Flying Powder

I hope you enjoy viewing this original 5-1/2" x 6” framed, watercolour painting.

Today they will be holding the closing ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics. I decided to display another skier since Canada is known for its winter season.



















With the number of ski resorts within a 25 mile (40.2km) radius of where I live, paintings with skiers are extremely popular. This is one of a winter day with a layer of fresh powder on the ground.

Congratulations to new collector Mrs. Gail Taylor of Lakefield, Ontario on her purchase of this painting. SOLD

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and look at the artwork. I hope you will return often.

Dusk and Nightfall

I often play with colour using a limited palette. On these two 6-1/2" x 14” watercolour paintings  I used equal parts of alizarin crimson and French ultramarine blue.

Living on the top of a hill I get to enjoy the sunrise every morning as well as the sunset every evening, weather permitting of course This is one of the reasons why I often create paintings with lots of sky.

Working back and forth on both paintings at the same time I brushed in the sky first, then added a little more pigment to darken the colour slightly and added the clouds and brushed in the water. I let the paper dry for a few minutes while I darkened the colour slightly more and painted in the distant shoreline and a few trees for background colour on the right side of the painting which will be covered up later with pine trees.









Dusk

Gradually darkening the colour with more pigment I painted in layers of pine trees on an island on the right side and the reeds on the left side.

On the second painting I put in a tree covered island in the distance on the left side and added two people in a motor boat heading toward their cottage on the island.

In the late spring the flocks of Canada geese are returning from their winter quarters in the south, I decided to add a flock of geese to each painting.








Nightfall

The final part, using the darkest colour was to paint in the reflections of the trees and islands into the water.

These two paintings were sold together into the collection of Shear Creations of Waubaushene, Ontario. SOLD

Misty

In this place of quiet beauty, thin tendrils of early morning mist rise among the islands, soon to disappear as the sun warms the land.










This is an original 5-1/2" x 11-3/4” framed watercolour available for $185.00.

Purple Haze

This is the other 5" x 5” watercolour using mainly French ultramarine blue with just a touch of alizarin crimson.


















If you compare it with yesterday's painting you can see that this one seems to have a different feel to it.

Thank you to new purchaser Mrs. Stuhlemmer of London, Ontario. SOLD

Perfectly Pink

I am using a limited palette of two colours alizarin crimson and French ultramarine blue.

This little 5" x 5" watercolour was painted with mainly alizarin crimson and a hint of blue. Tomorrow I will post the one that is primarily French ultramarine blue.


















Thank you to new collector Mr. Rick Almost of Woodstock, Ontario on his purchase of this painting. SOLD

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and enjoy the artwork.

Snowbank

There is still a lot of snow on the ground from this last storm. But the bright side is that they are calling for milder weather in the next two weeks.














This is an original 6" x 9" framed watercolour painting of one of banks on the quarter mile track beside the house. It is available for $165.00.

Sunlit Sails

This painting was created from photographs and sketches I made while at an art show in Orillia, Ontario a few years ago; as I enjoyed watching the many sailboats as they tacked back and forth skimming over the waves.

What is better than to spend the day out on the lake, whether it be swimming, diving, fishing, boating or sailing?

I just have to wait a few more months for the warmer weather.

This is an original 7-1/4" x 9” framed watercolour and is available for $275.00. SOLD

Bright Eyes

This is an original, 9" x 12" framed, conte drawing of one of the many visitors I have coming to the feeders. Some of them become so tame that they will come to me looking for treats when I am refilling the feeders.

Thank you to new collectors Pinecrest Arabian Ranch of Lakefield, Ontario on their purchase of this painting. SOLD

Quiet Pastures

This is an original 4-3/4" x 6-1/2" framed watercolour available for $125.00.

In the early morning after the horses have been fed and turned out, before I begin the barn chores, I often take a little time to look out over the fields and watch as the sun rises and burns off the fog.














This is probably one of the most peaceful times of the day. The silence is broken only by the occasional sound of one of the horses as they graze in the pasture.

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork and I hope you will return often.

Coral Reef

I learned to scuba dive in 2000 and try to find my way to somewhere in the Caribbean at least once a year.

Seeing the schools of brightly coloured fish swim slowly through the coral reef in never ending patterns is awe inspiring.

Being able to dive has opened a new and wondrous world.






















The unbelievable colours never cease to amaze me, which is one of reasons I continue to explore beneath the surface. You never know what treasures you will find.

This is a 7-1/2" x 11-1/4” framed, watercolour, along with its companion piece Underwater Playground (see yesterday's post) are in the collection of Adventure Divers of Peterborough, Ontario.
SOLD

Underwater Playground

I had always wanted to learn to scuba dive ever since I first watched "Sea Hunt" starring Lloyd Bridges on television. The program ran from 1958-1961 and then went to reruns for many years afterward.

Every summer I spent two weeks at my aunt's cottage on Lac Sergent, in Sainte-Foy, Québec.






















Using just a face mask I probably spent more time underwater chasing after the fish than doing anything else.

It was not until 2000 when by chance I saw an advertisement for Adventure Divers in Peterborough, and as they say "the rest is history".

This original, 7-1/2" x 11-1/4” framed watercolour is owned by Adventure Divers. SOLD

Painted Pony

This is an original, 11" x 15" watercolour of my first horse Freedom's Mr. Thomas, which I had painted a number of years ago, for the July/August 2000 Cover for Horse Talk Magazine.

It brought back many wonderful memories of the 23 years I shared with him. The trail rides, show circuits, and the quiet times spent with him in the stable. He will always be irreplaceable and I still miss him after all these years.






















In his own way he has given me a priceless birthday gift; a multitude of images that I need to put down on paper.

Thank you for looking at my artwork.

Red Barn

I have been out today taking pictures of some of the area's barns.

It is sad to see many of them slowly falling apart due to time, the elements and neglect. A few of them have collapsed and all that remains is the debris to be carted away and a memory of times from long ago soon to be forgotten. Another piece of history lost forever.

















This small 4" x 4-3/4” original, framed, watercolour painting is available for $75.00.

Christmas Day

This is an original, 5" x 6" framed watercolour available for $95.00.














It is another nice sunny, but cold day. Everything is covered in a blanket of snow and looks very much like something you would find on a Christmas card.

Red Roses

My husband, Ron gave me a dozen red long stemmed roses for Valentine's Day.

The wonderful scent of the rose is only enhanced by seeing the beauty of the deep rich red velvet petals against their shiny dark green foliage. The rose is truly a queen among flowers.

This is an original 6" x 8” framed watercolour, is available for $225.00.

Sunset on Buckhorn

This is an original, 7-1/4" x 11” framed, watercolour.

One of the things I miss during the winter is being able to go out on the lake in either the boat or with the canoe and watching how the silhouetted trees are reflected into the calm evening waters as the sun sets.

Congratulations to new collector Mrs. A. Louise Lindsay of Richmond Hill, Ontario on her purchase of this painting. SOLD

Downhill Rush

Today they are having the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics being held here in Canada out at Whistler, B.C. It seems fitting that I have found a series of rough sketches that I had started last summer of my father ski jumping, my daughter snowboarding and my husband cross country skiing and both my daughter and husband downhill skiing.

In the old family albums I have photographs from the 1930's and 1940's of my father when he used to ski jump in Trois-Rivières, Québec; where in 1941 he was the Québec Provincial Champion. I have used some of these photographs as reference material for some of the sketches.

I still have his old, heavy wooden skis in that he used in the attic and one day I will do a painting of them.

It is amazing how much the equipment has changed since that time, becoming wider and lighter more aerodynamic to sustain the flight time. The clothing from sweaters and pants to the streamlined one piece suits of today.

The style while the skiers are in flight after leaving the ramp has changed as well, from having the arms straight out front to being held behind for a more streamlined profile.

I think they will make a nice grouping with this 7-1/2" x 11” watercolour of a downhill skier as he plunges down and almost vertical slope, pushing it to the limit as his speed increases.

This original, framed painting is available for $250.00.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and enjoy the artwork. I hope you will return often.

Wine Bottles and Grapes

I find still life relaxing and enjoy moving the various elements of the composition around to create different effects.














How the light creates highlights and shadows on the folds of the cloth and the way different degrees of transparencies in the glass have such interesting reflections and distortions.

This 9" x 12” original, framed watercolour is available for $245.00.

1950 Ford Custom V8 Convertible

The Black and White Show continues to run at the Kawartha Artists' Kawartha Artists’ Gallery and Studio until 11 February. I have three paintings on display including this one of a 1950 Ford Custom V8 Convertible.

I am fortunate that every Monday from May through September there is a display of old cars at the Chemong Lions Club Park in Bridgenorth. Each week brings a changing variety of classic cars in mint condition, freshly polished with the chrome gleaming in the sun.










This is an 11" x 15” framed, original graphite pencil drawing of one of these classics for your pleasure. It is available for $225.00. SOLD

It is also available as an 11" x 14" limited edition of 250 signed and numbered reproductions for $30.00. Currently over half of the edition has been sold. THIS EDITION IS NOW SOLD OUT.

Fence Line

Looking out my living room window at a snow scene like this makes me very happy to be back inside with a roaring fire in the fireplace.












At the back of the house there are snow drifts almost 2' (.61m) deep, which I had to break a trail through in order to fill all the bird feeders. At least they won't go hungry and I enjoy the many varieties of birds that come to visit.

This is an original 9-1/4" x 12-1/4" framed, watercolour available for $225.00.

Afterglow

Even though it is winter I can sit out on my glassed in front porch and enjoy the sunsets.

With some of them if I painted the bright fluorescent colours that I see people may wonder what type of non-prescription drugs I was taking when I did them.















Please excuse the reflections, as I had already framed it before I took the photograph.

This original 9" x 12" framed, watercolour painting has been purchased by returning collector Walter Myrka of Toronto, Ontario. SOLD

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and look at the artwork.

Autumn Storm

This is a view I often see from my kitchen window on an early fall morning when the sunlight causes the maple trees to turn to a glowing flame colour. One of the many reasons why autumn is my favourite time of the year.









Thank you to returning collector Christine Connelly of Peterborough, Ontario on her selection of this framed, original 11" x30" watercolour painting. SOLD

King of the Hill

When it is time to clean out one of my palettes, I usually experiment with the leftover colours using sponges, cheesecloth, salt, leaves and a variety of other things.

With this piece I used the burnt sienna for the trunk just to give a basis for a tree.


















Using pieces of natural sea sponge and the remaining French ultramarine blue and raw sienna I let the two colours mix together on their own on the paper.

With a brush I added in a few twigs to the top of the tree and a few "growies" into the grass at its base.

This an original 5" x 7" framed, watercolour available for $95.00.

Honda Goldwing 1500cc

An original 8" x 10" framed, watercolour painting and is available for $225.00. SOLD

I did this painting as a demonstration for a class to show that you can have tight detail when using watercolour and how to make metal seem to gleam as though it had been freshly waxed and polished.
















Rather than clutter this piece with background which I felt would detract from the image, I left it as a vignette.

This is a different type of horse power from what I usually paint. It seems that I am doing a lot more of them lately. This one almost makes you want to take it out for a ride on the highway.

Run Appaloosa Run

This painting is one of three that I have hanging at the Kawartha Artists' Gallery in the all members' Black and White Art Show.















It is a framed 7" x 10" original, graphite pencil drawing and is available for $195.00. SOLD

Thank you for taking the time to look at my artwork and I hope you will return often.

Rosebud

Today I worked on this painting that I had started last year when I taught a class on floral paintings with poured backgrounds.

I removed the masking from the rosebud and started with the under paint using a wash of new gamboge over the entire flower and let it dry completely.

I worked on one petal at a time making sure that it was not touching another petal that was still wet.

The next layer of colour was new gamboge with a small amount of cadmium yellow.

I continued until all the petals had the second layer of colour.

The colour was darkened by adding more cadmium yellow and a touch of cadmium red to the mixture for the third layer of colour.

Cadmium red was added to each additional layer of colour until all the petals were completed.

Using a mix of French ultramarine blue and aureolin the first layer of colour was put onto the calyx. As each layer dried a little more of the blue was added to darken the green until it was finished.

This is an original 5” x 7” framed watercolour and is available for $95.00.

Frozen Barns

Today we hung works by eight members of the Buckhorn Artists' Group at Showplace Performance Centre in Peterborough. The show will run from 02-28 February 2010.

I have a solo exhibit of my paintings at Showplace in April of this year, and I will post more information about it closer to the time of the show.

The painting I am exhibiting with the Buckhorn Artists' Group is Frozen Barns, an original 22" x 30" framed, watercolour painting available for $980.00.














Please excuse the reflections that appear on the picture of the painting but I had framed it before I took a photograph of it.

The cold weather brings back memories of when I started this painting of my barns. It had been a cold winter day and many of the roads were closed due to the freezing rain we had overnight and continued throughout the morning. The tree branches and grasses were coated in glittering armour made of ice, which crackled as the wind blew. Just for a moment a ray of sunlight managed to force its way through the storm clouds to brighten the snow bank before the barn.

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork.

Confirmed Shows for 2010 - February

This is a listing of confirmed shows that I will be exhibiting my artwork at this year. I will update the list as more shows are added.

Kawartha Artists’ Gallery and Studio, Peterborough, Ont.
17 Jan – 11 Feb Black and White
Opening Reception 17 Jan 10 from 1-4pm.
14 Feb – 04 Mar Winter Escapes
Opening Reception 14 Feb 10 from 1-4pm.
28 Mar – 15 Apr Faces and Figures
Opening Reception 28 Mar from 1-4pm.
06-24 Jun Spring into Summer
Opening Reception 06 Jun 10 from 1-4pm.
11 Jul - 05 Aug People, Places and Things
Opening Reception 11 Jul 10 from 1-4pm.
05-23 Sep Driven to Abstraction
Opening Reception 05 Sep 10 from 1-4pm.
24 Oct – 11 Nov Outdoor Painters Show
Opening Reception 24 Oct 10 from 1-4pm.
05-22 Dec & 04-13 Jan 11 Christmas Show
Opening Reception 05 Dec 10 from 1-4pm.

Showplace Performance Centre, Peterborough, Ont.
02-27 Feb Buckhorn Artists’ Group Show
30 Mar - 04 May Solo Show

Above Loblaws, Lindsay, Ont.
05 Mar Women in Art

Envinrude Centre, Peterborough, Ont.
01-03 Apr Kawartha Home and Cottage Show

St Matthews Church, Buckhorn, Ont
Buckhorn Artists' Group
22-24 May 22nd Annual Among Friends Art Show
07-15 Aug 20th Annual Shades of Summer Art Show

Settlers' Village, Bobcaygeon, Ont.
09-11 Jul Bobcaygeon Fine Arts Festival

Kingston Kennel Club Show, Kingston, Ont.
24-25 Jul

The Lindsay Gallery, Lindsay, Ont.
23 Nov - 18 Dec Christmas Show
Opening Reception 25 Nov from 7-8:30pm.

I look forward to seeing you at some of these shows.