I gave this Zebra a blue-green eye, intending to darken it; but somehow, I decided I like the dramatic look of it and the contrast it brings with the background. Imagine the light and reflection capturing her eye, and there you have it!
This 8" x 8" watercolor was created with Winsor Newton paint on Arches 140 CP paper...
This has been an entirely entertaining project, lots of softening edges, darkening stripes and the mane to go! I'm sure i'll find other tweaks along the way. Thanks for looking!
The chickadee is one of my favorite, little passerines. I've painted quite a number of the little guys.
I've never done anything like this before, but i like the way it looks.
Happy New Year's Day everyone! Wishing you a blessed 2012
thank you for lookin'!
This 14 X 18 Red Tail Hawk has been a WIP, an eventual gift for my son. It's been sitting around for a year! This week i decided to take the bull by the horns and get it done It will be finished tonite, so i'll try to remember to repost the completed project I'm real pleased with it!
Happy New Year &thanks for looking!
Here's to a Happy and Peaceful Thanksgiving weekend to all of my friends and visitors!
Thank you for looking!
Thank you for looking!
ACEO's - 2.5" x 3.5" paintings
I'm starting early painting my whimsical snowman for the holiday and winter season. Here are two cheerful trios of snowmen.
Thank you for looking!
It's been ages since i've finished a painting, but currently revving up and getting back into the swing of things!
Thank you for looking!
I've taken a few days to put down the paint brushes and wander around. Most of my time has been spent at the beach, for hours on end, daily! It's peaceful and serene (a bit cold too!)
When we spend too much time ruminating life's rocky road, we metaphorically get our feet stuck in the cement, which is why i've only taken a few days to do it! Now to refocus on me, my goals and dreams, and learn to live in the moment.
This is where i let my thoughts float out to sea. Beautiful place!
Yesterday morning i was told there were white pelicans busily hunting at low tide along the north San Francisco bay shoreline. So i raced over there to get some pictures but it was too late! They had moved on.
I came home sorry to have missed them, so i decided to recreate a painting i did some time ago. A 6" x 8", watercolor and archival ink on Arches.
I started this fairy painting quite some time ago. Last year before Christmas? I was happy to run across her the other day, and decided to give her some life.
This is a 10" x 8" miniature mixed media painting -- watercolors and archival inks (black and gold). This baby fairy has brilliant blue-green eyes, with pretty gold flecks. Her blonde hair is highlighted with gold ink, which stands out nicely on her magenta wings.
One of the loves of my life - the chickadee.
I sure wish i could get more painting done! I must have late spring fever.
If I couldn't see out the window, i'd know it was summer. Most people are getting out and enjoying what Mother Nature provides, instead of blogging.
I stumbled across this image today while taking a painting break -- i painted this woodland fairy (16" x 20") for my daughter-in-law a couple of years ago. It's very similar to a painting i saw elsewhere, and although i had kept the artist's name for reference, i'll be darned if i can find it! Needless to say this painting is not for sale.
Last night, it occurred to me that while i was working on several different paintings at once, i could fix the Blooper Grosbeak, and did... he survived a good scrubbing in the lower right. I've also painted another of my beloved Nuthatches (4"x 6"). Quick but fun.
I am visiting a friend today who is currently attending to her beautiful grandchild.... As i sit here in the midst of waiting (i don't mind), thought i'd create a post, and also paste a few lines from the Imagine A Woman poem, below.
Click on Imagine A Woman below the paintings to read the poem. It offers the comfort of self and is deeply inspirational to me. The first time i read this poem, i thought of the many, lovely women i have known throughout my life... and then i thought of me. I urge you to think of yourself, and the wonderful woman you are!
Thank you for lookin!
My life is still for the birds over here. Pictured in this post are ACEOs which i've completed in-between working on a couple of commissions. I switch back and forth for a change of pace... my commission is two Mangrove Warblers. They are yellow birds, but the colors are tricky. I see so many hints of olive and brown in their coloring (and hints of blue, no less!), so i'm taking my time getting them as true to color as possible. The paintings will be a gift to a college professor who has spent 30 years studying this particular bird, so i want to do a great job!
I'm feeling sentimental today, and thinking about all the wonderful followers i have here, and those folks who purchase my art. I can't thank everyone enough.
Lately, i've received so many thoughtful emails and messages from my buyers. So often, people take the time to let me know how much they appreciate my art and express happiness in owning my paintings. I never really stopped to think about the true joy others experience from their art collections. For many, it carries such meaning that they stop and write to me about it! I love it when that happens!
It's a true gift knowing that my artwork is amidst collections all over the world. Over the past few years, I have shipped paintings throughout the USA, to Sweden, Belgium, the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Brazil.
I feel humbled, and fortunate. Thank you, everyone, from the bottom of my heart!
On a different note, i have the worst time getting images in blue to look like the original paintings. I suppose it's time to do some research. Below is a recent ACEO Indigo Bunting i painted, which doesn't begin to show the true richness of color or painting's detail whatsoever (someone bought it anyway!)... i really loved this painting "in person".
It's been a busy week in many ways, but still manged as much painting as i could stuff in. I've been enjoying it. Below are ACEOs -- an Eastern Towhee and Song Sparrow.
I grew up in Ohio, where Mom filled her bird feeders every day, without fail, for 28 years. I remember these non-migrating, ground-feeding Towhees were a bit reclusive and not that into backyard bird-feeding stations, or humans. I imagined them observing the flutter of varied and sundry birds in Mom's yard over the years and gradually curiosity overcame resistance; hence the Towhees finally flew in to see what the fuss was all about!
From that day forward, these lovely birds continued to visit, always scouring for some sort of morsel in area under the shrubs-- and several yards away from the bird feeder. The area was conveniently below the kitchen picture window, which gave Mom and I our own birds-eye-view! I'll always remember how the contrast of Towhees in a snow-covered world was especially striking!
My Towhee ACEO is up for auction at a starting price of 99 cents today. One of my bidders wrote to tell me it was her husband's favorite birds. I love painting favorites!
I recently had giclee prints made of many of my 2011 paintings. I am pleased with them and am peddling them, as you can see (new booth at Bonanza Widget in right frame). They are also listed in auction format on Ebay. Very reasonably!
....thank you for visiting my blog today! I appreciate all my friends here, and the collectors all over the world who have made it a pleasure to continue painting. You are my greatest inspiration!
Original ACEO 2.5" x 3.5" Watercolors
by carolynn mcdade
I was actually getting organized today, and came across this sea turtle painting which i must have started last year. I thought he was rather handsome, and finished him this afternoon.
So many sea turtles (as well as other marine life) are threatened daily by the great trash heaps floating around our oceans. Plastic items mistaken for jellyfish, are ingested by sea turtles causing bowel obstruction and impaction resulting in death.
We can all play a role to stop using the oceans as trash heaps... be gentle with Mother Earth and her Creatures.....consider recycle and reuse!
