"GEMSTONE 5" mixed media contemporary geologic abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Gemstone 5

This is a demo piece I did at my recent Granbury workshop.  I pretty much went all around the color wheel on this one.
For more information, click here to go to my website.

"LAVENDER SHALE" 11077, mixed media geologic abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Lavender Shale

Similar in technique to yesterday's post, this one is in a palette I don't use that much.  I love lavender, turquoise and purple, but I don't reach for those colors as much as the earth tones.

This 4x11 inch painting is mounted on a black panel for a clean, contemporary look.  Click here for more information.

"COPPER ILLUSION 2" 11086, mixed media geologic contemporary metal abstract, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Copper Illusion 2, horizontal

Copper Illusion 2, vertical

detail

This painting is going back to my geologic abstract series. What looks like copper plates is actually moulded aluminum foil painted with metallic paint to look like weathered copper.

I secured the foil to the surface with YES glue, but then added copper nails to enhance to illusion of metal being nailed to the panel.

This was a fun piece to work on.  For more information, click here to go to my website.

"ICE AGE" 9115, daily painter mixed media abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"ICE AGE"

I was talking to someone about this painting the other day.  It's hanging in the entry area of my home. She said that the image on my website really doesn't look like the painting does in person.  She was so totally correct.

I remember the trouble I had photographing this painting because it has subtle metallic sheen in some areas.  Look at the difference between the two images.  The top photo was taken with natural lighting,and the  two views below were taken in my studio under artificial light.
I bet any photographers reading this are just cringing. :-)

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

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STAY TUNED FOR AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT PRINT OPPORTUNITIES I WILL SOON BE OFFERING.

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My new book - GEOLOGIC ABSTRACTIONS

I'm really excited to introduce my newest book, GEOLOGIC ABSTRACTIONS. As most of you know, my abstract work often suggests the rocks, cliffs and canyons of the West.

This book features 15 paintings in my geo abstract series.  Although I did not write a description of the process used to create each painting, the detail closeups are revealing as to how each painting is constructed. Please let me know your comments.

I published this book through BLURB.  Creating a book of your work is an excellent way of showcasing your work for collectors and galleries.  It also is a wonderful thank you gesture to collectors who purchase any of my larger works.

Click here to go to my website.

"DIAMOND MINE" 11017 mixed media geologic abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"DIAMOND MINE"

detail

side

The composition for this geologic abstract is cruciform - the design I choose most frequently.  You can see the large amount of texture on this piece - especially the little raised cubes which have silver leaf on top of them.  I meticulously added the silver leaf adhesive with a small applicator to each cube.


This painting has a lot of metallic paint, giving it a soft glow that doesn't photograph very well.  For purchase information, click here to go to my website.

"SANDSTONE" 11005, daily painter geologic abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"SANDSTONE" 11005

"SANDSTONE" underpainting

I took a workshop yesterday.  It was about approaches to abstract expressionism.  We examined the work of three prominent artists, including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Richard Diebenkorn.

Of the three, Diebenkorn is my favorite probably because his style is the closest to the type of work I do.  We worked on raw canvas that was stapled to a firm support - masking tape covers the staples so they don't get paint on them and become harder to remove.

Above you can see the under painting, which was in warm tones analogous to the finished piece.  I scraped the painted surface with a large comb to make some parallel lines.

If you compare the random color fields of the under painting, you can see that I merely enhanced what was already there.  It was truly a case of letting the painting paint itself.

Of course, it ended up looking like a geologic abstract!  No surprise there.  I'm not putting this on my website yet because I'm not sure how I'm going to frame or mount it.  Right now it's stapled to a support and doesn't have a finished edge.

"GRAND CANYON 2," daily painter geologic abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"GRAND CANYON 2"

detail

original version

This painting (the lower version), was hanging around my studio for a couple years.  It was in a gallery for a while, and in a couple outdoor art shows.  Nobody shared my vision of a geologic abstract done with a relatively limited palette, so I jazzed it up with some purple, blue and turquoise.

I think the composition is good, so it was worth exploring more color options with this one.  For more information about this 36x36 acrylic abstract, click here to go to my website.

"ANASAZI," 10164, mixed media abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"ANASAZI" 10164

This 36x24 abstract almost went in the trash.  I kept working on it and it just seemed to get worse - see the progress photos below.  Finally, in an act of desperation, I painted over most of it with a red glaze.  That seemed to do the trick, because I like the final look.
There is aluminum and gold metal foils, and metallic acrylic paints which impart a warm glow to the painting.  Those little bits of turquoise and green complimentary colors add pizazz I think.

Day one - I added the foils and rice paper
which has a lot of straw-like fragments in it.

Day Two - adding some underpainting.

Day 3 - adding some darks.  Searching for a pleasing color scheme.

Day 4 - This was starting to look complete, but I didn't like it.  It actually looks better in this photo than it was.
This is the point I seem to get to in all my abstract work where the painting looks terrible to me and I just have to keep working on it.
I don't usually have to do something as drastic as I did on this one with the red glaze.



For purchase information, click here to go to my website.

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"GRAND CANYON 3," daily painter geologic abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"GRAND CANYON 3"

This painting is one that is worthy of a showcase spot. The companion piece to this one was purchased by the City of Lone Tree, Colorado, and hangs in the civic center. It is 48 x 24 inches, so size alone makes it an imposing piece.  The inspiration for this geologic abstract comes from the Sky Walk over the Grand Canyon.  The view is looking down into the canon.

For purchase information, click here to go to my website.

"RED PASSAGE," textured abstract geologic landscape © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"RED PASSAGE"

This highly textured geologic abstract is sold, but I have many others.   Please click here to see my website.

You may remember this work from a previous post.  I had a very busy weekend and, frankly, I'm too pooped to do something new.  I took work in Friday for a show over the weekend in Denver.  Saturday I spent the whole day teaching a workshop in Parker - FUN!  Sunday I picked up my work from the Denver show, less the 4 pieces that sold. (Yea!) Sunday night I had to type up the worksheet for my Monday morning class.  Tomorrow they are learning about using epoxy resin on their collages.

It seems that since I retired from a regular job, I'm busier than ever.  I've heard that from people before, but always thought they were exaggerating.

Well, it's true, for me at least.  When you're retired, it's hard to say no because you have the time, right?  I'm not even getting time to do the things I always thought I would do when I had the time.

Don't get me wrong.  Being asked to give workshops, teach classes, jury shows, paint commission work, give advice, prepare for exhibits, keep up with the galleries is all extremely gratifying.  It validates me as an artist.  Sometimes, however, I just want to hole up in my studio for a while and paint just for me. 

OK, enough of my pity party.  Time to get back to business.

Last Light, 10104, textured, acrylic, geologic abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

This 24x24 textured abstract is another painting inspired by the photos of my friend Sue Palmer, who, along with her partner John Moran, is touring the west in a motor home. Look for Sue's incredible photo postings on Facebook.
I had a terrible time photographing this painting because I accidentally varnished it before I took the photo. That means the surface is shiny and there's light reflections on the texture. Also, the sky across the top is painted with rose gold metallic which doesn't show well either.
For purchase information, please see my website.

Red Passage, 10103, mixed media geologic abstract

This 24x36 geologic abstract features areas of heavy texture and the sheen metal leaf. Trust me to say that the photographs sadly do not show these features at all.
My friend Sue Palmer, who is touring the west in a motorhome with her partner John, has been posting her fabulous photos of Canyonlands, Antelope Canyon, etc. on her Facebook page. Looking at her pictures of these incredible cliffs and rock formations is one of the inspirations for this painting.
For purchase information, please see my website. Note: The picture on my website is not blurry. When I enlarge a photo on my blog, it gets fuzzy.

The aspen trees near my house are all decked out in their new leaves. Each leaf is a perfect bright green circle with a little point on the bottom. The slightest air movement sends the whole tree into a quaking shimmer of new green.

New World, 10102, mixed media, geologic, abstract, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

New World, 10102, is a mixed media, textured abstract. It has metal leaf areas which (unfortunately) are totally lost in the photo. Like most of my abstract work, it is an abstracted geologic landscape. For purchase information, please see my website.

You can see what a chameleon I am. While I loved doing all the portraits, I am also incredibly drawn to abstract work. It is SO CREATIVE. There is no picture to follow. The colors and composition all come out of my head - I love that.
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MORE INTERESTING STATISTICS FROM THE 100 PORTRAITS:

31 were of men or boys
69 were of women or girls
32 were wearing glasses or sunglasses
16 were wearing hats, scarfs, and 1 turban
23 were not looking directly at the camera
1 was eating ice cream
3 had orthodontic braces
1 had a lizard on his shoulder
1 had a cigar
2 were in profile
2 had earphones
3 were more than 90 years old
100 had purple in the painting - just kidding

Please send in your vote for the last group of 91-99. Remember, please don't vote for me. On Thursday I will post all ten of the group winners and we can vote one last time for the Grand Poobah. Send your vote to carolnelsonfineart@comcast.net

Thank every one of you for your wonderful comments. I am overwhelmed with all the congratulatory messages on my blog, Daily Painters, Facebook and my website. I truly appreciate your humor and kind words.

Terra Firma 2, mixed media geologic abstract diptych, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

This commissioned diptych is sold. The client is the ideal person to work with. She has never seen my work in person, but studied all the geologic abstracts on my website very carefully. She told me the dimensions, the colors, and metals she was looking for.

She commented about what aspects of several of my previous paintings appealed to her, so I had a very good idea of what she wanted. She sent me photos of where the painting will hang. When you're dealing in abstract work, it's somewhat challenging to describe what you want in precise terms.

I did a series of bozzettos for her to pick a design that appealed to her. The final painting is actually quite close to the design she chose.

ICE AGE, 9115, geologic abstract by Carol Nelson © Carol Nelson Fine Art

This geologic abstract touches on a cool palette that I don't use very often, but I really like the combination of the blues and the browns. It is more fun than you can imagine to let the colors flow together and have complete freedom in mixing the colors as I choose. It's why these abstracts are such a kick for me.
I tried something new in coming up with this composition. I brushed on some watered down colors onto the canvas, then covered it with the clear plastic that the canvas came wrapped in (making use of something I would have discarded.)
Lifting up the edges of the plastic, I squirted in more water causing the colors to flow into the wrinkles and crevasses in the plastic. When the plastic was removed later, there was an abstract flow pattern you can see in the finished work.
As with other paintings in this series, the metal foils and areas of soft metallic sheen are not picked up well by the camera, making the original a more dynamic, exciting piece than what you see here.
For purchase information of this framed 36x24 inch painting, please see 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.

PRECIOUS METALS, 9108, metals and mixed media abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

I love doing these mixed media geologic abstracts. This one has copper, pewter, and aluminum metals and gold and copper paints and foils. With all the shiny components, it appeals to my inner crow. That shiny little purple rectangle is purple colored aluminum foil I found in an art supply store and is made by a Japanese company. LOVE IT.

I showed it to my husband, seeking his suggestions for a title. His title was SOS, meaning Same Old S__t. Did I tell you he's not an abstract kind of guy? Even so, I thought that quite rude. After 16 years of marital harmony, I have developed a thick skin and his opinions are water off a duck. Quack, quack.

If you're interested in purchasing this painting, better hurry, because I'm shipping it off to my newest gallery, The Bradley Art Gallery, in Stoughton, WI. next week. For more about my abstract work, please see my website or email me at carolnelsonfineart@comcast.net.

ANCIENT DWELLINGS, 9078, geologic, acrylic, textured abstract

This painting evolved in a tortured fashion. Believe it or not, it started out blue and green. I had to work and rework large passages of this piece. As Picasso said, "I begin with one idea and then it becomes something else."
That's the fun/fascination/frustration of working in abstract style. It took a lot of hair-pulling before this image appeared. The very beginning of this piece was the area that looks like netting with fringes which I created using burlap to create a pattern in the acrylic flexible modeling paste. I've been on a burlap kick lately because I like the less than perfect pattern of squares and rectangles it leaves in the modeling compound.
The colors are a no-brainer because these rich earth tones are my favorite. I love blues and greens also, but, when push comes to shove, the golds, oranges, and browns usually win out.
For purchase information, please see my website.

PEACOCK RIDGE, 9077, mixed media geologic abstract with copper metal accents

When I was at my last outdoor art festival a customer asked me if I could do another version of an abstract I had for sale, but in a smaller format. The painting he was looking at was RAINBOW BLUFF, 9073. Scroll down and see my post from 9/9/09. I didn't/couldn't copy that painting exactly, but you can see that PEACOCK RIDGE (16x20), has many of the same design characteristics, which is what my customer was after.
Due to the metal and metallic paints, photographing the piece was a problem. The top picture was taken outside in the shade, the side view was taken inside my studio with artificial light. The blue tones in the outside shot are a little exaggerated, while they are minimized in the inside shot. Reality lies somewhere in between.
SOLD