Carol Keene: May 2012

Wednesday, May 30

On The Porch (copy)

"On The Porch" copy
30" x 40"
Oil on stretched canvas

When I was in Old Lyme, Connecticut I visited the Florence Griswold Museum. I stood on this porch where William Chadwick, the American Impressionist, had painted this same scene nearly a hundred years prior. I adored the painting, so copied it to learn something about his thought process.

The process was amazing! I had to figure out a LOT of things without asking anyone.

Thank you for visiting today.

Carol

Tuesday, May 29

Red Rock Canyon

"Red Rock Canyon"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel

It was one of those sapphire skies that hangs majestically over parts of the country where I don't live! This particular one was in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. I stopped there on my way to experience Hoover Dam.

Today I worked on several paintings, including this one. On Tuesday I'm going to spend the day in Kenosha, Wisconsin at the Transparent Watercolor Society of America show. With my roots in watercolor, I still aspire to entering a piece in this competition... some day.

Thank you for being here today.

Carol

Monday, May 28

Garden Pond

"Garden Pond"
24" x 18"
Acrylic on canvas

At dusk when night sounds begin to tune for their evening performance, and shadows cast an inky veil over the garden's brightest petals, pond ripples stretch to kiss the distant shore a loving good night.

Another from the archives, a sold piece, but thank you for visiting today.

Carol

Sunday, May 27

Fractal Frenzy

"Fractal Frenzy"
40" x 30"
Acrylic on canvas

I am an artist's agent for a fractal artist in California. I sell his images and animations to rock bands, fashion designers, videographers and corporations looking for unique art. Jock Cooper at Fractal-Recursions.com inspired me to try to paint images like he composes via math equations on his computer. I was commissioned to paint this piece when I refused to sell one similar to it to an admirer.

Please enjoy images from my archives while I paint some larger pieces. You are all still in my gracious thoughts.

Carol

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Saturday, May 26

Violaceous

"Violaceous"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas

Her petals radiated from tiny pivotal peaks in such a magnificent, violaceous whorl that it dazzled the pantaloons off some of the more staid spectators.

I've posted 320 consecutive days with a different new painting each day: floral, landscape, still life and a couple miscellaneous offerings. I have worked in the small square format so popular with daily painters, but I love to paint large. My brushwork and sponges are perfect in that scale. I also like the texture and bounce of a large stretched canvas, instead of hardboard panels.

I am considering making larger paintings for a while to satisfy some creative desires. That said, I may not post every day, but please don't assume I've quit painting. I must paint. It's my driving force. Ultimately, I may turn out more complex pieces for your viewing pleasure.

Furthermore, I may fill the gaps with some pieces I have not yet posted. Please be patient with me as I transition into this next stage.

Thank you for understanding my reason for change. I appreciate it.
Carol

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Friday, May 25

Blue Lace Cap Hydrangea

"Blue Lace Cap Hydrangea"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas

Blue lace caps in huge pots were placed in the middle of a reflecting pool at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. I was able to get close enough to reference many of them for the purpose of subject matter.

I'm haven't painted hydrangeas in a while, so when a block of time presented itself today, I decided to do it. I enjoyed painting each petal completely before moving on to the next one, starting with the darkest ones. The leaves were a delight, too.

Thank you for looking.
Carol

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Thursday, May 24

White Peony

"White Peony"
8" x 8"
Acrylic on canvas panel

I found a companion flower to the pink one from yesterday and painted her in a similar fashion, also on a decorative background. I enjoyed painting her ragged petals.

A white flower on a nearly-white background depends on shadows and greenery to make her pop. I feel this is a successful piece, despite the limited palette.

Thank you for being here today.
Carol

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Wednesday, May 23

Peony Swirl

"Peony Swirl"
8" x 8"
Acrylic on canvas panel

Spring was just beginning when I found this blossom in a neighbor's yard. I photographed her and her buds and placed them on a decorative background.

I adorned many a wall with flowers like this one when I painted murals throughout Chicagoland. It's acrylic, I painted only in acrylic in those days.

Thank you for looking today. I appreciate it.

Carol

Tuesday, May 22

House Portrait

"House Portrait"
9" x 12"
Oil on canvas

I'm in the midst of a series of house portraits. I have a tie to the real estate industry in my area and realtors purchase my paintings to give as closing gifts to their clients. I am kept busy with these as well as my daily paintings.

Thank you for looking today.
Carol

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Monday, May 21

Plain Peony

"Plain Peony"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard

Someone had picked her close to the bloom like a dandelion in a child's bouquet, then dropped her on the ground near my house. I brought her inside, trimmed her stem and set her in a crystal bowl of water. She opened in the heat of this beautiful May day to expose a very simple center, compared to Friday's ruffled one.

I cropped this peony to make an almost abstracted view of her center. I liked the many colors of red that the halogen light shone on the petals.

Thank you for being here today.
Carol

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Sunday, May 20

Before the Storm

"Before the Storm"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard

The point of the island on Reservoir Pond caught the last bit of light as a storm sauntered through that July afternoon. The tallest pine had sported a bald eagle when I kayaked around the tip of the island earlier in the day.

The peach color you see in the sky and water are the under-painting. I toned my panel by rubbing on a glaze of burnt umber with a sponge, the burnishing it off with paper towel. It shows through and gives the piece a warmth I couldn't have painted any other way.

I appreciate your visits.
Carol

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Saturday, May 19

"Lily Lake Revisited"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard

The banks of my darling Lily Lake were tidied since I last passed her curvy shoreline. Her trees were pruned, and some removed. The lilies, however, are still abundant off shore, as usual.

Lily Lake has been and will continue to be subject matter as long as she contains water. I hadn't seen her in three months, so today when I passed, it was like visiting a ... friend.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting me today.
Carol

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Friday, May 18

Peony Pom

"Peony Face"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard

My peonies are blooming! Full, fragrant and flamboyant are these hussies! Here is a closeup of one of mine from last year. I love her roundness, her full-bodied lusciousness.

I have wanted to paint this one for a while, but all those center petals scared me. I made as much sense out of them as possible. It looks a lot like what I remember.

Thank you for looking in on me today.

Carol

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Thursday, May 17

First Fuji

"First Fuji"
5" x 5"
Oil on hardboard

This small and lackluster Fuji looked like it had just come of age. It was, however, white on the inside and tasty. The intriguing parts were the blossom end with its tiny fresh leaves, and the beguiling stem that extended an inch and a half from a two-inch apple.

I put the apple on this embroidered fabric for texture and line. I also stippled the apple in its entirety—with a small, soft mop brush. I use my tools with abandon.

I enjoy knowing that you've stopped by. Leave a comment on the blog, or e-mail me, if you're so inclined.
Carol

Dailypainters.com
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Wednesday, May 16

Tone Poem V

"Tone Poem V"
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel

Farmland near the Mississippi River quilts the landscape like fabric over fiberfill. Ponds add punches of color and trees decorate the seam lines like fancy stitching.

This is the final piece in my Tone Poem series. I hope you enjoyed them. I loved painting them. And by the way, the camera just WANTS to make a moray pattern, it doesn't look like that in reality.

Thank you for stopping to visit today.
Carol

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Tuesday, May 15

Tone Poem IV

"Tone Poem IV"
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel

Queen Anne's Lace dots a band across the front of this August landscape. They're plentiful along the roadways where this was shot taken early one morning.

Number four in the series is of larger trees and not so many different fields. I used a sponge and one scruffy brush to paint all of the Tonalist pieces. Not my usual fare.

I appreciate your attention here.
Carol

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Monday, May 14

Tone Poem III

"Tone Poem III"
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel

Farmland to the north and west of my home ripples and rolls toward the Mississippi River. It quilts the land in an array of nature's favorite colors.

This is number three in my series of five Tonalist paintings. I learned something as I painted each one.

Thank you for stopping to look today.

Carol

Sunday, May 13

Cheetah Pears

"Cheetah Pears"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel

I found these two snuggling on my polar fleece cheetah scarf that I wear when I paint. I was given one, and bought the other with the intention of eating it. They looked so cozy together I decided to let them finish their cuddling and eat them... later.

I enjoyed this quick study of the two different kinds of pears. The skin on the red one was cherry red with very little yellow in it except where the reflected light from the yellow pear hit. Their unique stems delighted me too.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

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Saturday, May 12

Tone Poem II

"Tone Poem II"
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel

I've found a reward in waking early. It's no longer difficult to roll out of bed knowing the visual delights that await me in the rural settings near my village.

Tonalist landscapes are typically luscious and luminous with evocative atmospheric effects featuring hazy backgrounds. The palette is minimal, characterized by warm hues of brown, soft greens gauzy yellows and muted greys.

Tonalist painters seem to prefer a state of implicit cognition and psychological experiences over reality.

Your presence is appreciated.

Carol

Friday, May 11

Tone Poem

"Tone Poem"
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel

In the Midwest, where I live, mornings in May are often hazy. I was eager to capture this effect on canvas. While I painted I felt connected... to what, I wasn't sure. In the discussion group where my early oil landscapes were critiqued, I was referred to as a Tonalist.

The Tonalist style emphasizes atmosphere by using a color's middle values instead of high contrast, resulting in an understated effect. Subject matter is never entirely apparent but rather an intriguing visual poem cloaked in a vaporous veil of emotionalism.

The definition will be continued tomorrow.

Welcome to my world today.

Carol

Thursday, May 10

Bird House

"Bird House"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel

On a walk through my neighborhood in search of blossoms of any kind, I came across this darling little bird house; a recent addition to someone's back patio. The arch of the doorway is a curved branch cut in half. I loved the log fence in the front, too. But that first step is a long way from the opening! Purely decorative, I assume.

I like how this painting turned out. I started it and put it down. Too brown. Not my favorite palette. But once I put black around it the house came to life. It floated until I put a post under it too. The actual one hung.

Thanks for flying on over today.

Carol

Wednesday, May 9

Where Go The Boats

"Where Go The Boats"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel

Dark brown is the river
Golden is the sand.
It flows along for ever,
With trees on either hand.

Green leaves a-floating,
Castles of the foam,
Boats of mine a-boating -
Where will all come home?

On goes the river
And out past the mill,
Away down the valley,
Away down the hill.

Away down the river,
A hundred miles or more,
Other little children
Shall bring my boats ashore.

Robert Louis Stevenson

A friend and I discovered that we shared similar memories of sailing folded paper boats in creeks, ponds and lakes when we were children. I even sang this poem as a song at a Brownie Scout "flying up" to Girl Scouts ceremony as we released our boats into the Huron River in a suburb of Detroit where I grew up. I felt compelled to honor this memory by folding a boat and floating it on one of our many puddles for this painting.

Thank you my friend for the inspiration.
Carol

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Tuesday, May 8

California Columbine

"California Columbine"
6" x 6"
Oil on Hardboard panel

My friend, Jock Cooper, went to Huntington Gardens in California with his family last week. I had the nerve to ask him to photograph a closeup of a flower for me. This is what he sent this afternoon. I'm delighted to have painted my first columbine!

I grew up with wild columbine, but I don't have access to them where I live now. Oh, I can see them in a couple gated communities, but can't convince the keepers to let me in with my camera. So this was perfect! Thank you Jock.

Thank you for being here today.
Carol

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Monday, May 7

Lusty Month of May

"Lusty Month of May"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas

I visited a friend yesterday who had just purchased many pots of peonies that looked like this—glorious for the lusty month of May! I went there to photograph the migrating orioles and came home with shots of peonies instead. The orioles were in the canopy of her magnificent trees, sheltered from the rain.

The coloring and interior structure of this lovely lady intrigued me. I began painting her using a sponge, but felt more comfortable within the small spaces using my Rosemary & Co. brushes. She's painted on all five sides of the wrapped canvas, as are all my wrapped canvases.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my art today.
Carol

Dailypainters.com
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Sunday, May 6

A New Day

"A New Day"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard

It's a new day, ripe with opportunities to come to clarity and heal. Would that it were as simple as dissipating a cloud cover to whisk away our woes.

Sky paintings are therapeutic for me. I respond spontaneously to how the paint moves on the ground, be it canvas or board. Small ones are often warmups for a more detailed painting.

Thank you for being here today.
Carol

Dailypaintworks.com
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My DPW Gallery
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Saturday, May 5

Nearly! Almost!

"Nearly! Almost!"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel

My peonies are nearly, almost a day away from bursting into the plant world's version of tutus! I'm so excited to have them at my disposal—to look at, photograph and to bury my nose in. I love the fragrance of peonies.

When I shot the photo for this painting, a few hours ago, the background was the barbecue grill. I added a seldom-used color to my palette and find it pleasing with the necessary greens and reds. It's simply called Green Blue.

Thank you for looking at my art today.

Carol

My DPW Gallery 300 paintings!

Friday, May 4

Choppy Water

"Choppy Water"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas

The storm hit and passed before I could leave, so I stayed and painted a couple more quick studies. The water lilies fared well; both blooms and their pads. Water rolled off the tops like they had been waxed, and then the sun came out.

Lily Lake became turbulent before my eyes. She's normally like a mirror. It was interesting to see her roil and settle again. This thirty-minute sketch was one of several I did that morning.

I appreciate your calm presence here.
Carol

Dailypainters.com
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Thursday, May 3

La-La-Laa

"La-La-Laa"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel

She was not alone in the bed, and definitely not the only warbler in the garden that morning, but she was spot on pitch. This beauty performed without missing a note.

Lilies are fun to paint on account of their deep throats and colors that are difficult to place next to one another. Purple blending into yellow—yikes. It makes for a satisfying experience when completed.

I appreciate your presence here today.
Carol

Dailypainters.com
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My DPW Gallery
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Wednesday, May 2

Scarlet Trim

"Scarlet Trim"
10" x 8"
Oil on hardboard

She was colorful to the point of quirky in her lemony attire trimmed in scarlet. She was unique in the bouquet and was magnificently fragrant to boot. This petite little rose has brought a lot of joy.

The rose was the size of a quarter. I've painted her before, in a different pose. I'm fond of her color and crumpled look.

Thank you for looking in today.

Carol