Many Paths

"Converging" oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I love how the multi-colored horizontals turned out with this painting. Despite it's busy-ness it still evokes a sense of calm. 

First Snow

First Snow, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

The first snow is always so beautiful to me. I have to get out of the house to cross-country ski, walk, or in days of yore, I would go for a run. This particular day my hands were almost completely frozen and not for the lack of my oversized ski gIoves.  I took a photo looking straight up to capture the day; leafless trees replaced with cold snow, clean, blue sky and rapidly moving clouds which resulted in this colorful, soothing painting.

On a different note....the good news is I just bought a pochade box and utility tray to mount on a tripod to paint en plein air. I am excited about how an entirely  new dimension(s) could be brought to my work, by painting outside. The bad news is we are supposedly in round two of the polar vortex winter from hell. Uhg!

Hidden Dandalion

Hidden Dandelion, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I look down a lot when I walk.  I am deep in thought most of the time and looking at people during these times would be a distraction, not anti-social :-) And because I look down just as much as look up (sky high), I see a lot of treasures like this. I would never have thought a dandelion could be found still growing after a freeze, but here she was, all bundled up in her blanket of various wild grasses.   

Van Gogh and Friends

Van Gogh and Friends, oil on gessobord, 6x8 inches

My dear friend Lori is so enthusiastic about my painting, and she is also the owner of one of my works. She loves to travel to see her adult children. They recently took a trip to the Nation's Capitol and visited one of my favorite museums, the National Gallery. She took some great pictures of her family and I loved this one so much I asked for her permission to paint it. It has two of her three children in it, and of course Vincent. He seems to be looking at them as much as they are looking at him.

From Mary's Garden

From Mary's Garden, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches

sold 

My friend Mary grows these beautiful Japanese eggplants in the summer. After she bought one of my paintings earlier this  month, I couldn't resist doing this commission for her.

Eggplants are such a beautiful vegetable, have gorgeous whimsical leaves, and the color is rich, like none other. The only problem I had when painting these handsome creatures was trepidation that it might not turn out to her liking. But she loves it, as do I, so all is well :-) 

Row of Trees

Row of Trees, oil on gessobord, 6x8 inches

I painted this yesterday as I was coming to grips with the fact that the picturesque part of fall was sadly over. Most of the leaves are now gone in Louisville, and those leaves still hanging by a thread are dull brown. And as I type, a few days ahead of this actually posting, snow is in the forecast. Um, yay....not! Have a look, one more time at the beautiful, colorful aspects that we all look forward to each year's near-end.

The Three Graces

The Three Graces, oil on gessobord, 6x8 inches

Oh Sunflowers on a cold, cold day; what could be better? I painted these graces from a photo that my sister sent me last summer as she was traveling around France.  I have looked at the photo almost everyday since I received it. I finally decided to paint it, with cold hands, in my cold house, to radiate a little warmth for my soul.

Pawns

Pawns, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

NFS

I felt like I was a piece on a chessboard when I was traipsing through this set of cedars. I truly love the way this one turned out. The sunny day just presented itself in my painting.  Because of this I am keeping this one myself :-)

Fallen

Fallen, Oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

Time for a closeup, of Fall that is.  I was given two little burning bush leaves a few days ago and I sat them on my nightstand to admire. As the trees started losing their leaves during the rapid stage, I took a closer look and decided they were an appropriate subject matter. I tried to convey the individuality and differences of the leaves even though they came from the same bush.   I don't do too many still life, but this was definitely a nice change.

Footbridge

Footbridge, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

This is another angle of the little footbridge that I posted on Friday.  The real focus of this scene was the ginormous birch tree. Big birch trees are very majestic when the sky is blue and the leaves are gone. The trees are just as lovely bare as they are full of fall color.  There was a lot of fall color this particular day, that now seems short lived. It feels like old man winter is making his presence known way too early this year.

End of the Line

End of the Line, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I found this little footbridge on a public golf course in Louisville. It crosses a creek that spreads its forks and tendrils all around  Louisville. It's an abandoned bridge for the golf course, and it has two boulders at the end to signal its non-use.  Sledders still cross it in the winter to head to the nearby hills.

The creek and bank were dark this particular day, with the bowing red tree equally bright.  So many other trees were bare.  I noticed as I was painting this scene that the bareness in the landscape started affected my normal brushstrokes.  Chunky changed to thin interestingly enough. I let it be because it was a reflection of my subconscious interpretation. It's all good!

Pickin' Corn

Pickin' Corn, oil on gessobord, 6x8 inches

I have a few photos left over from my local Farmer's Market that I put aside for later. This is one of them.  The scene just screamed of color and I'm pleased with my results conveying this as well.  It was fun to photo and fun to paint.  I always find, I might add, that my paintings turn out better when I'm attached somehow to the event or people I photograph, and this was no exception. I love the relaxed atmosphere of the Market, the ability for local venders to showcase and sell their products and to know the quality of what you are buying is at it's best.  

The Cheese Stands Alone

The Cheese Stands Alone, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches 

I went out over the beautiful weekend that Louisville brought to the table and traversed the local parks shooting a nice batch of photos.  There was a lovely path that had this last gorgeous yellow maple blazing in the sun, showing off, so I took advantage.  It was so dynamic, thus I tried to convey this by changing up my brush strokes a bit more. The color was definitely fun to work with. 

Bernheim 1, again

Bernheim 1 again, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I am so happy to present my 100th post!  I painted this about 3 weeks ago, and showed it to my ever-wise son. He immediately recognized it as the same image from my first-ever painting that I did after picking the brushes up and dusting off my hands after 25 years. It was Hugh's suggestion that I save it for monumental 100, and I'm glad I did! It's meaningful to me that I came back around to this image and that I can recognize such a breadth of improvement.  Take a look for yourself:

Bernheim series 1, oil on canvas, 10x14"

The poster that I put together for yesterday's post was a celebration of sorts, and now onto the next 100 paintings and more!

100 day collage

Celia Kelly Painter celebrating 100 paintings

I am so excited. I have made this collage because tomorrow is my 100th painting post. I have a surprise painting for this milestone...Hint: it will take you all the way back to the beginning of my blog, day numero uno.  
Thanks everyone for your continued  "likes", invites to friends, daily inspiration, daily pep talks, and for purchasing my work.  I can only use this foundation to grow. Please water daily :-)

thanks to Leslie Saeta for her wonderful radio show Artist helping Artists and her idea for the collage

Oddities

Oddities, 6x6 inches, oil on gessobord

The title of this painting comes from me seeing this scene and all of a sudden finding it so peculiar that everything, just like in my painting Orderly, http://celiakelly.blogspot.com/2014/10/orderly.html, in tamer parts of nature somehow became so symmetrical for aesthetically purposes. When really, almost everything in nature is aesthetically beautiful in its own way. Alas, who am I to preach, since as I have said many times these types of trees are one of my favorite subject matter. And there is a very lovable geometric element to them. They also seem to catch the light on only one half, and cast the greatest shadows. Ah, shadows!

Pumpkins in the Straw

Pumpkins in the Straw, oil on Ampersand gessobord, 

6x6 inches

I took this photo on a field trip with my class to a pumpkin patch.  I loved painting it from start to finish. Beautiful color and fun, fat, fast brushstrokes made it "easy" to work on. The quotation marks are only there because nothing is really easy, and that's just part of the process. 

Bungalow 4

Bungalow 4, oil on Ampersand gessobord, 5x7 inches

This is the last in my Bungalow series. As far as the style of the house, this is my favorite.  Chunky and subtle are what I see within this humble home.  I've always looked at old buildings and houses as having a soul, so I can only hope this one has been well taken care of. From the outside it appears this way. Maybe the curve of the roof is a hint of a smile :-)

Red Hot Maple

Red Hot Maple, oil on Ampersand gessobord, 6x6 inches

The photo of this painting has a bit of glare, that no matter how many times I tried to photograph it in various non-direct light, the paint still absorbed too much light. I left it alone for now only because it became symbolic with each photo attempt of the bright sun lately on these Fall days.  I'm not complaining.

At its Best

At its Best, oil on Ampersand gessobord, 6x6 inches

We interrupt this Bungalow series to bring you a bit of Fall color.  I couldn't resist.  I've had a quiet weekend with the teenagers gone to Chicago to tour the school of the Art Institute of Chicago, so what's an artist to do but paint. Fall is all around and it made it's way here. 

I have been chosen as the Louisville Visual Art Association's Artebella Artist of the Day. Happy, Happy!!

http://www.artebelladaily.org/artists/celia-kelly/

Bungalow 3

Bungalow 3, oil on Ampersand gessobord, 5x7 inches

This bungalow caught my eye because of it's craftsman details. This style always reminds me of the beautiful architecture that you see throughout Bavaria, minus the extreme pitched roofs. I had to tweak the color because the 21 century owners were not kind to it with their color choices, unfortunately. The landscape was interestingly shadow striped the day I took the photo. Busy, busy.

Bungalow 2

Bungalow 2, oil on Ampersand gessobord, 5x7 inches

Here is the second painting in my bungalow series.  This is a stucco covered white bungalow that has been the apple of my eye for a while now. I walk or ride my bike by it quite often.  I love the pillars that resemble sturdy tree trunks, larger at the base than the top, holding a roof that provides an extra living space to the house.  As I mentioned yesterday, I love the simple esthetic of the bungalow home. They have stood the test of time and patiently protected their residents for over 100 years.