Artist Carol Labashosky

Greetings friends, On Tuesday I had the good fortune to meet some painters from the Chambersbug, PA arts association. We had an outing to go to the home of some generous folks who invited us to come to their farmland to paint outsisde. Plein air means to paint outside, and I had to be alert to the sunlight, shadows and perspective of the area I chose to paint. I first used a view finder which is a little grey frame I looked through to crop the scene into a smaller area rather than trying to paint to much on my canvas. Then, I did a sketch using blue mixed with red paint to get the main shapes and contrast onto the canvas as a guideline that I would make my painting from. Then I mixed colors together on my palette. The painting turned out with many interesting shapes. It was great to paint with fellow artists and enjoy the fall weather outside.

I made this painting while painting en Plein Air which means painting outside. I came upon a hilly spot while staying at the historic Summit Inn of Watkins Glen, New York. The sun was just setting and I got out my paints to try to capture the scene quickly. The light changes during sunset so I had to be observant of the changing landscaspe.

Shop fine art here https://www.etsy.com/shop/Scrapboarding

Tonight I'm experimenting with cold wax painting. I take my palette knife and dip it into the jar of cold wax and then add some oil paint and mix the two together. The mix is like a buttery spread and has a consistency like toothpaste in a way. It has a wax like sheen. Then, I spread the mix onto some white paper. Sometimes, people use a brayer to roll the colors together or use a spreader. You can apply different layers of paint on top of eachother and then scratch down beneath a layer of color to expose the color beneath. This small piece was made during a "make and take" First Friday art walk at The Foundry arts co op in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Several people were set up at tables each experimenting with his or her own paints. I really like how the artist helped to teach us the technique and show us how to experiment with cold wax painting.

This is a view of Pennsylvania hills and valleys. I used oil paints to create the fine art piece.  I completed the painting in one sitting. Painting outdoors is called "en Plein Air" which is what I did. My palette was composed of pastels and different shades of green. You can see the road at the right of the painting. This one was such fun to paint at dusk. The size is 12 x 18 inches and it's available for purchase.

Today I and my husband worked hard to set up my new art studio and gallery. My studio is named Barking Dog Enterprises after my two Shetland Sheepdogs, Frosty Mugs and Dillon, who bark up a storm. They both have passed to Rainbow Bridge but I'm sure another Sheltie will grace the premises soon enough! Here is the beginning stages of assembling and relocating my studio from Louisville, Kentucky to Fayetteville, Pennsylvania.