Violaceous

"Violaceous"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
Her petals radiated from tiny pivotal peaks in such a magnificent, violaceous whorl that it dazzled the pantaloons off some of the more staid spectators. 

I've posted 320 consecutive days with a different new painting each day:  floral, landscape, still life and a couple miscellaneous offerings. I have worked in the small square format so popular with daily painters, but I love to paint large.  My brushwork and sponges are perfect in that scale. I also like the texture and bounce of a large stretched canvas, instead of hardboard panels. 

I am considering making larger paintings for a while to satisfy some creative desires.  That said, I may not post every day, but please don't assume I've quit painting.  I must paint. It's my driving force.  Ultimately, I may turn out more complex pieces for your viewing pleasure.

Furthermore, I may fill the gaps with some pieces I have not yet posted. Please be patient with me as I transition into this next stage.

Thank you for understanding my reason for change. I appreciate it.
Carol

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My Gallery
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Blue Lace Cap Hydrangea

"Blue Lace Cap Hydrangea"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
Blue lace caps in huge pots were placed in the middle of a reflecting pool at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. I was able to get close enough to reference many of them for the purpose of subject matter.  

I'm haven't painted hydrangeas in a while, so when a block of time presented itself today, I decided to do it. I enjoyed painting each petal completely before moving on to the next one, starting with the darkest ones.  The leaves were a delight, too.

Thank you for looking.
Carol

Dailypaintworks.com
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My Gallery 
Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Peony Pom

"Peony Face"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
My peonies are blooming! Full, fragrant and flamboyant are these hussies!  Here is a closeup of one of mine from last year. I love her roundness, her full-bodied lusciousness. 

I have wanted to paint this one for a while, but all those center petals scared me.  I made as much sense out of them as possible.  It looks a lot like what I remember.  

Thank you for looking in on me today. 
Carol 

California Columbine

"California Columbine"
6" x 6"
Oil on Hardboard panel
My friend, Jock Cooper, went to Huntington Gardens in California with his family last week.  I had the nerve to ask him to photograph a closeup of a flower for me.  This is what he sent this afternoon.  I'm delighted to have painted my first columbine!

I grew up with wild columbine, but I don't have access to them where I live now.  Oh, I can see them in a couple gated communities, but can't convince the keepers to let me in with my camera.  So this was perfect!  Thank you Jock.

Thank you for being here today.
Carol

Dailypaintworks.com
Dailypainters.com
My DPW Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net


Lusty Month of May

"Lusty Month of May"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
I visited a friend yesterday who had just purchased many pots of peonies that looked like this—glorious for the lusty month of May!  I went there to photograph the migrating orioles and came home with shots of peonies instead. The orioles were in the canopy of her magnificent trees, sheltered from the rain.

The coloring and interior structure of this lovely lady intrigued me.  I began painting her using a sponge, but felt more comfortable within the small spaces using my Rosemary & Co. brushes.  She's painted on all five sides of the wrapped canvas, as are all my wrapped canvases.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my art today.
Carol

Dailypainters.com
Dailypaintworks.com
My DPW Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Scarlet Trim

"Scarlet Trim"
10" x 8"
Oil on hardboard






















She was colorful to the point of quirky in her lemony attire trimmed in scarlet. She was unique in the bouquet and was magnificently fragrant to boot.  This petite little rose has brought a lot of joy. 

The rose was the size of a quarter.  I've painted her before, in a different pose.  I'm fond of her color and crumpled look. 

Thank you for looking in today. 
Carol 


Begonias

"Begonias"
20" x 16"
Oil on wrapped canvas






















I wandered through the greenhouse with my camera, looking for flowers I didn't grow myself. I had shot succulents the last visit, so I was looking for color.  Begonias delighted my eyes as I turned the corner. 

I began this painting two years ago, but didn't finish it until this morning. She leaned against a wall in my studio waiting for me to decide if she was worth the effort. She was.

That you visit me regularly... well, it delights me.
Carol

Dailypainters.com
Dailypaintworks.com
My DPW Gallery 
Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Riot of Zinnias

"Riot of Zinnias"'
24" x 24"
Oil on wrapped canvas
Late last summer when the flowers were at their most vibrant, and had actually swelled to overabundance, I photographed this "Riot of Zinnias." 

I splashed and dashed on color, yet it didn't look enough like summer. So I took my Colour Shaper thingie and drew over some of the petals. The added texture makes it riotous! 

Thanks for looking.
Carol

Dailypainters.com
Dailypaintworks.com
My DPW Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net


Star Power

"Star Power"
10" x 10"
Oil on hardboard 
She had the good looks, charm, charisma and pizazz to be a star.  Miss Dahlia here was a contender in the Dahlia Daze Pageant. The lady had Star Power! 


I have some dahlia reference photos I'd like to explore. As I've stated before, I like a whorled arrangement of petals. This one seemed particularly difficult, what with all the hard-edged shadows, so I chose to paint her first.

Thank you, as always, for stopping by.
Carol

Dailypainters.com
Dailypainworks.com
My DPW Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Pink Peony Bud


"Pink Peony Bud"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
My peonies bloom in May. It was just dumb luck to have planted them in a place where spring blows warm kisses over them from the opposite direction of the dryer vent's contribution!  Sunshine and warmth make for an early display. What a gift! 

I used my last clayboard! I coated it with gesso and painted on it with ease. I wish now I hadn't returned a stack of them.  

Thank you for spending a part of your day with me. I'm always grateful.
Carol

Dailypaintworks.com
Dailypainters.com
My DPW Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Jubilant Hibiscus


"Jubilant Hibiscus"
16" x 20"
Oil on wrapped canvas

This jubilant hibiscus and eleven more like her had just been offloaded from a truck when I pulled into the garden center.  Snow was still drifted against the greenhouse where she'd remain until all threats of frost were over.  


I painted this with a brush, as I had done most of my paintings until two years ago.  It was a nice painting, but lacked an overall warmth.  When she was totally dry I glazed over parts of her with a touch of cad yellow.  I used a piece of sponge to buff in the essence of sunshine. She's no longer just nice.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Rose #3

"Rose #3"
24" x 24"
Oil on gessoed panel 
It was evening when I found her yawning into her sleeve.  She had sung her last lullaby and kissed dew drops onto the buds tipping the branches of her sinewy stem. 

I enjoy making square paintings. The corners become important, and need to be different in shape, value and edge. Placing a round flower in a square format can be successful if there's a sense of motion around the center, not just like a dart stuck in the center, with no chance to meander.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Rose #2

"Rose #2"
  24" x 24"
Oil on gessoed panel 
When "Morning Rose" (see the post from Saturday, July 23rd) was purchased and shipped to Colorado I was left with a vacancy in my series.  I revisited my reference photos and cropped her lovely face into a square.  She is currently hanging as a companion piece to "Rose #3".

Here I faced the issue of placing a round subject in a square format again. I must enjoy the challenge.  If I recall correctly, the deceased artist Michael Gerry delighted in the same pleasure. He made a living painting large single blooms, many of them square.  

Thank you for visiting,
Carol

Peonies, Lilacs and Limes

Peonies, Lilacs and Limes
18" x 24"
Oil on canvas 
I filled my favorite bowl with the last peonies of the season and the first of the hedge lilacs in my neighborhood. The fragrance was heady while I shot my reference photos. When I finished I sliced a lime to squeeze into a glass of seltzer.  One of the key limes rolled into my setup, so I shot one last photo.

The composition of this painting is daring.  It's an inverted triangle, to begin with. There are soft balls, hard balls, pink balls, green balls, crystal balls, ruffled petals and rumpled cloth. And it's painted in my favorite set of complements, red and green.  It's also cropped just like this—equidistant from every edge.  Formal in its presentation, yet casual and inviting.

Thank you for visiting,
Carol 

Morning Rose

Morning Rose
30" x 40"
Oil on wrapped canvas
During a rare morning walk through the Chicago Botanic Gardens I discovered sunlight having its way with this rose. She blushed at being discovered, but posed, nonetheless. 

Here's where my style of sponge painting began! This white flower had so many colors in it, I had to figure out a way to paint the petals, yet maintain a believable white. Being self-taught, I was not limited by someone else's ideas, so I sliced off the end of my husband's car wash sponge and swirled a breath of color onto dry titanium white. I repeated the process with yellows and reds and blues until she looked like this!  She sold immediately.

Scarlet Aria

Scarlet Aria
Oil on Masonite panel
24" x 24" 

It was late in the season for day lilies. But a cluster was still performing on a slope, across the Serpentine Bridge at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.  The green-throated beauties warbled in close proximity to white hibiscus blossoms the size of luncheon plates. 

Once again, I worked my sponge from the outside in, anxious to paint the stamens.  I knew they'd be my final touches—with a scruffy little brush!  I also had to make sure the pistil didn't lead my eye off the right side by paying attention to value and edges.