Carol Keene: December 2012

Sunday, December 23

Reflecting

"Reflecting"
10" x 8"
Oil on canvas panel

There were bushes at the edge of the lake on the distant shore that had turned yellow and red before any on my side of the lake. I saw them that morning and decided to document them with only a few strokes.

Quick, thick and juicy brush studies are fun to paint in thirty minutes or less. They loosen my hand, my heart and my mind for whatever I'm about to paint. It's an exercise that happens to become something tangible.

Carol

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Saturday, December 22

Soft Pansy

"Soft Pansy"
10" x 10"
Oil on Hardboard

In my state they plant pansies as fall flowers in corporate gardens because of their hardiness in cool weather. On account of our extended fall, the pansies flourished in my zip code this year. It was nice to see purple and pink in the fall instead of just oranges and golds.

Even after yesterday's snow, there were still little monkey faces smiling through the pine boughs and bayberry branches in front of the UPS Store this evening.

Carol

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Friday, December 21

Ear Ya Go

"Ear Ya Go"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard

What delighted me about this ear and the first one was the similar fold or crease they each have in the lobe. Two random ears, with a similar fold. I Googled earlobes to see if this is common. Nope. The universe is up to its tricks.

Carol

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Thursday, December 20

Ear Ye, Ear Ye!

"Ear Ye, Ear Ye"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard

It may have seemed like an idle threat when I wrote last night that I'd like to paint ears for my next series, but I followed up on it. I really enjoyed painting this one, and I have a rooster to thank for it.

If I'm going to call it a series, I get to find another ear or two to paint. Not a problem, right? Well, let's see how many willing volunteers I find. It's a little out of the norm, I'd say. Friends, Followers, Countrymen, send me your ears... left ones if possible.

Carol

Wednesday, December 19

Chanticleer III

"Chanticleer III
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard

I enjoyed painting this rooster's portrait. He's in nearly the same pose as the one from last night, but he wears different coloured plumage, beak and ear. I think it's an ear. It's where I'd put an ear if I were designing a rooster. I'm fond of ears. Maybe I'll paint ears for my next series.

I painted the background on yesterday's rooster first, then the bird. Today's bird was painted first, on a toned background, then I brushed in the background colour around the bird. Either way works.

Carol

Tuesday, December 18

Chanticleer II

"Chanticleer II"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard

Portraits of people are not my strong suit, but I happen to enjoy painting roosters now. Here's one a friend sent, and another will follow. In the process, I'm feeling a lot better about my own face in the mirror. Yikes! To look at this every day would take some getting used to.

Carol

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Sunday, December 16

Shoreline

"Shoreline"
8"x 16"
Oil on panel

The water that morning was Jell-o-still and about as festive. I stood with my camera posed at the magenta puffs and clicked as they squandered their colour. There's always room for ... colour.

Carol

Saturday, December 15

Paused

"Paused"
5" x 7"
Oil on hardboard

Atmosphere like this is as fleeting and ephemeral as most pleasurable moments. The joy in painting a scene like this is a lot like pausing a video at a favourite scene and partaking of its essence for as long as it ... takes.

I paused a few times today to capture the beauty of this place. The season and the time of day were both instrumental in creating a likeness I could almost turn an ear to and hear.

Carol

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Friday, December 14

Daylight Come

"Daylight Come"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard

Yup, Harry Belafonte's Day-O, or the Banana Boat song. It's a work song that the dock workers would sing while working the night shift loading bananas onto ships. Daylight has come, the shift is over and they want their work to be tallied so that they can go home.

With so many skies under my, um, belt, titling them gets tricky. Pardon my goofiness.

Carol

Tuesday, December 11

My Lady Love

"My Lady Love"
20" x 16"
Oil on Hardboard

Like a mistress awaiting her lover, she languished quietly until the bristles of my brush began stroking her dark crevices, her milky highlights. That's when this beauty came to life.

I hankered, yearned, longed to paint this rose while I was busy with other projects. White roses are my favourite subject matter because of all the colour in the shadows.

Carol

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Monday, December 10

The Maroon Bells

"The Maroon Bells"
30" x 38"
Oil on Hardboard

Unless there are changes from my clients, this will be the final posting of The Maroon Bells, two of the "fourteeners" in Colorado. It's been fun to show you the progress as I've painted this piece for them. Thank you for your comments throughout the process.

Carol

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Sunday, December 9

Spring Rain

"Spring Rain"
6" x 6"
Oil on Hardboard

A morning rain trickled over the verdant field across the way. It would be the only moisture for a month. We wished it would have been more when we looked back at the drought-stricken summer. We were lucky to have received that sprinkle that day.

As I dread the first snow in my area, I remember how dry our summer was, and realize the selfishness of my wishes. Bring it on, Old Man. Give it your best shot. Make it a good one while the novelty of white stuff will be received with a freshness and zeal we won't have in February.

Carol

Saturday, December 8

Nestled

"Nestled"
6" x 8"
Oil on Hardboard

I visited a home a few days ago that had a nest like this displayed under a bell-shaped dome. I became so infatuated with the nest, cut from branches in her own yard that I had someone photograph it for me. This is something like her nest, but as we know, each one is a work of art that can't really be duplicated.

I adore these tidy, woody vessels where some of nature's most fragile elements get to tenant safely.

Carol

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Friday, December 7

Come Springtime

"Come Springtime"
10" x 10"
Oil on Hardboard

Wishful thinking keeps me smiling. It's just too bleh outside for my liking. Too chilly, too damp, too all the same shade of grey. I could even go for some midwestern, field-greens. Like this springtime fantasy.

It's another sky, but this one is larger than my standard six inch beauties.

Carol

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Thursday, December 6

Split Complement

"Split Complement"
6" x 14"
Oil on Hardboard

A box of pears arrived at my door this week. Not only was I excited to eat them, my friend sent me models! I painted a lot of them last December when friends blessed me with the season's finest. 'Tis the season!

What goes with yellow green? I consulted my colour wheel and found the split complement to be red and violet. Yum. Two of my favorite colours. I even made the board a combination of the two.

Carol

Wednesday, December 5

More Progress

"More Progress"
30" x 38"
Oil on Hardboard

The Maroon Bells painting is STILL not finished. I have a few more days of adding trees, mountain details, reflections and tweaking to do before I sign my name to it.

Carol

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Tuesday, December 4

See the Light!

"See the Light!"
5" x 12"
Oil on Hardboard

Mama Cass Elliot sang "...the darkest hour is just before dawn." What she implied is it gets a lot brighter after all that darkness. Come on now, let's get out of the winter funk. Soon it'll be white instead of sepia, and our eyes will be filled with light again. These grey days are just -- so -- hard.

I'm talking to myself. I needed a pep talk, and who better to deliver it than the person who knows exactly what it's about. The person who can get to the heart of the matter. Moi.

Carol