"TOO MUCH ART" Sale: Day 2

Thanks so much to all of you who are following my TOO MUCH ART sale. I appreciate you taking a look at my artwork and hope you are enjoying see the different paintings I’ve done over the years. As I go through the process of wrapping and packing, I am rediscovering some work that I had forgotten about. So it’s fun to do this “show and tell" with you all. And I really appreciate the very nice comments you have sent me. Thank you!

Today I have two small paintings to share: a sweet backyard landscape I did in Florida, and a fun colorful "pour painting". Enjoy!

SOLD  “Backyard Blooms”, oil on cradled panel, 8” x 6”, unframed.  Price $25.

While living in Florida, I took up plein air painting—which is setting up your easel in the great outdoors and creating a painting from the scenery that surrounds you. (This is one of the things the French Impressionists became famous for doing.)

The challenge of plein air painting is capturing the color, light, and shadow of the scene before you within a 2—3 hour window. After that, the shift in light, shadow, and color that you began with is gone. So often plein air paintings have a tendency to be done on a smaller sized panel—You either get the painting done or forget it.

“Backyard Blooms” is a painting I did in 2010 during a plein air “Art in the Gardens” tour in Leesburg, FL. It was a lovely event hosted by generous homeowners who made their gardens available to a select group of artists. I was pleased to be one of them.

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“Bird & Leaf”, acrylic on stretched canvas, 6” x 6”, unframed.  Price $20.

A few years ago, a new painting technique became all the rage. Called “poured painting”, the most basic technique involved layering acrylic paint colors in a cup that was then poured over a stretched canvas.

I did a few of these to try it out. It was fun, easy, messy, and the outcome was an unpredictable swirl of colors—which was the best surprise. However, other than the color variations, all the paintings looked pretty much the same. (Several pouring variations have evolved since then with far more distinctive results.)

Wanting to create a more interesting image, I glued the black cut out elements over the poured painting surface, added some metallic gold edges, and Voila! Bird and Leaf came into being. Can you see it?

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Images and text ©2021 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

"TOO MUCH ART" Sale: Day 1

Here are the first two paintings offered to those who signed up for my "TOO MUCH ART" sale.

 
SOLD "Moon and Morada"   Original painting, oil on art board, 16.5 x 17.5” framed.  Price: $100

      

Moon and Morada was completed in 1995. I had just moved to New Mexico the year before and began the challenge of painting Southwest landscape imagery while becoming acquainted with the culture of my new home state. 

Traveling down random roads on weekend drives, I came across small, rustic adobe churches in outlying villages scattered across the State. These little churches had been hand built by the Penitentes, a lay Catholic brotherhood of local religious believers, and had survived hundreds of years in the dry New Mexico climate.

I found these structures to be fascinating, even mysterious, especially depicted nestled in a surrounding mountain scape, bathed in moonlight.

       Silk Seeds, original painting, oil on cradled panel, 

                7” x 5”, unframed.  Price $20.

                                            

I did this painting while living in Florida for a few years.

Unlike the Southwest landscape, Florida has a plethora of green vegetation—a good place for an artist to develop one’s skill in mixing a variety of green hues. These seed pods are from the mimosa tree also called the silk tree, which is native to the Middle East and Asia.

I love the mimosa’s fern-like leaves and the bright pink flowers; and the seed pods I painted here in oil on a cradled panel.

Florida Waterlilies

Waterlilies, 2013, Original Boogie Board Drawing.
Available for purchase at www.ArtByCarolAdamec.ETSY.com.

It's been awhile since I posted on my blog, due to the fact that my elderly mother took a bad fall in early March and was hospitalized twice within a 12-day period. So I drove to Florida to give my sister some help in caring for our mother for the past month. (Mom's doing fine now. )

I didn't have the spare time to do any art while away. But being in Florida put me in the mood to finish up this Boogie Board drawing which I drew probably a year ago at Lake Lily in Orlando. When I got home to Albuquerque last week and back into the studio, I was primed to finish it.

That happens occasionally: I get all fired up about starting a piece, work on it to a point, and then just leave it. Sometimes it never gets finished and sometimes it does.

Thanks for taking a look. Enjoy your day.
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Text and photo ©2013 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.

Florida Wildlife Encounter

Shorebird (Ibis)  / Boogie Board Drawing with color pencil.

 Living in Florida is a sensate experience. There are exotic flowers of every color and fragrance, along with tropical palms and shrubbery in every hue of green. There are plenty of critters, too—from black bears, alligators, lizards, and chameleons to pelicans, hawks, sandhill cranes, and great blue herons. With the plethora of lakes, rivers, and waterways, wildlife encounters within the urban area are common.

Back in May, while painting with the local plein air group, I photographed a white ibis strutting along the shore, with waterlilies and reeds in the background. I rarely do animals, but there was something arresting about being so close to wildlife that day.

Over the past two weeks, I've been working from that photo of the ibis, starting with the drawing done on the Boogie Board. When it was finished, I photographed it and uploaded the image to my computer. With Photoshop I added the white and orange colors, and printed it out on rice paper. To give the image a bit more dimension and color variation, I added some hand coloring with color pencils. I guess you could call this piece of work a "digital mixed media drawing."

Available at www.ArtByCarolAdamec.ETSY.com 

Since my last post, I also acquired a Boogie Board RIP, another Kent Displays / iMPROV Electronics product that I mentioned back on July 10. It's a bit larger, has the save feature, and connects to the computer for direct upload. I've done a bit of scribbling on it, just to get acquainted with how it operates. I'll be posting more information about that e-Writer tablet in upcoming post.

Thank you for taking a moment to read this post. Have a great Monday!
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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

SunSet Strip #6

Sunset Strip #6 (with Palm), 2011
Original Painting: Oil, alkyd on 12" x 4" gessoed panel
SOLD

Last week we enjoyed an afternoon shower, which made for lovely, dramatic clouds at sunset here in Florida. I grabbed my new Nikon CoolPix digital camera (a Christmas gift from my daughter and son-in-law: Thanks again, M&M!) and ran out the door to make several photos of the changing light and cloud forms. So far, I've gotten four new Sunset Strip paintings from that one evening of picture-taking. Nice!

These Sunset Strip paintings have prompted me to look for materials that provide a long skinny format. Mostly I've been painting on odd lengths of wood on hand, that I trim, sand, and prepare with gesso.

However, at the art store the other day, I came across a 12" x 4" birch panel that is ideal, and bought all they had. To the backside of the birch panel, I glue 3/4 x 1/2 inch wood strips around the perimeter, so that the panel will sit flat against the wall and a wire can be attached. I paint the edges of the painting and the wood strips for a finished look. No framing is necessary, but is still possible if the buyer would like to frame the painting. On one of my next blog posts I'll share some photos of how this all works.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this blog. Have a great day. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sunset Strip #4: Pink Glow

Sunset Strip #4 (Pink Glow), 2011
Original Painting: Oil, alkyd on 11.5" x 2" gessoed wood 
Ready-to-hang; installed D-ring on back
$75 with Free shipping  •  Contact Artist to purchase

Another beautiful sunset—this time in Florida. My studio faces west, so I watch the skies as day fades into dusk. I am especially inspired if there are clouds scattered around, catching the changing color, like those in this Sunset Strip.

BTW, I've been asked how to hang or display some of the Sunset Strips or the small, 3"x5" still life paintings that I've been posting lately. Usually the paintings on canvas or linen panels are standard sizes (i.e., 3x5, 4x6, 5x7) and will fit into readymade frames that can be purchased for a few dollars at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, or even local frame shops. Another option would be to display the painting on a small easel, which could then be placed on a table, bookshelf, etc.

As for the odd sized Sunset Strips: I really did not intend for these paintings to be framed. So each painting has a hanger attached for wall display or is mounted on a thicker piece of wood that can stand on its own, allowing it to be displayed on a table, bookshelf, etc.

From now on, each painting description will include info about the hanging system for each artwork. Of course, if you have any questions, just send me an email.
Thanks for taking a look. Have a great day.

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Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Looking Westward

Sunset Strip #2 (Albuquerque)
Original oil, alkyd on wood panel
2.75" x 9" unframed
SOLD

It's been dry in Florida, with clear skies for weeks. Those wonderfully fantastic clouds that catch the evening light and make for dramatic sunsets...and dramatic sunset paintings, too...just haven't been around.

However, Florida is not the only place that can boast beautiful evening light effects. While living in Albuquerque, I enjoyed the view to the west from my second story studio window. There were many beautiful sunsets out over the mesa, like the one which became the painting posted today, Sunset Strip #2. I hope you enjoy it.
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Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Try, Try Again...

Florida Pines, 2011
Original: oil, alkyd on 5" x 3.5" panel
Framed size: 7" x 5"
Contact Artist to Purchase.

Wow! I received so many positive responses via email regarding the Sunset Strip #1 painting I posted last week. Many thanks to all of you who took a moment to give me your feedback and comments.

It seems that the long horizontal format is a hit, with several of you suggesting cool places where such a format could be installed. I, too, have been looking around my house, noticing all kinds of places a long strip--horizontal OR vertical--could go. There are a lot more niches for that format than a regular, rectangular painting, as I see it. And, yes, the Sunset Strip paintings will be for sale, once I figure out the postage costs and shipping logistics.

Today's painting may look familiar to my longtime readers, as it was posted 'way back on June 29, 2008. Since then, I framed the painting, and it has been hanging on my studio wall, nagging me to do "something" to give it a little zing, or "wow" factor. (Another lesson learned: Framing will not improve a boring painting.)

Since I'm on a sunset kick, I decided to give those Florida pines a more interesting and colorful background. I think a Florida sunset was a good solution, eh?

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

New Year Possibilities

Frostbitten, 2011

Original painting: oil, alkyd
on 3" x 5" panel, unframed
To purchase, contact Artist.

I always look forward to the New Year. I usually spend the first few days of the New Year making a fresh list of what I'd like to accomplish in my studio with the brand new, 52 weeks that lie ahead.

Rather than calling it a "New Year's Resolutions" list, which sounds like a lot of dreadful to-do tasks I'd rather avoid, I've named it my "New Year's Possibilities", which sounds much more enticing, exciting, creative, even adventuresome!

One of my possibilities for 2011 is to paint from direct observation than from photographs. Another possibility on my list is to work with a limited color palette, i.e, using just a few basic colors. So today's post is my first new painting of 2011, done from direct observation, using the following hues: Yellow-orange, red-violet, blue-green, burnt umber, and white.

Living in Florida, I have a small tangerine tree with bright orange fruits on it, growing in the front yard. Several days ago a cold snap "bruised" some of the fruit, leaving red-violet blotches on the skins. I picked these fruits off the tree and set them up in my studio as a little still life. I must say I am pleased with the results of trying out a couple of my new possibilities.

Thanks for taking a look. I hope your New Year is off to a great start, too.

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* Please note that at this time I ship to US addresses only.
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Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Back in Orlando

On the Street Where I Live, 2010
Original oil, alkyd on 3 panels
(Each panel is 8"x6")
$750 unframed
Contact Artist to purchase

I've returned from my Missouri exhibition and Thanksgiving in Memphis to absolutely beautiful 75 degree weather in Florida, where the flowers are in bloom and little oranges are ripening on the tree in the yard. Considering the cold weather and snow in other parts of the country, I certainly do understand why folks flock to this land of the palms!

Speaking of palms, I am posting the final version of the three palm studies I worked on (and reworked!) during the summer. The three separate paintings are now configured as a single artwork.

On the Street Where I Live, as shown above, is included in my current exhibit at artCentral in Carthage, Missouri, which ends tomorrow (Sunday, December 5). Many thanks to all my friends and family who attended the opening or have dropped by to see the exhibit. I appreciate your support!

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Text and image ©2010 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved

Backyard Boat

Backyard Boat, 2010
Original painting
Oil, alkyd on gessoed canvas panel
8" x 8" unframed
Contact Artist to purchase

Dear Readers,

I've been entertaining visitors the past few weeks, and have been away from my computer. So I apologize for missing my weekly posting schedule. I did, however, finish the painting you see posted today.

Having been in Florida for awhile, I notice that there are a lot more boats in people's backyards than out on the many lakes that make up so much of the landscape here. I was prompted to do this painting by the thought of how we all put off, postpone, or give low priority to the things that give us pleasure, provide fun in our lives, fulfill our interests, engage our passions, and make for happy memories.

I know I can be a workaholic, and figure that every one of those folks with a boat in their backyard is a workaholic, too. In a society that values wealth above all, we forget that time is the real treasure to spend. I set the time of day as late afternoon for this painting, to remind me that the day is short and can slip away before you realize it.

Thanks for taking a look; and I hope you get your boat out of the backyard this weekend.

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Text and image ©2010 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Return to Plein Air

Backyard Blooms, 2010

Original: oil, alkyd on panel
Unframed size: 8" x 6"
Contact Artist to Purchase

This past weekend, I was pleased to be one of nine artists selected to participate in the "5th Annual Art in the Gardens" plein air painting event in Leesburg, Florida. The event lasted from 10am until 2pm, during which time I painted the view you see posted above while enjoying several nice conversations with the garden tour goers and the generous homeowners who made their garden available for the event.

It was a lovely day and felt really good to get outdoors to paint! Painting all those greens over the summer really paid off, too, as I'm pretty happy with the way the sunlight on the lawn turned out.

Now that the weather is cooling down, I'm looking forward to regular forays into Florida's scenic spots to do more plein air painting.

Thanks for taking a look and I hope you're having a good week.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Text and image ©2010 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Plein Air...from the Studio

Graphite & color pencil

With the temperature and heat index over 100 degrees here in Florida, working outdoors is out of the question. However, I do have a very nice view of my neighbor's house from my studio. And my neighbors do have a nice tall palm tree in their front yard. So, why not just paint the view of out my window, sort of working en plein air from my nice cool studio? Works for me!

As I've mentioned in the past, when I am unhappy about how a painting is turning out, the problem is usually the drawing. I find that drawing is the best tool for really observing an object, getting the details, and gaining understanding of how a thing truly is. I find that I discover the beauty of an object just by drawing it.

So, I've begun my study of Florida trees with this drawing of my neighbor's palm. I'll be working up a small painting that I'll show you in my next post.

In the meantime, thanks for taking a look and stay cool this week.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there, too!
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Text and image ©2010 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Branching Out

In the Shadows
Original: oil, alkyd on gessoed panel
6" x 6" unframed
To purchase contact Artist

The Florida sunshine is so inviting for plein air painting, but the summer heat and humidity have kept me indoors for the past several weeks. In the meantime, I've been drawing, reading, and trying out some "experimental" stuff in the studio...most of which I will refrain from sharing with you, my dear readers. Let's just say, that some days I can't believe I actually learned anything in art school!

I did complete the little painting posted today. As mentioned in my last few posts, I have much to learn about painting the multitude of leafy greens in the Florida landscape.

Thanks for taking a look and keep cool this week.

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Text and image ©2010 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Painting the Greens

Wekiva Footbridge
Original oil, alkyd on panel
5" x 7"
Contact Artist to purchase.

My plein air painting session on Saturday morning at Wekiva Island was quite enjoyable, with a cool breeze coming off the river, a shady spot to set up my easel, and no alligators around!

The real challenge of the day was painting all those greens in the Florida landscape. I was grateful for the white footbridge, which I used as the subject matter for this little painting.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great week.
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Text & image ©2010 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Plein Air...Florida style

When I have the chance, I usually like to preview the site where the plein air group is meeting—partly, so I know where I'm going, and partly so I can pick out a good view and comfortable site to set up.

This weekend, I'll be painting en plein air at Wekiva Island, a commercial recreational area located on the Wekiva River, The location offers a boat launch, along with canoe and kayak rentals, a sandy volleyball area, lots of shaded spots to enjoy a beer, glass of wine, and socializing, and many lovely, relaxing views of the river.

So, this morning I took off for a leisurely drive to check out Wekiva Island in advance of the painting session. After about a 30 minute drive from the house, I arrived at the site, which is unpretentious, laid back, even quaint. Since it's gotten much warmer this week in Florida, I was looking for a shady spot. And because everything is so full and green, I wanted a river view as a contrast to the all the vegetation. I spied a nice spot across a field, and headed over in my car.

I wasn't the only one who thought this was a good place. When I pulled my car up to the river's edge, there was an alligator sunbathing on the grassy shore. And he wasn't giving up his spot just because I showed up!

Maybe he'll have something else to do this weekend, and I'll get to use that spot for painting.

Hope you have a good, alligator-free weekend, too.
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Text & image ©2010 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Almost There

Sitting on the Fence
Original Painting
Oil & Alkyd on Panel
6" x 8" unframed
SOLD

Thanks to a quick and helpful critique from my artist friend Sondra Diepen, this little painting is finally coming along.

The shadow on the fence has been restored, but not nearly as dark as the original version, providing more drama and contrast to the entire piece. Then, too, I deepened and refined the greens of the leaves. You can check back to my posts on December 4 and 11 for the first and second versions.

Sometimes it just takes me awhile to pull it together. Just a few more minor corrections, that is one will be "there."

Thanks for following along. Have a fun weekend getting ready for the holidays. See you Monday.
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Text and image ©Carol Adamec 2008. All rights reserved.

Stuck in the Middle

Sitting on the Fence (in progress)
Original: oil & alkyd on panel
6 x 8"

A result of moving my studio last weekend was the discovery of several paintings that I started—maybe even worked on for quite awhile—and didn't finish. Some of these paintings have been in boxes for several years; others, just since my time in Florida. I've been sorting through these paintings, determining which ones still hold some interest and (hopefully) promise if completed.

The image posted today is a small plein air piece that I began last winter while living in Florida....and then just put aside. In its present state it gives you some idea how paintings look in the "middle stage" when the shapes and light are defined but the painting is far from finished.

For me this is the stage that is most "dangerous" depending on whether or not I have enough interest to complete the painting, or decide to just give it up and paint over the entire surface to begin anew.

So, we'll see how it goes. I'll post the final results—either a finished painting that I'm happy with or a scrubbed over panel. Stay tuned!

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