Toned

"Toned"
20" x 20"
Oil on wrapped canvas



"Toned "is hardly a romantic, floral title, but it's all I thought about while I was painting her. I toned my canvas with burnt umber and set out to paint a white rose. But the umber kept bleeding through, even though I coated and wiped it off yesterday!  This white rose has an overall color that I can't describe, or I would have titled it differently. 
 
I'll post her this way, but I may tweak her with glazes of other colors if I absolutely can't tolerate her when she's completely dry.  

And you thought I knew what I was doing.  Ha!  
Carol  

On The Porch (copy)

"On The Porch" copy
30" x 40"
Oil on stretched canvas 
When I was in Old Lyme, Connecticut I visited the Florence Griswold Museum.  I stood on this porch where William Chadwick, the American Impressionist, had painted this same scene nearly a hundred years prior.  I adored the painting, so copied it to learn something about his thought process.  

The process was amazing! I had to figure out a LOT of things without asking anyone.  

Thank you for visiting today. 
Carol

Red Rock Canyon

"Red Rock Canyon"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel
It was one of those sapphire skies that hangs majestically over parts of the country where I don't live!  This particular one was in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.  I stopped there on my way to experience Hoover Dam.  

Today I worked on several paintings, including this one. On Tuesday I'm going to spend the day in Kenosha, Wisconsin at the Transparent Watercolor Society of America show. With my roots in watercolor, I still aspire to entering a piece in this competition... some day.

Thank you for being here today. 
Carol



Fractal Frenzy

"Fractal Frenzy"
40" x 30"
Acrylic on canvas 





















I am an artist's agent for a fractal artist in California. I sell his images and animations to rock bands, fashion designers, videographers and corporations looking for unique art.  Jock Cooper at Fractal-Recursions.com  inspired me to try to paint images like he composes via math equations on his computer.  I was commissioned to paint this piece when I refused to sell one similar to it to an admirer.   

Please enjoy images from my archives while I paint some larger pieces.  You are all still in my gracious thoughts.  
Carol 

Violaceous

"Violaceous"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
Her petals radiated from tiny pivotal peaks in such a magnificent, violaceous whorl that it dazzled the pantaloons off some of the more staid spectators. 

I've posted 320 consecutive days with a different new painting each day:  floral, landscape, still life and a couple miscellaneous offerings. I have worked in the small square format so popular with daily painters, but I love to paint large.  My brushwork and sponges are perfect in that scale. I also like the texture and bounce of a large stretched canvas, instead of hardboard panels. 

I am considering making larger paintings for a while to satisfy some creative desires.  That said, I may not post every day, but please don't assume I've quit painting.  I must paint. It's my driving force.  Ultimately, I may turn out more complex pieces for your viewing pleasure.

Furthermore, I may fill the gaps with some pieces I have not yet posted. Please be patient with me as I transition into this next stage.

Thank you for understanding my reason for change. I appreciate it.
Carol

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Blue Lace Cap Hydrangea

"Blue Lace Cap Hydrangea"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
Blue lace caps in huge pots were placed in the middle of a reflecting pool at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. I was able to get close enough to reference many of them for the purpose of subject matter.  

I'm haven't painted hydrangeas in a while, so when a block of time presented itself today, I decided to do it. I enjoyed painting each petal completely before moving on to the next one, starting with the darkest ones.  The leaves were a delight, too.

Thank you for looking.
Carol

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White Peony

"White Peony"
8" x 8"
Acrylic on canvas panel
I found a companion flower to the pink one from yesterday and painted her in a similar fashion, also on a decorative background.  I enjoyed painting her ragged petals.  


A white flower on a nearly-white background depends on shadows and greenery to make her pop.  I feel this is a successful piece, despite the limited palette.


Thank you for being here today.
Carol

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Peony Swirl

"Peony Swirl"
8" x 8"
Acrylic on canvas panel 
Spring was just beginning when I found this blossom in a neighbor's yard. I photographed her and her buds and placed them on a decorative background.  

I adorned many a wall with flowers like this one when I painted murals throughout Chicagoland. It's acrylic, I painted only in acrylic in those days. 

Thank you for looking today. I appreciate it. 
Carol

Plain Peony

"Plain Peony"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
Someone had picked her close to the bloom like a dandelion in a child's bouquet, then dropped her on the ground near my house. I brought her inside, trimmed her stem and set her in a crystal bowl of water. She opened in the heat of this beautiful May day to expose a very simple center, compared to Friday's ruffled one.  


I cropped this peony to make an almost abstracted view of her center.  I liked the many colors of red that the halogen light shone on the petals.

Thank you for being here today.
Carol

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Before the Storm

"Before the Storm"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
The point of the island on Reservoir Pond caught the last bit of light as a storm sauntered through that July afternoon. The tallest pine had sported a bald eagle when I kayaked around the tip of the island earlier in the day.  

The peach color you see in the sky and water are the under-painting.  I toned my panel by rubbing on a glaze of burnt umber with a sponge, the burnishing it off with paper towel.  It shows through and gives the piece a warmth I couldn't have painted any other way.  

I appreciate your visits.
Carol

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"Lily Lake Revisited"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
The banks of my darling Lily Lake were tidied since I last passed her curvy shoreline. Her trees were pruned, and some removed. The lilies, however, are still abundant off shore, as usual.  

Lily Lake has been and will continue to be subject matter as long as she contains water. I hadn't seen her in three months, so today when I passed, it was like visiting a ... friend.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting me today.
Carol

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Peony Pom

"Peony Face"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
My peonies are blooming! Full, fragrant and flamboyant are these hussies!  Here is a closeup of one of mine from last year. I love her roundness, her full-bodied lusciousness. 

I have wanted to paint this one for a while, but all those center petals scared me.  I made as much sense out of them as possible.  It looks a lot like what I remember.  

Thank you for looking in on me today. 
Carol 

First Fuji

"First Fuji"
5" x 5"
Oil on hardboard
This small and lackluster Fuji looked like it had just come of age.  It was, however, white on the inside and tasty. The intriguing parts were the blossom end with its tiny fresh leaves, and the beguiling stem that extended an inch and a half from a two-inch apple.  


I put the apple on this embroidered fabric for texture and line.  I also stippled the apple in its entirety—with a small, soft mop brush.  I use my tools with abandon.

I enjoy knowing that you've stopped by. Leave a comment on the blog, or e-mail me, if you're so inclined.
Carol

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Tone Poem V

"Tone Poem V"
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel
Farmland near the Mississippi River quilts the landscape like fabric over fiberfill. Ponds add punches of color and trees decorate the seam lines like fancy stitching.  


This is the final piece in my Tone Poem series.  I hope you enjoyed them.  I loved painting them.  And by the way, the camera just WANTS to make a moray pattern, it doesn't look like that in reality. 


Thank you for stopping to visit today.
Carol

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Tone Poem IV

"Tone Poem IV"
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel
Queen Anne's Lace dots a band across the front of this August landscape.  They're plentiful along the roadways where this was shot taken early one morning.  


Number four in the series is of larger trees and not so many different fields. I used a sponge and one scruffy brush  to paint all of the Tonalist pieces. Not my usual fare.

I appreciate your attention here.
Carol

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Tone Poem III

"Tone Poem III"
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel
                                                                     
Farmland to the north and west of my home ripples and rolls toward the Mississippi River.  It quilts the land in an array of nature's favorite colors.  

This is number three in my series of five Tonalist paintings.  I learned something as I painted each one. 

Thank you for stopping to look today. 
Carol

Cheetah Pears

"Cheetah Pears"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel
I found these two snuggling on my polar fleece cheetah scarf that I wear when I paint. I was given one, and bought the other with the intention of eating it.  They looked so cozy together I decided to let them finish their cuddling and eat them... later. 


I enjoyed this quick study of the two different kinds of pears. The skin on the red one was cherry red with very little yellow in it except where the reflected light from the yellow pear hit. Their unique stems delighted me too.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

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Tone Poem II

"Tone Poem II"
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel

I've found a reward in waking early. It's no longer difficult to roll out of bed knowing the visual delights that await me in the rural settings near my village. 

Tonalist landscapes are typically luscious and luminous with evocative atmospheric effects featuring hazy backgrounds. The palette is minimal, characterized by warm hues of brown, soft greens gauzy yellows and muted greys.  

Tonalist painters seem to prefer a state of implicit cognition and psychological experiences over reality.  
Your presence is appreciated.
Carol