Showing posts with label carmen beecher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carmen beecher. Show all posts

Monday, February 22, 2016

White Hydrangeas, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Panel, Floral Painting



I had painted this in a different color scheme, and it never appealed to me. Every time I looked at it, something went ick in my head. This was the previous version:


I didn't like the rusty color. I'm just not a rusty person. Creaky, maybe, but not rusty. I decided to give the painting a makeover. I barely touched the flowers themselves, but look how different they appear by changing the colors around them. 

Carmen

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Oil Painting, "Down the Garden Path," 6x6, Oil on Canvas, Small Daily Painting



I wanted an Impressionistic look, so I painted this small painting with a very large brush. I restrained myself from putting in a lot of details, which is not easy for me. I painted this once before, but with detail, and I wanted to do a loosey-goosey one for a change.

I love paths in paintings--I always wonder where they lead. Guess what's at the end of this shady path? More shady paths. 

Carmen

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Rock City Gardens, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel, Landscape Art



South of Sebastian, Florida is this beautiful garden and nursery, where they welcome artists and allow us to paint to our hearts' content. Every time we go, there are more gorgeous paths and plants, plus a little lake with an island. I picked this spot because of the winding path and the dappled light. There's a bit of a mystery to paintings of pathways...what is at the end?

Carmen


Sunday, September 27, 2015

Northwest Sundown, 6x6 Oil on Canvas, Farmland at Sunset



After a perfect day with my family in Washington state we were returning home and saw this lovely sunset. Here in Florida the sunrises and sunsets are magnificent, but the Northwest has some good ones too. 

And here's something we don't have in Florida--this is the view behind my sister's house of the magnificent Mt. Rainier.

Carmen

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

English Roses, 6x6 Original OIl Painting on Canvas Panel

$99, Click to Purchase
This has been very hard to post, because the colors don't look exact on my monitor. I have spent a lot of time trying to get it exact, but it still doesn't satisfy me, and it may look different on your computer. At any rate, this is close, but the sky in the actual painting is warmer than it looks here.

I am putting my list of things that are incredibly frustrating here, as I am losing track of my numbers. My no. 9 is:

Telemarketers, especially the crooked ones with scams. The Do Not Call List is apparently meaningless.

1. Inadequate mental health care since mental health institutions were closed in the 80s (e.g., mass murderers whose parents tried to get help and couldn't). This is, shall we say, crazy in a so-called civilized country and fits nicely with proliferation of guns to form the perfect storm.

2. Pencils with erasers that don't erase, and will even make a brown mark instead of erasing.

3. The rule about not ending sentences in a preposition, as in "not put up with." The English language is being mangled and new words from pop culture are added to the dictionary every year, so the preposition rule seems quite outdated. I do hate the question "Where is he at?" though. It almost deserves to be #4 on my list, it irritates me that much.

4. People driving slowly in the left lane.

5. Airplane passengers who bring carry-ons so heavy they can't lift them into the overhead bin. 

6: Deceitful practices in retail stores.

7. Packaging that cannot be opened no matter how you try; its clear plastic taunts you with a view of the completely unattainable product inside, mocking your frustrating attempts at entry.


8. Negative political ads, especially the ones with the low-pitched, sarcastic, gossipy-sounding voice that sounds like they are sharing a nasty little secret about the opponent.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Girl in a Kayak, 6x6 Oil on Board

$99, Click to Purchase
I was standing on a bridge when this lovely sight suddenly appeared, and I was fortunate to get a shot of her before she sped away. I'm so lucky to live where there is so much water. In an interview I once was asked where I would live if I could live anywhere in the world, and I couldn't think of a better place than here.

I am continuing my list of irritating, teeth-gritting things we put up with (see previous posts):

From my son:

4. People driving slowly in the left lane.

5. Airplane passengers who bring carry-ons so heavy they can't lift them into the overhead bin.


Thursday, April 24, 2014

Red Glass with Roses, 8x10 Oil Painting on Canvas


Carol Schiff recently posted on her blog about her two paintings that got the most page views. This made me curious, so I looked up which post got the most page views for my blog. To my astonishment, it was one called "Oh, My Aching Back, My Whiny Post" showing the below cartoon and talking about my back going out. I have been analyzing this and have come to the conclusion that there are more painful backs than there are art collectors. Perhaps I should call my blog "The Art of the Aching Back" to attract more visitors? 


Monday, April 14, 2014

Cowboy, 14x11 Oil on Canvas


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).

Friday, April 11, 2014

Zentennae, 8x10 Pen and Ink

$35, Click to Purchase
I haven't posted for days, because I am working on a complicated larger painting right now. It even has a horse in it. Last night I indulged in some meditative zentangle as a relief from the detail work in the oil painting on my easel. I just drew a line and let it grow from there until I had this quirky piece.


Sunday, April 6, 2014

Copper Pot with Apple, 10x8 Oil on Canvas

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Taking a break from my San Miguel series to post a still life. This one was started in the Qiang Huang workshop in Melbourne. I have been so pleased to get thank-you notes from some of the people attending the class. Learning from Qiang is a very enriching experience, and some people came from a long distance and were glad they did. It's so gratifying when all the effort to put on a workshop is appreciated.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Blue Pots, 8x6 Oil on Canvas

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I love the colors of Mexico. This is Number Five in my series of paintings of San Miguel de Allende, and it almost has a Florida Gators orange-and-blue look (but not quite). Spanish style houses are my favorites, especially if they have beautiful courtyards. In San Miguel there are no front yards or sweeping lawns, but the casas' openness and courtyards make it feel as if you are very comfortably living outdoors.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

San Miguel Sunset, 8x6 Oil on Canvas

SOLD

Our rooftop garden in San Miguel Allende was a delightful place to unwind at the end of the day, and the sunsets were beautiful. I loved the rosebud silhouetted against the sky. The rooftop garden held roses, bougainvilleas, margaritas, and good company.


Sunday, March 16, 2014

San Miguel Morning, 8x6 Oil on Canvas


This is the sight that greeted me on our first morning in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The little bird posed obligingly on top of the dome. Bougainvilleas bloom profusely there, and there were many flowers I didn't recognize.

One night we went to Mi Casa, and heard incredible music; it was so good that there was no conversation or clanking glasses. The violin practically wept with the sound of moving Argentine music. It was worth the trip to hear something so profoundly beautiful.


One night we had a fiesta at the villa, and eleven Mariachi players strolled in playing their wonderful music. They had everyone dancing and our cook demonstrated how salsa dancing is supposed to be done.
So Festive
Surrounded by Mariachis

Beautiful Music


Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Bouquet, 7x5 Oil on Canvas

$89, Click to Purchase

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? Even though I live in Florida, my yard is so bedraggled right now. A tree is dying of a mysterious disease, my huge frangipani tree has not a leaf on it, but a little cluster of pink blossoms sits at the end of one branch, embarrassed at arriving early to the party. Oh, how I want that TV guy who comes home with you and redoes your whole back yard! I'll be watching for him when I'm at Lowe's! Until then, I'll just paint cheerful flowers and be happy I live in Florida, where the winters are beautiful.
The Lonely Little Frangipani



Monday, March 3, 2014

Brett, 16x24 Charcoal Figure Drawing

NFS

Once a month I participate in the Stephen Perkins workshop at the Artists' Guild in Melbourne, Florida. I need to do life drawing at least weekly, but I just can't squeeze it into my schedule. I need to do better, because it is available both at the Guild and at Ralph's Art Supply in Eau Gallie. If you can draw people, you can draw anything. I should spend a year of my life drawing and painting people from life. Yep, that's what I should do. 

The wonderful artist Karin Jurick painted 200 mug shots, an impressive body of work. The colors, the brushwork, the expressions--every time I saw a face I wondered what the person's story was. Karin captured defiance, sadness, hopelessness and other raw emotions on her small canvases in a very dramatic way.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Red, White and Blue, 6x6 Original Oil Painting on Canvas


I like painting reflections. I had not planned a patriotic painting, but the colors do give it an all-American look.

I'm trying to keep up with my daily painting, get ready for the Qiang Huang workshop (I'm the organizer) and prepare for a trip to Virginia, then to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. A lot of pressure for a woman of a certain age. Or any age, for that matter. I will fill many pages of my sketch journal with the sights in San Miguel. Oh boy oh boy oh boy!


Thursday, January 16, 2014

White Hydrangeas, 6x8 Oil on Canvas


These flowers always remind me of my grandmother, who could grow anything. She was completely in sync with nature, unbothered by the snake in the garden. She was surrounded by flowers, birds and butterflies. She was like a heroine in a Disney movie, with beautiful things fluttering around her. I really miss being able to get her advice about how to grow a certain plant. I quoted her so often that when I lived in Bermuda, one of my neighbors asked me, "What does your grandmother say about planting this tree?" I replied, "Don't put a ten-dollar plant in a five-dollar hole."

My friend Qiang Huang had a quotable line on his blog the other day: "There is no shortcut in art. You just have to paint more." To all you Daily Painters: Rock On!


Thursday, November 28, 2013

Early Birds, 8x6 Oil on Canvas

$89

I love early morning at the beach; it's very active yet peaceful. Birds are fishing, people are fishing, there are joggers, walkers, even Tai Chi. It's the best time of day.

At risk of being repetitive, don't forget the big Pieces of 8 Sale on Dec 7 from 9-4. It's at 3532 Samuel Place, Melbourne. Click here for a map and details.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Shoreline, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

The Olympic Peninsula has everything to offer: seashores, mountains and rain forests. Take a jacket, though, because one minute you are in a cold mist and the next the sun is shining brightly and everything changes from gray to color. In the distance in my painting you can see Vancouver Island in Canada--until the mists roll in.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

I Like Big Birds and I Cannot Lie, 8x10 Pen and Ink


I enjoy these zentangle-inspired drawings, though they are pretty time-consuming. There is something meditative about all those patterns. This past couple of years I have undertaken new techniques and adventures; doing collage, zentangle, and now I am working on a Mystery Build project with Cindy Michaud which we will unveil later this year. Mystery Build is an online competition that is completely unique. Stay tuned.