The blue nude

I'm trying to show the process here.  I started out making four different compositions and chose the bottom one (charcoal) I actually made four different watercolors of the composition.  I wanted it to be more abstract than the drawing, so I laid in the form with clear water and then dropped in the color.

Roses

I put these roses with magnolia leaves and set it in a south window.  I wanted to capture the glowing yellows and soft oranges of the flowers.  This was sort of a time out painting from my larger painting that I've been working on for the past week.  So even though it is fairly large, I didn't spend much time on it.  The flowers are so gorgeous that I think I'll have another go at it later today.

Crying

Today I put my youngest on the plane to spend a semester in Rome.  She said that I wouldn't cry when she left.  Here is an illustration of what I really mean about how much I will miss La Madeleine for the next four months. 

Reclining Nude

Another view of the same nude.  The model held this pose for a long time and as I was doing quick watercolor sketches, I managed to get in quite a few wacks!  (At the paper, that is) This is painted in a handmade journal that I made with the help of My Friend Edwardine.  My original intention for this journal was to dedicate it entirely to sunsets, but nudes seem to be aggressively overtaking it.

One Nude, Four Views

This is four views of the same pose, done very quickly.  The over all composition turned out well.

Beginnings of a Beaver Dam

After all that glass, I guess it was inevitable that I would return to water.  I'm working on painting very direct, no blending.  Once the mark is down, it's done. 

Martini Time

This is my favorite Martini glass (amongst all those that I own).  It catches the light beautifully and painting this gave me some insight into Janet Fish's early glass and plastic paintings.  I'm a big fan of Janet Fish.

Rockin' Flowers!

This time, I decided to use a bigger brush and paint very quickly.  I worked on this for under thirty minutes.  This little vase has a curved bottom and rocks!

Supermarket flowers

I'm working on laying in patches of color instead of going for detail, but this little floral turned out very realistic.  Value defines the form. 

Moroccan Pomagranates

In the state of Nirvana, Mexico

I was looking for a particular reference in my journal and came across this drawing that I did while sitting on the beach in Tulum, Mexico about six years ago.   Today, here it is raining and it's so cold that icicles are forming on the trees and bushes.  Here is an excerpt from the journal, dated Feb. 19, 2003:  "Let it be known to future generations that at this moment, I, Carolyn Rekerdres, am in a state of nirvana.  I am sitting on a beautiful white sand beach, the sun has just come up so it's not too hot.  My feet are in the sand..." 

 This drawing is of a curious tree trunk that looked like a woman with upraised arms.  It was right outside my little cabana room on the beach.