ACEO Barn Owl "Evening Watch"

"Evening Watch"

Barn Owls make wonderful subjects to photograph, sketch and paint. What beautiful birds these ghostly faced owls are.  I have thoroughly enjoyed painting several and have many more ideas in mind. Here is my newest owl painting:

"Evening Watch" by Colleen K Carrigan (c) 2011

SOLD

ACEO Orca Whales Puget Sound Watercolor Painting

"Orcas in the Wild"

The past week I have enjoyed painting one of my favorite subjects: Orca whales.  These striking marine mammals are residents of Puget Sound, Washington.  On each occasion that my family and I have visited the San Juan Islands, we have seen orca pods swimming free and feeding on salmon.  Many wild orca feed on marine mammals - but the pods in Puget Sound and the Straits of Juan de Fuca have been feeding primarily on salmon for generations.  It is always a delight to see these majestic mammals 'wild and free'.

Orca Whale "Ocean Freedom" ACEO watercolor and ink 

   Orca Whale "Majesty Surfacing" ACEO watercolor and ink
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Visit my Website: Coral2cove

Visit my Daughter's Blog (Kathryn L Bronstad) 

Dedicated to Queensland, AU "Great White Shark and Spirit" ACEO

"The Spirit of Power and Beauty"

(Detail of Painting) SOLD

To my 'family' in Oz, may you be safe and experience brighter days - very soon! ♥♥♥


Queenslanders are Ace! -  Fair Dinkum!!

UPDATE Feb. 21: Thank goodness, my Family in Oz is Safe and they are continuing to clean-up around the property.  Great news that Cairns and surrounding towns are picking up the garden floral debris/waste curbside so individuals don't have to cart all the palm fronds and tree branches away themselves. Also, wonderful news that Mrs. Willy Wagtail and her babies survived Cyclone Yasi and visited the garden for their worms after the storm.


The past weeks have brought great challenges from 'Mother Nature' worldwide.  It seems half the US is covered in snow and ice and there are countless floods across the globe.  I have a special place in my heart for Queensland, Australia - it's my second 'home'.  I have made four wonderful journeys there since 1996 and the spirit of the people never ceases to amaze me.  With meticulous precision, my dearest friends of 30 years, began preparing for a massive hurricane headed directly for northern Queensland where they live near Cairns.  Floods have been flowing for weeks in Queensland south of Cairns and this monster storm looked as if it would engulf Queensland! 

Cyclone (hurricane) Yasi reached category 5 (Katrina) yesterday before hitting the eastern coast.  Today, the destruction is being assessed amid pouring rains and additional flooding.  Aussies are celebrating the fact that three new babies arrived in Queensland during Yasi!  Far Northern Queenslanders are experts at preparing for cyclones - we can learn from the preparation and positive spirit and attitudes of our Aussie brothers and sisters. 

I am continuing my series of "Mother Earth" miniatures (I sold three last week, and I shall blog photos of them soon).  I painted "The Spirit of Power and Beauty" during Cyclone Yasi, in dedication to the Spirit and Attitude of Queenslanders.  A lifelong passion for sharks has consumed me and I love the grace and beauty of the human figure.  My dearest friends, Jim and Susan and I have been communicating about nature, sharks, ecosystems, global challenges, and the love of kitty cats for over 30 years across the 'big pond' known by its other name: the Pacific Ocean.  Coral2Cove (My eBay name, website and studio gallery) comes from my love for the Coral Sea and a quaint little place on Puget Sound, Pirate's Cove. 

Although, I have not heard from Jim and Susan yet, I feel certain that they are (hopefully sleeping as I type this) fine and will be cleaning up around the property from all the blow down of palm fronds, banana plants and tree limbs.  Oh, I hope the little wild bird, 'Mrs. Willy wagtail' that visits the garden for her worms each day - made it through the storm.  She has been raising and feeding her chicks grubs for years provided by her human family.

From the sale of this ACEO, I shall be making a donation to the relief fund for Queensland.  Last month I donated to: http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html


This art card is priced at $1.00 to encourage bidding - I shall make a minimum donation to Queensland of $20 and more if the card sells for more.


  The Power of Mother Nature - the Beauty and Spirit of Queensland, Australia

 

Great White Shark and Spirit "The Spirit of Power and Beauty" SOLD

FOR SALE starting at $1.00

2.5" x 3.5" watercolor and ink

Coral2Cove Studio Gallery

ACEO Orca Whale Breaching

Orca Whale "Breaching Majesty"

Hello Artists, Friends and Family : )


It has been a month since I last updated my blog - shame on me. 


Here is a fun Art Card painted in watercolor and archival inks of one of my favorite marine mammals.  "Breaching Majesty" was a wonderful miniature to create of our Pacific Northwest region complete with an orca and beautiful mountains on the horizon - all viewed from Puget Sound.  I never tire of painting, viewing, or learning about orca whales.  They truly possess strength, power, intelligence and a nurturing nature for their young.  Several pods have lived in Puget Sound for eons and they feed primarily on the resident salmon.  It is always exciting to view them. So enjoy this ACEO and may the power of the orca be with you!

Breaching Majesty 2.5" x 3.5" Watercolor and ink

SOLD

ACEO Halloween Black Cat, Moon Magic, Bats and Owl

MOON MAGIC

What a fun time I had creating this ACEO!  And the best part was that my kitty, Kraven (alias: The Bad Boy) was the model.  It was great composing some of my favorite October subjects into one mini painting.  We hear owls often in the woods near our house and bats live in the open garage (the house was built in the late 1800's). The painting is complete with a full moon in a deep blue violet sky.

Enjoy Moon Magic this October.

"Moon Magic" watercolor by Colleen K Carrigan (c) 2010

SOLD

Kraven enjoying a sunny location - he loves to smell flowers!

ACEO Blacktip Reef Shark Watercolor Painting

"Gliding in the Shallows"

What lovely creatures these swift, nicely marked sharks are.  The stark black against the burnt sienna/yellow ochre is pleasing to view in sinewy gliding motion.  I have a passion for these small sharks and worked with them in the aquarium field for over a decade.  They are quick to respond when food is near and they feed on squid, fish, shrimp, crabs and other reef creatures.  Shallow water and the hint of a shadow give the feeling of a sunny, warm, tropical, soft sandy beach nearby.  Time for a siesta... 

Gliding in the Shallows by Colleen K Carrigan (c) 2010

SOLD

Visit Coral2cove Shark Gallery

(Learn more about sharks and view paintings.  Contact me if intereted in any signed prints of shark art.)

ACEO Mako Shark Watercolor Painting

"Stunning and Supreme"

Another shark painting to add to my gallery.  This image shows the power of these beautiful predators.  My dearest friend, who lives in Queensland Australia, has spent many hours in open water photographing, filming, and diving with pelagic predators.  He writes:

"MAKO" is Polynesian for shark



"Long, sleek and deadly, the Mako always appears to me to be set on a hair trigger ready to burst into action in less than a heartbeat. You never ever take your eyes off the Mako, not even for a moment. Like most wild creatures, the shark is an opportunist. The Mako is more so the epitome of opportunism." Jim McKay © 2008

"Stunning and Supreme" Mako Shark

SOLD

Original Watercolor Painting Sandtiger Shark 4" x 6"

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"Sandtiger Shark"


A lifelong love of sharks led me to create this 4" x 6" watercolor. After receiving my BS in Biology, I worked in the aquarium field for over a decade and spent a lot of time with captive tropical species. Several research projects were designed and conducted using sharks as the subjects. One study involved the operant conditioning of a female sandtiger fondly named “Mama”. She was taught to touch a target and have a buzzer sounded then receive a food reward. She did very well on her trials with 88% success. She was truly a beautiful shark and taught her care takers well - this painting is dedicated in her memory - 'Swim free beautiful lady'.


Glittering ink sparkles on this painting resembling the light reflection off the dermal denticles (scales) of the shark.

Sandtiger Shark

SOLD

ACEO Seahorse Marine Tropical Painting

Seahorse Daddy and Baby


What a fun painting this colorful art card was to create.  I love all the hues in the seahorses and the corals.  The tiny baby seahorses emerge from the male's pouch and they are little clones of the parents.  What beautiful creatures they are.

 "Magical Moment"

2.5" x 3.5"

ACEO for Sale

ACEO Hammerhead Shark Painting

Hammerhead Shark

Painting this shark was a fun process. I thoroughly enjoy the design of these creatures. In fact, evolutionarily speaking, hammerheads are more recent in nature that many of the other sharks species. The flattened head and eyes protruding from the large 'hammer' give this species an advantage. Hammerheads use their extra sensitive snouts to help locate prey and the hammer shape allows them to have more surface area for detection purposes.

This shark is swimming through the sea on the prowl for potential prey.

Hammerhead Shark "On the Prowl"

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ACEO Moon Sea Turtle and Shark Paintings

Moonlight ACEO's


This week I am working on 'marine moonlight miniatures' - how's that for an alliteration!

Here is a blacktip reef shark gliding in the moonlight. The distinctive markings on this species make it a wonderfully artistic subject.

Blacktip Reef Shark "Moonlight Glide"

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Here is an ACEO of a sea turtle swimming in the magic of the moonlight. This was a fun miniature to paint and I enjoyed creating the effect of the moonlight through the water.

Sea Turtle "Moonlight Magic"

Baby Sea Turtle "Into the Sea"

"Into the Sea"







Finally, the baby sea turtle has made it past the the sand and entered it's new world! This journey has taken over a year in watercolor, but I have enjoyed each new painting beginning from a hatching to now - swimming near the shore. I wonder what adventures await our little friend in the months to come...



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Visit previous Post "Seaward Bound"

Great Hammerhead Shark

Great Hammerhead 2.5" x 3.5" watercolor and ink Sold

This is a special painting of a beautiful marine creature. I have enjoyed an interest in sharks for 35 years. Working with tropical species in a large aquarium setting for over a decade was a joy. Now, I thoroughly enjoy painting these magnificient animals. This painting is best described by my dearest friend, marine photographer, Jim McKay.

“She magically slips into your view – no fuss or threatening gestures. She is just there, watching, ever alert and ready to react to the slightest provocation. She is the Great Hammerhead, denizen of the open sea and predator supreme.”
Jim McKay (c) 2010

Manatee Mother and Baby

"Sweet Moment"

Manatees are such sweet aquatic/marine mammals. I thoroughly enjoyed researching them and watching several videos on Youtube showing individuals and families in man-made habitats and in the wild. These curious, very slow moving, vegetarians are in need of more protection from boaters and from garbage that pollutes their natural ecosystem.

This was a fun painting to create - the mothers and calves have a special bond. I hope to learn more about these wonderful mammals.

Manatee Mother and Baby "Sweet Moment" SOLD