Fruits of My Spirit

"Fruits of My Spirit" 6" x 6" Oil on panel

It was March, I had looked forward to it since the night it was announced—a Carol Marine workshop in a town near mine!  I signed up, paid up and showed up.  She was here in Illinois, across the room, arranging her demo items.  Even though I don't normally paint like Carol, I wanted to be in her presence, and in front of her wisdom.  I somehow managed to paint, and more importantly, to learn.

This is a piece I painted in one of her many timed exercises.  It was as important to learn how to do this as it was to hear her critique the others in the room.  Carol lived above every expectation.  Attend if you can.  

This piece is not for sale, but will be exhibited in my gallery on Dailypaintworks.com.  

Thank you for peeking in today.  

Carol

Egg Shell

"Egg Shell" 8" x 8" Oil on canvas panel

The egg purveyor at the farmer's market this morning went through about three dozen eggs to find a dozen different colored eggs for me.  This one is similar in color to the ones from the past couple days, but it is adorned—with speckles!  

This piece will be listed with and for sale through Dailypaintworks.  Check out my gallery by clicking here to see 94 of my paintings all in one easy to access place.  This won't get you to the auction site, but it's just a click away once you're in my gallery.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Egg Cups

"Egg Cups" 10" x 8" Oil on canvas panel

We have tea parties at my dining room table. I have tea cups in all shapes, sizes, colors and costs.  My toddler guests begin sipping herbal tea from tiny cups, such as these.  Cups, retired on account of size, reside under a glass dome on my buffet. 

I'm enjoying a new freedom.  I recently convinced my eye doctor to let me try contacts.  Old dog/new tricks came to mind as we smiled at one another and weighed the pros and cons of my request.  Well, old dog here is seeing still life setups a lot more easily.  I'm gonna do more painting from life instead of photographs, at least for my small pieces.

This piece will become a part of my gallery on Dailypaintworks , and will be for purchase in a four week auction there, as well.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Egg Cup

"Egg Cup" 8" x 8" Oil on canvas panel

My daughter buys eggs that look like they might come from a leather bird.  She likes the way they taste, but when they are hard boiled, no matter how quickly they are dunked in cold water, these eggs are difficult to peel.  Leather, I say!

I'm painting more small paintings.  I like doing them quickly so they stay fresh.  I enjoy challenging myself to new subject matter, too.  And if it's a small piece that goes awry, it isn't as painful.

This painting will be listed with, and for purchase through a Dailypaintworks. com Auction.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Grape-n-Twine

"Grape-n-Twine" 10" x 8" Acrylic on canvas panel

The classical station here in the Chicago area has a morning host with the last name of Grapentine.  He's been a part of my morning routine since 1986 when he joined WFMT.  As I conjured the title to this piece I giggled at the opportunity to honor him.  Carl Grapentine, this one's for you.  

In my many years as a mural painter I never had the chance to paint grapes that weren't stenciled.  I painted every other kind of fruit and vegetable, but not grapes.  I challenged myself to do it today, and it was a blast!  Expect to see more.

This painting can be seen on Dailypaintworks.com  in my gallery.  It is also for purchase through this web site.

Thank you for visiting again today.
Carol

Miss Bartlett

"Miss Bartlett" 10" x 8" Oil on canvas panel

"You young gals can wear anything with shapes like that," said Granny Smith to Miss Bartlett.  "I'd look positively round," she sighed as she buffed a new highlight onto her cheek with a dishcloth.  "And to be able to stand there next to that shade of violet... well, I do declare, it complements your skin tones perfectly."

Here's another in my series of single items against a decorative background.  Being a dyed-in-the-wool faux finisher and muralist, I know a lot about visual texture and the techniques used to create it—leaving the surface smooth to the touch.  I'm enjoying making this series.  I hope you are, too. 

This pear painting can be seen and purchased through Dailypaintworks.com.  I have a gallery of paintings there that can be accessed by clicking the link in this paragraph.  

Thank you for checking in to see my work today.

Carol 

Onion

"Onion"   9" x 12" Oil on canvas panel

I played the memory of my parents singing the song, "Lonely Little Petunia in the Onion Patch" as I painted this onion.  They sang in the car—nowhere else.  It was like a safe haven from the daily noise of a family, as we traveled from our home to our cousins' on Sundays.  


I painted the background without purple, but added it after the golden onion begged for the complement to make it pop.

This painting can be seen in my gallery on Dailypaintworks.com where it is also for purchase.

Thank you for stopping by today,
Carol

Wolf River Apple

"Wolf River Apple" 8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel

"It's enough for a strudel," said my host as I chose a Wolf River Apple from the basket sitting on his veranda.  "I sniffed the dimple where the stem would be.  "It's a cooking apple," he said, "don't bite into it.  Indigenous to here," he added, meaning Wisconsin. "Take another and you can make a pie."  I did. 


I knew I'd be in Wisconsin over the weekend, and would bring back something to paint. This apple was it. I painted the background on Friday afternoon and the apple last night.  Amazingly, it's 16" in circumference, like a slow pitch softball.

This painting will be listed with, and for purchase through my gallery on a Dailypaintworks Auction.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol


  

Stoic Oak

"Stoic Oak" 8" x 8" Acrylic on canvas panel

Because I pushed my "publish" button on Friday before leaving for a couple days, my post for today doubled up and snuck in ahead of time.  Well, this one will have to do for the REAL October third.


This stoic oak is in the middle of a field in Bull Valley, Illinois.  He's an ornament in a place where crops grow for profit.  Someone made the decision to leave him there—to plow, seed, combine around him.  I've watched the seasons change around this oak—nodding his only acknowledgement of inclement or otherwise, with his leaves. 


Last week's Daily Paintworks Challenge was to paint autumn where I live. But the kicker is to tone the canvas with an unlikely color first. I painted on a blue/green and set about the business of knifing on some autumn colors to honor Mr. Oak, here, in a wheat field that has just been harvested.

This painting is part of a Challenge on DailyPaintworks.com, but will be auctioned as usual, and can be seen in my gallery on that site.

Thank you for visiting.
Carol

Clementine

"Clementine" 6" x 6" Oil on panel

Standing on stage alone in the spotlight with the audience below her in the dark, made Clementine self-conscious of her roundness.  She had put on a little weight since she blossomed a few months back. 

It seemed like a good idea to paint a single, simple shape on this slightly patterned background, so I did.  I am making more backgrounds of a similar design, and will post as I finish them.

This painting is listed with, and for purchase through a Dailypaintworks.com Auction.  See it in my gallery here.

Thank you for visiting today.
Carol

Little Lily Lake

"Little Lily Lake" 12" x 12" Oil on wrapped canvas

A breeze tickled the far shore around the point where lilies did not grow.  I confirmed my suspicions with a fisheman who was standing beside me. "That part over there, is it the deepest part of the lake?" 

I appreciate the accessibility of this little lake.  I stop to photograph its ice, ripples, lilies and reflections once a week all year round.

This painting is listed with, and for purchase on a Dailypaintworks.com Auction. This link will take you to my gallery there.

Thank you for visiting my blog today.
Carol

A Safe Place Fund Raiser

"Picket Fence Rose" 24" x 24" Oil on wrapped canvas

"Picket Fence Rose" was painted from a rose hanging on an actual picket fence. The fence surrounded a home that I perceived as idyllic, peaceful and calm. Domestic violence has a way of hiding behind pristine picket fences.  So when I was asked to donate a painting to support the programs of A Safe Place, I knew this would be the perfect offering. 

A Safe Place Crisis Center offers programs, services, housing and shelter to victims of domestic violence in McHenry, Lake and northern Cook Counties in Illinois. The painting can be seen in the Coldwell Banker office lobby in Deerfield, Illinois during the month of October.

This piece will be listed with, and for sale through a Dailypaintworks.com Auction.  The proceeds from this painting will go to the winning bid on October 29th. 

Thank you for stopping by today.
Carol