Lovesick Lake I-V - Five Works in Progress

Today was a beautiful, sunny day with a nice breeze blowing and the temperature went up to 82F (27.8C) with the humidity making it feel like 89F (31.7C). It was a wonderful day to go out on the lake with the canoe.











Lovesick Lake II - Sunken Boat

We originally had planned to go to Coon Lake up near Apsley, but as we were going up 28 Highway through Burleigh Falls, we decided on Lovesick Lake instead. We hadn't been on that lake in over 20 years and we would be out on the water sooner, especially since there was to be a thunderstorm later in the day.

Burleigh Falls Lock 28 which allows access between Stoney and Lovesick Lakes has a Parks Canada public boat launch and parking available so it was an ideal place for us to stop and enter Lovesick Lake.













Lovesick Lake I

We left the boat launch and went across to the far side of the channel markers by Cut Island and stayed outside of them as we passed Ruba Island and followed them as far as the inlet on Richards Island where we backtracked and went up the shallow chancel between Richards, Taylors and Beaver Islands.

Once we were past Taylors Island we eased left and took the scenic route and went all the way around Marshall Island and saw some of the opposite side of Taylors Island before heading back down through the same shallow channel where we would let the current carry us back to the Lock.












Lovesick Lake IV - Abandoned Landing

The lake has a maximum depth of 82' (25m) but there are many shallow areas with submerged trees and large rock shelves, which provides wonderful fishing spots for the many game fish including: large and small mouth bass, muskie, walleye, perch, bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish, black crappie and carp.

Ron enjoyed himself and caught two large mouth bass and two walleye, all of which were quickly returned live to the lake. He also had numerous fish that he almost landed but got away just shy of the canoe.














Lovesick Lake V - Porters Island Cottage

As we came out of the channel we passed close to Porters Island and stayed fairly close to shore until we had to cross the between the channel markers making sure there were no boats coming toward us in either direction and returned to the boat launch.

Perhaps next time we go to Lovesick Lake we will follow the shore on the opposite side of the channel markers and follow the shoreline into Lower Buckhorn Lake and Deer Bay.















Lovesick Lake III - Survivors

I will post each of these sketches at a later date once I have gone over them with pen and ink.

Thank you for looking at my artwork.

Haunting Reflections - A Work in Progress

I received this notice from Google this morning:

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Well, I have checked and confirmed that this notice works on my blog (see below).

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Anyway, even though today has a nice breeze blowing and it is going to be a little cooler 83F (28.3C) and 93F (33.9C) with the humidity, than it was yesterday I decided to stay inside and looked through some of the paintings that I had already started including this one that I had painted the background sky (see post 04 February 2011) with plans to put the Alster Tower in the foreground.

It is one of eight structures, including Boldt Castle located on Heart (Hart) Island in the 1,000 Islands of the St. Lawrence River. It is located near Alexandria Bay, in Jefferson County, New York.

I went through the many photographs I had taken of the buildings whenever I had visited Boldt Castle over the years.

Since I wanted the structure reflected into the water I started my sketch of the Alster Tower showing the tower boat dock at the foot of the building.

The Tower was one of the first structures built on the island and was originally built for the entertainment of guests and as a play house for the Boldt family children. However it was occupied by the Boldt family during the first four years when the Castle was being constructed.  

Its design was inspired by the by the castles and towers found along the Rhine and Alster Rivers in Germany by King William, the German Emperor. 

Construction began on the Tower in 1897 and the building was completed in 1899 at a cost of $15,000.00. The six story Tower made of made of brown stone was deliberately built with slanting and uneven walls, ceilings, and roofs.  

There are two stairways leading to the top of the 90 foot (27.4m) tall tower, one on the outer wall of the building. The other is a stone spiral staircase inside the building allowing which when reaching the summit of the Tower guests are greeted by a magnificent view of the area.

I will post this piece at a later date once I have completed the drawing and transferred it to the watercolour paper.

ACEO - Shapes 5

It is a hot, 88F (31C) and humid day 95F (35C) and I thought I would paint inside instead of working in the garden.

I decided to make this piece into an abstract.

First, I drew a couple of rectangles using a pencil.

Starting in the upper left corner I painted that square with Antwerp blue.

For the lower left corner I used a mix of Antwerp blue and alizarin crimson to make a rich purple colour.

Next I moved to the upper right corner and painted it alizarin crimson.

Lastly, I painted the bottom right corner with a mixture of Antwerp blue and cadmium yellow.

I would like to thank Ms. Frances Doane of Toronto, Ontario on her purchase of Threatening Skies (see post on 14 November 2014).

The ACEO 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 $20.00 and sold unframed.

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

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

Burleigh Falls 14-16 - Three Works in Progress

The hot and humid weather continues with the temperature being 87F (30.6C) and with the humidity feeling like 98F (36.C).













Burleigh Falls 14

I thought taking a run up to Burleigh Falls would be an enjoyable day outside by the water and doing a few sketches.














Burleigh Falls 15

I worked more on sketches of the rocks and trees with a little of the water showing, rather than having the water as the main part of the sketch.














Burleigh Falls 16

I will post each of these drawing at a later date once they have been completed.

Chemong Lake I and II - Two Works in Progress

It is always nice to go out on Chemong Lake as Ron enjoys the fishing with the lake having large and small mouth bass, muskie, walleye, yellow perch, black crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed and carp.

I enjoy the ever changing seasons and the wide variety of subject matter to photograph, draw and paint and occasionally I will also throw a line into the water and go fishing.

It is a fairly shallow lake reaching a maximum depth of 21' (6.4m) and is about 1 mile (1.61km) wide and 9 miles (14.5km) long making it the largest of the Kawartha Lakes and it is a part if the well-known Trent-Severn Waterway system of locks and canals.

Chemong Lake is connected by narrow waterways to both Upper Buckhorn Lake and Pigeon Lake to make up what is known as the Tri-Lakes.













Chemong Lake I

The J. A. Gifford Causeway between Bridgenorth and Ennismore in Selwyn Township separates the north and south ends of the lake.

Many years ago, before the Causeway was built it was not easy to travel across the 0.7 mile (1.1km) distance across the lake between the two hamlets.

It wasn't until the 1840's that a ferry service provided transportation to shorten the time it took to travel between Bridgenorth and Ennismore. Unfortunately this service was dropped after a few years due to the high cost to the local government to maintain.

Early attempts to construct a bridge ended in failure. Then in 1854 a delegation of residents made the request to county council to build a bridge.

In 1869, a floating bridge was constructed by William Trunnum, which cost $1,000.00 to build. It was finally towed into place and opened on 24 May 1870.












Chemong Lake II

It was known as the world's longest floating bridge due to its almost 1 mile (1km) span.

For obvious reasons the bridge was referred to as the "Bridge of Terror" by the locals due to the middle section of the bridge often being underwater and some of it being carried away when the ice left the lake during the spring thaw.

In total there were three floating bridges built before the current Causeway (named after James Alfred Gifford, a long time Reeve of Ennismore and Warden of Peterborough County), was opened on 23 June 1949.

It was rebuilt in the early 1960’s and they are currently doing more maintenance to the structure.

I will post each of these sketches at a later date once I have completed the graphite pencil drawing or applied the ink.

Mares and Foals I-VI - Six Works in Progress

It is another hot 84F (28.9C) and humid 94F (34.4C) day with rain and thunderstorms being a possibility in the late afternoon or evening.

Today I was driving by one of the horse farms at the bottom end of Peterborough and stopped to work on some sketches of the mares and foals in the field.

The ages of the foals varied from less than a month old to  being about three months old; with the younger ones sticking close to their mother's sides.

Mare and Foal II

Sometimes I miss having a foal in the barn and watching them grow and develop their own unique personalities.

Then I think about the flip side of the coin and even though it is worth while there is a lot of time and work that needs to be put into them on a daily basis to teach them good manners and lay down a solid foundation for their future training.

Unfortunately, at this moment I do not have the time to devote to raising a foal.

Mare and Foal V

But there are many farms in the area, like this one where I can come and watch the foals and smile at some of their antics out in the pasture.














Mare and Foal I

I also took reference photographs and some of these sketches I may develop into portraits of the mares and foals.














Mare and Foal III

While I may also decide to combine some of these sketches together for a painting of mares and foals in a pasture.














Mare and Foal IV

Only time will tell what the end result will be of these sketches, but the most important thing is that I was able to spend an enjoyable afternoon outside with the mares and foals.














Mare and Foal VI

As I develop each of these sketches into outline drawings I will post them at a later date.

Four Seasons - Four Works in Progress

It is a bright, sunny day and the temperature was 80F (26.7C) and the humidity has returned making it feel like 85F (29.4C).

I thought today would be a good day to work on the Four Season paintings I had started last year (see posts on 07 July 2012, 18 July 2013 and 14 July 2014).














Spring Forest 3

I put in the tree trunks on the horizon line using French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

Next using a pale mixture of Antwerp blue and raw sienna, I painted in the leaves on the background trees and washed in the grass.

Then adding a small amount of French ultramarine blue to the green I put in the low bushes and shrubs at the base of the distant trees and the grasses at the bottom of the main tree and then set the painting aside to dry.














Summer Forest 3

Using various mixtures of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, I painted in the tree trunks.

I kept the more detailed darker trees in the foreground and made them less detailed and paler as they went further back.

I set it aside to dry and started on the next painting.














Autumn Forest 3

Using raw sienna I put in the far background; then gradually adding burnt sienna did the under the paint for the middle and foreground.

With French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna going from lighter coloured indistinct tree trunks in the background to darker and more defined trees as they appear closer into the middle and foreground. 

For the grasses and growies in the middle and foreground I used various mixtures of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, raw sienna and alizarin crimson.













Winter Forest 3

Once again using French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I painted the background and middle area trees.

Next I used a pale mix of raw sienna and burnt sienna for some of the leaves that insist on hanging onto the branches through the winter.

With cobalt blue I painted in the shadows cast by the trees and set the painting aside to dry.

I will post each of these paintings at a later date as more work is completed on each painting.

Bath Time - A Work in Progress

It is 76F (24.4C) on a beautiful, sunny day with a nice breeze helping to keep the humidity away.

I wanted to work on paintings that I had already started and try to get some of the completed.

I decided on this one that I have been working on since last year (see posts on 11 and 16 July and 28 December 2014, 21 January, 08 February and 24 May 2015).

Using mixes of raw sienna and burnt sienna I went over the rubber duck to add a little more shape.












With various mixtures of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I completed the towel and using a dark mix of the same colours I added a little more definition to the eyes.

I painted the first of the three bars of soap with a green made from raw sienna, Antwerp blue and French ultramarine blue.

Next I started on the second bar of soap which is inside the seashell soap dish using mixtures of cobalt blue, French ultramarine blue and a touch of burnt sienna.

I will post this painting at a later date once I have completed the remaining bars of soap and started to work on the seashells.

Upper Buckhorn Lake - A Work in Progress

Today I was in Buckhorn and visited with my friend Irene who owns property on Upper Buckhorn Lake.

There are a number of trees on the shoreline that act like a frame as you look out over the lake from her deck.

I did this little sketch while we had an enjoyable time and chatted over a cup of tea and enjoyed the day and the view.

This sketch lends itself to be developed into a watercolour or an acrylic painting and quite possibly I will do one in each medium.

I will post the paintings at a later date as they are completed.

Foggy Day 1 and 2 - Two Works in Progress

It was such a pleasant change for the temperature to be 76F (24.4C) and sunny with a lovely breeze that kept the humidity they were calling for away.

I pulled out these two painting that I had started a while ago (see post on 17 March 2013).

With the background of both of them being a greyed green I thought turning them into painting with a foggy background would be ideal.

The first one had originally been called Green Background A and I lightly drew in two spruce trees.

Foggy Day 1

These two trees in the foreground will have the most definition and I will add some soft, indistinct trees in behind them.














Foggy Day 2

The second painting had originally been called Green Background B and I wanted to turn it into a forest scene with the fog moving and hiding the background trees, making them appear almost ghost like.

I have indicated where the more defined trees are and some of the slightly more detailed trees will be placed.

I will post each of these paintings at a later date once the trees have been completed.

Countryside Art Group Blog - Show Updates

If you go to the Countryside Art Group's blog you can view more pictures of the 3rd Annual Art @ the Locks Show held at the Lockside Trading Company.

On the first of each month I will update the listing of shows where the various artists in the Group are exhibiting their work.

If you get a chance come out and visit them at one or all of the shows.

Harness Horse III - A Work in Progress

Today is the second day of Art @ the Locks held at Lockside Trading Company in Youngs Point, Ontario and it is going to be even more hot and humid than yesterday with the temperature going up to 86F (30C) with the humidity making it feel like 106F (41.1C) and once again there were severe thunderstorm storm warnings along with the possibility of a tornado.

Needless to say, there wasn't as much boat traffic or people out as we had yesterday which gave me a little time to work on one of the drawings I brought to the show (see post on 08 July 2015).

I started working on the head and added the some of the bridle, indicated the reins and then continued working on the harness.














Once I placed the saddle and the belly band I indicated where the shafts would go and did a little work on the horse's belly and hind leg.

I will post this drawing at a later date once the outline drawing has been completed.

We were about to take down the display when the clouds started rolling in and thunder started to rumble. Fortunately, the storm held off until I made it home.

Art @ the Locks

Today is the first day of the 3rd Annual Art @ the Locks Show held at the Lockside Trading Company.

It is going to be another very hot and humid day with the temperature climbing to 85F (29C) and the humidly making it feel like 100F (37.8C). We have the added bonus of severe thunderstorm warnings in place.














I am not sure how many people will be out to visit the show today, but hopefully there will be a lot of boat traffic that will stop before going through Lock 27 which allows access from Katchewanooka Lake to Clear Lake on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Hopefully the rain will hold off until the end of the day.

Motion in Stillness Article

This is an article published in Kawartha Lakes This week:

Motion in Stillness

Lindsay Gallery exhibition presents a variety of subject matter

Kawartha Lakes This Week

(LINDSAY) A group of area artists are proving that something that is still can also possess movement.

Running until July 25 is Motion in Stillness, an exhibition of 67 original works of art by members of the Kawartha Artists' Gallery and Studio Still Life Group.

The show features a wide range of still life subject matter by artists Carolyn Anstee, Carol Atkinson, Gail Hawkins, Bob Lockie, Susan Sydney and Margaret Tough; the group's seven original members that began meeting at the Gallery more than two years ago.

Each Thursday, the group - which now numbers more than a dozen - comes together to tackle subject matter that ranges from hockey equipment to delicate bottles.

“If it's not moving we paint it,” quipped Ms Anstee.

Still life has been around for centuries, noted Ms Sydney, and while the media has changed over the years, the genre has remained as strong as ever.

“It's an easy way to work from life,” said Ms. Tough. “You get to see all of the relationships right in front of you...and it's in motion because it reflects a living life or activity.”

Mr. Lockie added that, while still may appear to be the simplest form, it is the best 'teacher'.

“You are dealing with light, shadows and textures. And if you can do that right, you can do anything.” said Mr. Lockie.

Each September when the group comes together for another season, they sit down and discuss ideas for subject matter. A weekly schedule is created and members are encouraged to “check their closets to see if they have something that fits,” said Ms Anstee.

There is rarely a shortage of “subjects” but it does create a challenge when it comes to composition.

“If you were doing it yourself, you would position everything the way you want,” said Ms Tough. “But we're a group so we’re a group, so we are setting it up so everyone has a good vantage point and that can be quite a challenge.”

As a result - not withstanding the fact that differences in technique and medium - no two pieces will ever be the same.

“But that is what makes it interesting,” said Mr. Lockie. “It's all about lighting and how everyone relates to it [subject] differently.”

Ms Anstee agrees.

“Everyone sees it their own way. A dozen artists will have a dozen different pieces.”

The exhibition wraps up with an artist talk and reception on Saturday July 25, 2015 from 2 to 4 p.m. 


For more information on the Lindsay Gallery and exhibit,  please call 705-324-1780 or visit www.thelindsaygallery.com.













Members of the Kawartha Artists' Gallery and Studio Still Life Group - Margaret Tough, Gail Hawkins, Bob Lockie, Sue Sydney, Carolyn Anstee and Carol Atkinson (absent) have pulled together 67 of their original works for the unique exhibition Motion in Stillness running at the Lindsay Gallery until July 25.

CATHERINE WHITNALL/THIS WEEK

Touring Three Art Galleries

Today Cindy, Norma and I went to visit a number of the art Galleries in Lindsay and Minden.

Our first stop was Art on Kent where we visited the All Members' Show and they looked at the space and we will discuss later about having a show there for next year.

From there we went further along Kent Street in Lindsay to see the show at The Lindsay Gallery to view the Motion in Stillness exhibition.

Needless to say as usual the show was beautifully hung on the walls with the paintings grouped together either with similar colours or similar subject matter.

From there we continued on our way to visit the Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden.

I had my first exhibition in this Gallery; a two person show with my mother in 1988 and again in 1991.

Then three Group shows with the Buckhorn Artists' Group in 1989, 1992 and 1995. My last show there was a three person show in 1998.

The Gallery and Library have gotten larger over the last seventeen years as well as making adding three more historical buildings on the site.














Both Cindy and Norma liked the way the Gallery looked and would like to have an exhibition of their artwork there at some point in the future.














Now we have to get together a portfolio of what we would like to display and send out the application forms to two of the Galleries.














For the three of us the next couple of years should be very busy.

Rainy Day 1-4 - Four Works in Progress

I decided that it was time that I started working on some of the unfinished pieces that I have accumulated over the years.

I pulled out four small paintings. All of them had been started on the same day a couple of years ago (see post on 06 March 2013).

I decided that since the backgrounds on all of them looked like it could on be a rainy day that I would paint them as such.

The first one had been originally called Grey Sky B.

Rainy Day 1

I started by sketching in some of the main trees and this one looks as though there is be a path leading through a forest.

I then set it aside to start work on the next painting since they would have the same theme I would work back and forth between all of them.

This one had been called Grey Sky C and I turned in around to make it into a vertical painting with the dark cloud shape on the top of the painting.

I started by drawing in some of the main trees.

Rainy Day 2

I am not sure if I want to make it into a forest or if I will have the trees beside a brook.

The third painting was originally called Grey Day D.

I drew in a large main tree to one side of the painting and will I will probably paint this tree as a maple with the leaves in autumn colours.

I think the trunk should be very dark, as though it has been raining to provide a strong contrast against the grey sky.

Rainy Day 3

I will also keep the background fairly soft and out of focus to complete the illusion of a rainy day.

The last one was originally called Grey Day E and I wanted to make it a little different again from the other three.

Even though it will feature the day being cloudy with rain.

I want to put a fence behind the trees and I have to decide if it will be a snake fence, a split rail fence or a post and rail fence.

Rainy Day 4

I will post these paintings at a later date once they have been completed.

White-Tailed Doe 1-5

Today is going to be a little cooler with the temperature going up to 80F (26.7C) and the humidity making it feel like 90F (32.2C) but it is July and we can expect it to be hot and humid for at least another couple of weeks before things start to cool down again.

While going out for a walk around the track beside the house with Kyora, we had an unexpected surprise. A deer came over the fence from across the road and stopped dead looking at the dog.

I was about 150' (45.7m) away and the doe was so intent on the dog that she never noticed me. Not even when I started calling the dog.

This time the dog ignored me and as the she went closer to the doe she charged toward Kyora and went to attack the dog with her front feet.














Fortunately Kyora decided retreat was the best course was the best course of action as I continued to call her and she came part way back to me.
















She retained that thought for about two minutes before she decided to take another run at the doe.














The doe decided it was time to leave and jumped back over the fence, crossed the road and went back across my neighbour's fields.














Here are a couple of sketches I did of the doe, which I will probably use in paintings at a later date after I have completed the outline sketches.

Burleigh Bay III-VIII - Six Works in Progress

Summer has definitely arrived bringing another hot humid and hazy day with the temperature reaching 84F (28.9C) and the humidity making it feel like 94F (34.4C).







Burleigh Bay III

What better way to spend a hot summer day than going out on the lake? So we loaded up the canoe and took a short drive to Burleigh Falls and launched the canoe well below the Falls at the far end of the parking lot.













Burleigh Bay IV

As usual we paddled up the lake with me taking a few pictures along the way when something interesting caught my eye and stopped to have lunch at a place where I could do a couple of sketches while we relaxed.













Burleigh Bay V

On the way back Ron fished while I did a number of sketches and took many more photographs.














Burleigh Bay VI

I must say there is nothing like concentrating on a sketch only to be disturbed my having a live fish flapping around beside your head waiting to be taken off the hook.











Burleigh Bay VII

Fortunately for me Ron only did that with the three large mouth bass and not with the one nice sized muskellunge while he hauled into the canoe. All of the fish were live released back into the lake.














Burleigh Bay VIII

I will post each of these pieces at a later date once they have been transferred to paper or canvas.