Lilacs on a Windy Day, April 27, 2021

What a hot and windy day!  In fact, the power went out in the house just as I was preparing to head out to paint.  The power often goes out when there are strong winds.  One of the perks of living in the middle of a forest!  Trees and limbs are always falling on the power lines.  

The electric company is usually pretty quick about repairing them and power is most often restored within a few hours.  I must confess that I enjoy the absolute quiet of no electric din in the background.  But, since I was going outside to paint anyway, I wasn't too worried about the power going out.

I didn't have to backpack far for this painting.  In fact, it is the lilac bush in front of my studio.  I planted it about twenty years ago and it has gotten humongous!  Further down, I'll share a couple paintings I did back in 2010 and you can see how big the lilac bush has gotten since then.  The lilacs tower over the studio building now whereas, in 2010, the bush was much smaller

Short Video

So, here's a detail of the painting:

And another detail.  The paint is really thick on this painting.

Detail, Lilacs on a Windy Day, April 27, 2021, plein air oil painting, 042721 16x12.

Sometimes the lilac bush doesn't have many, if any blooms, depending upon a late freeze or if it needs trimming.  This year, it was loaded!

And here is the final painting:

042721 16x12 Lilacs on a Windy Day, April 27, 2021, 16" x 12", plein air oil painting.

My field notes on the back read:  "Hot, windy!  Lilacs Blowing.  In front of the studio.  84°, 12:30-3:00 p.m.  Power went out just as I was heading out to paint.  Still not back in when I went inside.  Plein air oil painting."

Just for fun, I've included a couple paintings of the lilac bush that I did back in 2010.  The first one was done on April 15 (tax day!) and the second one was done on April 18.  The lilacs were peaking earlier back in 2010 than this year when I did the painting on April 27.  Mid-April is typically the peak time but we had a lot of chilly weather this year, late into spring, that appears to have slowed the blooms.

Lilacs, April 15, 2010, 12" x 9", plein air oil painting, ©Charlene Marsh.

Here's the second painting I did a few days later.

Lilacs Next to the Studio, April 18, 2010, 12" x 16", plein air oil painting, ©Charlene Marsh.

Thanks so much for following along!

Happy trails,

Charlene

P.S.  You can purchase "Lilacs on a Windy Day, April 27, 2021" here:

https://www.charlenemarshstudio.com/product/lilacs-on-a-windy-day-april-27-2021/

 

Prints on Canvas

POSTED ON MAY 18, 2021 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Prints on Canvas

Over the years, I have gotten many requests for prints of my paintings.  Since I have always preferred creating new paintings over making prints, I never put much energy into the prints.  For awhile, I made a few 8″ x 10″ prints on an Epson printer using archival inks on rag paper.  The prints were mounted in mats and packed in a clear bag.  A lot of time and effort went into making each print and the cost of materials was high so it was a lot of work for little money.

Another reason, I steered clear of prints was that I didn’t think they would adequately capture the heavy impasto, paint strokes created by the palette knife.  Although, many people were very complimentary about the small  prints and how well the brush marks came off.

Print Samples

So I have been researching how I can offer high quality prints in larger sizes.  After finding a printer who makes excellent quality prints on canvas, I ordered a sample.  I love the print and the way it captures the texture of the painting.  Although, I wasn’t too keen on the white edges which would require that the print be framed.

Sample with white edges

Prints on canvas with white edges.

So, I went back to the drawing board and researched how to make a print that would wrap around the edges without losing any of the painting image on the front.  I created a new file and sent off for another sample.

Here is the sample with the image wrapping around the edges:

 

Print on canvas with the image printed on the edges.

This print on canvas looks fantastic!   The quality of the print is very good and the wrapped edges make a nice finish.  The print even comes with hanging hardware so it is ready to be hung in minutes.  A buyer can still add a frame if they want but  it is not necessary.  The print looks fantastic hung as is.

Detail

Here is a detail shot where you can see how the textured paint appears to leap off the canvas:

Detail, print on canvas with the printed image wrapping around the edges.

So now that I am confident that these prints on canvas will meet my criteria, I will start working on prepping more files to add to the shop.  At the moment, there are only a couple square paintings available but I will be adding 18″ x 24″ and 24″ x 36″ prints on canvas in the near future so stay tuned.

Upcoming Giveaway for VIPs

I will also be hosting a giveaway for my VIP Insiders for the two sample prints I have.  I’ll let you know how to enter.

That’s it for now!  Thank you so much for following along!

Happy trails,

Charlene

P.S.  Please visit the new GALLERY page that has a wide selection of paintings, many of them sold, that you can refer to for ideas for commission projects, live painting events, or if you would like to see one of them made into a print.  Just let me know!

 

MettaMats

POSTED ON MAY 22, 2021 BY CHARLENE MARSH

New Partnership with MettaMats

Several months ago, I discovered a new yoga mat company that uses their own innovative, patented technology to produce full color, 100% natural rubber yoga mats.  The process retains the brilliant colors and sharp focus of the designs.  The company features the original artwork of artists on all of their mats.

I contacted the owner with my sacred geometry, chakra, and mandala fiber designs that I used on my own line of yoga mats.  Much to my surprise, he was more interested in my paintings!  He liked the forest scenes, the colors, and the textures.  In the end, he decided to produce both the fiber and painting designs.

Recently, I got samples of the mats and they are wonderful!   Just as good as my line of mats.  The only difference is that I do not have to produce, market, and sell the mats myself.  Instead, I get paid a royalty for each one that sells with my design on it.

Here is a MettaMat sample with one of my paintings, “Autumn Leaves”:

MettaMats yoga mats

And here is a sample of the MettaMat with the sacred geometry mandala design called “Om Tara”:

MettaMats yoga mats

Check out all the available designs here:

Charlene Marsh’s painting and sacred geometry designs on MettaMats.

MettaMats also has the advantage of hand producing each mat, when they receive an order, so they don’t have to maintain inventory.   This reduces waste and eliminates storage issues.  When I produce the mats myself, I have to have so many made at a time and then have to store and maintain the inventory.  And with space at a premium here, I really don’t have any room to store yoga mat inventory.  So I am pretty limited in what I can offer.

Close Out Sale

As a result, I am going to close out the yoga mats on my Charlene Marsh Designs website and have put them all on sale for $116 which includes FREE SHIPPING.  I have five designs featuring the sacred geometry, mandalas, and chakras.  Even if you do not practice yoga, these make great floor mats in the kitchen, bath, or anywhere you want a beautiful, super grippy mat.  I have several on the floors in my studio and home.  And, even with animals, they have held up for very well for 2-3 years, and counting, now.

If you want to enjoy them as artworks, they can easily be hung on the wall using tarp clips from the hardware store.

In the long run, this will be a much better arrangement so I can focus on making art and let someone else manage the production, marketing, and sales.  WIN WIN for everyone!  MettaMats truly values their artist partners and is a great company to work with.  Whether you buy a mat directly from me or get one from MettaMats, I am sure you will be pleased with the beauty and the quality.

Thanks so much for tuning in!  I really appreciate your support!

Happy trails,

Charlene

P.S.  Please visit the new GALLERY page to view my original art collections that you can choose from for a live painting event, a commission project, or to license for your product or company.  Please contact me to discuss.  Studio/gallery telephone:  812-988-4497 or email:  Char@CharleneMarsh.com

 

PLEIN AIR OIL PAINTING

POSTED ON MAY 15, 2021 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Overlooking Sciscoe Creek Valley, April 19, 2021

The week before today’s featured painting, I painted a spring landscape, en plein air, from the exact same spot.  I stood on a small ridge between two higher ridges on both sides with the creek flowing below.  Let’s see what difference a week can make when spring is budding out.

Here is the painting from April 12, 2021:

Overlooking Sciscoe Creek Valley, April 12, 2021, 12″ x 24″, plein air oil painting, Brown County, Indiana, ©Charlene Marsh.

One Week Later, April 19, 2021

So, a week later, I returned to the same spot and painted it again.  The painting shows the progress of spring in the forest.  More greens, more redbuds, more of a closed canopy.  One cannot see as much of the distant hill as in the first painting.  But, still a long way to go before the green leaves totally envelope the scene.

Overlooking Sciscoe Creek Valley, April 19, 2021, plein air oil painting, Brown County, Indiana

Field Notes

When I get back to the studio. I like to write my field notes from the expedition on the back of the painting.  “April 19, 2021. 1:30-5:00 p.m., plein air oil painting, 64° – 67º, windy!  Beautiful spring day.  Sunny with some clouds.  I didn’t tie Jack but kept track of him — called and beeped him regularly.  So he and Tommy stayed nearby.  Wandered some but came when called.  Overlooking Sciscoe Creek Valley. Same view as a week ago.”   

Painting Buddies

When I say the dogs “stayed nearby”, I mean they stayed within 500-600 feet.  Since the forest was still so wide open, I could see them from a long way off as they played in the valley, near the creek.  Tommy always stays pretty close to me and has never run off.  He has really short fur and doesn’t like to be cold or wet.  He is a terrier and I have found terriers to be “velcro” dogs.  They stick to their human.

Tommy as an eight week old puppy.  He’s a lot bigger now!

Jack, is another matter.  He is a foxhound and is meant to be living in the untamed 18th century where he can run for miles and miles and never see a soul.  George Washington kept foxhounds.  They are ranked something like 899 in desirability out of 900 breeds of dogs.  LOL!  He is not an easy dog to keep!  Everything I read, recommends 2-5 fenced acres to keep a foxhound on.  Luckily, I have 5.5 fenced acres for him and he patrols every inch of it multiple times a day.  And if there is a hole anywhere, he will find it.

Jack with his fox toy.  Look at those long legs meant to run for miles and miles with horses.

I have trained him with an e-collar to come when I beep and call him.  But if there is a hill between him and the transmitter(me), he doesn’t hear the beep.  So I have to be pretty vigilant to know where he is and make sure he doesn’t get too far away.

Spring Landscape, Ten Years Apart

So, now, just for fun, let’s compare a 12″ x 24″ painting from ten years ago.   I love to compare one season to the next. One year to past years.  When was the peak of spring or fall?  How did a certain spot look from one year to the next?  From one season to the next?

One year, I scheduled a show in Jackson, Mississippi at the end of March or the first of April and thought, “No problem, I’ll be home in plenty of time for the peak of spring in mid-April”.  Much to my dismay, we got some unheard of eighty degree days in March and spring arrived super early.  I was scrambling to get out and paint while still getting ready for a show and being away for several days.

These two spring landscape paintings were painted exactly ten years apart on April 12, 2011 and 2021, respectively.  While the paintings are not the exact same spot, they were both done along Sciscoe Creek about 1/4-1/2 mile apart.

Along Sciscoe Creek, April 12, 2011, 

Plein air oil painting, 12″ x 24″.

Overlooking Sciscoe Creek Valley, April 12, 2021, 

Plein air oil painting, 12″ x 24″.

Which painting do you like better?  2011?  Or 2021?  Why?  Let me know in the comments!

Be sure to sign up to follow my blog and receive a 20% special savings coupon good on your first purchase, specials, events, an e-book featuring winter plein air oil paintings, and more!

Thanks!

Happy trails,

Charlene

POSTED ON MAY 5, 2021 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Spring in Yellowwood, April 14, 2021

Spring is the perfect time to get out in the forest for plein air oil painting.  The forest goes from wide open spaces and long vistas to a closed canopy of green in a short, 2-3 week period.

This spot on Sciscoe Creek is along my regular daily, three mile, hiking trail.  Weaving the layers of paint, I work to capture the beauty and spirit of Yellowwood Forest during the seasonal, spring, change over.  The delicate pinks, yellows, spring greens, and violets are almost abstract but still convey a recognizable scene of the forest, along the creek.  I was having too much fun painting this one and had to force myself to stop before I ruined it.

The finished painting, "Spring in Yellowwood, April 14, 2021"

Field Notes

I write my field notes on the back of the painting when I get home.  "62°  5:30-7:30 p.m.  Sunny, some clouds.  Tied Jack.  Tommy knocked over my pochade and tripod.  Had to fish my knives and brush out of the creek.  Towards the end, I have to tie Tommy, too.  Greening up, redbuds in bloom.  "Spring in Yellowwood, April 14, 2021."  Plein air oil."

Thanks for following along.  I'm so happy to bring some of the beauty and peace of the forest into people's lives.

Happy trails,

Charlene

P.S.  Until May 15, 2021, you can purchase this painting HERE using coupon code SpringMagic for a 20% special savings, exclusively for VIPs.

Or use this link:

https://www.charlenemarshstudio.com/product/spring-in-yellowwood-april-14-2021-code-041421-16x12/

 

POSTED ON APRIL 30, 2021 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Overlooking Sciscoe Creek Valley, April 12, 2021

Hiking back into the forest about one and a half miles, there is a gorgeous view, overlooking the Sciscoe Creek Valley.  I see this view every day but have never painted it from this vantage point.  This smaller ridge juts out between two larger ridges on either side.  Hiking north up the creek, the ridges get steeper and tighter together until one gets to the start of the creek where the two ridges converge at the top.  This gorgeous spring day was the perfect day to capture the beauty and energy of this scene.

Unfortunately, I did not take my cell phone and tripod on this expedition.  In an earlier blog, I wrote that I had ordered a new, super, lightweight tripod as my old one was no match for years of use and a rambunctious puppy.  The new tripod was never sent, never arrived, and the seller refunded my money.  I have no idea what happened there.  So far, I just haven’t taken the time to search online and re-order the tripod.  My old tripod for the cell phone now has a stick splint taped to the leg to support it.  It no longer telescopes.

In addition to the energetic puppy and the funky tripod, I have a foxhound that has been known to follow his nose off into the forest and disappear for hours at a time.  I have trained him with an e-collar so that he comes when I beep him.  The problem is that if he gets too far away or there is a hill between me and him, he doesn’t hear the beep and he is gone.  This dog can be a mile away in a minute.  Since I cannot keep tabs on him while I am painting,  I have started to take a 30′ lead and tie him while I paint.

So between the active puppy, the wonky tripod, and the dog bred to run for miles and miles with horses, I already had my hands full.  I just wanted to focus on painting.  I did get a new clip for my cell phone to use on the tripod and it works great.  But, for now, I don’t think I am going to be hauling the entire set up into the forest to record the painting in progress.

This time of year is so magical with the mauve greys of winter giving way to the fresh spring greens with tinges of pink redbuds and purple shadows.  The vibrancy of the colors makes for an effervescent glow in the forest.  Gradually, as the greenery comes out, the view closes up.  On this day, there is still a lot of open space between the trees to see into the distance.  The sun casts shadows from the trees that wrap around and define the hills.  The first hint of bright green emerges on the top of the trees.

“Overlooking Sciscoe Creek Valley”, plein air oil painting, Brown County, Indiana, 12″ x 24″, ©Charlene Marsh, code #041221 12×24.

Field Notes

When I get back to the studio, I always like to write my field notes on the back of the painting.  The weather, the temps, any memorable happenings during the course of the painting or the day.  I suppose it makes the paintings a diary for that moment in time, that day.  Captured, frozen in paint, imbued with the vibrational frequency of the energy of the day and the transformative energy of the forest.

“Gorgeous Spring Day!  64°-66°Sunny with some clouds.  redbuds blooming. Greening up.  Tied jack so he couldn’t run off.  Tied Tommy while I set up & then let him off.  He likes to steal stuff.    Packing up, he stole my hat.  Windy.”

I hope you can get out to enjoy this lovely spring weather and, especially, out in the forest.

Happy trails!

Charlene

P.S.  You can purchase this painting HERE.  Until May 8, 2021, use coupon code SpringValley to get a 20% special savings on this painting, exclusively for VIPs.

This entry was posted in Oil Paintings, Plein Air Oil Painting. Bookmark the permalink.

CHARLENE MARSH

 POSTED ON APRIL 11, 2021 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Daffodils in Spring, April 5, 2021

Spring is bursting forth here in Brown County!  Daffodils, redbuds, fruit trees, ornamental flowering shrubs, dogwoods and more are all in bloom!  The forest is starting to green up.  Such a magical time!

So I painted this group of daffodils in the front bed of my studio.  Normally, I like to stand while I paint, especially when painting outside, en plein air.   Standing, I have full movement of my arms and body to dance back and forth while painting and move around for different angles and views.  For this painting, I wanted to get up close and personal so I set up my easel and pochade right next to the flowers.  In fact, I didn’t even use the tripod.  I just set the pochade on the ground.  I ended up sitting on my backpack to provide a small cushion against the jagged rocks and soil.

Here’s a short video I made while painting:

 

Field Notes

I like to write the field notes on the back of the painting as soon as I get back to the studio.

My field notes on the back of the painting read:  “Daffodils in the front bed at artist’s studio. 3-5 p.m. Hot!  High 76°.  Tommy got into the flowers a couple of times.  Plein air oil painting.”

And here is the finished painting:

“Daffodils in the Spring, April 5, 2021″, plein air oil on panel, 12″ x 16”,  ©Charlene Marsh, Code #040521 12×16.

You can purchase the painting Here at a special VIP price until April 25, 2021.  No coupon needed.

Thanks for tuning in!

Happy Trails,

Charlene

P.S.  I have created a new Gallery page with a dozen or so categories of paintings.  Categories include plein air winter, spring, summer, fall, flowers, figures, weddings, and more.  Each painting has a code number so if anyone is interested in a commission piece or a live painting event, they can easily identify which painting(s) they particularly love.