<![CDATA[ Carol Welch - Blog]]>Thu, 15 Jan 2026 23:58:35 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Need I say more about the last 2 years]]>Mon, 02 Mar 2020 23:35:40 GMThttps://www.carolwelchart.com/blog/march-02nd-2020March 31, 2022 (Last post 3/2/2020 can't seem to delete it above)
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As we all know, much has happened in the last 2 years.  This poor website has been dormant; but not me.  The term "art heals" is really true. I made art...lots of art...but for only me and my avenue for getting through it all sanely.  The thought of selling my work never occurred to me all that time.  I was driven to create, to meditate through my brush, to survive, to escape into my own world in my gardens and journals. Today I am awake and ready to enter the world of art where I become reacquainted with artists and friends and hopefully meet new people.  I can hardly wait for the Roots Garden Center Bloomfest tomorrow.  It's exciting to show my new venture into reduction relief printmaking.  And also, to showcase all this art busting at the seams in my house and studio!
]]><![CDATA[Painting a Day Collection]]>Mon, 18 Feb 2019 22:34:07 GMThttps://www.carolwelchart.com/blog/painting-a-day-collection
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I"m part of a group of  artists that have been posting daily paintings to a private FB page beginning on Jan 1 this year.  It is an awesome way to get into my studio and just start painting.  I decided to do watercolor in a 6" x 6" format. I began with still lifes of everyday objects found in my studio, This  exercise has been liberating.  I can spend weeks and months stressing about "What to paint?" This way I'm compelled to look around me and get started. I've decided to share a couple of my favorites.  I'm hopeful that I will just get better and better!
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]]><![CDATA[Summer Garden Soiree]]>Mon, 23 Jul 2018 15:17:07 GMThttps://www.carolwelchart.com/blog/summer-garden-soiree
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What happens when artists get together to eat, laugh and share stories?  Pure fun!!! Lori Blaylock and I hosted a gathering to introduce Jennifer Simard Solberg, a journal artist from Omaha, Nebraska, to the artist scene in Billings. She got a good dose of frivolity! Seen at the Scene: Diane Ridgway, Lori Blaylock, Kathy Walters, Jennifer Solberg, Sarah Singer, Nick Nicoll, Eileen Tuss, Sally McIntosh, Betina Johnson, Lisa Hall, Carol Welch, Lisa Carnicom, Rachel Long, Sandy Mehus, Lola Jore, Julie Pederson, Kate Jore.
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]]><![CDATA[In the heat of summer]]>Mon, 16 Jul 2018 19:40:49 GMThttps://www.carolwelchart.com/blog/in-the-heat-of-summer"Lazy Days of Summer" Garden banner acrylic 14x48.  These are the days that I'm reminded that I AM retired afterall, maybe it's legal to sit in the shade and read a good book!  Picture
]]><![CDATA[The Day Ahead]]>Tue, 10 Jul 2018 22:18:22 GMThttps://www.carolwelchart.com/blog/the-day-ahead

Each morning I'm practicing meditation, started at Creative Arts Camp at Camp Miminagish.  It's awesome because it naturally leads me into really wanting to paint in my journal!  Each entry becomes a bit more detailed, which is good for my impatient nature when it comes to painting.  Each morning study becomes a candidate for my watercolor batik process later in the summer.

]]><![CDATA[INTO MY GARDEN]]>Wed, 27 Jun 2018 21:25:18 GMThttps://www.carolwelchart.com/blog/into-my-gardenThese days I'm enjoying recording vignettes from my garden in a new handmade journal I purchased from an awesome artist I met at the Great Western Design and Living Show in Great Falls, Jennifer Simard Solberg from Nebraska.  It's really true that having quality materials makes the difference when creating art.  This journal serves as my compilation of plein air studies that may turn into a painting, a garden banner or a watercolor batik later.  I'm loving this process this year.  Plus, it helps me focus not only on the art, but I'm able to keep everything in ONE journal...instead of random sketchbooks I may pick up. Thank you, Jennifer Simard Solberg!
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]]><![CDATA[Artists Next Door video]]>Sat, 09 Jun 2018 17:50:57 GMThttps://www.carolwelchart.com/blog/artists-next-door-video
Artists Next Door blog
Welcome to Solterre Studio: Italian for Sun(Sol) and the land (Terre), the 2 things I need for my painting subjects. I like to say that my art is “fresh from the garden.” I grow a garden for all seasons. I can paint in it through the warmer months, then paint the view from inside my living and dining room windows in the winter, mostly aspens. I paint with watercolor, acrylic and encaustic.
My new “Living on the Porch” series is done with melted wax and watercolor, 2 of my favorite things. I found this batik technique in a 2005 “Artist's Sketchbook” magazine article by Kathie George. It's basically the same resist method as traditional batik on fabric, but with the use of paraffin wax and watercolor layered on rice paper. After several layers of wax on the flimsy rice paper, it becomes rigid as leather. The batik is placed between newsprint and ironed to remove all wax. I really like the effect of the crackling and a not so perfect image. The mood and atmospheric results suit my nature!

If you'd like to see the video of me in my studio with this unique process click here:​ artistsnextdoor.weebly.com/carol-welch.html
If you'd like to see more from the artist who developed this technique click here: www.kathiegeorge.com
]]><![CDATA[Spring Explosion]]>Thu, 24 May 2018 12:01:49 GMThttps://www.carolwelchart.com/blog/spring-explosion
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Ah...spring cleanup done.  Now I wait for the profusion of color that will abound in my spring
​"Chi Garden." I'm expecting Irises, Peonies, Cranesbill Geraniums and red Oriental Poppies. My brushes and paint await!
]]><![CDATA[May 18th, 2018]]>Fri, 18 May 2018 18:07:30 GMThttps://www.carolwelchart.com/blog/may-18th-2018
Spring cleanup this year has been extra difficult after our record snowfall of 106 inches. So as I begin the transformation that takes place every year, I just have to show my before pictures.  Keep im mind that this is my first step in my painting process:
FIRST: I PLANT the gardens, then I PAINT in the gardens all spring, summer and fall. Stay tuned!
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]]><![CDATA[Montana's Change of Seasons: The Source of Endless Inspiration]]>Fri, 13 Oct 2017 17:17:19 GMThttps://www.carolwelchart.com/blog/montanas-change-of-seasons-the-source-of-endless-inspirationWhen each season changes I claim that as my "favorite." Just when I think summer is "IT,"  the days become cooler, the light lessens and the gardens lose their lush shades of green. With the resurgence of deep, rich, colorful blooms that glow in the golden light, my new favorite season is FALL. 
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"Breathe In" acrylic 24x30 2016
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