SPRING ETERNAL II, 03708, 24x48 red tulip painting

I TOLD you I love painting this red/purple combination. LOL. Actually, I've had enough of it for now. I enjoyed painting that little version of this bouquet so much (see earlier post from April 20th), that I decided to try it on a grand scale.

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SYNERGY, 03608, acrylic abstract triptych

Here's another painting on multiple canvases. The three canvases work synergistically (see title) to create the whole. Each canvas measures 8x24x1.5. As usual, I have a lot of texture going on in this painting. There are red and gold metallic elements that don't photograph very well. The painting looks much better in person.

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Split Personalities

The May, 2008, edition of Southwest Art has an article entitled Split Personalities. Sub title: Some of today's top artists divide their time between realism and abstraction. This article fits me to a T (I don't know why they didn't feature me in their story....lol).

I have always struggled with style, meaning do I paint realistically, impressionistically, or abstractly? For me, it's whatever creative muse moves me at the moment. I bounce back and forth between realism and abstraction. I used to consider that a negative, but I can't help it, so now I choose to consider this a profound positive.

Experimentation is the key. Let the creativity FLOW. I do admit, however, that I am subject to "operant conditioning." I read about operant conditioning in Robert Genn's weekly newsletter (http://www.thepainterskeys.com/). I saved his article from 11/29/07 because I thought it applied to me. Operant conditioning means the consequences or outcome predicts future actions. Actually, it applies to all species of animals. If you get a favorable result, you're probably going to repeat the action.

My gallery told me a large horse painting of mine sold yesterday. So, immediately, I start researching a future horse painting. If it had been a landscape, or floral, or abstract, I would be pulled in that direction. This is how artists become stuck in stylistic ruts. "Success breeds sterility" as Picasso said.

My point on this rather lengthy rant, it that I feel empowered by my versatility. I will continue exploring different artistic styles. Maybe, some day, there will be such a demand for my (floral, abstract, landscape, animal - choose one) paintings that I will have to limit my efforts to one area, but I doubt that would ever happen. Meanwhile, I'll just continue my split personality.

POND SERIES VII, textured acrylic of golden aspen leaves

This is a revision of an earlier painting. The whole Pond Series featured flowing free-form backgrounds with sculpted aspen leaves "floating" on the surface. Previously, the background on the upper left was very dark. I wanted to keep it rich looking, but lightened it up with some more purple/green. I also toned down the orange. The leaves are sculpted with acrylic medium and then painted with metallic gold and bronze.

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SPRING ETERNAL, 03508, acylic triptych of red tulips

Tulips are blooming in my neighborhood, so I was inspired to paint this bouquet again. I am so attracted to the red/purple combination.

This painting is on three 5x7 gallery wrap canvases, another example of using multiple canvases for one painting. If you click on the image to enlarge it, you'll see that I left white canvas showing in some areas on the edges of the flowers. Sometimes I used white paint. These little touches of white add sparkle to the painting. Every now and then, when I complete a painting, I KNOW I NAILED IT. If I never sell this painting I'll be happy to keep it.

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KUNG PAO, 03408, acrylic abstract painting

A favorite of mine in a Chinese restaurant is something with kung pao in the name. I love hot and spicy szechuan cuisine. That was the inspiration for this multilayered textured abstract.

I used gloss medium & varnish (by Liquitex) for the squiggle shape. This product can be used as a finishing varnish on acrylic paintings or as an isolation coat. What is an isolation coat, you ask? An isolation coat usually goes on a finished painting before the final varnish is applied, the idea being that conservators can remove varnish down to the isolation coat and the underlying paint layers would be protected. In the way I used it here, it is like a transparent window to the surface on which you apply it, the white panel I started with.

I also used micaceous iron oxide (by Golden) for the dark grey areas. MIO is actually used as a ground for pastels, but I like its visual characteristics - it is matte, yet has little sparkles - for my acrylic abstracts. Click on the painting for a close up view.

For purchase information, please see my website: http://carolnelsonfineart.com/works/185927

POPPY TRIPTYCH, 03308, acrylic floral painting on 3 canvases

I like experimenting with multiple canvases. I've done many diptych, triptych, and even quadtych paintings. This is the same floral reference photo I used for Poppy Quadtych posted a couple weeks ago.

If you look carefully, each flower is outlined in yellow-gold. I left a white boarder around each flower, then the final step was to paint the boarder with quinacridone gold acrylic paint (Golden brand.) I love that tube of q. gold. It'l like sunshine in a tube. It's so transparent, it only shows on the white areas.

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CITY RHYTHM 1, 03108, acrylic abstract cityscape

There's a lot going on in this painting. Acrylic modeling paste was pressed with a grid pattern. The upper right section has micaceous iron oxide added for texture. Multiple layers of acrylic paints were applied for added depth and richness.

The grid pattern reminded me of the street layout in downtown Denver. One quadrant is at a 45 degree angle, making getting anywhere a challenge. At least you always know which direction is West because you can see the mountains.

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COPPER ILLUSION, 24x48 mixed media abstract

This abstract has a geological feel to it, as many of my abstracts do. I used acrylic modeling paste to build up the copper colored elements and create additional surface texture on the canvas.

The first photo shows the canvas with the modeling compound applied. I like to add color to the modeling compound so I can see it better against the white canvas. There is also a small concept sketch where I was working out the composition. It's surprising to me how much the finished painting looks like the sketch.

The copper areas have metal leaf applied. The copper leaf was then carefully treated with copper sulfate solution to create an authentic black patina on the metal. The rest of the painting was done with artist quality acrylic paint (Golden brand) on gallery wrap canvas.

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NEW WORLD, 30x30 mixed media abstract,02908

The exciting thing about working on nonrepresentational paintings is that you're never really sure how they're going to turn out. This painting was such a dud, but I kept messing with it. I had it on the floor using a blow dryer to move the wet paint around when I saw it turned 90 degrees from the way I thought it was going to be. VOILA! All of a sudden, I saw how it should be.

On this painting, I started with an undercoat of metallic bronze. Then I used FLEXIBLE MODELING PASTE by Liquitex to add texture. I just discovered this product yesterday. Previously I had been mixing heavy gel and modeling paste. This modeling paste is designed for flexible surfaces, e.g. canvas, so no more mixing in the heavy gel for flexibility. Let dry overnight.

On the textured areas, I added multicolor gold leaf. To calm down the shinyness, I wiped on some burnt umber fluid acrylic, then lifted it with alcohol where I wanted more gold to show.

Added a few touches of copper fluid acrylic, and done. I really like how this turned out.

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MORNING ON CLEAR CREEK, 02908, 16x20 oil painting of river in winter

Another painting of Clear Creek as it runs through Golden, CO. In the winter, the scene is one of quiet solitude. In the summer, on the other hand, the river is alive with tubers, kayackers, and folks enjoying the rushing water.

The reference photo I shot for this scene was taken in the afternoon, so I had to "imagine" what the scene would be like at dawn. As you can see, I simplified and rearranged some of the elements in the photo to get a good composition. That is one advantage that artists have over photographers. Artists can IMPROVE on Mother Nature!

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RED POPPY QUADTYCH, 02808

This painting is on four 12x12x2 inch canvases. The 2 inch depth makes for a dramatic wall presence. The flowers are heavily textured with a mixture of acrylic heavy gel and modeling paste.
The ribbon around the edges is painted with gold metallic acrylic and the center background is painted with bronze metallic. These metallic touches are highly transparent and are only visible as the light glances off as you walk by the painting.
For a tutorial on how I add texture to an acrylic painting, see this earlier post from this blog:http://carolnelsonfineart.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html
For purchase information on this painting, please see my website: http://carolnelsonfineart.com/works/182245

QUAD POPPIES, 02608, poppy quadtych

One way to transfer a complex picture to your canvas is to draw a grid over the reference picture and a matching or proportionate grid on your canvas. Then each little square in the grid becomes a tiny abstract which is easy to replicate.

This gave me the idea for creating this quadtych. What started out as a single reference photo of poppies was drawn on four 5x5 gallery wrap canvases. I think the total effect is charming and a visual treat. It's been a long winter, and I'm ready for some flowers!

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SUNFLOWERS 2, 02308, 6x6 oil painting of sunflower bouquet

A friend came over and saw this painting sitting on it's little easel and thought it was so attractive. I think that displaying these 6x6 paintings on their own miniature easel is a great way to show them. They attract more attention when used as a small decorative accent than when hanging on a wall.
For purchase information, please click on this link to the works section of my website: http://carolnelsonfineart.com/works/180273