Layer Upon Layer

Layer Upon Layer   6" x 8"  Oil on canvas panel   $35

Layer Upon Layer   6" x 8"  Oil on canvas panel   $35

Ahhhh, I've finished painting for other people for a while, and have three gallery exhibits hanging or at least the art is delivered and ready to hang.  So here's a little warmup painting to get my juices flowing. I've shot photos of beautiful things to paint, now it's time to make some of those photos into art. 

Carol  

Reaching Shadows

"Reaching Shadows"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel
The sun had risen above the horizon as I walked into the woods that morning. It cast spidery shadows down the hillside where tobogganers would soon be making their own paths.  

I painted the sky and snow over a black canvas panel, then used my rubber-tipped "Colour Shaper" to sculpt the tree trunks and branches in the wet paint. This is my last post for this year. 2014 was a year of exploration, realization and clarity. Thank you for each part you contributed to.

Carol

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Trout Stream

"Trout Stream"
8" x 8"
Pastel on canvas panel
I watched a movie last night after I finished painting and posting my missive for the night.  It had some beautiful scenery in it, so I pointed my camera at the TV screen and captured half a dozen images of things I want to paint. This is one of them. 

I've seen trout streams like this in Colorado, but this one happens to have been in Oregon.  I'd love to go to Oregon some day, even if it's just to drive through and take photos. Anyone want to take me on a subject matter trip?

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
CarolKeene.com
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Streaming Amethyst

"Streaming Amethyst"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard 
The sky reflected an amethyst quality onto the stream in front of me. I was tempted to wade into it with a fine mesh net to gather  the precious booty. 

 I love how water takes on the colors of what surrounds it and is in it. Here, I considered the sky, weeds, trees and rocks as I painted.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
CarolKeene.com
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Castlewood Canyon

"Castlewood Canyon"
12" x 9"
Pastel on black canvas



















I wandered around Castlewood Canyon in Colorado to enjoy a completely different kind of landscape from where I live. The rocks were plentiful and large, the trees were not placed in the ground by landscapers. This was nothing like Illinois.  

I managed to make the rocks look solid, so I'm going to try another couple of paintings of the same area.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
Dailypainters.com
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Slender Reflections

"Slender Reflections"
7" x 2"
Pastel on paper
My view across the stream was interesting in only one slender strip. Boulders jutted into the water, slicing what beauty that was there in half. But they also added interest in the middle ground, so I included them in my little study. 

I paint many of my pastel paintings on sanded French watercolor paper scraps that I saved from when I painted only in watercolor. They sand beautifully, then I tone the paper with a magenta and a sapphire that I again sand into the paper, then brush off.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
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Ruddy Wheat

"Ruddy Wheat"
4" x 5"
Pastel on sanded paper
The field of wheat had taken on the complexion of a roasted chicken, or a marshmallow on a stick before it bursts into flame. I knew it would not be waving in this field the next week when I drove past.

It was fun to depict the different areas of colour in the field on this small painting. Nearly as fun as making the thin line of fence with my stick of pastel. I love this crazy medium.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
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Rock Pile

"Rock Pile"
4.5" x 5"
Pastel on sanded paper
The sky, trees, rocks and weeds intrigue me when I visit my friends in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.  The shapes and colors are so different from what we see here on the suburban prairie. 

 As I have mentioned before, I am repainting some of the subject matter I've painted in oil and acrylic in pastel. I find it very satisfying.

Carol

Brushstrokes@comcast.net
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Fel Pro Pond

"Fel Pro Pond"
10" x 8"
Oil on hardboard



















I painted en plein air today in the county west of here. It was the perfect summer morning and the best place to stand was also lit beautifully. The wildlife around the pond acclimated to my presence, after a bit.  The turtles climbed back on the logs, frogs on the grassy bank and two sand hill cranes even made an appearance. They are TALL birds ... a foot shorter than I am!  

 I saw signs of more leaves changing color today. Soon this season of green paintings will be in the past. I just hope I can bundle up enough to stand in the cold to enjoy what's coming.

Carol

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This Morning

"This Morning"
10" x 8"
Oil on hardboard




















I was at the Botanic Gardens this morning while the temperature rose to 98°.  I was in the shade inside a small structure in the English Walled Garden, looking across the pond, toward an island of flowers and trees.  I've been cold for a year, so this was my kind of day.

I believe this is my first willow tree, painted especially for Therese, who asked for one.

Carol

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