Sunday, April 14, 2019

An Ode to Carol Laroche

I've been going to Santa Fe for vacation for about thirty years. My routine there doesn't vary much, unless a new restaurant pops up. I walk nearly all day every day, visit galleries, do a little hiking and geocaching and watercolor.

The galleries in Santa Fe are quite different in that the employees know the art and the artists extremely well, and are ready to talk about anything and everything with you.

There's only one gallery that I've visited on every single trip, and that's the gallery of Carole Laroche.

She's one of my absolute favorite artists there, and although her gallery moves around on Canyon Road, it's a fixture in the art scene there. Last year, my sister and I spent about an hour in there, with the woman who was working there - she was as much a superfan of Carole's work as we are and it was so enjoyable.

Her sign contains her signature work - her wolves,  the art I fell in love with decades ago. They are pastel, and done so beautifully - if you've tried traditional pastel, you'll appreciate how difficult it is to get the look she gets. The wolves appear to be almost human, and the artwork is very dark, but not scary. You feel sort of drawn in, like you wouldn't be surprised if they walked upright and spoke to you. They have the feel of children's literature about them, and I'm completely enamored. Here's her website if you want to see her incredible work. I really hope I can meet her someday.

She popped into my head when I saw this sweet little pack of pups, so I had to Laroche them. I stamped them on cold press watercolor paper, and painted them in Ultramarine Blue and Pyrrol Scarlet. Then I colored the background black with this Copic marker, and then made the moon and the moonlight with a white Luminance pencil, which is the closest to a pastel in pencil form. I used the sentiment from the set in a little strip across the top. I love this so much.
That little guy that I painted red is so different from the rest - he's so chubby and his ears are different, so he's the obvious star. I went for a completely different look on another card - making him look sort of French with a striped shirt, and some pink cheeks and freckles with a pale pink alcohol marker and a white gel pen. He's adorable no matter what you do.
She also has three bird sets out this month - and what I love about this one is they are big enough to color, AND come with matching dies.

Now I'm no bird expert, so I randomly chose cockatiels off the old Google for a coloring guide. I stamped them in Nocturne on cold press watercolor paper and then painted them. I cut them with the coordinating dies, and put them on a card panel that I brushed Wild Dandelion ink onto with the Sunburst stencil. I stamped the sentiment from this set in Nocturne. That one in the back definitely has the potential to disturb his friends.

 At my class yesterday, we made this card with this stunning new peony. The scale of her images is pretty much my favorite, y'all.

We just did quick flicking to color the petals, and added the sentiment from this set. However - disclaimer - I'm not a call away because I hate the phone. But I'm here for you if you want to text me. Seriously.
 We did this one at class too, with the new round Randomness stencil and some Sea Glass ink, applied with a Life Changing blender brush. The stamp is the new BFF Girl and I love that she's flashing a peace sign. She didn't even need color - her messy hair and slouchy shirt were fine in black and white against the stenciled background that sort of gives the feeling that she's embarking on a trip around the world. The sentiment is from this set, and the sparkly embellishments are these. I cut her with the coordinating die.
There are a ton more new stamps and dies out today, and you can see them all here. I hope you have a nice lazy Sunday, with a little retail therapy :).

Loveyameanitbye.


Enamel Dots - Stardust –...
[ WFF ]
BFF Girl Kate
[ PFS ]
BFF Girl Kate Die
[ PFS ]
Randomness Stencil
[ PFS ]
Pretty Birds
[ PFS ]
Pretty Birds Die
[ PFS ]
Rustic Floral - Picket Fence Studios
[ PFS ]
Botan Peony
[ PFS ]
Part of the Den
[ PFS ]
Part of the Den Die
[ PFS ]
Life Changing Blender Brush 2-Pack -...
[ PFS ]
GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Wild...
[ GNK ]
GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Sea Glass
[ GNK ]
VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne -...
[ ELH | SSS ]
Copic Sketch MARKER 100 BLACK at...
[ SSS ]
Sakura CLASSIC WHITE Fine Line 05...
[ SSS ]
Luminance - White
[ BLIC ]
Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors
[ BLIC ]
Escoda Versatil Brushes, Travel Round...
[ UTR | BLIC | INK ]
Fabriano Extra White Cold Press...
[ BLIC ]
MISTI Stamping Tool
[ MSP | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | UNT ]
Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045
[ SSS | ELH | CST | ART ]
Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -...
[ BLIC ]
LightView 2in1 LED Magnifier for...
[ BRG ]
Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies
[ ART ]
Art Anthology BIG CRAFT MAT 24x36 311473
[ SSS ]
Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White
[ GNK ]
Mudder 10 Pack White Buffer Sanding...
[ AMZUS ]
Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675
[ SSS | ART | AMZUS ]
Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC
[ ELH | SSS ]
Crafter's Companion GEMINI...
[ SSS ]
Cut Align
[ MSP ]
Ink Off Cloth
[ INK ]
Essentials by Ellen Storage...
[ ELH ]
Die Storage - Clear Storage Pockets...
[ CHC ]
XL Stamp Storage Pockets
[ ELH ]
Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045
[ SSS ]
Latest Release Archives - Picket...
[ PFS ]

6 comments:

  1. They are Incredibly fabulous!!!! Love every single card!!!! 😍😍😍

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love it when we find art that speaks to us! My dad moved to Prescott, AZ a few years ago. It's a cute little town and in the center, the courthouse is on a big grassy square. The four streets around it have shops and saloons facing the courthouse. (They call it Whiskey Row 😉) Nestled in is the neatest gallery I've ever been to! Every time we visit, we stop in. The curator has to be connected to me psychically or something. I want to take everything in that place home with me!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't see a link to the sentiment used on the bird card. I think I really, really need that one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops sorry - here you go! Good catch! https://ldli.co/e/9z57ok

      Delete
  4. It’s like a card version of a Neil Gaiman story. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well I somehow missed this post ... I am loving the birds and that fabulous flower! Love yours cards Lydia.

    ReplyDelete

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