Another piece from the past

Dragonheart, 2002
Original mixed media
15" x 15"
SOLD

Although I worked in the studio this weekend, everything is too wet to put on the scanner. So, once again I'm posting an artwork I did a several years ago.

In November 2000, I went to China for a 10 day tour. It was quite wonderful and mindboggling, too. For the next couple of years, I did several paintings, prints, and mixed media artworks that incorporated imagery and references to Chinese culture.

This piece is composed with a lot of red, black yellow, and gold coloring, sort of a Chinese palette. The text on the left comes from a booklet of ancient Chinese writings. The dragon in the upper right hand corner is a hand done cut-out made from tissue paper...incredible! I bought a packet of these at the Shanghai Museum for about a dollar. The heart and the rose (another image theme that I favored at the time) and the rest of the piece were painted by me.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this post. And Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! See you Thursday.

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Text and image @2009 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Making the Deadline

Old Acoma
by Carol Adamec

Original, mixed media on gessoed wood panel
12" x12"
Donation to Harwood Art Center

Most of last week was spent creating the painting "Old Acoma" that is featured on today's post, to meet Friday's deadline. This piece is being donated to the Harwood Art Center for its 12x12 fundraiser on December 5, 6-9pm.

I had intended to submit a landscape, but I wasn't feeling "inspired" to paint one. So I turned (again) to the pottery of Acoma. My friend has several pieces of this pueblo's pottery, and I once again drew upon these wonderful designs as my inspiration.

For those of you in or near Albuquerque, you are invited to the Harwood event , which is free and open to the public. The evening will feature food and two galleries of 12x12s painted by area artists, with each artwork available for purchase for $144, going to the first buyer who pays/writes a check. Be there early to see them all and pick the one you really want! From what I've seen, there are some real beauties.

Many thanks for taking a moment to read today's post. See you Friday. ———————————————————————————————————————————
Image & text © 2008 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Finding Inspiration on the Shelf

Carol Adamec
Acoma I
Original, mixed media
on gessoed panel
14" x 6" approx.
SOLD



Below:
Acoma pottery








Last Saturday I had hoped to paint outdoors. However, the day was a windy and rainy—great weather for desert dwellers, but not so great for plein air painters. Still determined to at least begin a painting, I looked around the house for subject matter.

On a shelf in the living room sits a wonderful piece of Acoma pottery. (Acoma, one of the pueblos to the west of Albuquerque, is also known as "Sky City, since it sits on a mesa. It has a very interesting history and is still occupied today. A must see when you visit New Mexico.)

For some time, I've admired the design made of crisp line work and dense blacks on a white ground. Rather than do a "portrait" of the pottery, I decided to "deconstruct" the design—that is, use the various elements to create an abstract composition.

First I laid out the composition and design on a gessoed panel in pencil using a ruler and compass. Since the Acoma artist painted the pottery piece freehand, I challenged myself to do the inking by hand...and it was a challenge! Although my design is more precise, the original Acoma pottery painting is done with ease and flow...a characteristic that I would like to develop in my own work.

So Saturday was a good art day, finding inspiration—and a challenge—on the shelf.

Many thanks for taking a moment to read today's post. See you Friday. ———————————————————————————————————————————
Image & text ©Carol Adamec 2008. All rights reserved.

Paint It Black

Black Purse, Red Lipstick
Original, oil on canvas panel
8"x10" unframed

Contact Artist to purchase.

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It's been about a week since I posted the grisaille rendering of this "still life." You would think that a black purse would be easy to paint...just use black paint mixed with white. But then the purse has no color—it's just all shades of gray, like the grisaille rendering.

To create "black," I mixed various combinations of dark pigments—phthalo blue, phthalo green, alizarin crimson, burnt umber, and burnt sienna—and then mixed in some white to paint the highlights and lighter tones.

I painted on it last week and yesterday, and I do believe it is finished.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me, and I will email you a better photo. The painting will be dry enough to put on the scanner in a day or two.

Thanks for looking. Have a good day today, and a wonderful Thursday. See you Friday! ___________________________________________________
Text, images, and artwork ©Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.