Better together

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This piece started out with one figure. She looked a bit lonely and the painting was lacking so I added the second, smaller girl. Better together. 18 x 36”.

good cast

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This little guy makes me happy.  I had a video so I chose another interesting shot.  This is painted on a 20 x 20" canvas.
Hope some good and happy things happen for you this week!

happiness

A friend commissioned me to do this as a gift for a family she is close to. The family was apprehensive about getting a dog but soon found they had made a great decision.  This is one of their daughters and the pooch.  It is painted on an 8 x 8" canvas.

best of days

Painted on a 20 x 20" canvas. Hope this makes you smile.sold

I have two spots left in my September 13 and 14 workshop.  Contact me at carolcarmike@att.net for information.

day dreaming

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I am trying to remember the techniques I need to practice to make a successful painting.  I am trying to simplify things and leave some of the detail to the viewers imagination.  Easily said but not easily accomplished. There is always tomorrow and more practice.
I have two or three more spots available in my Sept 13 and 14 workshop here at my home studio in Birmingham, AL.  Email me at carolcarmike@att.net for more information.  

show and tell

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Painted on a 24 x 36" canvas.  

all good

"all good" was the demo I did for the second day of the workshop.  Our goal was to paint loosely and thoughtfully.  I really need to be reminded of all the tips I shared with the participants. I should read the handouts every day before I begin painting.  They are just a culmination of the things I have learned from teachers I admire. Below are all of my peeps with some of their work.  We worked hard and they all took home several pieces.  I cracked the whip after a forty five minute lunch and made them get back at it.  My wonderful Mom prepared the lunches for us so they were well fed.  

If you are interested in doing a workshop with me I have another one planned for Sept 13 and 14 at my home studio in Birmingham, AL. Email me at carolcarmike@att.net for the information.  sold

Cow lick

”cow lick” was my demo piece for day one of my workshop. It is painted on an 8 x 8” canvas. We had a great group from all over. It is so nice when everyone clicks and there is lots of laughter and hard work going on. We worked on animals the first day and still life the second. The main focus was on painting loosely. I strive everyday to produce works that look much more effortless than they were. It does not come easily but through lots of hard work. 

I will share some more pictures of their work tomorrow. Such a fun, kind and talented group. My studio is all cleaned up and lonely now.

I am planning one more workshop for now. Sept 13 and 14. One day we work on still life and the next day will focus on loose figuratives with the palette knife. Email me at carolcarmike@att.net for more info.

schatzi

Look at this beautiful dog that gave me all kinds of fits while I was painting her. She looks so innocent.  :) Schatzi is painted on an 8 x 10" canvas.

small things

I am preparing for a workshop that is at my home studio this Friday and Saturday.  The first day we will work on painting animals and the second day still life.  Doing a little practicing .  I may plan another workshop for September so email me if you are interested.  carolcarmike@att.net
This is painted on an 8 x 8" canvas.

home on the range

I needed a big piece of artwork for over my mantel so "voila".  This is a 40" wide by 50" tall piece. It will live with me until a better offer comes along.  The inspiration was a photo I took in Crested Butte, CO last summer.  

first anniversary

I painted this beautiful pooch for a young man who is surprising his wife for their first anniversary. I fell in love with this dog's eyes.  Such a pleasure to paint.  And....for all of you out there who would love to have your pet painted.....now is a good time for me.  Do your Christmas shopping early!
This is painted on an 8 x 10" canvas.  I paint this size for $275. A forever gift!

no funny business

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Fun color play.  I think one reason white cows are a favorite subject is that I love all the shadow colors. This is painted on an 8 x 8 x 2" canvas.  Hope you all have a good week with lots of "funny business"

satisfaction

Hope you find some satisfaction this weekend.  This is painted on an 8 x 8" canvas.  

june

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One of my favorite things about June is that the hydrangeas are in full bloom.  They are such beautiful flowers.  This painting was commissioned by a friend who shares my sentiment. It is painted on an 11 x 14" canvas.

My July workshop is at capacity now but please email me if you would like to be put on the wait list or might be interested in doing one in late September.     

Sunny Monday

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I have been out of the studio for many days.  I really enjoyed my time away and was kind of lazy getting back to it. I think it made me take time to remember what is important to the process.  This is painted on a 24 x 30" linen canvas.

Spots are filling up for my July 12 and 13 workshop.  I would love to have you join us.  We will concentrate on still life one day and animals the next.  Most importantly we will be discussing colors, brushwork, and composition both days.  I limit the classes to nine so you will get a good bit of one on one instruction.  The workshop is at my home studio in Birmingham, AL and includes lunch both days.  Email me at carolcarmike@att.net

Young love

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I have many new charolais images from visiting a ranch last week. That makes me happy. This is painted on an 18 x 24” canvas.

Email me at carolcarmike@att.net for information on my July 12 and 13 workshop at my home studio in Birmingham, AL. 

playing favorites

Pears are one of my favorite things to paint.  Sixteen or so years ago when I started learning to paint, they were a go to subject.  They are a great thing to start learning to paint because they are such a simple and beautiful shape .  I can not begin to estimate how many paintings of pears I have done  during my painting journey.  I still love to paint them.  This was painted on an 8 x 10".sold

I am planning a two day workshop at my home studio in Birmingham, AL this July 12 and 13.  One day will be devoted to still life and one day to painting animals.  We will learn about mixing color, paint application, interesting composition and more.  Email me at carolcarmike@att.net for more info.  Hoping it will be something cool to do in the middle of the summer.

a little color

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This is a 6 x 12" piece that I painted for a patron who wanted a companion for a painting she bought a few weeks ago.  Always happy to paint a rooster!  High on my list of favorite things to paint.

I have finished my show season until the Fall.  It was a great season but the wet weather was abundant at many shows.  I am thankful for all the new friends and patrons that I met this Spring.  It is special meeting the folks your work goes home with.

"need you"

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My Mom gave me some of her Easter decorations after lunch yesterday.  I am painting some smaller pieces for my upcoming shows.  Hydrangeas might be my favorite flower.  I love all the variety in their color.  This is painted on an 8 x 8 x 2" canvas.
I would love to see you in Oxford, MS this Saturday, April 27 for the Double Decker Art Festival.  I will be in Mountain Brook, AL the following Saturday, May 4, for Art in the Village. It is the Mountain Brook Art Association's annual Spring show. It is the first art show I ever participated in and is still one of my favorites.

Easter parade

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I have not posted a lot lately because of being so busy at shows.  My last two shows were great but very challenging weather wise.  My tent and work flew back 50 feet in Jackson, MS a few weeks ago due to straight line winds. My husband and I were there and were grateful not to be harmed or harm anyone else. I had to replace all my tent poles and one vinyl side.  I use a wonderful Trimline tent from Flourish.  I had it weighted down with sixty pounds on each corner.  It was very scary and a first for me.  I was fortunate to just lose two pieces.  So.... I only got in one day at that show.  The next weekend I had a show in Atlanta.  The Dogwood Show was great but 75% of the artists (including me)  took their work down after two days because of bad weather forecast for the third day.  No regrets.  This art biz is not always the easiest.

I will be in Oxford , MS next Saturday, April 27 for the Double Decker Art Festival.  The following Saturday, May 4 I will be in Birmingham for Art in the Village.  It is an annual show for the Mt Brook Art Association.  Two shows that I love dearly so I am hoping for clear to partly cloudy skies.

This Easter cow is painted on an 8 x 8" canvas.  Happy Easter!

a matter of time

More cotton.  I swiped this cotton from the fields next to my sister's home in north Alabama. It is so pretty when it is in bloom.  This piece is painted on a 12 x 24 x 2" canvas. sold

Come see me in Ridgeland, Mississippi at the Ridgeland Fine arts Festival this Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7, if you are in the area.  The following weekend, April 12-14, I will be in Atlanta at the Dogwood Arts Festival.  Come see!

one of those days

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This painting survived many threats today.  I was so close to scrubbing it out until my husband Dan came in and saved it. He said, "I love it."  He does not say that about everything I paint.  He is a really good critic and I mean that in a positive way.  I am a lone painter so he is my second set of eyes.  This is painted on a 15 x 30 x 2" canvas.

My upcoming shows are as follows:

Ridgeland Fine arts Festival . Jackson, MS  April 6 and 7

Dogwood Arts Festival  Atlanta, GA  April 12 - 14

Double Decker Arts Festival  Oxford, MS April 27

Art in the Village Mountain Brook, AL May 4

never going to fly

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I am gearing up for my Spring shows.  Come see me next weekend in Gulf Breeze, Fl if you are in the area.
This is painted on a 6 x 12 x 2" canvas. 

Clare's boys

This is a commissioned piece for a friend.  It is painted on a 24 x 24 x 2".  It always feels good to complete a piece that you were not so confident about during the process.

"patience"

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I am not good at photographing large pieces so I let my husband help. I thought I would get in the picture so that you could see how large it is.  This is painted on a 40 x 60 x 2" canvas.
This piece was two different paintings before the cow appeared. A different cow and then an abstract.  I did so much scrubbing and wiping that my hands were sore. It all turned out fine in the end.

My Spring shows start next weekend in Gulf Breeze, FL.  I will be at their Art Festival March 23 and 24. The rest of my schedule is as follows:
Ridgeland Arts Festival in Jackson, MS . April 6 and 7

Dogwood Arts Festival in Atlanta, GA April 12-15

Double Decker Arts Festival in Oxford, MS April 27

Art in the Village, Mt Brook, AL May 4

Hope to see you at one of my Spring shows!

please

This is a commissioned piece for a friend.  She is surprising her husband with the painting for his birthday. This pooch could throw this ball and then also fetch it.  Hours and hours of fun. This is painted on a 10 x 10 x 2" . Shih tzus hold a special place in my heart because I had one that looked much like this for thirteen years.

bound to ramble

It is looking a little like Spring out.  This is painted on a 6 x 8 x 2" canvas.sold

round the corner

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I have painted this image of this rooster many times on different shapes and sizes of canvas.  I never get tired of his curious look.  This was one of my sister and brother in law's bantam roosters.  Very small but very proud. This one is painted on an 8 x 16 x 2" canvas.

granny trio

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I am thinking and working through some things I learned last week at Anne Blair Brown's workshop in Nashville.  I needed to get out of my studio and be reminded of the basics of a good painting.  Anne is a master painter and teacher.  I was reminded of many things I need to keep in mind while painting.  She has a super video on her website if you can not make it to her workshop. " A painter's journey "

This is painted with oil on an 8 x 10 canvas.

a girl like you

I have painted this hen before but it always turns out differently.  This was done with mostly palette knife. It is painted on an 8 x 10" linen panel.

I am excited to be attending Anne Blair Brown's workshop for the next three days.  The concentration is painting interiors and still life with expressive brushwork.  She is a master of color, light and brushwork.  Yay!

sweet pink

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I am planning on painting some smaller paintings in the next few week.  I am very over due.  This is painted on a 6 x 8 x 2" canvas.  Happy Valentines Day.  Radishes look a little heart shaped.

"where ever I am"

I am preparing to do my first art show for the season.  I will be at the Fine Art Event at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, TN this Friday through Sunday.  Come see me if you are in the area. 

This piece is painted on an 8 x 16 x 2".  

Does this bird make me look fat?

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I was hoping to be playing in the snow today but the snow never happened.  This was a fun alternative. This is painted on a 36 x 36 x 2" canvas.

There are still spaces available in my March 8 and 9 workshop here in Birmingham, AL.  Email me at carolcarmike@att.net for more information.

This painting will be with me at my next show Feb 8-10 in Nashville.  I am participating in the Art Event at Lipscomb Academy.  Always love visiting Nashville.

brokenness

 This painting is an 18 x 24 x 2".

My next art show is the Art Event at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville,TN February 8 - 10. 

Email me for information about my two day workshop in Birmingham March 8 and 9. carolcarmike@att.net

no place I would rather be

It always feels good to be back in the studio after a few days away. This is painted on a 16 x 20 x 2" linen canvas.

Email me at carolcarmike@att.net for information about my upcoming workshop March 8 and 9.  I love to teach but do not get around to it very often.  The workshop will be held at Lazenby Studio in Bluff Park, AL. (Birmingham) A great space for being creative.  We could always do a field trip to my studio after the workshop for any interested.

the heart of me

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I am still searching on the canvas.  This is a large 36 x 48 x 2" canvas.   I am on a little horse jag right now. I used to be a bit intimidated about capturing their beauty.  Guess I am facing that fear. 

I would like to announce that I am planning a two day workshop here in Birmingham March 8 and 9.  I typically have them at my home studio but friends have offered their new gallery/studio space that is much bigger.  It is a wonderful space with lots of room to be creative.  We will be working on painting animals and still life with expressive brushwork, color and light.  Email me at carolcarmike@att.net for more information.  

running to what I can't see

Enough of the sheep already.  No, but this and next month are a great time of exploration for me.  I used acrylic to do a textured undercoating on this 18 x 24" canvas a couple of months ago.  I rarely use acrylic and knew I was going to use oil on the top layer. I liked the vibrancy and texture and color in the underpainting and felt like it needed something powerful to go along with that.  My work may seem a little disjointed now but I am determined to keep experimenting.
I was listening to Lauren Daigel's song "inevitable" when this title reached out to me.  She is the best!

camera shy

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This 12 x 24 x 2" lamb did not want to be photographed.  I use my i phone to photograph my work and it usually does a fair job.  Elongated canvases are the hardest.  I do not understand why and I don't really care to take the time to figure it out.  There is also a terrible glare in the picture. Some days! I probably took 25 or so pictures of this painting and never got it right.

snow day

Feels strange painting a snowy scene the last couple of days when we actually have beautiful weather outside. It is not so hard when we have our typical gloomy, cold winter days.  I am working on a body of work with this theme and color palette.  Very different from my colorful work. Not abandoning anything just changing it up for a bit. This is painted on a 20 x 24" canvas.sold

new beginning

 I have been anxious about getting back to painting the last few days.  My last month of painting was occupied by commissions. A different kind of painting for me because it has to resemble something.  I am so happy that folks want me to paint their "loved things" but I sure do miss the freedom to mess up while I am doing them.
I am pleased with the way this painting turned out.  I could keep it as loose as I liked.  It is painted on a 30 x 40 x 2" linen canvas. 
My next show is The Art Event at Lispcomb Academy February 8-10 in Nashville.  I have not been to Nashville in a while and am really looking forward to it.

Charlie

Charlie belongs to an Atlanta friend.  I met his Mom at an Atlanta art workshop with Tim Horn several years ago. We became fast friends because we were both so out of our element.  It was a plein air workshop so I mostly walked around with no clue what to do. (Not because of the lack of direction by Tim. )I finally chose to paint an old shed close to where Beth was painting. I set up my cheap French easel that Jerry's Art sent me by mistake. They told me just to keep it because it was so worthless.  Anyway, as I prepared to draw and paint the shed I promptly tipped the easel and palette on to my jeans. (It was the best work I did all weekend.) Even though I was so bad I still learned a lot that weekend from Tim.  And...I met Beth and another friend, Jenny.

Beth invited me to visit her in Colorado this past August.  Charlie went on all the hikes with us and to visit the cow pasture each morning.  He is the perfect little dog. I wanted to thank Beth for inviting me on such a fun trip.  This is painted on a 12 x 12 x 2" canvas.