Eclectic Retrospective Show

Today was the start of another weekend with many things going on and some things that had to be completed while the weather holds.














First I had to go into KAGS to drop off some of the decorations for the Eclectic Retrospective Show. There were an unexpected number of 78 paintings entered for this exhibition and for the first time in a long time the work for the show extended into the lower level of the Gallery.












After taking a quick look at the show since I would be unable to attend the show opening tomorrow as I would still be exhibiting at the Kawartha Arts Festival, I headed up to the opening day of that show.










At the end of the show I picked up supper on the way home. After supper I helped put more paint on the house.














It is nice that the rain held off and the south side of the house is finally completed. Now there is only one more wall to finish and that is the second east wall that needs to be stripped and then painted.

Kawartha Arts Festival

Today was a very busy day and although we had plenty of sunshine it was a very hot and humid day by the afternoon.














First I had to go to KAGS to help with the take in for the Eclectic Retrospective Show. After that I had to head up to Fenelon Falls to set up my display at the Kawartha Arts Festival and from there I returned home and put away the paintings I didn't keep at the show..














Tomorrow being at the art show will be a much more relaxing day.

Winter Stream - A Work in Progress

This is another painting I had started quite a while ago and I recently found while going through some old boxes.

I think I will have to go through more of these boxes that I have stored in a number of places throughout the house and I will probably find all the other paintings that I have been looking for they were put them in a safe place.

There are at least a dozen more of these early acrylic paintings and I would like to finish.

The background on this one is complete as are the larger trees. More work will need to be done to the evergreens behind the trees as well as adding a few growies to the far bank.

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

OSWOA - Prairie Storm 1

Today I thought I would complete this painting that I had started last year (see post on 17 July 2012).

Using various mixtures of burnt sienna and raw sienna I added the stalks and leaves of the grain crop into the field.

While the foreground was drying I lightly pulled out the lightning in the sky with an exacto knife.














With a mixture of burnt sienna and raw sienna and using a flat bristle brush, I dry brushed distant wheat stalks into the background below the horizon line.

With burnt sienna I put the head on some of the closer wheat stalks. I highlighted some of the kernels of wheat with various mixtures of lemon yellow, new gamboge, cadmium yellow and raw sienna.

On others I used a base of burnt sienna and raw sienna and highlighted them with the different yellows.














Lastly, I scraped a little more of the lightning bolt into the sky.

If you would like more information about OSWOA please go to my post on 12 March 2010.

The OSWOA shown here is an original watercolour painting using Artist quality Windsor & Newton paint on 140 lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $40.00 and sold unframed.

ACEO - Afterglow 1

Using various mixtures of new gamboge and alizarin crimson  put in the sky and foreground and set it aside to dry.

Once it was completely dry I lightly drew in a fence line and some trees along the fence.















With a wash of alizarin crimson and French ultramarine blue I put in the distant trees.

Next I darkened the mixture with burnt sienna and I painted in the snake fence and the tree trunks.














I added raw sienna to the mix and put in the coniferous trees along the fence line.

Lastly I used various mixtures of burnt sienna, raw sienna, new gamboge and alizarin crimson to paint in the grasses and growies along the fence line.















If you would like more information about ACEO please go to my post on 11 March 2010.

The ACEO shown here is an original watercolour painting using Artist quality Windsor & Newton paint on 140lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

Therese's Oven - A Work in Progress

This is a pencil sketch I did of the oven when we were at a pot luck paint out last month (see postings on 13 and 14 July 2013).

Therese still used this old stone oven for baking bread and cooking many other things during the summer so she didn't heat up her house.












I will post this drawing at a later date once it has been inked and is completed.

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

Garden Shed I - A Work in Progress

So far we have put 24 gallons of the pale green and 3 gallons of the white for the trim on the house. It is slowly getting closer to being finished.














It was nice being able to get the one part of the east side finished today before it started to rain.














A little more work to the trim on one part of the south side and finishing the main colour on the other part. Then we have to strip the final east wall and paint it and the trim. I will be happy when it is finally finished.

While looking for something to work on tonight I came across a number of sketches we did at a pot luck paint out (see posts on 13 and 14 July 2013) this one is of Therese's garden shed.

I did a little more work on the drawing and will post it at a later date once more of it has been completed.

Rocky Shore 1 - A Work in Progress

It is another bright and sunny day and while the weather holds we decided to get the higher parts of the walls completed so during the week I could work on the lower ones were I wouldn't have to use the extension ladder.














I started on the east wall first and got the top area painted, before moving around to the south side of the building.

Ron worked on the peak while I worked on the east side of the south wall until we met in the middle section.














By then it was time to have a late lunch before going out and mowing the lawn.

After supper I wanted to work on a painting and I pulled this little piece out that I had started last month (see posts on 17 July and 17 August 2013).

I added the cedar trees behind the birches and put in the markings on the birch trunks.

I will post this painting at a later date once it has been completed.

Evening Sky 2 - A Work in Progress

Today I was at my friend Heather's house on Chemong Lake and captured this sky as the sun was setting.

I brushed in the sky using aureolin at the base and gradually added raw sienna as to the middle and toward the top before adding a little bit of burnt sienna to the left side of the sky.

Using burnt sienna I washed in the far shore and the reflection into the water adding then added raw sienna and aureolin to the middle and front of the water.

The painting was given a little time to dry before I lightly sketched in the island the large trees on the spit which is close to shore.

I painted the far island and its reflections using various combinations of French ultramarine blue, raw sienna and burnt sienna.

I will post this painting at a later date once I finish the foreground trees.

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

Buckhorn Artists' Group Blog - Shades of Summer Show

Today I updated the Buckhorn Artists' Group blog with a few details about what happened during the Shades of Summer Art Show and Sale.

Please go to the site and enjoy pictures of some of the paintings that were exhibited at the show.

Baby

I was heading to Port Perry to meet Ron for lunch for our anniversary and as I passed through Fraserville I stopped by the side of the road where a couple of Standardbred mares and foals were grazing in a field.

One little guy came right over to watch me for a little while and I did this quick sketch of him before he left to return to his mother.

Hopefully, he will mature into a fine racehorse and do well as a trotter or pacer. Who knows, he may even become a well known-stakes winner and sire many sons and daughters of his own to follow in his footsteps.

This original 4" x 4” graphite pencil when matted and shrink wrapped will be available for $30.00.

Dry Dock - A Work in Progress

Today I worked on the stripped section of the east wall and managed to get the bottom section completed. It is hard to believe that small section took a little over two gallons of paint.

After lunch I wanted to paint for a little while before I went out to work in the garden and I decided I wanted to work on a wreck in dry dock I had seen in Roatan.














I started by washing in the sky and water with Cobalt blue.

Next mixing various greens with French ultramarine blue, Cobalt blue, raw sienna, alizarin crimson and new gamboge, I painted in the trees behind the boat.













Using French ultramarine blue the lower part of the boat was painted with a little burnt sienna added along the waterline.

Above that a greyed green was used where the algae and water stains marked the sides of the boat.

Now it is time to go work in my garden and I will post this painting at a later date once I have completed work on the boat.

Article About Above and Below the Reef Show

This is an article published in Kawartha Lakes This week:

Inspired by beauty on both sides of the waves

Carol Rutherford and Susan Sydney join forces for Above and Below the Reef exhibition at the Lindsay Gallery

Kawartha Lakes This Week

(LINDSAY) When Susan Sydney and Carol Rutherford join forces, so does the beauty found Above and Below the Reef.

Currently on exhibit at the Lindsay Gallery, the work of the two artists showcases their ability to bring the wonder and delight they see in the world around them; be it an interesting gentleman spied by a Havana, Cuba bus stop or a fishy game of hide and seek among the coral.

Growing up in an artistic family - and encouraged to pursue her abilities - Ms Sydney began accepting commissions for animal portraits while still in high school. Primarily self-taught, the Bridgenorth resident has never stopped learning and has taken a variety of classes and workshops to further enhance and evolve her skills.

Several years ago, Ms Sydney combined another passion - scuba diving - with her penchant for art.

“I’ve always wanted to learn to dive...when I saw a sign for Adventure Divers, I just had to take the chance,” said Ms Sydney.

It opened up a whole new environment from which she has garnered excellent subject matter.

“I just love wrecks,” she said of one of the best places for her to find inspiration. “It opens up a whole new world. A lot of my work is from pictures I have taken while underwater...There’s this huge world we haven’t yet explored and it’s always changing.”

Ms Rutherford, a trained commercial artist, has been recognized for her ability to meld character and content onto canvas through texture and colour, both of which fit perfectly into her joy of travel; particularly in the Caribbean. Her work has earned her numerous awards, including the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival, the Hastings Waterfront Festival and the Norwood Fall Fair.

When it comes to finding inspiration, Ms Rutherford considers herself fortunate that there is no shortage where she travels; providing one is willing to look with more than just the eyes.

One afternoon, while having a beach-side lunch, looking out onto the ocean in Cayo Largo, Ms Rutherford was serenaded by a man and his violin. The image not only inspired her to paint the musician, but the music he evoked through his bow further inspired another painting; Equine Agua, which is included in the exhibition.

Ms Rutherford hopes those who view the pieces which have been brought together to compose glimpses of what lays above and below the waves will have their senses heightened.

“I know I feel the most alive when I’m able to experience the culture and beauty of other countries,” said Ms Rutherford. “I hope we’ve been able to convey how we both feel [with this exhibition.]”

Above and Below the Reef runs until Aug. 24.

The gallery is located on the second floor of the Lindsay library and is open Tuesday to Saturday.

For more information, call 705-324-1780 or visit www.thelindsaygallery.com.

Above and Below the Reef
Catherine Whitnall
The beauty that Susan Sydney and Carol Rutherford have viewed - both Above and Below the Reef - is a key component of the delightful exhibit of work by the two artists, currently on display at the Lindsay Gallery

Final Day of the Shades of Summer Show

With it being a half day at the show today I spent the morning doing more work on the house (see postings on 06 Aug 2013, 10 Aug 2013, 11 Aug 2013 and 17 Aug 2013). Both the west side and the north side of the house are completed.














Although there is still a lot more of the house to be stripped and scraped before it is completely finished and can be painted but we are making good progress on it and hopefully will have it completed before September.














These are two more paintings that I started and worked on today but didn't have the time to complete, which I think I will use white gouache on to make it a snow scene just after sundown.














Dusk 1

We had the largest attendance at the show with seven originals selling from Irene Smith, Barbara McGregor, Heather Grant and Pat Harvey. Pottery was sold by JoAnne Connell Northey and small items were sold by Diane Collins and Lorraine Ryan.














Dusk 2

The hours for our show are:
18 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm.

Rocky Shore 1 - A Work in Progress

Today we had a fairly large number of people through our show so I didn't have very much time to work on my paintings.

But I did manage to get a little more work done on the background of this small piece (see post on 17 July 2013).

I will post this painting at a later date after more work on it has been completed.

Four originals were purchased from Penny Little, Pat Harvey, Tom Young and Heather Grant.


JoAnne Connell Northey sold pottery and small items were sold by Irene Smith, Lorraine Ryan, Diane Collins, Penny Little, Helen Sheppard and Pat Harvey.














The hours for our show are:
17 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
18 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm

When I left for the art show Ron was going to work on painting some of the trim in the morning and in the afternoon getting the paint stripped off the first section of the east wall.

He accomplished a lot today on the house.

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

Algonquin Sunrise

Temperatures are finally starting to get back to warmer and more seasonal, which is a good thing.

Today I sat at the back of the building working on a number of small paintings. This is a painting of one of the lakes in Algonquin Provincial Park in Whitney, Ontario.

This original 5-1/2" x 7-1/2" watercolour when framed will be available for $145.00.














We had a steady number of people going through the show today with five paintings purchased from Irene Smith, Barbara McGregor, Lorraine Ryan and Bonny Windover. Small items were sold by Barbara McGregor, Diane Collins, Irene Smith, JoAnne Connell Northey and Lorraine Ryan as well as pottery from JoAnne Connell Northey.

The hours for our show are:
16 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
17 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
18 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm

I hope to see many more of you at our show before it ends on Sunday.

Dockside 1 - A Work in Progress

Today is another cool 46F (8C) but sunny day with temperatures finally making it up to 66F (19C).

The show was fairly well attended today with seven originals sold from Rebecca Bilcox, Irene Smith, Joanne Connell Northey, Barbara McGregor, Penny Little and Heather Grant. Small items were purchased from Pat Harvey, Diane Collins, Barbara McGregor and Lorraine Ryan.

Unfortunately with talking with a number of our visitors I did not have very much time to work on painting. But I did manage to get a little more work on this piece (see postings on 16 Oct 2012, 09 February 13 and 20 May 2013) that I had started earlier this year.

I will post this piece with its companion piece at a later date once more work on them has been completed.

The hours for our show are:
15 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
16 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
17 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
18 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork.

Buildings I - A Work in Progress

I can see it won't be long before the leaves are changing their colours, oh wait, some of the swamp maples already have leaves that are a bright glowing red. The temperature this morning when I did the barn chores was 48F (9C). But it did eventually warm up to 68F (20C).











The morning was fairly slow at the show today so I worked on this drawing and I will post it at a later date once more work on it has been completed.














In the afternoon more people came through the show and an original painting was purchased from Penny Little and small items were sold by Diane Collins, Lorraine Ryan, Barbara McGregor and Pat Harvey and pottery was bought from JoAnne Connell Northey.














The hours for our show are:
14 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
15 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
16 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
17 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
18 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm














When I returned home today I started working on the south side of the building.

OSWOA - Fence Line 1

Today I sat at the back of the building and worked on this painting that I had started last year (see the post on 30 July 2012).

I started on the fence posts putting on the wood grain with various mixtures of burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue

Next using burnt sienna I ran the four strands of wire across the posts and lastly I put the barbs onto the wire.
 .
If you would like more information about OSWOA please go to my post on 12 March 2010.

The OSWOA shown here is an original watercolour painting using Artist quality Winsor & Newton paint on 140lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $40.00 and sold unframed.















The attendance was fairly steady all day with Heather Grant selling an original painting, JoAnne Connell Northey selling pottery and small items were purchased from Diane Collins, Lorraine Ryan, JoAnne Connell Northey and Penny Little.

The hours for our show are:
13 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
14 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
15 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
16 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
17 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
18 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm

Hopefully some of you will make it out to see the show.















It was a lovely warm and sunny day with a light breeze, basically good working weather so I worked on putting more paint on the house when I returned from the art show in the afternoon.

ACEO - Feeding Time I

It is another bright and sunny day, although the temperatures were below normal for the season.

Today I brought a number of smaller paintings to work on including this one that was originally called Grey Sky I (see post on 18 July 2013).

I lightly sketched in a barn, a couple of horses a fence line and some trees.













I started on the barn first and with it being a cloudy day I thought having the lights on in the barn and it being feeding time was appropriate.

I put in the trees and painted in the horses. I ran the fence line and then added the grasses and growies.

Lastly I added a small figure in the doorway of the barn calling the horses in for the evening.














If you would like more information about ACEO please go to my post on 11 March 2010.

The ACEO shown here is an original watercolour painting using Artist quality Windsor & Newton paint on 300lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

Attendance was light for today but Helen Sheppard sold and original painting, with many small items sold from JoAnne Connell Northey, Diane Collins, Penny Little, Pat Harvey, Barbara McGregor and some pottery from JoAnne Connell Northey.

The hours for our show are:
12 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
13 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
14 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
15 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
16 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
17 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
18 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm

Forest 1 - A Work in Progress

Today was another bright and sunny day and since on all Sundays the show is only on for a half day we spent the morning working on the house.















Before I left for the show we had managed to complete a large part of the north side of the building and Ron was working on stripping the paint off of the south side.















We had a great turn out at the show and I wasn't able to do much painting on this piece (see postings on 17 March 2013 and 07 July 2013) due to speaking with many of the people who came to view the show.

I will post this painting at a later date once more work on it has been completed.

Three more originals were sold from Pat Harvey, Barbara McGregor, and Diane Collins with small items sold by Irene Smith.

The hours for our show are:
11 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm
12 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
13 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
14 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
15 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
16 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
17 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
18 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm

When I returned home Ron has finished stripping the paint off the south side of the building.














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

Sky 1-2 - Two Works in Progress

Today  with stopping to talk with people coming through the show I was only able to get a couple of skies painted in  that I will work on and post at a later date.














Sky 1

We had a fair number of people going through the show today with three original paintings sold from Irene Smith and Barbara McGregor as well as small items from Lorraine Ryan and Diane Collins.














Sky 2

The hours for our show are:
10 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
11 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm
12 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
13 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
14 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
15 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
16 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
17 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
18 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm

I hope some of you will be able to come out to see the show.














After finishing up at the show today I came home to do a different kind of painting. We are painting the house (see post on 08 Aug 2013) and it takes about 40 gallons of paint for the building and another 5 gallons for the trim.














So far we have completed the most of the north side of the house and a large part of the west side has been stripped of the old paint. Hopefully we will have it completed before the cold weather comes and makes it almost impossible to paint.

Setting up the Shades of Sumer Show

Hanging the Shades of Summer Show went fairly quickly, but then it is our 23rd Annual show so we should know what we are doing.














My drafting board is set up by the back door as usual and Bonny Windover and Tom Young will be demonstrating at the show on the days I am not there.


















At lunch time we went next door to the Cody Inn. Their specialty is Chinese food and lunch was enjoyable with good food, good friends and great conversation.














This is what our show looked like after we returned from lunch and everything had been put in place. We are ready for our show opening tomorrow.


















The hours for our show are:
10 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
11 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm
12 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
13 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
14 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
15 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
16 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
17 Aug 13 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
18 Aug 13 - 12:30pm - 5:00pm














I hope some of you will be able to come out and visit our show.