Ed McCarthy's Creative Arts Blog

I was asked by several friends if that really was a painting or a photograph that I posted on Facebook and on my website. Well, the following images are a sequence of shots that basically amount to a demonstration of the construction of how this painting was put together. OK. This is just a peek at me working at the easel, but not on the painting under discussion.  I work with acrylics on canvas, or hardboard panels. I'm also sorta anal about keeping a fairly neat studio.   This is the painting I'm discussing. I prefer to work in layers.  My feeling is that this is how the world we see, really exists. I start with the sky way in the distance, and just like reality,  I add the next closest layer, distant clouds, mist, etc.  and move  progressively closer to the viewer.  No clouds in the piece, but a very definite haze surrounding the sun. Here  I begin building up thin layers of haziness in the atmosphere.  I add more thin laye

Paradise Near Purgatoire, 12x16, Acrylic on Canvas   Didn't have a whole lot of time to work up a real in depth post this week, but did want to share a recently completed painting and some insights that went into painting it. This painting is entitled, Paradise Near Purgatoire . Pun intended. It's a 12"x16" acrylic painting on a gallery wrapped canvas. Yes, this is a real place. I have the photos to prove it. I came upon this place in the spring of 1999, in southeastern Colorado. It was spring break, and we were not in any financial position to take a no-holds-barred trip to a beach or Mexico, or Florida, so I decided to go on a few day trips. One such place was to a remote place called to Picketwire Canyonlands. The Purgatoire River runs through Picketwire Canyon, which is located in the Comanche National Grasslands. Along the Purgatoire River there are several sets of dinosaur tracks. That was the main attraction.

Beach Romance, 16x20 Pointillist Painting This is the second part of a short 2 part post. As noted in my last post, I explained what Romantic Realism was and why I was moving forward as a Romantic Realist painter. I thought I should also explain why I no longer planned on painting as a Pointillist painter. As a result, my Pointillist art will no longer be a focus on my website at, https://edmccarthyart.com.   For many years, prior to painting as a Romantic Realist, I painted using a post-impressionist style called, Pointillism. I still have many Pointillist works available, and so I felt readers would appreciate a short brief concerning this style I worked with for so long. Pointillism, was the first style to come about after Impressionist. It is a technique whereby paint is applied closely together using tiny dots, daubs and/or dashes. Mixing dots of specific colors can create a new color. These new colors are not produced physically on th

Bahamian Twilight This is the first part of a short 2 part post. I thought I should explain a few things about my recent websites updates. My Website ( www.EdwardMcCarthy.com ) has taken on a new look and focus as an artist. The direction I'm focusing on as an artist is all about my Romantic Realism work. This is not something I just happened to come up with. It's actually something I been struggling with for a long time. I've been painting in the pointillist style since before 1980 (over 35 years). I've been painting using the romantic style since 1997 (nearly 20 years). The problem is that painting in two distinct styles is actually difficult and confusing, for my self, for galleries and for collectors. I felt that with the recent move and other changes, this was an appropriate time to make a break and focus on just one style. If you're an artist reading this, and you're working in 2 or more styles, my sug

Fragile Existence Of Dreams It's been quite sometime since my last blog entry. In fact, I was actually living in another state when I wrote last (yikes)! So, “what's new?” you ask. Well, let me begin by sharing what I've been working on the last couple of months. For the last couple of years, I've had my art career on the back burner. My wife, Jeannie, and I had visited Colorado, our first quite some time. And while we we were in Colorado, we decided that the 2000 mile separation from our kids and grand kids was just a bit too much. So, we decided to relocate back to Colorado from Florida. Well, I was working a day job in Florida, but I was also remodeling a house (ours). So, I needed to focus on that before we could actually sell our house, pack and move. Since I was doing most of the repairs and remodeling myself, and I was working full time three towns away, that left me with almost no time to paint. We finally were able to sell our home

Village on a Dune This is my latest painting. It's a fairly large canvas by my standards, measuring 36"x36". Works like this and 30"x40" and the 24"x48" sizes are about as large as I can paint in my studio. I just don't have the time or space to work much larger. And works that sit on my easel for very long periods begin to loose their appeal for me. Anyway, this painting is what I would call a painted parable, a contemporary scene with an inspirational foundation.  This is my ETSY writeup: This painting depicts a small coastal village set on a dune, at night, under a crescent moon. The surf rolls in and out as soft fluffy clouds drift by. Th e inspiration for this painting comes from the Bible, the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 14. The passage is a quote by Jesus that states we are to be light unto the world, just like a city on a hill which can't be hidden, we are to let our light shine. I just extended the analogy all the