My name is Carole- I'm an attorney by day, a rancher (horses)at all other times, dressage rider and trainer, and a former musician (still play a little), singer/songwriter, tennis pro, actress, pilot, poet, and a bunch of other things. Hard to make up my mind what I want to be when I grow up. But- I've only recently discovered the world of painting, notwithstanding the unconventional way that I have proceeded. What great fun! I have had works in juried competitions in several states, and have sold art to collectors throughout the United States. Hope you enjoy my work.
ckbesq :
I've been chosen by the Hill Country Arts Foundation to do a one-day workshop on digital painting with Microsoft Paint! It will take place at the beautiful HCAF, 129 Hwy 39, Ingram, Texas on February 23, 2013 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Should be fun! It's for beginners and advanced artists who want to learn what this is all about and try their skills. Everyone who wants to may bring their laptop, but it is not necessary to participate. Anyone that is nearby, please feel free to contact Rosanne Thrall, Artistic Director of the HCAF for further information (registration is $75) at (830) 367-5120. Thanks! Carole
FanArtReview wrote to ckbesq :
Congratulations! Mustangs at Large is the new Digital Painting of the Month!
avmurray : Congratulations !
December 28 at 8:26AM
ckbesq : Thanks so much, fellow artists, for your encouragement and support!
December 28 at 12:08PM
cleo85 : Congratulation!!!
December 28 at 12:22PM
filly421 : Congratulations!
December 28 at 1:30PM
yourbren : Hooray! Big congratulations Carole for your outstanding and major win! Bren
December 28 at 3:02PM
Skyangel02 : Congratulations.
December 28 at 5:09PM
lynnkah : congrats on a great win. I voted for your painting this one was hard for anyone to beat it deserved the win! well done
December 28 at 7:58PM
ckbesq : Thank you each and every one for your endorsements and kindness- I'm overwhelmed...
December 28 at 10:52PM
marieann green : A very well deserved win! Congratulations.
December 29 at 10:22AM
chrissie. : A great win! Congratulations!
December 29 at 11:05AM
ckbesq : It is such an honor to have other artists, most especially ones the caliber of the ones here, take the time to notice and send congratulations for an award. It is really really appreciated.
December 29 at 7:08PM
ckbesq :
Thank you, FAR, for the third place win in the Unexpected Angles contest! Much appreciated.
yourbren : Congratulations on your 2nd place win. I personally found Morning Ride to be truly an outstanding work of art. Bren
November 28 at 12:02PM
lynnkah : congrats on your second place, I thought for sure I was going to loose to your fantastic painting, you have no idea how shocked I was. You are one talented lady. lynn
November 29 at 12:33AM
ckbesq : Thanks, all. I appreciate your taking time to write.
November 29 at 8:40AM
ckbesq : This got away from me before I finished! I also wanted to thank every one who voted for Morning Ride- it was a close race!
November 29 at 8:41AM
filly421 : Congratulations on your 2nd place win...a well done picture.
December 1 at 10:28PM
ckbesq : Thank you, Phyllis!
December 5 at 3:00PM
FanArtReview wrote to ckbesq :
Congratulations! Prickly Pear won the contest "Painted Green"
fotofriend : CONGRATULATIONS Carole!!! I liked this artwork when I first saw and reviewed it. Well deserved :o)
April 21 at 4:44AM
avmurray : Congratulations !!
April 21 at 8:34AM
ckbesq : Thanks Fotofriend, Donkeyoatey and Annie! It was a surprise and quite an honor. There were some outstanding entries!
April 21 at 9:14AM
suenethery : Congratulations, great work.
April 21 at 9:53PM
ckbesq : Thank you, Sue. Nice to meet you!
April 24 at 12:33AM
ckbesq :
Here is a dilemma- when painting a photograph, whether it be a portrait, commissioned piece, or challenge, is it better to paint it as you see it or to make it "more beautiful" or "more perfect" than what's shown in the photograph? What brought this to mind was a review comment on a painting I did from a photograph by Sandysartstudio that she posted and challenged other artists to paint. I tried to be true to the elements of the photograph, but one person commented that it was unfortunate that I painted it as in the photograph because a tree looked like it was growing out of a fence post. I personally think that you can tell that it is not really growing out of a fence post, but in the photograph, it was like that, and I thought at the time that I needed to paint it so that it didn't quite look that way but still keep the post and tree where they were as shot. Likewise, I painted a couple of horses from a photograph, with permission from the photographer and owner of the horses, and again, painted them as seen in the photograph. I received two comments that also begged the question- one was that the shadow on the foal was not a good tone and the second was that the blazes on the horses were too white. Again, should I have changed those things from the photo to make them look better than the photograph, or more real? (Actually horses can have very white blazes!) I have seen photographs on here of sunsets or sunrises that, if painted, would get comments about them not looking realistic! Also, if you do a portrait, whether of animals or people, should you make it look better than the photograph? Are you doing the person or animal a favor by changing them to be more perfect or beautiful? It is a dilemma that I haven't figured out yet. Who has some thoughts on this?
Heartfelt Annie : Well ckbesq, a long time ago I tried a digital painting of a photograph of one of the members. It spoke to me and I wanted to be as true to it as I could be. My thought is that we are not machines. Our own styles are going to come into play in a recreation. I tried my best to do it (the photograph) the justice it deserved. Are you going to please everyone? Of course not!!! Where you pleased with your own work? And if something was pointed out, was it something that maybe you could correct in the future? We do learn from others but I think the beauty that comes from within the artist must speak the loudest. Otherwise, you are just into reproductions. Nothing wrong with that but I think you would prefer the freedom of your soul to express the beauty in what you saw. Hope that helps. Just my thoughts. Annie
February 9 at 12:54AM
ckbesq : Thanks for the thoughts, Annie. I've been a little under the weather here and trying to play catchup on things. Wanted to reply- and say that I appreciated your taking the time to write what you did. I guess it boils down to if you're getting paid to do the painting or not. If so, the exactness can be discussed. If not, I probably shouldn't be so worried about replicating the photograph but just making use of it in my own way. Thanks for the bump in that direction.
February 14 at 10:55PM
icnpictures : I agree, at first I tried to "fix" my photographs to please whatever my reviewers said, then I would have one say- I like it that way, and another, it looks bad that way so pretty soon I realized that it is my work and I will make it the way I like it. If others argree- that is great, and if not, that is their right also, but as long as I am happy with it- that is what counts. Same for you- you can learn from others suggestions, but ultimately (unless you are being paid- as you said) your work should please you! My opinion only. Cindy Booth
February 27 at 9:01PM
SueClayton : Hi! (Better late than never!) Unless you're getting paid to do a repro, I think you should do whatever your heart desires. That's the beauty of art! Hi Carole, surprised to see me here? Maybe I should post some of my photos for fun. See you on FanMusic! ;)
November 2 at 12:47AM
ckbesq :
Do you think that it is detrimental to an artist's career to paint in several different styles? I have been told in various competitions that I've entered where several representative pieces were required to be submitted, that I should keep to a particular style and theme. I think the idea is that, then, that painter's work will be easily recognized. Personally, I enjoy doing different styles and techniques (as you might gather from the limited examples in my portfolio here.) My predominate style is to try to be rather realistic in what I want the focus to be, and leave the rest rather impressionistic and let the viewer fill in the details in their own minds. But I also like to do primitive paintings with sort of an abstract or impressionistic feel- and even line drawings. I really hesitate to stick to a realistic style even though I am drawn to that because, when I look at other artist's works at galleries around where I am located, they all look the same. Sure, you can recognize their paintings, but I can barely tell one from another, whether it's the colors used by them, the technique, or the subject matter. I think, when I myself purchase art, that I want something a little unique to that painting, and not one that looks very like the others. But maybe I am hurting my career by doing art the way that I do. What do you think?
Flight_of_Raven : I'm a member of a group on a different site that is attempting to aid photographers through the business side of things, and yeah, one of the things they strongly recommend is finding your own personal "niche." Personally, I like bouncing between styles a little, but then again I'm not making any money!
January 13 at 11:45AM
ckbesq : Perhaps the solution is to not show galleries or competitions but one style while doing whatever you like as well!
January 14 at 3:40PM
Thaneal : That is a very good question ckbesq! One that I have pondered myself. I feel that an artist will generally discover what he or she feels best express's their feelings.
March 1 at 9:26PM
ckbesq : And you do so beautifully.
March 3 at 12:26PM
lynnkah : well said Thaneal, as everyone pretty much knows my main program is of course twisted brush but I am one who thinks that different styles shows a persons true talent. myslef,I seem to paint pretty much the same things, landscapes, dogs, cats, an occassional dragon or made up animal but nothing really earth shattering. I have seem work that I would love to learn to do and branch out. No doubt I'll never make the cover of any art magazine but I'm okay with that, I think all artist should love to be different, thats after all what life is all about, we have our differnt moods so why not paint what we feel at the time instead of staying with one style.
November 29 at 12:51AM
ckbesq :
Just had the best possible ending to 2011- I got a message that I won the Baby Art contest with Darlin' Angels!!! That is pretty exciting new for me since I've only been here a short while. Also, since digital painting is a medium that is not totally accepted or understood. Perhaps this is a step in elevating its reputation!
NinaDd : Congrats!
January 1 at 12:54AM
ckbesq : Thanks, everyone. It's a great honor and so uplifting a start for a new year. I wish the same for everyone.
January 1 at 1:14PM
JanellesArt : Good for you! You deserve it! Great way to start the New Year, right? :)
January 1 at 2:11PM
castersupmode : Felicitations on a well deserved win!
January 1 at 2:21PM
ckbesq : Thank you both for sharing this celebration with me!
January 1 at 4:00PM
esgjag : Congrats beautiful piece. Well deserved.
January 1 at 5:52PM
ckbesq : Thanks- I really appreciate the compliment.
January 1 at 7:50PM
Blackjaxe47 : Congratulations on Winning the Digital Art Contest
January 2 at 12:25PM
ckbesq : Thank you.
January 2 at 7:39PM
Reflections2 : Just noticed your win. Congratulations...you did a lovely job!
January 6 at 1:43PM
ckbesq : Thanks so much!
January 6 at 11:49PM
ckbesq :
I am one of the pioneers in the art of digital painting and I do it using a program called Microsoft Paint that comes with almost every computer. I haven't actually found anyone else that uses this program but there may be someone out there! I discovered it one day while holding on the phone for an attorney (I am also an attorney, but being one doesn't get preferred treatment where phone calls are concerned!...) I am completely self-taught having never done any art before except for pencil drawings of horses when I was a child, although I have been involved in the "arts" most of life as a dancer, musician, actress, singer-songwriter and poet. I always thought that I'd try watercolor someday, but digital art has swept me away with its virtues: no initial cost, no clean-up, no time constraints, and the challenge in trying to make work more and more sophisticated in different ways. My favorite part is that, while "on hold" on the telephone or even while speaking with someone (not all attorneys require total attention) you can paint! There are some drawbacks, too such as the low saturation of the paint program which compels the artist to go to an editing program, change the dpi to 300, and re-paint the painting in sections to avoid the blur and extreme pixelation. Perhaps there was a better way, I thought, so I contacted Microsoft Paint to see if they had an updated version (since my computer is quite old and frail/failing.)They laughed and told me that there was no need for updating the program because it was only for kids! They might be surprised....
castersupmode : Your achievement with this primitive program is remarkable. It reminds of my niece who with an innate talent for art made some of the most uncanny images with this program. She now studies art at university, and she still uses paint but also GIMP, which is a free swiss-army-knife image manipulation and painting program, used for painting, card making and photo-retouching and munging -- kind of a poor man's photoshop.
December 11 at 9:26AM
ckbesq : How extraordinarily kind of you to take the time to write. I've only posted the one free painting (something "green" for the contest) to see what this site is about and if I might fit in here. I hope to be able to become a real member soon as I have enjoyed reviewing works and seeing some great art- in particular the photography. Going now to take a look at some of yours! Thanks again, Carole
December 11 at 11:06PM
Bertodi : does that mean, you draw the outline and the computer colours in like a paintbrush?
December 25 at 5:11AM
ckbesq : If you go to your computer and look in the start menu under Accessories, you'll see "Paint". When you click that on, you get a blank screen, a tool box (with things like a paint brush of different sizes, a pencil, an eraser, a fill can, a spay can, and a few other more obscure tools. Believe it or not, I have only discovered what some of them do in the past few months.) I haven't used all of them yet! At the bottom of the screen are some stock colors. If you want other colors and look at the menu at the top, there is a box marked "Define Colors" (or something like that). Clicking on that gives you a color spectrum where you can move the mouse to find a color that you want. Sometimes I draw a rough outline with the pencil first, usually in grey or black, and then (sometimes) fill in the background using the fill can or paint brushes or spray. Then I go to the rest of the painting to either draw in colored pencil, paint, or spray in the details (usually a combination of all three). The main problem with this rather simple program is that there is no way to mix colors or blend them except to try to paint gradations of color in very fine lines or spray over other colors until eventually they are mixed without dots (or many dots) or unpainted spaces. The best part is that you don't have to clean brushes or mix paint! Most painting softwear programs have all sorts of ways to achieve effects by a click- especially through filters that provide textures, or even design elements such as clouds, etc. They can make it appear to be a watercolor, an oil, a pastel, etc. They also allow for blending and mixing. The Microsoft Paint program that I use doesn't have any of that- you just get what you physically do. I kind of like that, though, because I think it has made me a better artist by having to achieve the effects through skill and not a click. In a way, it's harder than just painting conventionally as a real paint brush can achieve those effects naturally by use of different mediums and applications, whereas in the Paint program, if you want it to appear to be a watercolor, for instance, you have to figure out how to make it look like that. It's an interesting challenge. Thanks for asking. Hope I haven't told you more than you wanted to know!
December 25 at 7:57PM
trailblazer101 : Aw digital painting is better accepted than you think. It's just that most never try it. It's scary. I've used PAINT plenty to fill in holes in 3D renders, but must admit that Photoshop or PaintShopPro works even better and Adobe Illustrator for laying out the original outlines (best control). I don't have your control with a mouse, Carole. Old and shaky. Gave up on my tablet although I may drag it out again.
January 2 at 4:22AM
ckbesq : Thanks for the encouragement! I have found, though, that although digital painting is accepted pretty well by the general public (and some artists), galleries as a rule, at least around here, do not accept it. I have had my work in some galleries, and do have it in one today, and have sold (much to their surprise) many paintings. But, if you've ever tried to apply for a grant or enter art competitions, you'll see what I mean. Grants, for the most part, only consider conventional painting in the category of painting. Competitions seldom have a category for digital anything- if they do, it's under printmaking. They all (foundations and competition administrators) say that digital painting is not comparable to the conventional methods. They still cannot accept that digital painting is not computer generated but artist generated. It is not a medium that is understood by most or accepted by almost anyone of authority. Other artists, I have found, and most especially photographers, are quite accepting as it does not really jeopardize their own status, but painters, as a rule, criticize and condemn it frequently, as not being creative or real, or as difficult as "real" art. It's an uphill battle to get my work recognized at the gallery/competition level since I can't get much of a foothold. And I could really benefit from a grant as I've been asked to exhibit my art in NYC but can't afford to do it, my computer is frail and ancient and crashes frequently and I lose paintings that way, and my mouse still had a cord, which is a pain! But I'm hanging in there- I think there's a place for it, and I like doing it the hard way because I can counter any artist's complaint about it being computer-generated and not original or completely hand-done. Mine is completely that, so I think it puts it more on par with conventional painting. I am so happy to find my art in its various styles acceptable here, and pleasing to many. That is so inspirational to an artist... So, thank you again.
January 2 at 12:17PM
Blackjaxe47 : As far as I'm concerning painting is painting it doesn't matter if its done with a mouse or a brush it still takes the artists imagination and skill to render something of beauty. I pity those artists who feel threatened by the Computer Artists of today, they had better learn to accept it as there will be more and more doing it. I have also used this program but much like Trail Blazer I prefer Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw which uses vector based fills...you could probably pick up an older version of both of these for next to nothing...they are a lot and I do mean a lot easier to use than paintbrush
January 2 at 12:33PM
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