Island in the Wheat

"Island in the Wheat"
7.5" x 10.5"
Pastel on paper
An island off shore of a harvested wheat field shone its flaming maples that October morning.  I saw them through the evaporating haze and was happy I drove this route instead of the other. 

 I'm in Colorado visiting galleries, looking for a place to represent me. If I miss posting for a few days, please know I'm fine, just here with only my camera.

Carol

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Shoe

"Shoe"
4" x 4"
Graphite on paper
I was sitting in a waiting room with a drawing pad on my lap and time on my hands. The only thing worth drawing was the view my foot afforded as I crossed my leg to elevate the drawing pad. I own these five inch heels in Chinese red silk and in black.  This one was red — same color as my toenails.  

I'm enjoying my new-found interests in pencil drawing and pastels.  I seem to be going about my education — backward.  Please be patient with me while I learn.

Carol

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It's Official

"It's Official"
7.5" x 7.5"
Pastel on paper
The landscape seemed to decide over the weekend that it's officially autumn.  There's more gold than green and what green there is is reluctant rather than robust. I might add that the sky was in agreement.

I've painted this before, but in oil.  I may be revisiting some of my favorite scenes with my new medium.

Carol

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Bee Yourself

"Bee Yourself"
7.5" x 7.5"
Pastel on paper
I saw this bee and knew I would have to try to paint him. I liked his furry thorax, the glint in his eye, the translucent shadow he cast on the petals, and his leaded glass wings.  Yup, this was a challenge I'd rise to, with thick pieces of chalky pastel. 

This is my offering for the weekly Challenge on Dailypaintworks.

Carol

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Ms Scarecrow

"Ms Scarecrow"
16" x 20"
Watercolor on paper
Once the crops were harvested and she no longer had to keep the pesky birds at bay, Ms Scarecrow stood and waited. She waited patiently, albeit, propped, day after day, for someone to come along to stimulate and entertain her, to make her smile, at least make her think of smiling, since she never really had a face to begin with.  

 Here's a watercolor from a few years ago. When I taught watercolor, these were the things I liked to demonstrate; weathered wood, rusted metal, crinkled leaves, snowy fields and fabric.  I loved to tell stories with those items.

Carol

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Duck, Feet

 "Duck, Feet"
20" x 14"
Watercolor on paper



















It was the seventies, the wall was avocado, and so was the shower curtain. It was a rental unit, so I couldn't change it, except in my mind.  I never was much for subtleties or understatement.   

 Here is another of the paintings I became reacquainted with over the weekend. I painted this one in 1978 when I was single and could loll in the tub.  It hangs in a prominent place in Wisconsin where it raises lots of questions.

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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Meg's Leg

"Meg's Leg"
8" x 8"
Graphite on paper
Meg was a model in the life drawing session I'm taking in an art center near where I live.  Even though the pose was comfortable for Meg, the only thing I really nailed was her left leg.  

When the opportunity presented itself, I saw the merit in attending the open studio, without an instructor. I've never done this before. I'm entirely new to drawing the figure from life. I wasn't classically trained. At this late stage of my life I'm trying the things I missed when I pursued chemistry rather than art.

Carol

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Rose Wild Rose

"Rose Wild Rose"
7" x 7"
Pastel on paper
I found a bush of wild roses during the season and shot some photos of the blooms. I did't know these simple flowers would be perfect for me to try my first pastel of a rose... not too many petals. I have one warm pink pastel, a red and an orange so there was a lot of mixing of color to get what I was seeing in my photo. Good practice, I suppose.  

I met with the Princeton Brush representatives today. They're going to send some additional brushes to me so I don't have to use just one. They would like me to be fluent in Catalyst before they film me in a few weeks.  It was a productive and fun meeting.

Carol

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Love Stamp, Lamp and Lace

"Love Stamp, Lamp and Lace"
16" x 12"
Watercolor on paper



















I found this painting in my archives while I was cleaning my studio these past couple of days.  It's a watercolor from when that was the only medium I knew. Today I know a few more ways to express myself. 

I'm cleaning instead of painting because a crew from the Princeton Artist Brush Company of Princeton, New Jersey is coming to my studio on Thursday to meet me, see my studio space and prepare to make a video of me painting with their Catalyst paintbrush.  I raved about their #4 Polytip Bristle brush a couple of weeks ago and the adventure began right about then.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Carol

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English Walled Garden

"English Walled Garden"
7" x 10"
Pastel on paper
I painted at the Chicago Botanic Gardens this morning. The light was brilliant, the air was autumnal, and it was a beautiful day to be there.  Plein air doesn't get better than this.  

I'm learning as I go with this wonderful medium.  And I'm so thankful I didn't ignore the opportunity to explore it.  I have to thank my friend Ken Lutgen for inspiring me during a plein air session earlier this summer.  He doesn't even know it's entirely his fault.

Carol

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Neighborly

"Neighborly"
5" x 7"
Pastel on paper
I had a tree, you had some rope and I tumbled for you the afternoon we constructed our swing. We soared and sang and laughed on that swing until you moved away.  

I'm testing my abilities with pastel on paper.  Tonight's challenge was to make fine lines using thick sticks.  I seem to have done it.  I particularly enjoyed making the wire on the fence.  

Carol

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Sundown

"Sundown"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard 
There aren't too many evenings when the sky hands us a platter of primary colours, but this evening was one of them. I enjoyed the brief moments of this show of colour before dark.

I had these colors on my palette and wanted to use them before they crusted-over. It's a pretty dramatic red, yellow, blue sky painting.  One I'll add to my collection.

Carol

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