Gold in Them Thar Hills

"Gold in Them Thar Hills"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
The setting sun plated the distant hills with the look of gold leaf, like the capitol domes in many cities. The gold was a fleeting illusion, but probably what prospectors dreamed of back in the day. 

My first post of this New Year is not quite what I had planned, but my next one will be worth the wait.  I'm working on a cactus that is not quite a one-day painting. I needed some drying time to place the prickly spines and background flowers. Hopefully it will dry enough overnight to finish it.

Carol

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

Come Home

"Come Home"
5" x 7"
Oil on hardboard
There are places without houses that feel like home. Where comfort comes easily, thoughts never roil or distort. This place is one of them, and tonight I found comfort in painting this place that beckons … come home. 

Here's my favorite Colorado pond again. It brings me such comfort and joy.

Love,
Carol

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

No Telephones

"No Telephones"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel
There are places where telephone reception is the same as it was when covered wagons crossed the continent — nonexistent. As it should be.  We are not meant to interrupt, disrupt or corrupt everywhere we roam. Some places are meant to be honoured with silence. Here is one such place that I visited in Colorado. 

 I painted this during a conversation interrupted by a phone call. I'd say I made good use of my quiet time.

Carol

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

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

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

Windy Peninsula

"Windy Peninsula"
8" x 10"
Oil on hardboard



The wind that afternoon floated me to interesting places without much effort. I sped past a bed of water lilies in full bloom, rendering their photos a blurred mess. But as I was ready to round this peninsula wind from two directions stopped me here in front of this narrow strip of land. 

I have a favorite brush for painting pine trees.  It's not particularly expensive, or of high quality like my British Rosemary & Co. brushes. Nor is it as inexpensive as my cut-up sponge pieces, yet it paints the limbs on pines with a finesse that I've sought for years.  

Thank you for drifting by today. 
Carol

Near Devil's Thumb

"Near Devil's Thumb"
6" x 6"
Oil on sheet canvas
Near Devil's Thumb resort is a creek that reflected the sky with passionate resolve. I suppose the fact that the sky cooperated fully in the creek's amusement helped. 


This was done from a compilation of memories—color, edges, texture, shapes and the essence of place. It is different from my photographed pieces in that it was done entirely from the heart, almost like plein air.

I'm happy you stopped by today. Really, I am.
Carol

Dailypainter.com
Dailypaintworks.com
My DPW Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Reservoir Pond Island

"Reservoir Pond Island"
16" x 20"
Oil on panel 
Reservoir Pond is in Wisconsin. It's where I kayaked for the first time, shot waterlilies from inches away, saw eagles and circled this little island at least twice with my toy poodle on my lap.  


Go north for the fall colors. They're amazing. Well, they certainly were.  The dark value of pine makes a dramatic backdrop to the outrageous fashion statements of the deciduous.

Thank you, thank you for reading my blog.
Carol


DPW
My DPW Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Ghost Island

"Ghost Island"
12" x 12"
Oil on panel
Not too far from the cabin was this little island.  I saw it during the day and it was unremarkable, but in morning's magical light, she struck a ghostly pose, against the pink sky. 


I like knowing that light changes the story I get to tell about the simplest objects.  I would have neglected this little mound of rocks with three trees on it, had I not known about atmospheric conditions.

Thank you for floating by today.
Carol

Colorado Stream

"Colorado Stream"
14" x 11"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas






















I had chased this little stream with my eyes as we drove toward Rocky Mountain National Park. I wasn't about to get out of the car to traipse around the countryside to document it.  But suddenly the road came close enough, and I leaped out and shot a dozen or so.  

That sounded like I was moose hunting, didn't it?  Well, actually I was.  Not with a gun, but my point and shoot camera. Just down stream from here, on the way back I did find a moose.  She was grazing with her calf.  I have it cropped and ready to paint, but haven't begun yet.

This piece is in my gallery on Dailypaintworks.  It's also for sale on their auction site.

Thank you for wading in to say hi.
Carol