Woman in Gold, Female Portrait, Mixed Media on Canvas,11x14 Oil Painting

 

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This is a mixed media painting, using gold gesso, gold acrylic paint, ink, stamps and oil paint. I was inspired by seeing Gustav Klimt's work in Vienna and found his technique for painting skin as fascinating as all that gold. This was my response to the Pieces of 8 painting group's challenge for December, using materials I have not used together before. The gold is more metallic than it looks online.

Carmen

The Death of Truth, 8x10 Avant-Garde, Picasso-ish Oil on Canvas

The Pieces of Eight Painting Group's Monthly Challenge for November was to do an avant-garde work, stepping way outside our comfort zones. I used Picasso as my inspiration, although if I were trying harder, I guess I would have had an eye where the ear is, or a foot coming out of the head.

I think the painting is self-explanatory.

Carmen

Color My World, 8x10 Oil Painting on Canvas, Portrait of Woman

This was my contribution to the Pieces of 8 challenge for July, which was to paste a half face to a support, then do a creative rendering of the other half. Everyone did an amazing job, which you can see at Piecesof8art.blogspot.com.

Summertime always means painting between traveling and yardwork. Am I still a full-time artist if I keep stopping to pull weeds? Hmmm. Not sure. This week I was weeding four feet away from a large snake, but he was pointed the other direction, so I didn't bother him and he didn't bother me. I did keep an eye out, though. I try to be at one with nature, as long as nature isn't a roach. I will kill myself trying to get away from a roach.

I complain a lot about weeding, but in truth I enjoy gardening, and in my family we have a name for that. It's the "Chulie Gene." My grandmother Chulie was a master gardener, and most of our family is infected with the Chulie Gene. My niece actually has a nursery, Paradise Found, and works like mad to grow very exotic and unusual succulents.

See what I did here? I plugged the Pieces of 8 and my niece's nursery, all in one blog post!

Carmen

Street in Venice, 8x10 Oil on Canvas, after John Singer Sargent

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I'm still on a Venice kick. I copied this Sargent painting because I liked its mysterious air and because I felt I could learn from it. The two characters on the right look a bit shifty, if you ask me. Sargent spent a lot of time in Venice, as any artist should. It is a completely unique place now as it was then, Old-Worldly beautiful.

Carmen

Italian Man, 10x8 Original Oil on Canvas, Figurative Art, Portrait

This man was waiting for a train outside Venice and the light was shining so beautifully on him. In spite of my digital camera having that delay before being able to snap the first shot, I did get the picture before our train pulled out of the station. 

I hope I see Venice again before I shuffle off this mortal coil. What a beautiful and unique city.

Carmen

Broken, 16x20 Oil on Canvas Portrait

This painting has been on exhibit in the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery's "Word" show this month. Artists were given three words to be possible titles for a painting. I picked "Broken" and painted this homeless man. He looks like he has been broken by life; maybe by addiction, or foreclosure, or even an illness that bankrupted him. He has a sad story that is written on his face.

Patrons visiting the gallery opening were given the list of words to see how many they could match to a painting. A very clever idea, isn't it?

Carmen

The Violinist, 5x7 Original Oil Painting on Canvas

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I painted this from a bad cell phone photo shot in a dark cafe. I then Photoshopped it until I could make out the musician enough to paint him. He was with the San Miguel Five, a band that is famous in San Miguel de Allende, and for good reason. They played haunting Argentine music that was at times so sad that it made someone cry (I won't say who). I love night scenes, and I love to paint musicians and feel the music all over again.

Cowboy, 14x11 Oil on Canvas

$295, Click to Purchase

I've been working on this all week. Quite a change from my previous post, isn't it? This was a very complicated painting of a cowboy in downtown San Miguel de Allende, resting against a wall. This is not a daily painting, except in the sense that I painted it every day. San Miguel is so colorful, and it's not just the locals. The Americans are pretty colorful too. Supposedly there are 17,000 expatriate Americans living there. The locals are hospitable, the climate is lovely, the city is beautiful, and medical care is cheap (and if you drink the water, you may need medical care).

Tiny Dancer, 8x10 OIl on Canvas

$199.00, Click to Purchase

While in San Miguel de Allende I got to witness a big Aztec festival, with scores of people in bright costumes and huge feather headdresses. They were dancing in the streets, celebrating their conversion to Christianity. So many people dancing in unison, wearing bright colors and glittering outfits presented quite a wonderful sight, but this little girl was my favorite, trying to keep up with the grownups.

When I uploaded the image to Blogger the purple shadows became very bright. I don't know how to overcome that. They are not that bright in the painting.

Here are some of the adults in their costumes. I was so lucky to be town that day!