Thursday, March 31, 2016

Tall Cup, 5x7 Oil on Canvas Still Life




So I digressed from my ten-minute paintings and did this one. I like it a lot less than the ten-minute one. I think I was, as Elio Camacho would say, "licking the paint." I must strike the happy medium between loose-goosey and licking the paint. And, as Richard Schmid says, have someone stand by to hit me over the head with a hammer when it's time to stop.

Going plein air painting today with the Pieces of 8. Sheer, unmitigated joy!

Carmen

Monday, March 28, 2016

Take Ten, 5x7 Still Life Coffee Cup


I am continuing my ten-minute painting exercise, and I found this piece of canvas that I had used to practice a spatter effect on. I enjoy doing these quick little paintings on black. I think it makes me use thicker strokes, which is one of my goals. I don't know why it's so hard to put the paint down and leave it alone. If you pick at it, it never gets well. I like my results here, and I am going to continue doing the ten-minute ones for practice.

Carmen

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Onion, 5x7 Oil on Canvas Still Life




This was fun. The Elio Camacho workshop inspired us to do 30-minute paintings with our painting group this week; yesterday in my studio I limited my time to ten minutes, and this was one of the paintings I did. I had a piece of canvas that was painted black and had a few spatters on it so I painted on that. I think I will do more food paintings with ten-minute limits. This is such good practice for me to loosen up and have a more spontaneous feel.

Carmen

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Morning Has Come, 8x10 Oil on Panel Seascape Sunrise


We have spectacular sunrises here on the Space Coast of Florida. Our skies seem to get every possible color, and I even enjoy it when there is a big storm off the coast and the colors are very gray. The excitement of what the clouds are doing makes up for the lack of color in that situation. This particular morning no color was lacking, and I have tried to capture them all.

I'm trying to be more colorful after studying with Elio Camacho last week. Here is my journal page after his workshop. Those little things are shrimp; if I put in every shrimp we ate there would be no room for Elio's big dog. Seafood on Amelia Island...yum!


Carmen

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Still Life with Pears, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel



I've been in an Elio Camacho workshop with Carol and Donna all week, and the above painting is not one I did in the workshop. I'm not quite satisfied with those, but what a great learning experience it was! I can't wait to start painting today with my newfound knowledge. I do need Elio over my shoulder saying, "Do you really need that flea?" and "You're licking the paint." Artists will know what that means.

It didn't hurt that we were on beautiful Amelia Island and eating seafood every day. I think Carol and Donna set a record for most shrimp eaten in one week. The whole experience was fabulous and I can't wait till next time.

Carmen

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Guests for Dinner, 18x24 Oil on Canvas


SOLD

This Wood Stork is calmly looking over the Spoonbills feeding in Mrazek Pond in the Everglades. The Wood Stork puts his bill underwater and waits for his prey, then his beak snaps shut at lightning speed, 25 milliseconds. This is known as grope-feeding. The Wood Stork has one of the fastest reflexes of any vertebrate.

This was just sold by the Brevard Cultural Alliance (BCA) at the Melbourne Airport. We artists are so lucky to have the BCA and Lynne Brezina.

Carmen

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Everglades Sunrise, 6x6 Oil on Canvas Panel


Sold

This is a nostalgic piece, because it reminds me of camping in the Everglades with two Pieces of 8, Kathy and the recently departed Cindy (no, she didn't die, she just departed for North Carolina). This is a tiny little painting of the beautiful sunrise in the Everglades. I was disappointed to not see Spoonbills, but there was other wildlife: more alligators than I could count, and a huge, thick, black spider that got on my paper towels when I was painting. Thank goodness I noticed him before I grabbed a towel! 

We saw no pythons, but a recent python hunt brought forth over a hundred! They are ruining the ecology and hard to eradicate. When small game gets wiped out, large game leaves, and all sorts of things happen in the food chain. Just watch this video, "How Wolves Change Rivers"  and you'll see what I mean.

Carmen

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Eat More Chikin, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel


Available at my Solo Show April 22nd in Middleburg, VA

I hadn't painted in over a week because of getting ready for my show and the workshop I'm attending soon on Amelia Island, so this was pure pleasure for me. Everything fell into place and soon these cows were looking back at me. That's my idea of fun!

Last week I challenged my painting group to use only their old, never-used paints that we all have to do a painting. I was sick and couldn't be there, but I was very pleased with their results. I decided to do my cows the same way. Only white was allowed, the rest had to be those neglected tubes in the bottom of the drawer. I used:

Primary Yellow
Naphthol Red
Bohemian Green Earth
Indianthrone Blue
Intense Blue

I really like those colors. Why haven't I been using them? Some are probably 20 years old! Intense Blue is especially beautiful. I will be using that more.

Carmen