daily Paintworks Auction.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Cathedral Pines

"Cathedral Pines"
24" x 24"
Oil on wrapped canvas

My daughter took us into this Wisconsin pine forest on a hot July afternoon.  The trees were old, the light intense and sideways.  I'm told Sunday School classes used to be held in this very spot, thus the name "Cathedral Pines."  High humidity activated the robust scent of pine and earth.  It felt good here.

I knew when I saw this place that I'd try to paint it, but without showing the height or enormity of these trees, they look like any other pine forest clearing. I enjoyed painting it, however.  The tree trunks and pine needles in the sunlight were a challenge, but not as difficult as painting the haze without making it look like sky.  So I overlapped it onto the shrubs, where sky wouldn't dare go!

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

Thank you for stopping by today.

Carol

Yellow Rose

"Yellow Rose"
6" x 6"
panel

This yellow rose in my neighbor's garden was near the end of her run when I passed by, as I walked my dog recently.  Her petals rolled back like she was thankful for a sunny day under 90°.

I painted this rose twice—on the same panel. The first go-round she was too pale and lacked what I saw in her in the first place.  I let it dry, then went back in with different saturations of similar colors, not quite glazing over the original, but definitely adding to the intensity as I brushed.

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

Thank you for looking.
Carol

Succulence

"Succulence"
10" x 20"
Acrylic on canvas panel

Her powdery leaves splayed like a saucer in moonlight. Tender shoots peeked from beneath the leaves a few layers out from her central core. They looked like the tiny faces of newborn lizards.

This is one of the darkest paintings I've ever done. Low key is the term.  Most of the paint is in the 1-5 range on a scale of one to ten. I'm normally a high key painter... subject matter-wise.  Backgrounds excluded.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a DailyPaintworks Auction.   

Thank you for visiting today,
Carol

Gull Stones

"Gull Stones"
8" x 10"
Oil on wrapped canvas

There weren't as many seagulls up in Door County as I thought there would be, considering the amount of water and the number of tourists.  This, one feather was the only evidence of their presence. Although, strangely enough, someone standing next to me with binoculars said he was watching pelicans circle overhead.  I Googled it when I got home. Yup. White ones.

The weave of the canvas shows through my thin painting style, and gives a neat texture to these rocks.  It's more pronounced in the photo than in real life.

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

Thank you for visiting today,
Carol

Ginkgo Leaves and Limestone

                                                                                                                                                                                      

"Ginkgo Leaves and Limestone"
16" x 16"
Oil on gessoed panel

When the leaves landed on the pebbled beach, I liked the way it looked, but they blew away quickly.  There were no ginkgo leaves near the beach, but I have one next to my home, so I juxtaposed the indigenous leaves for something I could relate to. 

The leaves are turning in my part of the country. The ginkgoes turn a terrific shade of gold when they are ready to leap to the ground, and these were some of the first to land.  I plan to do another ginkgo painting this fall.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks Auction.  If you haven't checked out the web site, please do.  There are some interesting pieces being created on a small scale, in order to paint and post daily.

Thank you for visiting my blog today.
Carol

Door County Gemstones

"Door County Gemstones"
8" x 20"
Oil on gessoed panel 

The beach was white as any sand I'd ever seen, but as we walked closer I saw texture, inappropriate for sand.  The beaches up in Door County are tumbled limestone chips, white and quite gem-like in their rarity.  They're protected, and rightfully so. There aren't many of them. Not enough to go around, as with any gem. 


I photographed them at various times of day, and painted this one as soon as I got home.  The rolled gesso on Masonite gave me a texture I adore.  But the small nature of the stones made sponging a bit tricky, so I down-sized my sponge to... get this... an eyeshadow applicator!  Yup, the kind you get free in your eyeshadow container. I love how it blends.  Oh, I did use my Rosemary "Ivory" brushes, too, but most of the blending was via eyeshadow sponge.

This painting will be donated to the DPW Challenge to Help the Children of Africa.  If you are interested in purchasing this piece, the proceeds will go to World Vision to help feed the hundreds of thousands of children dying of hunger there.

Thank you for visiting my site today,
Carol

Succulence #2

"Succulence #2"
24" x 24"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas

During a visit to the garden center that carried an amazing array of succulents, I gravitated toward the varieties that had the least amount of green. Although I shied away from greens, I remained true to my love of whorled leaf and petal patterns.

The shadows were critical to this composition. I was happy to have captured them where I needed them.  I rosied-up the sand color and used it as an alternate to a dark background.

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

Thank you for visiting my blog today.
Carol

Pre-Slaw

"Pre-Slaw" 
20" x 24" 
Oil on wrapped canvas

When I was a preschooler I called all the leafy greens in my mother's garden lettuce—until the lesson.  She had me compare the colors, rub their leaves, smell them, listen to them squeak against themselves and finally taste that stinky pre-slaw taste of raw cabbage.  I learned the difference.

This was my first sponged painting of something other than a flower.  What fun to use a variety of reds and greens where I normally would have glazed oranges and yellows.  

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

Please also be aware, that my hosts on Daily Paintworks, Carol and David Marine, have lost their home and Carol's studio to a wildfire this past week in a suburb of Austin, Texas.  Keep them in your good thoughts as they struggle to recover from this tragic event. 

Carol  

Siblings

"Siblings"
16" x 20"
Oil on wrapped canvas

The day was cooler than we had grown accustomed to. The sun shone, but was dotted with intermittent clouds. Two blooms clung to one another like siblings about to be tucked into separate beds. 

I hadn't considered painting these two together, but they seemed to fit in my composition, so here it is. I used my handmade Rosemary & Co. brushes instead of sponges to brush on the color. It was thrilling to do it in the traditionally, but I still glazed on the luminous colors with my sponge.  And just you wait to see what new tool I've incorporated into creating my new series!

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

Thanks for stopping by,
Carol

Intrinsic

"Intrinsic"
12" x 36"
Acarylic on wrapped canvas

Not so long ago, nor that far away, a smidge of blue collided with a skosh of yellow. Red crept in from a corner and wrinkled, stretched, and cosmically diverged into a unique realm.  "Intrinsic" was born.


I bought a variety of canvases in unusual sizes. This one just begged to be cosmic in nature. I used my acrylics with a few watecolor techniques and finished with colored pencil details. Wow, this one was fun!

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks Auction. Or via Paypal on that site.

Thank you for visiting my site today,
Carol

Featherly

"Featherly"
40" x 30"
Acrylic/collage on canvas

The background appeared to me in dream-form two mornings in a row.  I could feel my arm wiping on the Golden Brand Indian Yellow with a sponge, adding red to it as I traversed the canvas from top to bottom.  And laughing at the thought of feathers wakened me each time.

I owned the canvas.  I had a mixed bag of feathers and the rest was created while I was fully awake, but only with the right side of my brain.  I painted big squares and small ones, tore scraps of waxpaper I had painted with metallics, glued, painted, layered and rubbed in shadows.  A mere 106 glued and painted feathers later, "Featherly" was finished.  He's one of a kind. There aint no more.

This piece is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks auction, or by PayPal.

Thank you for stopping by today!
Carol

Egret Island

                                                                                                           

"Egret Island"
16" x 20"
Oil on wrapped canvas

I wakened to this view across Reservoir Pond, having arrived after dark the night before. An egret lifted off over the white water lilies, and landed only feet away in the yellow ones. July in Wisconsin.

The diagonal water and the ragged and broken shoreline intrigued me. It was a sliver of an island, so the sky shone behind even the low boughs of pine. 

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

Thank you for visiting today,
Carol

Rose #4

"Rose #4"
24" x 24"
Oil on gessoed panel

This little rose, and I do mean little, was the size of a quarter, full-blown, on the bush. I got her at the grocery store, being hungry for life in the dead of winter. I photographed her in many poses, but this one seemed to capture the essence of who she was. 

 Her outermost petals were raw sienna; unbecoming a lady of her stature. Yet they suited her the more I painted.  So I left them and painted what I observed. Probably they were a result of having travelled under wraps in a refrigerated grocery truck for a week... or more.

This painting and many of the ones featured in my blog are available for purchase on the wonderful website Daily Paintworks.  Please check it out.

Carol

Flowers... Incidental

"Flowers... Incidental"
22" x 14"
Watercolor on paper 

The bowl looked impossible, but so did the mass of flowers.  I dropped in three faceted pieces of glass from my collection, and decided it was all too hard... ready, set go!  


With every loading of the brush I added another wash of color to the background. The facets of all four pieces were painted a section at a time.  Not much glazing here. Color-specific, value-specific and very, very fun.

This piece and many of the paintings from my blog are on Daily Paintworks. They are also available through a DPW auction on that site.

Thank you for visiting today,
Carol

My Sled

"My Sled"
Watercolor on paper
12" x 30" 

I've owned many sleds. I've never worn one out, broken one, or sold one, but they've disappeared, nonetheless.  When I found this one at a garage sale I was too "mature" to engage in its intended use, so I put it to the next best one.

No primaries here.  Not today.  This one's about red, white and brown. The marigolds and cherry tomatoes brought life to the miscellany of hard items, which chronically include marbles.

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

Thank you for stopping by today,
Carol

My Mother's Toys #7



"My Mother's Toys #7"
20" x 14"
Watercolor on paper

Her much-loved books sat on a chair the shape of a curvy woman. I draped a couple soft napkins, added a vase with curves of its own, and a sterling toothpick case, to repeat the metal of the chair. My Mother's Toys posed for the seventh in the series.

The neurtals in this painting were derived from the primaries in the vase. The limited palette worked well for this simple arrangement. 

This painting is not for sale.

Thank you for visiting today,
Carol

Hooked on Pretty Things



"Hooked on Pretty Things"
30" x 12"
Watercolor on paper

 "Ya know..." said the middle-aged woman standing in my booth at the art fair,  "if it had a fishing lure in it, my husband would look at it.  And Honey," she said, leaning in closer to me, "he has the checkbook." 

After painting a couple full sheet paintings in a row, I opted to downsize, but continue on with the detail.  I created the wicker shelf as a backdrop, to add texture and light behind the pieces. Sondra's green cup was still in my posession, and my son's tackle box offered an abundance of lures. 

This painting is not for sale. Although, I'd be happy to paint a similar one of your favorite objects.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol