Monday, January 30, 2012

The Original Blizzard

Hi Everyone,
"The Original Blizzard" original watercolor on paper by Carrie Waller BID NOW

The theme this month for the Cook-Waller challenge was "winter".  Now living in the South that word doesn't have the impact that it does in other areas of the country,  so it took a little thinking.  My brother was in town over the holidays and I asked him what word comes to mind when I say winter and he immediately said blizzard.  I responded, "The only blizzard you're going to get around here is at Dairy Queen".  So there you have it the answer to my challenge:)  It is after all "the original blizzard" it says so right on the cup!  My painting is up for auction through DPW.

"The Storm Breaks" original watercolor on paper by Crystal Cook 6"x6"
Crystal had a different approach, living in Utah, I would expect she sees a little more of this than a DQ blizzard.  She answered the challenge with a beautiful landscape, which is a departure for her.  I think it is beautiful and dramatic and I love her sky. Check out her blog here.



"Tall Drink of Water" original watercolor on paper by Carrie Waller 20" x 35"
I also put the finishing touches on my painting "Tall Drink of Water" (thank you Kathy Cousart for the title).  My stars on the little labels weren't aligned, and it's never good when your stars aren't aligned.  I had to fix that.  I also softened the background a little.  Also had other little details I wanted to finish. 

We also found out that we'll be moving to Little Rock, Arkansas after Brian gets back.  So if anyone knows anything about the art scene there I would love to be in the know:)

See you Wednesday,

Carrie

19 comments:

  1. J'ai toujours un immense plaisir à visiter votre blog... une belle touche finale sur les eaux...
    Vos petits pot de glace sont extrêmement bien travaillés... Vous êtes très talentueuse ma chère...
    Gros bisous

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  2. Just think of all the new things you'll see, Carrie and all the new wonderful paintings that will come of it. These are awesome.

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  3. How exciting! OMG, I LOVE Blizzards from DQ - my favorite is the Pumpkin Pie around Halloween. I stay away because of calories, but usually my husband and I will split a small ;-0

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  4. Carrie,
    That is such a cute and smart painting. I loved the blizard in the cups. :)
    And I still cant get over those 3 green bottles of yours..

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  5. Carrie, what a unique interpretation of "winter"!!! Love it!

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  6. Love the blizzard cups! When I think winter I don't normally think DQ but after seeing this I might just have to make a trip there later this morning. Your Tall Drink of Water is looking good. I love the green glass.

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  7. What a great idea for your blizzard theme! I love the colours in the ice cubes and those strong shadows. It is a fantastic painting!
    And I love Crystals too - It reminds me exactly of the view I was faced with when I reached the summit of Ben Nevis a couple of years ago - It was staggering!
    It must have been hard to adjust the stars - I always found that watercolour was almost impossible to adjust!

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  8. Outstanding as usual, Carrie! Such a clever solution too. I love it. (But now I may have to take a ride to DQ later . . . my hips are screaming "no! but who listens to hips, eh?) And those bottles are stinkin' AMAZING! Really outlandish! :)

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  9. great idea carrie! it's so exciting to see how each artist interprets a challenge - most especially artists of your caliber. both, beautifully done. and the bottles are simply STUNNING! bravo all around!

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  10. Absolutely amazing, Carrie! I love those deep colors on the Blizzard cups. And the bottles are awesome!

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  11. All I can say is it's taking every bit of strength NOT to grab the car keys and go to Dairy Queen! Beautiful job!

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  12. Love the blizzards! Makes me want one. So many great things are coming your way= always fun to stop by. Glad all your 'stars are aligned'...love that painting and tickled you liked my first thought on it...Tall drink of water. That painting is a favorite!!

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  13. Carrie I just love it. :) But you already knew that of course! It's such a clever and fun idea and you pull it off to make it look knock your socks off sophisticated! :))) And I'm glad you got your stars aligned. Now you can sit back and let all the good stuff come to you! ;)

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  14. So great! I generally equate DQ blizzards more with summer because I'm too cold this time of year to consider them, but I LOVE your creativity and, of course, they're executed perfectly. Awesome.

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  15. How much fun was that painting!!!!! Great job.

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  16. Love a clever painting and Original Blizzard is it. Your Italian H2O is a knockout as well.

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  17. Hi Carrie, another wonderful job of depicting transparency, reflection and different textures! I also like the harmonic palette -- how can you make a red, yellow, blue palette look not garish? My hats off to you.

    The bottles look really lovely, and your attention to details make your work stand out from the crowd. Frank Webb once said that a good painting should draw your eyes when you stand across the hall from it by its shape design and value patterns, but still maintains your interest when your nose is just an inch away from it by its surface textures and brushworks. This is certainly one of those pieces. So, which show are you submitting it to? ;-)

    Regarding the art scene of Little Rock, AR, I have been there once so here's the information I have (maybe you already know but I thought I'd share it anyway):

    1. They have a pretty interesting watercolor society, Mid Southern Watercolor Society (http://midsouthernwatercolorists.com/). I have contemplated taking a Steve Rogers workshop there (although finally it fell through). They have monthly meetings and annual member show, maybe also some smaller shows. It seems well organized according to what I heard.

    2. They have a beautiful Art Center/Museum that hosts wonderful shows (http://www.arkarts.com/exhibitions/upcoming_exhibitions/). Jan - Mar this year they run a show for American Watercolor Masters. I went there when I was working for a company and on business trip there. I don't know if they run juried shows, but it was beautiful and have a good collection of art.

    3. They used to have a wonderful artist's co-op, but I heard it closed last year...

    4. There are some wonderful galleries that shows nice art, including more watercolors in percentage than most of the galleries I see in the west coast and south west. I think your works' quality are better than a lot of the artworks I saw in some of the galleries and you could have a good chance joining one of them!

    Sorry that's all I know. I have only visited the area once on business, and walked about. Maybe someone who has lived there would be able to provide more information...

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  18. Hi Carrie, yours art very beauty, congrats...:)

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  19. Hi Carrie!
    Love your blizzards ; ) And your water! Gorgeous finished piece. I like what you said about your stars : ) Made me laugh.
    And you're moving! A lot going on for you. Thinking of you!

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