“San Joaquin Prairie”, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 40×30″
I’ve lived in the midwest US, and I’ve seen plenty of prairies. As it turns out, California has its share of horizon-spanning plains too. I found one such in the San Joaquin Valley, north of Merced. Not pancake-flat, the grassy land instead gently rolled as far as the eye could see. It may have been part of a vast pasturage for cattle - I did see barbed wire. What was most striking to me was its sheer expanse, seemingly endless, from horizon to horizon. It felt otherworldly.
I snapped a quick photo out the car window while whizzing past. The picture was a little blurry, but the vision of the astonishing expanse of dry grass was etched into my memory. Between photo, memory, and a little painterly abstraction, I bring you this painting.
It may be that “prairie” is not quite the technically correct term here, but I liked the quirky midwestern reference.
By the way, this painting is the finished version of the canvas shown in my posts “Blank Canvas” and “Blank no more“. Yes, the big ones do take a while.
This painting is available for $1150, and can be shipped anywhere. It is wired and ready to hang. The edges are finished so framing is optional.
Email inquiries welcome: info@barbarajcarter.com
All my paintings are priced by size; prices increase periodically. If you are viewing this more than a few months after my posting, please consult my website for current prices: www.barbarajcarter.com
May 15, 2008
I had a great show last weekend in Studio City, CA. Even though I was pretty busy, I took a few minutes to wander around the show and snap some photos.
The show is held every year in the same location, in Moorpark Park at the intersection of Moorpark Street and Laurel Canyon Blvd in Studio City, CA. It’s a very nice grassy park with huge mature pine trees providing welcome shade.
You can see all the trees in the background.
This show includes a very wide variety of art and craft media. There’s something for everyone here, from inexpensive body-care products to the very best fine art and fine craft available in southern California. Here (above) you can see some gorgeous high-end ceramics, on the right.
The atmosphere at this show is relaxed. It’s a fun day out for friends and family, looking at art, shopping, people-watching, and munching on some snacks from the food booths. The park comes equipped with many picnic tables, so relaxation and rest is right at hand when the shopping gets too intense. There’s also an enclosed playground for children, which was well-used all weekend.
There’s my booth, above. I was located at the far end of the show. At first I was afraid it wouldn’t be a very good location, being so far off the main paths, but lots of people found me anyway. And my edge location gave me a little more space to spread out. So in the end it worked out quite well.
See you at my next show!
May 13, 2008
“Shadowed Hill”, 2008, acrylic on paper, 5×5″ matted to 14×11″
The sun was lowering in the sky. Fog had begun rolling in from the ocean, filling the valleys of Topanga State Park and introducing a slight haze to the air. Distant hills and ridges took on a misty, blue appearance, like something out of a fairy tale. This painting captures the almost abstract quality of the moment.
This painting is available matted $115, or framed as shown $145.
Email inquiries welcome: info@barbarajcarter.com
May 8, 2008
I am now halfway through my 4-show blitz - four shows in a row. (You can see my current show schedule here.) I seem to be surviving better than I anticipated, but it’s definitely hard work.
Here I am at last weekend’s show in Calabasas, CA:
The Calabasas show went quite well. The weather was perfect! Lots of people stopped by and commented on my work, which is always fun for me. I love that I get to interact with so many people from all different walks of life. The one common denominator is that they all like my work! After all, anyone who doesn’t like it will wander off and look at something else they like better.
The various reactions people have to my work, whether it’s “wow” or “that’s different,” help me recharge my batteries to get back to the studio and paint more.
Oh yes, some people also purchased my paintings. That is truly the ultimate compliment, and I am deeply grateful to each one of them. Their purchases make it possible for me to keep doing this.
See you at my next two shows!
May 6, 2008
“Topanga Shadows”, 2008, acrylic on paper, 5×5″ matted to 14×11″
Topanga State Park, late afternoon. The sun casts long shadows of the trees surrounding an open grassy field. Across the field the trees have begun to fade into indistinguishable darkness, just the tops lit by the lowering sun.
This painting is available matted $115, or matted and framed in a simple black frame $145.
Email inquiries welcome: info@barbarajcarter.com
April 30, 2008
“Jacinto Reyes”, 2008, acrylic on paper, 5×5″ matted to 14×11″
Taking Route 33 north out of Ojai quickly transports you to a completely different world. The highway, called the Jacinto Reyes Scenic Byway, twists its way through some of Southern California’s most beautiful and rugged terrain. Mile upon mile, the magnificent chaparral-covered hills rise above the road to either side. You quickly lose sight of anything manmade except the road itself. You might as well be on another planet, somewhere people have never set foot.
I always get excited when I stumble onto these remote regions, especially when they’re so easy to get to!
Still, I’m a little puzzled by this road. It’s in surprisingly good condition, seemingly newly repaved when I traveled it last fall. But it’s almost completely deserted. It doesn’t really go anywhere in particular: it connects to other roads which eventually lead to a few small towns. It’s certainly not a shortcut anywhere, nor even a reasonable alternate route to anyplace in particular.
There’s no reason to drive on this road, as far as I can tell, except to see the landscape. In this case, the journey really is the destination. It’s commonly said, but how often is it so true?
This painting is available matted $115, or matted and framed in a simple black frame $145.
Email inquiries welcome: info@barbarajcarter.com
April 23, 2008
It’s spring, and the 2008 art festival season has begun!
These are the next few shows I’ll be exhibiting in (all are in Southern California):
For full details, see my show schedule page.
Four shows in a row seems a bit much! The thing is, I’m still figuring out which are the best shows for me, so I need to try them all. Maybe next year I can be a little more selective!
See you at the festival!
April 17, 2008
“Merced River”, 2008, acrylic on paper, 5×5″ matted to 14×11″
Looking across the river at the far bank, the water sparkles in the sunlight. Slow ripples like miniature waves work their way across the water, breaking the sun-sparkle up into broad patches. The feeling is calm and meditative. People may come and go, but the timeless river endures.
This painting is available matted $115, or matted and framed in a simple black frame $145.
Email inquiries welcome: info@barbarajcarter.com
April 17, 2008
“Topanga Mist”, 2008, acrylic on paper, 5×5″ matted to 14×11″
While hiking in Topanga State Park last fall, I saw some amazing cloud formations. Fog from the ocean started rolling in from the coast. I’d hiked far enough uphill to see over the next ridge and down into the valley where the fog was pooling. The sun, behind this pool of fog, made it glow eerily. The haze also veiled the far ridge in a lavender mist.
Much taken with this spectacle, I snapped several photos. Now I’ve turned the experience into a mini painting (and probably will do more). The composition of this painting appears quite abstract, but it’s actually quite true to the photos I took. Just some of the colors are a little altered, to give it my own twist. With such a simple composition I was able to have a lot of fun with my Pointillist technique.
This painting is available matted $115, or matted and framed in a simple black frame $145.
Email inquiries welcome: info@barbarajcarter.com
April 16, 2008
“Two Pines”, 2008, acrylic on paper, 5×5″ matted to 14×11″
This is the other pine-themed painting inspired by all the trees I saw while hiking in Sullivan Canyon last summer. Its “companion” is “Pines at Sullivan Canyon”, though of course the two don’t necessarily have to stay together.
This painting is available matted $115, or matted and framed in a simple black frame $145.
Email inquiries welcome: info@barbarajcarter.com
April 15, 2008
