A Full Moon Tonight!

Garden Square: Moonrise I, 2015, mixed media. Private Collection.

Yesterday evening I was outside, watching a nearly full moon rise above the Sandia Mountains here in Albuquerque. The full moon is always a thrilling sight to me, and often inspires my artwork. 

A few months ago, I revisited one of my Boogie Board digital drawings from my "Garden Varieties Series" and reconfigured it to a square format, printed it on mulberry paper, handcolored it with inks and Prismacolor pencils, and finished it up by mounting it on a hardboard panel. Some friends loved the piece, and it's now in their collection. 

I'm posting the artwork today in honor of the "Full Moon in Scorpio" which my professional astrologer friend, Eleanor Kibrick, describes on her blog Eleanor Kibrick, Astrologer.

I always find Eleanor's explanations regarding the energies of the cosmos to be worthwhile, encouraging, and helpful. Perhaps you will, too. 

Thank you for taking a moment to read this blog, and please feel free to leave comment if you wish. I appreciate your feedback! 

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

Thinking of Spring...

Garden Square: Spring, 2015. Original mixed media on gessoed panel, 6"x6"
SOLD

I know, Faithful Readers, that I haven't posted as often as I promised or intended. However, I have been working in the studio, and I'm ready to share some new artworks with you!

Today's post features a small mixed media painting, done on a 6"x6" square gessoed panel, based on one of my "Garden Varieties" series of Boogie Board drawings.

I guess seeing all that snow and ice on the TV weather reports that folks are contending with in some regions of the US makes me (and probably many others) long for spring, summer, and warmer days.

Thanks for taking a look. Enjoy life wherever you are!
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Text and image ©2015 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

The Day for Love....

Hearts and Flowers Valentine, 2014.  Original Boogie Board Digital Print.

Happy Valentine's Day!

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Image ©2014 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Too tempting....for me!

TOP Photo: Boogie Board Jot 4.5 in the package
BOTTOM Photo: MY new Boogie Board Jot 4.5

I started my Christmas shopping last Monday—BEFORE the craziness of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday shopping (which I hope you all survived).

With my $5-off Bed Bath and Beyond coupon in hand, I drove down to my local store to purchase a Boogie Board Jot 4.5 tablet for the 7-year old in our family.

This is a new item from Improv Electronics, and it is soooo cute! It comes in accent colors—red, blue, pink, gray, black—with a snap-on stylus and snap-on protective cover.

The retail is $19.99, but with my coupon it was only $15 plus tax. I bought a red one.

I guess I should have wrapped it up and put the child's name on it when I got home, but I couldn't resist. I opened up the package and started drawing on it. It is just as much fun as my full size Boogie Board Jot 8.5, but smaller, "pocket sized" that will fit in my purse, my plein air paintbox, and will go with me everywhere, I can see.

The contoured shape fits my hand perfectly, and it has the push-button eraser—good for 50,000 "do-overs", quick notes, and reminders. That's a lot of sketch paper, note paper, and Post-Its.

So last Wednesday—BEFORE the craziness of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday shopping—I was back at Bed Bath and Beyond to purchase another red Boogie Board Jot 4.5 for the 7-year old in our family. It's all wrapped up with his name on it, ready to go under the tree. I hope he likes the new Jot 4.5 as much as I do.

Boogie Board Talk

"Ti Plant Graphic" 2013, Boogie Board RIP drawing

Last Monday (September 16), I gave an informal talk/demo to the Rainbow Artists, a local women's art collective which supports visual artists, as well as writers and those engaged in other art-related fields.

My talk was about the artwork I create on the Boogie Board eWriter. So I took my three Boogie Board tablets—the original 8.5 LCD one I purchased over a year ago, the Boogie Board Jot, and the Boogie Board RIP—and samples of the work I created on each one for my "show and tell" narrative.

I passed the Boogie Board tablets around so everyone could try one out, and explained how I start my "digital printmaking process" with a drawing on the Boogie Board.

Since I hadn't used the Boogie Board RIP very much and didn't have much time to create an elaborate piece of artwork on it, I did a quick graphic rendering of a Ti Plant (from the image I developed back in September 2012) and added some color in Adobe Photoshop. I think this graphic might look nice on a t-shirt, What do you think?

If you would like more information about the Rainbow Artists, visit: http://www.rainbowartists.com/.

If you would like more information about Boogie Board eWriters, visit: http://improvelectronics.com/

Thanks for taking a moment to visit my blog. Have a great weekend.

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Text and images ©2013 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Hearts & Flowers, Folk Style

Hearts & Flowers: Folk Style, 2013. Hand colored, mixed media on rice paper.

The fun part of hand coloring my Boogie Board prints is altering the hues and patterns to see how it all turns out. The variety of possibilities is amazing. The saturated colors of this version reminded me of the bright and cheerful designs of American Folk Art styles, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting my blog and have a great day.

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Text and photo ©2013 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Hearts & Flowers Folk Style is printed on rice paper and hand colored with Prismacolor pencil and metallic ink. The image measures approximately 7" x 5"  and comes mounted in an 10" x 8" black mat, ready to frame. The price is $85 with FREE SHIPPING, available for purchase on ETSY at www.ArtByCarolAdamec.ETSY.com. (On ETSY you can pay withPayPal or a credit card, and it's safe.)

Spring ... and Mother's Day

Garden Varieties #6 w/ Gold Drops, 2013. Mixed media on rice paper.

Now that we've made it through Tax Day, we can turn out thoughts to Spring, gardening, flowers, and the next major celebration: Mother's Day, coming up on Sunday, May 12, just about 3 weeks away.

I've been looking through the hand colored version of my Boogie Board drawings and found one to give to my mother for her special day in May.

However, there are several others, like the image posted today, that are quite nice, too. So, for the next few weeks, I thought I would share these with you, Dear Readers, in case you are looking to give to your Mom (or someone else special) something a little different this year. (Today's image is Garden Varieties #6, w/ Gold Drops.)

Printed on archival rice paper, each Boogie Board drawing is embellished with color pencil, color inks, and/or metallic media, creating a truly, one-of-a-kind mixed media artwork. Each one is matted and ready to go into a standard size 8" x 10" frame. The price for each hand colored version varies.

To purchase, go to www.ArtByCarolAdamec.ETSY.com.

Thanks for visiting my blog and enjoy a wonderful day.
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Text and photo ©2013 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Plein Air Drawing

Bear Canyon, 2013. Boogie Board Drawing en plein air

I went out to plein air paint last Saturday—a beautiful clear sunny day in the 50's. No excuse not to go! I had all my gear ready, so out the door I went for a pleasant drive to the Sandia foothills on the east side of town.

I must admit that I suffer from the typical novice plein air painter's dilemma: I see too many details (which excite me) and try to cram all of the view into a little tiny panel, which is impossible to do in a 2-hour window of changing morning light.

Most plein air instructors encourage students to do a few quick preliminary thumbnail sketches to get down basic shapes, values, and composition. Since I am a slow painter and want to get going ASAP, I never want to take the time to do this. Well, it is a new year and I am trying to change my ways...

So I took along my Boogie Board thinking that, since it works fast, is limited to dark and light, and is about the same size as a painting panel, I would enjoy doing a preliminary sketch. And I did.

In fact, I got so absorbed in drawing the view in Bear Canyon on the Boogie Board that I never did get my paints out! (sigh) So today's post is my plein air drawing.

Thanks for taking a moment to visit my blog. Enjoy your day.
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Text and image ©2013 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Color of the Year

Winter Lilies, 2013. Boogie Board Drawing.

If you haven't heard, the "Color of the Year" for 2013 is Emerald Green.

Officially, the exact color is Pantone Emerald 17-5641, as decreed by Pantone, "...the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries..."(All quotes are from the company's press release of December 6, 2012, available at www.pantone.com)

It is a beautiful color, indeed, and as stated by the Pantone Color Institute spokesperson, "Green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum...As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.” And "art", I would add.

My image for today's post is a bouquet of lilies—another floral still life done on the Boogie Board—presented in the 2013 Color of the Year.

Thanks for taking a look. Enjoy your day.

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Text and image ©2013 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

January Bouquet

January Bouquet, 2013. Boogie Board JOT drawing.

It's so nice to have a bouquet of cut flowers in the house during winter...and fun to draw on the Boogie Board, too.

Thanks for taking a look at today's post. Enjoy your day!
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Text and image ©2013 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Happy New Year!

New Year Rose, 2013. Boogie Board Drawing.

Happy New Year!

For this first day of 2013 I am posting a rose drawing done on my new "Jot" eWriter, a Boogie Board device that I'll write about in a future post.

Thanks for taking a moment to read today's post. I very much appreciate all my readers and thank you for following my blog, viewing my work, sending me your comments, and purchasing my artwork. Thank you so much for being a part of my art adventure!

Garden Varieties #7: Gold Series

Garden Varieties #7: Gold, 2012. 

The opening at the Weyrich Gallery last Friday was quite nice. Since it was an Albuquerque citywide ArtsCrawl, all the galleries were open; and being a lovely evening, lots of folks were out looking at art.

I was pleased to sell 5 of my Boogie Board handcolored works on paper during the opening. (Many thanks to my buyers!)

Today's image is one of the pieces in the exhibit. It is from the Garden Varieties Series and has been embellished with metallic gold and color pencil. It's available framed for $115, or unframed for $85 (plus S&H). If you are interest in purchasing, contact the Weyrich Gallery at 505.883.7410.

Have a great day, and thanks for taking a moment to visit my blog.

Boogie Board Drawings on Exhibit

Golden Garden Varieties w/ handcoloring, 2012

For the past two weeks I've been tweaking and handcoloring the Boogie Board drawings that have been featured on this blog over the past few months.

Today's image is Boogie Board drawing #4 from the Garden Varieties Series that I revised and then handcolored with Prismacolor pencil and gold metallic ink. All those extra embellishments give this version a bit of "wow!" factor. It is rather amazing to see how variations in color and material can alter the visual impact of each image.

I'm pleased to announce that the entire handcolored Garden Varieties Series, Ti Plant, and  Albuquerque Rooftop Series are included in a group exhibit at the Weyrich Gallery here in Albuquerque, The exhibit "Universal Expression, Change" opens this Friday (December 7), 5-8:30pm and includes fine art, jewelry, sculpture, photography, glass, and mixed media work by eleven artists.

If you are in the Albuquerque area, please come by Friday evening to say "hello" and see the show. I'll be there! and look forward to your response to the Boogie Board drawings.  The gallery is located in the NE Heights at 2935 Louisiana NE at Candelaria. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great day!
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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Autumn in Albuquerque #2

Autumn in Albuquerque #2, 2012  SOLD

This has been a most lovely autumn season in Albuquerque­­--warm, clear sunny days with brisk, get-under-the-covers, frosty nights.

Today's image is the final Albuquerque Rooftop Boogie Board drawing that I've handcolored. Titled Autumn in Albuquerque #2, it has stronger fall colors, captured in the clear light of the late afternoon.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great day!

Night Glow

Night Glow 1, 2012. Boogie Board Drawing w/ handcoloring

Here's another handcolored variation of the "original" Albuquerque Rooftops Boogie Board drawing I posted on October 30. This one is called Night Glow.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a good day.
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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Rose Glow

Rose Glow 1, 2012 Boogie Board drawing w/handcoloring SOLD

The response to last week's post was all positive for the hand colored version of the Boogie Board drawing, "Albuquerque Rooftops." (Many thanks to Readers who emailed me their comments.)

While I had the Prismacolor pencils out, I handcolored a few other variations. I will be happy to hear your response to these, too.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this post. Have a wonderful week!
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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Albuquerque Rooftops #1

Hello, Dear Readers,

The weeks have flown by, and I finally arrived in Albuquerque 12 days ago. I am fortunate to once again be renting living space from my dear friend Sondra. And, just 48 hours after arriving in town, I obtained a studio at the Harwood Art Center. How lucky can one person be?

While setting up my workspace Saturday afternoon, I took time to do a drawing on the Boogie Board. I was attracted to the view out my second floor studio window, which overlooks the rooftops in the neighborhood with the Sandia Mountains in the distance--a beautiful sight in the late afternoon light.

Once the drawing was finished, I uploaded it to the computer and developed three different variations. The version posted today is the "original", after a few tweaks in Photoshop. I'll share the other two versions with you later this week.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this post. Enjoy your day.
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Text & image 2012 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Going Tropical!

Tropical Garden #1: Ti Plant
Boogie Board Drawing and Adobe Photoshop

As I mentioned in last week's post, I'm staying with my sister and brother-in-law in the Orlando area for a few weeks. After my stroll around their yard last week, I looked to the lovely and colorful tropical plantings on the property for some creative inspiration.

One of the plants that caught my eye is the ti (pronounced "tea") plant, also known as cordyline. The rich green color of its leaves transitions into deep pinks and brilliant magentas towards the tips and edges, making this tropical shrub a real eye catcher in the garden.

The image posted today started out as a Boogie Board drawing, and looked similar to the "Garden Varieties" renderings I posted on this blog over the summer. However, the finished image just seemed so lackluster, so bland. Hmmm....well, of course! It's a tropical plant. It needs color!

Thanks to the digital graphics power of Adobe Photoshop, I was able to add color—and a whole lot of visual excitement—to transform the Boogie Board drawing into the image you see posted today. Available in my ETSY shop at www.ArtByCarolAdamec.ETSY.com.

Thanks for taking a moment to take a look. Enjoy a great week!
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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Edge of the Woods

Edge of the Woods
Boogie Board Drawing

 Hello, Dear Readers,

I apologize for the many weeks that have passed since my last blog post in August. My time and attention have been occupied with moving my mother into assisted living and preparing for my return to New Mexico next month.

For the next few weeks, while my mother acclimates to her new environment and living situation, I am staying at my sister's house here in Florida. With my painting supplies all packed up and in temporary storage, I have once again turned to my Boogie Board to do some drawing.

Today's post shows a view across the backyard from the breakfast table. My brother-in-law has done a fine job of edging the lawn with colorful tropical plantings, gigantic elephant ears, and a variety of palms. Further, beyond this well maintained area, is a natural greenbelt of dense vegetation that drops down to the river. The greenbelt is home to a variety of wildlife, too—deer, raccoon, owls, and a few alligators that can be heard bellowing on occasion.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this post. Enjoy a great week!
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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Back to the Garden

Garden Varieties #9
Boogie Board Drawing

I'm so addicted to drawing on the Boogie Board. It's a stress reliever and a relaxing way to unwind.

Just set the stylus tip on the tablet surface and let it flow. Since there's no eraser, there are no "mistakes." You never know what will happen.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this post. Enjoy a great weekend!
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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.