A Star is Born

Greetings friends. Today, I am in between paintings so I took the time off to paint an antique piece of wood. I love turquoise blue. The wooden star is an antique I picked up at a sale. It had hung its dusty grey color in my studio for a couple of years just waiting to be created anew. Squirting out some paint onto my palette, I was able to paint the star so it shines just bright enough. You're a star!

This wooden antique star gets a fresh lease on life with bright shade of blue.

                                                              "V" is for Victory.

Using cut and paste text for "Revolution"

When we think of cut and paste, it stands to reason this would be done on the computer. On this fine art piece, I cut out the letters to form the word, "Revolution." This was the final addition to the painting which was done in acrylics. I thought about painting the letters on the paper, but I preferred the cut and paste look -- but it was tricky not to get glue all over the place, though. Completed, you can now see how the elements fit together to form a flag, representing the unity, the age of America using an antiqued look. Do you see the bullet hole in the middle?

I intended this painting to serve as a reminder for all the blood that has been shed to keep the country united.  Alas, now there is so much strife… choosing sides far to the right or far to the left, during  the election…the new presidency of Mr. Trump. Police are being targeted. All kinds of lives are newly "mattering "  Hashtag ###

“matter.” Life matters. More protesters and riots. Angry people and politicians who are rogues, who are renegades. Don't pay to much mind to it, though. America has gone through many many worse times! The Civil War, where brother against brother fought, the stock market crash and its subsequent depression. Coffee was rationed. And so were stockings! Do you find your predicament troubling? I couldn't deal with a coffee ration. So, if I get down and feeling blue, I somehow end up painting to get me through it. This painting shouts out -- look out ! -- we are still Americans, ya’ know.


We are the United States of America. Let's not divide, but find unity in the "Stars and Stripes, Forever."

 

Plein Air painting in the Rocky Mountains

I would like to thank Sharon Rusch Shaver, a talented painter and adventure artist, for giving me the motivation to paint outdoors in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.  I have never felt so inspired and joyful. She taught me and several artists a different way to look at the mountains and the outdoors. She taught us to capture the mountains and scenery on a canvas with oil paints. The challenge -- which I embraced -- was to get a painting done in approximately two hours, and then, just, step away! For me, I would lay down the brush, and say, "Done," I'm out." What I have on the canvas, it is what I saw -- my interpretation and style. I have a painting style. How thrilling! Each of us had a unique style. We helped and motivated each other. 

Plein Air painting is challenging! Just as she said it would be. Sharon diligently corralled the team of painters each morning (after coffee) and hustled us out to a beautiful site where we set up our easels and hunkered down and painted. One day it rained. The wind blew so hard another day, Sharon's painting blew off its easel and had to be fished out of a lake. 

I have never felt such a feeling of calm and excitement at the same time! It takes courage to go forth and live my own dream in spite of life's challenges. It takes strength to carry all the supplies, paints, tripod, art box and back pack through a marsh, too. Thanks Sharon and thanks to Dan, her "Sherpa" husband, for inspiring me to live large and live joyfully.

Visit Sharon and become an Adventure Artist at  http://sharonruschshaver.com/


Oil paintings from the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, by Carol Labashosky

This last piece is done in oil pastels. I just couldn't get enough and stayed in the Rocky Mountains another day.

Sketching between fine art projects

Advocating for sketching, my thoughts are that artists and creators need a break from major projects like paintings or detail work of any sort.


I found a photo of a bird in a Kentucky natural resources publication. The positioning of the photograph of the bird on the cover of the magazine was unusual in its depth and colors.


Once my pencil began to glide across the Arches of France paper, I was filled with joy and a fountain of creativity. I was happy while drawing. I had a few visitors and some children come into the studio to check things out while I sketched. I had to sharpen my charcoal pencil with a box cutter, but that worked well. No need for an ancillary pencil sharpener.


Here's how the drawing played out. I drew the bird all in one session. Creating art in this fashion, meaning, get it done in a couple hours max was VERY fulfilling.

Artist Carol Labashosky debuts new “Scrapboarding” for Open Studio Nov. 14-15

Open Studio Weekend 2015

News Release
Oct. 30, 2015
Carol Labashosky - 502.649.6226                                                                             
carollabashosky@gmail.com

 

Artist Carol Labashosky's planning in-studio demos
for Open Studio Nov. 14-15

     (Louisville, KY) -- Fine art by Carol Labashosky will be showcased at her gallery and studio Barking Dog Enterprises Nov. 14 and 15. She is one of more than 100 participating artists for Open Studio Weekend - Louisville Visual Arts and UofL. She will be doing demos both days so visitors can see how an artist creates in her or his studio.

     Labashosky's fine art includes “scrapboarding” – an art form she invented. Scrapboarding is fine art collage where themes materialize in 3-D. Labashosky combines paint, photos and memorabilia affixed to boards in dramatic vibrant compositions.

     She is currently creating a 3-D art on a board of the Wizard of Oz’s famed Emerald City. "I used green bottles of all different sizes for the city and tiles of brick for the road. I feel like a mason and an architect,” she said. Labashosky will have her collection of Titanic fine art and a new photograph exhibit on display and will have paintings, prints, fine art greeting cards and scrapboards available for purchase.

     Come and meet the artist during Open Studio on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15 from noon-5 p.m. at Barking Dog Enterprises, #136 in Building One, Mellwood Arts Center, 1860 Mellwood Ave, Louisville, Kentucky. Get tickets for 2015 Open Studio Weekend at 
http://www.louisvillevisualart.org/open-studio-weekend



 For more info call (502) 649-6226. 


http://www.scrapboarding.etsy.com

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Emerald City scrapboard -- hello Yellow Brick Road

It's good to be back on the web to give you all some of my fall project updates. Thank you to my visitors who stop here to read about my art.

After kicking myself into gear to put away the paints, and reach for a board, I have now begun a new concept and idea for a 3-D scrapboard. In The Wizard of Oz, the Emerald City is the destination of the plot, but the story never ends there.  The Yellow Brick Road is the analogy of the journey.

I started the fine art piece with a 24 by 24 inch sanded board. (Bored) Sanding a board is boring, yet paying attention and being mindful of the sandpaper going across the board is both soothing and invigorating because I am in the process: beginning. This is one of the many joys of creating work.

Green plastic bottles are adhered to the board in a -- what I like to call haphazard -- configuration. I love how they shine and are so smooth. One could put lotion in them I suppose...but I have better plans...

A trip to Home Depot is when things really got exciting. Why, the Yellow Brick Road! Tile? Rock? Stones? Should they be yellow? I want more 3-D! Here's where things got really sticky. Scrapboarding's secret ingredient is glue. I used Gorilla Glue for some of the "masonry" - ha - brick work, and as per usual, got it on my fingers. I also discovered I had to wait five minutes or more for the glue to cure to "set" the small bricks because I wanted them to physically come out of the board. Painstaking work, but rewarding. "Hello" (!) Yellow Brick Road! Elton John, love your song, though.

  Green plastic bottles were the design element for the Emerald City chosen by the architect -- me.

The Yellow Brick Road begins with a trip to Home Depot's tile aisle.

Yes, I'm bored (board). I had to start somewhere to get beyond summer Plein Air painting and ease into a new fall fine art piece.

Plein Air painting: a joyful way to celebrate nature

"Plein Air" is French, meaning outside. Painting outdoors in the fresh air is something that I tried for the first time this summer. A friend invited me out, last month, to give it a try. As a result, I bought my own supplies and hit the trail at the Kentucky Bernheim Forest
Preserve, shifting into high gear. Outdoor painting was exactly the boost I needed to get out of the studio, out of a creative rut, and out of my house. 

The colors and lighting outside are bright. I used a lot of green colors, but I decided to spruce up the scene with more vivid colors making the flowers stand out. The thing I noticed is, that being a beginner, I would like to practice using more of a combination of vertical and horizontal elements in my paintings. I can paint different sections, not just right to left in lines of what I see.

Plein Air requires a mobile set up. I had to be sure to have paints, brushes, a tripod and an easel on hand that were easy to carry. Plus a water spray bottle to keep the acrylic paints wet, Both times, it was very very hot out, and I'm glad I brought drinks. And a sun visor.

It was remarkable to do a complete painting in one sitting over a couple of hours. And, the  term "sitting" is relative. The first time, out at Louisville's, The Woodlands, I brought a fold-up chair. The next time, I stood and fended off many small hovering little bees. Next time, I'll bring bug spray.

See you outside - 

The long and winding road, with some beautiful landscaping at Bernheim Forest.

Painting outdoors at The Woodlands near a pond. No bugs that day.

Colorful Outdoor Art UV Protected - " Flowertime"

Greetings,

You may have done your summer plantings already, like I have. Here in Louisville, we've had a lot of rain, so my flowers have had to rally to produce some buds. The day lily plants and echinacea that come up every year are looking great. Bumble bees like them, too.

Lately, I have brought my palette out onto the screened-in porch to paint some outdoor art canvas pieces. The birds chirping and wind whistling through the trees -- being in the outdoors -- yet protected from the elements is the right atmosphere to create outdoor art.

My outdoor art is designed to be hung on a deck, brick wall or siding or anywhere you like. I hang mine on a fence. It is protected with a special artist quality sealant which holds up under rain and humidity.

Here is this year's quality pieces, each handmade and available for order. Or, if you have an idea, send me a note, and we can collaborate.

Merida, Mexico Cathedral fine art painting "draws" rave reviews

Ta Da!  It's always a pleasure to get some critiques and comments on a new completed painting. It's time to let go and let it be finished. The black canvas format is what made Merida, Mexico Cathedral, stand out among the other paintings of mine on display. It is a bittersweet farewell to this painting as it hangs in the Mellwood Arts Center Gallery with my current exhibit, "Seasons ," which has been extended through February. If you haven't got out to see it, stop by the Mellwood Arts Center Bridge Gallery, Louisville, Ky. Merida is available for purchase at https://scrapboarding.etsy.com

Rustic Barn Autumn Painting from modest beginnings emerges a gold-toned fall scene

 

The finished fine art painting with gold paint embellishments, ready to hang, approximately 18 x 30 inches. A stunning piece representing all that is colorful and beautiful about fall! Buy here at

https://www.etsy.com/listing/205688166/autumns-rustic-barn-18-by-32-inches?ref=shop_home_feat_3

 

Here, we see the fall colors emerging with tones of burnt umber, orange, brown, forest green. I used a spray bottle and then a water color technique on the burlap. The paints soaked in lightly creating a muted affect.



Here, I wanted to create an untamed and unruly grass foreground.

In the beginning there was a palette knife and some grey and white paint. I sketched in some of the background, but that usually changes as the painting moves along.

August Shark Week Fine Art

I was able to complete three pieces of fine art for the summer Jaws exhibit at Louisville's Block Party Handmade Boutique Gallery. I used paints, paper, photograhs and other collage materials to assemble the pieces. I enjoyed using baseboard for a sign, "Amity - as you know - Means Friendship." The black and while photograph of the Jaws boat, "Orca," had been photoshopped and it has turned into a black and white grainy mounted photograph -- which, now belongs to a happy customer.

New Fine Art Lithographs available of Glamouorous Harbor - CSI Miami inspired - by Carol Labashosky

These fine art prints are available in regular tone or color-fused which is an extra burst of added hue. The limited edition lithographs are signed by me, the artist, and there are 20 of 25 remaining. Click the link below for more information. The orginal fine art acrylic painting is hanging in Louisville, Block Party Handmade Boutique Gallery, 560 S. 4rth Street.

 

Glamourous Harbor Fine Art Lithograph 12 x 12 inches

"Brandy" fine art painting is complete and ready to hang!

by Carol Labashosky

It's Spring - Bring on the Green

Embracing spring, I've been asked to paint a special and beautiful horse, as a testimony and memorial for "Brandy," a beautiful white horse from Kentucky. Brandy was ridden and owned by my client, Kay's friend, a long time ago. Kay realized how special Brandy was to her friend, and asked me to paint Brandy from an old photograph. I love the old photographs from the 60s and 70s, the square size, the white border, and the faded look. The prints are so sharp because the old-time negatives, though old school, did their job. And, there was always the suspense waiting to receive one's prints.

This is an acrylic painting. I'm using palette knives and some big thick brushes. I am enjoying the many green and yellow colors so far. Kay will give the painting to her friend as a surprise.

Sketching is the thing! I'm in a Leonardo DaVinci mode

Taking a break from large-scale artistic creations with paints, papers or photographs -- the things I typically assemble for scrapboarding -- is what I need now. I've begun a series of sketches with No. 2 lead pencils and a tablet from Target. I will be posting them here. The joy of sketching is that I am so in the moment and don't feel compelled for that rat, "Perfection," to crawl about in my mind. Be free! Sketch!

Here you see the constellation Canis Major, The Great Dog with Orion the Hunter, the caretaker and guardian of The Great Dog. Canis Major's main star is called Sirius, the dog star, which appears as the large ball about the neck of the dog. Sirius is the brightest star and the biggest in the night sky in winter. You can see the dots within the sketch which are the stars of both constellations.

Glamourous Harbor by Artist Carol Labashosky

LIVE - TRAVEL – ADVENTURE inspired by “Miami CSI”
by Artist Carol Labashosky

LIVE - TRAVEL - ADVENTURE

Let this stunning fine art creation carry you to a surreal and glamorous harbor...

The combination of acrylic paints, beads, masonry and circular magazine clippings in this fine art piece have yielded a colorful starburst. The blue waters contain may types of hues and textures. Here, you see a magical and modern interpretation of a harbor side, city seascape. It could be Miami, or  Asia, the orient -- let your imagination take hold and lead you to a destination of your choice. The shoreline and architecture is reminiscent of many oceanside promenades.

Gold leaf paint, UV protected sealants and a special tipping technique created special canvas-drip highlights. All the detailed techniques make this fine art piece remarkable and beautiful and in the fine art tradition of scraboarding.

The canvas is a substantial 3 feet by 3 feet and would make a bold and bright statement on any wall.

Ready to hang, this fascinating and finely crafted painting will provide years of viewing enjoyment -- travel on a jet-setting journey to a far-away ocean-inspired adventure

Available now!

Vintage handmade fine art Christmas cards bring festive greetings

Louisville's South Fourth Street "Miracle on 4th Street" event, open to the public, will be held on Friday, Dec. 13 from 5-9 p.m. at Block Party Handmade Boutique. I will be featuring fine art and holiday greeting cards on sale with a 15 percent discount. Also,  Artist Lisel Long will hold a reception with her paintings. Block Party Handmade Boutique will host a fashion show and an unveiling of a creative window display to round out the evening. Hope to see you at 560 South Fourth Street in Louisville on Friday. Participating shops on South Fourth Street will be open for Christmas celebrations, too.



Thoroughbred racehorses are featured in vintage festive Kentucky greeting cards by Artist Carol Labashosky will be on sale at Block Party Handmade Boutique.

Vintage fine art "Blessed Christmas" greeting cards kick off holiday season

The 2013 Christmas season has inspired me to create new greeting card designs, canvas with "silver and gold" decorations - as Burl Ives would say - and glitter cardstock 3-D tabletop festive Christmas trees. They have been a joy to create as I hunkered down with gold and silver, trinkets and ribbon in my studio and craft room.

These photos are the initial makings of the "Blessed Christmas" vintage holiday greeting card design. Greeting cards and festive canvas scrapboards make wonderful keepsakes for friends, family and associates.

The fine art greeting cards are available in customized script or embellishment at

https://www.etsy.com/listing/171419379/cyber-monday-sale-vintage-blessing?ref=shop_home_active

The story behind the fine art painting, White Chapel's Revenge

By nature, the story of Jack the Ripper evokes chilling thoughts and a shudder. We imagine him, as a stealthy serial killer stalking women up and down the dark streets of Whitechapel. While creating this painting, I imagined how it would be for those troubled souls who fell victim to this fiend, to have had a chance to change their fate and the past, and escape The Ripper.

The colors and eerie movements of the four people - three women and Jack the Ripper - represents an unearthly "switching backthe clock" so the characters could somehow create a different ending, eluding the criminal.

This acrylic artwork I painted is titled White Chapel's Revenge, and it is on display at Block Party Handmade Boutiqu, 560 S. 4th St., Louisville, for the season. The colors are just as they appear here, somewhat of a hellish orange inferno with a dark black and gray contrast.

 The women have alluded The Ripper this time as they go back to rectify the past. From left to right are the three women who will reclaim their lives from Jack the Ripper, who is left behind beneath the street light.

Disguises: Louisville Photo Biennial Reception

Friday, Oct.  18^th

5pm-8pm

Block Party Handmade Boutique (560 South 4^th Street)

Celebrate the changes of fall in photography in the theme of “disguises” from featured local artists Carol Labashosky, Mary Beth Brown, Mickie Winters, Amber Estes Thieneman, and Kristen Warning

Call: Carol Labashosky  502.649.6226
Email: carollabashosky@gmail.com
http://www.barkingdogenterprises.com
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