Abstract Self Portrait #1

Abstract Self Portrait #1

8x10, acrylic on canvas board

I spent last week teaching an "Art Exploration" summer camp to a group of ten kids aged 8-16. I had planned to do a still life for our painting segment but, being a hater of still lifes, I decided at the last minute to do abstract self portraits instead. So much more fun! I had never actually done one, however, so my teaching demo was also my learning project. I ended up with this which I actually kind of like! And it was FUN! Thinking I might do a little series of abstract portraits now and see what comes out of it...

Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

Night Rider

 "Night Rider"

Acrylic on stretched canvas, 16x20

Several months ago I was invited to submit work to a bike themed show at a local gallery. Though I had never before painted anything involving a bicycle, I decided to challenge myself to do it. The resulting painting (see it here) is very much a portrait of the relationship between the rider and the bike. I had so much fun with the challenge, I decided to do a second one using the same composition but changing everything else. Where the first was subdued, almost like a memory from years gone by, this version is stark and active, as though the bike has gone from an object of leisure to one of safety and necessity. It's so interesting to see how a simple change of color and brushstroke can tell a completely different story!

Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

A Girl And Her Bike

 

 "A Girl And Her Bike"

16x20, Acrylic on canvas

The sun has been shining intermittently lately, and some days could actually be described as warm.
Huzzah for SPRING! I've even ridden my bike a few times. And you know what they say... Art imitates life. Except my bike is red. And I ride with sneakers. But you get the idea...

Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

Swing

"Swing"

Acrylic on canvas, 22x28

Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

Angular Wit

 "Angular Wit"

Acrylic, ink, wax on cold-press paper, 9"x13"

Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

Umbrella Illustration Giveaway at "Our Humble A{Bowe}d"

 
From the moment I put pen (and gouache) to paper on my umbrella illustration series, they've grown a fanbase of their own. Several weeks ago I sold one to home decorating blogger Amanda Bowe, who writes Our Humble A{Bowe}d. She's offering a giveaway over at her site for one of my umbrella illustrations. Complete details and entry instructions can be found here. No worries if you don't win, you can always buy one in my Etsy shop for only $12!


  Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

Vintage Library Cards - An Illustration Series

This is a series of India ink and gouache illustrations on vintage library cards. I happened upon some blank library cards and it struck me how useless they now seem; kind of sad because they were once very, very important! When I was little the first thing I always did upon checking out a book was to read the names of the people who checked it out before me, and how long ago they had read it. Yes, I realize I am a huge geek. Anyway, I asked my sister (who works in a library) if she happened to have access to some retired library cards. Within a few days I had cards dating back to 1965 for books like "What is Existentialism" and "Being and Nothingness" by Jean Paul Sartre. The series will depict vintage typewriters (books, duh) in some way "acting out" the book the card is from. Yes, it is a silly project. But silly is fun and it keeps me from going crazy.

The Library Series will be sold individually for $12 each on my Etsy shop.  


Original fine art by Vancouver, Washington based artist Jamie Lutz Carroll. Buy acrylic paintings, ink and gouache illustrations, limited edition archival prints, and custom and commissioned artwork.

Good Morning - Redux

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 "Good Morning" was originally painted about a year ago. Back then, I really liked her and even said she was one of my favorites. But then she hung in my hallway for months and every time I walked by I liked her less. I guess that's the trouble with having your own work decorating your house - you start nit-picking and doing the coulda-shoulda-woulda thing. (Conversely, the longer I have the work of other artists around the more I love it!) One night I just grabbed her down from the wall and started painting over her. This version is so much more dynamic than the first and I like her again! For now anyway...

And the original:

A Whole Lotta Illustrations...

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A few of my cutesy ink (or ink & gouache) illustrations for your viewing enjoyment...

 

These illustrations, and more, are sold in my Etsy shop - and they start at only $12! (Click on the pictures to see them larger!)

Patti

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 "Patti" A few weeks ago I did a small 6x6 painting for a show featuring only work of that size. I found it to be a fun challenge to work so small and chose to treat it more as a "cropped image" than to just paint a smaller composition. I decided to do a series of these small works and quickly got my hands on eight more 6x6 boards. Now instead of literally watching paint dry on my larger pieces, I am filling that time with these little ladies. As I finish each one in the series I will post them here and put them on Etsy for only $40! Within minutes of listing "Patti" she was featured in a Treasury List!

As I See It

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 "As I See It" I would have to call this an illustration rather than a painting, although it does involve paint. I drew and shaded this woman in graphite on heavyweight cold-press paper. After spraying the drawing with a fixative, I painted it with very diluted acrylic paint in muted tones so all the shading would show through. Then I went back through with the graphite to add back in some of the dark shadows lost in the paint. The finished look makes me think of an old-fashioned colorized photograph. I love it when experiments turn out!

The smaller picture below shows it mounted and framed.

Eugenia

"Eugenia" I picked up a book at a thrift store the other day called "The Family of Woman". It's a collection of black and white photographs from around the world showing everyday women doing everyday things. This young woman from Nigeria had that "Please paint me!" look in her eyes. This piece is one of the smallest I've ever made, measuring only 6" square. It was done specifically to donate to the "6x6 Show", a fundraiser for Oregon Arts Alliance. I found the small size to be pretty fun! Now I'm looking around the house for more little blocks of wood...

Dottie

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 Sometimes I take myself far too seriously. And sometimes I don't.

Manteca

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 "Manteca" When I paint abstracts I go in with no preconceived ideas of the outcome: not the shape, the palette, the story, nothing. It is simply to satisfy a primal need within my being to paint. Sometimes when I'm done I can see certain emotions or thoughts worked out on the canvas, and sometimes I just see colors and shapes that are pleasing to me. It's interesting to see how the image changes when turned this way or that and determining which way is "UP". When I was done with this one it seemed undeniably landscape-like - even though I typically can't stand landscape paintings. I decided to give it the name of an actual place and went with the first name I came across, thanks to a bottle of Gnarly Head Merlot made in Manteca, CA. And it was deee-licious!

Simple Step

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 "Simple Step" This is another bit o' fun with simplifying the human figure. This was done on untreated wood with very thinned paints applied in layers to really allow the wood grain to come through. 

Question Of Taste

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"Question Of Taste" I've been experimenting with different ways of simplifying the human figure. This one was done on top of a different experiment in creating textural layered backgrounds. Once I was done experimenting, I thought it looked pretty damn decent as one finished piece. So shhhhh... I won't tell anyone this was an accident if you don't.

Catwalk

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Don't just stand there, let's get to it. Strike a pose, there's nothing to it. Vogue!

This was inspired by fashion illustrations. I'm not in to "fashion" much at all. Kinda just wear what I want to wear and don't follow trends. For the most part I think there have been very few attractive advancements to fashion since the early 60s. That being said, I really enjoy fashion illustrations - yes, even the modern stuff! They're so heavily stylized and often bear little resemblance to the finished product, but I think they're probably a truer representation of what the designer really wants to create.

Mixing Bowl

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 "Mixing Bowl" Digging through the archives, I came across this oldie. This was inspired by a painted tile made a decade ago by a friend. So serene in her kitchen duties - a feeling I certainly can't relate to!

Repose

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 "Repose" This is actually a series of three framed mirrors which can be hung as a group or individually. I had these mirrors for months before actually finding the inspiration to work with them. (A common occurrence with my collection of found objects - or "flat surfaces" as I call them.) One day I just looked at them and thought to do primitive paintings of body positions wrapping around the square shapes. They're a bit different from my "typical" figural style but they've had a very positive response. Most people see them as people doing yoga, which was not at all my intention. Now that I think about it, they do rather look like a trio of yogis!  

Scarlett

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"Scarlett" started with a doodle of hair blowing in the wind. After I was "done" with the painting I decided to add the scarf because she made me think of old-fashioned movies with women flying planes or riding in convertibles - they almost always have white scarves on! My husband named her Scarlett, I assume for the lipstick she's chosen.