Autumn Night

After about six hikes this month my brain was very full of color! I really enjoyed working with a black stained background to make the colors pop even more. I like how the leaves look like lights in windows…a reminder that the sun is setting sooner and people are retreating into their warm homes to cook squash soup for dinner.

Autumn Night, Acrylic on Birch panel, 24 x 48, $1,150

Sycamore

I love the variety of yellows, greens, and whites on a Sycamore trunk. Choosing to do this painting almost entirely in stenciled circles turned out to be a rare type of tedium but I feel like the end result was worth it.

Sycamore, Acrylic on Birch panel, 28 x 48

Desert Roadside

I took my kids to see the Grand Canyon at the beginning of the summer and was inspired to paint a “grand” painting of the roadside views. This painting is 5 feet wide by 4 feet tall. To go any smaller would have been a shame.

Desert Roadside, Acrylic on Birch Pane, 48 x 60, $2,880

Fire

About the only thing that kept me sane through the Covidy winter was having friends over for a fire on the front porch. I wanted to capture it in a painting. I hope that the viewer can smell and hear this painting .

Fire, Acrylic on Birch panel, 24 x 48, $1,800

Trying New Things

I’m always so literal when I paint. And on top of that, I see my images for months or even years before I paint them so once I finally get them out, I’m honestly a little bored by the end result. So I’ve decided to start playing around with process, color, and texture more and see what happens. I want the results to look abstract but still representational of the subject. I grew rainbow beets in my garden this year. I just LOVE the color of cut beets. I also wanted something to go with my kitchen table and bring some energy to the room.

I have plans to do several more in this style.

Beets, Acrylic on Board, 36’ x 48”, $5,000

Nest Series

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My next series focuses on the emotions and challenges parents experience while dividing their capacities between career and family. So far, I have 5 paintings in queue and am interested in adding to it! I always prefer to use real people and real experiences for my subject matter. Follow this series on my Instagram!

@carajeanmeans #nestseries

“Enough Already?”, Acrylic, 24 x 36

This self portrait represents all of the things I am balancing with  my art, my marriage (now ex-marriage), my parenting, my womanhood, and my career. The expression on my face should evoke a sense of desperation, pleading and exhaustion as after all of my work I'm often left feeling like...is that enough? Is it good? Did it work?

“Funnel”, Acrylic on Canvas

As part of my "Nest" series on parenting, KRCL DJ and co-host of RadioACTive wanted to express his desire to hear and represent the needs of Salt Lake communities and his own children at the same time.

“This Will Do”, Acrylic on Board, 24 x 30

I feel like I really leveled up with this one. Which, unfortunately, makes me think that now all the other ones look bad! This is part of the nest series and loosely based on a dream that my ex-mother-in-law had. It's about "getting caught with your pants down" or as I like to think if it, getting caught being unprepared, making a mistake, or just being awkwardly human, but choosing to gather up your responsibilities and move on with them!