Tuesday, December 25, 2018

A Very Special Day




I hope you all enjoy your holidays and find peace and love in the upcoming year!  I want to thank all my online friends who visit this blog and follow my art.



Our painting group, Pieces of 8, at our fun Christmas luncheon at The Dove. The Dove always makes  it a specal day, they do it right!

Clockwise, Fay on the left, Carmen, Denette Jean, Donna, Me, Mary and Kathy.
Carol Schiff
www.CarolschiffStudio.blogspot.com

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Dog Portrait, Daily Painting, "Ruby's Nap". 16x20x1.5 Oil on Canvas, SOLD

Well, here I am posting another dog portrait.  There is good reason for that.  I have been working on several commissions for the same gentleman.  He loves his dogs and wanted oils of them.

This is Ruby, enjoying a little shut eye on the porch.  We all love to do that, right?

Ruby
SOLD
I loved this image and had a great time painting it.

Have a great day today and thanks for readking my blog.!



www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Seagull Painting, Wildlife Painting, Bird Painting, Small Oil Painting, Daily Painting,

I love color, especially all the luscious paint colors available. I decided to shake things up a bit.  I painted with a limited palette of only one red, one blue, one yellow and white.  This was rather confining for me.  To make it even a little more difficult, I chose to paint a scene without much color of any type.


Purchase here
I was pleasantly surprised by the beautifully harmonious results.  The color, in this piece is very subtle, but none the less, I enjoy it!

Jonathan Livingston Seagull lives on!


I will be trying this technique again!
Carol Schiff



Sunday, October 28, 2018

Dog Portrait, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, 16x20x1.5 Animal Painting, SOLD

Today, I am posting a commission painting.  I find that doing a commission is a whole different ball game.  Do you agree?
Add caption

 The client was asking for three paintings of his two dogs.  One of each, and one of both animals.

detail
SOLD

This is the first painting.  I always second guessing myself when I work on a commission.  Does the client want this, or do that want that.  Is it too dull for them, or too bright, or too much detail, or not enough.  It is hard guessing what a perfect stranger would like!

Add to that the dreaded deadline!  In this case, I had only a short time to complete the artwork, due to my schedule.  What if I failed and produce a suitable painting in the allotted time?

While commissions are stressful for me, I always welcome them.....I just have to remeber the sense of accomplishment I have, when the project is accepted by the client.

I believe a little stretch is good for everyone, especially us artists


Thanks for reading my blog today......and keep painting!

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Friday, October 26, 2018

A Collection of Animal and Bird Paintings, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting

I was looking at some of my images and was really surprised to see how many bird and animal paintings I have done.  I thought today would be a good day to post a few of my old time favorites.

Great Blue Heron
250 + shipping


SOLD
  
SOLD


SOLD


SOLD


SOLD
It is always interesting and educational to review the painting journey that you have been on.  I like to line up older paintings, chronologically, which helps me to see the improvements I have made and the ones I would like to make in the future.  Always an interesting exercise.

Have a painterly day and thanks for visiting!


www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com
www.CarolASchiff.com

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Art Sale Today

I decided the time was right, to clean my studio.  I found that the reason it is so cramped is............TOO MUCH INVENTORY!



So, to remedy the situation, today is the start of a 4 day SALE in my Etsy shop.


30% off ALL ORIGINAL PAINTINGS

9/27 - 9/30/18


Choose from over 150 original paintings

purchase here

purchase here


purchase here

THURSDAY THRU SUNDAY ONLY

Friday, July 20, 2018

Dog painting, Pet Portrait, Commission your Pet Painting, 8x10x1.5" Oil

This is Cocoa.  His lives with his best friend, Louie, here in the mountains.  You may have seen Louie in my previous post.


Their owner, wanted paintings of them, that related to each other.  She supplied me with images, which I used to create the paintings.

Here is Louie, again, just in case you missed my previous post.




Thanks for dropping by today.

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

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Dog Painting, Pet Painting, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, 8x10" Oil on Canvas



My neighbor Ellen, commissioned me to do paintings of her two fur babies.


I was happy when she loved this painting.  She felt I captured his spirit well.

In some ways, it is more difficult to paint a pet, because the owner is so hyper aware of every little aspect of their beloved animal.  This little guy had hair that stood up straight on top of his head, and super long eyelashes.  The owner looked for that in the portrait, as well as all the color variations of the animal.  She pronounced it a good likeness.....whew!

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

Monday, July 16, 2018

A Painting Workshop to Remember

Today, I am repeating a post, from a few years ago.  I think it is worthy of your attention, again.  Enjoy!

A few weeks ago, my friends Carmen and Donna and I drove to Fernandina Beach, FL to attend a 4 day workshop with Elio Camacho.   Elio is one of my favorite painters and my very favorite instructor and I have been lucky enough to attend with workshops twice a year for the past three years.



 I started each day with this beautiful sunrise over the ocean, while eating breakfast at the hotel.


 This is one of Elio's 36x48" demos that he paints in just three hours!




Here Elio met a challenge to paint without darks.  He often states a painting should bring it's own light.  I think this one meets that requirement


 Another of his larger than life paintings.


This was a 25 minute demo he did for us on foam core.  He pushed the color even more than usual and got wild and crazy.


His brushwork is very exciting...something I am hoping to bring to my work.


Elio spent a year painting blue studies, then moved on and studied yellows and reds.  He likes to set up still life, to challenge his students, all in a single color.  He believes red is the most difficult color to paint.  If you can do a red painting, you can really see color.  This was a 20 minute demo he did for us.


We hated to leave the workshop after 3.5 intense and fun days.  To console ourselves, we had a final lunch of fried shrimp at our favorite eatery.


A final photo of Carmen and Donna, de-stressing with  ice cream in front of Island Art Association.  We thank the members for hosting us once again.  Then we hop into our car for the drive home.



One last classic Elio demo that he painted in about 15 minutes, out of his head.  I almost cried when he scrapped it off the next morning.

Needless to say, we are excited to return for his next Florida workshop in the spring.  You can find his workshop schedule here.




Carol Schiff

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Horse Painting, Small Oil Painting, Daily Painting, Horse Portrait, SOLD

I have been trying to expand my horizons by painting new subject matter.  This is my second horse painting.


SOLD
I have to say I did enjoy the challenge.  He looked so spirited and I got excited about his red coat against a green background.

Add caption

It's always fun to stretch a little, try something new.  I would like to do more of these, but I think my biggest challenge will be getting interesting reference images to work from. We have plenty of horses in our neighborhood, but they usually run to the other end of the pasture when they see me approach with my trusty camera.

Do you have any special techniques for getting images of animals?

Carol Schiff

www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com
www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Monday, June 25, 2018

Daily Paintings, Small Oil Paintings, Animal and Bird Paintings

I was looking at some of my images and was really surprised to see how many bird and animal paintings I have done.  I thought today would be a good day to post a few of my old time favorites.

Great Blue Heron
250 + shipping


Just Ducky
99 + shipping
  
SOLD


SOLD


SOLD


SOLD
It is always interesting and educational to review the painting journey that you have been on.  I like to line up older paintings, chronologically, which helps me to see the improvements I have made and the ones I would like to make in the future.  Always an interesting exercise.

Have a painterly day and thanks for visiting!


www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Horse Portrait, "Big Red" 6x8" Oil, SOLD

I have been trying to expand my horizons by painting new subject matter.  This is my second horse painting.


SOLD
I have to say I did enjoy the challenge.  He looked so spirited and I got excited about his red coat against a green background.


It's always fun to stretch a little, try something new.  I would like to do more of these, but I think my biggest challenge will be getting interesting reference images to work from. We have plenty of horses in our neighborhood, but they usually run to the other end of the pasture when they see me approach with my trusty camera.

Do you have any special techniques for getting images of animals?

Monday, June 4, 2018

Wildlife Painting, Small Oil Painting, Daily Painting, "Gray Squirrel" by Carol Schiff, 6x8" Oil SOLD

Have you ever tried to photograph wildlife?  I have, and consider it an exercise in frustration.  Many blurred images later, my friend and photographer, Ted Fuhrer, offered me the use of his images.  Thanks so much, Ted.

SOLD
This little guy looks very inquisitive and ready to bolt at the least movement.

  I enjoyed experimenting with painting his fur and directing the viewer's eye.  The animal is much the same color as the background in this scene.

 I put it in one of my black frames.  They seem to work perfectly for just about any painting.

Happy day to you!

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Florida Wildlife Egret Oil Painting, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting,

One of the joys, of living in Florida, was the abundant wildlife.  It was thrilling to view these majestic birds, almost daily, from my window.

purchase here
11x14"


This one was painted from a photograph, as are most of my work.  He had some glorious shadows on him that I could not ignore.

detail


This is one of those few paintings, that seemed to come easily.  It has left me eager to return to the easel, re-charged and ready to tackle my next project.  I love it when that happens!!





Thanks for stopping by today!

Carol Schiff

Friday, April 27, 2018

Tropical Fish Painting, Small Oil Painting, Daily Painting, Palette Knife Painting

A few years ago, we visited the coral reef off Key Largo.  Although I get sea sick, when the boat is not under power, I still enjoyed seeing the colorful tropical fish, and of course, the trip out and back.

purchase here
 Beautiful turquoise waters, stunning landscapes, fabulous wildlife.....the perfect day.

 I am enjoying these palette knife paintings immensely.  I have been so intense about my brush work, that I had ignored the palette knife for months.  Now that I am working with it again, I am enjoying the freedom it brings.


Thanks for reading my blog today.

Carol Schiff
www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Pelican Print, Wildlife Print, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, 11x14" Giclee on Canvas, Best Deal



I have set up a new section in my Etsy shop, called "Best Deals".  Since I have moved to a much smaller home, I find the need to downsize my inventory, along with everything else in my life.  At the moment I am featuring two items as "Best Deals".


Purchase here

11x14" Framed Giclee Print on Canvas - Wood Floater Frame


Purchase Here
14x18" Original Oil Painting with Custom Wood Frame

These two items are priced way below normal, and both are ready to hang. 

Thanks for viewing my blog today.

Hope you have a happy day!

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

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Wildlife Painting, Robin Oil Painting, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, 5x7" Angry Robin




Angry Bird
$99

This little guy is my upside down painting.  I painted him upside down, as a drawing exercise, which is supposed to trick my brain.  Ha!

I'm not sure why he is so 
angry, but I think it has something to do with the fact that he may have come back to North Carolina, just a little too early.  I think he is seriously thinking about turning around and heading back to Florida, because he is caught in a spring snow storm, here in the Blue Ridge Mts. 

 He is also my first painting, since I left my Florida home, to live here in the mountains around Asheville.  I may be following him back to Florida, if it doesn't warm up here soon!

He is 5x7" on oil and looking for a home, preferably in one of the more southern, warmer spots of the world.  Leave me a comment if you have to have him.


Carol Schiff