"Early Spring Lightning and Thunderstorm", unframed palette knife oil painting on gesso board

Well, you know the old saying, "April showers bring May flowers"?  It happens here in Northern Colorado, that's for sure, those thunder and lightning storms bring the much needed moisture to the foothills, mountains, and plains.  This is a bit of a dramatic stretch as I'm not an art literalist, but a firm believer in artistic license.  It's more fun!

"Early Spring Lightning and Thunderstorm", 8"x10" unframed palette knife oil painting on gesso board, $160 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan

"Crackling Sky", miniature palette knife oil painting

I can almost smell it in the air, springtime is around the corner, although you may not believe it today in my part of the woods -- it's gray and cloudy but warmer than it has been -- I'm just waiting for the sky to open up with rain, get a few bolts of lightning up there, roar of thunder.  Of course, I am jumping the gun, the official date is three weeks away for the season change and here in Colorado, the real date may as well be May.  I am such a dreamer!  (The top photo is the original painting, the bottom is an example of it framed.)

"Crackling Sky", unframed 4"x4" miniature palette knife oil painting on gesso board, $48 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan

"Lightning From the Heavens", palette knife oil painting

The power of Mother Nature is enormous.  Looking above to the skies, there are multiple layers of energy and color, simultaneously beckoning to our eyes -- just take a look, realize how huge the skies are, the atmosphere above, the earth below.  Sky paintings are easily among my favorites to paint.  As a friend of mine from Virginia says:  "Pow! Zap! Kaboom!"  I say hooray for the elements...they are a blast to work with!

"Lightning From the Heavens", 11"x14" palette knife oil painting on gesso board, $300 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan

"Just Before the Rain Falls", miniature palette knife oil painting

Okay, I know that I'm jumping the gun a little bit, it's still winter and we have snow on the ground to prove it, but Spring is just around the corner and that means rainfall.  I love that period of time just before the precipitation starts, just before the rain falls, that "ozone" smell in the air.  Don't you?  

"Just Before the Rain Falls", 5"x7" miniature palette knife oil painting on linen panel, $70 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan

"Windswept Lightning Over the Rockies", miniature palette knife oil painting

A miniature palette knife oil painting, this little gem was more difficult to paint than one might think.  Trying to get a "wind" feeling, add in the lightning bolts and still imply snow on the top of mountains plus an impending storm -- all at once, of course -- well, I think I may have pulled it off!  I had a blast painting this one....

"Windswept Lightning Over the Rockies", 4"x4"" miniature palette knife oil painting on gesso board, $48 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan

"Lightning Over City Lights", miniature palette knife oil painting, affordable, night scene

 Here is another entry into my weather or lightning series.  We live near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains here in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the weather can be quite entertaining!  As I drive west towards the mountains at twilight and at nighttime, the flickering lights up on the hills overlooking Horsetooth Reservoir to the west and looking out at the Great Plains to the east grab my attention.  Add in some lightning and, man, you have got a show!

"Lightning Over City Lights", 4"x6" palette knife oil painting on linen panel, $48 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan

"Orange Electricity" palette knife oil painting on linen panel, weather, lightning, affordable

Sometimes I find it difficult to blog my artworks as frequently as I do on the internet.  The last thing I want to do is bore anyone or become too predictable about what I paint.  So I try to jumble it up a bit, sometimes putting up flowers, skies, travel memories.  I have been chomping at the bit to show you this little dandy, honestly!  Some of the most enjoyable paintings I have worked on come from my imagination, some of which is based upon research of the subject matter at hand (or palette knife!), some of it based upon prior observation, especially anything involving the skies.  I hope you like this as much as I do, it was a blast to paint!

"Orange Electricity" 4"x6" unframed miniature palette knife oil painting on canvas panel, $48 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan

"Autumn Leaf Storm" unframed miniature palette knife oil painting

Well, it appears that the weather has been influencing my art work as of late...  About a week ago the wind just howled at night, the autumn leaves were furiously dropping from trees, and then the thunderstorm hit!  Our honey locust tree ash has grown tremendously since we moved into this house and it was slamming into the siding, keeping me awake much of the night.  Naturally, I thought I should definitely "document" the event. 

"Autumn Leaf Storm" 4"x6" unframed miniature palette knife oil painting on linen panel, $48 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan

"Crackling Everywhere!" miniature palette knife oil painting

Another vivid sky in my lightning series, this one is happening at sunset.  Just imagine the static electricity, the voltage as the sky is being torn apart by such forces!  I usually place these skies just along the silhouette of the mountains, as that is what I see out my front door.  Yes, I am most spoiled living along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado!  Love it!

"Crackling Everywhere", 4"x6" unframed palette knife oil painting miniature on linen panel, $48 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan

"Lightning Against Blue" palette knife oil painting

Here's some more of the heavy atmosphere to which I referred in a previous post.  I am mesmerized by Mother Nature, who wouldn't be?  Just when you think you got it all under control (!), here she comes with intensity from the skies, the thunderclaps, the electric show, flying down the various colors looming overhead.  Ooooh!  I makes me shudder just thinking of it!  And, yes, I LOVE to paint it! 

"Lightning Against Blue", 4"x6" unframed palette knife oil painting on linen panel, $48 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.PaintingsOnGlass.com   
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan

"Zapping Through the Nighttime Sky", palette knife oil painting

 Living in Colorado is a meteorological adventure, a weather puzzle.  As you must know, we have had "biblical", monumental flooding recently, plus wildfires not only this year but last year.  In 1997, a friend of ours had to swim for her life, along with her young son.  It simply is never dull around here!  

Earlier in the spring, we seemed to be having a lot of thunderstorms, complete with incredible lightning, of course.  I started mulling this over -- what if I try to paint the sky when it's uproarious, zipping with electricity, zapping toward the earth.  This is the first in a series of fun:  lightning storms painted with palette knife and oil.  They are a creative and artistic effort to convey emotion, not a literal one, my imagination was involved here, not necessarily realism.  I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed painting them!  What a blast!  

"Zapping Through the Nighttime Sky", 6"x6" unframed palette knife oil painting on gesso board, $72 includes s/h in continental U.S., click Paypal button below or write me at KarlaNolan@gmail.com for more information

Thanks for viewing my art!  Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado

http://www.KarlaNolan.com

www.dailypainters.com
www.PaintingsOnGlass.com   
www.KarlaNolan.blogspot.com
www.artforconservation.org/artists/karlanolan