Morning Layers

"Morning Layers"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard 
I looked out over the distant hills as the sun began to burn off a dense haze. The prismatic clouds dissipated as daylight claimed the sky.  

I love to paint skies as a warmup exercise when I come down to my studio after an absence. I make several using the same palette —whatever I squeezed out for the first one.

Carol

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


Pine Time

"Pine Time"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
A river ran across this corner of the ranch where my friend took me to visit. The air was crisp and we never saw a bug… so unlike summer in Illinois. 

The fragrance of pine was prominent. Maybe that's why there were no bugs, but I didn't know what other kinds of varmints there were to threaten me.  Ignorance was bliss.

Carol

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

Evening Blankets the Hills

"Evening Blankets the Hills"
5" x 7"
Oil on canvas panel
I saw a painting similar to this and tried to capture the essence of it in miniature. It's a lot like my regular sky paintings with a little more detail to the ground.  I'd love to live where this view is common place.  

It's not my habit to copy art, but it is a learning experience, just like the masters used to instruct their students. Simple strokes of color defined the topography of this hilly place.

Carol

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

Iowa Hills

"Iowa Hills"
6" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas 
The Iowa countryside outside my car window undulated like green scarves fringed with gold on a windy day.  

Today was a scheduled plein air day, but the weather was more like October than the end of July, so I used one of my Iowa photos and pretended I was outdoors.  I also used a different Cobalt Blue and some Indian Yellow to make my green. I really like how dark the green got. I may be able to get my values closer to what I'm seeing with these two new colors.  I also found this cute canvas size at Blick yesterday. I will be buying more.   

Carol 

Sheep in the Meadow

"Sheep in the Meadow"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
Morning is not one of my favorite times. It occurs too early for my body's clock, but I love the colors of morning. I've peeked at them from behind my curtains, and remembered how they smear the sky like cream cheese on a bagel, but with pink, blue, peach and gold. 


I'm testing a stack of Ampersand hardboard.  I have about a dozen panels to use.  I painted the sky with a light ground of white, then flipped color around with my brush and then dusted them lightly with a soft mop brush. I did the same with each little field and stream.  Soft...

Thank you for wandering by today.
Carol

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

Typical of the County

"Typical of the County"
16" x 20"
Oil on panel 
When I drive to my daughter's home in Wisconsin I imagine building lovely homes on top of the hills, all along the the way.  The view would be magnificent, for the mid west.  But then I consider borrowing a cup of sugar from the nearest neighbor... 


This was done from the memory of a particular field, in the comfort of my studio.  I particularly like the way the clouds lined up.

Thanks for visiting.
Carol

DPW 
My DPW Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net