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June Newsletter from Carol Nelson Fine Art

June 2, 2014, 10:22 pm
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Hello Subscribers and Art Lovers,

It's about time I cranked out another newsletter
to let you know what's going on in my studio.

Since I talked to you three months ago, I've
traveled to Dallas, TX, and Dillman's Resort in
Wisconsin for workshops, and Taos, NM, just for fun.
Here's my group in Dallas working away.

    
       Workshop slaves in Dallas

This is the sunrise from my plane window on the
way to Dallas.  Looks like a painting, right?

   
    Sunrise from a plane

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In Wisconsin, my cabin had a great view
of the sunset on White Sand Lake.  And,
YES, I heard loons calling.  I'm an old
Minnesota girl, so love the sound of loons.

   
      Dillman's sunset

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While in Taos, my friend Chris Giroux wanted to stop
at a gem and mineral store - she uses rocks, shells,
fossils in her mixed media paintings.

I found this amazing piece of petrified wood that
became the inspiration for a painting.

 
         rock             "Wood Rock" 36x24

And that's not all.  The other side of this piece of
petrified wood is just as pretty, so I have another
inspiration to work from.  There are so many rocks
that look like an abstract painting - it's a great
place to get ideas.

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If you're in the Denver area:
This weekend is the Art Students League of Denver
big outdoor show - the SUMMER ART MARKET
I'll be in booth #6 at about 4th and Grant.
Click here for more info.

Also for Denver area artists:  I often get students
from out of state who would like to share semi-private
instruction in my studio.  If you're interested in
being an "oncall" student, drop me an email so I
can add your name to the list.

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My painting, "Billboard 2" won an award in the Bold
Brush Painting Competition.  The idea behind this
hodge podge painting is DECONSTRUCTING a mixed media
piece so you see remnants of what was torn away -
similar to the way an outdoor sign board or poster
board looks.

      

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New Website:  I decided to make a new website devoted
specifically to my geologic and southwestern style
paintings.  It's called SouthwestAbstractArt.com
It has some of the same work as on my regular website,
but this is not as busy, and looks pretty good I think.
Click on the above link to take a look.

_______________________________________________________

Recent sales have all been on the internet or from
students at my workshops.  Here's a few that just left:

 

 


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I'll leave you with one glorious shot of the Spanish
broom plant which is going crazy in my back yard right
now.  I wish the blooms lasted longer than two or three
weeks, but it's great while it lasts.

    

Warm regards,

Carol

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June 5, 2014, 10:39 am
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The Magic Bank Account

Imagine that you had won the following *PRIZE*in a contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400 in your private account for your use. However, this prize has 5 rules: 
1. Everything that you didn't spend during each day would be taken away from you.

2. You may not simply transfer money into some other account. 

3. You may only spend it.

4. Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400 for that day.

5. The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say,“Game Over!".  It can close the account and you will not receive a new one. 

 

What would you personally do?

You would buy anything and everything you wanted right? Not only for yourself, but for all the people you love and care for. Even for people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right?
You would try to spend every penny, and use it all, because you knew it would be replenished in the morning, right?

ACTUALLY, This GAME is REAL ..

Shocked ??? YES!

 

Each of us is already a winner of this *PRIZE*. We just can't seem to see it.

The PRIZE is *TIME*

1. Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life.
2. And when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.

3. What we haven't used up that day is forever lost.

4. Yesterday is forever gone.
5. Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time WITHOUT WARNING...

SO, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds?

Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars. Think about it and remember to enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.

 

 

 

So take care of yourself, be happy, love deeply and enjoy life!

Here's wishing you a wonderful and beautiful day. Start “spending" ....... 

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"Billboard 3" mixed media abstract collage © CArol Nelson Fine Art

June 5, 2014, 8:25 pm
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"Billboard 3" 14x9 mixed media





This painting was started in my last workshop in Wisconsin.  I had the class work with printed papers, altered papers, stencils, gestural marks and model their composition after a painting by Robert Rauschenberg. 
It was fun to see all their work which was similar, yet had a lot of their own touches added in.
For more information, click here to go to my website.


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"Twilight Dance" acrylic abstracted tree landscape © Carol Nelson Fine Art

June 28, 2014, 2:31 pm
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"Twilight Dance" 36x24

This is a tree landscape in which I experimented with pouring and dripping on the canvas to simulate distant tree branches.  These drips were partially covered up when I painted in the foreground trees.  I like the abstracted effect of the loose, drippy background.

As with all my tree paintings, I paid attention to the value contrasts of light-on-dark and dark-on-light.

I painted this while we were spending a week at our condo in Breckenridge.  The couple that went with us loved it, and bought it on the spot.  Would that all sales came that easily.

For more information, click here to go to my website.
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"Copper Curls" mixed media abstract with metals © Carol Nelson Fine Art

July 12, 2014, 11:21 pm
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"Copper Curls" 6x6 mixed media






This is a little mixed media piece I did to take to my Metals and Mixed Media class in a few weeks at Art Unraveled in Phoenix.  I will be teaching how to use metals in a mixed media painting.

For more information, click here to go to my website.
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Lake Dillon Arts Festival this weekend, July 18,19,20

July 15, 2014, 10:58 pm
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"Blue Trees" mixed media collage painting © Carol Nelson Fine Art

August 14, 2014, 12:56 pm
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Blue Trees, 16x8 inches

At my recent workshop in Phoenix, I showed the class this easy method of making tree canopies with a variety of texture compounds.

For more information, click here to go to my website.
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"Sunny Day" mixed media tree collage painting © Carol Nelson Fine Art

August 19, 2014, 4:41 pm
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"Sunny Day" 5x7 mixed media on panel
I did this tree demo for some students studying with me privately in my studio here in Colorado.  Students love doing these tree collages, and, happily, most are successful in creating a great painting.

The unusual thing about this one, is that I based it on a Hansa Yellow Medium under painting.  I hardly ever use Hansa Yellow by itself unless I'm painting daffodils - it's just SO BRIGHT.  It's also somewhat opaque.

My favorite yellow is made by thinning Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold.  (I'm referring to Golden Fluid Acrylics here.)  The Nickel Azo yellow is much warmer and just works better for me most of the time.

Being a primary yellow, it is very bright and cheerful, and who doesn't want bright and cheerful these days?

For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.
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"Industrial Chic" mixed media abstract painting © Carol Nelson Fine Art

August 21, 2014, 8:59 pm
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"Industrial Chic" 24x24 mixed media by Carol Nelson

This is one of my early attempts at mixed media.  I was shocked and delighted when it was included in the FAV 15% for the July Bold Brush Painting competition sponsored by Fine Art Studios Online.

This painting was purchased by the City of Aurora, CO for their permanent collection, but you can still have your own version.

I have added this image to my Canvas Minis collection where each
mini is only $20.  Click here for more information on Canvas Mini
reproductions.
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"4 O'Clock on Rock Candy Mountain" textured abstract landscape © Carol Nelson Fine Art

August 31, 2014, 5:34 pm
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"4 O'Clock on Rock Candy Mountain", 8x8, by Carol Nelson









This is a demo painting I did for some students in my studio.  The cool thing about this painting is the substrate.  It's a burlap canvas panel I found at Hobby Lobby.

I've never seen panels like that before.  Since I'm all about texture, the burlap panel is right up my alley.  To contrast with all that matte texture, I used embossed foil for the "sun."  The shine doesn't show in the photo very well, but looks great in person.

For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.
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"Balancing Act" mixed media abstract collage painting © Carol Nelson Fine Art

September 2, 2014, 1:04 pm
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"Balancing Act" 5x10 by Carol Nelson


This was a demo piece for two students taking semi-private instruction in my Colorado studio.  It illustrates the use of mirror paper, glitter paper, metallic tape, and combusted origami foil.  It also has rusted corrugated paper.

Of course, it's in my favorite earth tone palette with plenty of shine and sparkle.  This is a very fun piece, and I just wish the camera could capture the shiny elements better.

For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.
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"Make a Wish" mixed media abstract paitning © Carol Nelson Fine Art

September 6, 2014, 5:38 pm
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"Make a Wish" 10x4 inch abstract by Carol Nelson







This is another demo piece I did for students in my studio class.
The center section is actually one of my foam plate abstracts, but when I added it to the textured substrate board, it looked like a tree to me.

I did a controlled resin pour on the center, so it is shiny and has wonderful depth of colors.  The upper and lower sections are textured with a matte finish.

For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.
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"One of a Kind", mixed media abstract collage painting © Carol Nelson Fine Art

September 9, 2014, 3:56 pm
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"One of a Kind" 24x6 by Carol Nelson


I took a pile of odds 'n ends papers, foils, and burlap and put them all in a pile on one end of an elongated canvas.  Then I added some color spots around the pile, and finished it off with a leaf I had made out of cold porcelain.

Look up "cold porcelain" on Youtube for various videos and recipes.  It seems easy to make, but I have tried it twice and gotten variable results.  Think I'll try polymer clay because I don't need a lot  to make a few leaves and things.

For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.
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"Color Study 1" acrylic abstract painting © Carol Nelson Fine Art

September 13, 2014, 4:19 pm
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Color Study 1, 10x8 acrylic abstract by Carol Nelson

Every artist should do color and composition studies.  Using water color paper and my Golden Fluid Acrylics, the set up is easy, and a study like this can be completed in less than an hour.

I find in my classes that many artists don't allow themselves play time - time spent in your studio just messing around with your paints.  How else are you going to know what happens when you mix dioxizine purple and pyrrole orange in varying proportions?

If it doesn't turn out to be something you want to frame, no worries - you then have some great collage paper!  Sometimes you will hit the artistic jackpot and your study will be the basis for a larger painting.

For more information, click here to go to my website.
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"Color Study 2" contemporary abstract acrylic painting © Carol Nelson Fine Art

September 14, 2014, 9:30 pm
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"Color Study 2" 10x8 acrylic abstract by Carol Nelson

My first Color Study was mostly analogous colors (touching each other on the color wheel).  I planned to do this study in warm tones, but somehow that turquoise crept in.

For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.
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"Dreamscape" mixed media abstract collage painting © Carol Nelson Fine Art

September 15, 2014, 8:52 pm
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"Dreamscape" 24x6 mixed media abstract painting by Carol Nelson
detail


This mixed media piece has tyvek, clear glass blobs, black pebbles, and other collage materials.

After the photo was taken, I added clear epoxy resin in the areas with the pebbles and the tyvek.  The resin enhances the depth of color, and also secures these items to the surface of the canvas.

It's difficult to photograph a resin piece because of the glare from the lighting, but it looks fabulous (you'll have to trust me on that.)

For more information, click here to go to my website.
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"Golden Dawn" textured mixed media abstract by Colorado contemporary mixed media artist Carol Nelson, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

September 19, 2014, 5:24 pm
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"Golden Dawn" 6x12 abstract landscape by Carol Nelson



 


This painting was a demo for my recent workshop in Louisville, CO.  The board was heavily textured with modeling compound, then allowed to thoroughly dry for 2 days.  By the third day, the class was ready to pour mixed acrylic paints over their textured surfaces.

I have to say this is a very relaxing process because you have to WAIT and allow the colors to find their way through the texture and mingle together.  In a workshop setting, it is advisable to have another painting to work on simultaneously rather than just sit there watching paint mix.

The "sun" in this case was made from modeling clay into which I embossed a pattern.  I've decided that buying a block of air dry modeling clay is a lot less hassle than making my own cold porcelain, which is very messy.  At least is was messy for me because I ended up with corn starch all over my kitchen.

For more information, click here to go to my website.
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"Moonsplash" textured mixed media abstract painting by Colorado contemporary artist Carol Nelson © Carol Nelson Fine Art

September 25, 2014, 12:10 pm
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"Moonsplash" 12x16 mixed media abstract by Carol Nelson

detail
In this painting, I used very heavy texture to create the foam of the wave.  The moon is gold textured paper with an accent of variegated gold metal leaf. The shine of these metallic elements does not show in the photo. 

The wave was poured fluid acrylic paints.  The fluid paints were allowed to flow together making a convincing, yet abstracted, waterscape.


For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.

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"Gemstone 20”, textured mixed media abstract by Colorado contemporary mixed media artist Carol Nelson

September 27, 2014, 6:19 pm
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"Gemstone 20", 6x6 mixed media abstract by Carol Nelson

I amazed that this is the 20th painting in this series.  Notice the very muted, neutral palette!

For more information, click here to go to my website.
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"Color Study 3”, textured mixed media abstract by Colorado contemporary mixed media artist Carol Nelson © Carol Nelson Fine Art

October 5, 2014, 7:03 pm
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color Study 3, 10x8 acrylic by Carol Nelson

So, what is this Color Study series, you may ask?  It's playing with design, composition, and color combinations on 8x10 wc paper.  If I come up with something I really like (they're not ALL my favorites), they may end up painted on canvas or panel in a larger format.

These studies are an excellent way to learn composition, try new things, and practice mixing your paints in an informal way.  I see many students in my classes who have not taken the time to really get to know their paints.

If you create a dud on 8x10 wc paper, who cares?  If your dud is 24x30, you end up very frustrated and your POCKETBOOK CARES!

For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.

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