Second Versions

Morning Tulips II, 2008
by Carol Adamec
Oil on Italian canvas panel
Framed Size: 7.5" x 9.5"
SOLD

Many apologies to my faithful readers! I am "off schedule" having missed my posting last Thursday, and now today, I am finally uploading this entry late on Monday.

I have been invited to send a group of small floral paintings to Memphis for inclusion in the L Ross Gallery holiday exhibit which opens in December. I have been reworking and varnishing the paintings, and making frames...my least favorite art-related activity, but a necessary one when putting work in shows. Since these paintings are small and I like the viewer to see the whole image, I "float" frame so that all four edges are exposed.

The image above is familiar to those of you who have been reading along since I began this blog in May. The first version of "Morning Tulips" appeared on May 21 and sold in the September show at the Harwood Art Center. This painting is "Morning Tulips II", a second version. If you compare the two paintings closely, they are different in subtle ways.

I usually don't paint second versions of my paintings, as I am more interested in painting a "new" image...or just keep painting on the first version to get it the way I want. But this second version was a pleasure to do.

Thanks for taking a moment to visit my blogsite.

To all my loved ones, friends, and readers:
May you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
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Text and image ©Carol Adamec 2008. All rights reserved.

In a Galaxy, Far Far Away....

As I mentioned last Monday, I was up in Santa Fe on Sunday afternoon. Enroute to the NM Museum of Art, I saw this mailbox. Those of you "young" enough to remember—or who had kids back in the 70's—will recognize this mailbox dressed up to look like R2D2, the little droid from the Star Wars movie that was so popular 30 years ago.

The web address on the mailbox is www.uspsjedimaster.com—which is a registered domain of the US Post Office....but there's no website. No problem, as plenty of other folks have created website with info and "sightings."

For those of you who are wondering if there's an R2D2 mailbox in your neighborhood or city, check out this site link below, which is a US map with pictures and locations of the Star Wars mailboxes across the United States.

http://showmescifi.com/2007/03/23/find-uspsjedimastercom-mailboxes-across-the-us/

So, until Thursday's post, "May the Force be with you."

The Learning Tree

Morning Courtyard

by Carol Adamec
8" x 8" Oil on canvasboard
In Progress

This painting has been "in progress" for several weeks now, going through several color and composition revisions. I even lopped off 2 inches of the original 8" x 10" panel to change the format. (I used the panel fragment to paint "Fingernail Moon" posted on October 27.)

For sure, I have learned a lot painting this Russia olive tree in my friend's patio area. I'm just not sure the lesson is over!

Thanks for taking a moment to visit my blogsite. Have a good weekend and I'll see you Monday.
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Text and image ©Carol Adamec 2008. All rights reserved.

Introducing....Ralph Davis

Rainbow Healing Mandala

by Ralph Davis
14" diameter• NFS
Photo by Carol Adamec

This past weekend I went with friends up to Ojo Caliente, NM, with a return trip through Santa Fe to visit the New Mexico Museum. I had taken photos of the beautiful views we enjoyed, a gigantic juniper tree we crawled over basalt rocks to see, and some fun pix of oddities in Santa Fe. Then, alas! I left my jump drive at home with all the pictures on it. (I do this blog at my studio.)

So, I am taking today to introduce you to the woven mandalas of my friend Ralph Davis, whose lineage is Navajo and Choctaw. Ralph is a member of the Rainbow Spirit Healing Navajo clan, and his mandalas incorporate a gradation of the rainbow's color: from red to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple.

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning "sacred circle" and an appropriate context for the many sacred and symbolic forms and colors Ralph uses in composing his work. For instance, the "face" in the center is composed of the sacred corn plant, lightning symbols, and raindrops shown as dots arching over the "brow" area. (To peoples of the desert, rain is always a blessing!) The red-orange-yellow ray forms can be interpreted as the sun's rays or flower petals. The outer edges of the mandala represent the flat top mesas of the Southwest (Navajo land occupies territory in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.) The golden cords hanging down are the dancing braids worn for ceremonies.

Ralph uses simple materials—wood, dowels, acrylic paints, and yarn—yet achieves stunning variety and beauty in each mandala he creates. To receive the full "blessing" of a mandala, Ralph advises that it be hung on an east wall; and it does seem to just look "right" when so installed.

Thanks for taking a moment to visit my blogsite. Have a blessed day and see you Thursday.
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Text and image ©Carol Adamec 2008. All rights reserved.

Last Call

California Calla I, 2008
Original oil, alkyd on gessoed panel
12" x 12"
Available to highest bidder at
www.spivaarts.org

Dear Readers,

Today's image looks familiar because you've already seen it—back on September 24, when I announced that I had donated this painting to Spiva Center of Arts, in Joplin, Missouri.

In case you are interested in bidding on the painting, this is a reminder that Spiva's 12x12 auction ends this Friday, November 7, at 4pm for online bidders. Go to http://www.spivaarts.org and follow the 2008 12x12 links. California Calla I is #67.

You may want to check out the other entries, too. There are some great originals at great prices, and you can join the fun via online bidding, knowing that all proceeds support the Art Center.

Thanks for taking a moment to look at my painting (again). Have a great weekend!

See you next Monday...and I'll have new work to show you.
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Text and image ©Carol Adamec 2008. All rights reserved.

Happy Trails & Painted Ponies

Running with the Ancestors
by Carol Adamec
A Trail of Painted Ponies Figurine
Signed 1st and 2nd Editions Available.
Contact Artist to purchase.

I am surely one of the luckiest people in the world! Among my many blessings, I am fortunate to be an "Official Trail of Painted Ponies Artist."

(For information about how the Trail of Painted Ponies began, you can go to the "Trail" website: http://www.trailofpaintedponies.com/au-tale-trail.htm. It's a fascinating success story that began with an idea that brought together art and business to benefit many good causes.)

My involvement with "The Trail" began back in 2001, when I went up to Santa Fe to see a public showing of The Trail of Painted Ponies. I was awed and inspired by the incredible display of ingenuity and talent rendered on full size horses made of resin. Within a few months I had submitted a pony design for consideration.

In 2002 I was contacted by Jardin de los Niños, a nonprofit daycare center for homeless children, located in Las Cruces, NM. They commissioned me to create the original Running with the Ancestors Masterwork for "A Herd of Help" fundraiser sponsored by their organization, Sunland Park Race Track, and The Trail of Painted Ponies, Inc.

In creating Running with the Ancestors, I turned to the imagery found in the caves of Lascaux, France, and Altamira, Spain, where grand drawings of horses on rock walls were both magical and beautiful. Still today the horse remains a powerful icon of freedom and spirit, present in the action pose of the Painted Pony form itself.

After several weeks of painting, my original pony was ready to go to Las Cruces. Running with the Ancestors was auctioned on March 29, 2003, at a gala fundraising event and sold for $2,700 to a private collector.

In June 2005 the Trail of Painted Ponies released my design as a 6" figurine. It was fun to have friends and family call me with "pony sightings" when they would see Running with the Ancestors figurines on display in gift shops, department stores, and other retail locations.

Through eBay and other venues, I am pleased to offer my own limited edition of signed and numbered Running with the Ancestors figurines.

I also offer art prints of The Ancestors, an original artwork I based my Painted Pony design on.

The Ancestors is available as a signed and numbered limited edition giclée on 12"x16" stretched canvas and as an open edition signed art print on paper.

If you have an art enthusiast or horse lover in your life, perhaps a Painted Pony would be a great gift for a special occasion or the upcoming holidays.

As an artist, it is an honor to be a Painted Pony artist and to have my design issued as a figurine. And I am very grateful for the enthusiastic response from so many collectors, friends, and fans who have purchased them. Thanks to All of You!

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Image and text © 2008 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.