"Susan's Valley"

"Susan's Valley" -   Black-eyed Susans that is!   A little cabin nestled in behind the Black-eyed Susans at the foot of the rolling hills behind.   A tree swing provides hours of enjoyment, as you can see by the well worn path.  Completed December 2011,  SOLD.

-I always have loved tree swings, and in fact still have one to this day.    All is right with the world when you're swinging on a tree swing!

(To see the large, up-close view, just click on the pictures)

"Foothills" - This was one of my earliest acrylic paintings, done in the first part of 2011.  I believe that it was one of the first five that I did in acrylic. 

"Spring Trail"  - Along the trail leading into the forest, all of the flowers, grasses, and bushes are just waking up from their winters rest!   Daydreaming of Spring and painting along.  Just completed, February 2012.   SOLD  

"Sanctuary" - Where does your mind go when it wanders...or where does it go to escape?  Mine I guess goes off to the flowered rolling hills, to chase the cloud shadows or find an unspoiled pool of water on such a beautiful day!  Completed February 2012

That's the official description, and here is the "behind the scenes" one, just for you who take the time.  This one was painted at a rather sad time of my life, and in fits and starts- literally 15 minutes at a time - instead of my usual marathon sessions.  I do not like painting this way at all, but this painting is one that I am unlikely to forget in any way.   My father passed away on January 31st, and he and my mother had been married for 57 years - together for 65.   She's no spring chicken either, and I suspect, in the beginning stages of dementia of one sort or another.   Let's just shorten this story up by saying these last few weeks have been "something".    I don't know how I "escaped" before I started painting, I really don't.  But I am oh-so-thankful that I had this escape - truly my "Sanctuary".  

*I feel that possibly a quick note regarding my photography skills - or lack thereof - is in order here.  Those bright blue splotches in the sky and by the pond are not actually in the picture (no, sorry, not aliens landing), but are actually shadows produced by a bush outside of the window.   And here I was, feeling all proud of myself that the random white spots produced by the flash seemed to have been kept to a minimum...Ah well.  All I can say is apologies - hopefully I'll hone my photography skills doing this someday.  I'll keep after it!

 "Bring the Fishing Poles" - The work's all done - everythings been mowed, the flower beds are in good shape, the fence row's looking good, the vegetable garden (side of barn) is thriving, and the chairs are out there ready and waiting! SOLD 2011  16"x20"

(Click on picture for larger view)

A Long, Long Time Ago

"A Long, Long Time Ago"

When I was little, I had a giant book about dinosaurs that I must have read a hundred times.  I always have had a facination with ancient Earth. Now and then, I paint up one of these rough, raw types of landscapes - resisting the urge to paint in some dinosaur footprints or caveman encampments, preferring instead to leave it to your imagination and mine on a daily basis, as to who may call it home today. Completed 2011 SOLD 2011

(To get a closer view of any of my paintings, just click on the photo)

Come into the Garden

"Come into the Garden" - Pretty and peaceful garden scene - full of two of my most favorite things in this world - flowers and trees! There's even a comfortable chair tucked into the back corner just waiting for you. Completed and sold, 2011

Many of the flowers in this one were painted with toothpicks, as at the time I had very few smaller brushes, and couldn't seem to find one that suited me. I do have more brushes now, but I still keep a box of toothpicks nearby (new, unused ones, of course) just in case the need arises.


(For a closer look, just click on the picture) 

At the Edge of the Wheatfield

"At the Edge of the Wheatfield"


Lives an abundance of wildflowers - Queen Anne's Lace, bachelor buttons, black-eyed susans - they all call it home, as well as "Scarecrow Joe" looking on from atop his perch, a grain bin standing by dutifully waiting, and a lone tree in the back reigning over it all! Completed in February 2012.  SOLD

When I was growing up, my dad got six weeks of vacation every year (they were slightly older than most people's parents) since he'd been at his job for so long. They'd take the back seat out of the car, and load it up will all of the camping gear then deposit my sister and me on top of it all - this was in the 1970's, and nobody cared though I'm sure you'd be in big trouble for child endangerment or something nowadays, so please don't try this!


Then we'd go everywhere - mainly all over the western states, as that was their favorite. It seemed as though we made countless trips through both Kansas and Nebraska en route to the favored scenery of my parents in the mountains of the West.


It was while perched atop my precision packed tent-sleeping bag-cookstove seating that I marveled at both the acres and miles of wheat, and the beauty that I often found right along side it in the form of the wildflowers growing splendidly on the outskirts.


We did finally graduate to a motor home when I was about 10, but I still always enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful farms that we passed, and always vowed to one day live out in the country - which I now do!


(To view any of my paintings in a larger format, simply click on the picture)

"At the End of the Day"

"At the End of the Day"



How great would it be to walk the flower-lined path home, towards the sunset, at the end of the day! A nice, peaceful country place where all is well at the day's end. Not a real place, so far as I know - just one I dreamed up.

It was completed in November of 2011. SOLD

Pot O' Flowers

"Pot O' Flowers"

I don't very often paint these - usually I'm painting a landscape of one sort or another - but I have to admit that they are alot of fun to do. I really do love flowers, and the problem is stopping, once you get going with them. There always seems to be room for one more. They are intended to be light, bright and cheery - to brighten up that dark corner of your room or life.

I've now done a total of three of them, with the first one being long gone and the only images that I had of it are lost due to a computer crash. The other two, Pot O' Flowers and 'Nother Pot O' Flowers, were both done in 2011 and both have been sold.


(For a close-up view, just click on the pictures)

" 'Nother Pot O' Flowers"

Spring Hideout

"Spring Hideout" - Just a simple little cabin, big enough for one...or two, with the flowers all blooming and the trees all leafed out. The grassy rolling hills behind seem to go on forever in their own special shade of spring green. Daydreaming and painting along - Wouldn't it be grand to have such a cabin to enjoy beautiful spring days in! I've just completed this one, January 2012.   SOLD

(To view larger, click on picture)

Behind the Woodshed

"Behind the Woodshed" - What really goes on back there? Mostly cutting firewood...mostly - so long as you behave yourself - but the paddles are standing by on the back wall just in case! Just having fun, painting along. Just completed, January 2012

This one actually started out to be one of the rustic cabins that I am so fond of painting tucked in among the trees, with the flowers keeping a low profile in this one - but one day in a local store, I overheard some "behind the woodshed" banter, and it stuck with me when I sat down to finish my painting.

(To view a larger image, just click on photo)

Welcome!

"Gnome's Homes" The shy gnomes are all scrambling to hide from you, except for Freddy who has flowers to greet you with! I was just painting along, and the next thing you know my tree had a door painted on it. Freddy couldn't live there all alone, so it became a whole gnome forest! This one was sold some time ago - probably one of the first 5 that I sold.

My name is Carolyn Caton, a self-taught, maybe "naive", "primitive", "folk artist" or "outsider" too - I'll leave that part up to you!

I guess to start out, a little background information would be in order. I'll give you just a quick rundown -

I was born in 1966 and grew up in a suburb of Kansas City. This was back in the 1970's, and homeowner's associations were the exception rather than the rule back then. Which was fortunate, because as long as I can remember I've had the overwhelming urge to plant things. Such crops as corn and pumpkins were memorable plantings from my younger days. I was in the first grade when I secretly planted my first crop of pumpkins, much to my mother's dismay. She was not a very happy camper when my pumpkins took over half of the yard, but all-in-all, she tolerated my gardening fairly well.

Fast forward to 2004 - I finally arrived to my long awaited country home! I got busy right away, planting to my heart's content - everything from pine trees to rose bushes, to wildflowers, to - of course, corn and pumpkins!

From 2005 on, it's been bitter-sweet, my country life. It seems as though one tragedy after another has befallen my family since then, and planting things more often than not seems to take a backseat to other, more pressing matters. I'll spare you all of the gory details.

And then, in 2007 or 2008 (can't exactly remember), my teenagers left their art supplies out one night. There were only 4 colored pencils and a pad of paper, but for some reason that night I decided to "give it a go" instead of merely putting them away as I normally would have. The next thing I knew, it was 4 in the morning and I was totally hooked!

I decided that I needed my own art supplies, and so I started out with some watercolors and some Derwent Watercolor and Inktense Pencils.

Christmas of 2010 brought me a new set of acrylic paints, and that's when I really started painting a lot. My favorite things to paint - country scenes, trees, wildflowers, sometimes a rough, raw, prehistoric landscape comes across my canvas. I quickly figured out that if I was going to keep painting, then I really needed to start selling some of them or be buried up to the rafters with them.

So, in 2011, I began selling them regularly.  It was kind of hard to do at first - knowing that you will likely never see your painting again - but the first one that I sold went to someone who really wanted that particular painting, and I really was happy for them to have it, knowing that they would enjoy it. After that, they sold fairly quickly and easily, and though this shocked me more than a little bit, it also pleased me a great deal. I really was flabbergasted to find that I'd sold nearly every painting that I made in 2011.

People sometimes want to know what drives me to paint. The only way I know of to describe it is this: It is somewhat an escape of sorts for me. Very much like when you are reading a good book and are lost in the story. For a time, it really is almost like I live in the painting. Part of my surprise when I first started selling them, was that it felt like I had "used up" all of the enjoyment from a painting, by the time I finished it. The idea that others could then enjoy them further had not really occurred to me - I know that probably sounds strange - but I really was overjoyed at the thought!

I felt like I had made some awesome new discovery! I hadn't, of course, but it was all new and strange and wonderful to me. People have been painting and enjoying art for eons, but it was something other people did in my world,  up until then.



Me



I suppose that I've rambled on long enough for now - that's pretty much how I got started and where I'm at now. I haven't taken an art class since the seventh grade, never studied art at all, though like most people, I have always enjoyed other people's art. I guess in a nutshell, it was just a happy accident that I ever began painting at all.

I'm going to begin by posting some of my earliest pieces - the watercolors are all some of my first ones. I don't think I've done anymore watercolors since I first got the acrylic paints in December of 2010.