Scarlett (still life with red apples in candlewick)

watercolor on paper 20 x 24

This weeks painting is in response to a new monthly challenge that the Artists helping Artists --http://artistshelpingartistsblog.blogspot.com/-- blog is hosting.  This is the first challenge for this site and the theme is September.  The idea being that each month you do a painting based on the theme of that month and in one year you have material for a calendar.  I thought it was a terrific idea.  They also have a fabulous blog radio talk show that you can access via the above link.  I'm a bit obsessed with it!  The hosts Leslie Saeta --http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com--and Dreama Tolle Perry-- http://dreamatolleperry.blogspot.com/--share crazy amounts of wonderful info that any artist will find pertinent.    They are also both super duper talented artists so check out their blogs.

So back to this weeks painting.  When I thought of September, I thought of back to school, the end of summer and fall.  Apples came to mind, an apple for the teacher, which immediately made me think of red apples.  I wanted to incorporate fall colors in with the fabric, so as I was preparing for this still life, I was too impatient to go to the fabric store and purchase something, so I looked around my house and low and behold my kitchen curtains were perfect.  So my painting had a "Gone with the Wind" moment, down came the drapes and into the still life they appear.  I'm titling this one "Scarlett", my witty little homage:)  I think the curtains were a great contrast to the apples and had the fall colors I was looking for.  As if the striped fabric wasn't enough of a challenge I grabbed my husbands favorite dishes, which we were given when we got married.  It's his grandma's candlewick that he called marble dishes when he was a kid because of all the glass balls that adorn the rim of the dishes.  This is my first time painting glass and I have to say I loved it.  I'm beginning to realize I love a challenge.  Once I started this painting I just didn't want to stop.

kitchen area, see the curtains:)  Also I refinished this table recently, goes so much better with my furniture now.

Hope you enjoy and I'll let you know when it's posted  on the Artists helping artists blog.  And I encourage all you artists out there to participate in the challenge, deadline is the 15th of Sept.

I also want to thank all of my followers new and old and everyone that takes the time to comment via the blog or facebook.  I love reading them and it really motivates me.  I just love the blog world, such a support system.

Have a great week!

Carrie

Orange daylily on patterned plate

watercolor on paper 11x 14

This is a dynamic piece. Our backyard was full of daylilies this summer.   They were beautiful.  We had every color in the rainbow.  I nicknamed our yard daylily row.  The orange flowers were so striking, I just had to paint one.

This piece is available just contact me if you're interested, carriewallerart@gmail.com.

I'm going to participate in my first monthly challenge hosted by Artists helping Artists blog.  The theme is "September".  Looking for any comments to help come up with an idea for this challenge, what do you think evokes the idea of "September".

Daylily row (backyard)

 watercolor on newsprint

Steven did a lovely watercolor this week.  He has survived his 2nd week at preschool and has emerged as the best overall color-er of the class.  These are his teacher's remarks, I might add.  He got out his paints this week and he wasn't too thrilled about painting on newsprint.  Can't say I blame him, but I wasn't expecting a paper snob at the age of 4.

See you all next week.

Carrie

Hydrangeas in blue crock

watercolor on paper 18 x 24

So hydrangeas used to be my favorite flower, until I spent several weeks of my life staring at each individual petal until I practically went blind.  This is the second installment of my hydrangea paintings.   This time I set my still life up in an antique crock from one of  my husband grandmothers.  Even though I have spent a tremendous amount of time with hydrangeas lately, I still love them.  I'm having trouble coming up with a title, so I'm enlisting all of your help.  If you have any ideas please leave a comment here or on facebook and share your titles.  I used to always make fun of paintings in museums with obvious names, but I now understand.  By the time you are done painting, you are creatively drained.  So as of now they are Hydrangeas in a blue crock, please, I beg you help me come up with something more imaginative.

I also have a dilemma every time I paint a picture, maybe a fear more than a dilemma, where and how to sign my name.  I thought it was a really silly fear, but when I went to the Paul Jackson workshop he said that he plans his signature into his composition and masks it out.  So this time I did just that.  I like this idea, and will do it from now on. 

acrylic on canvas 11x 14

Steven got back into the swing of things this week and did an 11 x 14 canvas.  The largest one he's done so far.  He did a lovely job!

Hydrangeas in blue crock work in progress

work in progress 

Here is the current state of my new painting.  I was hoping to be further along, but life got in the way:)  We are having a busy week already.  My oldest started preschool:(  He loves it, but I'm having a hard time not worrying that he isn't being cared for the way I would.  It took everything I had not to sit in the parking lot the entire time he was there on his first day.  Aside from that Sam and I have a summer cold.  Nothing is worse than a summer cold, well I guess there are worse things, but it sure isn't fun.  He hasn't been sleeping well, therefore neither am I.  It stinks that babies can't have any kind of cold medicine, poor little guy.  Brian, the hubs, lost his wallet last night, so that pretty much has absorbed any left over time.  The kids and I had to take him to work, because he has no military ID or license.   Fortunately, someone turned his wallet in to Security Forces this morning on base, so he should get it back this afternoon.  Hopefully I'll be feeling more human this evening and can plug away at my painting. 

Carrie

Hydrangeas

watercolor on paper 14 x 20

Ella supervising

 I'm proud to share my labor of love this week.  Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers and when we moved into our house here I was thrilled to find out we had two very established bushes.  The first year we were here they were blue my favorite color of hydrangea, so I was a little disappointed when they popped up purple/pink this year. (I am now aware that I can alter the properties of my soil to achieve the blue ones next year)  I had to ask my neighbor for some of her blue hydrangeas.  I set up multiple still lives and spent an afternoon photographing them.  So, don't be surprised if you see a few more hydrangea paintings.

So enjoy my painting and please leave a comment:)

Carrie

Sneak Peek

So here is a sneak peek at the painting I'm currently working on.  Finally getting around to painting my hydrangeas.  Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers.  I'm taking my time with this painting.  I'm hoping to have a high quality painting in the end worthy of entering into an exhibition in New Orleans in October. 

We went on a quick trip this week to Little Rock, Arkansas.  A friend of ours and former boss of Brian's is taking over as the Group Commander for a C130 group at the AFB, so we were invited to attend his change of command ceremony.  I wasn't super excited about the location that we were visiting, but thought we'll make an adventure out of it. Little Rock turned out to be a pretty interesting city.  We visited Bill Clinton's presidential library, and wondered around the downtown area.  I stumbled upon an art exhibit for the Mid-Southern Watercolorists.  I immediately recognized a painting by a blogging buddy of mine, Crystal.  I couldn't believe it.  Crystal doesn't live anywhere near Arkansas, so I wasn't even thinking about finding not one but 2 of her paintings in the exhibit.  It was awesome to see her work in person.  I realized that I had never actually seen a watercolor exhibit in person,(I've seen one here or there in museums) I'm pretty new to this whole game.  I was very encouraged and motivated to push myself and enter some exhibits and competitions.  I hope to learn a lot from this next venture.  I've already been in contact with some amazing artists throughout this blogging journey.  I really feel like I'm on the right track and am excited for what the future holds.

This week Steven played with his watercolor markers and his regular paints.  We also incorporated the use of a spray bottle, I think he enjoyed that part the best.  I was trying to show him some watercolor techniques.  Wet on dry, wet on wet.

See You next week.

Carrie and Steven

Annika's Enchanted Forest and Seurat

Acrylic on canvas 20 x 24

This week I completed an enchanted forest painting for a little girl's room.  This was so fun to paint.  When I was a little girl I always wanted a tree house, to me this is the ultimate fantasy tree house, with enchanted surroundings to boot.  I will admit I had to restrain myself when I got the glitter out.  It's hard to tell in the photo but the fairy wings and the garland around the door are sparkly.  I would love to live in this world, at least visit it on a regular basis.  My now 4 year old also loved this painting.  He kept telling me he wanted to get in the painting. 

close up


As I mentioned earlier I now have a 4 year old little boy.  Steven's birthday was on the 7th.  Since he's a little older now and more mature, I decided to pull out my lesson plans from when I taught art for the Boys and Girls club.  I taught all ages.  I always incorporated a little art history into the lessons, so this week we talked about Georges Seurat and pointillism.  "Seurat did the dot" was our catch phrase.  So I broke out the watercolors and q-tips.  He embraced the idea and had fun with it.  I think I'll make some flash cards up as we go along learning about artists.

watercolor on foam board 4 x 4

The bottom one is another painting Steven did this week. 

mixed media 5 x 7

See everyone next week.