Karen Alley Art Blog

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

#28 of 30!

This is a small version of a larger painting ("Looking Through The Reeds") I did a little while back. I love the view of being down in the grasses and looking across to whatever you want that landscape to be in the back. Going to call this little one "Pink Sky". I can't believe there are only two more days left in the Challenge. It has actually flown by much quicker than I anticipated!

"Pink Sky"

10x8, oil on panel

$175 framed

Monday, January 28, 2013

#27 of 30! SOLD

You can't go wrong painting the trees of Charleston, they just have such a presence! These were again situated on the golf course at Yeaman's Hall and this painting was done almost completely with a palette knife. This is a different size and shape for me too - 6x12, long and skinny.

"Sunlit"

6x12, oil on panel

$125 unframed/$175 framed

Sunday, January 27, 2013

#26 of 30!

Another still life in the same vein as "Roses For Mom" (#21). To be perfectly honest I am not sure exactly what kind of flowers these are (sort of like a hydrangea, but not). I just liked them and snapped a picture. They are the same size and framed the same way as "Roses For Mom" and would look good hanging together.

"Purple Pop"

10x8, oil on canvas

$175 framed

Saturday, January 26, 2013

#25 of 30!

Yes, more lipstick! This one is actually a commissioned piece after I posted the first lipstick painting, "What's Your Shade?"(#3). Who knew lipstick would be so popular? This one is square and a slightly different color palette. Just FUN!

"Pretty Pinks"

8x8, oil on panel

NFS

Friday, January 25, 2013

#24 of 30! SOLD

It's a terribly gray day here in Charlotte, with ice and snow expected this afternoon.......so, we need something to brighten it up. What better than some "Yummy Yellow"? For those who like the vibrant colors, this one's for you!

"Yummy Yellow"

10x10, oil on canvas

$200 includes frame

Thursday, January 24, 2013

#23 of 30! SOLD

This was one of my favorite pictures taken while I was in Charleston! This great little pond had all these majestic cypress trees growing right up in the middle of the water.

"Charleston Cypress Pond"

10x8, oil on panel

$175 framed

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

#22 of 30! SOLD

I just spent the weekend in Charleston, Yeaman's Hall to be exact, and had the opportunity to take lots of new pictures for painting references. This is the first of probably many to come. The big old oak trees there, dripping in moss, are spectacular!

"Yeaman's Oaks"

6x6, oil on panel

$100 includes small display easel

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

#21 of 30!

Today, a still life. My Mom passed away several years ago, but her favorite flower was the pink rose (pink anything really!), so this one is for her, hence the title "Roses For Mom". This canvas was primed in black and I love to sometimes let a little of the black show through, it sort of creates an antique feel in a contemporary piece.

"Roses For Mom"

10x8, oil on canvas

$175 framed

Monday, January 21, 2013

#20 of 30. Two Thirds of the Way!

Today I have added a structure into the landscape. Anyone can have a red barn, how about a Blue Barn?! I will say this 30 in 30 Challenge has gone by quicker than I thought. I really thought I would be struggling to decide what to paint, but maybe by divine intervention someone keeps putting ideas in my head! For those interested, my pricing on these small paintings will go up after the Challenge is over the end of January, so if there is one you want, don't wait!

"Blue Barn"

8x8, oil on panel

$100 includes small display easel

Sunday, January 20, 2013

#19 of 30! SOLD

Another painting with a view from the upper deck of our lake home on Keowee in SC. A slightly different angle from "Deck View", which was painting #7, "Deck View 2" has beautiful turquoise green reflections and the red/oranges in the tree tops!.

"Deck View 2"

8x8, oil on panel

$100 includes small display easel

Saturday, January 19, 2013

#18 of 30 SOLD

I have not worked with a palette knife in a while, and had forgotten how much fun it is! And the colors in this one just turned out perfect. I used this same image from a photo I took during a"nature walk" in Rimini, SC on a larger painting called "Rimini in Red" last year. I could probably use it many more times with many different outcomes!

"Rimini Reflection"

11x14, oil on canvas

$300 includes frame

Friday, January 18, 2013

#17 of 30.

Well, we did SEE snow falling here in Charlotte last night, but no sticking, and it's a beautiful yet COLD morning here. #17 is one of my favorites so far, I think it's the cool (as in temperature) colors. Dioxazine purple and phthalo blue are two of my favorites. Enjoy!

"Little Grove"

8x8, oil on panel

$100 comes with small display easel

Thursday, January 17, 2013

#16 of 30!

Back to a landscape! Wish the weather today here in Charlotte looked more like this painting. Cold and rainy, yuk, good day to stay inside and paint!

"Purple Path"

8x8, oil on canvas

$100 includes small display easel

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Halfway there!! #15 of 30. SOLD

The third of my butterflies. For someone who loves to paint color, butterflies are perfect, I have enjoyed doing these. Maybe I will do more in the future. And guess what........I have made it through one half of the 30 in 30 Challenge! I am so proud of myself, and my other fellow artists who have made it this far. And on we go....!!!!

"Yellow Butterfly"

8x8, oil on canvas

$100 includes small display easel

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

#14 of 30! SOLD

Painting #14, Butterfly #2, and isn't the red one beautiful! Again, maybe someone could help me with the species, but until I have a more formal name, this one is......"Red Butterfly"!

"Red Butterfly"

8x8, oil on panel

$100 includes small display easel

Monday, January 14, 2013

#13 of 30! SOLD

This is the first of a series of three butterflies I think I will do. I wish I knew the species and all that stuff about butterflies, but I don't, just that I think they are pretty. Therefore, the very technical name of this one is......."Pretty Butterfly"........now you can't wait to hear the names of the next two, right?

"Pretty Butterfly"

8 x 8, oil on panel

$100 includes small display easel

Click here to see other Pet Portraits!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

#12 of 30 SOLD

A little diversion from what what I have been posting. Today is a pet portrait of my now one year old lab puppy, Kasay. When the photo for this one was taken she was only about 10 weeks old and looked like she was posing for the camera! I have been wanting to paint this and finally got it started last week. As with most of my work, I like to pop a little color in to give a more contemporary look to the portrait.

"Kasay"

8 x 8, oil on panel

NFS

Click here to see all paintings in the Challenge to date!

Saturday, January 12, 2013

#11 of 30!

This was from a photo given to me by a friend of a beautiful snowfall in Maine. I'm not sure what kind of tree this is, maybe someone can tell me, but I just love the twists and turns in it. So much character, and of course I had to add my colorful twist to it!

"Maine Snow"

12 x 12, oil on canvas

$250 includes frame

Friday, January 11, 2013

#10 of 30

My last flower from my little backyard series! When we moved into our home we already had a rose garden out back. I had never had roses before and was very excited. At first I thought for sure I could take care of them, but quickly realized I did not have the green thumb. Guess I should have already known that from the dead houseplants! Now I have a "Rose Guy" that gets all the credit for doing the proper things to create these beauties. (Bet he can't paint them though!) Enjoy!

"Yellow Rose Study"

6 x 6, oil on canvas

$100 includes small display easel

Thursday, January 10, 2013

#9 of 30!

Here is another flower from my backyard! I have Camellias that bloom in the Spring and the Fall, and this one lasted well into December.

"Camellia Study"

6 x 6, oil on panel

$100 includes small display easel

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

#8 of 30!

I took some pictures in the Fall of flowers in by backyard and just discovered them in my camera a few days ago while photographing another painting! Nice surprise.....and just what I needed for today's challenge painting.

"Pansy Study"

6 x 6, oil on panel

$100 includes small display easel

Click here to view or to purchase

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

#7 of 30!

Another Landscape today! This was done from a photo I took off the deck of our lake home in S.C. I don't use red a lot, and I don't know exactly why, other than the color red in oil paint takes FOREVER to dry! I'm going to make a conscience effort to use it more often I believe!

"Deck View"

6 x 6, oil on canvas

$100 includes small display easel

Monday, January 7, 2013

#6 of 30!

Back to a landscape today. I love working in squares, they are just a little more contemporary, and they look good most anywhere. Check out all the shades of blue/greens in this one!

"Serene Blues"

12 x 12

Sunday, January 6, 2013

#5 of 30! SOLD

More lipstick......choose your color! Another one just for fun. This challenge has given me the opportunity to experiment with all kinds of things I never took the time to or was hesitant to do before. Subjects, colors, sizes, canvas types, paint, etc....some I will definitely continue to use, others maybe not, but DOING is always the best way to learn. Enjoy your Sunday!

"Six in a Row"

5x7, acrylic on canvas

Saturday, January 5, 2013

#4 of 30!

Well, no I did not complete this larger piece in one day, I have been working on it for several days. I really love the perspective of "Looking Up" from those trees closest to the viewer. Having my coffee and then back into the studio for the day. Working on some more lipstick today......we'll see how that one turns out tomorrow!

"Looking Up"

36 x 24, acrylic on canvas

Friday, January 4, 2013

#3 of 30! SOLD

Ok, ladies, today's paintings was really fun. I love the look of a brand new tube of lipstick, before anyone's lips have messed it up! I envy those women who can apply lipstick and have the shape remain the same, whereas mine always end up flat....you know what I'm talking about. In any case, this is my ode to the lipstick tube. And you might see today's "theme" again during the challenge.

"What's Your Shade?"

9 x 12, acrylic on canvas

Thursday, January 3, 2013

#2 of 30!

I feel like have have lived in the studio for the past 48 hours! That's a good thing though, it really gets the creative juices going to have a challenge like this. I am motivated and I hope I don't get distracted by those mundane everyday chores. My family might have to actually wash their own clothes AND fix their own meals this month. They will survive.........right? During these 30 days you will see a few larger pieces from me, just like normal, but also a lot of smaller ones because of the time constraint. This is a smaller one at 14x11, but still very similar to my larger contemporary landscapes. All of these paintings will be on my website for sale and anything 8x10 and smaller will be a flat $100 and will not be framed. I will however, ship it to you for free during the month.

"Around The Bend"

14 x 11 acrylic on canvas