blue steel

I wonder if there are any Ben Stiller fans out there who will get this title? This is painted on a 4 x 12 x 2" canvas.
Have a great weekend!sold

sassy

I cleaned up and out my studio for four or five hours yesterday.  I need another five hours to finish up.  It is amazing the things I can find when I take the time to straighten.  I found this little 5 x 7" panel in a basket.
One of the reasons I am cleaning is because I am teaching a workshop at my home studio March 18 and 19. One of the days the focus is going to be painting children.  The shot of this little girl has all the right things going for it. Angles!  Lots of angles leads to a more interesting and dynamic painting.  I learned or realized this after taking a workshop with one of my all time favorites...Nancy Franke.
Now...back to cleaning.  Who knows what else I might find?

big C

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This composition kind of made a big C.  My best friend in high school called me big C and I called her big D.  We still do.
I did this 12 x 24 x 2" yesterday as a warm up to painting last night at Artblink.  It was a fundraiser for the UAB cancer center that I described a couple of posts ago.  Eighteen artists painted works in 90 minutes. It was fun but a bit intense.  People are bidding big money on pieces that you hope turn out.  My piece was 18 x 36 x 2" and that was a lot of area to tackle in that amount of time.  It turned out well and made some nice money for the center.  I also sold another piece that 40% of the price went to the charity.

The completed piece. Me, painting on my knees to get to the bottom.  What ever works.

 Friends who bought another piece.

Franklin

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Is it crazy that I went to the beautiful beach in Watercolor, FL for only two full days and I woke up and painted a cow?  I think I walked first. One of my favorite things about going to the beach is taking pictures on the way down.  I got a few pictures of some sheep and lambs too.  They were a little scared of me.  But...not this group of cows.  This made me SO very happy.  I might be the cow whisperer.  

My first workshop is filled and I have one on the wait list.  I have space in the second one that is March 31 and April 1.  Email me at carolcarmike@att.net for more information.  

trial runner

I am participating in a fund raiser next Saturday night, the ArtBlink Gala.  Eighteen artists will create works in 90 minutes to be available in silent auctions to raise money for UAB"s Cancer Center's fund for Excellence.  Click on the link for more information.  I have decided to paint a still life similar to this one. Working out the kinks with a trial run will make me feel a little more comfortable while painting in front of Lots of people. I set it up from life in my studio and took a picture of it that I will work from Saturday night.  We will start with a blank canvas and create our pieces in a hour and a half.  Fun to watch, buy and support. This one is painted on a 12 x 24 x 2" canvas.  I am going to paint it on an 18 x 36" Saturday.

The winner of "candy striper" is Jo from Texas.  I promise to do more give aways in the future.  Thanks for taking the time to subscribe to my blog.

This morning I have one spot left in my March 18 and 19 workshop.  It is smart to get on a waiting list even if it is full.  Many times a signee will have a last minute  conflict come up.
I am planning on having the March 31 and April 1 workshop as well.  Contact me at carolcarmike@att.net for more information.sold

my place

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Happy Valentine's day!  This is painted on a 10 x 10 x 2" canvas.  Maybe I should have painted a rose in her mouth for the occasion?

I will announce the winner of "candy striper" in tomorrows blog post.

My March 18 and 19 workshop is filling fast.  I will definitely do another March 31 and April 1 if there is interest.  It should be a pretty time of year to get out and do something fun. Email me at carolcarmike@att.net if you would like information on the workshops.  

candy striper

Happy Valentine's weekend!  I am going to give this painting away to one of my blog email subscribers at the end of the day tomorrow. Please note that if you subscribe to get my blog posts that you will need to verify that you would like to receive it.  Feedburner will send you a verification email soon after you initially sign up.  It might go to your junk mail so check that.  I have at least 100 subscribers who never verified , so it never got activated. Also....you can unsubscribe at any time.  Subscribe in the box at the top right of this page. This is painted on a 6 x 12 x 2" canvas.

Also....I am announcing a workshop at my home studio March 18 and 19.  Friday and Saturday from 9:30 until 4:00.  We will work on painting animals the first day and children the second.  I am considering a second weekend if there is demand. March 31 and April 1.  I can only accommodate nine students at a time so make a decision fast.  I have already filled three spots. I wish I was computer saavy enough to attach the workshop description to this blog post but I am not. Email me at carolcarmike@att.net and I will send you the attachment.  

mama said

Painted on a 20 x 40 x 2" canvas.  Sold

fluffy fowl spat

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I tried to look up what type of chickens these are but had no luck.  I took the picture at a feed store close to where my sister lives in north Alabama. They are white/buffish with a little black on their tail feathers. They were very fluffy.  These two look kind of like they had just had a little spat.  This is painted on a 20 x 30 x 2" canvas.  

sheepish

 I don't know a lot about sheep.  I know they mostly like to eat instead of look up at you and your  camera.  Most of my pictures are of them with their noses close to the grass.  I liked this backlit photo.
 This is a big piece.  It is painted on a 36 x 48 x 2" canvas that I needed assistance to photograph.  Say cheese Dan.sold

Happy Super Bowl weekend!

east winds blowing

 This is a tall piece.  18 x 48 x 2" Eastern winds were blowing in my painting but southern winds were blowing here in Alabama.  Blew my painting right off the easel after I photographed it.  I told you I will never learn.  Much too stubborn for that. The painting survived the fall.sold

offspring

 I really like the colors in this piece. I can't resist a hereford.  This is painted on a 36 x 48 x 2" canvas.
Upcoming show schedule is as follows:sold

ArtXtravaganza in Knoxville, TN  March 4-6.

Art in the Hills, Vestavia, AL April 9

Art in the Village, Mt Brook, AL April 16

Double Decker Art Festival, Oxford, MS, April 23

Bayou City Art Festival, Houston, TX, April 29-May 1

Harding Academy Art Show, Nashville, TN  May 6-8

Children's Harbor Art Show,  Lake Martin, AL May 27-28

poppy

I painted Poppy when she was in her first year and had no hair.  Scroll back many posts and you can see her being pulled in a wagon by her older sister.  She is also joined in the wagon by her twin sister.  It was hard for me to capture her likeness on this 8 x 10" canvas but I hope I came close.

This is my last commission for a bit.  I need to concentrate on painting for upcoming shows.  Feel free to send me pictures you would like painted.  I will be getting back to it in a couple of months.

sadie

Sadie was a part of the Daughtrey family until they lost her last year. The Daughtrey kids got together and had me paint this for their parents.  Sadie would put her right paw up when she wanted something so they felt like this picture captured her well. I hope this preserves some good memories for the family. It is painted on an 11 x 14" linen panel.

ruthie

This is the first and most probably the last cat I will paint.  Maybe it was the stripes? Yikes!  I am no Diane Hoeptner . One of the best cat and everything else painters I have seen.

  This is my Ruthie and she turns two today.  She is the first cat I have had since I was a little girl.  She is so much fun . (when she wants to be)  I love watching her cat ways.  She has added lots of happiness to our family. This is painted on an 11 x 14" canvas.  Happy birthday Ruthie!

bon appetit

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Taking a little break from commission work. I did this 30 x 40 x 2" yesterday while it was too cold outside to do much else. I have had the rainier cherries in my refrigerator for a couple of weeks and have been too busy to paint them.  I  may need to do a couple more paintings of them before they become bird feed.  I read that 1/3 of the rainier cherry crop is eaten by birds.  Your fact for the day.

back when

This is a commission for a friend and these are her two children a few years back.  I bet many of you are like me and would love to be on a warm beach like this today.  Cold outside!
This is painted on an 11 x 14 x 2" canvas.

fly over state

I took the reference photo for this painting on my way home from Oklahoma a few years ago.  It was early morning and the light was warm and illuminated this white cow beautifully.  The title is based on Jason Aldean's song, "fly over state".  I agree with Jason that a lot of states are just too beautiful to only fly over. This is painted on a 22 x 28 x 2"canvas.sold

Have a good weekend and stay warm!

sissy

I have been on a roll completing commissions.  Sometimes it takes me a while to get started but once I do I like to knock them out.  My sweet cousin asked me to paint their pooch, Sissy . They lost her last October.  She was the first dog that I had seen have her own doggie sleeping bag.  Cracked me up.  Just like a little kid but maybe a little more spoiled.  This is painted on an 8 x 10" canvas.

I have three more commissions to do and then I have to take a break from them and paint for lots of upcoming shows. My next show is in Knoxville, Tennessee March 4-6. The Webb school ArtXtravaganza.  I love the Knoxville area because my husband has a lot of family close by and it is a beautiful area.  The first show for me in Knoxville.  I understand they like a lot of orange there.

Minnie and Pearl

 I guess there is a first for everything.  This is the first time I have been commissioned to paint someone's chickens. Minnie and Pearl belonged to a friend of mine.  One of them has gone to Hee Haw heaven.  Who remembers Hee Haw or Minnie Pearl?  These are both painted on 12 x 12 x 2" canvases.  

Maddie

Fur baby number two for "patiently waiting" mom to be.  This will hang along side Bella from yesterday's post. I love this idea for her nursery. Painted on an 18 x 18 x 2" canvas.

Bella

Bella is one of two fur babies I am painting for a young lady that is expecting her first non furry baby.  They will decorate the nursery.  Bella is painted on an 18 x 18" canvas.

this way and that way

 This was my third attempt at  painting on this 36 x 36" canvas.There were two failed still life paintings scraped off in it's earlier life.  Happy with this one.sold

Can you see me now?

This was one of the rare days that I did not feel like painting.  Glad it does not happen very often.  I painted this guy last week.  20 x 20 x 2".

Beginning in April I have five weekend shows in a row.  From two in my hometown, then to Houston, Texas, and ending that run in Nashville.  I do not need to have a lot of days that I do not feel like painting.sold

edgy

Painted on a 6 x 6 x 2" canvas.sold

winter

soldI took some photographs on my way to see my mom in law in Chattanooga the other day and this was one of my favorite shots.  I could have titled it ' "fat cow on a skinny canvas". 12 x 36 x 2".  I have recently realized how much I love the colors of winter. This cow was off by itself and stared at me the few minutes I was photographing her and her pasture mates. That make me SO happy!

Hope your week is a good one!  

till we meet again

 You might be glad that I did not post another cow painting.  I like roosters too.  For those of you that were happy it is not another cow today...I hate to tell you that I got some great new shots of cows on my way to Chattanooga yesterday.  It is taking every bit of my willpower to work on commissions instead of my new photos today. They are fat, hairy cows that are tan and white.!!!! Just my type!

This rooster is painted on a 20 x 40 x 2" canvas.  Title inspired by lyrics from Citizen Cope.sold

dreamer

I need to quit looking at my cow photos.  I am having a hard time getting back to the business of painting commissions that are not cows.  This face was beckoning me to paint her again. So I did.  Painted on an 8 x 8 x 2" canvas.sold

windy

Happy with this.  Now let's see if I can translate this 4 x 12" on to an 18 x 48" and keep the same feel.sold

git

Sorry if you are tired of cows.  I rarely get tired of painting them.  Sometimes.....

I loved the curiosity on this cow's face. It was fun to play with the color palette a bit too.  The elongated canvases always make for more interesting composition.  This is painted on a 20 x 40 x 2" canvas.sold

smallish

I love what you can say on a small canvas.  I find that I can paint more character into my pieces when I am working on a small canvas.  I am working on translating that to big canvases and I think I am getting better at it.  Using larger tools helps but it is still tough.  This is painted on a 6 x 6 x 2" canvas.  If I were good at math I would tell what a percentage that was of yesterday's 3 x 4' painting.  sold

comfortable

The reference photo for this painting was loosely based on a picture that an artist friend I have never met sent me.  Martine Alison lives in France and she takes the time to visit my blog and comment on my work fairly regularly.  She has a wonderful blog and a very creative and whimsical style of painting.  Take a minute to check her out.  She travels a lot and always has gorgeous photos to share.  The blog is in French but you can switch the language once you get there.sold

"comfortable" is painted on a 36 x 48 x 2" canvas.

here's to it

Wishing you all the best and a wonderful 2016!  This is painted on a 10 x 20 x 2" canvas.
Thanks for the encouragement and patronage of my painting.  sold

buck

A friend commissioned me to paint Buck for her brother's family.  The family recently lost Buck to cancer.  He was a beautiful and much loved dog and I hope the painting brings back some good memories for the family. This is painted on an 8 x 10 x 2" canvas.

that's amore

I have always wanted to paint a highland cow and a patron from England gave me the perfect photo to work from.  He and his girlfriend took this picture in Scotland last summer and he surprised her with the painting for Christmas.  I feel so honored to be a part of bringing others happy moments.
I felt like I was peeking in a cows bedroom the whole time I painted this.  It would be the perfect cover for a cow romance novel.  This is painted on an 11 x 14 x 2" canvas.

winston

A Christmas commission for a friend's daughter.  Winston always has one ear up and one ear drooping.  Got to love this face. This is painted on an 8 x 8 x 2" canvas.