"SISTERS" SOLD

This painting was also painted in Fish Creek, in Door County during the week of the plein air festival.  It was three little cottages that faced the harbor.  I painted two of them, and that's where I got the title.  Artists were painting everywhere.  I often noticed tourists stacked up behind me... 20 - 30 at a time.  One young woman came by several times to check my progress.  When I was finished, she bought it right off my easel... I think I was as excited as she was.  She has been coming to Fish Creek for the summer since she was a child .... and just happened to stay in the cottage on the right!  It was a memorable trip, and hope to return again next year

SOLD

"DESERT ROSE AND A PEACH"

I love this set of dishes, and have had them for years.  Always beautiful on any table!  

"THREE ON A PLATE"

This is #11 of my "painting-a-day" series.  I am enjoying the challenge of painting something new everyday.  Each new subject presents new problems.  This one was to depict the freshness of the fruit.  One of the biggest challenges is to get something on the canvas within two or three hours.  I am painting each one, without additional editing, so that months from now.... I can see if I have achieved growth.  Your comments are most welcome.  

"THREE RED BARTLETTS"

The colors of harvest are abundant!

"FRESH FROM THE MARKET"

More fruit today!  These apples are from our local farmers market.  I am still using a limited palette of Cad yellow light, Cad red light, and Ultramarine Blue plus Titanium white.

Your comments are welcome

"ROMA'S ON THE VINE"

"MUMS IN A CUP" SOLD

These tiny chrysanthemums are from my garden.  I love the autumn with all of the abundant colors.
SOLD

"LYLE'S ROSES"

Sunday,  was a beautiful fall afternoon here in Kansas City.  A friend and I dove out to the countryside and stopped at a lovely farm to do some sketching.  The owners gave us a bouquet of roses that had to be painted!!!!

Time To Smell The Roses

I have been away far too long!  It feels so good to be painting again.

My wish for everyone .....

a joyous .... healthy ...... and a prosperous new year :)

"Quiet Time"

The ellipse on the face of the clock caused me GRIEF!!!!!  The clock was actually turned a bit .... with the left hand side turned back into the picture plane, with the right hand side closer to the viewer.  I don't think my painting reflects this...... but since my original blog goal was to post my paintings as they are,  ..... unaltered ..... here it is!  Any suggestions how to achieve this would be appreciated :)

Carole

PLAY TIME

This is the third painting that is using time as a reference, which could result in a series that goes on and on!!!!! This is a painting of a toy elephant with that old pottery barn clock again. I have a basket full of toys for my granddaughter, and this is one of her favorites. I'm not certain if I will carry on this 'time series' ..... What do you think???? I am kind of running out of ideas ..... and am tired of painting the same clock ! Your comments are appreciated.

"SATURDAY MORNING"

I was getting a bit weary of my "painting a day project", and needed a little break. I decided to try an interior room of my home, so my unmade bed became my subject this Saturday morning.

I had this down by noon. I am enjoying the larger canvas. I am trying to keep most areas soft and neutral. I am really liking the rosy glow against the neutral grays.

Finished and ready for my signature!!!  I am very pleased with the finished painting.  I think it is one of my stronger paintings.  

PS:  This just won a Blue Ribbon Award Monday night (3/9/09)

Good News!

Last night (Friday), I attend the reception for the Stems Plein Air preview event. It was a tough competition.... over 250 paintings were submitted. The winners were kept secret... so it was a delightful surprise when I discovered that "Turtle Crossing" received a 2nd place cash award and "Meet Me At the Oak Tree" received an honorable mention award. Joshua Been won best of show. He is a wonderful painter from Colorado.

There have been good sales so far... over 25 paintings were sold.... at the VIP patrons preview party which was held at the Rice Gallery Thursday evening. The paintings will remain at the Art at the Center ... Tomahawk Community Center ... for viewing thru July 11th. The ribbon awarded paintings and the honorable mention winners will be transported to the Arboretum for the much anticipated annual "Stems Garden Soiree Event, June 26th.

It will be a busy June and July! Next weekend I am taking a workshop from Phil Starke, and in July I have to have paintings ready for the Rice reception, and I will be returning to Door County for their annual Plein air event.. with two other painters. This trip has become my favorite event of the year!!! :) While we are in Door, we will be staying at Sunset Shores located in Bailey's Harbor. Thank you Judie!!!! http://www.sunsetshoresresort.com/sunset_shores.html

"Waiting For The Rain to Stop"

Due to rain Wednesday evening....we decided to eat in.... and then paint. After dinner we all set up our easels and painted from our covered screened-in porch in our cabin in Baileys Harbor.

Our cabin was called "Sunflower".... and it had every kind of sunflower in it that you could imagine.... pillows, bed coverings, wall hangings, salt and pepper shakers.... etc. It was too funny and cute! Apparently the manager loves to go garage shopping.... and collects all of the sunflower themes she can find... and adds it to the growing collection found in Sunflower.

It was beginning to get dark and rainy, and I tried to capture the essence of dampness and rain of the evening in this little study.

The cabin is right across from Sunflower... right on the edge of the water. It is a lovely authentic old log cabin that has been modernized and updated .... called Kangaroo Kastle, complete with a "cadmium red" deck! In the driveway that circles the cabins.... there is a beautifully landscaped flower garden. The local flower gardens in Door are beautiful. You will find little pallets of color tucked in everywhere. Hollyhocks as tall as a man.... hydrangeas.... cosmos... etc... a joy to behold

I hope you enjoy little snip-its of my trip to Door County. This is the resort that we always stay... and if you are in the area I highly recommend it. It is deep within a wooded area... opening right onto the lake. Here is a quick link so you can see the pictures of the cabins at Sunset Shores Resort. Usually we stay in Lakeside cabin... but it was leased out that week.

Fruits of effort from Mini Workshop this weekend in KC

Spring Time at Kill Creek Park 9 x 12 oil on panel

Autumn Blush 9 x 12 oil on panel

This weekend I took a little mini-workshop here in KC from Dona Aldridge!  She is a wonderful artist, and a dedicated teacher.  I had a great time and made many new art 'sister' friends!  It was too cold to go outside and paint, so these are from some reference photos I had

The paintings are still wet.... so they do not photograph well..... the colors are off a bit.  I will repost them again when they are dryer.  I always photograph them without the flash.... but the wet paint still creates glare.

Laundry Day

I redid "Barn With Blue Door" so many times these last couple of months! You know the story.... fix a little, adjust a little, then you realize that you have a totally new painting! I have about 6 layers of sky..... and who knows how many times I changed the grass... road.. barns.. etc.

Your comments are always welcome!

Taylor's Trail - Loomis California

Since I have struggled with the barn painting..... I really needed something new that I was excited about. I picked a large.... 36 x36 canvas. For reference.... I used my plein air version and a few digital images that I had taken while attending Mac Hanson's workshop a couple of summers ago in Loomis California. It was a beautiful park but the weather was a miserable! The temperature stayed around the high 90's/100....a real heat wave, so I took shelter in the shade. :D

Early November

This was from a demo that I did in December during our last gallery opening. Patrons were in a festive spirit, listening to live music, sampling great food, and looking at beautiful paintings. Many were surprised that I only used red, blue, and yellow plus white to complete a painting. It was fun answering questions about how I paint.

The painting was inspired from a walk with my daughter through a beautiful nature trail in Lenexa KS.

Adirondack's of Door County

I painted this during the 'dockside' quick paint' competition during the week long Plein Air Door County Festival 2009..... sponsored by the Peninsula School of Art, this past summer. It actually won a people's choice award.

The quick paint event was held early Saturday morning..... the final event. We had to get our canvas stamped, and had two hours to complete the painting. The bull horn started and ended the event. This is the 2nd year I attended this event.... and had a wonderful time. In 2008, I actually sold one painting right off of my easel!

I am taking this painting, plus Early November, Taylor's Trail and the yet untitled Barn Makeover to the gallery this afternoon for their opening scheduled for this Friday, the 19th of February from 5:00 - 9:00 pm. Drop by if you are in the area.

Far Niente's Spring Folly

It has been a while since my last post! I have been ill with Bronchial Pneumonia, and have not had the energy to paint until now. Spring is here.... my energy is back..... and my plein air bag is re-stocked.....and waiting in the car.....and I'm ready TO GO!

Turtle Crossing

Getting ready to turn in 3 paintings for the Stems Plein Air event Monday at the Rice Gallery. We started the event on May 22, and it will end on June 7. Judging will begin, and announced on Friday.

Here is one of my submissions... a 16 x 20 that was painted at the Kansas City Arboretum.... over a period of 3 different days.

"Meet Me At The Oak Tree"

Here is my 2nd submission for the Stems Plein Air event. The little white specks are reflection on the wet paint.

This year there has been a huge increase in artists attending the event. There is an amazing amount of talent. The judging and selection for the Stems gala will be done Thursday. We won't hear until late Thursday on the prize awards and selection for display and sale at the Stems gala later on the evening of June 26th.

Mary's Pizzaeria - Lugano Switzerland

I started a new painting last night..(Tuesday)... and really got a lot blocked in. It brings back fond memories of when we used to live nearby .... Varese....Italy, just 25 minutes away. The scenery and lake in this area are gorgeous.... probably one of the most beautiful places that I have ever lived!

This is the famous Mary's Pizzeria in Lugano.... the southern, Italian speaking canton in Switzerland. They have the best pizza you've ever tasted! :)

"Garden of the gods"

This lovely setting is in Colorado Springs. It is the garden of the gods. Although there are amazing rock formations, I chose this peaceful little area that had a walking trail that disappeared through the pines. My camera is on its last leg.... and the colors are not quite right. the grass in the front is much richer... getting bluer and lighter as it goes back to the mountains. Any recommendations on cameras???

"Faster mommy..... faster"

A quick study of my granddaughter and daughter at Deanna Rose's Farmstead. It was sooooooo hot!

The Pump House

I just turned in a collection of Plein Air paintings to the gallery from this summer. It is called "Cottages of Door County".

This was the fourth annual Door County Plein Air Festival ... one of the largest plein air paint-outs of the Midwest region. The beauty of this area is diverse and inspirational. It is such a unique area.... Wisconsin's best kept secrete. It is the "Cape Cod" of the Midwest. This is the 3rd year in a row that I have attended with a couple of artist friends. It was an another fun packed week.

We had a variety of weather.... sunny, cloudy and rain.... but we painted our hearts out!!!!

I am posting 6 paintings.... one each evening... from some of the many paintings from my week in Door.

This was from the first morning. We drove to the Lighthouse located in Canna Island. This is one of the small buildings located on the Island. It was the Pump House. I set up under the shade of an old oak tree... and enjoyed the morning... without a care in the world!

No Vacancy - The Black Smith Inn

Early Tuesday morning, we headed into Baileys Harbor to paint in town. I picked a nice shady spot to paint the entrance to this beautiful bed and breakfast...... called The Black Smith Inn. The entrance faces the street, and the back faces the lake. I loved the way the sunlight spilled in between the two buildings.

It is best to paint with your canvas and palette in the shade... not only for comfort.... but for achieving the correct values. Remember that ultimately your paintings will hang on a wall under indoor light. If you were to paint in direct sunlight, you would not be able to judge color values well and the painting, when brought indoors would be too dark overall.

The abundance of flowers are everywhere you look! I am in heaven.... sipping cappuccino in my left hand.... and my paint brush in the other!!! A perfect summer morning.... cool breezes... birds singing.... great painting buddies.... who could ask for anything more.

"Noble House"

We started the morning in Fish Creek.

I love this house and all of it's charm... and have painted it before. It is called The "Alexander Nobel House". Alexander Noble was one of Fish Creek's founding fathers. It was built in 1875, when Fish Creek was a thriving fishing and shipping village, complete with dirt streets, and horse-drawn wagons.

I spent the morning painting very comfortable... under the shade of a huge oak tree.

The landscaping in front of the porch area was covered in white hydrangeas. Beautiful morning!

"Lundenberg Guest House" in Fish Creek

We stayed in Fish Creek for the afternoon.... investigating little side streets that branched off of the main harbor area.

I found an adorable little bed and breakfast inn... called Lundenberg Guest House ..... located at the corner of Maple and Cedar Street. I loved the big wrap-around porch... it seemed to say... come on up and enjoy a chilled glass of Lemonade.

It was just about high noon... you can tell by the bright sunlight on top of the roof, another pretty little lady!

It was interesting painting the white clapboards, and using various violets and blues to suggest shade.

2011 STEMS PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted.  Life sometimes gets in the way!  I will try to post more often :)

I just finished with the Stem's Plein Air Festival here in Kansas City.  This spring has been plagued with rain and thunderstorms, plus a few tornadoes.   One morning I was painting the little blue garden shed at the Arboretum.  The weather was overcast, and it started to sprinkle lightly.  Most of the other artists  packed up and left.  I thought to myself..... Now a plein air artist should be prepared to paint in any weather.... so I smugly put up my umbrella and continued to paint.  About 15 minutes later the heaven's opened up and it started to pour.... and then the tornado sirens started to blare.  I was fighting my umbrella, while tyring to get all of my gear stored away.  My paint bag was filling with water,  my umbrella was blowing across the garden... and I was a mess.   By the time I got everything together.... I could not find anyone!  Finally I found someone running through the parking lot, and followed them to a tornado shelter.  That is where the other artists were.... snug and dry!  I was soaked.... you 

Ed's Place