Halie and Passionflower, Original Oil on Canvas 12x12

I painted this from a photo I have had for over twenty years. This is my granddaughter with one of the multitude of passionflowers we used to have in our yard, until we found they all ended up in the pool. I miss the days when my grandchildren were babies, and I miss our arbor being covered with passionflower vines, thick with sweet-smelling flowers.

 

Myakka State Park, Florida Landscape 14x11

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Our family visited beautiful Myakka State Park and went on this hiking trail. We also did a boat tour across the big lake, and it is infested with alligators. An environmentalist might say it is a refuge for alligators, but my word for it is infested. We learned on the tour that Florida's alligator population got down to 500, then they became protected and now there are five million. I used to wonder why we could safely jump in any lake we came upon in Florida and now we can't. They were afraid of humans then and no one was idiotic enough to feed them. 

My uncle was a gator trapper for the state until he was over 70 years old. His job was to remove threatening gators, and they can't be shot like in the TV shows you may have seen. He brought them back alive. He said they have a tiny brain, but are wily creatures. He came by one day with his boat on a trailer and it had a big chomp out of it. The gator fought back.

Carmen

Polkadot Cottage Dancing

                                       

Yesterday our painting group, Pieces of Eight, had a fun challenge. We picked a noun, an adjective, and a verb from three columns of random words. I had "Polkadot Cottage Dancing." It was a relaxing and enjoyable day of painting and drawing silly things.

Carmen  

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Dreaming of Dali, 10x8 Original Oil Painting

My niece Kate is the owner of Paradise Found, a wonderful succulent nursery in Sarasota. She gave me these beautiful eggs from her free-range chickens, and I had to paint them. We had been to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, and Kate loved his paintings with tiny figures and buildings in the background. That moved me to create this Dali-inspired painting. You have to look closely to see Kate and her chickens.

Carmen

Ballard Park, Original Oil on Canvas

$155

I had not painted outside in two years, so this was quite a challenge. It was one of those paintings I had to improve upon in the studio. It was exhilarating to be outside in beautiful weather, painting with my friends.

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Bright and Hot, Original 10x8 oil on Canvas

$175

 This day the beach was just bright and hot, and I couldn't think of anything else to call it. The composition is essentially stripes with figures, and you can just feel how hot it is out there.

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Black Grapes, Original Oil Painting Still Life, 10x8

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I had to get with it and paint the grapes again before they shriveled into raisins. This is another small painting, oil on canvas panel, 10x8 inches.

Carmen

 

20-Minute Postcard Oil Paintings

This 20-minute rooster is on an actual canvas postcard, ready to address on the back, stamp and drop in the mail.

This is another postcard done in 20 minutes. This is a nasturtium planted by my daughter when she was here.

As soon as they dry, they are ready to mail.

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Black Grapes, Still Life 8x10 Original Oil Painting

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Sometimes I just have the best time painting. I had a canvas that was painted green from a painting I considered a "scraper" (which is a nice word for a disappointing painting). I did a 20-minute still life and got a little of the background filled in when the timer went off. I liked this well enough to finish it. Here is the stage I reached in twenty minutes:

What an ugly green color. It needed obliterating. 

Carmen

 

Florida Surf Scene, 8x10 Oil Painting on Canvas

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 As mentioned in my previous post, Mary Gilkerson's Art+Work+Living.com web page periodically has a five-day challenge to do a painting in 20 minutes. This is such a good exercise, especially for daily painters. I stuck to the time limit to produce this ocean scene. The horizontal dark lines were exactly as depicted.

Carmen

Exercise in Art, 20 Minute Painting, Wildlife Refuge

Inspired by Mary Gilkerson's 20-minute challenge, I did this 8x10 oil on canvas in 20 minutes. This is a great exercise in "loosening up," though it is very nerve-wracking. What is supposed to loosen me up tenses me up.

I went back and refined the painting, with the following result. 

Next time I will do 20 minutes, then leave it as is. You don't know how hard that is, unless you're an artist.

Carmen

 

Summer Storm, Pasture Landscape Small Original Oil Painting 10x8

$155

 

If you cross Highway 60 in Central Florida you will often see a scene like this, with dark storm clouds approaching and sun on the pasture in the foreground. I love this kind of light. This scene reminds me of my childhood in "Old Florida". 

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Italian Girl With Flowers, 11x14 Oil on Canvas, after Sorolla

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I've had no time for painting this week, so I am posting a throwback to 2008, when our painting group, Pieces of Eight, decided to copy Impressionist masters as a learning exercise. I love Sorolla, so I copied one of my favorites, with the above result. Below is the original by Sorolla.

I also copied John Singer Sargent, the master portrait artist. The best thing I've ever done is team up with seven women with the same passion for painting that I have. It has been such an enriching experience in so many ways, and I have learned so much.

Carmen

Misty Horizon, 11x14 Florida Seascape

 

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This was early morning looking toward Cape Canaveral, which is hidden in mist. The receding tide left a dark contrast to the blue of the water. It's something different every day when you walk by the ocean.

Carmen