"BURNISHED" 12006, acrylic copper geologic abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Burnished

This geologic abstract has a mat that I painted with two shades of copper acrylic.  Since there is copper and gold paint in the painting, I thought it really enhanced the work.

The bevel on the mat was white.  I painted the bevel black and let the paint smudge out on to the mat a bit. It looks very much like the mat is made from copper metal.

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

"BURIED TREASURE" 12002, mixed media contemporary metallic abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Buried Treasure

This mixed media piece features multiple transparent washes over a copper-painted canvas.  The squares are wood covered with gold metallic origami foil.

The thin wood squares were flat to begin with, but became curved when they were embedded in gesso and acrylic medium.  I actually thought the curves they took on were a plus - another example of a happy accident.

Because of the metallic paints and foil, the light bounces around and gives the painting a warm glow.  It kind of reminds me of a warm fireplace.

For more information, 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.

"ASPEN LEAF SERIES 10 ," 10146 daily painter leaf collage © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"ASPEN LEAF SERIES 10"

life size detail

This is another in the aspen leaf series.  I took the photo before I put on the clear epoxy resin layer because it is easier to photograph without the shine of the epoxy.
Click here to go to my website for purchase information.

Seven Poppies, 10105. textured floral acrylic © Carol Nelson Fine Art

This 24x24 acrylic has tons of acrylic medium used to add texture to the painting. I guess it's because I see the poppies coming up in my neighbor's yard that I'm returning to my favorite floral subject. If it looks like a stained glass window, that's because I used to have a stained glass business many years ago and I thought I would emphasize that effect.
For purchase information, please see my website.

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.

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.

CITYSCAPE, 9085, mixed media abstract of city architecture

At my recent Metals and Mixed Media workshop, I worked on this abstract featuring several metallic and textural elements. I didn't have time to complete it at the workshop. As a matter of fact, it was still in the "is this going to work" stage by the end of the workshop.
As is often the case with abstract work, I looked at it with new eyes the next day, and did sufficient tweaking to it that I am now happy with the result.
The inspiration for this painting came from Karin Jurick's Different Strokes from Different Folks blog. The minute I saw her latest photo posting for the challenge, I KNEW I had to do it as an abstract. Of course the composition's the thing and there are so many different compositions you could make from this awesome photo.
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

SHINING THROUGH, 9076, geologic abstract with texture and metallic elements.

This painting was fun from the very beginning. Sometimes I struggle with composition, textures and colors, resulting in multiple revisions, but this one seemed to paint itself. I did a red underpainting beneath the large black area and left it showing through in areas. Other red areas were painted with 3 different shades of red.
The gold was a liquid metal leaf product that was brushed on. Before painting the metallic gold area, I prepared the canvas with flexible modeling compound which covers up the weave of the canvas. You get a smoother look for the metal leaf product that way. For pricing information, please see my website.

Trilogy, 9063, abstract, mixed media triptych

I loved working on this little triptych. Each piece has reflective elements in it making for a photography nightmare. The cube frames make this such a fun piece. They can be mounted on the wall, stacked on a shelf, or displayed individually.
Each cube measures 5x5x4. They are sold as a set. Please see my website for purchase information.

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My last outdoor show in Breckenridge, CO, was not as successful as I had hoped. Once again, I was plagued with the double pestilence of rain and a less than stellar turnout - probably one is a result of the other. I have lived in CO for over 30 years, and I can't recall such a wet spring and summer.
One bright spot was the camaraderie several of us exhibitors had together - good times.

Leaves 6, 9061, metal leaf abstract

Another example of my leaf series. The leaves themselves were cut out of gold embossing metal - I think it's aluminum- that I got at an art supply store. The cool thing is that the metal is gold on one side and silver on the other. The background is highly textured and the whole piece is covered with resin which gives it an "under glass" look.
I'm sorry that these photos just don't show the details very well. If I give it enough light to show the background well, the shiny leaves are overexposed.

Glitter Gluch 9036

This is another blue (more teal, actually) abstract. Because there are a lot metallic paints used, it was so difficult to photograph. The little squares are made with acrylic modeling compound that I spread over a grid pattern. After carefully lifting off the grid, I'm left with little cubes of acrylic medium which I let dry a couple days before painting.

On the tops of the cubes I put silver leaf. It was so glittery, I toned the shine down a bit with a glaze of Golden Primary Cyan fluid acrylic. This is the second time I've used Primary Cyan and it is lovely to work with - it's SO transparent - perfect for glazing. Mix it with Quinacridone Magenta fluid acrylic and you get a fantastic range of transparent hues from blue to purple.

For purchase information, please see my website.

Celebration of Blue, 9035, metal and mixed media abstract

This metals and mixed media abstract features aluminum, pewter embossing metal, blue steel cut tacks, metal brads, acrylic modeling compound and acrylic metallic paints in an abstract composition. This is another painting for the upcoming Blue show at Third Floor Gallery in Parker, CO.
I really had fun with this one and, could it be, blue just might be my new favorite color. : - )
For purchase information, please see my website.

Copper Canyon, 05008, geologic abstract

Four strips of copper run across this painting. They are scored with random vertical lines and antiqued using copper sulfate solution. The strips are held in place with glue, imbedded in the flexible modeling paste surrounding them, and tacked on the back into the stretcher bars.

I used several layers of underpainting to give depth to the final metallic finish. There are subtle details that the camera cannot capture.

For purchase information, please see my website:

http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=3851&subkeyvalue=213385&page=WorksDetail

SOLD

Golden Mantle, 04808, abstract acrylic triptych

This triptych is on 3 gallery wrapped canvases of varying widths of 8 inches, 18 inches and 24 inches. Each canvas is 24 inches in height and 1.5 inches in depth. Final demensions of the piece, not counting spacing between the canvases are 24 inches tall and 50 inches wide.

The heavy texture was achieved using flexible modeling paste and rug backing for the pattern. The metallic elements are metal leaf in gold and copper.

I think this is a really exciting piece and would complement any neutral decor.

For purchase information please see my website:

http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=3851&subkeyvalue=212194&page=WorksDetail