About The Artist

My photo
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Hello! I am a fine arts painter, with a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My primary painting medium is oil and alkyd, and mostly I work in a representational style. My greatest challenge as a painter is to capture the effect of light; and my greatest joy as a painter is to accomplish that. Many thanks to those readers who have been following this blog since Day 1 (May 19, 2008). To those who are visiting for the first time today...Welcome, and thanks for dropping by!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Single Tulip

Single Tulip, 2011
Original Painting: oil, alkyd on 5" x 3" linen panel
Private Collection
Painting from observation is challenging and rewarding, since a simple subject matter can be radically altered by repositioning, lighting, background, and viewpoint. One need only consider Monet's 30 paintings of Rouen Cathedral illuminated at different times of day in various seasons to become aware of such possibilities.

Last week I posted the first version of this tulip in a small glass ("Tuesday's Tulip"), painted from direct observation. A couple of days later I did a second painting of the same tulip, in a little different position and illuminated in a different light. If the poor flower hadn't finally wilted, I might have done a third version. (Cathedrals don't present this kind of problem!)

Thanks for taking a look. Have a good week.
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Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Tuesday's Tulip

Tuesday's Tulip, 2011
Original Painting: oil, alkyd on 5" x 3" linen panel
Private Collection

It seems there are a zillion different painting surfaces for an artist to work on, each with a variant of texture, weight, paint "grab" and other factors to consider. For small paintings and working en plein air, I usually choose gessoed panels or canvas panels. They are thin, strong, and lightweight in smaller sizes.

Recently I ordered some linen panels, which have a finer fabric weave and, hence, a smoother surface. I am really enjoying this new (to me) surface to paint on, especially for the small studies, like the tulip posted today, that I've been painting lately.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great day.
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Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Modern Skyscape

Evening Flight, 2011
Original Painting
Oil, alkyd on 4" x 6" panel
Private Collection, Florida

I was outside taking photos of the sunset last week. The pink clouds in the deep blue sky were lovely. A plane heading toward the airport crossed my field of vision just as I snapped the shot...a gift from the Sky God, I think.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great weekend.
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Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Wild Sky


Sunset Strip #3 (Tiger Stripes), 2011
Original Painting

Oil, alkyd on 6" x 1.75" panel

Private Collection


Here's another Sunset Strip painting, this time a vertical, inspired by a gorgeous Albuquerque display at sundown. These are really fun to paint!

Thanks for taking a look.
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Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

No Easy Lemon

Lemon Study, 2011
Original: oil, alkyd on 3" x 5" panel
SOLD

It's been a few weeks since I painted and posted the grisaille rendering of a lemon. A couple of you asked what grisaille (pronounced griz-eye) is. Basically, it is a painting done in black, white, and grays...like using black and white film to photograph something.

Once the grisaille painting is dry, color is usually added to the painting via thin glazes of diluted oil colors. This is a very traditional method for developing a painting, allowing the artist to establish the correct "values" or graytones before taking on color considerations.

Although I was happy with the graytone version, I wasn't happy with the color glazing results. So, I have been fooling around with this painting for the past week. My greatest challenge was to keep the lemon from looking like a yellow hand grenade. (It's odd what your mind will conjure up when working too intensely!)

Thanks for taking a look.
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Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.