Tropical Fish Painting, Palette Knife Painting, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, 12x12x1.5"

This is a painting inspired by a trip to Key Largo, where we viewed the incredible coral reefs of the area.

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 The waters were teeming with fish of every color and shape.  Some were very curious and a few were right out scary!

detail

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We viewed them from a glass bottom boat, although I have to admit, I envied those brave souls who were in the water with them.

Thank you for viewing my blog today.

Carol Schiff
www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com
www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Daily Landscape Painting, "A Little Bit Country" 6x8 Oil SOLD

I have had this image in my files for several years.  Each time I tried to paint it, I failed.But, I kept the image on my memory stick, always nagging me, like waving a red flag at a bull.

This time I was happy with the results.  It's is not a particularly difficult scene.  I don't know what caused me so much trouble.  All I know is that every nine or 10 months or so, I would give it a try and then wipe it off.

SOLD

The attraction was the strong light in the mid-ground and the back lighting on the fence.  I am happy to finally delete this from my "things to paint" list.

Have you ever had this experience with a specific scene?  If so, how did you overcome the challenge?

Daily Paint "Aechmea Chantinii Bromeliad" 8x10, Oil

Well, that is a real mouthful, especially first thing in the morning!

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Hopefully, the painting is a little more appealing than the title.

I found these beautiful blooms on my porch and could not ignore them.  The delicate pink tones next to the leathery dusty blue green leaves are very dramatic.  I am not a successful gardener, but these plants thrive on neglect. The only care I give it is to cover it up when our winter cold fronts come through.

As lovely as it looks, beware, it is covered in thorns and spikes and will bite you without warning.  Hmmmmm, maybe that is why I tend to stay away from it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COURTNEY!!

Daily Painting, "The Sun Kisses the Sea" 8x10 SOLD

This painting is another from my trip to Sanibel Island earlier this summer.

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SOLD

It is very much a nature reserve with stunningly beautiful scenes in every direction.  I am sure the people who reside there become jaded, maybe they long for that haunting beauty of a desert.

Where ever you live, there is beauty, you just have to be able to see it.

Daily Painting "Morning Sail" 6x8 Oil Landscape SOLD

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. 
--Mark Twain 







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SOLD

The thing about sailing, is that it looks like a lot more fun than it actually is.  I know, I know, that's just my opinion, so please don't get upset!  I enjoyed my days on the boat and I still love to spend an afternoon sailing.

Now, when I see a sail boat heading out on a beautiful sunny day, it seems like a little piece of paradise.
The real thing  almost never beats out imagination.  It's easy to forget the day the sail ripped or the day we sailed home in a raging storm with lightening strikes all around us.

Today, I will imagine....and paint about it.

Happy Birthday to my baby girl, Shelly!

Daily Painting "Satisfaction", Cat Portrait, 6x6" SOLD

Retagene, who is a friend of mine from Etsy, sent me an image of her cat, pretending to be asleep in the sun.  I couldn't pass up the chance to do a daily painting.

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SOLD

Kitty's owner, Retagene is such a talented artist herself.  She has many interests  so if you want to visit her Etsy site you can find it here.  I love her cards and re-order time and again.

He (she) looks so satisfied, sitting in the sun.  That is something my paint group, Pieces of Eight is going to be doing lots of in a week or two.  We go on a week's retreat to the mountains every year and that time is fast approaching.  Plenty of painting, sightseeing, photo-shoots, cooking, wine and just all around good times with long time friends.  Thank you Cindy, for volunteering your house.

Landscape, "Barn on Thomas Valley Road" 6x8" SOLD

When we are in the mountains of North Carolina, we pass this barn on our way to town.  It sits between the mountains on the shores of the Tuckaseegee River, on a beautiful little winding road.

I love the rural life style.  It reminds me of my childhood in Ohio.  I never lived on a farm, but my cousins did and I would visit often.  In these fast paced days of rushing from one spot to another, those lazy, hazy days of the past seem very attractive.  I am fortunate to get a taste of that life now and then.

Hope you find a peaceful moment or two in your day.

One another note, I was checking my stats to what  referring URL's send traffic to my blog and noticed that  many of my readers come from one specific blog.......www.CarolMarine.blogspot.com.  Carol was kind enough to include  me on her blog list several years ago.  I know you are all familiar with her work as she is "Queen of Art Blogs"  but she is also a wonderful kind woman.  So, thank you Carol!  If you have not been to her blog today, please stop bye.

Daily Landscape Painting, "Blue Ridge Switchback" 6x8 SOLD

Today's daily painting is one of my favorites.  We decided to take a drive to Water Rock Knob, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in beautiful North Carolina.

SOLD

It was a beautiful, clear October day and I tried hard to capture the clear skies and gorgeous fall foliage.

Living in Florida for 40 years, I miss the fall colors and smells I remember from my childhood in Ohio.  It is  the best part of my visits to North Carolina and I try to get there in mid-October every year.

As a child I loved to rake the leaves into a pile and take a running jump right into the middle.  In those days we would rake the yard and then burn the leaves.  There was nothing better than walking to school on a sidewalk covered with leaves, crackling under my feet as I shuffled along.  Evenings conjure up memories of hay rides followed by warm donuts and cider.  That's before the days of Dunkin Donuts, these were home made and covered in sugar and cinnamon.

I am sorry my grandchildren will never have those memories, but I know when they think back on their childhoods they will find something equally as pleasing to remember.

Daily Mixed Media Abstract Painting, "Tiny Bubbles", 10x8"

Time for an abstract!

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I had so much fun working on this one.  I included all my favorite colors, worked hard on a center of interest, did a little stamping and scratching through for movement.  But now, I cannot decide if it is a vertical composition............

or horizontal.  So far, I have not signed it.  Which format do you prefer?

I am honored to say that one of my blogger friends, Marla Laubisch, has chosen to feature me in an interview on her blog today!  How exciting is that?  Marla and I have been communicating through comments for some time.  Marla  is a landscape painter living in North Carolina. She usually paints in oils, both in the studio and plein air. Her favorite subjects involve the intersection of urban and rural life and I might add that she is a talented artist.  Be sure to check out her monochromatic truck as well as her water towers with sunset.  She wrote a very interesting interview which you can read here.

Daily Painting, "On The Moor" 8x10, oil SOLD

The moors of northern England and Scotland are a wild and wooly place, often cold and windy and very rugged.

SOLD

I painted this using both brush and palette knife.

  I tried to get a variety of strokes and hues in this piece.  I wanted plenty of texture to suggest the ruggedness of the British landscape.

Thank you, Donna Vines, for allowing me to use your wonderful image of your recent trip.

Enjoy your weekend!

Daily Painting, Oil, "The Beach at Sanibel", 6x8" SOLD

A recent trip to Sanibel brought me plenty of images to paint. Of course, the beach had to be the star.

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I had not visited the area for many, many years, and I must admit that I forgot how beautiful it is.  The water is aqua and clear, much like the tropical waters of the Caribbean Islands.

I passed this little group of sea oats every morning on the path to the sea.  My favorite activity was to walk the beach as the sun was rising, with only the occasional fisherman or shell hunter and lots of pelicans and gulls  for company.

Daily Painting, "Lowering the Sails", Original Oil

My husband and I used to own a sail boat.  Living on the coast of Florida, we spent a lot of time sailing the intercoastal waterway.

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We loved to find a special little spot, throw out the anchor, lower the sails, and have a little picnic or a glass of wine.

Our best times were with our friends and boat co-owners, Rose and Randy.  It was so pleasant to spend time with them without the distractions of everyday life getting in the way.  No noise, no phones, just good friends and good food.

Daily Painting, Original Oil Landscape, "Beach TIme" SOLD

Now that summer is officially here,  I thought I would post my latest beach painting.

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A day at the beach is always a good day, and for me, morning is the best time to visit.

I added a little texture to the panel, before painting, and then used my palette knife to describe the sea oats and other beach vegetation.

Hope you enjoy your first summer weekend!

Daily Abstract Painting, "Fire and Ice" 8x9"

This little piece is a mixed media abstract painted on a wood panel.

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It started out with molding paste, and acrylics.  Soon I switched to oils and a palette knife.

As you can see here, I included a bit of screening.  There is also some silver foil, which is not very visible in these images, but gives off a nice reflection in the evening.

There is also plenty of texture!

Daily Painting, Landscape, "Mountain Majesty" 6x8" SOLD

I enjoy doing these little wildflower paintings.  This one is from a photo taken in 1968 when I lived in Denver.

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Of course, back then, I didn't paint.  I was busy being an Air Force wife, with two babies in tow.

The mountains have not changed much over the years, but everything else has.  The babies have their own babies now, my husband is long retired from the Air Force, and I spend my days painting.

What was once a way of life for me, now seems like a distant dream.  Maybe that is why God gave us mountains and oceans, so that we would have some consistency in our lives.

Have a great weekend!

Daily Painting, Sailboats "Fun In The Sun" 6x8"SOLD

Living in Florida, we have lots of areas of water and lots of sun.

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When we had our sailboat, we would often spend Sundays on the water.  One day, we came upon a regatta of small boats, swirling around, completing their course.

We got out of the way and anchored, broke out a bottle of wine and settled in to watch the action.  The activity went on for some time with over 30 entries in the race.

Just one of the many reasons I love living in Florida!

Have a great day!