Return to Painting

 Drama Queen, 2022. Oil on panel, 12 x 12in

The last time I posted on this blog—over a year ago—I was packing up to move, looking for a place to live, and searching for a new studio space. Considering it was the tail end of COVID and the height of the house-buying craze, I was fortunate to have it all work out. 

After a three-year delay, my one-person exhibit in Memphis, TN, at LRoss Gallery finally came together in the spring. It was beautifully installed by Laurie Brown, and I was very happy to have eleven pieces sell.

Today’s post features Drama Queen, one of the flower paintings that was in that exhibit, In a Japanese Garden. This painting is currently on exhibit at the WKNO Gallery Ten-Ninety-One in Memphis through October 30. It’s a pleasure to be a part of this group show by members of Artists’ Link and once again a part of this art community.

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Text and image ©2022 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

TOO MUCH ART Sale: Last Day!

 

SOLD "Blue" (Morning Glories), metal print reproduction, 7" x 5"

My internet is being disconnect this weekend until after I have moved, so today is the last day of my online TOO MUCH ART Sale.

Today’s offering is a reproduction of a small painting that sold a few years ago. I then digitized it and “painted” on it some more in Photoshop. The image is printed on a thin aluminum sheet which will fit into a standard 5”x7” frame. It is hand signed on the back.

I have 3 of these, ready to mail to flower lovers out there. The cost of each one is $20 plus $5 shipping. (One to customer, please.)

As a reminder, all the artwork offered during the TOO MUCH ART Sale is posted here on this blog. 

Have a good day!

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

TOO MUCH ART Sale: Day 9

For today: two more New Mexico landscapes for your perusal. (Can you tell I love painting New Mexico?) Enjoy your day.

SOLD “Evening View”, oil on gessoed art board, , 3 ”x 9” unframed.
Price $15 + $5 S&H

From Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, you get a wide, uninterrupted view of the Sandia Mountains, hence the long format of this plein air painting completed in July 2015.

SOLD  “In the Quiet Place #3”, oil on linen panel, 4”x6” unframed.
Price $15 + $5 S&H

This is a view of the Sandia Mountains from Coronado State Monument in Bernalillo (north of Albquerque), painted in plein air July 2013. just before a welcomed rainstorm blew in.

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

"TOO MUCH ART" Sale: Day 5

While packing this week, I came across a box of several plein air paintings I did back in 2013. So I thought I would send two New Mexico landscapes your way today. One was painted in Albuquerque; the other in Santa Fe. Small paintings like these are perfect for placement on a narrow wall or niche, or can be set on a display easel to sit a bookcase or side table. Enjoy!

SOLD “Landscape Sketch #3” (Sandia Mountains), oil on canvas panel, 4”x6” unframed.  Price $15.

For those of you who unfamiliar with Spanish, “Sandia” means “watermelon” like the deep pink color the granite rock of the Sandia Mountains turns as the sun begins to set. All set up to paint one late afternoon, I was waiting for the mountains to take on that rosy glow to capture in my painting. I was not disappointed.

SOLD“Afternoon Arroyo” (Santa Fe), oil on canvas panel, 4”x6” unframed.  Price $15.

I was up in Santa Fe painting with a plein air group. Can you tell from the painting that it was a hot afternoon in Santa Fe? Thank goodness for the cool of the shade.

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

"TOO MUCH ART" Sale: Day 4

Good morning! Thank you for letting me share these paintings and my thoughts with you. Have a good Saturday.

SOLD  “House of God”, oil on gessoed panel, 12” x 13” (approx), framed. Price $100.

I painted this when I was searching for meaning in my life, for something greater than my human self, something most people call “God”, “Spirit”, “Higher Power”, or some other moniker. The name doesn’t really matter. Finding it is.

SOLD  “July Flag”, oil on Italian canvas panel, 10” x 8”, framed. Price $100

 

While living in Florida, I painted with a nice group of local plein air painters that met weekly in various locations around Orlando. We were out working just before July 4, in an Orlando neighborhood that reminded me of the Chicago suburb where I grew up.

Perhaps what is captured most in this painting I did that day is the quality of “Americana”, the one that all people in our country dream of achieving, desire living, and deserve the opportunity to have. Let’s hope it is still possible.

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

Thank goodness for Spring…

Carol L. Adamec: "Nature's Spring Kimono", 2021. Acrylic gouache, gold metallics, 12"x12" / 13"x13" framed.

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted on this blog…

We lost our little Mother last November, just before the holidays. She was 97 and weighed less than 90 pounds. It wasn’t from COVID, thank goodness; and she passed peacefully, without pain. 

Since then I have been dealing with her estate—quite a learning curve for me over the past six months, dealing with lawyers, accountants, IRS, banks, stock companies. Everything has taken longer to process due to coronavirus limitations, quarantine regulations, and a couple of trips to and from Florida. 

In April I finally got my vaccinations. (I hope you have, too.) Things are becoming more relaxed, less contentious. I have been walking my little dog in the evening, leaving my mask at home, although I still wear it in public places where I expect to encounter people. Lately I have been feeling more energized and have been working in the studio more often, too. 

We are having a lovely spring in New Mexico, brought on by divine rain showers in April, turning everything green. Tulips, irises, and lilacs have bloomed and gone. Now it’s May. Roses of every color are abundant all over the neighborhood, with Spanish Broom providing splashes of bright yellow, and hollyhocks in pink and crimson springing up around my yard. I especially missed calling Mom on Mother’s Day this year. We always talked about what was blooming in Florida.

The painting featured on today’s post—"Nature’s Spring Kimono"— is one I recently finished and just framed. I love the spiral on the kimono capturing the energy of Springtime, filled in with the colors of blue skies and fluffy white clouds, green leaves and white flowers, amidst a swirl of golden sunshine. The kimono is then set on a background of deep pink and a plethora of greenery. For me, the painting is about Beauty and Hope, the same beauty and hope Spring brings. 

Mom’s favorite season was Spring. I think she would have liked this painting, too.

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Text & Image ©2021 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

In the meantime....

Original: "Red Kimono" 2020, Acrylic gouache, gold, 16"x12"

I'm still working on my large painting, "Kimono for Modern Girl." In the meantime, I finished up this smaller painting, "Red Kimono." It's similar to "White Lily Kimono" I did a few years ago. 

If you'd like to leave a comment, please do so. I am always pleased to hear what viewers think of my work.

Have a great day!

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Text and Image ©2020 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

New painting underway...(Part 5)

WIP: "Kimono for Modern Girl", oil on canvas, 36x36"

I reworked some of the drawing on this painting over the last few days. Usually, if I am dissatisfied with how a painting is shaping up, the reason is the drawing. Now I'm ready to go forward with the painting. 

Stay tuned!
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Text and image ©2020 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

New painting underway ... (part 3)

WIP: "Kimono for Modern Girl", 2020, oil on canvas, 36x36"

After another day of painting, here's how my new kimono painting looks now. Thanks for taking a look.

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Text and image ©2020 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

New Painting Underway (part 2)

WIP: "Kimono for Modern Girl", 2020, oil on canvas, 36"x36"

Here's the first round of putting some color on the painting. The drawing is still rough and will need further refinement.  There's much more to come. 

Thanks for taking a look.

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Text and image ©2020 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sneak Preview ....Revisiting a Japanese Garden

Original: White Blossoms & Clematis, 2019, mixed media on panel, 12x12"  (Photo Credit: Margot Geist)

In just a a couple of weeks, my new exhibit "In a Japanese Garden, Revisited" will open at the Weyrich Gallery in Albuquerque.

Today's image—White Blossoms & Clematis—is the piece I selected for the postcard invitation announcing the opening on Friday, May 3, 5-8:30pm.

Once again, this body of work presents a variety of of kimonos and flowers inspired by Japanese forms and sensibility. 

In many of the paintings the kimono shape mergers with its surroundings of flowers and foliage to express the ideals of beauty and harmony of "Man in Nature". In other pieces, design and traditions from other cultures are melded as a purely abstraction fusion of decorative imagery.

Of course, the ultimate goal is Beauty.

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Text and image ©2019 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Painting the Season

Bosque Cottonwoods, 2016. Original painting, oil on panel, 6" x 8"

Autumn is my favorite season, no matter where I live. Perhaps it's the cooler weather, the quality of the air, the color changes in the foliage...probably, it's all three.

So, two weeks ago when the Monday Plein Air Painters gathered at the Gutierrez-Hubbell House to paint, I grabbed my outdoor painting gear and joined them. What a lovely morning! And what a lovely location to paint.

Located in the South Valley of Albuquerque the Gutierrez-Hubbell homesite goes back to the 1850's, when it was the home of Julianna Gutierrez and James Hubbell. They had 8 children and their property also served as a farm, ranch, mercantile and trading post for the family business. Having been restored in recent years by Bernalillo County, the house and 10 acres is a historical and cultural site, one of six New Mexico sites named to the Register of Historic Places.

I wandered down to the acequia (the man-made water channel that the Spanish hand-dug for irrigation purposes) to paint the cottonwood trees that were just beginning to take on their yellow tinge of autumn. 

It's been quite awhile since I've painted en plein air. But it was good to refresh my efforts and a wonderful place and day to do so.

FYI: The Gutierrez-Hubbell House is located at 6029 Isleta Blvd SW, Albuquerque. Open Tu - Sat, 10-2pm.

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Image and text ©2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Now Showing, in Memphis TN...

Currents, 2016. Oil, gold on canvas, 32" x 44."  Available: Contact LRoss Gallery, Memphis

After taking down my exhibit at the Weyrich Gallery in Albuquerque on June 25, I was contacted by my Memphis art dealer Linda Ross about showing a few paintings at her gallery during July.

Since I was on my way to Florida, I was happy to deliver two paintings--"Currents" and "Floating Rose Kimono"--to Memphis for inclusion in Linda's "Summer Group Exhibition 2016."

If you're in Memphis, please drop by L Ross Gallery at 5040 Sanderlin Avenue (Suite 104), Memphis, 38117. The gallery is open Tuesday - Friday, 10-5pm, Sat 11-3pm.

Not only can you see my two paintings, but also very fine work by several of my dear artist-friends who live and work in the Mid-South area. You can also see the exhibit online .

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Image and text ©2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Final Week of My Exhibit...Last views

Rising Moon, 2016, mixed media, 16 x 12"
SOLD

Oh, the moon was lovely last night over Albuquerque!

I am sure that Albert Pinkham Ryder, if he were still alive, would have noticed the moon last night too, since he did several paintings featuring night time illumination. Ryder is one of my favorite artists, and certainly an inspiration for my painting of the garden in the evening.

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Image and text ©2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sneak Preview #3...

Currents, 2016. Original painting, oil, gold on canvas. 32" x 44"

ABOVE: Currents by Carol L Adamec

Every exhibit needs what I call a "Show Stopper"—at least one artwork that has a Wow! factor. This painting is my "show stopper"for my upcoming exhibit at the Weyrich Gallery.

Hope it grabs you, too!

In a Japanese Garden—An Interpretation

Opening Reception: 5-8:30pm, Friday, June 3 

at The Weyrich Gallery, 2935-D Louisiana NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 

Thanks for taking a sneak peek! 

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Image and text ©2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sneak Preview #1

Blue Twins, 2016. Original, oil, metallic gold on gessoed panel, 8"x8"
SOLD

ABOVE: Blue Twins (Morning Glories) 

One of the flower paintings for my show In a Japanese Garden.

Opening Reception: Friday, June 3, 5-8:30pm

at the Weyrich Gallery, 2935-D Louisiana NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110.

Thanks for stopping by to take a sneak peek!

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Image and Text ©2016 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Getting the Painting "Right"

In the Brightness, 2016. Original oil on stretched canvas, 6"x6"
SOLD

Today's post of a yellow lily was begun over three months ago. So why are you just seeing it today? Well...

I painted the lily, and then the greenery—but I didn't like the way it turned out. So I repainted the lily, and then the greenery. 

Then I tackled the background, first with a deep turquoise color; then a purplish hue; then a deep blue; and finally the rosy pink. (Yes, I am talking about those 17 little bits of color behind the flower and the leaves.)

Yes, it took three months to finally get it "right"—at least, I think it's "right."

Of course, I have been working on other paintings in the meantime—which I'll be sharing with you...just as soon as they are "right", too.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this post. Have a great week!

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Image and text © 2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Last Blooms of Summer 1

Original Painting: Red Lily, 2015, gouache on panel, 6"x6"

Here in the Land of Enchantment, one can find evidence of three seasons happening simultaneously: There are still plenty of green leaves on the trees and a few lingering blossoms in the flower beds from summer. Meanwhile, the cottonwoods are taking on a range of autumn hues—from sunny yellow to deep gold. And then this morning, there was light powder on the Sandia Mountains, as winter nudges its way into our psyches here in New Mexico.

I have a few paintings of summer flowers that I finished back in September and hadn't yet posted. So here's a bright red lily for today's post. 

Painted using acrylic gouache which dries very quickly—especially here in the Southwest—the painting has a looser, painterly feel to it. I didn't have time to fuss with the blending like I usually do. I rather like the more spontaneous, lively look.

Thanks for taking a moment to visit my blog. Enjoy your weekend.
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Image and text ©2015 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Evening View

Evening View (Sandias, July), 2015. Oil on gessoed panel, 3"x9"

It's been quite awhile since I posted a plein air painting. My favorite time of day to paint outdoors during the summer months is after 6pm, when the heat of the day and the blinding scorch of the sun are over.

Living near Balloon Fiesta Park, I have a great view and convenient place to paint the Sandia Mountains at that time of day ... like a ringside seat in Paradise.

Thanks for taking a moment to read my blog. I hope you enjoyed it.
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Image and text ©2015 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Bloom in the Desert

Red Hot Desert Bloom, 2015.
Original painting, oil on gessoed panel. 6"x6"
SOLD

It always surprises me when something with such ferocious spines as a desert cactus brings forth such a lovely bloom.

I discovered this blossom atop a small (8") barrel cactus in the flower beds one morning when I was out strolling around the house. The brilliant reds and oranges of the barrel cactus flower are stunningly intense. 

Often, an artist must tone down the colors that come out of the tube to capture a faithful likeness in Nature. Not so in painting this cactus flower!

Thanks for taking a look. Enjoy your day!
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Text and image ©2015 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.