Tulip Time

"Tulip Time"
5" x 5"
Oil on wrapped canvas
I'm thinking of spring tonight, what with a luscious full moon overhead. Foolish of me to do it, I know, as I've not even seen the first flake of winter. Yet my eyes are ready for color again. I'm already weary of grey sticks poking into grey sky. 

Painting my fantasy has helped.  It's a sweet little fantasy, filled with color and life from a spring day at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

Carol

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Last Rose of Summer

"Last Rose of Summer"
24" x 24"
Oil on wrapped canvas
As the last of the white roses bloomed along the picket fence, I waited two days for this one to reach the perfect stage of burgeoning.  Then the sun cooperated by gracing the tips of her petals.  She's a large and lovely addition to my gallery of roses. 

 I started this painting several weeks ago, but just couldn't figure out how to finish her. I forced myself to do it tonight, though. And I'm pretty happy with the results.

Carol

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Full Blown

"Full Blown"
6" x 6"
Oil on canvas panel
The roses along the picket fence are nearly finished with their outrageous display for the season. Where there were hundreds a few weeks ago, now only a dozen remain. There are no buds. Every one is full blown; open to her fullest extent without dropping her petals... just yet.
Love to you, my followers,
Carol

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Kiss Me!

"Kiss Me! "
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
Along the picket fence, where the white roses I like to paint grow, is a bush of pink roses.  They have sweet nubs of petals in their centers that linger, puckered for a kiss, before becoming full blown. I happened upon this one this week. 

It's been a while since I've painted a rose, but I had a request to, so here she is. I also have several new ones auditioning. The crop along the picket fence has been splendid in the past few weeks, so I've taken lots of photos.

Carol

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Pink Jolie

"Pink Jolie
"18" x 18" 
Oil on wrapped canvas
When an act of kindness touches one's life it seems appropriate to acknowledge it in the sincerest way possible.  The photo for this hot pink zinnia was "loaned" to me by a new friend.  "Jolie" is French for pretty, not joy as I reported earlier. Pink Joie will run at another time!    

I'm thrilled to be painting large format images where I can use my sponges to apply glazes of color. This process also brings me joy... for making it "pretty."

Thank you ... i'll stick to English. 
Carol




Winsome

"Winsome"
24" x 24"
Oil on wrapped canvas
She swayed in the breeze in the garden that morning, flaunting her sunny disposition to and fro.  She was more radiant than any around her, in spite of those purple, pouty lips. 


This dahlia was my focus for about a 24-hour period, during which time I thought of nothing but sunny, uplifting thoughts. It's amazing what comes of such a mindset.

Carol

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Johnny Jump-Ups

"Johnny Jump-Ups"
16" x 20"
Oil on wrapped canvas
This terra cotta bowl with Johnny Jump-Ups spilling over the brim greeted me at the entry to my library not too long ago. Those purple blossoms leaned in toward the Forget-Me-Nots as if they were gossiping. 

My contest is over and ONE person won!  Below see the high and low temperatures for Chicago on July 17th.  The winner was Marilyn Olson of Wisconsin, with 100° and 81°.  Marilyn will get to choose one of the rose paintings!


CHICAGO 79 -- 99 MO CLDY  



http://www.nws.noaa.gov/view/national.php?prodtype=tempprecip





I want to thank all of you who participated in the contest, and for the many well wishes for my one-year anniversary!  I appreciate the support!



Carol



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        Anniversary Rose
      
    

    

      
    

  


  

  
    




  




"Anniversary Rose"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas



Today is my One-Year Anniversary of posting a painting a day and writing about it for 365 consecutive days.  I took the daily painting concept seriously and managed to satisfy it to the letter... or number in this case. 



The photo of this rose was filed in my iPhoto folder for two years. I decided to paint her many colors of white to celebrate this occasion.



Thank you for looking at and reading my blog for a year.  I hope to be as diligent in the coming year, but that will remain to be seen as the days pass. I'm not going to make it a goal, again, but as it is a habit now, I suspect I'll continue on.



My rose giveaway contest is over, and the winner will be announced tomorrow.



Carol



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        Bee's Delight  (contest/giveaway)
      
    

    

      
    

  


  

  
    




  




"Bee's Delight"
12"x12"
Oil on wrapped canvas



By now you know I love to paint roses. This one in particular.  I've painted her before, in different light and colors.  Indulge me in my weakness for this beauty.   




On July 17th, a year ago I wrote my first blog entry. I set out on a journey to post every day, despite my day job, death, the flu, and heartache.  I've grown as an artist, a writer and person, and you, my followers, are the reason I persist.



I want to thank you by creating an opportunity for you to win one of my last four rose paintings posted on July 5, 6, 7 & 8 (above). 



Send one entry per email address to Brushstrokes@comcast.net guessing the high and low temperatures for Tuesday, July 17, 2012 for Chicago, Illinois, according to the National Weather Service NOAA website. 



Entries must be posted between July 8th and July 16th. I will acknowledge every entry with a return email.  The winner (closest to both temperatures) will be chosen after 8:00 PM on the 17th when the official temperatures are posted. I will announce the winner on the 18th.  In the event of multiple winners, we'll spit watermelon seeds in my back yard! 



Carol



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        Sunlit
      
    

    

      
    

  


  

  
    




  




"Sunlit"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas



Sister of the roses from my last two posts, and nothing like either of her siblings, this demure beauty is sunlit and golden from within.  




I have painted all three roses with my masonry sponges.  I adore swirling color onto canvas with my snippets of sponge.  I did, however, use a brush to do finishing details on them, because of the smallish size of the canvas. 



Carol



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        Burgeoning
      
    

    

      
    

  


  

  
    




  




"Burgeoning"
12" x12"
Oil on wrapped canvas



The roses in my bouquet are burgeoning! Each blossom is different, like children of the same parents. This is the sister of yesterday's post. Tomorrow's will be different still. I've joyfully spent two days painting nothing but fragrant delicacies. 



In two weeks I will celebrate 365 consecutive days of posting a painting a day. I have not missed one day in a year. I will be gifting a painting to one of my viewers.  I'll give details on Sunday's post.



Carol



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        Glorious σ' αγαπώ
      
    

    

      
    

  


  

  
    




  

















"Glorious 












σ' αγαπώ"





12" x 12"



Oil on wrapped canvas 





The fragrance emitted by two dozen buckets of roses stunned me. I thought I was overwhelmed, but when I saw them, I knew it.  Petals the same pink as inside a sea shell filled the buckets. It was totally sensual.  My eyes wanted them. My heart did too, so I chose the ones with σ' αγαπώ on the tag.



"I love you."



Carol 



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        Posies
      
    

    

      
    

  


  

  
    




  




"Posies"

8" x 6" 

Acrylic on canvas panel











































There weren't many places to set up to paint, but I found one with some spiky blue things and a patch of salmon and hot pink posies. It was hot in the sun and the season's first mosquitoes fluttered in wait for glistening flesh when I stood in the shade. 



Two days in a row with bugs in my text. It's summer in Illinois for sure.



Carol



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        Stung
      
    

    

      
    

  


  

  
    




  
















"Stung"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas



I stopped to photograph the roses hanging over a picket fence yesterday morning.  The light was gorgeous, there was dew on some of the blooms and YIKES!  I was stung by a bee on my left hand ring finger.  I'm allergic to bee stings, but I carry Apis, a homeopathic remedy, at all times, and took several tablets and survived to paint this piece!  



Carol



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        Joyful, Joyful
      
    

    

      
    

  


  

  
    




  




"Joyful, Joyful"
8" x 8"
Acrylic on canvas panel



I painted with a joyful heart today. I spent two days with a very ill child and finally made him laugh and hug me.  The little guy loves the color yellow, so I made certain to include that sunshine color in this joyful composition. 



It's another palette knife piece.  I'm enjoying the looseness of the application of paint in this technique.  I'll do a few more before moving on to some large roses that are auditioning like starlets. 



Carol



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        Larger Than Life
      
    

    

      
    

  


  

  
    




  




"Larger Than Life"
18" x 24"
Oil on wrapped canvas

















Although the bloom on this sun-lit rose faded unexpectedly, it remains imprinted on my heart—always will. It was a rose I chose from a garden full of them, a special one that delighted and amazed me. A beloved rose. 



















I painted this large piece in an afternoon—alla prima—in one sitting.  I felt compelled to capture the essence of it before anything changed, as it was painted from life. 







Carol













































    
  


  

  


  


  






  

  


  

  

    

      
        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