Art Log

I can never stay away from the flowers too long--this one called me back to the easel to create it in lush oils.

At Art Walk in Penticton in November I will paint on the highlights  but it's very close to being a finished piece.  Here's a glimpse behind the scenes of my process.  The colour swatches I make ahead of time give me an accurate start to mix my paints; the little postcard is an image from J.E.H. MacDonald's The Tangled Garden, the feeling of which I hoped to capture in this painting and the source photo which I took 2 summers ago at Gayle Cornish's home up Mt. Kobe.Below are photos of the process at different stages.

Petal by petal, leaf by leaf after an accurate drawing I build the flower image.

As you can see the colours can appear different, this one more bluish, from photo to photo.

Penticton's Annual Fall Art Walk will take place on November 18th.  Here's a tip for you as parking can be tight:  park behind Penticton's Town Hall or in the movie parking lot.  Over 20 different venues will be open for viewing, chatting with artists and treats in many.

Are you having a busy summer?  It's busy at my studio, too with preparing for shows (ticketing, stickers, lists, floats, set-ups and hauling to markets, but I must say it's a lot of fun and I do enjoy talking with the public.  

Here's the unveiling from my studio with subjects I've wanted to paint for years figuring prominently.

I cannot for a moment claim to be responsible for the care and keeping of any plants. Those days are over. But I do have the pleasure of witnessing the blooming of my neighbour's beautiful cacti blossoms which, with their translucent petals and vibrant hues thrill me with the each successive unfurling of their flowers. Are you surprised that we have can grow outdoor cactus in Western Canada? We are located 20 minutes north of Canada's only desert and it's hot in summer. 46C or 117F a couple of weeks ago.

From the top: Sharing the Stage, left Hot Pink Cactus Bloom, bottom Rose Among Thorns. Acrylic on cradle board prepared to the highest standard, each priced at $175

'Rose Among Thorns' Oooh, those prickly, stabbing thorns do a good job of protecting their delicate cactus blooms. This one seems to undulate, capturing all the colours about it.

Acrylic 8 X 10 X 1.5" on cradle board prepared to the highest standards. With its deep, painted sides there is no need to frame unless you desire.

'Hot Pink Cactus Bloom' Some years ago Peter and I spent two months in San Miguel de Allende where we both attended art classes with Juan Zaragoza, a master painter and teacher. While I did not paint cactus with him, I admire his huge mural sized cactus flowers and the small ones. 

'Sharing the Stage' This dramatic cactus bloom shares its stage with many buds ( each red mark to be a bloom someday as well as the cluster to the right). My neighbour takes the credit--I do not even have a potted plant--so that each year in late spring these cacti bloom in succession, thrilling me with their radiant colours. 8 X 10 X 1.5" acrylic on deep cradle board prepared to the highest standards.

I can just guess what you're saying to yourself. Why are you painting ice cream? It's summer. I love ice cream for its cold, firm, luscious mouth feel and what's not to love about chocolate . . . or truffles? And it's always fun. Furthermore there's a long tradition of painting food in the arts.  Painting this much detail is  an exacting, time consuming pursuit.

Acrylic on 12 X 16 X 3/4" canvas prepared to the highest standards. Framed in a light, natural wood. If you have a favourite flavour you'd like me to paint for you, contact me through 'Contact' on this page.

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Two of my paintings sold last week at Picture This! Penticton: A La Cozy Motel and Evening's Veil Descends, the purply sunset image.  I am most grateful to Peggy, the gallery owner and the buyers.  

I didn't have a chance to tell you about my painting of the A la Cozy Motel in Coulee, Washington.  When we were kids our holidays consisted of road trips.  My father loved visiting dams and, because of that, visits to dams were always part of the adventures.  Let's talk turbines someday . . .  Returning from a road trip up the historic highway through California we passed by the A la Cozy Motel and I stopped to take a photo of this charming neon sign.

The sold paintings have been replaced with complementary paintings which will soon be posted.

This summer I will be showing and selling in a couple of markets, the first at Grizzli Winery in West Kelowna on July 1st from 11 to 3 where I have an indoor spot.  Grizzli Winery is a stunning place, and along with the artists' work on display inside and out, really worth a visit.

On July 15th I will be in Penticton at the FCA SOS Art in the Park event at Gyro Park along with other artists.  The event starts early at 8 and carries on until 3, to coincide with the street market.  Here's a hint:  park in the movie theatre parking lot and walk up.  Please come and say hello--I'll be in a tent!

Have a joyous summer.

I heard it said once that a story is made by both reader and author with each creating a bridge to the other through the text.  Each of these skyscapes has its own story but you may apply your own to the image you see.  

'Blushing', the first of the three was inspired by awakening early to these luminous peach and purple clouds ascending over the lake just after dawn.  Mornings alone always reveal treasures otherwise hidden. 'Blushing' is painted in rich oils, on 20 X 20 X 3/4" canvas prepared to the highest standards and framed in a fresh painted white wood frame. $900 including the spanking white contemporary frame.

'Featherbed', a painting of soft, cumulus clouds is painted in oils on 12 X 12 X 3/4" canvas prepared to the highest standard and framed with a rich black frame. $350 including the frame.

'Evening's Curtain Falls' displays a sunset scene.  Oil on 10 X 20 X 3/4" canvas prepared to the highest standard. $400.

Shipping extra with each item.  Shipping costs are reduced with multiple purchases.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Hello,

I'm letting you know early that March 25th is the big day for the Art Walk in Penticton when artists will be in the galleries which represent them.  In the meantime, write the day down in your calendar.  PS  Prepare to park a few blocks away.  Maps are available at most galleries.

I will be at Picture This! from 11:45 to 1 p.m. that day and I hope to see you there!

Carollyne

I am so delighted to show my work in Xanadu Gallery's art catalog in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Jason Horej's Xanadu Gallery has two locations but the catalog reaches a worldwide audience.

I have been held fast in the grip of sunsets since I was a child.  For me, every stage of a sunset is compelling, from the bright, vast skies of fuchsia, orange, pinks, scarlets and yellows until its disappearance.  Here is 'Days End' for you, just as the sunset is in its final stages, before it drops down quickly from view.  

Oil on canvas. 12" high by 9" wide with a beautiful light wood frame.

Shipping extra.

For more information, use the 'Contact' button above.

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It's been a while since you heard from me but I assure you that I've been painting.

I've long wanted to paint clouds with success, capturing their billowing formations, the dispersal of streams of vapour and the gradation of blues in the sky. Until I shifted to oil paint, my works couldn't have come close to reality. For many years, though all seasons I'd sit outside and look at the skies, on my back deck in Vancouver overlooking Burrard Inlet I'd watch clouds forming and separating leaving long trails of mist in the sky. Like everyone in childhood I'd stretch out in the grass and observe clouds and proclaim that one looked like a cow or a sailing ship. Now that I've moved again, the skies and the sunsets are the hands-down entertainment winners.

Here's one for you that I hope you like, oil on canvas, 16" high by 20" wide.  If you have any questions please hit 'Contact'.  I would love to hear your reactions.

My neighbour called me over to say that Abby, their Golden Retriever, had been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and she might not have long. I went over and photographed her but she was very bouncy and full of excitement as she often was, thrilled to see a new person, to greet them with boundless enthusiasm. I always called her the Greeter Dog. The next day I had planned to go back to see if I could get a close-up of her eyes but my neighbour told me she had passed.  

One always thinks there will be one more day but it was not to be. I am always reminded by loss that we must be kind to one another, forgive quickly, apologize more rapidly and love one another. Saturday is the unveiling and I hope my neighbours, Gina and Blair, like the results.

I'm having a lot of fun with peony buds right now, a very compelling activity on what is a cold winter-like day.  This layer of paint forms the basis of the image but more layers will be added to create depth.

Snow blowing in the wind, a driveway that's been shovelled 4 times in the last few days.  This beauty will form its painted blossoms and rich, dark leaves over the next 10 days or so, ready for sale.

Wishing you all a cozy time at home right now.  Please contact me for information about this 16" X 12" peony painting.