Sky Over the Desert

"Sky Over the Desert"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
That evening was windier than it had been all day, and the horizon was becoming indistinct. Sand commingled at heights normally reserved for birds of prey, and come morning, the gritty sherbet-colored mix would return to tan. 

It's been a while since I've painted  a simple sky, but I was moved to make one this morning.

Carol

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Last Glimpse

"Last Glimpse"
4.5" x 7"
Pastel on sanded paper
There's been more color in the sky this past week than I've seen in a while. It seems happy, glowing, like if it could, it would also sing.  Fall, it must be ... fall. 

 I've made lots of skies with oil paint, so tonight I tried one with pastel. It's not as easy as I thought it would be. I'm used to blending more easily. I'll learn it, I'm sure.

Carol

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Passionate

"Passionate"
8" x 10"
Oil on hardboard
The sky was filled with a glorious light that burnished every surface with a golden patina. I love this quiet time of day when nature exhibits her version of how passion looks. 

 No matter how I adjusted it, I couldn't get the sky color here to match that in the painting, where it's a drabbed periwinkle, not cobalt blue. The rest of it is reasonably close, however.

Carol

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Above the Clouds

"Above the Clouds"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
On the way to Denver a few years ago I remember breaking through the clouds and witnessing a sunset over the tops of a cumulonimbus sea. It was a short-lived display, but very much different than the weather I left on the ground below. 

While I finish my detailed vegetable painting, here is a sky offering.  

Carol

Tuscan Sunset

"Tuscan Sunset"
4" x 4"
Oil on canvas panel
I saw a photo of a Tuscan sunset the other day and remembered how the cypress trees played against the pink sky, while the sun washed light over the fields.  It was not unlike skies I've seen elsewhere, just the tree shapes were different. 

These tiny panels are fun to paint.  As soon as the idea blossoms and paint gets smeared on, it's nearly over and done with.

Carol

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Day's End

"Day's End"
10" x 13"
Oil on hardboard 
It had been beautiful and fun; the kind of day you hoped would last forever, but, alas, it came to an end, anyway. I wondered why I couldn't just stay in it, locked forever in the joy of that day that seemed to be crafted just for me. There will be more like it, I'm sure.  

This sky is obviously larger than my collection of six-inch skies, and just as lovely as any of the little guys. Size doesn't matter when it comes to quality.  

Carol

Close Shave

"Close Shave"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
We had been walking through the woods when we realized the light levels were changing—rapidly. We made our way into the clearing to find the sun two fingers from the horizon, or about thirty minutes before dark. Nothing looked familiar, until I spotted a deer, or possibly a moose trail that I knew would lead me to the river where we left the canoe. Close shave.  

I was chosen today to have my art featured in the Dick Blick Art Materials catalog for Spring.  Two pieces of my art will be used as spot art in their publication. I'm tickled to have been chosen.

Carol

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Paused

"Paused"
5" x 7"
Oil on hardboard
Atmosphere like this is as fleeting and ephemeral as most pleasurable moments. The joy in painting a scene like this is a lot like pausing a video at a favourite scene and partaking of its essence for as long as it ... takes.  

I paused a few times today to capture the beauty of this place. The season and the time of day were both instrumental in creating a likeness I could almost turn an ear to and hear.

Carol

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Sailor's Delight

"Sailor's Delight"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
My first mother-in-law spoke in rhyme all the time. She learned her lessons as a child and repeated them throughout her life. Hers was a time of memorization, not of Googling. I learned weather warnings, vowel placement and what to ride to Banbury Cross from her. 

My offering this evening is a sky while I work on my commission piece. You'll see more of it tomorrow.

Carol

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About To...

"About To..."
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard 
I begin these sky paintings with every intention of making a sunrise or a sunset, but when I get to the end there are nights that I don't know whether I've made the end of one day or the beginning of another.  It's like what's going on with my friend who is on an adventure in Madrid for a couple of weeks.  He is about to wake up while I type this, and I'm about to go to sleep.

Goodnight and good morning.
Carol

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Surrender

"Surrender"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard 
After the sun tumbled below the safety of the tree line it sent up its colorful flag of surrender.  Surrender to the dark of night, the end of a day, its position of power in the sky, just the end.  When endings come, there's not much more to be said, but goodnight.  

My son's wedding has come and gone. I will be posting regularly again. It feels good to be back in the studio tonight, although it's been difficult to make my hands do what my head thinks they should do.  Sometimes we just have to surrender, and do what makes the brush happy.

Carol

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Sunset Ridge

"Sunset Ridge"
20" x 16"
Oil on hardboard




















The splendor in the sky that evening filled my window from top to bottom instead of puddling only around the sill.  I decided to present it as I had experienced it—vertically.  Fortunately. There were so many changes as I worked my way down the panel that I was happy to have the extra space to move from one color and texture to the next.  

 I hope you enjoy this larger size and format from what I've been painting recently.  I found a stack of these panels under my drawing board, so I'll be making more of them in the weeks to come.

Carol

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Still Hanging

"Still Hanging"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
The sun dangled over the farm in those final moments before day faded to night. It posed between silo and pine like a bowling ball about to roll between a bedpost split. 

I'm not a bowler, but I do like the picturesque terminology presented above.  The 7-10 split is also called a goalpost split, which may appeal to some more than others.

Carol

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