Flower Painting, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, Expressionist Art, Print on Canvas

I went to Biltmore Gardens a few weeks ago, and the conservatory was bursting with tulips, daffodil, hyacinth and other spring favorites.  I was so inspired!

Purchase here

This one one of three paintings I did with this color combination, a favorite of the Biltmore gardeners.

Living in Florida for 40 years, I'm am enjoying my first spring in the Blue Ridge Mountains, seeing many of the flowers I remember as a child.  I am excited to see even more as the season turns to summer.  Have my fingers crossed that I will find lilac in my neighborhood.

More to come.....thanks for ready my blog today.

Carol Schiff
www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com
www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Spring!!

Spring is really here!!

To celebrate, I decided to post some favorite reference photos.  When I think of spring, I think of flowers.......enjoy!  Feel free to use these images for your own paintings.

Passion Flower from my friends yard.

Birthday roses.

Roadside Wildflowers

Sunflower

Sunflower and Tulips

Hydrangea

Apple Blossoms


Okay!  I'm motivated!  Get ready, get set,  PAINT!!

LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK
JOIN ME ON ETSY

MY WEBSITE

MY PRINTS

MY PRINTS ON WOOD

MY ART ON HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

Hope you have a very flowery day!

Carol Schiff
www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com
www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogger.com

Just Wait

It is cold in Florida (relatively speaking of course) cold in Canada, the Northeast, the Midwest!! Yikes.  This painting evokes memories of warmth, sunshine and abundance.  Just wait it is coming.

Little Yard Big Garden

BOUGAINVILLEA AND UMBRELLA, 6X8 SOLD

While driving to the post office, I passed this charming garden spot.  The blooming bougainvillea and garden umbrella in contrasting color, caught my eye.

I so enjoy doing these small paintings.  I have little desire to do larger ones these days.  This give me instant gratification and tomorrow, I have the thrill of starting over on a new project.
Purchase here
$90

A few weeks ago, the talented Diana Marshall, from Dublin, Ireland, had a painting give-away.  She offered to do a portrait of choice for the winner, who happened to be ME!

Today I received this great painting of my grandson showing off his prize fish!  Thank you Diana, this will go directly to my grandson Kevin.

Be sure to check out Diana's blog.  Her paintings are great and her  animal portraits are fantastic, especially the cats.

Beautiful flowers of North Carolina

Last month we were enjoying our condo in North Carolina, trying to get it ready for visits from family and friends.  It is so beautiful here during at least three of the four seasons.  I have not been here in winter and cannot speak to that, although I imagine the snow covered mountains would be a sight to behold.

On this trip, there are flowers blooming everywhere.  Each morning, I set out for a walk, with my trusty camera in hand.  Come along with me.......

A garden of hosta

Calla Lily

Rose abound!

Begonia

A cute little playhouse, or maybe a gardening shed?

Sit for a moment and enjoy the scenery.

Mountains surround the area,

Who knew day lilies grown wild?

I love purple flowers.  Do you know their name?

My goal is to interpret many of these scenes in oil in the comming months

LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK
JOIN ME ON ETSY

MY WEBSITE

MY PRINTS

Thanks for reading my blog today.

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Spring in the Mountains

We have just returned home from a few weeks in the mountains of western North Carolina.  Earlier this year, we sold our second home there and replaced it with a condo in Waynesville.  We have been working hard, getting moved into the condo, painting every wall in sight and making it feel like home.

One afternoon I grabbed my camera and ran outside to capture the beautiful spring day and this is what I found.

I inherited a garden in front of our new home, and everything was coming alive at once...

Fiddleheads were popping up

Dogwood was blooming everywhere I looked in both pink.....

and white blossoms.  Tulips, lilac and azalea were everywhere and the dats were filled with the music of songbirds.

A drive to WaterRock Knob, off the Blue Ridge Parkway, showed less color at the higher elevation, but still beautiful to see.

For an Ohio girl, who has spent most of the last 50 years in Florida, it seemed all my memories of spring were spread out before my eyes.  Don't get me wrong, I truly love living in Florida, but when spring or fall calls, I head to the mountains.

Stay tuned, to see these images interpreted in oil.

Thanks for stopping by today.

LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK
JOIN ME ON ETSY

MY WEBSITE

MY PRINTS

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Bouquet

It is nearly the end of March which means spring will soon be here.  To us living in Florida spring usually means mild to warm, we are soooo spoiled.  To most of my family and friends up north it means maybe trading the down jacket for the quilted one.  No matter what kind of spring you have your thought turn to budding trees, warm winds and of course flowers.  Here is a bouquet I painted using oils on a small panel.
Donna Vines

Azores Hydrangeas, Oil Painting of Terceira Island, 10x8 by Carmen Beecher

$125, Buy Now

I lived in the Azores for several years, and the winters were wet and windy, but all that rain produced beautiful flowers like these hydrangeas. I'd love to go back someday for a visit and see if there are any donkey carts or wooden oxcarts left. The oxcarts had wood-on-wood axles and had the loudest screech as they came down the street. My son, who was two, spent the whole first month looking out the window at the horses, cows, and pigs going down the street.

Below is a photo of the beautiful fields on Terceira Island. 

Carmen

Flower Power

On Thursday I finally joined the group after many weeks away.  It was wonderful to be back in so many ways.  We were in our new space, which is so sunny and roomy.
It was my turn to lead the group and I chose to bring a set up.  I was anxious to see how it would be to paint in the new light.  I brought in a few luscious tomatoes, garlic cloves and a small bottle with a few flowers in it.  I had spend quite a bit of time the night before getting my paints ready, packing my art bag with all my supplies, deciding exactly what to bring  for the set up so, I was anxious to start painting but wanting and doing are two different things.  I spent lots of time drawing and redrawing, rubbing out and restarting but it wasn't happening.  I did finally get the bottle in the shape and size I wanted but that was it.  At first I was pretty discouraged but then I really thought about it and realized it didn't matter if I didn't paint something I considered worthwhile what mattered was that I was here with my friends and I was painting.
Here is something I did last spring while the muse was with me.



Rooftop Flowers, 8x10 Floral Oil Painting by Carmen Beecher

$99, Click to Purchase

This is the finished product from Monday's group session. I can't seem to stop painting San Miguel--it is like being there again, but without the Margaritas. 

I watched Jesus, the yard man, training bougainvillea up the wall, and the one in front of our villa had a trunk the size of a large tree. In the courtyard Jesus kept them tamed by nailing fishing line between two nails and weaving them in and out. I once asked a gardener how to best grow bougainvillea and he said, "With neglect." It's true. Put one in a vacant lot and see what happens.

In the Courtyard

San Miguel Morning, 8x6 Oil on Canvas

Click  to Purchase, $99

It seems as though I've been gone forever. First we went to Virginia, then my sister and I flew to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. There we got to experience the beauty of the city and the company of lovely people. Cindy was there also, but we didn't get to see each other, alas.

San Miguel hides many wonders behind its weathered walls and ornate old doors. Its architecture is influenced by the Spaniards, who were influenced by the Moors, so those doors frequently hide a beautiful courtyard decorated with tiles, fountains, and flowers. On my first morning there I looked down upon such a courtyard and saw this little bird posing in the warm light. I only got one painting done while there, but I did fill my journal pages.

Rooftop Garden

What's Behind Door No. 4?

The music was unbelievable. This page from my journal represents the music we heard, two different nights, completely different from each other. The music at Mi Casa was so beautiful that it reached deep into the soul.

step by step

One of the important lessons I am relearning is that a painting does not just happen.  Most painters don't stand in front of their easels, start and complete that painting at one sitting.  Even people like myself who have painted before forget this.  We are so intent on what we are doing we forget to stop everyone once in awhile, stand away from our work, see what it looks like from a distance, how it will look to others when they first see it.  Another important step we forget is to take a break once in awhile, think about what we are trying to accomplish, turn your painting if you are having trouble, see it from a different angle.
These three photos are of one painting taken at different times.  It is sort of a progression to show what I started with, then walked away from and then came back to.  The last painting is the final one, I am happiest with it and like the colors and depth.

first pass
 

try number 2

 



maybe the final one???







Even after posting these photos I see some changes I would like to make.
Donna Vines

 

Cindy's Geraniums, Small Floral Still Life, 6x8" Oil

The weather has been rather dark and gloomy lately, so today I am posting a bright and cheery painting.  I hope it brightens your day!

$95 + 6.50

I was able to enjoy these geraniums last summer while visiting my friend, Cindy, at her mountain retreat.  The scenery was stunning from her balcony and every morning the sun would strike these flowers and make them glow.  The perfect place to sit and have that morning coffee.

I almost always show my paintings in a simple black frame.  I think it really allows the colors to pop and doesn't distract from the painting.  Since I also tone my canvases in black, it adds another dimension to the painting too.  What type of frames to do use on your work?

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Add a little whimsy...

Turn the corner and smile.... Glimpse some unexpected color... Give a boost to your creative energy

Yard art is capable of providing all of the above...and even more! Why not add some whimsy to your garden...we're taking ourselves much too seriously these days. Put some color back into your life! Sometimes I think we artists believe that if we are not painting something serious and meaningful, that is is of little value. A grin and a giggle are of great value in my book and I intend to share a few more of those with my art and its attitude this coming year. Will you join me?

Flower art is just one of the more whimisical items available for sale at the PIECES OF 8 Annual Holiday Show and Sale on December 8 from 9 am until 4 pm. At just $25.00 per structure you will want to plant your own blooming garden as well as pick up several for gifts. No two flowers alike!



BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

So far I have had the delight of teaching three workshops on how to make these crazy pieces of yard art. If you think you'd like to try your hand at building your own garden, come to our show
and sign up with me to receive notice of upcoming classes. It's an opportunity to "play," it's a no-fail way to tickle your creative juices. Absolutely no prior art experience necessary. Hope to see you there!

Saturday December 8, from 9 am until 4 pm, refreshments, free raffle for gift basket, gifts and more

3532 Samuel Place Melbourne Florida for more info call 321-604-1647

Cindy Michaud