Daily Painting, Seagull Painting, "The Three Stooges" by Carol Schiff, 6x8 Oil, SOLD

The three birds in today's daily painting look a little goofy to me.  Maybe they are hungry, or maybe they are plotting against another, but I just don't trust them.

SOLD

 They remind me of my childhood and the notorious "Three Stooges", Larry, Moe and Curly.
You remember them don't you?  They were always getting into trouble.

They are looking at a fourth seagull....not in this painting, and I don't think it is in a friendly manner!  I hope to do a second painting of this group, including the fourth member.

The reference photo was shared from Shelley Smart at her wonderful blog here.  Shelley is a fantastic photographer and generous too.  She gave me permission to use her image years ago.  I hope you will visit her interesting blog, "A Year at the Beach", where she recorded the activity on the beach every day.

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Fall In The Mountains

I have been in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina since early September.  Some of my painting buddies were with me earlier last month.

 We took a short trip up the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Here we are a 7,000 feet.

The weather was beautiful and so was the view!

We visited several waterfalls and had a delicious picnic.

The trees had just a touch of color, at the time.

We made some new artist friends, who had this pear tree outside their studio.  Thank you for your hospitality Joe and Mari.

We visited the apple orchard and bought fresh cider.  I'm going back for those apple fritters!

Nothing beats the fresh fruits and vegetables, right out of the fields!

Denette made a new friend in Hendersonville.  We also had a fabulous lunch and shopping trip!!

We didn't have time to paint, but took photos everywhere.  Maybe you will recognize some of the paintings I will be posting in the future.

One day we drove around looking for interesting barns for future artworks.

There are so many beautiful scenes in our country.  We loved the farmlands as much as the mountains.

The perfect finish to our day, a glass of wine and good music, overlooking trees and a creek.

Thanks for viewing my blog today.

Carol Schiff
www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Daily Oil Painting, Birds, "Waverunners" 12x12" SOLD

These birds were my constant companions on early morning walks on the beaches of Sanibel.

SOLD

After 40+ years of seeing the sun rise over the Atlantic, it seemed odd to see it rise from behind the dunes at the Gulf of Mexico.

I used both brush and palette knife on this one.  I like the contrast of texture achieved in this way.

The birds ignored me and my camera, knowing they could move much faster then I can.

Carol Schiff

Story of a commission

When I work on a painting commission, it is always with a mix of excitement and fear.  Will I produce the painting my client is expecting?

Recently  I recieved a request for a 30x40" commission.  The client had already purchased a small 8x10" and wanted a similar scene.  She especially liked the sky.

SOLD

I painted a small study of what I thought the client was asking for....focus on the sky and a more interesting marsh area.

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Nix!  The sky is much to gaudy for the client, and could I please add some birds.

This had a better reception, but perhaps a few more herons?

Here we are getting closer, but the client felt the flying heron was too distracting to the sunset.

SOLD!

I photo shopped the offending bird out of the composition and got the go ahead!  This is the completed 30x40" canvas which the client is totally happy with.

Most clients have sent me a photo image of exactly the scene they are looking for.  I found this trial and error system has worked well for me when there is no photo image to work from.

I would love to hear how others handle this situation.

Thanks for reading my blog today.

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

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?

Tropical Fish Painting, Small Oil Painting, Daily Painting, Coral Reef Series, 9x12x.75" Oil

Celebrating that island feel, mon!  There may be pumpkins and falling leaves outside

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my door, but I still dream about the tropics!

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I have a very difficult time photographing blue and green colors.  This painting is a perfect example.  The background is a lovely blend of aquas, blues and greens, but I lose that in the image.  Does anyone have a solution?

Thanks for viewing my art today!

Carol Schiff
www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Tropical Fish Painting, Palette Knife Painting, Daily Painting, Small Oil Painting, 9x12x.75" Oil Paintng

This is another fish painting from my coral reef series.  Are you bored with this series yet?  I still have a few to post before moving on to another subject.

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 Another fish painting.  Don't ask what kind of fish it is, I don't know.

I do know 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