Where There's Smoke . . .

This is a pen and ink drawing of a couple of objects I found at our cabin site. Sometimes two things seems to want to go together. It's a visual pun, I'm sure you will get it! It is currently on view as part of my solo show at Torchon Bistro in Anchorage.

Where There"s Smoke

7.23" x 10.5"

Pen and Ink on Paper

For more information, contact me at 

info@carollambertarts.com

Memories of Summer

Here are the last florals of the summer, with the flowers that were most plentiful in my garden, nasturtiums and lobelia (some of my favorites!) The piece below also features a red cup I fell in love with, plus some of my collection of glass bits. 

The piece shown below is a pastel on paper. Colorful, isn't it? Pastel just tempts me to go all out with the color, it is such a lush medium. This piece looks great in a mat, the energy is nicely contained, just the thing to brighten a winter day.

Red Cup with Blossoms and Shards
Oil on Linen Panel
9 x 12

Bed of Nasturtiums
Pastel on Paper
11 x 15

For more information, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com

Differential with Japanese Banner

It helps, when one is a still life artist, to understand the secret lives of things. Objects can be quite lively when you get to know them. This differential, for instance, persuaded a fit young man to carry it 12 miles out of an abandoned junk pile somewhere in Alaska, despite the extra weight. When he left the state, he put it on the grass to one side of his yard sale, where it attracted me. Since then, it has been waiting patiently in my "heavy metal" box, all the while exerting a kind of tug on my awareness. In another part of my life, I was exploring old Japanese textiles. I did not realize this banner would have an affinity with the differential, but there it is.

Differential with Japanese Banner
16 x 20

oil on linen panel

For more information, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com

Demontration from First Friday: Elemental

I'm calling this painting Elemental. I painted it at Upstairs Studio on June 3, First Friday. It was an open studio night, so visitors could come into my workspace and observe. I amazed myself by completing the painting in about 8 hours, while also taking time out to talk to visitors about what I was doing.

I wanted to do something with harmonious, subdued color. The stones seemed ideal subjects for such a project. The background I used was an old watercolor landscape of mine, turned upside down. The sky colors of that old piece were just what I wanted in this new one. I considered leaving the curved shape of the paper, but the landscape qualities of the background persuaded me to give the piece a horizon instead.


As you can see from the progress photos, I eventually eliminated one element (a tiny leaf). I felt, in the end, that it did not contribute much to the overall feel of the piece.


Here is my starting step. You can still faintly see the grid I painted first, to help organize the composition. Then I sketched in the main shapes, and finally drew them in with soft charcoal.

News Flash: I am the featured artist in Alaska Home Magazine's summer issue. It will be on news stands in a few days, and when the online version is published, I will send out the link to all my friends and fans. You will find the article on pages 68 and 69.


10" x 8" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com

Four Inch Brush, completed

The Four Inch Brush from my last demonstration is finally finished. The image below is the last one from the "in process" series I posted a few weeks ago. I had quite a way to go in the finishing step.

I used the same color mixtures throughout the process, but they look different in the two photos. The finished photo was taken in natural daylight, while the process photos were taken under indoor light. The photo above shows more accurate color. I did change the colors of the brush in the final version.


I will be doing another First Friday demonstration on April 1. I hope those of you in and around Anchorage will drop by the Upstairs Studio to say hello. In addition, my still life weekend classes are ongoing and have openings. If you would like to join us this weekend, or during April or May, please get in touch through my email:
info@carollambertarts.com

8 x 10
oil on linen panel

Four Inch Brush, another First Friday Demo

Many thanks to photographer Paul Younger, who came to the Upstairs Studio First Friday opening and took this shot of me with my painting, my glass palette, and my set up.

The subject is another old tool I have had for a while, just waiting for the right moment to paint it. Because I try to work quickly on demo paintings, a simple object is best, but I added the cloth to liven up the color. Besides, brushes and color go together!

You can see my mixtures of pink and pale yellow paint, to match the fabric, on the palette. My green and violet mixtures are also there, but outside the photo.

The first sketch, getting the composition in place. You can still see my initial grid. The panel is 8 x 10.

The block-in is about done here.

First color pass, looking like a painting now. I had fun incising the individual bristles with the pointy end of my brush.

I continued to work on Saturday, and this is what it looks like now. It is not necessarily finished. I will let it dry for a few days and look it over for needed refinements. Then the "official photo" will go to the website.

This process is what I teach in my weekend workshops. There is still space in March, April, and May. Please contact me if you are interested in signing up.
info@carollambertarts.com

First Friday final versions

In honor of the upcoming First Friday, I am posting photos of these completed demonstration paintings. The one above is now called Frank's Pointer. Everyone thought it was a gardening spade, but actually it's a mason's tool. I began it at January's First Friday.

Below is Slotted Spoon, from February's First Friday.

March 4 is First Friday, and I will start another painting. Please come by to see the show at the Upstairs Studio Gallery. Location: 406 G Street, Suite 209, Anchorage, Alaska. The opening goes from 5 PM to 9 PM.

First Friday Demo, a Slotted Spoon

On Friday, February 4, I did another all-day demonstration for the First Friday festivities at the Upstairs Studio gallery. Thanks to Daniel, of Daniel Jackson Photography, for this photo of me at work! What follows is my step by step progress.

This is the basic sequence I take people through in my weekend classes on classical still life technique. There is still room in the workshops coming up on the next 2 weekends, and beginners are welcome. Please contact me at info@carollambertarts.com if you are interested. There are also classes planned in March, April, and May.


Here is the set-up. This old slotted spoon came from a friend's grandmother's kitchen. Another friend gave me the deer antler. These objects seemed to get along well.


This is the block in for the composition.


At this stage, I am working up the values in monochrome. I am also thinking about the final colors, since this set up was mostly monochrome anyway.


Here is my first color pass.


This is what the painting looked like at the end of a rather long day. It isn't finished: the antler needs more modeling, and I will adjust values and sharpen some edges.

At some point I will post my demo paintings in their finished state. Thanks for your interest!

Pulley #2

This is the companion to Pulley #1, which I posted last November. Next up, both pulleys in one painting! However, they will have to get to the end of the line, there are so many other characters waiting patiently to be onstage.


10" x 12" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com

Dark Lily

A favorite embroidered piece, a favorite broken glass (I have a collection) and a lily from the garden last year, all these things still graceful in old age.

14" x 11" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com

Herpetology Text

These things found their way to each other on the studio table, and just seemed to go together. I found the page of text in an old book shop, loved it, and have always intended to get it into a painting.


10" x 8" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com

Cosmos

In the middle of winter, it's nice to see some color.

12" x 10" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com

Jade Loon

Here is my first post of 2010.
I have a number of paintings in process, I will post more as soon as I have the photos ready.
Best wishes for the new year to everyone!

8" x 6" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com

My Joyful Self

I found this little cherub on my travels and knew he'd make a good model. When I was painting him, I started to identify with his carefree attitude. He cheered me up, tripping happily along over rust and debris, with his bouquet of roses.

I picked up those pieces of scrap iron on the beach of the Arctic Ocean, during last summer's trip to Deadhorse.

8" x 6" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com
$290 plus shipping, unframed

The Tin Sheep

This is the second painting from the Peter Van Dyck workshop. This time I used a linen panel. The surface stayed a bit oilier, but I liked how it went.

This is the same flowered napkin featured in the Russian Sugar Bowl painting (see the August 1, 2009 post). Quite a contrast, isn't it? I was worried it would steal the show in that little sugar bowl painting, so I made it more uniform. But in this painting I found that the sketchier treatment had more visual interest for me, and it didn't steal the show.

I found this tin sheep (or is it a cow??) at a yard sale full of funky stuff in Seattle. August is a great month for finding cool still life stuff! I was really attracted to the strange colors of the rust and wear on this object.

8" x 10" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com
$480 plus shipping, unframed

Insulator with Railroad Hardware and Raven

Here is a rare red insulator my friend Paul bought in an antique shop in Bisbee, Arizona. While I was painting this piece (one of my demonstrations at Charlie's Club 25 Cafe Gallery) a gentleman offered an explanation for why insulators were made in different colors. Seems the telegraph people were trying to find the best way to keep bees and other insects from nesting inside them (a hazard to workers) so they tried different colors to raise the internal temperature. Indeed, many of the clear insulators in my collection have the remains of insect nests inside!

I found the spike next to the rail line in Whittier, AK, and the old bolt in a pile of hardware left over from someone's campfire. They had burned some railroad ties and these things were all over the place. That was near Seward, AK.

The raven was a gift from my friend Jessica, years ago. I like him a lot, and he turns up in a lot of my work. He is the ultimate observer, as Edgar Allen Poe knew so well. Ravens are smart, wary, and comical. I always figure they know stuff.

8" x 10" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact 2 Friends Gallery
907 868 4648

Woman with Orca and Sea Glass

This piece is a little fantasy, you can make up your own story to go with the image. Several Alaska references here, the orca of course, and the sea glass, which was collected on Kodiak Island. The rocks and the shell come from the beach at Homer, Alaska. The little woman figure has been in the family for years, I have no idea where she is from, but I like her attitude!

6" x 8" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com
$280 plus shipping, unframed

Glass Insulator with Telegraph Wire

Here is another Alaskan found object, from the days when communication along the rail lines was by telegraph. Those copper wires were strung for miles alongside the tracks, and the glass insulator allowed the electrical current to flow smoothly. These beautiful objects, now in disuse and fallen from their posts, lay in the brush alongside remote sections of the Alaska Railroad.

Many thanks to my friend Paul for lending this specimen. They are hard to find with the wires still attached!

This painting was last Friday's demonstration piece for my appearance at Charlies' Club 25 Cafe and Gallery, in Anchorage at the corner of 4th and D Streets. I will be there every Friday through January 2nd, so I really hope you will come by to visit! I am set up and painting by 9AM, and I generally stay until the painting is done, usually around 6PM.

8" x 10" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact Fireweed Gallery
907 235 3411

Cue Ball and Moose Vertebra

This was last Friday's demo piece. Because it was Halloween, there's a nice dried bone in this one. I found the moose vertebra on a sandbar in the middle of the Matanuska River. It isn't very spooky, just a beautiful object to support the star of the piece. I felt like I was painting the moon.

6" x 8" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact Fireweed Gallery
907 235 3411

Glass Float and Bed Spring

Here is this past Friday's demonstration piece. Both are Alaskan found objects: the float was found on a remote beach by my friend Lynn, and I found the bedspring among a pile of trash outside an abandoned cabin in the Talkeetna mountains. I love spirals.

10" x 8" oil on linen panel

To purchase, contact me at info@carollambertarts.com
$515 plus shipping, unframed