Painting A Day

Religieuses

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 23:06:00 +0000

I am at it again..sometimes I need to paint a pastry. Especially ones with white paper skirts. They give me joy. And capture moments for me. Lines that shimmer, color that makes me itch to paint it, and significance to source...and gratitude for many blessings. Sometimes a pastry is more than mere cake. Xoxo

I'm Painting Pastries. Want Some?

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:36:00 +0000

Let Them Eat Cake, 5" x 7" original oil paintings on linen in this sell out series will be available to order until the cut off November 17th, 2011 at midnight. If you like to indulge, believe that desire and cravings are a lovely little part of who we are...
Tell me "I gotta have one" in the comments below.
This is a temporarily insane offer at this price and for a very limited time only. I am very pleased to be able to feed a craving for luxury at an amuse bouche price for those who are quick, decisive and just gotta have some color and paint and pastry in their life.
I personally have been drooling over pastries lately and need a sweet indulgence. What better than a little squishy paint and an indulgence that keeps on giving?
Tell me "I gotta have one" in the comments below. I'll follow up with the details. We'll pick one that is just right for you and within a very short time it will be in your hot little hands and hanging on your wall...or hm...a gift for someone else? These will be sent as soon as the paint dries and well in time for that. :)xoxo
Talk to you soon,
Jan

Craving Pastries ?

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:42:00 +0000

I am craving pastries. More to the point I am craving to paint them.
I stumbled across a box of empty linen canvas boards in my supply cubby this week. And now here I am in a Proust pastry painting moment. Remembering how much fun it is to take a pastry chef's art, a tangible , oh so fragrant piece of yumminess...and how they smell and how the paint feels when I paint them. The care and detail the chef gave them and then passing that on in the paint with my response...it's a little call and response, a sweet little dance if you will.
And I am definitely craving more.

Ever had that hm..wouldn't that be yummy feeling?
And needing it actually?
That's where I am. I need just a special luxurious taste. A bit of amuse bouche, right here and right now.
It's that simple.
And I want it to be that special too.

I personally need a little bit more play, more color than the black and white larger studio work I am engaged in at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I love what I am working on, but I am craving that bistro crawling, cafe sitting, pastry indulgence that just might be a little bit of pleasure to tide me over on the bigger pieces. A sweet, sweet luxury. Something to capture all my painting senses.

And a little light and lovely fun pastry painting fun might just do the trick.

Yep.
Need some cake.
And a pastry or two.
And oh my yes something fruit-i-ly delicious.
Want some?

I don't want to break the bank or my studio schedule to get it.
Or my waist line.
Just want a little bit of delicious.
But special delicious.
At special price.

I am thinking...for a short time only, if you are interested, we may just have a Let Them Eat Cake play with pastries and paint reprise.

And a special gift price for the quickest of you for playing along.

And a treat just for raising your hand.

More details very soon, but if anyone has the taste for a luxurious little bit of delicious Let Them Eat Cake paint, to let me satisfy this craving, let me know in the comments below by posting "I'm interested" and stay tuned.

I will be opening a very short window of opportunity in the next few hours and days for anyone who is joining me in this craving... if you are in, leave an " I'm interested" in the comments below. And come with me into a little place of indulgence.

I can't wait. Who knew?

And while we're here, what is your favorite all time ever pastry or cake? What would you throw caution to the wind for, for just a few bites? Does chocolate do it for you? Raspberries and cream? Or do you have something else that gets you every time? You can see some of mine especially in the 2007 archives over there to the right. I will be cruising those too, just to see if I want to revisit some of them with my brush.

This is a very limited number of pieces.
A one time only price as a gift to you quick deciders, first come first served.

For now just let me know if you are interested, raise your hand.
I'll make sure there is a little treat in it for you, just for doing that.

So what do you do now?
Leave a comment with "I'm interested" and be sure you are first in line for this surprise bit o' fluffy fun.

And if you like the idea, pass this link along to your friends.
xoxo
Janice
Talk to you soon.
Going to scout pastries this weekend...:)

Today Is my Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:16:00 +0000

Today IS my birthday and I was a bit Naughty Friday, I delayed posting until today. Because I could not keep this under wraps a minute longer You'll find today's post there, in my new home. I love Paintingaday, my starter blog, and we are still in transition, so it will still be here for awhile. But it needed to become more user friendly for you all and we need some room to grow so...

So the guys at Men With Pens made me a new home. Come see. We'll have a bigger launch later. But for now , you get the first peek.

Cause it's my birthday, it's my birthday...

(editor's note: working on the link right now...new site is www.janicecartier.com)
(HAH: It wasn't me on the link snafu. It was Google! )

That Awkward Teenage Phase

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:28:00 +0000

Gangley arms.

Feet too big.

And voices not quite there.

There is a time in paintings that is awkward, the parts are almost there, but not quite yet. The balance is just about to be, but is slightly out of whack. The colors are present, but not totally integrated. Perhaps the cools out number the warms just a bit and need to be reconciled. Maybe the little bits are not yet soothed by some nice medium ones. But the bones are true, and the vision intact and there's still some room for it all.

It's that awkward teenage phase. It's just about done, almost what it is going to be. Almost. The painting has a logic of it's own so the white spaces, the final glazes, the detail here and there, all have a mission to make that logic work. And to capture the story. Make sure the voice is strong and true.

Here, once the marks are down they are down. So at this stage as much painting goes on in my head as on the paper. What I don't paint is as important as what I do paint. But something else can happen here, sometimes we hit upon a surprise. I found one last night.

Today, I think I'll pursue it. ( Hm, butterflies in my tummy when I saw it. That's usually a very good sign.)

But isn't that just like that teenage phase, that willingness to try new things?

Jason Wu and The Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:08:00 +0000

Simple. Elegant. And Flowing. Not bad for dresses, words or brushstrokes. Even better for the artist. Can you imagine what Jason Wu's life became once that ivory gown was revealed? I saw the interviews and yesterday I read this article in the paper. He seems much like his gowns. And his workroom is spotless. He was drawn into it all as a child, with dolls to drape his dreams on. Every choice he made led him to that evening and the reveal of that gown. And what is he doing now? Why he is at work. Doing what he was meant to do. Simply, elegantly and flowing.

I bet he has his week all planned out. I am not sewing chiffon, or beading a dress, or fielding calls from the press, but it is Organizing Monday. I know what is at the top of the list, and then next, and next after that. But first, I am taping these pictures up so I can see them all week. Simple, elegant, and flowing. The yellow gown says just that.

Do you put up touchstones and reminders to keep yourself in the zone?

Places In Between

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:43:00 +0000

Pink Blossoms.
Blue skies.
Dark recesses.
And bits of chaos.

There is a lot to be said for staying in the present. Eckhardt Tolle builds his whole philosophy on it. So do the buddhists. But to move is to live. So one point becomes another with something in between. Those places in between are often messy. We breathe, we take a step. We begin. We endure. Those transitions, those are a blend of what was and what is to come. But how do we get from here to there?

I want this painting to be about that. So in between the beauty of blooms, is rubble, chaos. A wetland inundated. Evidence of wind. A bit of confusion. And then intertwined, the process of growth. Resurgence. And blue skies.

So there is a little bit of all three here: then, and now, and what hopefully will be. Each vital. The trick is to integrate them into some kind of logic and meaning. Add some poetic mystery.

Yes. Smiling here. No pressure there.

Now how do we get from here to Naughty? It's Friday after all.

Post Inauguration: To Work We Go

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:52:00 +0000

What must it be like this morning, that first day in the Oval Office? The parades have marched , the dances have been danced. That first moment behind the desk, is the firsts of many firsts today. What would you do first?

It still feels like the air is humming. That must be the sea change. It feels electric, a nation truly inspired. What would you do first?

How early did this day start, or is everyone still abed? Would you want to get up and get at it? Or savour this first day?

Are you doing anything different on this first of many days?

I'll be painting. But I am thinking, What would a painter do?

Never Ending Brilliance

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:21:00 +0000

"Never ending brilliance". Wouldn't that be a great thing to call your own? I love that Tiffany ads have always been page 3 upper right in the New York Times. Open the paper, there it is. My heart doesn't always go pitter pat over the jewels, but a lot of times I do admit, I sigh. But there is comfort ( no pun intended- Louis Comfort Tiffany) in consistently finding them pictured there, a little gorgeousness amid all the rest.

Consistently. I think there is a little brilliance to be said for that. Like every Monday lining up the week. Organizing it. Applying a routine. Doing the next important things: Like addressing a competition envelope while the painting is still in progress. Making a gravatar for your signature, or updating a resume to highlight your own facets. Consistently moving it forward. Toward a bracelet of dreams.

Could that get us the jewels we're after? Could "consistently" be our own little bit of brilliance?

So back to the pinks and the studio for me. How about you? Got yourself all polished and ready to go for the week?

Somerset Paper

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Those white spaces you can still see are lovely Somerset paper.

It's a printmaking paper, suited to water and inks.

I am using watercolors.

I launched the Chaos series on Somerset in late fall of 2005, because at the time it was the only paper I had. I needed to paint something very personal about my experience of the storm and my altered perspective. Not only was my personal life uprooted, twisted and turned, but the wetlands I had walked, painted and advocated for, my source material, was in upheaval and devastated too. But I had to paint. It's hard for me not to do that. So I used what I had at hand: some Somerset, a brush, some pan colors, and some symbolic blossoms.

I began to explore. Fell back in love with the tooth of this paper ( It had wrapped my silks for the Ritz after all ). Found solace in the flow of the paint. I could no longer feel satisfied inside any previous lines and certainly not straight ones; images automatically appeared at the end of my brush in random places. Paint intuitively spilled onto the page. Sometimes adversity presents elegant solutions. I was hoping that would be the case here.

Hm, I thought, my reality is surreal. Well, that's what it is, so I am going with it. Me, my brush and the Somerset's softness and strength. So the Chaos Series was born.

Have you ever found the perfect thing when you thought you were just making do?

( Now go be naughty. I am right behind you there. It's Friday after all. )

Taking Time to Set the Stage

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:46:00 +0000

Since there is no pencil drawing on the Chaos pieces after the studies are done, it is important to get those major directional forms down right away.

And to establish some key color and contrast relationships.

Some tonal variations.

Thought leaders, if you will, for the theme of the painting. The stage is set at the very beginning. Every part of the paper on cue. Chords struck that will carry through every part of the page.

And so it begins. Warm pink on a chilly January day. The artist smiles as she drinks her tea, eager to dip into the paint.

How are you staying warm today?

Why Robert Redford Is A Hero

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Imagine my delight when I came upon this in yesterday's paper: a full supplement about Sundance that underscored the value of art to everyone. Not just artists, not just art careerists, but our society. And it's about the story we tell. It says we are all wanting "a new once upon a time" these days...In fact, they even say this: "Artists can show us the way to WHAT"S next." Hm, gulp. There's no pressure there at all. Smiling here. AND importantly, they asked everyone to support the artists. Now I gotta like Redford for that, not a stretch though, already a fan.

Hm, it's all about the story they say, and here's their Sundance story link, because no matter what medium, we all have a story to tell. And as an artist, I guess I could tell you what is coming next, at least from me: pink...the painting begins. Back to the studio cave and the paint. And this is a once upon a time painting I think.

Oh yeah, it's Organizing Monday in the studio, pinks are lined up, the studies are done, and there's that burning wish to nail it.

Anyone a fan of film like I am? Has anyone been to Sundance? (The festival begins on January 15th. And on the back page the New York Times gives their movie link "where the conversation begins" they say.)

And as far as stories go, are you telling yours?

Thumbnails of Grand Isle

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Thumbnails are invaluable. These are searching ones. Searching for dynamics to support the pink blossoms. The luxurious pink blossoms are going into a Chaos series piece. I am looking through photos of the the topsy turvy aftermath of the storm on Grand Isle. The Magical Botanical show is there. So I thought it only appropriate to do something very site specific.

If you look at the thumbnail I showed you on Wednesday of the whole piece, you'll see just directional lines in the background of the larger blossoms. These are part of that.

It's a piece about the spirit of an island.

Now, go be Naughty. I have some work to do, and then I am right behind you.

Exploratory Drawings

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Getting to know you drawings are important. The first time I draw a new model, or start a new piece, I take some time to get to know not only shoulders, or breasts or ankles, but specifically that model's lines, the way her (or his) neck joins the torso, that curve where the hip shows its bone uniquely for the person in front of me. Some character line or atttitude that takes that model from everyman status to Cherylanne, or John. Same way on any subject. How does this form work? Where are the lights and darks? What curve or angle catches my eye? Is there a particular line that must be used, or where is the highest potential for contrast? How can I extend them for my purpose?

So here we have some exploratory drawings from the Pink Sale blooms I mentioned. The drawing on the lower left is a quick thumbnail of the bones of the larger piece. Intuitive and dead on for what I want to say with Magical Botanical. The bones, I have to know those first.

All the while that pink is teasing me. Whetting my appetite.

January Pink Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:41:00 +0000

When I was married to Media Man, January was for the Pink Sale at Neiman Marcus and my birthday. All the holidays and New Year's hoopla done, nothing like wonderful luxury linens to get the year started right. I am smiling, you know there is more to me than that. But look at these gorgeous pink blooms. I could fall deeply into them for a while. They are now part of a challenge I have before me. To create a " Magical Botanical" painting for a competition. I am going with my pinks here.

Yes. Massive quantities of cobalt violets, and rose dore. The deadline is February 2. So I am very excited to be diving into diva like pinks, but that is only a part of the painting. And there are other large works to be done. So on this Monday, this Organizing Monday, I have my Year End Review completed, my things neatly organized, and a burning wish for the New Year. I want to nail some big paintings like I have never nailed them before.

And I might just glance at Neiman's Pink Sale for fun.

Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:16:00 +0000

Painting A Day is in transition and I am very excited. I am truly hunkered down until Monday, January 5th of this New Year. I wanted to wish you all Happy New Year. I am very excited to be returning to my first and most true love in the studio. We have designed a new site that will be launched in January, as soon as I can write the copy that goes with the paintings featured on it. And we must do all that tech part of installation. I hope you'll bear with me as I work through the important stuff that goes with what really matters in the work.
Passion is at play here, color, and rhythms of heartbeats I have always sought. There is a challenge afoot for me. So....in the studio cave we are.
Happy New Year!
See you on Monday.
All best,
Jan

Happy Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:20:00 +0000

I thought you all deserved some particularly tasty treats for the holidays.While I recuperate, paint, and get ready for the transition to the new site, oh and do the holidays... here're some goodies just for you. I want you all to know how lovely this year has been just to have you stopping by, maybe saying hi, or sending a hello by email. And how much fun it is to visit your online homes. I really appreciate my online community. I wish you all the best the season has to offer and all good things in the New Year. I'll be around, just in the "studio cave" awhile catching up. Feel free to say hello, or send an email. I'll stick my head up every now and then until I get caught up. My love to you all. I wish the wishes that you all have, could be mine to give to you. Happy Holidays.

Santa Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:35:00 +0000

As promised, the House on Eagle Street. Forget the Mansions on St. Charles, the City Park Stroll, or the late Al Copeland's Lakefront extravaganza. Head over to Carrollton near the bend in the river for some truly good and soulful Christmas lights. In years past this house has also had Elvis on the near side, but it looks dark this year. No problem, it looks like he has put a pirate ship right in the front with Santa and the reindeer. Must be all those pirates off Somalia who can now be pursued on land, (according to the latest Marine newsletter). I think he could take them.

Every year, I looked forward to seeing this house. The man has been doing it up for years. I suspect he has grandchildren, or maybe he just does it for his own fun. I have seen him stringing the lights, but never had the nerve to ask. In any case, I love the faceted lights showing through the bevels on the doors on St, Charles, and it is marvelous to ride under the oaks and through lights in City Park, and yes, the Copeland house was as loud and brash as Al ever was. But there is something about this cozy house, just off the tracks on Oak Street ( home of the recent Festival of the Sandwich) that makes me smile. Every time. We turn the radio to some local music and cruise slowly by. Smiling and looking to see what he has done this time.

Then off we go for gingerbread and a beverage and people watch a little as the streetcar goes by near the Camelia Grill. Not Manhattan, not Main Street. Just Eagle Street. And an unknown man with plenty of holiday cheer.

Do you have a certain house in your part of the world that is just fun to see all decorated?

( Thanks for all your email and comments. I am slowly recuperating. )

Santa Came Early

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:32:00 +0000

Delight, sheer delight is so rare, but here we have it. This is what folks woke up to yesterday in New Orleans. While my body tries to heal itself, I hope you will just sit back and think about the magic of a clean fresh snow in a semi tropical town where some children have never even seen it.

This is the house where I rode out the storm. It's only a block from the river, but has the unique distinction of being nine feet above sea level. That nine feet is very significant. My friend whose family owns this home, sent me tons of happy photos of the snow. And told me my little McGehee Girls were out on St. Charles laughing and playing in it. The streetcars are draped now with holiday greenery and big red bows. Snow was gently falling.

It is a magical place, New Orleans.

I can almost smell the gingerbread. And I am promised pictures of a favorite decorated house off Oak Street.

So a little delight. More tea and tissues here. And me wishing you a lovely weekend. Yep. Go find some naughty. I'll be here with the tissues hopefully painting a bit too. And smiling at snowflakes dancing.

Life Won

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:53:00 +0000

Ahh, those pesky lungs of mine, we're waiting for tea water to boil. On days this happens, or weeks, I have to just do one thing and then the next and treat my self rather gently. I am sure anyone can relate.

There you are rearing to tear into a million things, and your body just says, uh, nope. So more tea, more apples, more meds. I would rather be painting strawberries, or splashing in watercolor puddles. Or even writing content for the new site. Or phoning up that curator, or that gallery owner. Humph.

What do you do, when your mind is willing,but your body says no? Sheesh, that fluffy pillow is looking mighty good.

Harrumph, AND hmph. We do not like this at all. Oops, the tea water is boiling...gotta go.

What Will Win Today?

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:33:00 +0000

Transitions are rarely smooth or easy, no matter what they say. Believe me, I have been through a gazillion of them. You would think it would get easier. It does not. Only the ability to recognize them and deal with them as such does. What's hard for others to see sometimes, is what the underlying map is. We' re talking about art here right?

Yes. And no. We are talking about art, everything is about art with me, except when it isn't. ( Smiling at that.) A working artist's work is always in movement, one hopes. Who wants stale? We want finished, but not stale. The pumpkin cake won yesterday, partly. The cream has to dry so I can finish the whitest white up on top. And that strawberry thing is so talking to me. Mouth is watering. And while I am painting cakes, the larger work is still in attendance, and all those other things I alluded to. So what wins on days or weeks like these, when everything is in motion, everything is calling for your attention and things are changing?

What do you choose to do? Especially when the stakes are getting higher? And do you take the time to blog about it?

Hm, sipping tea. Thinking. And I am thinking. You stay the course and modify, just a bit. And so here you see an honest look at competing elements of an artist's life. What wins today? Well, Pen has been waiting patiently. Brush is chomping at the bit, and Pencil has me on a schedule. And life, well, life is calling too. I think the best, any of us can do, is show up, do our best, and hope there is a little bit of cake along the way. Yep. I think the best thing we can shoot for, is to remember to be kind to ourselves and remember what is important. That goal. That why we do it. And just do one thing, then the next and then the next. Now, you better believe by the end of the day, those strawberries and that cake...yep, they'll be gone.

So what wins today? I'm hoping I do.

Deep Cleansing Breaths

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:24:00 +0000

These things you see, the tea, the apple, will be gone soon because I am munching on them as I sit and write this morning. Life and stuff won yesterday, not the cakes, not the paintings. Those I get to do today. But here's what's cool: I finished two big tasks that I had promised myself I would. And that feels so freeing. So good. They weren't easy, but they were a step forward. You see, there are changes coming.

Someone has a book out about frogs and tackling the hard things. I think the idea is to do the tough stuff, get it over with and then do the next thing. Behind the scenes I have been doing just that. I am not a technical wonk, I am an artist. So I have some great guys doing what they do to make me a better virtual home. I am hoping you will bear with me during the transition. It may take a bit of doing. I have no idea what exactly is involved, but it is going to look so much better and will be easier for people to use.

So yesterday, Pencil won. We did things that involved orderly ducks, or ordering ducks, or , oh, just getting the big ducks on their way. But Brush and Pen are wanting a rematch today. Yep. So here I am, sipping tea, eating an apple, taking deep cleansing breaths, while they are pleading their cases. Both are very good at it...yes, I hear you.. and on the other hand.... uh oh, Brush is opening the refrigerator... no fair...

Pen how are you going to top that?

Honestly, it's like central casting around here, diva, diva, diva...demanding little buggers. No we are not ordering from Craft Services. This is NOT Hollywood. Seriously. Yes, we can have music...Okay , I 'm coming...gotta go folks...they're union scale, but pushy...

No Nuns, They Had No Nuns

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:56:00 +0000

When I went to Main Street Bakery yesterday, they had sold all the Chocolate Nuns. Yes, there was a run on nuns in Dallas this Sunday. Hm, could it be the yule tide rush? Would it, could it, be some special religious zeal? Or just a chocolate fetish? No matter. We found these: Pumpkin Cheesecake and , oh yes, Strawberries...on a sweet buttery cake... more red, but even juicier...Yeah, Brush is jumping up and down. Spoon is at the ready.

"Hey, it's Organizing Monday, we have ducks to get in a row," Pencil says, tapping me on the shoulder.

"Yep, you have some copy to write for the new site, very important stuff. And oh, life is calling too. AND what about those other paintings?" Says, Pen.

So I am looking at these tasty treats, and thinking of all the stuff, that stuff you know that makes the week go and absolutely positively MUST get done. All the projects. 3 Most Important Tasks and all.

Hm. Cake or stuff? How disciplined am I?

We'll find out won't we?

Naughty Friday Red

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:15:00 +0000

Red Orchids, 40" x 60" Watercolor on d'Arches Paper

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.”~Georgia O'Keeffe

Red has passion, power, and life. It is one of my favorite colors to paint. All of my major series have a portion of red. Except the wetlands series, but it has orange. My earliest Fortuney Series is based upon a luxurious piece of red and silver Italian watered silk. The Orchid series, the series this piece is from has two dominant pieces in red. This one and one I keep for private collection. Both passion pieces, both benchmark works.

This painting was purchased by a man for his wife, he bought it for its vibrance. I painted it because of the light on this flower in this place at this particular time. The Hymen Conservatory was in Audubon Park. Built and funded by private funds, the greenhouse was one of those old fashioned oasis, open to the public, cared and tended by an orchid master, who taught me some of the names, and brought this one to my attention. It was a rare and lovely place in a park designed by Olmstead, he of Central Park Fame. The Conservatory is gone, replaced by the new clubhouse to the upgraded golf course. The orchid master retired. He and I met afterwards many times, when he cared for my friend Abby's orchids at her house. We three were captured in the web of orchids. Anyone who collects them knows what I am talking about.

But on this day, the red was aglow in a peaceful haven. I sat immediately, began to sketch listening to the birds. Hearing the orchid master pad about, watering this, feeding that. I was focused on the strength of this amazing array. The color pulled me in. The shapes held me in awe. I came back and back to capture this. I used the photos too. But the days in the conservatory, that oasis in the park, are really what I was painting. Treasure. Red lighted treasure in the middle of my park. It was like painting a tide pool of life.

Take some time and look at all the parts, all the variations of reds. There's life and death, still and moving, reality and abstraction. Then notice too, that smack dab in the center is a very still green leave. Dead center. I was experimenting with a Matisse challenge at the time. Composition and dynamics. Can you organize a dead center composition and make it dance?

Well, yes, yes you can.

Now go be naughty your own selves. And put some red in your life.

Raspberry Twists

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:35:00 +0000

Raspberry Cheesecake with White Chocolate Star 100.00 plus shipping 5" x 7" oil on archival linen board

Raspberry Knockout ( sold ) 5" x 7" oil on archival linen board

"Painting is not only to copy the object, it is to sieze a harmony between numerous relations."~Paul Cezanne

Raspberries mounded under a glistening glaze, nuts in profusion, and finally red. And cobalt violet. Two cheesecakes, two forms, two similar color families. But again, a difference. So they give a slightly different message. To me the first one looks contained, full bodied, but only bursting out at the top. Potential. The second one, the party is in progress. And let everyone join in. Nuts are spilling out all over the place. Yeah, probably some champagne involved.

Painting is relationships. Each stroke is interlinked with all of the others. And they all feed the central idea of a piece. I painted these one right after the other and finished up the light touches this morning after the darker bits had dried somewhat, so the whites would leave the pinks and reds alone. The oil is very buttery and it flows. But I wanted to paint them as close together as I could, the palette is the same. However, those bits and flurries of all those nuts, are almost formless, random triggers of disruption on the surface. On the other, that surface is smooth, calm. It is an exercise in syncopation. You know, everything is almost the same, but scooched just a bit toward a variation. Being able to make that kind of change within a restriction, is very important to me.

Cezanne said that the way to paint an orange is to paint several of them at once so that the whole is revealed just a bit in each one. Raspberries. Red. Add them to a rich cheesecake and you have a potential license to licentiousness. Passion. That's what is being painted. It would be fun to do a large piece using raspberry dessert variations from Laduree. Hm. The overall impact would be almost too much. It's the succulence of red, and then he does such things to them. Hm. There's a thought.

These two small pieces are little bits of passion. Glimmers, touchstones, a slightly sinful gift to delight one's palette. And I like them. They are a hint of possibilities. I like to paint red. I like to play with proportions of it. Too much, not enough, how far from red of passion to red of anger, or red of patriotism. Red of church. Red of vibrant healing.

I think tomorrow I'll show you a large red piece I did, that a husband bought for his wife. Red. One of my favorite colors to paint.