Hope

"Hope"
24" x 24"
Oil and Acrylic on wrapped canvas 
January is a time of regrouping, renewing and becoming who we want to be, for whatever reason. It's a contemplative time, a meditative time and a time to give up or re-up. 

I spent today making this large painting filled with imagery and symbolism in honour of those of us who are in flux, in quandaries or just plain sick (and tired).  Give it your best shot, darlings! There's hope. Spring is within reach.

Love to all who ... struggle,
Carol

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Trees of Life

"Trees of Life"
15" x 9"
Watercolor on paper
Sometimes life can't be supported merely by one trunk.  It might take more to hold up all that teeming protoplasm.  


Take the cookie sheet out of the freezer and peel off the plastic wrap be prepared to deal with what has been going on in your absence. There will be ice crystal patterns if it is cold enough.  If you want more texture, sprinkle a wee bit of salt at this point, where you want a snowflake effect.

Keep an open mind to the possibilities.  The "tree trunks" were two large wrinkles that either became very hard-edged or I made harder by stroking not-too-wet paint up to the dry "trunk" lines.

Working the wet areas is a lot of fun.  Keeping the paper wet while on the cookie sheet is the trick to soft edges and being able to work the positive and negative shapes.  Pull off the waxed paper only as you intend to work on an area.  Once it's dry it becomes like working on any other dry painting.

I have sprayed water underneath the art to retard the drying process.

Dabbing with a dry Q-Tip is a good way to correct mistakes. Or use a clean, damp brush to wipe out mistakes, but don't press or scrape too hard.

Make sure not to paint with too much water, it'll make backruns or blossoms.

Enjoy the process.  It's different and fun.  Most watercolorists don't get the luxury of painting slowly into damp paper, acting like oil painters.

For more information on this technique please Google Kathleen Conover.  

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Thank you for visiting.
Carol

Heirloom Tomatoes and a Feather

"Heirloom Tomatoes and a Feather"
8" x 8"
Oil on Hardwood panel
I bought tiny potatoes and tiny tomatoes at Trader Joe's last weekend. I found the feather in their parking lot. As I dropped tomatoes into our salad, I decided to store the chosen ones in my old Lenox coffee cup until painting time. Well, this is just how I left them and decided to paint them that way.


The translucency, the cup, and the background was asking for trouble. What a challenge!  Then I applied my first brushstroke.  Oh, my!  This was my first experience with a nearly smooth hardwood panel.  Sweet!  I loved it!  I'll use it again!

Dailypaintworks.com.  You know the drill.

Carol

Gull Stones

"Gull Stones"
8" x 10"
Oil on wrapped canvas

There weren't as many seagulls up in Door County as I thought there would be, considering the amount of water and the number of tourists.  This, one feather was the only evidence of their presence. Although, strangely enough, someone standing next to me with binoculars said he was watching pelicans circle overhead.  I Googled it when I got home. Yup. White ones.

The weave of the canvas shows through my thin painting style, and gives a neat texture to these rocks.  It's more pronounced in the photo than in real life.

This painting is listed with, and for sale through a Daily Paintworks Auction.

Thank you for visiting today,
Carol