"Dragonfly on Water"

"Dragonfly on Water" c 2006

Click Here to Bid

I was just chatting with someone who is bidding on several of my paintings, and thought, "How wonderful it is to be living in a time when connecting with someone on the other side of the country is this easy?"

This woman lives in Tennessee, and is a veterinarian and rides dressage. At the moment, she's purchasing three of my small equine color studies and waiting for the fourth to be posted. To share a quote from her "Horses. You see in them the color and magic that is there and you should be thankful, that is a gift!"

She saw the love I have for painting animals and natural elments. And when I paint them, sometimes it's realism, and sometimes they come out in technicolor... it is an amazing thing to have another person be able to connect to your artwork with the same passion you do!

"Dragonfly on Water" is 16x20, gallery wrapped canvas, available on auction at eBay.

"The Wild One" new Zebra Painting

"The Wild One" c 2006

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It always comes back full circle... to horses and zebras. I guess you can't steer away from what you love.

This piece is called "The Wild One". 16x20, gallery wrapped. Available in my ebay store.

As always, please email me with any questions!

Equine Horse Color Study "Flying Leap"

"Flying Leap" c 2006

Click Here to Bid

No matter where I go, I always come back to painting horses in some way...

This particular piece is called "Flying Leap" and is available at auction on eBay as we speak. My smaller pieces are shipping free right now, so it's an excellent time to get one for the holidays.

Many of my clients buy these daily paintings as gifts for loved ones, when they want to pick something really special.

Please email me with any question, or visit my eBay store to see this and other works of art available!

Have a lovely day.

More Dragonfly Paintings!

DRAGONFLY SERIES c 2006

Click Here to Visit my eBay Store

OK, so it's a small obsession.... and they are so much darn fun to paint.

So, I did a series of three dragonflies, which can be purchased and hung together, or separately.

Lots of color, metallic copper and silvery-green highlights.

Too much to do tonight, I have holiday light box orders to fill, so I need to get to the garage and start making them!

Have a lovely evening everyone, and please contact me if you have any questions or comments. Or, if you would like more information on a particular piece!

Dragonfly Daily Painting

"Dragonfly" c 2006

Click here to bid

I'm taking a small break from the enormous abstracts and getting back to some fun little color studies.

I am experimenting with some different techniques. This particular piece is 5"x7" on canvas panel. A dragonfly in a brightly colored sky with delicate metallic highlights. Available on eBay.

Smaller pieces on the way!

I'm working on some smaller pieces to post this week, along with a couple of larger semi abstract works.

Tonight, I'm revisiting a favorite of mine. This is my all time number one zebra painting, and I still miss him....

He's living in a million dollar home on a lake in Chicago, so I think he'll be fine, but I still pine for him from time to time.

Born of the Sun

As I sit here typing my daily blog, which by the way I've been trying to do since 10am.... my brain is clicking off a list of things that have to get done tomorrow.

When did my days get so short? How did I manage to LOSE TIME by leaving my 60 hour a week job? Sometimes I miss those days when I would get up, go to work, do my business uninterrrupted for the most part, make a list of what needed to get done the next day, come home and take it easy.

I think about how nice it would be to have regular scheduled (mandatory) breaks, overtime, lunches with friends, and a workspace where I would never find a random green crayon or some leftover Cheerios.

Then I think about how many laughs, steps, milestones and memories I would miss. I can breathe easily knowing my girls are being raised by a firm and loving hand, being taught the values I adhere to. They know their mommy is the first line of defense when there is a quarrell, an owie to be kissed, or a peanut butter and jelly to be made. I think about how soon they will be teenagers and will think that everything I do is lame, will want me to drop them off a block from school, and will be embarrassed when I sing or dance. Now, I can sing to Dora the Explorer, dance with my babies throughout the house, and make them giggle when I'm silly. And I realize that I'm exactly where I want to be. I'll just take a breath, and forge ahead on days like today.

I'm a wife, a mother, and an artist. Some days are struggles. Some months are tight, and sometimes finding time to paint means cutting out needed sleep.

But it's all worth it. Because soon enough they'll be off to school all day long, and I'll be counting the minutes until I can pick them up from school and hear about their days.

Until then, I'll paint when I can, play when I can, and do my best to balance both worlds.

In my art world, there is a new piece... "Born of the Sun", a triptych available in my eBay store. Three panels, 14x28 each, total installation 42x28.

A Tangled Web

For some reason, this pic didn't post the other day....

It's another abstract triptych, called A Tangled Web.

42x28, gallery wrapped sides.

Available in my ebay store.

I'm exhausted, so short post tonight.

Long Day

POPPIES IN PERSPECTIVE c 2006

I didn't paint at all today. But, the good news is that my husband got my new workbench built in my studio, which gives me 8 FEET of workspace, 3.5 feet deep.... yea! I'll be able to get crazy with some of my abstracts working on an elevated surface, instead of killing my back with the canvas on the floor.

I know, I'm feeling ALL of my 33 years tonight. It didn't help that my baby woke up at 3:20 am needing a diaper change, then my 3 year old came stumbling into our room at 5:15 saying she was awake and needed her yogurt, a banana and the Backyardigans.

It's now 11:30, and I'm going to go to sleep as soon as I get one last basket of laundry put away.

I'm not posting something new today, but rather a piece that has some news! "Poppies in Perspective" was selected to be one of the "big gifts" in indieholidays.com, which people are calling a better holiday site than redenvelope.com! It was a nice surprize, as the lady who runs the catalog emailed me and asked if she could include my painting as one of two featured items.

How wonderful!

Please keep the emails coming, I love to hear from all of you, your thoughts, critiques, anything!

Good night, I'm off to (fingers crossed) get some sleep!

- Carrie

Dreamcatcher

So, this is definitely bigger than the paintings I normally do for my daily blog, but I have been painting a piece a day.... just on a much LARGER scale than I had planned.

I'm on a streak. This particular painting is four feet square, I call it Dreamcatcher.

You can't see all of the colors in the photo, but there are subtle hints of bright colors throughout.

I have it listed on by eBay store, email me with questions.

My baby is up from her nap, so I'm off of the "artist" clock, and onto "mom"! Take care.

Butterfly Effect

Today's painting is a larger abstract piece. I call it "Butterfly Effect", and it's an abstract impression of butterflies taking flight.

24"x24", staple free sides, wired in the back for hanging.

The photo does not do the painting justice at all. Nor can you see the heavy texture on the piece. But, as with all artwork, seeing the work in person makes all the difference.

This item, as always, is listed on ebay. Please email me with any questions.

Hummingbird in Flight 2

It's 8pm, and it feels like it's midnight . I hit the ground running today, got the girls ready to go, dropped the baby off at my mother-in-law's, dropped Sophie off at preschool, went to the gym, worked out for the first time in months (ouch!), grocery shopped, came home, made lunch, picked Sophie up, went to mil's house, had lunch with her, took the girls to Michael's craft store to get the supplies for cheesecloth ghosts, came home, put them down for naps, packed some ebay stuff to ship, worked on a couple of little paintings, gave the kids a snack, made ghosts with Sophie so they will be dry by tomorrow, made dinner, ate with my family, cleaned the kitchen, bathed the kiddos, and now my husband (bless his heart) has taken over with story time, brushing teeth and tucking in so I can catch up on a few emails.

Yikes, where does the day go?

I'm going to be hosting a preschooler craft playgroup at my house tomorrow. We're decorating the ghosts with googly eyes, pom-poms, glitter, and all sorts of fun stuff.

Anyway, today's the last of the hummingbird paintings so far. Not sure what I'll paint for tomorrow. I've got fall in my head, so maybe some leaves, trees, another pumpkin? I'll have to think about that one.

Check out the new site for the daily painter's blog, too. www.dailypanters.com

Hummingbird on a branch

I apologize in advance for what is certain to be a lame-o post, since I'm falling down tired tonight.

This morning started WAY too early, and has gone 100 miles an hour until now. We're getting the kids ready to settle into bed, and I'm thinking about setting my Tivo for my favorite shows and following suit asap. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ......

Oh, yeah. This little painting is a hummingbird during a rare moment of stillness. The little guys is perched on a branch, waiting to flit to his next flower.

Please email me with any questions, chances are by tomorrow when the piece is listed, I should be able to form complete sentences!

Hummingbirds... newest daily series

So, it's raining. And it's cold. And it's probably going to stay like this until sometime in June.... sigh. The trials of living in the NW.

Weather like this makes me nostalgic for summers in Texas, which last roughly from March until October.... this train of thought made me think of the little hummingbirds that we always put feeders out for. Especially my dad. He LOVES hummingbirds.

On the first visit to Texas with my then boyfriend, now husband, Scott, my dad was living in this little place out in the middle of nowhere, near Glen Rose, TX. He had 3-4 big feeders out, and in the evenings, there were literally HUNDREDS of these wonderful tiny little birds feeding out there. Absolute magic.

Scott was mesmerized by these little guys.

There is my inspiration for today's post! It's a little hummingbird in flight, with my color interpretation.

5x7 on canvas panel, available in my ebay store. Please email me with any questions!

Equine Color Study No 4

Click Here to visit my store and view my paintings.

This is the last, so far of my small equine color studies I'm listing this week on eBay. I'm going to be working on a large scale commission piece based on one of these smaller works.

I had a client see the smaller ones and immediately ordered a large one. So I'll post that one, too when I'm done with it.

It's cold and foggy here this morning. My husband is off at a softball tournament and my girls have now developed a nasty cough after their headcolds last week. Oh Joy. It will be a Disney movie and take it easy kind of day for them. Easier said than done, let me tell you!

Equine Color Study No. 3

Where does the time go? I swear, I've been moving and grooving all day long, and have managed to get ONE thing on my list of about 50 done.

That was to wash and vaccuum out my car. My husband will probably have a heart attack, and the kids won't know what to do without a van full of Cheerios and Goldfish crackers on the floor! But I had such grand plans, laundry, mopping, cleaning the kitchen, scrubbing bathrooms... the glorious tasks of the at-home mom.

I guess they will be pushed back to the "after dinner" timeslot, when my husband is giving the girls a bath and reading them their bedtime books. Oh, and before "Grey's Anatomy". Must keep on top of what's happening with Meredith and McDreamy, you know!

OK, so about the new painting. It's a 5x7 color study on a canvas panel. Horse portrait this time. I'm having such fun with the color and shape of these glorious creatures. Available Friday, Oct 12 in my ebay store.

New Series... Equine (Horse) Color Studies

First, I just want to say thank you to all of the people, customers or not who have written me to give a comment, or a shout out of support.

As an artist, what I put out for the world to see is so personal, that it really moves me when others are able to see what I envisioned in my mind. So, thank you.

Today, I'm showing the second in a series of equine color studies. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE painting, drawing, riding, talking about horses. I've been absolutely horse crazy all my life, and they were the first animal I taught myself to draw.

Some of my fondest memories are of me, my sketch pad and my huge Quarter Horse, "Cat".

This particular piece is a 5x7 color study of an Arabian stallion. I was shooting to capture the arrogance and pride of these magnificent horses. It's up for auction in my ebay store, and I'll be posting at least two more in the next few days, as I've received several emails asking when more would be available.

Good night to all. Once again I've completel shattered my 10pm curfew.... good intentions but I start to paint and all sense of time flies out the window. Let's hope the girls want to sleep in just a little...fingers are crossed!

Autumn Dance

So I haven't been painting the little ones this week... I got caught up in an abstract flurry, and have created another large scale triptych.

This one is called "Autumn Dance", my own personal celebration of the brightly colored leaves and weather change that October usually brings. Of course it also brought a fun headcold that my two daughters and I are suffering through, but that's another story altogether.

It's late, I'm tired, and Nip/Tuck is calling my name, so this is a short post.

The painting will be listed on eBay, in my store (see link on the right) tomorrow, Oct 11 at 7:45am PST.

Please, as always, contact me with any questions.

Waterdance, large scale abstract

Today's post is going to be pretty short, since I've got a three year old terrorizing her little sister.

I'm posting my most recent large scale semi-abstract painting today. It's a triptych, three panels of 14x28 each. Total size when hung is 42x28, so it's a big installation.

I call it "Waterdance" and it's mostly dark blues and purples, with splashes of a spicy red, green and silver. There are hints of metallic strokes in there, as well as heavy brushstrokes.

Click on the links on the right to visit my ebay store and see the listing, or email me with any questions.

Have a great Sunday!

Heart Trio

Well, it's a good morning in my house. I'm seeing some wonderful interest in my daily paintings, so it's really boosted my creative juices! I want to paint everything, and all the time.

What does that mean? I'm not sleeping again. I'm feeling a caffeine fueled painting binge coming on, when I paint until 3am when the house is quiet and I have some time to myself. And after that? I crash for 3 hours until the girls wake up, load up with high octane coffee and push through the day.

I can usually do this for several days in a row, then my husband will send me to bed so I don't fall over. (he's thoughtful like that)

So, what do I have for a painting today? It's another funky heart piece. I call it "Heart Trio", and its some dark purple/teal hearts floating in a red/pink swirl. It kind of looks like they're being pulled into some kind of twister to me.... but it's an abstract, so your interpretation is as good as mine!

I'm off to feed the baby, start some laundry, make breakfast and get back to painting!

Lonely Heart

Today I'm actually posting a daily painting! I got inspired yesterday and painted through the afternoon while my darling little ones napped.

It's a rare day when both sleep at once, so I took it as a sign and made the most of it.

This piece is on canvas paper, 12x12, and is called "Lonely Heart". Being on the canvas paper, it's going to be really easy to frame in a standard frame.

Listed just this morning in my eBay store.

Baboon, another of my large paintings

Ok, so today is the last day you're not going to see a brand new painting. My brother and sister in law are leaving in the wee hours of the morning, and I've got a few new pieces in the works right now.

Today's picture is called "Primal Stare" and it's a bold, funky portrait of a male baboon. It's 28x22 and comes framed. I've got it listed in my ebay store, so if you're interested, make an offer.

Have a lovely night. I'm off to wrestle my three year old into her jammies and get her to bed.

Tropical Fish

Today's image isn't one of my daily paintings. In fact, it's a painting I did a month or so back, that I hadn't decided if I was going to sell or not.

Since I have my wonderful brother and sister in law in town this week, I took last night off from painting, instead spending some wonderful hours catching up with my family. My little brother has spent the majority of the past decade splitting his time between Costa Rica/Panama and South Carolina.

So, as you can imagine, I haven't seen him much. But, great news, he and his wife are moving up to British Columbia, where her family is from so they'll only be a day's drive away. I'm thrilled about that.

Sorry to have missed a painting day, but I will make up for it later in the week!

My painting today is large, framed, 36x36, and is titled "Meeting of the Minds". The colors are bright and bold, and the piece is finished with a clear varnish for protection.

It's available in my eBay store, just click the link on the right. Have a great day, we're off to get ready for dinner!

Pumpkin for Fall

The weather is finally turning, so it's chilly in the mornings, the leaves are changing colors, and the air is brisk and cool.... I guess Fall is here.

I'm typing quickly this morning before my baby wakes up and demands to be fed. My three year old is safely ensconsed in my bed with a yogurt smoothie and Curious George on PBS. I have approximately 12 minutes to write my blog, make a bottle and take a quick shower before the house awakens and I'm on the run!

On top of my normal routine dressing/feeding the kids, getting Sophia ready for preschool, I get to come home today and make sure my house is suitable for guests. The main portion of that being the removal of all small plastic toys from the guest room, taking off the potty seat in the guest bath, and double checking for anything sticky that might be lurking somewhere unexpected. I'm so excited, my little brother and sister in law (that I have never met) are going to be here tonight!

I could go on forever, but since I now have 11 minutes, I should cut this short. About the painting....

To celebrate the change of seasons, today's daily paint is a pumpkin, painted against a blue background. It's 10x10, gallery wrapped canvas, and protected with clear varnish. As always, available in my eBay store.