The Last Pecans ... at last!

The Last Pecans ©2010 by Karen Mathison Schmidt
30 x 24 x 2 • acrylic on 2" cradled Gessobord
sides painted burnt umber • unframed
gloss varnish

SOLD

Here’s a large painting of my Dad walking back to the house after squeezing a couple more buckets full of pecans from the trees in the south pasture a few weeks ago.

I love working on larger boards, even though it takes a little longer. It’s easy to overwork a large painting, though. I keep having to remind myself to keep it loose!

This one has lots of color layers, especially in the foreground, where I used a combination of palette knife and brushes.

Here are some brushwork details:

Slow and steady wins the race ...

Grateful Praise ©2009 Karen Mathison Schmidt
30 x 30 • acrylic on 2 inch cradled Gessobord
SOLD • private collection, San Francisco, California

If you think you’ve seen this painting before, you’re right. Kind of. I started it last fall – it’s been above the mantel in our TV room for months, so for weeks and weeks and weeks, whenever we’re in there watching TV or movies, I’ve been secretly studying the painting, working on it mentally, until finally I just HAD to make some changes to it, and NOW it’s finished.

This majestic pecan grows beside our dirt driveway, just this side of the wilder landscape beyond our yard. I never get tired of this beautiful view.

Back when I started this, I decided this subject called for a larger format than I normally choose, so I went with a 30x30. This painting has layers of color glazes – working with a palette knife as well as brushes has made for some interesting texture, and has helped me move closer to that evasive goal: a balance between carefully planned composition and spontaneity. Suitable for the subject, I think - a tree that is equally at home in our (somewhat) manicured yard or the not-so-manicured southern countryside beyond!

Here are some close-up details:

So New ... So Useful ... So Modern ... and So Beautiful!

Grateful Praise ©2008 Karen Mathison Schmidt
30 x 30 • acrylic on 2" cradled Gessobord

No, the title of this post does not refer to my painting, but to this:


YESSIREE! It's the Rival Two Way Ice-O-Mat, circa 1945-50, in lemon yellow, which I found in its original box yesterday when I was cleaning out one of the storage closets in the tiny room at the end of the downstairs hall. The Guarantee was a little mouse eaten, but the info card is still in good shape.


This little card is chock full of information, like that the Two Way Ice-O-Mat not only crushes ice, but it does it in either one of 2 ways: coarse or fine. That makes it at least twice as good as the plain old Ice-O-Mat.


Also illustrated are the many uses for crushed ice from this baby – you can use the crushed ice in chilled fruits & salads, cold drinks, ice bags, vacuum bottles (which I gather from the picture is what we new millenniumites call a “thermos”), making ice cream & chilled desserts, electric mixers (which from the picture is really a blender). Yes, ladies & gentlemen, these are just a few of the reasons the Rival Two Way Ice-O-Mat belongs -- yes, belongs in your Kitchen ... Home Bar ... Recreation Room!

I especially like the blurb under the SAFER heading:

"Patented metal fingers within cover guide the ice. You do not use your own fingers because of this exclusive safety feature."

... Whew! What a relief! It's nice to know that I can grind my ice cubes without risking grinding my actual fingers in the process.


And if you think the Ice-O-Mat is the cat's pajamas – or the living end, or the most, or groovy, or far out, or the bomb, or tight - which is about as up to date as my knowledge of slang gets - just get a load of the other swell products available from Rival:



The Juice-O-Mat (3 different models!)
The Vogue Ice-O-Mat (for the oh so fashionable kitchen)
The Can-O-Mat
The Grind-O-Mat
The Broil-O-Mat
The Shred-O-Mat
The Steam-O-Matic Deluxe Steam and Dry Iron

plus so much MORE!

Dude. I don't know about you, but my mind is officially blown. I think I need a nap.