Drifted

"Drifted"
6" x 6"
Pastel on hardboard 

I found a photo in a magazine similar to this scene and painted the essence of it.  I've made snow before on a larger ground, and I think, like sky, it is better large, than small with the medium and technique I use. Ya live, ya learn. 

Carol

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

Valley

"Valley"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard 

I've been reading some old missives about applying paint to a canvas to create art, "The Boston School of Painting" by Frank Benson.  Choose the right value, he says, get plenty of paint on the brush, and apply it in one stroke — flat, don't fuzz it or fuss with it.  I'm not sure I can abide by those rules, but I tried it. Maybe it's appealing to someone.  

Carol  

Brushstrokes@comcast.net

CarolKeene.com

Dailypaintworks.com

Dailypainters.com 

Icy

"Icy"
9.5" x 6.5"
Pastel on sanded paper

It's cold where I live, but not this cold, nor is it this barren. There's ice on the puddles, but they're not this expansive, nor this deep. Snow has fallen, but it won't still be here come spring. I'm thankful to live where it's appropriately wintery — not outrageous.  

The way I first finished this painting was to perfectly reflect the mountains in water with dry rocks on the shore of a body of water. It was boring. I was ready to fling it into the trash when a voice said, "Keep the mountains, blur the rest."  I did that and instead of tossing this sheet of watercolor paper, which is what I paint on, I'm pleased with its frigid iciness. 

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Dailypainters.com

Dailypaintworks.com

Somewhere In The West

"Somewhere In The West"
5.5" x 7.5"
Pastel on sanded paper

I was in the West over the weekend and I may have left my heart there.  I saw things that made me feel alive, met people I plan to know better and revived a longing to live at a higher altitude.  

I painted this today, loosely using a reference photo of a Robert Genn painting.  I sanded a piece of watercolor paper, toned it with a red and a blue and sanded those colors into the paper to make a purple undercoat. I painted the light, or halation around the tips of the mountains.  It was a passionate endeavor, taking place on the heels of my extraordinary experiences of the past week. I've been ... blessed.

Carol

Dailypainters.com
Dailypaintworks.com
Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Winding River

"Winding River"
10" x 20"
Oil on hardboard

I was looking to paint a winding river.  My own photos were not to my liking, so I found a site with winding rivers. I liked the composition and the subject matter of this scene, but I have no idea where it is,  It was listed as a copyright free, photo, so I cropped the parts I liked and had my way with it.

Carol

Dailypaintworks.com
Dailypainters.com
My Gallery
Brushstrokes@comast.net

Progress

"Progress"
30" x 38"
Oil on hardboard

Here's a section of The Maroon Bells that I'm working on. The mountain is in strong light, the shadows are dark and the snow is bluish. It's a process of applying paint and glazing color upon color. It's taking time because of the size of this piece... but F U N!  

Carol

Dailypainters.com
Dailypaintworks.com
My Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net