"Blue Invasion" abstract textured triptych © Carol Nelson Fine Art

This is a three panel triptych.  Each canvas measures 12 x 12 inches.  It can be displayed in multiple ways.  I textured the canvases heavily with stucco patch, which has a thick, gritty texture.

For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.

"POTPOURRI," 11016 mixed media collage © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"POTPOURRI 1"

POTPOURRI detail

This painting is a collection of found objects, art papers, leather, aluminum, brads, nails, and acrylic paints.  These collages are a lot of fun to make and are one of the most popular things I teach artists about in my workshops.

I always encourage artists to use a limited palette because with so many different texture materials, having all the colors closely coordinated has a unifying effect on the final piece.

For more information about this 24x7 inch painting, please click here to go to my website.

SACRED GROUND, 9114, geologic abstract by Carol Nelson © Carol Nelson Fine Art

This is another in my geologic abstract series featuring warm earth tones and metallic accents. I'm sorry the photo does not show the light reflecting off the 5 metal foil squares in the piece. If you're actually viewing the painting from various angles, the light bounces off as you move around. There are also passages having a soft metallic sheen that are also lost in photography.

I guess it's a good thing that a copy of this painting would have none of the drama the original piece has. That's another reason why I don't make giclee prints of my abstract metallic work - they just don't translate well in a print.

For purchase information on this 36x24 framed acrylic painting, please click on the title of the painting to go to my website.

GLITTER GULCH 2, 9093, textured abstract with metals and metal leaf

More squares. I don't know why I find squares recurring over and over again in my compositions. Maybe their conformity is comforting on some level. I used a rug hooking grid to create the little cubes with acrylic medium. Two colors of aluminum and one of copper were used in the metallic shapes. Of course, I always prefer earth tones for most of my work, so there is a dominance of copper, bronze, and gold tone metallic paints.
For purchase information on this 11x6 cradled abstract, please see my website.

EARTH, WIND & FIRE, 9070, acrylic abstract diptych

This abstract diptych features strong textural elements and an interplay of warm/cool vibrant colors. I like the way the neutral browns turn on the colors of the orange and blue hues. I started this painting with the grid pattern made from white acrylic modeling compound. If you look at some of my other abstract pieces, you'll see that I love squares. Don't ask me why, but they show up a lot.

I worked on other paintings while the little white squares sat quietly observing my activities. I'm not a nut case, but some times I think these incomplete paintings are watching and waiting - kind of like the ghost of our departed cat, Garfield. I swear I see his ghost out of the corner of my eye every once in a while.

But I digress. One day last week I had the urge to confront the squares and decide their destiny. I had a vague idea of using a combined warm/cool palette, but that's about it. Since the squares were in a grid pattern, a geometric design was a natural outcome. What else could one do with dozens of little white squares in a grid pattern? I threw the circles in the mix so as not to be too much of a Mondrian clone.

My husband thought I should call this "Gridlock". That is a good name, and I almost called it that, but I wanted a title that celebrated the colors. For purchase information, please see my website.

Grand Canyon, 06608, acrylic geologic diptych

If you pair Grand Canyon 1, 06308, and Grand Canyon 3, 06508, together, you get this fantastic diptych. Obviously, I wasn't thinking about a diptych when I painted the first one, or I wouldn't have ended up with such name confusion.

I also messed myself up by entering Grand Canyon 1 in a competition. I NOW want to sell these as a diptych, but if the first one sells on it's own, I guess I'll have to paint it again to complete the diptych. : - (

For purchase information, please see my website:

http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=3851&subkeyvalue=227306&page=WorksDetail

Grand Canyon 2, 06408, acrylic geologic abstract

This is another of my geological abstracts. This painting has a textured surface and multiple glazes of color for a rich, interesting surface. Painted on gallery wrap Signature canvas, it arrives ready to hang.

For purchase information, please see my website at:

http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=3851&subkeyvalue=224376&page=WorksDetail

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.

For purchase information, please see my website:http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=3851&subkeyvalue=183268&page=WorksDetail

Mini Abstracts - Simple Elegance 3

My husband hates my abstracts. He likes to be able to "see something". I think abstracts appeal to people who like pleasing design/composition. They like the way the space is divided and are attracted to colors and textures in the piece. I also like to have a strong geometric element in most of my abstracts. When I see abstract paintings that are just swirls of color, I often wish there were a few straight lines, or squares, or rectangles somewhere. As they say....different strokes for different folks.

SOLD

Mini Abstracts - Simple Elegance 2

Working with aluminum is problematic. I bought it at Home Depot where it is sold as flashing. It is very thin, so I can easily cut it with an ordinary scissors. They have heavier aluminum and tin that you need a tin snips for, but that would be too hard to work with in this context. The leather I bought at a craft store. It comes in every color and is beautiful to work with.

As with all my abstracts, I don't know what it will look like when I start out arranging the different materials - that's the fun of it!

SOLD

Mini Abstracts - Simple Elegance 1

I have been absent from my postings for a couple weeks. I had (still have, but better) a sinus infection that wiped me out. Couldn't even paint. Total veg. Anyhow, the past couple days I could work on a few paintings for short periods before I had to collapse.

Continuing with my small size paintings, I wanted to try some an abstract theme. These paintings are 6x6 and use aluminum, leather, and acrylic paints.

SOLD