Serengeti Sunset

"Serengeti Sunset" 1 of 3
4" x 4"
Oil on wrapped canvas
This is a prototype of the left hand panel of a triptych commissioned by a Wisconsin client, from his African safari photos. The final piece will be to this scale, but instead of four inches, it will be 24".  The center is a rectangle, and another square will be on the right hand side. 

I delivered the triptych prototype in person last week while I was in Wisconsin taking a workshop with my friend Patricia Hamm.  I have been gone for nine days, doing so many fun and art-related things.

But my trip ended on a harrowing note. I was in a car accident right ON the Wisconsin/Illinois border. A large metal object fell from the bed of a semi. The car in front of me hit it and it ruptured the oil reservoir, which sprayed all over my windshield as broken chunks of the metal object bounced all over the interstate highway.  I hit a bouncing chunk and it punctured something under my car.  Both the Illinois and Wisconsin police were called to the incident site. Both of our cars were not drivable. Mine got towed to Rockford, where I had to rent a car to drive the last hour and a half home. I'm home now, and unharmed. Yet it was WAY too much like the head-on collision I was in 19 years ago this month, when a car hit a curb and launched itself into the air and hit me. My painting hand was broken, my femur, hip and toes were, too. I didn't walk for a very long time. Didn't drive for 15 months.

I consider myself a lucky, lucky woman.  That metal chunk could have gone through my windshield and this blog entry would have read very differently.

Love to you, my dear followers,
Carol


Mining For Lace

"Mining For Lace"
24" x 12"
Mixed Media on museum wrapped canvas
On this, my second painting in this series, I wanted to use lace, but I didn't want it to look frilly or girly. I wanted it to look like in order to get lace, you had to mine it, like one would mine gold or other precious substances.

I adore lace, so this is a statement piece for me. And it kind of looks like the lace-covered cowgirl boots I got over the weekend... well, they're not in these colors, but they are just as fancy.

Carol

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Slice

"Slice"
12" x 12"
Acrylic and then some
I'm trying new things. New to me, anyway.  This one is in the style of Carol Nelson, a Colorado artist. I wanted to see if I could use her cruciform format and the Golden liquid colors I've come to enjoy on the past couple of paintings. I liked the process, but as I did it, other ideas flooded my head, as often happens when there are no parameters.  Oh, and the entire surface is coated in a layer of joint compound, carved and wrinkled under saran wrap before it dried.  

It was fun, but I'm pretty sure I'll keep exploring. I'll be going to a workshop in a couple of weeks, so it's good to loosen the shackles a bit.

Carol

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Re-Arched

"Re-Arched"
9" x12"
Acrylic on canvas panel
I revisited the theme of arches and swirls again, and probably for the final time, at least for a while, tonight.  This time I used direct complements — red orange and glue green. White and black were used to change the shades, tints and tones.  

Thank you all who wrote to me during this experimental time. I appreciated your comments and encouragement. Now on to other things!

Carol

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Arched Again

"Arched Again"
8" x 10"
Acrylic on canvas panel
The comments about my first Arched painting were so encouraging that I decided to make another one. This time I limited my palette to a triad of blue violet, red violet and yellow. The elements remain the same, although in a different format. 

I am well, but thank you for asking.  I've been out of town, then   I entertained family members from Wisconsin and Michigan.  Painting was not a high priority, but it certainly feels good to be back in my studio tonight.

Carol

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Splat!

"Splat!"
12" x 12"
Acrylic on canvas panel
Despite the random appearance of this study in value, line and texture, I guided the rivulets across the canvas with the tip of a palette knife and an atomizer. There is a painting underneath the tributaries that I painted last night with the intention of glazing over it with gesso tonight. Once that dried, I set forth with the black and finally the red to finish the piece. It's a completely different palette for me, not to mention ... style.  I'm on an adventure!  Oh, and this time I will be making reservations, taking my camera and eating out.  I'll be back early next week. 

Carol

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Camellia Blue

"Camellia Blue"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas 
A year ago I went to a flower show in Chicago. I painted this white camellia from photos I took while there. Tonight I revisited that white camellia, sort of gray, actually, and gave her a makeover. She is theatrically stunning tonight. Ready for her closeup. 

The white camellia no longer exits as she did a year ago. I glazed over her with color in the style of a New York artist I found in an Art Expo Magazine.  Irina Gretchanaia  is the painter/source/inspiration of my new verve.  Our basic subject matter is the same, but now my flower has more... life.

Carol

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Arched

"Arched"
14" x 11"
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
I traveled during my absence, but by way of fever and illness, not to any place that involved reservations, tickets or my camera. Bronchitis caught me at the tail end of a cold and whipped my proverbial derriere.  This scene is reminiscent of where my fever took me while I lolled with bonbons and peeled grapes.   

Golden brand fluid acrylics, molding paste, and about half a dozen layers turned a lifeless grey canvas into something short of walking on its own.  I painted her to fit into a frame that is a weathered deep red, like the uppermost left hand corner of this piece. I wrestled and fastened her into the frame, where she's content for the time being. I hope to paint more like this one. The process was about as lively as the outcome! 

Carol 

Another Three Pots

"Another Three Pots"
14" x 11"
Acrylic on canvas panel 
I painted a similar painting to this one during the summer when I was at the Botanic Gardens. I sold it soon afterward. This is one is a commission piece for a woman who liked what I had done, but wanted it larger and taller. This is how it turned out. 

When people see my website they are usually surprised at the variety of subject matter in at least four different mediums.  I'm often asked what I like to paint best?  My standard and honest answer is, "Whatever I'm painting at the moment."  When I did this knife painting in acrylic I thought, I could do this for the rest of my days.  Of course, come morning, I had forgotten about whatever I had finished the night before and moved on to the next fun thing.   It's all fun to me. I love whatever is on my easel.

Carol

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Another View

"Another View"
4" x 6"
Watercolor on Yupo
When I rode a horse around Ghost Ranch — yes, I said "ride a horse,"   I was able to get closer to the formations than while on a wheeled vehicle. I loved being in the open air as much as I was on this trip. The silence, the purity of the air, the spiritual cleansing brought me to tears more often than I thought possible.  

This is the painting I gave to the hotel manage as a thank you for taking a chance on letting us paint in the new conference center.  

Carol 

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Chimney Rock

"Chimney Rock"
5" x 9"
Watercolor on Yupo
I'm back from my trip to New Mexico. I experienced every positive emotion possible as I traveled.  It was as much fun as I anticipated and I met 19 talented women with whom I shared stories, hugs and time. 

I painted this piece while at the Drury Plaza Hotel in Santa Fe and gave it to the Assistant Manager as a thank you for letting twenty women paint in watercolor in a brand new conference room for three days. It was a gift we will never forget.  Thank you, Andreas for trusting us with your beautiful new space.

Carol

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Castle Rock-tober

"Castle Rock-tober"
9" x 12"
Acrylic on canvas panel
Some of my favorite images were photographed in October in Colorado a year and a half ago. It had been a wet summer, which made autumn resplendent, even after the aspens had fluttered-away their leaves. The hills around Castle Rock unfurled a tapestry of greens, golds and russets, while the distant hills and sky wove an appropriate border of complementary purples and blues.  

In a week I will be photographing the beauty of New Mexico. Can you sense my excitement?

Carol

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House Portrait

"House Portrait"
6" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
From time to time I mention that I am in the midst of painting commissioned house portraits.  I do this for real estate agents to give as closing gifts.  Here is one of my recent ones that pleased both the agent and the homeowner who would no longer live in this lovely home. 

I enjoy painting homes and capturing the personality of the homeowners in the choices they've made to make the structure their own. This one is obviously sold, but I will paint one for you, of your home or a friend's, to your size specifications, if you'd like. I can also change the season, the landscaping and the house color if need be.

Carol

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Cattails And Lily Pads

"Cattails And Lily Pads"
12" x 12"
Acrylic on canvas panel 
We're back at Daniel Wright Woods in late August here. I remember the noise that morning was from insects, not the rustle of leaves.  The sky reflected the deep periwinkle of the dome above me. It was a glorious day to photograph for later paintings, and a great one to paint en plein air.  

I'm in a knife painting kind of mood. The dots and smears of color from the knife and the fast drying acrylic delights me. I love to paint layer upon layer on the dried textures.

Carol

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Mid-October Morning

"Mid-October Morning"
12" x 12"
Acrylic on canvas panel
An outing to the Botanic Gardens in mid-October proved to be more beneficial than I had thought on that particular day. My eyes were accustomed to layers of brilliant colors of that season, so I tucked the photos away.  But yesterday when I revisited my cache of landscape photos, this one caught my eye. 

Compared to the monochrome of snow and ice in the real world, this looked mighty yummy.

Carol

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Petunias, Coleus, Alyssum

"Petunias, Coleus, Alyssum"
10" x 8"
Acrylic on canvas panel 
I photographed these colors when I was out by the Mississippi last fall at the farm where I stayed. At the time I didn't know when I'd paint them, but here it is Ground Hog Day and the deepest snow I've seen in 35 years, and I'm reveling in the intense colors of Mary's garden for comfort. Thank you, dear friend. 

As I sorted through the images I had painted in the last eleven months to get them ready to post to my website, I became aware of the happiness I felt when I saw my knife paintings. Today was an unlikely day to paint this, but it felt right. I will keep my acrylics out for a few more days and see what comes of it.

Carol

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Wildly Wild

"Wildly Wild"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
The wild roses at the Botanic Gardens intrigue me. They're so unstructured and haphazard, compered to the well-bred cousins blossoming properly in the beds around them. When a wild one dazzles me in morning light, I like to capture her, but seldom paint her in season. There are so many other options, for my lovers of roses. 

This feels like a study to me, but I know I'll never take it any further.  I hope she appeals to you as she is… wildly wild.

We are in the midst of a blizzard here in my zip code. I went out and measured 22" of snow on my patio table. While I've been housebound I've updated my website.  If you go to CarolKeene.com there are over 200 new images in the category "Recent Works."  If you've never been to my website before, please go browse. It's clean, orderly and fun to look at. Thank you for looking.  

Carol

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Sunset Lace

"Sunset Lace"
2.5" x 6"
Watercolor on Yupo
The sky had been turbid as the sun nestled into the bosom of the Plains that evening. Then, either my contacts needed to be changed, or something else was going on. A pattern of lace veiled the horizon, just as the yellow orb disappeared. 

Here's another watercolor that I impressed with a plastic lace — with the intention of making a sunset.

Carol

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Hawked

"Hawked"
6" x 6"
Watercolor on Yupo
Feathers were fluttering from the pine tree in my courtyard the other day. When I looked up at the source, nondescript bird parts were lodged in the spiny needles overhead. The wind distributed them onto my sidewalk according to weight and size. Now all that's left up in that tree, after a couple of days of gravity and wind are downy tufts.  I've seen a hawk swooping in my neighborhood in suburban Chicago, so I suspect he dropped the unsuitable plumage where he thought it would do the most good — at the feet of an artist.  

Yup, it's on Yupo.  And They were FUN to paint.

Carol

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Trio

"Trio"
6" x 8"
Watercolor and Ink on Yupo
The title "Trio" refers to three colors and three applications. My first application was to slather grayed blue over the Yupo and press a plastic lace into it.  I let it dry and then stenciled the acanthus swirls in analogous, yet the remaining complementary colors. After it was all dry, I used a waterproof pen to squiggle and dot in the shadows. 

I had so many ideas of what to paint on or around the blue pattern, but the swirling acanthus won… this time.

Carol

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