Brightens Up the Room

Click Here to Bid - 10x10in. - oil on panel

Ok, this is the last rose painting for now. Also featuring a new metal pitcher I got on ebay. Very simple but I think it adds a lot.

Converging on Red

 

Click Here to Purchase - $400 - 10x10in. - oil on panel

A while ago I saw an add for some cadmium-free paints (red & yellow) from Utrecht. I figured there would be compromises, but I finally bought some small tubes to try out. And after using them a few months, I am genuinely impressed! They are just as saturated as my cadmiums, and I can't see any chalkiness or other problems in any of my mixes. And if I can be just a little safer with my paint, I'm all for it.

Have any of you tried them? I'd love to hear what you think. (btw, I am not sponsored by Utrecht)

The Busker's Dog

 

Click Here to Buy for $400 - 10x10in. - oil on panel

This is a slightly larger piece I did recently of a scene I came across last year in Freiburg, Germany. There were quite a few small, awkward things happening in the reference photos, and I used my ipad and an art app to try out alternatives before and while I was painting. For example, the guy on the left was standing right at the edge of the ground shadow, so I moved him forward a little, which involved changing the shadow on his shoes, among other things. I thought the painting would be about the buskers, but when my husband saw it he said it was about the dog. Which, in hindsight, is perfectly obvious.

Ryan

NFS - 10x10in. - Oil - "Ryan"

This is Ryan, the brother of Rietta (from the last portrait I posted). He is 9 and was a little harder to photograph because he was constantly moving. I got probably 20 good shots of his sister for every one of him. Haha! Such a boy. : )

WORKSHOP UPDATE - I didn't do a great job explaining the workshop I'm doing next year. For one thing I forgot to say where - it'll be in Portland, OR. And I should have said - the link to sign up won't be active until Aug 10 at 10 am PDT. I will post a reminder on the 9th. If you would like an email sent to you the day before, with a link, just email me (me@carolmarine.com) and I'll make that happen.

Rietta

 

NFS - 10x10in. - oil - Rietta

Recently I have been borrowing kids from my friends. I have found GREAT joy in painting them! More on that later. For now, I have a

WORKSHOP PRE-ANNOUNCEMENT!

One week from now, on August 10th at 10am PDT, (note the time zone!) if you're interested, you can sign up for a workshop that will happen next year, July 11-14, 2024. Here's the official description:

In this workshop we will be focusing on the fundamentals of still life painting, in a small format, using oil (acrylic or gouache also ok). My teaching philosophy is: say it, show it, and then you try it; repeat. Towards that end I'll be demoing daily and talking about how and why I do what I do, and then helping as you paint. We will do fun exercises that include ten-minute-apples and "one stroke" paintings. These will help you jump-start a potential daily practice (a great way to improve!) and take a step away from fussy, lifeless paintings. If you want to paint poems rather than dissertations, this workshop is for you!

SIGN UP HERE

Eat the Apple

 

Click Here to Bid (starts at $1) - 10x10in. - oil - "Eat the Apple"

This is the second experiment from my "Just Try Sh*t: Composition" ArtByte (online tutorial). To review: I copied a painting with a composition I liked, then set up and painted my own composition using what I had learned. This was my second try, and I'm quite happy with it. I was trying for a more unusual composition than what I normally do, and a more sketchy style.

Protect the Apple

 

Click Here to Bid (starts at $1) - 10x10 - oil - "Protect the Apple"

This was one of my experiments for the online tutorials (ArtBytes) that I released a couple of months ago called Just Try Sh*t! This was for the last exercise in the Just Try Sh*t: Composition tutorial, where I copy a painting with a composition I admire, and then do my own using whatever a took away from that copy. This was my own (after the copy), or at least my first attempt. I ended up trying a second time, and created a video of it. I'll post that version soon. I am putting these both in auction starting at $1, seeing as they were experiments.

Salt the Tomatoes

 

Buy Now - $250 - 10x10in. - oil - "Salt the Tomatoes"

Lately I've been working on portraits, and need room on my shelves for new paintings. So I'm looking to find homes for a few that have been hanging around for various reasons. This is one I did as a study for a larger painting a while back. I'm not sure why I kept it, except that I like it.

Orange You Lemon Lime?

 

Click Here to Bid - 10x10in. - starts at $200

This week I am a guest co-host for the #foodpaintchallenge on Instagram!

The idea is - I post a photograph of a still life setup that includes food, and then anyone who is interested can paint it and post their results. Yes, you have my full permission to paint from my photo. : )

If you participate be sure to tag the hosts  @alaiganuza, @dennispfeil.art and @carolmarine in the description so we can see your submission.

Have fun!

Sneaking Away

Click Here to Buy ($400 - 10x10in. - OIL)

As I set this one up, the strawberries just seemed to want to sneak away. Although I think the cup was complicit. The fork definitely suspected something, but the knife was taking a nap.

Apple Preschool

Click Here to Buy ($400 - 10x10in. - OIL)

When I do a painting I really like, it tends to hang out in my studio a little longer than average. This isn't a conscious decision on my part - I guess I just enjoy seeing it so it goes unlisted a while. This is one of those, from back in my tiny apple days.

The Procession

 

Click Here to BUY (10x10in. - OIL - $400)

I forgot I had this one last apple painting sitting over on my big shelves. It's a 10x10in vs. the little 6x6's I've been doing. I know, huge! This one was quite a challenge. Each apple is in different light, and two are partly behind blue glass. Actually, I'm quite proud of that top apple - it took several tries to get the bottom half to look right, but it finally happened. Oh, also, I got the tiny little yellow shot glass recently at Goodwill. This is it's debut role.

Teacher's Spot

 

Click Here to BUY (10x10in. - OIL - $400)

I mentioned the other day that I used my ipad and Procreate to try out some possibilities for "fixing" a painting before doing it for real, and what a useful tool that was. Someone asked if there are any other art apps I like that aren't specifically for Apple. Yes! Perhaps my favorite so far is Infinite Painter. I also like Artrage. Heavy Paint was recommended to me but (while the name seemed promising) doesn't seem as intuitive for someone coming from natural media. I also have a few of the Adobe apps. Please let me know if you'd be interested in hearing what has been useful (and frustrating) about each one for me.

Cups Bouncing Color

 

sold. (10x10in. - OIL - $400)

A few months ago I decided to quit painting the little, 6x6in still lifes (after 14 years of mostly that). At the time I thought I might be done with still life altogether. But after a few weeks it called to me again and in doing some experiments I realized it was the SIZE I was feeling constrained by. Back in 2006 my compositions were simple - often just one object (see example to the right). But as the years passed I got more ambitious, and it became harder and harder to FIT what I wanted into six-by-six-measly-inches. 

This one of cups isn't a whole LOT bigger, but let me tell you, it makes a big difference in my experience of painting it. And I feel a whole new world of composition possibilities has opened. Which makes me happy. And that's exactly what I was looking to rediscover - the joy.