Carolyn Brady worked exclusively in watercolor, exploring three main themes in her painting: still lifes or tablescapes, flower-filled gardens, and interior still lifes combined with vistas from nature and the outdoors. While these themes recur in her work, it is the subject of light and the architecture of creating a painting that provide a framework for each of the artist’s images. In "Tonalization," Brady depicted the piano in her home that she and her son took lessons on. The sheet music on the piano is titled "Tonalization." Though difficult to see, on the wall behind the piano is a print done by Brady titled "Anthurium," which is also in the Canton Museum of Art's collection.