A Little Sneak Preview

Anasazi Sherd #1, 2012
Original Painting: Oil, alkyd on gessoed panel

8"x 8" (unframed)  •  $150
Contact Artist to purchase

Dear Faithful Readers:

I apologize for my irregular posting since the beginning of the year. I have been painting away in the studio for hours every day in preparation for an upcoming exhibit at the Harwood Art Center in Albuquerque during the month of April.

Once again, I will be joining my friends Sondra Diepen, Louise Pryor, and Joanne Kamiya in our 4-person show called "What Remains."

If you have been following this blog for awhile, you may recall seeing images of "sherd paintings" that I've done off and on over the past two years inspired by Indian pottery fragments. For this upcoming exhibit, I am preparing an entire body of work based on Native American pottery sherds and design fragments. And I'm very excited about this new work!

Although I have several large paintings underway, today's post is one of the smaller pieces to be in the show...a little "sneak preview" for you.

Thanks for taking a look. I hope you are enjoying a great week.

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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

New Year's Resolution

Sunset Strip #21: Showtime!, 2011


Original Painting: Oil, alkyd on gessoed wood


3" x 9.5" (unframed)


SOLD

One of my New Year's resolutions is to use more color when painting. So how's this? Seems to work for this painting, inspired by a stunning Albuquerque sunset I witnessed last September.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great week.

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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sunset in Florida

Sunset Strip #20: Lake Howell, 2011
Original Painting: Oil, alkyd on gessoed wood
3" x 9.5" (unframed) 
 

Here it is...the 11th of January and my first post of the New Year!

Today's painting is the last Sunset Strip Series I finished in 2011. It's an early evening view across our neighborhood lake here in Orlando. I'm posting this painting for all those readers living in cold and snowy weather zones: Keep warm!

Thanks for taking a look. And I hope your New Year is off to a great start!
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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Season's Greetings

Winter Gate, 2011

Original oil, alkyd on stretched canvas

10" x 8" unframed • $375

Contact Artist to purchase.

To All My Dear Readers, Friends, Family, and Supporters...
Best Wishes to You and Your Loved Ones
for a Happy New Year!

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Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved

Painting Like Monet

Lake Bridge, 2011
Original oil on canvas panel
4.5" x 5" unframed • N/A

I trust that all you faithful Readers out there have recovered from your Thanksgiving feasts and survived the traditional weekend shopping binge. True Confession time: I stuffed myself at the relatives' house (Thank you, Elena and Praveen for a wonderful dinner!) and cyber-shopped for 3 days.

However, the Saturday before all the hub-bub, I went with the local plein air painting group and enjoyed a quiet morning, sitting at the shore of Lake Lily in Orlando, painting the waterlilies, like Monet. Since I am in Florida again, I may as well take this opportunity to practice painting water, especially since it is so plentiful here. There are hundreds of lakes—large and small—all over this city, and Lake Lily is a nice one.

This first attempt started out as a 5" x 7" painting. Over the weekend, I cropped it; and then cropped it again, down to the current size (4.5" x 5"), as the composition of the original version was just never going to "work." I wonder if Monet ever had to do that?

Thanks for taking a look and have a great week.
                                                                                                   
©2011 Text and image by Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

A Thing of Beauty...

Black Cross, New Mexico, 1929

by Georgia O'Keeffe

Oil on canvas, 39" x 30"

Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago

I am having one of those weeks where every painting in my studio is either unresolved, uninteresting, or just plain ugly. So, rather than assaulting you with an awful painting of mine, I'm posting one of my favorite works of art.

This painting has been a comfort and an inspiration to me for 46 years(!)...most recently as Sunset Strip #13, which I posted on July 13, 2011. Check it out, and I'm sure you'll see the influence.

Like Keats said, "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever."

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great weekend.

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New Mexico Still Life

Indian Things, 2011

Original painting, oil on gessoed panel
10" x 8" • $375 • Framing available
Contact Artist to purchase.

I'm going to blame Halloween for missing my blog post last week. I consumed too much candy corn and fell into a sugar coma for the rest of the week. Now that I've recovered...

Today's featured painting was begun over two years ago, and then "misplaced." Well, you know how the story goes: Last summer, while looking for something else...there it was, along with another painting I had given up for lost.

So while in Albuquerque during September, I worked on "Indian Things" and finally finished it just this weekend. I especially enjoyed painting all those hot reds.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great weekend.
                                                                                                  
©2011 Text and image by Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

The Old and The New

Mogollon Sherd: Motherboard, 2011

Original oil on canvas panel
8" x 8" • $150
Contact Artist to purchase.

I'm still fooling around with images inspired by patterns found on traditional Native American pottery sherds. This painting has been in the works since August, before my sojourn to New Mexico. Despite the fact that the image consists of (only!) 2 basic colors, the painting has been through several sandings (where I completely sanded the paint off the panel) and repaintings. I wasn't quite sure what I was after, but it certainly wasn't "there" yet.

The sherd pattern is from the Mogollon culture, one of the four major prehistoric Native American cultures which occupied a large area in what is now New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico from 150AD to 1450.

Finally, sometime during the repainting process, the entire 40 watt lightbulb in my head came on. I realized that this ancient pottery design is quite similar to contemporary computer circuit boards. Adding the dotted circuitry in gold metallic ink made the painting image, and ideas, come together.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great weekend!
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©2011 Text and image by Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Fall Flowers

Blue Vase, 2011
Original painting:  oil on paper, mounted on panel
Private Collection

Here's another small painting I completed while in Albuquerque. When I arrived at my friend's home this bouquet was on the table to greet me....flowers fresh from her garden. Now, who wouldn't be inspired by these great colors and such a kind gesture by a thoughtful hostess?

However, the preparation for this painting started a few years ago when I saw a painting done on brown paper, mounted to a panel. I liked the way the oil paint looked on that paper; so I prepared this small panel with brown paper and coated it with a clear gesso (for archival purposes). Then it sat around my studio waiting for the "right" image. I'm really glad that I packed it with my painting gear for my trip to Albuquerque. It was ready to go the day I painted this blue vase with flowers.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great week!

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

Sunset #19: Beyond the Mesa

Sunset Strip #19: Beyond the Mesa, 2011

Original oil on wood panel • 2" x 6"
SOLD

I've returned to the "Land of the Palms." However, today's painting was completed a few weeks ago while in the "Land of Enchantment." This was the view from Balloon Fiesta Park one evening, looking west at the setting sun beyond the mesa.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great week!

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

Albuquerque Sunset

Sunset Strip Series #18: Looking West

Original Painting: oil, alkyd on wood panel

7" x 2.75" 
SOLD

How could I be in Albuquerque for almost a month and not yet posted a sunset?

Well, the first two weeks I was here, it clouded up and rained every evening....a very good thing for Albuquerque, not so good for viewing the sunset.

Since then, however, I've been out at sunset with my trusty camera, and here is the first of several Southwest sunset paintings in the works. The beauty of the Southwest landscape is, not only the variety of colors in the sky and clouds, the scope of the view...360 degrees, incredibly breathtaking.

I'm happy to share this with you and appreciate you taking a moment view this blog. Thanks, and have a great day.



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©2011 Text and Image by Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

Blue Gate 2

Blue Gate 2 (Dappled), 2011

Original oil on canvas panel • 8" x 6"
SOLD

Today's painting may seem familiar to those of you who are longtime readers. I painted the first version of this blue gate at my friend's Albuquerque house over 2 years ago, posted on my blog January 19, 2009. Today's painting is hot off the easel, just dry enough to put on the scanner.

It was interesting for me to compare the two paintings. The first version is much more photographic, intended to capture the subtleties of light. The new painting is more "impressionistic" with stronger contrast and higher keyed color. Same gate, different days, different light, different intention, different paintings, same artist!


Thanks for taking a look. Have a great day.

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

Red Door

Red Door, 2011

Original Oil on gessoed panel

6" x 6" (unframed) 
Private Collection

This was another sight at The Casa Rodena Winery in Albuquerque, which I photographed last Monday while out painting with the Plein Air Artists of New Mexico. I didn't have time to paint it on location, so I worked up the painting in the studio over the past week. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great day.

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©2011 Text & image Carol Adamec. All Rights reserved.

Monet, Again

Sunset Strip #17 (after Monet)

Oil on gessoed wood, 6" x 2"

Private Collection

Good Morning, Dear Readers!

I'm still in New Mexico, painting away, enjoying each and every day. I have five new paintings near completion, still in the drying stage, to share with you.

In the meantime, here's another "baby" Monet sunset, this one from his painting "Puesta de Sol en Etretat." Copying Monet's brushwork is like painting confetti--lots of little slivers of different colors.

Have a great day. See you later this week.
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©2011 Text and Image, Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.

New Mexico Plein Air

The Winery, 2011
Original plein air painting, oil on linen panel

N/A

This past Monday I painted with the Plein Air Artists of New Mexico (www.papnm.org). The group met at 9am at Casa Rodena Winery in the lovely Albuquerque neighborhood of Los Ranchos. It was a bright and sunny morning, so we all clustered along the banks of the acequia in the shade of ancient cottonwoods.

The winery grounds have multiple, classical buildings with green tiled roofs and, of course, rows and rows of grapes, as you can see in this view that I painted.

Many thanks to the PAPNM folks who allowed me to paint with their group as a guest. I look forward to being back in New Mexico as a full time resident in the future and a longtime member of the group.

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

New Mexico Greeting

Photo by Carol Adamec

Well, it was a 1,897 mile drive from Orlando to Albuquerque; and I arrived safely on Saturday afternoon. Making a pitstop just north of Roswell, I pulled into a rest area and was greeted by this sign. Ah, yes, I'm definitely in the "Land of Enchantment"!

I have unpacked my painting gear and will be out painting in "The Land of Enchantment" this weekend. I hope you have a great weekend adventure, too, wherever you are.

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©Text and photo Carol Adamec, 2011. All rights reserved.

August Lilies

Sophisticated Lilies 1, 2011
Original oil, alkyd on gessoed canvas panel
4.5"x8" unframed
SOLD

Sophisticated Lilies 2, 2011

Original oil, alkyd on gessoed panel
4"x6.5" unframed
SOLD

And now for something completely different...

In between painting the Sunset Series and the new potsherd fragments, I worked up these two small lily paintings. A couple of months ago I had taken some not-very-interesting photos of a lily bouquet, and then fooled around with the compositions until the images were more enticing to paint.

In the meantime, I am packing up my studio supplies in preparation for my trip to New Mexico. So the next post on my blog will be from the beautiful Land of Enchantment.

Thanks for taking a look. I hope you enjoy a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend.

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

Call of the Southwest: Part 2

Sherd Fragment: Ebony & Ivory

Original oil, alkyd on gessoed canvas panel
8" x 8"

Now that I have six(!) paintings based on potsherd fragments, it appears that I have a new series underway. Here's the second painting, completed in the past week.

The image is based on a potsherd found on private property near a pueblo in New Mexico. That kind of find certainly gives one a sense of history.

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great day.

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

Call of the Southwest

Salado Fragment: Cathedral
Original oil, alkyd on gessoed canvas panel
8" x 8"

In just a few weeks, I will be traveling to New Mexico for a monthlong visit, to see friends, scout out the scenery, and get in some painting, of course! With the upcoming trip on my mind, I guess it's not surprising that Southwest inspirations would be showing up during my studio sessions.

Longtime readers of this blog may recall the small paintings of pottery fragments that I posted 'way back in 2008 and 2009, which culminated in the larger painting, "Stones & Sherds" (posted Feb 2, 2010). That was pretty much the end of that thematic effort for me, until this past week. Now there are three new paintings based on Indian pottery sherds and patterns, completed on an 8" x 8" format.

It's truly amazing to really look at the intricate patterns and skillful craftsmanship rendered hundreds of years ago by the Native American artisans, especially considering that their materials were all handmade and natural—no fancy brushes or manufactured pigments for these artists!

Then, too, there is a seemingly unlimited variety of designs and variations in Indian pottery (still today, too). I am reminded of Georgia O'Keeffe's design ideal "...of filling a space in a beautiful way."

Thanks for taking a look. Have a great day.

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

Making an Impression

Sunset Series #16 (Monet's Sunset)
Original oil, alkyd on gessoed wood

Approximately 6" x 1.5"
SOLD

A few months ago, my sister April sent me my favorite kind of art book—one that's mostly pictures and very few words. The title is "Monet's Impressions", published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Today's Sunset Strip #16 was inspired by one of Monet's paintings, Setting Sun on the Seine at Lavacourt, Winter Effect (1880), featured in the book. You would think that copying a painting would be easy; but, oh no, not so. Painted 130 years ago, Monet's painting is still striking in its boldness, color subtleties, and complex layering of brushwork, even in reproduction!

The more I looked at the picture and worked away on my version of Monet's painting, the greater my appreciation for Monet's masterful style and my growing desire to see his work again "in the flesh." Wouldn't a trip to New York, to the Museum of Modern Art to stand in front of Monet's 40-foot triptych of Water Lilies be a cool (and cooling) treat—especially for these dog days of August?

Thanks for taking a look. Keep cool...with art!
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Text and image ©2011 Carol Adamec. All rights reserved.