Well, this is pretty cool!

I didn't realize how good this photo looks when it's on a tote bag from Fine Art America / Pixels. At least, not until a customer purchased it today. I'm going to have to order one for myself -- it looks like an actual basket tote, rather than a photo plonked onto canvas -- at least it does from this picture. Thank you to the customer who opened my eyes this morning.

 

Recent work: "Old Envelopes"

 

Old collages and new colors come together in this mixed media piece. I particularly like the bright blue colors combined with a slash of red-orange at the bottom.

To see a high-resolution version of this piece, here's a link to it on Fine Art America/Pixels:

https://carol-leigh.pixels.com/featured/old-envelopes-carol-leigh.html

Thanks for taking a look at my work.

©Copyright 2020 Carol Leigh

Recent work: "Lighthearted Heart"

This is a handmade card I created for my husband Chris. I liked it a lot (as did he) and so I then scanned it and posted it to my collection of images at Fine Art America / Pixels. If you'd like to see the picture at high-resolution, here's the link:

https://carol-leigh.pixels.com/featured/lighthearted-heart-carol-leigh.html 

Copyright ©2020 Carol Leigh

Recent work: "Exact Fare"

There's nothing like a scrap or salvage yard to get my juices flowing. I can look at the scene and then immediately begin moving in closer and closer to frame exactly what I like, rather than an overview of a hodgepodge of "things."

The scratches, rust, and weathered paint on this old vehicle really added to its character. The “HAVE EXACT FARE READY” sign added even more.

I hope you like these two versions.

If you'd like to see these pictures blown up to high resolution, here's a link to my "Industrial Art" gallery.

https://carol-leigh.pixels.com/collections/industrial+art

Images copyright ©2020 Carol Leigh

Recent work: "Big 5 Postcard"

I hadn't made any "faux poste" cards in awhile, so the other day I came up with this one.

I uploaded it to Fine Art America (why not?), and here's how I described it:

This postcard consists of some painted and walnut-stained papers, drips of walnut ink on a piece of waxed paper, a big “5” I’d stenciled onto a painted page, and more. The orange stamp is an old Internal Revenue stamp. The triangular stamp is called a “Cinderella,” a totally made-up, fictional stamp that’s a part of my collection. The rest? Various bits and markings that I included in the mix. Oh, and there’s part of a letter someone wrote her family.

Overall, just a fun montage to put together on a rainy day. No deep meaning, unless you can find something I can’t!

If you'd like to see a high-resolution version of this picture, here's the link:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/big-5-postcard-carol-leigh.html

Copyright ©2010 Carol Leigh

Recent sale: Japanese Matchbox Labels

I have a set of Japanese matchbox labels, probably from the very early 1900s. The printing quality on them isn’t very good, with most of them being out of register. But that’s what I found rather charming about them. I’m also thinking that maybe they were “factory rejects!” There’s no advertising on them, so perhaps they just didn’t make it through “quality control.” Who knows?

These would look good individually or as a grouping — perhaps printed on metal to make the colors really pop.

Here's the link to the full-resolution versions of these pictures if you'd like to see them in greater detail:

https://carol-leigh.pixels.com/collections/designer+series+japanese+geisha+matchbox+labels
A buyer from New York purchased these two (of the 12 that are available). I hope they look superb wherever he or she decides to put them.

Images copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh.

Recent work: "Small Tags"

These are small collages that I originally made as tags to go into the pockets of an accordion book. They looked good in the book, so I've added some of them to my body of work at Fine Art America/Pixels.com.

Here's the link to the collection, where you can see them at high resolution:

https://carol-leigh.pixels.com/collections/designer+series+small+tags

Images ©2019 Carol Leigh

What every artist wants to hear ...

This picture, that I call "Inherent 2," has sold numerous times over the years. I'm so proud of it because it is totally unique to me. Someone else would have a tough time figuring it out and replicating it.

That's irrelevant right now, however, because of what a recent buyer wrote to me. She said:

Good afternoon!  

I just received this gorgeous piece of modern, Southwest art you created (Fine Art America did a good job of reproducing your work) and I am so grateful to have you in my home. The colors and design take my breath away every time I look at it. 

I rarely write emails of this kind, but wanted you to know how much I appreciate your talent and execution. You fit beautifully in my natural, modern living room and I will look for your work often in the future.  Thank you again for offering your work to the public.  You make me very happy.

I was stunned. Isn't this what every artist wants to hear? I'm happy my work makes her happy and am happy that she wrote me to say how happy she was!

Here's a link to the picture on Fine Art America if you'd like to see the details up close:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/inherent-number-2-carol-leigh.htmlhttps://fineartamerica.com/featured/inherent-number-2-carol-leigh.html

Image copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh

Triptychs!

If the format and subject matter lend themselves to it, I'll sometimes make a triptych, a combination of three pictures all contained in one frame. The result is a larger piece -- with more presence -- that works well on a large wall.

And that's what I created here for these three photomontages of boro paper from a kimono packet, protective paper packaging designed to keep the kimono, carefully folded inside, dust-free.

To see what these look like larger and in full resolution, here are links to them both:

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/kimono-triptych-060704-horizontal-carol-leigh.html

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/kimono-triptych-060704-vertical-carol-leigh.html

Images copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh

Recent work: "Exaggerated Eucalyptus Leaves"

The eucalyptus theme continues with this piece, where I purposely made the leaves outrageously vivid, yet kept the texture and shadowing intact. Too much fun.

Here's a link to the image at Fine Art America/Pixels if you'd like to see the image in full resolution:

https://carol-leigh.pixels.com/featured/exaggerated-eucalyptus-carol-leigh.html 

Images copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh

Latest work: "Kimono Package Montage 08"

LATEST WORK - “Kimono Package Montage 8”

One of the latest in my series revolving around an antique kimono “packet,” which I’ve described as:

I have an 1828 wrapper for a kimono that is gloriously soft and weathered and yet sturdy. I have photographed various bits and pieces of the wrapper and then have combined those bits and pieces to create a variety of photomontages, montages that are slightly different, yet honor the spirit of the object. 

It’s made of old, used “boro paper,” multiple layers pasted together so that it’s thick and very soft. I’m reveling in what this kimono wrapping paper is offering, and I hope you enjoy seeing my interpretations of it.

Every month or so I get this packet out to see what other images I can create using it, seeing it with “new eyes.” 

The top photo shows the original version, but I also created a square version to give my customers more options.

Here's the link to the work in Fine Art America if you'd like to see it at 100% resolution: 

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/kimono-package-montage-08-carol-leigh.html

All images copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh

Customer comment . . .

Sometimes customers of my work leave reviews on Fine Art America, which I find really helpful. The reviews let me know if FAA is doing a good job at their end (printing and shipping) and if I've done a good job at my end (sharpness, processing, etc.).

Fine Art America sold this picture ("When Worlds Collide") to a customer in Minnesota recently. Here's his review:

"This is a quality piece that hangs beautifully on our wall. The frame and matting are of very good quality and we are well satisfied with the purchase. The only drawback is that we should have ordered non glare glass."

His comment about the non-glare glass is good for me to know. I'll mention that in my description on Fine Art America, and perhaps the next person to order it will be able to take that into consideration.

Here's a direct link to the picture at FAA:

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/when-worlds-collide-carol-leigh.html

Image copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh

Recent work: Coastal Crow

Many photos came together for this image of a bird I love — a crow. All the pictures were taken in Port Townsend, Washington and then I added strips of red, orange, and turquoise. So much fun to do, so difficult to describe . . .

Here's a link to my "birds" collection if you'd like to see these images in higher resolution:
https://carol-leigh.pixels.com/collections/birds

©2019 Carol Leigh

Prayer flags . . . a happy accident

Some of my more popular images is a series of prayer flags I made. I didn’t set out to make prayer flags, however; I was just playing with some of my photos in the computer and they began to appear.

Here’s how I describe them on Fine Art America:
 
As I was creating these images, they began looking more and more like weathered and worn prayer flags, so I followed my intuition and made an entire series of them, adding my own scrawled calligraphy in the center of each one.

I don’t even remember now what photos I combined to create the prayer flag look, but however it happened, it was a surprisingly joyful result.

These are three of the more popular ones I made (a customer bought these three as a set earlier this year), as well as a link to one of my two prayer flag galleries:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/carol-leigh.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=369546

Images copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh

Recent addition to FAA: "Mourning Dove in the Morning"

Most of my montages are photography-based, to which I then add torn, hand-painted papers, Japanese calligraphy, maybe some circles, etc. until something begins coming together for me.

And that's what happened here.

I photographed this mourning dove, who was dozing in a tree, on a foggy morning in southern California. The tree shape was great; the bird was a bonus. 



The final result, to me, looks like something that’s been in a scrapbook for a long time, has maybe suffered water damage, other papers have stuck to it and have been pulled away, leaving traces behind, etc.

To see more detail, to see what this picture looks enlarged, here’s the link: https://carol-leigh.pixels.com/featured/mourning-dove-in-the-morning-carol-leigh.html

As always, thank you for looking at what I make.

Image Copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh

Most-Visited Pictures This Week . . .

Every week Fine Art America sends me a variety of information, including what were my most-visited pictures the previous week.

Here are three examples of what people were looking at . . .

The "Santa Fe Crows" image has been a particularly popular one over the years, and is a particular favorite of mine as well. Here's the link to the original at Fine Art America: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/santa-fe-crows-carol-leigh.html

The next one, "Papers," I described this way:

"An ink-stained book cover, hand-painted rice paper, torn papers from an old Japanese book, gold foil and more comprise this collage."

The link to the original: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/papers-carol-leigh.html

And finally, a mixed-media piece called "From Books." (This was part of a large sale last month, 48 images, all revolving around my collages containing postage stamps. Forty-eight all at once! Woo hoo!)

My description for this picture on Fine Art America is:

"As is typical, I have photographed some of my physical collages, some stamps, torn papers, pages from old books, boat reflections, ink stains, and more to put this photomontage together. It's a fun, never-ending, always-changing process."

The link to the original:  https://fineartamerica.com/featured/from-books-carol-leigh.html

As always, thank you for looking at my work.

All images copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh

Small pleasures . . . Naranjo

On August 5th, 2012, I posted a photo to my blog that I had taken in Santa Fe at the farmers' market.

Although I rarely photograph people, I liked the look on the face of this man as he watched his wife arrange flowers.

A couple days later,  I received an e-mail from the man's son. His father had passed away in December. He saw his father's photo on my blog, liked the colors, and wanted to purchase a print.

The easiest and most cost-effective way for me to do this was to upload the photograph to Fine Art America. That way he could select the size/price/format he wanted and would quickly receive the photos. And if other members of his family wanted prints, that could be easily accomplished. And that's what happened.

I don't mean for this to be an ad for Fine Art America. What I really want to say is that I'm pleased I created something that had meaning for someone else.

And now, when I return to the Santa Fe Farmers' Market, it will no longer be just a fun place to photograph, but will have an especial poignance for me, remembering the look on the man's face, standing next to his wife, surrounded by flowers.

Here's the link to my blog post: http://carolleigh.blogspot.com/2012/08/national-farmers-market-week.html

And here's the link to FAA so you can see how it's presented to the customer: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/naranjo-carol-leigh.html

Small pleasures . . .

Image copyright ©2012-2019 Carol Leigh

Working in series . . . Red and Blue

Back in 2015 I put together a series of 11 images, all having the same components, with different compositions.

It behooves us artists to work this way whenever possible since it encourages clients, especially interior designers, to purchase numerous images that "go together" rather a picture here, a picture there.

The components are some of my hand-painted papers as well as the Enso circles that I drew.

Incorporating colors of bright red and soft blue, they have a rather Asian look to them. They can also be hung sideways or even upside-down if you wish.

Here are four of them. All 11 of them are in a single gallery at Fine Art America / Pixels. If you'd like to see them all, as well as the details, here's the link to the gallery: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/carol-leigh.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=599081

As always, thanks for looking.

Images ©2019 Carol Leigh

Most-visted pictures this past week

 Every week Fine Art America sends me a variety of information, including what were my most-visited pictures the previous week.

It's interesting to know, but I'm not sure what use I can make of it. Should I make more square-y things because this one's been popular ever since I posted it back in 2012?

Is indigo and red a powerful color combination, hence the visitation? (Well, perhaps -- I should experiment more with it. Maybe.)

And the plane's tail section? Maybe it's the composition that's attractive? The unusual shooting angle? I don't know.

And the brown fishing nets? Why is that one so popular? I know why I like it, but what's the appeal for others?

All four of these have sold regularly over the years, for which I'm grateful. And they continue to sell, which I find interesting.

I often wonder if I should have a consistent style, a consistent look. But no, from what I'm seeing people purchasing, it seems to be a mix of my abstract montages as well as more "normal" photography of representational (recognizable) subjects.

Here are the links to these four pictures, if you'd like to see them up close and in higher (much higher) resolution:

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/fiery-red-and-indigo-one-of-two-carol-leigh.html

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/autumn-reflections-carol-leigh.html

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/lockheed-constellation-carol-leigh.html

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/fishing-nets-carol-leigh.html

Sold earlier this year . . .

I created this image in late 2016 and it's sold numerous times as a print. But when someone ordered the picture as a throw pillow this past March, it took me aback. It looked great as a pillow! Just great.

It's fun to see one's art presented in a different manner. So unexpected. Such a surprise.

To see the details of this picture, here's the link:
https://carol-leigh.pixels.com/art/standing+ground?searchType=title

All images copyright ©Carol Leigh 2019