Art Blog - Caroline Henry

Many of us enjoy painting animals, and key to satisfaction by both viewer and artist is to find the uniqueness in the animal and capture it in the portrait. One doesn't want a generic Dog, Cat, Gerbil, or even Lion. What makes this creature special in its personality or its relationship to its environment? In this case, a small dog keeps one ear at an alert angle while he naps. Even in repose, there is a hint that this is a lively, energetic personality. Color is another means of putting emotion into the work of art. Sometimes it is better to bypass local color for color choices that say more. Much of the shiny black fur is rendered in purples as it picks up and reflects light. The browns have orange tones. The dog has curled himself into a green and orange wrap, cozy and colorful… Continue reading… 0 comments

This drawing started out to be about wind windblown hair. Who is the ultimate representative of long, lovely hair--Rapunzel, of course, at least in the world of fairy tale. Because I have a sense of humor, and because every good tale deserves a variation "Rapunzel's Bad Hair Day" came into being. Doing the work as a line drawing gave me a chance to include long lines, fun details, and good areas of white space. Rapunzel looks out her tower window on an incredibly windy day. Strands of hair wind in and out of three arched windows. Her cat has abandoned playing with yarn to get tangled up in wind blown strands of her tresses. The most beautiful girl in the land can have a bad hair day just like the rest of us… Continue reading… 0 comments

Fragile, layered petals of pink form the blossoms of a hollyhock. The flowers cling close to sturdy green stems. The weight of the flowers had pulled this cluster right up against my studio window, so they were actually lit by the room light as early evening turned the lush garden behind them into deep green flecked with color. The paradox of this oil painting is that it is a "plein air" painting done in studio! How often does the garden come calling to pose for you?!! The painting is on wrapped canvas, with a half-inch depth, so framing is optional… Continue reading… 0 comments

I loved creating this art piece. Pears have such a lovely shape, and the paper itself provided inspiration. A luscious golden pear is painted on paper imbedded with foliage and petals. A smaller red pear floats in the upper left. It takes a close look to sort out the watercolor an marker work from with plant matter. The colors within the vegetation provided a palette for the painting. More texture comes from the stitchery on the backing piece, the linen threads of the first mat, and the suede finish on the 8" by 10" mat. A deeper hue of the same color group made a fine frame that kept the layering going. The floating pear and the off centered large pear give liveliness to art which has an overall feeling of warmth and calmness… Continue reading… 0 comments

In "Curiosity" a curious little dog meets a turtle on his path and they exchange examining looks. The animals are painted in sumi-e ink. Layered behind them are various papers, and the little picture is outlined in purple marker. Sometimes, doodling around with art, one finds oneself telling a story. First came the small dog, then the question, "What is he staring at?" A turtle in the path emerged. The viewer is invited to continue the story. Do they exchange looks an then each go on its way? Does the dog, in rather typical terrier fashion, back up and bark to test for reaction? Does the turtle retreat into his shell? Does a conversation begin. The story might change each time the picture is viewed. Meanwhile, we don't have to sacrifice the elements of art for the sake of narrative… Continue reading… 0 comments

This is one of those sketches you create when you just want to sit down and imprint the day and place in your mind. A warm sun toned down by a jaunty breeze, a coffee, a sketchbook, and a happily placed bench provide everything you artist's soul could desire at this moment. The flow of ink over the smooth bristol paper is a joy. So the pen records: A small lighthouse overlooks a harbor and bay. Sailors take advantage of sun and wind. Other people stroll the breakwater or enjoy the beach. The relaxed busy-ness of a day at the shore creates the narrative of this 6" by 6" drawing (15 cm by 15cm) The potential buyer will probably also recall precious moments at waterside as I do writing this on a brisk January day… Continue reading… 1 comment

I'm beginning to slowly re-edit some of my previous listings on ArtId.com. I've discovered that I was a little too ready to let the art speak for itself, when in fact, a wordier approach not only gives the viewer a greater understanding, but also increases the chances to be picked up more by search engines. I think as artists we grow as we create new works. Likewise as representative of our own art we learn with each new effort and become better at presenting our art to the world. I love the technique I used so this work. The continuous line is a challenge, but it also loosens up the work and gives it a sense of vitality. Right now while care responsibilities are keeping me close to home, this little drawing takes me to one of my favorite places… Continue reading… 0 comments

Deep distances layer themselves into coastal grasses, meandering estuary waters, stretches of sandbar, and an ocean that stretches into a misty horizon. Greens, blues, and a blush of pink are the dominant colors. Watercolor and ink were used to portray this coastal landscape. I sketched in the original colors of this work plein air at Point Reyes National Seashore, but completed it in studio. I enjoy playing with a mix of watercolor and ink. The way I use it varies. Sometimes I created an ink drawing and add the watercolor later. Sometimes colors only suggest a scene, and forms develop in detail via the ink. In this particular painting, I created the watercolor painting, and only decided some time later that it would be enhanced by the ink treatment… Continue reading… 0 comments

A bridge invites the hiker to step over the stream and into the woods. Golden fall leaves litter the trail on this side of the bridge while ferns and other low growing plants provide green patches under the towering trees across the bridge. The bridge invites and challenges, for we never know what we will meet when we metaphorically go "into the woods". The flow of watercolor on yupo creates its own sense of mystery. It is a material I recommend to those who are willing to be sometimes not quite in control. A walk with yupo, like a walk in the woods, can sometimes produce unexpected outcomes. They may be unexpected beauties or the painterly equivalent of a sprained ankle. Fortunately, both can heal. You've never met a surface more suited to wiping clean and redoing… Continue reading… 0 comments

Two terra cotta pots sit next to a farm style wire-covered garden gate, each holding bright red and yellow blossoms.This is a sketch, the sort of art that appeals to a person who enjoys feeling that they are there, peering over the shoulder of the artist. To me sketches have a wonderful informal feel, and looking at the sketchbook of an artist view into the artist's way of seeing. While some artists destroy everything except their most polished works, we are fortunate that others hang on to things, so that we have a good chance to view sketches by Degas, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, and many, many more. I enjoy being invited to view the sketchbooks of artist friends, and at an exhibit I will often linger over any sketches or notes encased for view as an addendum to the main display… Continue reading… 0 comments

Magpie stands on a grassy lawn looking directly at the viewer. The azure highlights in its dark markings are picked up in the shadow. I photographed this fellow at Yellowstone National Park for later painting. I like the bold attitudes and wonderful colorings of these birds. I believe that being observant of nature enhances paintings--a moment is better captured if you know its before and after. Painting or drawing also adds to the experience of those who enjoy observing nature. It forces you to notice more detail, and then as an artist, to decide what is essential in portraying the truth of your subject… Continue reading… 0 comments

A row of white houses with flat black roofs line a cliff. The slopes above them are forested and across a misty distance rise blue topped hills. Left to the viewers imagination is whether they look down upon a valley, the sea, or a lake. The opening for the image is 3.5 inches by 5.5 inches. The frame is 8.5 X 10.5 inches. It was a challenge photographing this one for the internet, because the reflective glass covers the entire frame and I really wanted viewers to see it in the frame which does so much to complement the rooftops and the many shades of green. (See the Small Works gallery in my studio pages.) I like the peacefulness of this scene. I can easily imagine one of those houses as a place for meditation and renewal… Continue reading… 1 comment

I love the idea of joining visual art and literature in a show, so I wanted to enter the Visual Poetry show the minute I saw it on the L.H. Horton Gallery's list for the 2012-2013 year. The show opens on October 4 in Stockton, California, which has a lot more going for it than its bad press would imply, including this marvelous small gallery at San Joaquin Delta College which stages several national open juried shows each year. I had played around with the idea of portraying my summer loves of favorite refreshments and reading matter several years ago and created a less than successful painting effort in watercolor. The idea was reawakened when this theme forced me to think more deeply about connecting art and literature… Continue reading… 0 comments

A Pelican frequents the harbor, here standing on a favorite post. This small work of art combines scratchboard and watercolor. The scrimshaw like effect of this media combinations seems to especially suit nautical subjects. 5" by 7" painting find a place anywhere or group nicely with harmonizing pieces. Brown pelicans frequent the Pacific Coast of the US, taking on a slightly awkward appearance when on land, and showing elegance in flight. I used the weathered gray-white boards of a harbor structure for contrast behind the brown feathered bird. A touch of watercolor brings in the sky reflection in the harbor waters and the colors of the great sea bird… Continue reading… 0 comments

An early morning summer garden features a flower barrel and a Buddha figure greeting the day. Cool colors and deep shadows are created by the early light, with highlights on the sun-touched snapdragons and dappled bark on the path. I spent some pleasant July mornings on the back patio, coffee cup and painting supplies at hand, working while the light was right. No wonder Monet so enjoyed building his garden at Givency and painting plein aire in his own back yard. What a contrast to some of the weather conditions and long absences from home he endured to catch scenes in various parts of France! The famous boat studio sound like a much more pleasant way of capturing what was before his eyes… Continue reading… 0 comments

An early morning restaurant deck is the site for a cappuccino and a quick ink and watercolor sketch. Greens dominate, and the shed features a zebra, which is a motif throughout Emily's in Santa Cruz, CA. I'm an early riser, and I often do such sketches on the fly during the private time I find at the beginning of day. Emily's is a walk up the hill from my daughter & son-in-law's apartment,and I was the only person enjoying the deck with my early coffee. It was a bit chilly, but that's a pleasure when it's a break from sizzling summer days in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley. The morning overcast flattened colors and softened shadows but not enough to mute the vibrancy of the green trees… Continue reading… 0 comments

Recently on another site, someone asked for others to describe her painting style. She felt baffled when people asked her because the terms are so often hard to define. How well I understood! When I'm listing a particular piece of art, I'm often asking myself is it more this? or more that? I've noticed that on the continuum from realism to abstract, a good many artists settle on impressionism as a comfortable fit. More analysis might cause them to use a term that better described their art. I settled on environmental for this peice. The world is painted in layers of blue, the dark sea, the paler blue of distant hills along the coast,and a pale blue sky… Continue reading… 0 comments

Merry Christmas! I've listed this painting just as December is about to begin. Paint and collage combine in depicting a cold and silent night with angel voices singing. I am always intrigued by Christmas stamps, and enjoy seeing both the secular and the religious ones. So often these bring us miniature versions of great art from the Renaissance period. Here I combine Christmas stamps, beautiful papers, and painting in watercolor and gouache for an unconventional and somewhat abstract portrayal of the holy night. The gouache was necessary to produce my whites on the dark paper and deep blue watercolor on the sky. I hope you enjoy the painting and accept it as my greeting card to everyone who reads this. I am using it on greeting cards I will send out this year… Continue reading… 0 comments

Every work of art has to have its beginnings. First there is the idea. Then the idea becomes concrete as we choose our media and mark a surface. Those beginnings are critical. They may be bold or hesitant. Some of that is personality, but there are works that I tiptoe into and others where I just start pouring paint and see what happens. I don't think there is a single best way to begin, but there are many good ways: 1. A certain amount of organization helps make for good beginnings. Some time spent making you have a clear surface and the necessary materials at hand avoids distraction & frustration. 2. Thumb nail sketches are a must for some artists. Advantages are solving many problems ahead of time… Continue reading… 0 comments

A lighthouse on dunes where a river meets the sea is surrounded by breaking fog and by dune grasses. The piece evokes a feeling of the shore without a bit of water in sight. I have painted this lighthouse before in watercolor, but I decided to try it in scratch board, a medium which emphasizes the importance of line. The architectural lines of the lighthouse contrast with the random sway of the beach grasses. There was some risk in placing the strong verticals of the light tower and the pathway so nearly at the center of the composition, but I think it works. The broken vertical moving from the light tower to the pathway and the interesting window to the right of the lighthouse door help create harmonious movement. The color palette is very limited… Continue reading… 0 comments