Ginkgo leaves 9″ x 12″ on 140# Arches cold press
Blue Shadows 9″ x 12″ on 140# Arches cold press
I walked onto 5th Ave yesterday and WOW! The trees all have white flowers on them. Yippee, it’s Spring. I can’t wait to see the cherry blossoms this year. In the meantime, Happy Easter. Don’t eat too much chocolate. like I’ve already done.
I used leaves to create the two images above. I came up with a composition that I liked, and then painted a light wash around the first leaf. I then added a second and a third (both in leaves and washes).
According to my brother (who won’t read my blog) it’s not Easter until he sends me this:
It makes me laugh every year. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpT1vGpo5H8
Carol King: drawing, painting, complaining 
64 comments
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April 3, 2010 at 12:02 am
napabelle
This is stunning Carol ! I love your colors and the delicacy of the ginko one!! Hourray for you !
April 3, 2010 at 12:02 am
CarolKing
Hi Isabelle! Thanks so much.
April 3, 2010 at 12:21 am
lesliepaints
I like yours better than the book I have on negative space painting! Beautiful! Thanks for the “Bunny Rap”!
April 10, 2010 at 8:31 pm
CarolKing
Thank you Leslie, They were so easy and fun to do. I love that bunny rap too. Makes me laugh every year.
April 3, 2010 at 2:30 am
AKLizzy
B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l!!!!!! If they appeared in an Anchor-town house near me, I would show them off to everyone! The colors and textures are lovely!
Hooray for Spring and flowers blooming! (I took the car out of 4WD yesterday….does that count for spring? We still have snow but it’s starting to think about maybe hopefully melting…)
April 10, 2010 at 8:37 pm
CarolKing
Maybe they WILL appear in an Anchor-town house one of these days. Be on the look out. Glad to hear the car is finally out of 4WD. It was 91 degrees here on Wed and now it’s back down in the 40s!
April 3, 2010 at 5:27 am
The Husband
I love “NEGATIVE” stuff—including your watercolors. Happy Easter!
April 10, 2010 at 8:38 pm
CarolKing
Aw, honey, you’re the best. 🙂
April 3, 2010 at 8:16 am
lindahalcombfineart
Spring like, lovely and incredibly well done!!
April 10, 2010 at 8:38 pm
CarolKing
Thank you Linda!
April 3, 2010 at 8:50 am
jaybastian
Damn Carol! These are beautiful. I’d buy these! The Ginkgo is my favorite.
April 10, 2010 at 8:39 pm
CarolKing
You would buy them! Wow. I major compliment. The blue one is gone already, but the ginkgo one is still available.
April 3, 2010 at 9:02 am
Alex Zonis
I love greens in the reds and yellows in the blues! Does this make any sense? What I am trying to say is that I like how you accentuated major tones with contrasting colors. I am curious if you thought it through or went by feel. Not that it matters, it is just interesting how different people arrive to their solutions.
I also saw a book talking about painting leaves in a similar way. Their examples and demos were not as good as your work here. Maybe it was the same book Leslie has. These are really nice paintings, and I think they are sellable too.
April 10, 2010 at 8:41 pm
CarolKing
I think I thought putting the contracting colors in might work, but didn’t really think it through as if it was a class color study. That would have required too many brain cells to work at once.
April 3, 2010 at 10:27 am
Kim
Hey Carol..your work is beautiful as always. Happy and Healthy Easter to you and the fam.
Xoxo Kim
April 10, 2010 at 8:42 pm
CarolKing
aw, my Kimi, thanks for commenting. And Happy Easter to you and your family.
April 3, 2010 at 12:17 pm
jimmyboi2
Your work is so free-wheeling lately! You are really loosening up– I see new directions!
Soon we can start working on our line of paper goods…
xoxoxoxox
April 10, 2010 at 8:44 pm
CarolKing
Paper goods and decoupaged items. Can’t wait.
April 3, 2010 at 3:55 pm
47whitebuffalo
Your ginko leaves are lovely. There’s something ancient and mysterious about them. Hmm.
April 10, 2010 at 8:50 pm
CarolKing
I’ve always loved ginkgo trees. I’m fascinated by the fact that they are so old they have sexes…there are male and female trees.
April 3, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Bonnie Luria
You’re taking off Carol. You’re gone, in fact.
Love the way you’ve used color and rendered the delicacy of each of these.
Have you increased your dose of Vitamin A ( rt )? I’m signing up for lessons with YOU when I get to NY.
April 10, 2010 at 8:53 pm
CarolKing
Bonnalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, you are too kind. Can’t wait for your visit.
April 4, 2010 at 1:51 am
rahinaqh
hey Carol, you do have a lovely way of painting flowers and leaves. i particularly like the colour choices you make. the previous posts were also just lovely. chocolate? yes, thank you for reminding me:))
April 10, 2010 at 8:54 pm
CarolKing
Hi Rahina, I always wonder if it’s because I’ve only ever lived in the City that I am attracted to flowers and trees. And of course chocolate.
April 4, 2010 at 8:39 am
ambiguousartistry
These are gorgeous, I love how soft and subtle they are. The colours in both are lovely 🙂
Happy Easter.
April 10, 2010 at 9:11 pm
CarolKing
Thanks so much.
April 4, 2010 at 9:20 am
Alonso
I love your art works and this one is beautiful. Happy Easter:-):-)
April 10, 2010 at 8:57 pm
CarolKing
Thank you Alonso.
April 4, 2010 at 10:51 am
cathy
Hi very free and transparent. Nice … love the rap
April 10, 2010 at 9:05 pm
CarolKing
Thank you Cathy, I love the vibrant colors in your most recent pieces.
April 4, 2010 at 7:03 pm
Cathyann Burgess
beautiful, Carol and thanks for sharing the Bunny rap with us!
back to my peeps, Cathyann:-)
April 10, 2010 at 9:14 pm
CarolKing
Hi Cathyann, when you wrote “back to my peeps” I thought you were talking about your fellow NYers.
Then I realized you were probably eating peeps and wanted to get back to that. LOL!
April 4, 2010 at 7:34 pm
kseverny
i like the softness of these
April 10, 2010 at 9:17 pm
CarolKing
As soft as your chocolate desserts???
April 4, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Francis
Nicely done Carol, i like the softness of the colors on both the painting. i can see the shape of the leaves and the flower petals. Never try such method before, thanks for sharing and Happy Easter.
April 10, 2010 at 9:18 pm
CarolKing
Thank you Francis. I think you should try this one day. You would enjoy it.
April 5, 2010 at 11:16 am
Beth Parker
These are both really wonderful & that Easter rap is a hoot!!
April 10, 2010 at 9:20 pm
CarolKing
I love the bunny at the end of the rap.
April 5, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Alice Walsh
I have read books and taken classes in negative painting. Few examples I’ve seen are as good as these! (And thanks for donating “Blue Shadows” to the Putnam County Land Trust annual art auction….after I twisted your arm to do so!!!)
April 10, 2010 at 9:23 pm
CarolKing
Oh you didn’t twist my art to get Blue Shadows! I was happy to donate it.
April 7, 2010 at 12:10 am
Jala Pfaff
These are beautiful. I especially love the top one; I suppose it’s the natural human tendency to prefer warm colors.
April 10, 2010 at 9:25 pm
CarolKing
Hi Jala, Maybe it is human tendency to prefer warm colors. I don’t know.
April 7, 2010 at 7:41 am
carrington
I love the new watercolors.They are so delicate and as a landscape designer I LOVE THEM. YOU NEED A SHOW OF YOUR WORK. You are really mastering such a difficult medium. The colors are so ‘un- muddy’ I am in a painting funk now….landscape designing more then painting!
Thanks for the easter video-made me laugh
April 10, 2010 at 9:26 pm
CarolKing
Carrington, if anyone should have a show it’s you. OH WAIT, You will be having a show soon! Congratulations.
April 7, 2010 at 8:07 am
Camilla
HAHA, that made me laugh! (The bunny that is…)
Your watercolors made me jealous.. They’re so beautiful, I would love to fill my house with them, all over the place (I mean all over!) 🙂 Hope you had a happy easter!
April 7, 2010 at 8:10 am
Camilla
Btw, spring already? Lucky pig! I’m still waiting for the snow to melt..
April 10, 2010 at 9:28 pm
CarolKing
I would love you to fill your house with them too. Maybe I’ll have to send one off to you.
As far as Spring goes, it was 91 degrees here on Wed., but now it’s back in the 50’s. Crazy weather. No more snow. The trees all have blossoms. It’s wonderful.
April 11, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Camilla
That sounds really nice. Today we had a lovely day, I hope the weather lasts.. 🙂
April 7, 2010 at 1:34 pm
asmalltowndad
Hip Hop, I can’t stop,
my nose is big and my ears a flop,
color my eggs for houses I drop,
gotta keep delivering, no time to stop,
Don’t take my candy or a cap I will pop…
O.k. Now is just gotten silly!
Beautiful paintings Carol, like always. I hope you had a great Easter!
April 10, 2010 at 9:28 pm
CarolKing
Loved your rap. I think you might have a new career brewing once you retire from the engraving shop.
April 8, 2010 at 9:58 am
w1kkp
I’m with “The Husband”, I love Negative Stuff, too. But, then, it’s in my Irish DNA. Melancholy is mother’s milk…oh, wait..mine didn’t even breast feed. O, no way I’m doin’ that, I believe was the phrase—anyway, I always always love your color choices!!
April 10, 2010 at 9:29 pm
CarolKing
Mine didn’t breast feed either. Too busy smoking.
April 9, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Sonya Chasey
Especially like the ginko leaves with their cut out look. You’ve captured the out line just right which is essential. I recognised them as ginko before I took in the title.
April 10, 2010 at 9:29 pm
CarolKing
Thank you Sonya. Ginkgo leaves have always been a favorite of mine.
April 9, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Alina
I remember when I went to an exhibition of plants with painting teacher!
She left us to choose the plant that we like it and then to draw it!
It was an interesting experience! 🙂
You new paintings are beautiful!!
Thank you for share it,dear friend!!! 🙂
Enjoy your week-end!! 🙂 😉
April 10, 2010 at 9:30 pm
CarolKing
Hi Alina, I think you should try another leaf painting. I bet you would do a great job.
April 10, 2010 at 10:03 am
wrjones
Lovely designs Carol.
April 10, 2010 at 9:31 pm
CarolKing
Thank you Bill. I still think you should have kept that shutter red.
April 10, 2010 at 10:29 am
Stephen
these colours are so beautiful – and your composition – these are special
April 10, 2010 at 9:31 pm
CarolKing
Stephen, the video star! Glad to see you here. Thanks.
April 11, 2010 at 2:07 pm
thewhiteswan
Carol these are so delicate and soft I love them! I can’t wait to try this for myself!
Karen
May 10, 2010 at 10:58 am
chriscaff
I love these two paintings. They are so eveoctive of autumn. Light, simple and very effective.
June 13, 2010 at 2:46 pm
jhsketch
Hi Carol, I love these two images!!
Beautiful colors and I think you must bring us more of these.
Very well done!
Have a great week.
Jan
June 13, 2010 at 2:47 pm
jhsketch
And I like your header image!