Friends

I sometimes think back to when I was raising a family, working in an office everyday, just rushing from one project to the next, trying to get everything done that needed to be done.
.trying to fit everything into the day, but instead of doing everything that needed to be done, I am doing everything I WANT to get done.

A large part of my life today is about art, and a large part of my art is about my friends, "Pieces of Eight".  We are eight women of a certain age, who found each other through our art.  We paint together every week at Ralph's Art Supply.

Our group blog

We do exhibitions together, we travel together, we paint together, and we never fail to support each other in good times and bad.

After a few hours painting and catching up with each other's week, we have lunch together.

We put the names of all the local eatery's in a bag and each week we draw a name and that is where we have lunch.  Why?  Have you ever tried to get 8 women to agree on anything?  Trust me, everyone has an opinion!

This was our luncheon view yesterday.....just in case we forget why we live in Florida!

These women are definitely a blessing in my life, and I just wanted to share it with you today.

Thanks for reading my blog.

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Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, VanGogh landscape, "Tribute to Vincent" by Carol Schiff, 6x8" Oil

Each week our art group appoints one member as leader.  The leader, decides what type of project we will work on that day.  A few weeks ago, Faye was our leader, and as her project, she brought it images of VanGogh and Monet paintings for us to re-create.

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 I chose his very famous "Wheatfield with Cypresses" . Actually, I chose one of three similar paintings that carry that name.

 I have always wanted to give his famous and distinctive swirling brushwork a try.  It was an interesting experiment, one that I will probably do again.

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Years ago, I spent some time studying the masters  and duplicating some of their works.  I found it to be very informative.  Here is one of my attempts at Degas' work, "Woman Bathing"

pastel
SOLD

And Cezanne

oil
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And Gauguin........

oil
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Thanks for reading my blog today.

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, Art Sale, Tree Painting, "Into the Woods" , SOLD

Time for another painting on sale.  Today, my painting, "Into the Woods" is on the auction block.  This is a little fantasy piece.  Painted on 6x6x1.5" canvas, depicting that fleeting moment of the day when the sun falls below the horizon.......shining though a stand of trees.

SOLD

Now for the deal of the day.....Purchase at the link above and you will be charged $79.95 and shipping. You must write ART SALE on the order to receive the discount.  As soon as I receive your payment, I will return a credit of $20.00 to your credit card or PayPal account.

This sale is only for readers of my blog, so if you don't write ART SALE on the order, I won't know you saw it here and you won't get a rebate.

This offer expires, Friday, May 29th at 12:01 a.m.

Thank you for reading my blog today.

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Daily Painting, Fiddlehead Fern Painting, Small OIl Painting, 11x14 Oil NFS

This small oil painting came about because of a trip I took to North Carolina.. I used to live in Florida,  where we didn't get a lot of spring flowers, and when I saw this bed of ferns coming to life, I had to paint them.

NFS

I was surprised how quickly they grew, with obvious growth from day to day.
I decided to use a dark background to really highlight the ferns and keep my palette restricted to greens, blues and purples. I have been pleased with the results of this painting, which is a departure from my usual style. Blues are very difficult to photograph accurately and although the background color appears to be a deep blue, the actual color is close to a black,
This piece is available  at the link above as an original, or here as a giclee'  canvas print in the size of your choice.
Thanks for viewing my blog today.  I hope you take time every day,  to smell the roses.

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Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, Dog Painting, Dog Portrait, "Puppy Love" by Carol Schiff, 14x18x1.5"

When my cousin, Susan, posted this image of her beloved pets, I contacted her immediately for permission to paint them.  She was thrilled and today's post is the result.

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Susan adores her pets and it is obvious they adore each other.  They are truly soul mates.

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This painting is also available as a giclee print in the size of your choice here.

I really enjoyed trying to convey the love of these magnificent specimens .

Thank you for viewing my art today.

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Wildlife Painting, Daily Painting, Painting for Sale, "Fishing Egret", 6x8" Oil

I found this guy sitting under the causeway one morning, looking for lunch or maybe just passing time.

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It was a hot day and the sun was sparkling on the water.  I was on his shadow side, which gave him a glowing frame.  I painted the water with a palette knife.

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Thanks for reading my blog today.

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Daily Painting, Seascape Painting, Ocean Painting, Beach Painting, "Celebrating Blue" 16x20x1.5" Oil SOLD

I wanted to do a seascape, or actually a beach painting, somewhere between an abstract and impressionism.  If this looks a little familiar, it is because I posted the study for this work a month or two ago.

SOLD

I wanted to record just my memories and impressions of trips to the beach.  I painted with a knife and tried to work quickly.

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I tried not to think too much about the colors I was using or where I was putting them, but tried to keep it really instinctive.

I wanted plenty of texture in this piece.

It was a fun exercise, although I wish I had done a larger piece.  Maybe someday I will.

Thanks for viewing my blog today.

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Spring in the Mountains

We have just returned home from a few weeks in the mountains of western North Carolina.  Earlier this year, we sold our second home there and replaced it with a condo in Waynesville.  We have been working hard, getting moved into the condo, painting every wall in sight and making it feel like home.

One afternoon I grabbed my camera and ran outside to capture the beautiful spring day and this is what I found.

I inherited a garden in front of our new home, and everything was coming alive at once...

Fiddleheads were popping up

Dogwood was blooming everywhere I
looked in both pink.....

and white blossoms.  Tulips, lilac and azalea were everywhere and the days were filled with the music of songbirds.

A drive to WaterRock Knob, off the Blue Ridge Parkway, showed less color at the higher elevation, but still beautiful to see.

For an Ohio girl, who has spent most of the last 50 years in Florida, it seemed all my memories of spring were spread out before my eyes.  Don't get me wrong, I truly love living in Florida, but when spring or fall calls, I head to the mountains.

Stay tuned, to see these images interpreted in oil.

Thanks for stopping by today.

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Painting on Sale, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, "African Violets", 6x8" Oil sold

African Violets get a bad rap!  They are the "old lady flower", your grandmother's flower.  Maybe so, but I love the way they bloom all year long and the gorgeous range of colors.  What is more adorable than a mini planted in a tea cup?

SOLD

Now for the deal of the day.....Purchase at the link above and you will be charged $94.95 and shipping. You must write ART SALE on the order to receive the discount.  As soon as I receive your payment, I will return a credit of $20.00 to your credit card or PayPal account.

This sale is only for readers of my blog, so if you don't write ART SALE on the order, I won't know you saw it here and you won't get a rebate.  This offer expires at 12:01 a.m., Friday May 15th.

Thank you for reading my blog today!

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Sunset and Sea Painting, Small Seascape, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting,SOLD, "Sun Falls to the Sea" 11x14x1.5" Oil Painitng

What could be more beautiful than a sunset, except maybe a sunset over the sea.

 I knew right away I was going to have to paint this one.

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 I used both a brush and a palette knife on this one.....had to get a little texture in there.

I feel like I want a Margarita every time I look at this one....right away I am on island time.

Hope you find a way to relax a little today, too.  Thanks for stopping by today.

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Daily Paintings, Small Oil Paintings, Animal and Bird Paintings

I was looking at some of my images and was really surprised to see how many bird and animal paintings I have done.  I thought today would be a good day to post a few of my old time favorites.

Great Blue Heron
250 + shipping

Just Ducky
99 + shipping
  

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It is always interesting and educational to review the painting journey that you have been on.  I like to line up older paintings, chronologically, which helps me to see the improvements I have made and the ones I would like to make in the future.  Always an interesting exercise.

Have a painterly day and thanks for visiting!

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Painting on sale, Floral still life, daily painting, small oil painting, "Spring Flowers" by Carol Schiff, 8x10 Oil SOLD

An oldie, but a goodie!

SOLD

Tip for artists:  Instead of purchasing art books, I purchase paintings from my favorite artists.  I find it much more helpful for me to study technique and brushwork from an actual example instead of a book.  I have the added benefit of owning original artwork which I enjoy daily in my home.

Have a great day and take time to smell the roses.

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Passion Flower Painting, Small Oil Painting, Daily Painting, Kathy's Passion Flower, 6x8" Oil

Passion flower is such a unique plant...it almost looks alien!  This passion flower painting is  from my friend, Kathy's garden.

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 With it's weird shapes this plant looks like it has to be man-made, or at least, from outerspace....but no.  Nature is indeed amazing!

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It has all my favorite colors, from red violet, to blue to purple. I felt I had to try to paint it because that's MY passion!

Thanks for reading my blog today.  I hope you have some passion in your life today.

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com