Handles

"Handles" 6" x 6" Oil on hardboard panel

I saw these three items with nothing in common but "Handles," and put them together.  I liked the reflections in the borrowed, Art Deco pitcher.  Thanks, dear friend. 


The squash is a decorative item leftover from Turkey Day.  The osage orange, which is NOT orange at all was found alongside the road. It's also called a hedge apple.  Reportedly, it's supposed to keep bugs away.  We'll see about that.

"Handles" can be seen and purchased on Dailypaintworks.com.  Or you can contact me directly, as always, via email.

Thank you for taking the time to look today.
Carol

Storm Over the Pond

"Storm Over the Pond" 6" x 6" Oil on hardboard panel

The sky wore a convincing look of winter as it rolled across Wisconsin's farmland, despite the balminess of the actual temperature.  


I toned the board with burnt umber.  Which means, I rubbed the white with a warm brown, then wiped it off.  You can see it through the clouds, in the water, and trees.  I love this look in landscapes. It unifies everything painted on top of it.

This painting is for purchase on Dailypaintworks.com.

Thank you for looking in today.
Carol

Fresh Eggs

"Fresh Eggs" 8" x 8" Oil on hardboard panel

The crate had tipped, but you know those brown egg shells, they're tough;  irregular in shape, size and color, too. 


I acquired this cute egg crate from an artist-friend. She would have enjoyed seeing how I used it.

This painting is for purchase through a Dailypaintworks.com Auction.  Or just visit my gallery on that site by clicking here.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Lieutenant River

"Lieutenant River" 16" x 20" Oil on gessoed panel

"We're going to Old Lyme for lunch. You'll like it there.  Artists used to paint there," said my daughter. I was from Illinois, a guest. What did I know about Florence Griswold or the Lieutenant River?  

It was 1997 when Natalie got her Masters in Psychology.  We did lunch in Old Lyme.  I was new to Impressionism, but tumbled hard into an infatuation, then love with what and where the American Impressionists painted. The terrain in Old Lyme was similar to what the European Impressionists were accustomed to painting. Florence had a huge home, a porch, flower gardens and in her back yard was the Lieutenant River.

Today there's a wonderful art museum on the grounds.  The Griswold home is open to the public, as is an art studio once used by William Chadwick.  Tomorrow I'll post a painting I copied from Chadwick called, "On the Piazza" painted in 1908 on the porch at Florence Griswold's home.

"Lieutenant River" is for sale on Dailypaintworks.com

Thank you for reading this lengthy missive.
Carol

Queen Anne's Lace

"Queen Anne's Lace"

Wisconsin fields sway with color and texture, hazy-late in the summer. The "Queen Anne's Lace"  petticoats along her sinewy roads and lanes flutter in the heat and wave in that proper queenly fashion.

Oh, boy was this fun. I put actual lace on a canvas then smeared joint compound over it. Pulled up the lace and painted over the texture.  When you go to my gallery on Dailypaintworks.com and run your cursor over the art, you can see the texture under the paint.  I've done this on many pieces, but they all sold before I could photograph them. 

Thank you for visiting today.  It's always fun to know you're there, reading and looking at what I've been doing. 
Carol

Fox River/Lieutenant River

"Fox River/Lieutenant River" 12" x 12" Oil on canvas panel

I saw this image in a stack of photos and flipped it over to see the words "Fox River, East Troy, Wisconsin.  I needed to paint it.  It looks just like my favorite place in Old Lyme, Connecticut on the Lieutenant River where the American Impressionists painted in Florence Griswold's back yard.   


This painting was painted very quickly. I blocked in the various sections, established my sky, water and land masses. I know this place... well one of them, anyway, and I love it there. Painting it was like going on a trip.

See it in my Gallery on Dailypaintworks.com.  It's for sale via PayPal or on the DPW auction.

Thank you so much for looking today.
Carol

Marilyn's Stones, Nick's Apple



"Marilyn's Stones, Nick's Apple" 8" x 8" Oil on canvas panel

 I was given this apple to paint when the Wolf River Apple was shown without a stem.  This one had a stem, and nice markings, too.  And the rocks were placed where she knew I'd find them.  I  love being given things to add to paintings.  And their unlikely pairings make for interesting compositions.

This piece is for purchase via PayPal through me, as are all my pieces, or through a Dailypaintworks.com auction that runs for four weeks.

Thank you for my gifts, my friends.

Carol

Melancholy Morning

"Melancholy Morning" 16" x 20" Oil on gessoed panel

It was morning, one of the last lovely ones of the fall. These gals were some of the few left clinging to the picket fence. I'll miss their nodding heads.

This is one of the first pieces I've painted with the addition of a new color to my palette.  Gray of Gray is the name of the tube color. I can see the influence of it in this piece, when compared to my other roses.

Melancholy Morning can be purchased through an auction on Dailypaintworks, or it can be purchased through my PayPal account directly.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Heirloom Tomatoes and a Feather

"Heirloom Tomatoes and a Feather" 8" x 8" Oil on Hardwood panel

I bought tiny potatoes and tiny tomatoes at Trader Joe's last weekend. I found the feather in their parking lot. As I dropped tomatoes into our salad, I decided to store the chosen ones in my old Lenox coffee cup until painting time. Well, this is just how I left them and decided to paint them that way.


The translucency, the cup, and the background was asking for trouble. What a challenge!  Then I applied my first brushstroke.  Oh, my!  This was my first experience with a nearly smooth hardwood panel.  Sweet!  I loved it!  I'll use it again!

Dailypaintworks.com.  You know the drill.

Carol

Coins

"Coins" 20" x 10" Acrylic on canvas

There's a place where coins rest on bottom of the sea, all crusted over with indigenous minerals and marked with trails of migrating organisms. 

"Coins" is the last in the series of textured orbs.  It was an enjoyable experiment. There will be more after the first of the year.  I'm eager to paint like this again.  It has a freeing quality about it.  The rules of composition and color remain, but it uses a different part of my right side. 

See them all on Dailypaintworks.com in the area marked Carol Keene's Gallery.  Or click here to zoom there without having to attach your wings. 

Carol 

Frozen Beneath

"Frozen Beneath" 6" x 6" Acrylic on canvas

As if it's been "Frozen Beneath" and bulging against its stringy captors, this orb has nowhere to go, except to its new home.  


My son and his intended closed on their new home today and this series will move in with them.  Once again, metallic paint and wrinkled plastic have helped me to capture this random smattering.

This image can be seen on Dailypaintworks.com, but is already spoken for.

Thanks for having a look today.
Carol

Orb-i-tal

"Orb-i-tal" 6" x 6"  Acrylic on canvas

An iridescent orb hovered in front of the ancient wall as if processing information, like reading a map. It bobbed for a moment, then departed. 

Metallic paints and lots more experimentation brought about this little gem.  It's one of three in a series.  

This piece is sold, but I wanted you to see it, anyway. 

Thank you for stopping by,

Carol

Booksmart Pears

"Booksmart Pears" 12" x 12" Oil on wrapped canvas

Artists seem to like to paint pears, so when I first began to paint in oil I thought I'd give it a shot.  I got pears of three distinct shapes, numerous colors and ones with stems.  Had to have stems.  I put them on a couple of books to make a little stage. 

I painted the pears with a complementary color behind them.  I found the shadows, the highlights and their various colors.  And I sold it soon afterward.  

This one can be seen on Dailypaintworks.com in my gallery, but it lives in Chicago. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Carol 

Moon Fingers

"Moon Fingers" 11" x  22" Acrylic on panel

Moon Fingers was a commission for a couple who wanted these colors, this texture and size.  I scooped up the ingredients, folded in a dollop of love, and let 'er rip!

This piece is not as "happenstantial" as it might appear; given the randomness of the process. Saran wrinkles surrounded a waxed paper orb. Salt peppered texture over its face, and other than that, it was a piece of cake.  Or cheese. 

Moon Fingers can be seen on Dailypaintworks.com in my gallery there/here.  This piece, however, is already being loved and cared-for. Don't go lookin' to buy it. But I will be happy to create a cousin or sibling for you.  Just not an identical twin. 

Carol 

Geranium

"Geranium" 20" x 16" Oil on wrapped canvas

This was one of the first blooms of the season on my geranium.  Well, she wasn't quite mine at this moment.  She was still in the company of many like herself in a greenhouse nearby.  

I liked the idea of a geranium painting that wasn't traditional.  Not full blown, in a pot, or on a porch. The first tiny blossoms were documented as if this were her finest hour. The flower is painted realistically, but the background is a frenzy of fancy brushwork.

Thank you for looking at Geranium today.  She can be purchased through Paypal or from my Dailypaintworks.com Gallery.

Carol

Melon Seeds

"Melon Seeds" 8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel

I had waited to slice into the melon until my background was dry.  Then I'd cut it open, and paint whatever I found.  What I found was melon balls in a glass bowl in my refrigerator! My daughter made a delicious dessert from subject matter.  


Round two.  I made the slice, and pulled the seeds from the cavity. One seed stuck, but one seed, one slice, one background was not a good idea.  So I slid two more seeds onto the left side, just as they had landed on another slice and painted it.

Click here to see 130 of my paintings in one spot.

Thanks!
Carol

Peg's Garden Bench

"Peg's Garden Bench" 20" x 16" Oil on wrapped canvas

Grasshoppers snap from leaf to bloom throughout Peg's garden, where everyone, no matter how many legs, is welcome. Some flutter, some nest, some come to sit and soak up the fragrance.        


Peg's Garden Bench is a tribute to my dear friend's zest for life.  Peg has lovingly tended her front garden in Long Grove, Illinois, not just for her own pleasure, but for those who have purposely taken her road to delight their eyes.  This is a minuscule section of her great talent as a tender-of-flowers.  Thank you Peg.

Peg's Garden Bench can be seen on Dailypaintworks.com in my Gallery, where it can also be purchased.

Thanks for stopping by to visit today.
Carol

Circumventing Reality

"Circumventing Reality" 10" x 20" Acrylic on stretched canvas

This piece was done at the same time as yesterday's, but I had tackled robust color and a lot more texture.  It's quite lovely in person.  Wow, I was feeling my oats!

I scraped, dabbed, combed and painted in shadows on this one. There's also gold metallic paint in the goings on. Yup, I'll be doing more of these!

See this one in my gallery on Dailypaintworks. com.

Thank you for looking today.
Carol 

Concentric and Then Some

"Concentric and Then Some" 10" x 20" Acrylic on stretched canvas

I wish I could tell you what was going on in my head as I created this piece.  I made it soon after my studio was finished when I was experimenting with color, texture and expressing myself in strange ways.  

I love making pieces like this.  I may schedule quarterly experiments in 2012.  If I put it on the calendar I may just do it!

Check this one up close on Dailypaintworks.com.  You can zoom in to see the brushstrokes on that site.  And go to my gallery by clicking here.

Carol

Concentric

"Concentric" 6"x 6" Acrylic on canvas panel

There were times when my headache seemed more intense than the light from the beacon across the river. I seldom took anything for the pain, but it never stopped me from looking. 


I don't actually get headaches, nor do I live near a river with a beacon.  But as I focused on this little painting, the two sentences above just streamed from my fingertips.  I guess that happens sometimes.

This piece can be seen in my gallery on Dailypaintworks.com

Thank you for looking in on my headache.
Carol