The First Day of Autumn

Dried Leaf #1, 2014. Original mixed media on panel, 6"x4".
Available for purchase on Daily Paintworks

I love autumn—cool days, clear skies, chilly nights, large swaths of yellow and gold with dashes of vermillion and crimson in the Southwest landscape.

To celebrate today as the Official First Day of Autumn, I am posting Dried Leaf #1, the first in my new series of small paintings called "Dried Leaves."

The image measures 6"x4", painted on carton board, a thin cardstock used by the French Impressionists such as Toulouse-Lautrec and Eduard Vuillard. However, this modern material is infused with resin-sizing, providing an archival surface for painting.

I like that the carton board is very absorbent and comes in a brown color so I don't have to pre-tint the surface. To create the image I used oil and acrylic paints and color pencil. To get all the nuances of the brittle edge of the leaf, I used a toothpick! As has been said, "Necessity is the mother of invention." The painting is mounted flush on a stiff 3/16" panel for support.

You'll be seeing more of this series as the individual pieces are finished. I hope you enjoy the paintings and the coming season of autumn, too.

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Text and image ©2014 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.