I’ve been painting with some new paintbrushes lately. They’re synthetic, and I am totally in love with them.
Pop quiz: Can you tell which brush has been used with phthalo blue?
These synthetic brushes work amazingly well with acrylic paint. It makes sense: acrylic paint is synthetic, so it’s highly compatible with synthetic brushes.
But that phthalo blue… it stains like crazy! Oh, the paint washes out of the brush just fine. But it leaves behind a very permanent stain. I can easily tell which of my new brushes have touched phthalo.
Phthalo… it’s forever!
February 29, 2008
“Trees on the Ridge”, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 24×36″
On a hot sunny day in Southern California, hiking can be either a hot dusty ordeal or a cool shady pleasure, depending on where you choose to go.
One good place to go when the temperature soars is Sullivan Canyon in Los Angeles. Much of the canyon is shaded by large sycamores, gnarled oaks, and other native trees. The trail snakes along the bottom of the canyon where the shade is most plentiful.
Not all the trees are to be found deep in the canyon. This picturesque grove growing along the ridge above the canyon caught my eye, and I snapped a few shots of it as I walked by. Now, half a year later, in the depth of winter (as deep as winter gets here, which admittedly isn’t all that deep!) I’ve finished the painting based on those snapshots. Can you feel the shimmering heat?
This painting is available (unframed only) $870. It is wired and ready to hang. The edges are finished so framing is not necessary.
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
February 22, 2008
This weekend, Feb 16-18, 2008, I’ll be showing my paintings in Palm Springs.
If you happen to be in the area, please stop by and say hi!
The show is all 3 days of Presidents’ Day weekend, Saturday through Monday. It’s held in Frances Stevens Park, 538 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA. It runs 10am to 4pm all three days. The show is easy to see from Palm Canyon Drive, just look for the white tents.
There will be about 120 artists, exhibiting work ranging from paintings to pottery to blown glass to jewelry. The quality of work at this show is usually quite high.
The park itself is worth a visit just to see its spectacular kinetic-sculpture fountain (which, on windy days, tosses water right across the sidewalk).
I’ll be in the middle of the big grassy area. A safe distance from the exuberant fountain.
February 12, 2008
“Windswept”, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 18×24″
The westbound stream of smoothly flowing traffic abruptly comes to a halt. Mile upon mile, cars inch forward a few feet at a time, then wait. In what appears to be the middle of nowhere, for no discernible reason, there is a perpetual traffic jam.
Pacheco Pass is one of the worst-designed highways in California. Traffic backs up for miles waiting to get through a truly frightening intersection. The Old West is still alive here: there are no signal lights, just a big game of “chicken”. At highway speeds.
While awaiting my turn through this Russian Roulette of intersections, I had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. The hills here, so characteristic of California, are dotted with wonderfully craggy oaks.
One oak tree in particular caught my eye. It had grown, bent by the prevailing winds, into this fantastic windswept shape. Stuck in traffic with plenty of time on my hands and nothing else to do, I gleefully snapped several photos of it. One of those photos formed the basis of this painting.
I don’t advise driving through Pacheco Pass unless you absolutely have to, but if you do, keep your eyes peeled for this tree. It’s on the north side of the road, some ways east of the traffic jam.
This painting is sold, but there are plenty more at www.barbarajcarter.com
February 7, 2008
