Priscilla

"Priscilla"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
Slowly, she unfurled one petal after another to reveal her tender bits. Priscilla's heavenly scent would now attract a myriad buzzing suitors to gather her fragrant pollen. Imagine the taste of the honey this beauty might flavour. 

It's been a while since I've painted a rose, my favourite subject matter.
 
Carol

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Easter Grass

"Easter Grass"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard 
It's Easter, and my morning sky is mimicking the striped eggs nestled in clusters in spring's verdant grass. The bunny has delivered sweet treats and surprises for the wee ones, too.

Here is an example of my four new colours again. The green is an "I" green: Indian and Indanthrene.  I love it's freshness.

Carol

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Saturday

"Saturday"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
Morning's primary colours, in spite of the time of day they're on display, are some of the prettiest nature has to offer. If I have to see the world at this time of day, I'm always grateful when the show is as gentile this one. 

Primaries: Naples, Inthanthrene, Quinacridone Scarlet, are the stars in this sky.  I adore using primaries and these three are quite luscious for painting sky.  Why these three?  Because the Naples doesn't turn green when it gets close to Indanthrene.  Green sky is another indicator entirely.

Carol

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Too Early To Be Up

"Too Early To Be Up"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
It's spring, and the time changed, but for heaven's sake, it's still too early for me to be up when the sun is doing her morning magic over the lake near my home. Lake Michigan, that is.  It comes up, in my mind, from a night of rest in Michigan. I know it's silly, but that's the image I live with.  

I painted This with three new colors and one of my favourite new yellows, Indian Yellow.  I got a new tube of Naples,  Indanthrene Blue and Quinacridone Scarlet. I love the sky they make.  And I love fresh tubes of paint.

Carol

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Morning Light

"Morning Light"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
The light was bright that morning. The sky hung overhead, mingling like a wet into wet watercolour of primary colours that would fade into a solitary shade of blue as soon as they dried. 

 Another day, another sky.
Carol

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Lighting the Way

"Lighting the Way"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard 
The grasses on the slope blew in the breeze while we hiked toward the top of the hill. What was on the other side would be a surprise to me and my friend. Neither of us had been here before. 

 Here's another sky for my composite piece.  Of course they are for sale individually, as well.

Carol

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Fire Down Below

"Fire Down Below"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard 
There were forest fires down on the ground as we flew overhead.  They looked small from the air, but the sky wore the residuals like ribbons and bows in her hair.  

 This is sky number 40 for the composite painting I'll compile for my show in July.  Not that I'll use all forty, fifty or sixty by then, but at least I have choices.

Carol

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New Day

"New Day"
6" x 6"
Oil on Hardboard
It was shortly after sunrise, that time when the promise of daylight comes to pass. The clouds were still wearing festive raiment from the predawn party, but would soon don daytime togs to saunter across the sky.  

Here's a new sky painting for my ongoing collection that will culminate in one big piece for a gallery exhibit in July.

Carol

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Magnolia Study

"Magnolia Study
6" x 8"
Oil on canvas panel
Today's lesson at the workshop had to do with color and painting white flowers.  I opted to do mine with a palette knife and a silk magnolia, no less. Laura Robb uses a knife to get her crisp edges. So I used one to paint this study.  I learned how much I don't know about knife painting and how thankful I am that I've already established a style of my own.  Trying to paint like someone else is difficult. Trying to paint like Carol Keene is hard enough.  

I'm thankful to be moved back into my studio, although it was a wonderful weekend of learning new things and revisiting concepts that are always good to review.  I'd recommend a Mainstreet Art Center workshop to anyone.  Thank you Frankie Johnson for making it possible.

Carol

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Pear-ily We Roll Along

"Pear-ily We Roll Along"
9" x 12"
Detail
Oil on canvas panel
This is not my usual fare, as still life setups go, but it was what was available today at the Laura Robb workshop at Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich.  I got this far in three hours, including setting up the  pieces. We learned to draw an ellipse, paint metal, and ceramic.  Yesterday was pear day, but mine were less than ... edible.  Tomorrow I'll replace the white bowl with a plate I'll bring from home and add a flower to the lower left.  I'll also TRY to add a Laura Robb-style texture to the background.

Mainstreet puts on one heck of a good workshop, if you've never considered it.  In fact, the art school itself, in its new location, is quite comfortable and professional. Frankie Johnson is to be commended for her ongoing roll as visionary, artist and owner of the school.

Carol

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Wandering

"Wandering"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
The path I traversed in yesterday's painting opened into one more lovely field, which I followed to my friend's front door. Oh, to live in a place where serenity looks like ... this.  

I spent day one of a three-day workshop at the Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich, Illinois today with New Mexico artist, Laura Robb. Her passionately deliberate method of applying color notes to a canvas is something I've been wanting to witness for years. I'm delighted to say she's as lovely and exquisite as the art she creates. 

Carol 

Sunshine Path

"Sunshine Path"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
The path to my friend's home led me through a field that, late in the day in early October, was almost more stimulating than my senses could tolerate.  I lingered in the sunshine as I passed weeds and flowers of all different species. 

 This is painting one of two, a diptych, that can be hung side by side.  I painted this one today, the second one is being worked on currently.

Carol

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Rocks of Ages

"Rocks of Ages"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
There are few things older in my collections of natural things than my rounded rocks. Few things more satisfying to fondle, ponder and photograph. Now that I'm comfortable painting them, too, I'll create more compositions with rocks to offer for your viewing pleasure.

I'm tickled to announce that two of my paintings have been used in the Dick Blick Spring Sale catalog that arrived in the mail this week.  Both are on page 60 with attribution under each. 

Carol 

Heavenly Scented

"Heavenly Scented"
16" x 20"
Oil on wrapped canvas
The fragrance wafting from these small roses was delicious, considering they had traveled some distance to get to me in the dead of winter. They were not fresh when they arrived in my home, but I embraced them and loved them for what they were about to do for me -- strike beautiful poses, cast seductive shadows and smell wonderful every time I buried my nose in their delicate petals.  

 No sponges were used in the making of this painting.  I'm learning to use different Rosemary & Company brushes to accomplish the same things I do with a sponge.  It does not mean I've abandoned my darling sponges, I'm just learning new ... tricks.

Carol

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