Garden Painting, Daily Painting, Small OilPainting "Gardens at Hyde Park" 6x8" Oil

Purchase here
$75  

We have all heard about the beautiful English countryside and the gorgeous gardens that are found there.  The cool and moist sea air bring perfect growing conditions to the British isle.  This garden in Hyde Park was a shining example.  May of the flowers were much taller than I.  The cottage was actually some type of Park Headquarters, but was equally charming on the outside.  It was truly a treat to stumble onto this diamond.

Cheerio!
www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Small Tree Painting, "My Morning Companion" 6x8" SOLD

When I spend time in the Smoky Mountains, I start many of my days on the porch, with a cup of coffee.  It's a special time of day as the sun streams in over the mountains and starts to burn off the protective layer of "smoke" from the night before.

SOLD

It's just me, my coffee, and this old dogwood tree that sits in our yard.  A very nice way to start the day.

Soon the sun will rise over the mountain tops and light will stream in behind the tree.  My little special moment of the morning is gone and it is time to start my day.

Do you have a special moment each morning?

Carol Schiff

Live Oak with Spanish Moss, 6x6", Oil

Live oak trees are found everywhere in the south, usually, draped with Spanish moss.  The trees are huge with long, long branches that sometimes droop to the ground.  They are called "live oaks" because they cycle their new leaves all year long and never are bare.

Spanish moss was named after the first Spanish explorers who came to Louisiana and Florida.  The Indians thought the moss looked like the beards of the explorers.

Basically, Spanish moss just needs somewhere to hang out, and live oak foliage leaches an especially high amount of the nutrients it needs. While excessive growths of Spanish moss can be problematic for unhealthy trees in high wind situations, in most cases healthy live oaks have extensive root structures that keep them in place during storms.

Spanish moss is great for wildlife. Birds use it for nesting material, and it provides shelter for creatures like bats and bugs, including a type of spider that’s been found nowhere else. Throughout history, humans have used it to stuff mattresses, as packing material and insulation, and even in the car seats of some of the first Fords. (This proved to be a problem when the red ants living in the Spanish moss made their presence known – they solved this problem in the future by boiling the moss first.)

So really, y’all, there’s no reason for southern nature and wildlife lovers not to like Spanish moss just as much as the stately tree that it hangs in.

Purchase here

$65

Daily Painting, Landscape Painting, "In the Bamboo" 8x6" Oil Painting

As a child living in rural Ohio, my grandmother would visit from Florida, bringing along an exotic collection of seashells and postcards. There was always one or two postcards from McKee Gardens in Vero Beach. She  awakened a deep desire in me.....to live in this strange and beautiful tropical land.

Purchase here
90 + 6.50 in USA

Recently I made my first trip to McGee Gardens, a magical place filled with  tropical flora and  giant water lily pads.

I was fascinated with the bamboo stands, so abstract in their shapes.

It's always nice when a childhood dream comes true............Thank you Grandma.

Daily Painting, SOLD "Red Berries and Leaves" 8x10" Small Landscape

The image for this painting came from an autumn hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I love being there this time of year when color is everywhere.

Purchase here
SOLD


I was attracted to this image because of the unusual color and also by the abstract qualities of the branches.

Blogger is up to it's old tricks this morning, not behaving at all, and insisting on putting my second image at the top of the post.  I had this problem a few weeks ago, then it magically disappeared, now it is back!  ARGH!!!!!!!

Garden Painting, Daily Painting, Small OilPainting "Gardens at Hyde Park" 6x8" Oil

Purchase here
$75  

We have all heard about the beautiful English countryside and the gorgeous gardens that are found there.  The cool and moist sea air bring perfect growing conditions to the British isle.  This garden in Hyde Park was a shining example.  May of the flowers were much taller than I.  The cottage was actually some type of Park Headquarters, but was equally charming on the outside.  It was truly a treat to stumble onto this diamond.


Cheerio!




www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

beach, canvas board, Carol Schiff, daily painter, daily painting, Florida, impressionism, landscape, ocean, oil painting, original painting, Sanibel, sea, sea oats, shore,

A recent trip to Sanibel brought me plenty of images to paint. Of course, the beach had to be the star.

SOLD

I had not visited the area for many, many years, and I must admit that I forgot how beautiful it is.  The water is aqua and clear, much like the tropical waters of the Caribbean Islands.

I passed this little group of sea oats every morning on the path to the sea.  My favorite activity was to walk the beach as the sun was rising, with only the occasional fisherman or shell hunter and lots of pelicans and gulls  for company.

Daily Landscape Painting, "Blue Ridge Switchback" 6x8 SOLD

Today's daily painting is one of my favorites.  We decided to take a drive to Water Rock Knob, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in beautiful North Carolina.

SOLD

It was a beautiful, clear October day and I tried hard to capture the clear skies and gorgeous fall foliage.

Living in Florida for 40 years, I miss the fall colors and smells I remember from my childhood in Ohio.  It is  the best part of my visits to North Carolina and I try to get there in mid-October every year.

As a child I loved to rake the leaves into a pile and take a running jump right into the middle.  In those days we would rake the yard and then burn the leaves.  There was nothing better than walking to school on a sidewalk covered with leaves, crackling under my feet as I shuffled along.  Evenings conjure up memories of hay rides followed by warm donuts and cider.  That's before the days of Dunkin Donuts, these were home made and covered in sugar and cinnamon.

I am sorry my grandchildren will never have those memories, but I know when they think back on their childhoods they will find something equally as pleasing to remember.

Daily Painting "Morning Sail" 6x8 Oil Landscape SOLD

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. 
--Mark Twain 







Purchase Here
SOLD

The thing about sailing, is that it looks like a lot more fun than it actually is.  I know, I know, that's just my opinion, so please don't get upset!  I enjoyed my days on the boat and I still love to spend an afternoon sailing.

Now, when I see a sail boat heading out on a beautiful sunny day, it seems like a little piece of paradise.
The real thing  almost never beats out imagination.  It's easy to forget the day the sail ripped or the day we sailed home in a raging storm with lightening strikes all around us.

Today, I will imagine....and paint about it.

Happy Birthday to my baby girl, Shelly!

Daily Landscape Painting, "A Little Bit Country" 6x8 Oil SOLD

I have had this image in my files for several years.  Each time I tried to paint it, I failed.But, I kept the image on my memory stick, always nagging me, like waving a red flag at a bull.

This time I was happy with the results.  It's is not a particularly difficult scene.  I don't know what caused me so much trouble.  All I know is that every nine or 10 months or so, I would give it a try and then wipe it off.

SOLD

The attraction was the strong light in the mid-ground and the back lighting on the fence.  I am happy to finally delete this from my "things to paint" list.

Have you ever had this experience with a specific scene?  If so, how did you overcome the challenge?

Daily Painting, SOLD "Red Berries and Leaves" 8x10" Small Landscape

The image for this painting came from an autumn hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I love being there this time of year when color is everywhere.

Purchase here
SOLD


I was attracted to this image because of the unusual color and also by the abstract qualities of the branches.

Blogger is up to it's old tricks this morning, not behaving at all, and insisting on putting my second image at the top of the post.  I had this problem a few weeks ago, then it magically disappeared, now it is back!  ARGH!!!!!!!

Landscape Tree Painting "Reach for the Sun" 6x8" Oil SOLD

This massive oak tree lives on a neighboring farm in North Carolina.  It is beautiful any time of the day, but seemed even more so with the sun setting behind it.

SOLD

I have been on a tree painting frenzy this past few days, fueled and influenced by a small painting I purchased from Robert Kimball.  If you are not familiar with his work, I hope you will check out his blog.  His color choices are excellent.

I have wanted to do some tree studies for quite some time, but never seemed to get around to it.  This week I did several and will be posting them soon.

Small Oil Landscape, "Florida Wetlands I" 6x8" SOLD

How did it get to be September already?  Obviously, this year is going to buzz by as fast as the others all seem to do.

I have been painting commissions for the last month, but I try to slip a few daily paintings into the mix every week.

SOLD

I have been enjoying my little floral still life paintings, but had the desire to try a landscape this week.  Florida has the most beautiful wetlands, teaming with wildlife.  Of course, some of that wildlife is on the dangerous and creepy side, so I was very careful where I stepped.

This is Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge in Brevard County, Florida.  It sits between the ocean and the Indian River on a thin strip of land.  Next time you visit Florida, try to get off the beaten path of beaches and Disney and enjoy the less well known beauty.

Garden Painting, Daily Painting, Small OilPainting "Gardens at Hyde Park" 6x8" Oil

Purchase here
$75  

We have all heard about the beautiful English countryside and the gorgeous gardens that are found there.  The cool and moist sea air bring perfect growing conditions to the British isle.  This garden in Hyde Park was a shining example.  May of the flowers were much taller than I.  The cottage was actually some type of Park Headquarters, but was equally charming on the outside.  It was truly a treat to stumble onto this diamond.


Cheerio!




www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Live Oak with Spanish Moss, 6x6", Oil

Live oak trees are found everywhere in the south, usually, draped with Spanish moss.  The trees are huge with long, long branches that sometimes droop to the ground.  They are called "live oaks" because they cycle their new leaves all year long and never are bare.

Spanish moss was named after the first Spanish explorers who came to Louisiana and Florida.  The Indians thought the moss looked like the beards of the explorers.

Basically, Spanish moss just needs somewhere to hang out, and live oak foliage leaches an especially high amount of the nutrients it needs. While excessive growths of Spanish moss can be problematic for unhealthy trees in high wind situations, in most cases healthy live oaks have extensive root structures that keep them in place during storms.

Spanish moss is great for wildlife. Birds use it for nesting material, and it provides shelter for creatures like bats and bugs, including a type of spider that’s been found nowhere else. Throughout history, humans have used it to stuff mattresses, as packing material and insulation, and even in the car seats of some of the first Fords. (This proved to be a problem when the red ants living in the Spanish moss made their presence known – they solved this problem in the future by boiling the moss first.)

So really, y’all, there’s no reason for southern nature and wildlife lovers not to like Spanish moss just as much as the stately tree that it hangs in.

Purchase here

$65

Garden Painting, Daily Painting, Small OilPainting "Gardens at Hyde Park" 6x8" Oil

Another Wednesday....and another WILD AND WACKY SALE!  This week I am featuring another of my favorites.  I visited London a few years ago and this painting is a result of that trip.....a beautiful English garden and cottage in Hyde Park.  The painting originally was priced at $95.95, is currently on sale at $75.00, but when you purchase from the "Purchase here" link below the image, I will send you back $10.00!  Just note the words "WILD AND WACKY" on the order.

Purchase here
$75  

We have all heard about the beautiful English countryside and the gorgeous gardens that are found there.  The cool and moist sea air bring perfect growing conditions to the British isle.  This garden in Hyde Park was a shining example.  May of the flowers were much taller than I.  The cottage was actually some type of Park Headquarters, but was equally charming on the outside.  It was truly a treat to stumble onto this diamond.


Cheerio!




www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

Live Oak with Spanish Moss, 6x6", Oil

Live oak trees are found everywhere in the south, usually, draped with Spanish moss.  The trees are huge with long, long branches that sometimes droop to the ground.  They are called "live oaks" because they cycle their new leaves all year long and never are bare.

Spanish moss was named after the first Spanish explorers who came to Louisiana and Florida.  The Indians thought the moss looked like the beards of the explorers.

Basically, Spanish moss just needs somewhere to hang out, and live oak foliage leaches an especially high amount of the nutrients it needs. While excessive growths of Spanish moss can be problematic for unhealthy trees in high wind situations, in most cases healthy live oaks have extensive root structures that keep them in place during storms.

Spanish moss is great for wildlife. Birds use it for nesting material, and it provides shelter for creatures like bats and bugs, including a type of spider that’s been found nowhere else. Throughout history, humans have used it to stuff mattresses, as packing material and insulation, and even in the car seats of some of the first Fords. (This proved to be a problem when the red ants living in the Spanish moss made their presence known – they solved this problem in the future by boiling the moss first.)

So really, y’all, there’s no reason for southern nature and wildlife lovers not to like Spanish moss just as much as the stately tree that it hangs in.

Purchase here

$65

Daily Painting, Landscape, "Field of Poppies",SOLD 6x8, oil

It's always a beautiful sight to come upon a field of poppies in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I had to pull out my palette knife and lots of creamy oils for this little piece.  Some days I just want to push around a lot of paint.

What are you painting in your studio today?


Purchase here
SOLD