Royal Sunset

Royal Sunset  5" x 7"  Oil on canvas panel  $50

Royal Sunset  5" x 7"  Oil on canvas panel  $50

It's been a while since I've painted a sunset again, but with all the traveling I've been doing, I've seen more this summer than I see in a year.  What a glorious opportunity it's been to see the sky at this time of night.  

Carol  

 

Quickie

"Quickie"
6" x 6"
Acrylic on hardboard
I had paint left on my palette from the first two paintings I made, so I decided to use it on a third panel.  I had cropped sky out of the other two, but decided to indicate the clouds that had drifted in from the west. I like the large strokes and the shapes that emerged from the residual paint. 

 Carol

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Celestial Overload

"Celestial Overload"
30" x40"
Oil on Museum wrapped canvas
I've gone from painting on a ridiculously small to a ridiculously large canvas within a day or two. The brushwork is similar, the colors too, but the physical exertion on my body reminded me of my mural painting days. This is not like painting a rose. Nothing at all like it. 

Remember, none of these paintings are signed on the front. There is no right or wrong direction for them. It will be up to each individual owner to decide.  They are, however, signed on the back.

Carol

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Celestial Synapses

"Celestial Synapses"
16" x 20"
Oil on wrapped canvas
Happy Valentine's Day, my loves! 

 Number four in my celestial series was painted in three primaries. The secondaries and vague tertiaries were a result of blending. I'm enjoying developing this new process so much, it hardly seems possible that at this stage of my career anything could generate this much enthusiasm.  I feel as comfortable with this as I am when I paint a delicate petal of a rose. 

As with the other three, I have not signed my work on the front. They can be hung in any direction. It's not that I'm ambiguous, I'm giving my viewer options.

This post is number 800 on Dailypaintworks.com.  Eight hundred paintings in nearly as many days.

Carol

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Celestial Mid-tones

"Celestial Mid-tones"
18" x 24"
Oil on wrapped canvas 
Here is my third offering in my celestial series. I'm thoroughly enjoying the freedom of playing with color and line with the underlying concept of outer space.

I'll be making another one tomorrow. Perhaps using a different palette altogether.  But it will be grounded in black, as the others have been.

Carol

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Crescent

"Crescent"
5" x 7"
Pastel on black panel
I've been wanting to try my hand at a few more non-representational paintings. I come from a graphic design background, and it probably shows more here than in, say, my landscapes.  

I cut tape and stenciled the colors on the black panel, rubbed with my fingers, and drew around the roll of tape to make the crescent. I want to do more of these, but in a more sophisticated palette.

Carol

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Another Day

"Another Day"
12" x 12"
Pastel on gessoed canvas panel
The night had been long, lonely, and cold. I looked forward to morning beginning another day. And what a beauty it was. Those of you who struggle through the night, remember that tomorrow is another day, and it has the potential to be ... colorful.

 I had color notes from a few other paintings to use as inspiration for this painting, nothing concrete to look at. The place originated in my heart.

Carol

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Tangled Up In Blue

"Tangled Up In Blue"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
Miss Rose's rumpled interior indicated that she had unfurled her petals quickly, like an amateur stripper eager for her big reveal. By later in the day when she'd be wrinkle-free, the gorgeous blue of the sky would no longer be interested in tinting her outstretched petals. 

I'm in a Bob Dylan and rose kind of mood.

Carol

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Heavenly Hydrangea

"Heavenly Hydrangea"
8" x 10"
Pastel on gessoed canvas panel 
The jewel tones of the hydrangeas caught my eye as I walked past buckets of them in my grocery store. I had my camera in my purse, so I clicked off a few shots. 

I've painted these beauties before, but now I'm trying my hand at capturing the essence of this closeup with pastel painted on a black canvas panel. I applied clear gesso on it then dug in.

Carol

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At the Garden

"At the Garden"
10" x 10"
Oil on wrapped canvas
I had wanted to paint this scene that I photographed at the Botanic Gardens a couple of years ago, but never got around to it.  Now I know why I shied away from it for so many years.  There are just too many colors, textures, leaves and light patterns in it to be a successful painting. I could paint until it's about an inch thick and still not reach my goal.  I'm quitting right now before I suck the last breath of life out of it! 

Carol

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Tulip Time

"Tulip Time"
5" x 5"
Oil on wrapped canvas
I'm thinking of spring tonight, what with a luscious full moon overhead. Foolish of me to do it, I know, as I've not even seen the first flake of winter. Yet my eyes are ready for color again. I'm already weary of grey sticks poking into grey sky. 

Painting my fantasy has helped.  It's a sweet little fantasy, filled with color and life from a spring day at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

Carol

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Watery Dawn


"Watery Dawn"
5" x 12"
Oil on hardboard  
Dawn lifts her silky veil to reveal the blush of a new day. Doze a few moments too long and you'll miss her show altogether. Best begin sipping your coffee in the darkest hour... and wait. It'll be worth your while.   

When I had the panel cut for my commission piece, I asked that the rest of the board be cut into some different shapes and sizes. I've gessoed dozens of new panels to explore some familiar subjects in new formats.  

Carol


About To...

"About To..."
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard 
I begin these sky paintings with every intention of making a sunrise or a sunset, but when I get to the end there are nights that I don't know whether I've made the end of one day or the beginning of another.  It's like what's going on with my friend who is on an adventure in Madrid for a couple of weeks.  He is about to wake up while I type this, and I'm about to go to sleep.

Goodnight and good morning.
Carol

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Sunset Ridge

"Sunset Ridge"
20" x 16"
Oil on hardboard




















The splendor in the sky that evening filled my window from top to bottom instead of puddling only around the sill.  I decided to present it as I had experienced it—vertically.  Fortunately. There were so many changes as I worked my way down the panel that I was happy to have the extra space to move from one color and texture to the next.  

 I hope you enjoy this larger size and format from what I've been painting recently.  I found a stack of these panels under my drawing board, so I'll be making more of them in the weeks to come.

Carol

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Impressions

"Impressions"
8" x 10"
Oil on hardboard
A photo of these leaves was sent to me by a friend who knows I like color, nature, and a challenge.  These WERE challenging. Someone suggested I use "puff paint" to tackle all the little bumps on the surface of the leaves. 

It's a very impressionistic rendering of the subject.  To do this justice I should have spent a week painting it... but I barely have an evening!  

Thank you my friend for letting me use your lovely photo of leaves.

Carol

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Puzzled

"Puzzling"
10" x 10"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
The shape of puzzle pieces has entertained me for most of my life. I like the knob and the bite on every side; each one unique in its shape and size. Each one locking perfectly into only one other piece. 

This is not brand new, but my new pieces are taking longer on account of life getting in the way.  I'll post when I can until this bumpy road gets smoother.  Thank you for your inquiries and concerns on the days I didn't post.  I'm well, just engulfed.

Carol

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Evening Attire

"Evening Attire"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
My destination was further away, and took longer to get to than I expected. I had been looking down at where I would step next as I crossed the field.  When I looked up the sky was wearing evening attire the color of ripe mangoes.  

Another sky painting for the collection. I tried not to make this one too soft.  Edges on clouds present a different atmosphere. I had to concentrate on leaving them.  I'm a soft cloud person.  

Carol 

We Didn't Get the Memo

"We Didn't Get the Memo"
16" x 20"
Watercolor on Arches 
Watercolor was my first passionate venture into art. I taught myself to paint by reading Sondra Freckleton's book, "Dynamic Still Lifes in Watercolor."  I'm revisiting  my passion today. I've missed it so.  I love these colorful, swirling balls!


Quality brushes, paints and paper can be the difference between "nice" and "fabulous."

Carol

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