PearMania

LAST ONE

My pears are slowly ripening and it looks like this is the last one in this group that I will be able to paint. They have reached their peak in ripeness and any more time under the lights will turn them to mush.

I decided to try a small still life with flowers.  These are from the local grocery and at first I thought they were daisies.  But the smell tells me they are white crysanthemums. I love how the color of the pear is reflected on to the white cup and handle. ENJOY!!

Returning Landscape

GOLDEN TREETOPS

This painting was done because of a need to "feel" the landscape again.  We are coming into the time of year when all color is mostly gone and winter sets upon us its subtle colors for several months.  This is not my favorite time of year when it comes to painting. So I looked through my photos and came upon this scene from the summer when my husband and I were out on a road trip visiting a sick friend.  

This scene was painted using local color.  My intent was to capture the reflections of the sun on the building and treetops as it was setting.  I like how the green band of the sloping hillside is intersected by the building, and just the tops of the trees are caught in the sun's last glow. Also the rows of grasses in the field draw your eye back to the building and its cast shadow. It was a lovely day and a lovely memory. ENJOY!!

ONE MORE

PEAR-TAIL

As I've said before, pears are one of my favorite fruits, especially when they are at their best, right before they get mushy.  One day can make a difference in their juicy pleasure.  I've often thought that they would make the ultimate cocktail, just the flavor of pear, with a little vodka or gin for that perfect relaxing drink.

This painting is my answer to my quest for the perfect cock-tail, dubbed the pear-tail. Hope you ENJOY!!

A LITTLE JEWEL

YOU'RE SURROUNDED!!

This is another small work, trying to get back to doing my painting a day, although with the holiday season approaching, I'm not too confident that will happen.  But I'll give it a try.

This painting is done on a toned back ground... you can see some of the purple ground showing through, which I kind of like.  Hope you like it too.  ENJOY!!

NICE NIGHT FOR A STROLL

Evening Stroll, St. Remy de Provence

After we returned from our trip to France, I was able to look at all of the photos we took and have slowly been making my way through them looking for painting possibilities. This was one of them.  A night scene.  Yikes!! I had never done one, but now was the time.   I also decided to try using a new material, Arches oil paper.  I liked the smoothness and the way the first coat just soaks into the paper.  It doesn't allow for much wiping away, so need to plan accordingly.

This painting is done from a photo of one of the nights we went out to a planned group dinner with our biking friends.  It was at the house of a pastry chef.  We were all so stuffed after, that we decided to walk back to the hotel. Hope you enjoy this little view of France.

Feeling the Season

AUTUMN SUNSET

This painting has been on my easel for the last couple of weeks.  It has been a labor of love because I love sunsets and this one has been a pleasure to paint. This painting is taken from a photo from a road trip somewhere here in Ohio, but it could be anywhere.  Sunsets in the autumn are always my favorites.  The color in the fields is for the most part gone from harvests and we are treated to the beauty of the sun as it heads toward the horizon. Hope you enjoy this bit of the mid-west.

Serenity

The Fog Rolls In Quietly

This painting is a reminder to slow down and enjoy life.  In this digital age everything runs in overdrive. I get caught up in it too and must remind myself daily to enjoy the ride.  The fog in this painting was rolling in softly and slowly, moving in and out of my view.  I hope you enjoy finding some serenity in your life today.  

City Life

LATE AFTERNOON, AVIGNON

I can't believe its been a month since we were in France.  We had the good fortune of having great weather so late in the year, and took advantage of it during our bike tour by walking the streets of the cities in the late afternoon after we were done biking for the day. This painting is from one of those walks, a typical street in a French town.  Small cobblestoned streets and doorways that open directly onto them.  No set back requirements in these cities!! I loved this view simply because the sunlight was highlighting the doorways so beautifully. Hope you enjoy this slice of Provence!!

The Visit

MIDWAY ASPENS

A little over a week ago, I visited our daughter Erin, who lives and works in Utah.  It was past the time that the Aspens were at their peak, but I didn't care.  It was still beautiful there and on one of our drives up into the mountains, we spied some Aspens still hanging on to their gorgeous golden leaves.

This painting is from a photo I took in Midway, after going over Guardsman Pass and before heading back to Park City.  The light was just right and the leaves just glowed. Hope you enjoy this slice of mountain beauty.

IN MEMORY

JACK ANGUS

This drawing is a commission piece done for a client in memory of a friend's dog.  I did it in colored pencil on brown toned paper.  I struggled to figure out what he was holding in his mouth and finally guessed it was an ice cream cone.  I had to simplify the drawing a bit since it was cluttered what lots of different surfaces and colors. Rest In Peace Jack!!

MELDING FLAVORS

SWEET AND TANGY

I love the taste of pears and cheese together.  My favorite combination happens to be Bartlett pears and Gouda cheese.  My mouth waters just thinking of them. Here is a little painting in honor of their combined flavors.  ENJOY!!

From The Mighty Oak.....

BABY OAKS

These acorns have been collecting themselves on my desk for a few weeks now.  Every time I see one that is not smushed, I pick it up, thinking I'll use them in a painting. So that day was today.  I like how they appear so architectural when viewed up close.  Hope you enjoy this little seasonal painting.  Happy Autumn!!

Making Colors Pop

PEPPERLICIOUS

There is nothing like working with complementary colors to make a painting sing. I decided to experiment with doing a painting with the subject being painted on a ground that is the complement of the subject, in this case, the peppers.  I like how little bits of the red show through, making the pepper even more interesting. ENJOY!!

Getting Back To It

AUTUMN COLLECTION #2

Here is another little still life of more favorite autumn things.  I don't carve pumpkins anymore, but still enjoy having them around to bring color to both the indoor and outdoor setting.  I love how this little pumpkin still had part of the stem and vine attached to it.  When painting this still life, I noticed just how much of the orange from the pumpkin was reflected onto the white background. This still life is title "Autumn Collection #2.  Enjoy

All Travel, No Painting

AUTUMN COLLECTION #1

Autumn is my absolute favorite time of the year.  The days are usually sunny and dry and the leaves turn the most beautiful colors.  This October, I was fortunate enough to travel over half of the month. Unfortunately, most of that traveling did not involve any painting.  I did get lots of photo references for future paintings, but to someone who likes to paint everyday, it was almost painful not to get that paintbrush in my hand.

This painting is from what I tend to gather at this time of year.  I love collecting leaves and anything with an autumn feel.  Acorns are another favorite and I always marvel at how many of them fall every year only to be destroyed or eaten by wildlife.

This painting is titled "Autumn Collection #1".  Hope you enjoy.

GOOD MEMORIES

Memories of Zinnias

 This painting is an attempt to catch the beauty of one of my favorite late summer flowers, the Zinnia.  

It is painted on a board that has received many coats of gesso, leaving it textured.  I like how some of the strokes are rough in places, echoing the sturdiness of the flower.

These flowers were the backbone of my mother's vegetable garden.  She always planted them around the edges of the garden and they created a lovely border.  I remember helping her plant the seeds and was always delighted by the shape of them, long and pointed, not what you would imagine. The flowers were always multicolored and very sturdy,  making them perfect to bring indoors.

ENJOY!!

GOING LARGE

LAZY RIVER

This painting is my first attempt at painting in a larger format.  For years, I have painted pretty small, usually nothing over 18" x 24".  For this piece, I challenged myself to go a little larger, so I went up to 30" x 30".  I liked painting larger, and had to discipline myself to use the largest brush I had.  Much of the sky and most of the water was painted using a palette knife, which really speeded up the process.

This painting is from another one of the trips we made this summer when my husband was competing in aerobatic competitions. It is another view of the Saginaw River just south of Bay City, MI. It was a beautiful evening and a beautiful river. I have several other photos of this river, so you might see more of it in my future works.

Enjoy!!

FAMILIAR

CRUNCH FOR LUNCH

6" x 6" oil on gessoboard

I painted this today thinking of all those kids who are going back to school.  I'ts finally getting a little cooler here and this kind of weather always makes me think of fall and getting those delicious apple from the market.  Is there anything better than biting into a crunchy tart apple? I've packed lots of kids lunches over the years, and apples have always been a favorite in their bag.

Enjoy!! 

REFLECTIONS

Three into Six

For this painting, I set up the still life, placing the apples on a piece of glass and lighting it from the left.  The board has been stained with cadmium red, allowed to sit for awhile while I sketched some ideas, and then wiped off to leave the undertone you see in the final painting. I'm very happy with the results, and plan to do some more reflective paintings.

ENJOY!!

Study, Study, Study

 Storm Brewing, pencil sketch

Storm Brewing, color Study

Here are two photos showing my thought process behind the development of a painting.  I love stormy skies, and the photo I used for my reference was very dark.  I began with a rough sketch, making notes about values.  The little painting is a quickie, getting the color and values of the various elements.  I like most of the painting, but might add more buildings as shown in the sketch.  I might also make this a vertical piece since I'd like to add more of that stormy sky. This may or may not become a finished painting, but the ideas and values are there if and when I decide to paint it.

SUMMER SHOW

LATE SUMMER, HARDIN COUNTY 

JUST DOWN THE ROAD

These two paintings will be in the McConnell Art Center student show in Worthington, OH starting today and running through Oct. 25.  They are both paintings that I did while in an oil painting class given by my most favorite instructor, Steven Walker. Both of these paintings are from photos that I took on another one of my scouting trips into the Amish areas of Ohio.  These are from Hardin County.

ENJOY!!

A BEAUTIFUL DAY TO PAINT

DAPPLED SUNSHINE #2

Today couldn't have been a better day to go outdoors to paint.  It has rained the last two days and this morning didn't look too promising, but I put my gear in the car and headed out anyway.  By the time I got to my painting spot, the sun was starting peek through the clouds and it was clearing quickly.  This is a view of one of my favorite spots in Columbus.  It is in Clintonville near the Park of Roses.  It is a favorite dog walking spot and has become a favorite painting spot too.  It is full of challenges with the creek, rippling water, and numerous trees and rocks. On this painting, I did a value sketch first, then began by laying in my darks. I also tried being looser and used a bigger brush than normal.

There was so much happening here that I had to edit some of the trees and simplify the water in the creek.  I am happy with the results, hope you are too!

ENJOY!!

THINKING OF THE END OF SUMMER

AUTUMN BARN

This painting recently sold from the gallery where I have some of my work, Studios on High Gallery in downtown Columbus.  I titled it Autumn Barn and it got me to thinking of where I was when I took the photo it is based on.  Ohio still has plenty of rural areas and this barn was shining like a jewel among the gold and rust colored grasses.  I was being driven around an amish area of Ohio in Harden County.  I was being driven because I had just broken my arm in a really stupid bike wreck, and couldn't drive yet.  That was almost a year ago, and now I tool around in my car like nothing happened.  This painting and this barn make me thankful that I live in such a beautiful country that still has wonderful rural places to explore.  This painting also makes me thankful for my health, because a year ago, I was struggling.

Enjoy!!

AN ARTIST'S LIFE

The Painter

When we moved to Columbus in 2008, I had the very good fortune of meeting the lady pictured above at a colored pencil class. She was one of the first "artistic" people that I met and we have been friends ever since. We don't do much colored pencil work now, but instead have taken up oil painting. We are fond of going out together during the good weather and painting "en plein air", usually accompanied by our dogs. We also belong to a couple of painting groups that meet mainly on the weekends and find ourselves carpooling together for those paint-outs too.  While we may like some of the same things, our painting styles are totally different. Mine style of painting tends to be what you see above, very representational, while my friends is more impressionist. So here's to my friend, The Painter.. . . . . . long may you continue to be bitten by the painting bug!!

ENJOY!!

VINTAGE

Historial Duo

A few weekends ago, I was in Bay City, MI were my husband was competing in an aerobatic competition. The airport has this great old historical hangar that they are trying to preserve.  It was built in 1929 and has many of the original windows and huge sliding metal doors.  It served as the hangar for storing the competition airplanes at the end of the day.  The first evening there was one of those

evenings where there is this golden light during the late afternoon, early evening.  I snapped several photos of the airplanes as they were being brought into the hangar for the evening.  This particular plane, a pre- WWII reproduction of a German Bucker Jungmann, caught my eye as it sat near the windows.  It just glowed, partly because of the yellow color it is painted and partly because of where it was sitting in the hangar. I snapped several photos and knew it would be a painting.

ENJOY!!

MID-WESTERN SKY

CHANCE OF RAIN

This painting was done from photos I took while at an aviation event in Indiana.  My father was a farmer and loved Indiana.  He always called it "the garden spot of the world", and took pride in his ability to raise a good crop on his land. This painting reminds me of growing up there.  There were open views of the land and in the summer you could see a storm coming from a long way.  I miss the quiet solitude that growing up in the country provided.

Enjoy!

A DAY OF AVIATION

DANCE PRACTICE

A few weekends ago, I was in Bay City, MI for an aerobatic competition with my husband. While there, I got to do some plein air painting, but also took lots of photos of the competition.  This painting is from some photos that I took of pilots getting ready to compete.  It shows a pilot with his sequence card in one hand practicing his maneuvers on the ground before he takes off for his turn in the aerobatic box.  I think they sort of look like large birds doing their mating dance, hence the title!

Enjoy!!

PLEIN AIR ON A SUMMER DAY

SUMMER WETLAND

Last weekend, the Central Ohio Plein Air group met at a metropark south of Columbus called Pickerington Ponds. The day promised to be a hot one, so many people arrived very early to get their paintings started.  Unfortunately, I was not one of them.  I did stand in a shelter to get this view, but had to put up my umbrella to keep my easel and palette in the shade. I needed the shade to be comfortable and to judge my colors on the palette, but the shade proved to be too dark to judge my colors on an already dark toned canvas. I ended up with a really dark painting and had to lighten it up when I got home.  Another lesson learned.  Always take a variety of toned and untoned canvases along- you never know what conditions will be upon arrival at your destination.

AN OLD SOLDIER

OLD SOLDIER

I walk by this old pine tree almost every day when I take our dog for his walk.  It is in the parking lot of one of our local parks.  It is beginning to show some signs of aging.  Some of the limbs have broken off during recent rainstorms and there is evidence of insect damage.  But I love this tree, and hope that this little painting has done it justice.  I painted this one on gesso board that I painted black first.  I like how some of the black peaks through in certain areas.

Enjoy!!

A GREAT DAY TO PAINT

BAY CITY WETLAND

Two weekends ago, I drove up to Bay City, MI to be with my husband as he competed in an aerobatic competition.  I brought my painting gear along, and was able to get out in the morning before the competition got under way.  The airport is situated on the Saginaw River south of Bay City.  The river has many wetlands near there as it meanders its way to the bay. I chose this sight and set up to paint.

It was a perfect morning, and I took advantage of the good weather to get this painting completed.

NEW METHOD

A BIRDING DAY

This painting was done from a photo that I took on a recent birding trip to Buck Creek State Park, near Springfield OH earlier this spring. I'm a sucker for pathways that lead into the woods, and this one was full of dappled light.  I decided to try a different way of painting this one.  I have been following several artist's blogs on one of my favorite web-sites called dailypaintworks.com.  Two artists whose work I really admire, Karin Jurick and Cathleen Rehfield, both use a dark underpainting

to begin their work.  In this painting, I painted the gesso board with black acrylic, which dries quickly, then laid in the oil on top.  I like the way the underpainting shows through in some areas.  I'm not sure I would use this method in every instance, but I liked how this one looks.

Enjoy!!

NEW WORK, OLD FAVORITES

JUST DOWN THE ROAD

This painting was completed earlier in the year and I am just getting around to framing it.   I am going to submit it to a student art show at the McConnell Art Center in Worthington, OH that will be showing from August through October. My instructor, the very talented Steven Walker, helped with curating the show and I am delighted to be included. I am trying a different frame this time, from King Of Frames, in CA.  They are beautiful, simple black frames with a red undertone and gold liner.
The painting is from a photo trip my husband and I took up to an amish community not far from Columbus. It was one of those very rare clear summer days and I got some great photos of the rural farms in that county.

ESCAPEE

ESCAPEE!

These strawberries were calling to me, "Paint me, we are so beautiful!", so I obliged.  Can't you just imagine the one strawberry escaping the plate for fear of getting eaten? 

This painting was done from life and strawberries don't do well under bright lights.  Two days is about all one can get in strawberry life.  After that, they start to break down.

By the way, I will be rejoining Studios on High Gallery in the Short North Arts district in downtown Columbus, OH in July.  This gallery has been named the best in Columbus for the 2nd year in a row!! There will be a food themed show in July and a few of my paintings will be in the show, so come on down and take a look.  If you purchase any of my work, 10% of the proceeds will go the the Mid-Ohio Food Bank.

A WALK AT THE LAKE

FOG AT ANTRIM

I walk everyday with my Labrador Retriever Logan. Lately, we've been in the habit of walking at Antrim Park, which is just 5 minutes from where we live.  The park has a big lake and we walk around it with another friend and her dog.

On this particular morning pictured in the painting it was cool and clear, the beginning of a beautiful spring day.  It had gotten cool enough the night before that fog had developed on the lake from the warmer water.  There is a willow tree near the lake shore where lots of dogs congregate to swim and play.  On this morning there were no dogs, only the empty bench and the backlit willow tree.

This is my impression of the fog that morning and the light coming through the willow tree.

I painted this on a canvas that I had painted over with a dark brown color.  I always enjoy working on a colored ground.  It takes me back to my old days of working on toned paper with my colored pencils.  There is something about working on a colored background that makes me use brighter paint and more of it to cover the canvas. And it is always nice to let a little of the color show through in appropriate areas.

PAINTING IT AGAIN

A VERY BERRY DAY

  I have been working on this painting on and off for about two weeks, and today I think I finally have it finished.  Strawberries are another of my favorite fruits, not necessarily because of the flavor of them, but I just love their color and texture.  I especially love how the stems and tops are this velvety texture while the fruit is shiny and bumpy with the seeds. 

 This particular painting also has quite a story.  The strawberries were a gift from a friend.  I had completed a calligraphy project for her as a favor and she presented me with these beautiful strawberries as a thank you. I put them in this green Depression glass bowl that a had belonged to my grandmother and shot lots of photos of them both inside and outside of our house.  The sketch that I used as a basis for the painting is a conglomeration of several photos. I originally did this painting in watercolor many years ago when we lived in Indiana.  I submitted it to the Hoosier Salon and it was accepted for their show. Somebody really like it because it sold afterwards. Fast forward several years and I decided to see what it would look like in oil. I think I was able to get more of the texture of the tablecloth and fruit in this painting. Hope you all enjoy!

CHERRIES TO CHEER YOU

TWO'S COMPANY. . .

The cherries are in season at our grocery stores and markets.  They are one of my favorite summertime fruits. I decided to give them the honor they are due by painting them in a still life.

Picking the ones that would stand up to my idea was a challenge.  Not every cherry was kind enough to oblige and I had to eat the ones that wouldn't cooperate. As you can see, I didn't end up with many cherries in my painting. This one is titled "Two's Company. . ."

KEEPING IT LOOSE

SUNLIGHT AT GLICK PARK

During the last plein air session that I attended, I made a conscience decision to try to loosen up my work. The area I choose to paint was a road leading down to the river.  It was a terribly hot and humid day, so painting this view would put me in the shade.  The view also had lots of lights and darks, which I felt would make for an interesting painting. I began by putting in the areas of the lightest lights and the darkest darks, then quickly filled in the mid-tones. I used the largest brush that I had brought with me and that forced me to make bolder marks.  Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the painting. You can see a larger version of this painting on my web-site, carol granger.com

BIRTHDAY FOR A FRIEND

A PICKERS HEAVEN

I recently presented this painting to a very good friend of mine for her birthday.  It is painted from a photo that she had taken when she was near Madison, IN on vacation.  She tends to love antiques and her house is filled with beautiful pieces.  Happy Birthday my friend!!

THANKFUL

DAZZLING DAISIES

SPRING ON MY MIND

These two paintings recently sold at a show in Berryville, VA.  It's always nice to sell something at a show. It immediately validates one of the reasons that I love to paint, which is sharing my work with other art lovers.

FIELD OF MEMORIES

AWAKENING

This is another painting that was completed during the last paint out with one of the plein air groups that I paint with. This is the view looking to the left of the spot where I painted the view with the gravity wagon. The fields had not been plowed yet, and this one still had cornstalks from last years crop.  Along with the corn stalks were some new pale green and pink toned weeds that had taken hold of the earth. I used to enjoy walking the fields when I was a little girl, and I have a collection of arrow heads found on those walks.

REMEMBERING

BRIGHT SPOT ON A STORMY DAY

On a recent paint out with the Ohio Plein Air Society, I painted at a large farm near Mechanicsburg, OH.  As many of you know, I was raised on a farm, so this view of a gravity wagon seemed very familiar. It was a stormy day, with rain showers moving through intermittently.  It was a challenge just to keep myself and my painting equipment dry, but my umbrella worked like a charm, and I was able to do this little painting. I did have a challenge with getting the paint to adhere to some areas of my gesso board that had gotten wet from the storm.  It really is true what they say about oil and water not mixing!! Here's to farming memories!!

WINKING AT YOU

Ooh La La (I'm Going to France)

Last Saturday, I traveled to Bellefontaine, OH where the flying club that my husband belongs to was having a practice session for the upcoming aerobatic contest season. I went along to see old friends and to help out with planning for the Ohio Chapter's contest.  One of the pilots served as a coach for the practice session.  He is a wonderful pilot and has been selected to be on the USA team for the World Aerobatic Competition to be held this August in France. His plane, featured in this painting, was parked on the ramp and when I looked at it, I knew it was going to be a painting. It will be disassembled, crated, and shipped to France. Doesn't it look excited?

Plein Air at Sycamore Creek

Last Saturday,  the plein air group that I paint with painted at a place called Sycamore Ridge Park in Pickerington, OH.  This is a photo of the area that I selected to paint. I finally got the painting photographed today and the photo below is the painting that I almost finished at the site, then put the finishing touches on at home.

SYCAMORE PARK COVERED BRIDGE

You can see this and more of my paintings at www.carolgranger.com and on my Facebook page by searching for Carol Granger Studios.