color cluster

 I have enjoyed painting pansies lately.  I like the intense colors.  This is painted on an 8 x 8" panel.
I am setting up for a show the Mt Brook Art Association is having in the old Gus Mayer location of Brookwood Mall.  Ten percent of the sales go to "make a wish".  There are eighty artists participating so there will be a good variety of work and prices. Brookwood Mall has some wonderful stores and restaurants so start your holiday shopping now.  The show will be open from 10-8 every day beginnning Nov 16. I am the featured artist Thursday, Nov 29th so I will have a lot more work on display that day. I also plan on painting on location from 12-5.

forelle pears and pansies

 I think I broke alot of rules with this painting but I kinda like it.  Pansies do not cooperate very well.  They are beautiful flowers but just kind of flop when you try to arrange them.  This is painted on a 5 x 7" linen panel.sold

annie rose

 This is another commission piece for a friend. It is painted on an 8 x 10" gallery wrap.  Two more grandkids to go.  My friend that is commissioning these does not look NEAR old enough to have all these precious grandkids.sold

turnips and sunflower

 I love the colors in turnips.  This is painted on an 8 x 10" linen panel.
I am preparing for two upcoming shows.  November 16 -29th the Mountain Brook Art Association will have work in the downstairs level of Brookwood Mall.  The old Gus Mayer location.  Ten percent of the proceeds go to the "make a a wish" foundation.  I am the featured artist November 29th and will be there all day and painting from 12-5.
Packing up that night and heading out the next morning to participate in a three day art show in Nashville.  The Brentwood Academy fine arts show is Dec1-3.  The answers is ....yes, I am a little crazy.  Or will be.sold

super jack

 This beautiful boy is a commission piece for a friend.  It is painted on an 8 x 10" gallery wrap.sold

do si do

 It is so fun to look back through my photos and find an image that is several years old and realize it could make a nice painting.  These were a couple of my sister's roosters that look like they were dancing.  I added the original image below to show that the photo is just a jumping off point.  A green background would have been pretty boring . This is painted on an 11 x 14" gallery wrapped canvas.

combination of three

 You may be sorry to see that the  satsumas are still hanging in there.  I have enjoyed painting them on different surfaces.  This one is painted on an 8 x 8" gesso board.  No texture on the surface to resist your paint application.  I really like both surfaces but favor some texture on the surface.  Linen texture!
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sisters

 I love the contrast in body posture of these two.  The sister in the front is all about the sand with no regard to anything but having fun and the older sister in the back has reached the age where she is a bit more reserved and dainty. I'm afraid I would be a bit more like the sister in the front. Once a tomboy...
Where did the term "tom boy" come from?  Google question for the day.
 This is painted on a 16 x 20 gallery wrapped canvas and is commissioned.

satsuma three

 Another study of the lovely satsumas.  This is painted on a 12 x 12" acrylic primed canvas.  I have painted oranges as a break from doing commissions.  Almost had an artistic breakdown yesterday.  I have committed to doing several figurative commission pieces and they take it out of me.  I am going to do the ones I have committed to but no more after that.  We hope to move into our new home in January so I need to slow the painting down for a couple months after that. At least commission work.  Hopefully I will be posting the commission I am currently working on tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.  Wah, wah!

Thinking about the thousands of people  affected by Sandy.sold

juicy

 I was feeling like painting looser and chunckier yesterday.  I love the color orange and how warm and sunny it is.  These satsumas are as delicious and juicy as they are beautiful. This is painted on a 6 x 12" canvas.sold

satsumas

 My good friends Jeff and Mary came to visit me at the Destin art show and brought me some of their satsuma oranges with the leaves still intact.  I am going to paint them every day this week before the leaves dry up.  This one is painted on an 8 x 10" linen panel.sold

Below are two pictures taken from the  show this weekend. The "three muses" are painted on three 20 x 60" canvases and definitely drew folks in.  The three women in the bottom picture re enacted the poses.

long stems

 I have been very busy this week touching up paintings, framing, and wiring work in preparation for participating in the Destin Art Festival this weekend.  I took a bit of time to paint this trio of pears. This is painted on a 6 x 6" double primed linen panel. The surface felt a little slick to me so that explains why this may look a bit different than many of my paintings.

green boots

 I got a kick out of seeing this young boy with his rain boots on at the beach.  This is painted on a 12 x 12" gallery wrap canvas.
I just returned from a fun get away to the mountains of North Carolina and now I am preparing to go to Destin, Florida for a weekend show.  I am participating in the 17th annual Destin Festival of the Arts this Saturday and Sunday.  It is held in Henderson State Park and the hours are 9-5 Saturday and 10-5 Sunday.  I would love for you to come see me if you are in the area.sold

killing time

 Another one of those pure joy pieces.  I could look at this cow face all day long.  I painted him to procrastinate finishing a very large piece that I am not feeling.  This is painted on a 5 x 5" gallery wrap canvas.  Pretty sure this mug is the next 3 x 3' cow head I am doing.  It is very hard to keep the same character in a large piece but I am going to give it a try.sold

Fitzgerald Ranch

 This is a commission piece I did for a couple I met at an art show last year.  This is the entrance to their Texas ranch.  I am not a landscape painter so I had to really think this one through. This is painted on a 24 x 36" canvas.sold

what next?

 I like to reward myself after finishing a commission piece by doing something loose and for the pure joy.  This rooster fit that bill.  This is painted on a 12 x 16" gallery wrap canvas.sold

yes!

 This is a commission piece for a friend.  I think this is the oldest of her grandchildren.  My favorite thing about this picture is his catcher's face mask hair. That was a mouthful and probably not correct.  Catcher's face mask? This is painted on an 8 x 10" gallery wrap canvas.
Have a dandy weekend!sold

whatever

 I have been very busy working on large commission pieces so this was a fun diversion.  This is painted on an 8 x 8" gallery wrapped canvas.sold

stewart michael

I was commissioned by my cousin's wife to do this painting for a special birthday he celebrates tomorrow.    The photo is from a few years back and portrays two of his great loves...cooking and spending time with his children.  He has three kids and this is his youngest, Claire. Hoping he has a great birthday tomorrow!
This is painted on an 8 x 10".  In case some of you recognize him, his actual name is Michael Stewart but for some reason I called him Stewart Michael from a young age.  So there.sold

early morning seaside

 This is a view of what I saw early last Saturday morning walking on the beach toward Seaside, FL.  This is painted on an 8 x 8" panel.
Have a great weekend.  I am on my way to spend a weekend in Chicago with all four of my men.sold

jake the bait

 This is a commission piece and has a great story to go with it.  I met a girl last year at an art show in Nashville and she bought a painting from me. She kept my business card and e mailed me last week with a special request to paint Jake.  Jake is her finace's dog that he got soon before their courtship began.  She accused him of getting Jake to help attract girls. I guess it worked.  Jake also played a part in the proposal by having the ring tied around a ribbon on his neck.  Good stuff! My new friend is going to surprise him with this for a groom's gift.
This is painted on a 12 x 12" gallery wrap and she is going to hang it at the site in her home where he proposed.sold

pj fishing

No reason to change out of your pj's before you hit the dock with your fishing pole. Think Katie on the left took some time to put on shorts and a shirt. This is a commission piece I did for a friend.  It is a surprise anniversary present for her husband. (shh... for three more weeks) This was a favorite photo of their girls when they were younger. I hope it will bring the family lots of happiness. This is painted on a 24 x 36" canvas.sold

The first photo is a picture of my studio as you come up the stairs from the garage.  It is above the detached garage.These windows look  out on the front yard and face west. The door on the right goes into a storage room that will have a sink and cabinets.  The door on the left is the bathroom.  The little door is access to extra space. Plan to put my desk in front of it.  There is another walk in closet space to the left of the windows.

The second photo is the studio looking out at the back yard and facing East.  I am going to have a small patio out the door.

I will share more photos as it gets further along.  It would have been nice to have North light but alas we were not going to design our house around my studio.  I am one lucky chick.

at rest

 This is what the painting looked like before it slid out of my hands and on to my exercise pants. Fortunately only the top part is on my pants.  An easy fix. Maybe not for the pants. Not a good start for a Monday but a pretty typical Carol move.
I took this picture on my way home from the beach yesterday.  It was a cloudy day and the cows were resting or sleeping.  I have to give my husband props on this one because he pulled over before I even asked.  I think he wants to retire. Paint, paint, paint!
I was so excited to be at the beach Friday morning that I accidentally locked myself out of our friend's condo.  My husband was working and our friend's were out of town at his father's funeral.  Not good timing.  I was okay because I had a bike, my camera, my phone and sixty dollars.  I was good for a week.  Then I remembered my husband would be getting off work around 3 and he was wearing a suit.  I had all my essentials but you don't see alot of folks riding bikes in suits at the beach.  I ended up spending my 60 dollars and then some to get a locksmith.
This is painted on an 8 x 10" linen panel.sold