Cherries on a Platter

"Cherries on a Platter" 16" x 20" Oil on wrapped canvas

They rolled around on my old crystal platter until they came to rest against the fluted edge. What made the turquoise reflections?  Bright turquoise daisies in a vase just out of sight.  They were the original subject of my photo shoot, but these three cherries stole the show with their crescent-shaped highlights repeating the markings on the platter.

It was a joyful moment when I realized I'd be covering a lot of the surface of this piece with cadmium red light. I had only used it a few times prior to this and loved the way it responded to glazing with my sponge.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks.com

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Old Rose

"Old Rose" 36" x 36"Oil on wrapped canvas

This rose faced my placesetting at a dinner party for my friend.  She was the only full-blown one in the bunch. I commented on the way her petals curled and the host sent me home with the entire bunch. The next morning all of them looked like this! I photographed them and have hundreds of images from which to choose.

I began painting in the corners, swirling burnt umber and mineral violet toward the soft edges of the outermost petals. I worked toward the center with lighter and lighter passes. Then when the values were right I began to add glazes of color until the center was rosey enough to be my focal point.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through Dailypaintworks.com.

Thank you for visiting,

Carol

Pansy

"Pansy" Oil on wrapped canvas 36" x 36"

I shot the reference photo for "Pansy" in Winter Park, Colorado last summer when I visited artist, Karen Vance.  There was nothing different between Illinois pansies and Colorado pansies, BUT this one reminded me of Marilyn Monroe's skirt in "The Seven Year Itch."

All of "Pansy" and many of my large, single bloom images have been painted with—a sponge.  Yes, even the tiny, hard-edged veins.  Probably your mind has conjured at least three different kinds of sponge by this time, but I'm not here to tease.  The magical tool is a masonry sponge.  Looks like an orange brick.

To reiterate, I paint with water miscible oils that dry faster than traditional oils, especially when applied thin.  I swirl on color with a snippet of sponge the size of a pack of chewing gum, wait for each layer to dry, and then swirl sheer glazes of color over each dry area.  The darker values of purple and yellow, above, were done in layers, not ala prima. Being a recovering watercolorist and a muralist/faux finisher, the use of non-traditional materials just comes naturally.  And over the next few days, I'll explain even more as you view additional pieces.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol