Little Hikers, 8x10 Oil on Canvas by Carmen Beecher

Click to Purchase

These little girls were intently looking at a turtle in the Silver River at Silver Springs State Park, Florida. With so much of Florida's environment harmed by growth, abuse, and mismanagement, it is very heartening to see pristine beauty well-cared for by the conscientious rangers at this park.

Carmen

Daily Painting, "Waves", Seascape, 6x8", Oil, SOLD

I enjoy trying to capture the feel of the surf rushing to shore on my canvas.

The ocean seems to have a different character and color each time I visit.  This is the east coast of Florida, while California is much more rugged and has a deep rich blue hue.

I like to use my daily paintings very informally in my home.  Just prop them up where ever the mood strikes! No frame necessary!
 


Purchase here
SOLD

Daily Painting Seascape in Oil, 4x12" "Tropical Waters" SOLD

I love to do seascapes, especially with a palette knife, as it allows me to use plenty of texture.  I  like working with the ocean, it seems like a different place minute by minute.

How cool to have all this texture and all these shades of blue, aqua and green.

Being an artist is a good thing....I am very grateful.

Have a wonderful day!

Purchase here
SOLD

Daily Painting, Floral, "Red Hibiscus" 6x8" SOLD

Hibiscus is one of my favorite flowers.  They are very tropical, hula girls always have them behind their ears, and they come in a variety of colors and sizes.

Purchase here
SOLD

This is a common type that I found planted behind the Eau Gallie Library.  I went there early one morning on a photo shoot, looking for stray pelicans and egrets that usually hand around the fishing pier behind the library.  No birds in sight.....also no fishermen.  I was just about to drive away when I noticed the flowers, turned to the morning light.

So, it was not a wasted trip after all.  It is always a wonderful feeling to be out in nature in the morning stillness.

I am trying to get my art to Times Square...you can help.  Just click here and click on the "collect" button at the top of the page!

Happy Weekend!

Daily Painting Seascape in Oil, 4x12" "Tropical Waters" SOLD

I love to do seascapes, especially with a palette knife, as it allows me to use plenty of texture.  I  like working with the ocean, it seems like a different place minute by minute.

How cool to have all this texture and all these shades of blue, aqua and green.

Being an artist is a good thing....I am very grateful.

Have a wonderful day!

Purchase here
SOLD

Daily Painting | Abstract Painting | Small Oil Painting | Wishful Thinking by Carol Schiff | 14x11" SOLD

Well, it has happened again.........I had the urge to try my hand at abstract again.

SOLD

I was determined to do a mixed media  abstract, get out my many Golden mediums, and just have a fun day playing.  Kind of like kindergarten.  Why did I think that?

Don't I know that mixed media abstract is one of the most stressful things I can try?  Why don't I remember that my mind goes blank, that I'm not one of those people that can stand in front of a blank canvas and pick up a brush without a plan?

Why do I always think, this time it will be different?

Well it wasn't.  I worked at least 4, maybe 5 hours with my Golden mediums, getting the texture just right, carefully choosing the acrylic colors, blah, blah, blah.  It was a mess.

The next day, I sanded down as much as I could,  turned to my beloved oils, and ended up with this result.  Something I can live with.  Something that might give me a tad more confidence the next time I decide to do an abstract.  Something that I really kind of ........ like.  NEVER GIVE UP!!



www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com
www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com

Raffle winner!!

The lucky winner of the raffle was Kim Zelna of Melbourne.  When I emailed her to tell her she had won, she replied that she was really surprised and very happy.  I stopped by today to deliver her gift basket and as you can see she was not the only one who was excited, in fact her furry friend was so excited that posing was out of the question and Kim was very gracious to let me snap this photo and post it

Kim Zelna
 

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by and made the day so much fun.  For many of us this is the only chance we get to chat with old and new friends.  Your input and support is so important to all of us.


 


When is a birdhouse not a birdhouse?

I know many of you have asked yourself this very, same question and now you don't  have to wait until our annual sale, Dec. 7 to find out. The answer is "When it is a birdbarn".
 Now who says a bird has to live in a house? You might run across a real country bird who remembers seeing those wonderful old barns along those wonderful old back roads as he was flying south. How would anyone way out in farm country have ever known when the circus was in town or about all the wonderful sights, natural and man made along magical, mythical Route 66?
I know you will all enjoy our wonderful, unique birdhouse projects but there is much more than that at our sale. There is something for everyone from something to sit on to something to wear.
See you Saturday Dec. 7, 9-4 at Carol Schiff's house.  See the website for a map.
Donna Vines

Dragonflower, 20x20 Oil Painting by Carmen Beecher

I have posted so many small paintings in my blog and my Etsy shop, and I suddenly got the urge to paint something big and flowery. I have taken lots of pictures of my Cereus blooms, which are supposed to ultimately become Dragonfruit, but mine fall short of that achievement.

I like the glow of light coming through the flowers. I got the background by mixing Pthalo Green and Alizarin Crimson, and I like the intensity of that, but I seem to wear Pthalo Green for days. It seems to have mysterious properties enabling it to jump all over me and my clothes.

PURCHASE

Amish laundry

Going to Amish country was like going back in time in many ways. One of the things that really brought a smile to my face and the smell of clean, slightly damp clothes to my nostrils was seeing laundry hanging on the line. I have not smelled that smell for more years than I can count and yet as soon as I saw a clothesline full of clean clothes my olfactory light bulb lit up like a Christmas tree. They say that smell is the best inducer of a memory and I believe it.
I took several shot of hanging laundry and did this painting at group yesterday. I have done several paintings like this in the past and for some reason I really enjoy it. I hope you do.

Donna Vines

Amish Laundry
 

Trees

After doing some more experiments from the Carol Nelson workshop I decided to put all of my paraphernalia away for awhile and go back to oils. As much as I enjoy all the techniques I have learned I feel I need a break from all the choices and just get back to basics for awhile.
The last thing I worked on, but have not quite finished, is a tree collage. I used some of the red resin paper treated with the rust activator and some collage papers I had. Originally I used the rust paper with the imprint to represent soil and some colorful collage papers as the foliage. As I was working on it I dropped it onto the floor and saw it from a different angle. It now looked like Fall, with all the colorful leaves on the ground and the dead foliage still on the trees. Hmmm, you decide.

Spring?

 



Fall?

Donna Vines

Walkin' in Memphis

We just returned from Memphis, where we had a great time with our family. We went downtown to Beale Street, visited Sun Studio where Elvis did his first recording, and ate at Gus's Fried Chicken. I recorded it all in my sketch journal.

Elvis Statue, Beale Street

Gus's Fried Chicken

We also went to the Natchez Trace Parkway, which we really love. What a beautiful drive that is, very scenic and peaceful. It goes from Nashville to Natchez.

Natchez Trace Parkway

This is my small oil painting of the Natchez Trace. See the traffic? That's one reason I like it.

Posted by Carmen Beecher

Maine Wave, 8x10 Oil by Carmen Beecher

This is an original oil painting on canvas board, and will be on sale at the Pieces of 8 Studio Sale on December 8.  This was from a walk on the very path where Winslow Homer painted in Prouts Neck, Maine.

I will be demonstrating oil painting at the sale. We will have refreshments, a big drawing for a prize, and many gift items at affordable prices. There will be jewelry, books, paintings, pottery, art supplies, garden art and a poetry corner. Hours are 9 to 4. Address: 3532 Samuel Place, Melbourne. Watch for our signs with the Pieces of 8 logo.

You will be amazed at the variety of talents found within our group of accomplished women!

posted by Carmen Beecher

CheeeeseCake: Unfinished!

See why I am not a "Daily Painter?" I can't seem to finish something to my satisfaction in one day!  This breakfast is not done..."Unfinished Cheesecake" is the title and it applies in several ways.  There are some good juicy parts and some, frankly, lousy stuff...but all in good time....the foundation is good and I promise you, it will be completed and look good enough to finish, I mean, eat.  But not all in one day....
see, I am just too easily distracted by the fine details of the rough edge of the pie...I must have painted that part at least 1000 times...none to my satisfaction and when I had a depth of about 1/2" of wet paint, I'd scrape it off and start over again.  Frankly I began to look around the studio for something else to paint on (I love to go back and forth between pieces) and since I took this oath to do one a day....nothing was begging to be completed.

So...I took the dog for a long walk, she chased ducks and geese while I photographed them; she got her feet wet while I snapped future paintings of waterfalls and rocks, then we got an icecream cone and came home to work on the wonky fork......

I'll finish (and post) the cheesecake (it is 10 x 10) but tomorrow I am NOT painting my breakfast and I WILL BE painting on 2 or more pieces at the same time.  Geeze, I thought I had it in me but we are not all created equal.

My highest respect and best wishes to Carol and Carmen who have successfully become "daily painters" in several forums, hats off to you both!  To those who followed my sweat, take a look at the daily painters links....it's a whole new genre.......

Later,
Cindy

p.s. this is not to say that I might not re-challenge myself with this gig....maybe pastels and maybe all 5 x 7's...? we'll see, as always: stay tuned!

Today's Breakfast Painting

Whew!  Nothing fast nor simple about today's breakfast painting...I think I finished it at about 4 pm...still see a few things it needs but hey, it met the daily deadline.  And, truth be known, when I finally declared it done, the peaches did not look as appetizing as they did at 7:30 in the morn.  Good thing I opted to sneak in a little cereal.

The morning light on the deck here is wonderful and makes nice shadows...I remembered to take a photo as there was no way the rising sun was going to sit still for me while I struggled with the colors of the peaches.  This was actually fun to paint once I forgot that they were peaches and just concentrated on (all together now:) "shapes."  Kinda slipped into a trance...

So here's the photo of the day...sans the "extra touches."  Remember, this is all about doing four in a row...since I laid awake last night worried about what I might gather up that qualified as breakfast for today, I have already made my decision for tomorrow: cheesecake!  Not your mamma's breakfast I know but I have a fun piece to paint and maybe if I eat a corner after it is painted it can then qualify as my morning meal.

So enjoy....if tomorrow goes well I might decide to make it five out of five!!  Still haven't done the cereal...
Cheers,
Cindy
p.s. they are getting bigger: this is 8 x 8