Autumn Snow 1 and 2 - Two Works in Progress

We have a big drop in temperature from the mild weather of yesterday. The morning started off at 22F (-5.6C) and the wind making it feel like 4F (-15.6C).

Environment Canada has posted winter storm warnings in effect for today and tomorrow with wind gusts reaching 30-50mph (50-80kmph) overnight.

Needless to say my driveway was a sheet of ice and when the oil truck came in to deliver fuel, the truck kept trying to slide down the driveway on its own due to the incline and the ice.

Autumn Snow 1

After the third time, the driver went down the driveway and then backed up to get the back tires on an area of grass near the back of the house.

Today I thought I would work on two pieces at the same time that could be placed together as a diptych.

I started by sketching in the ground line to have one side of both paintings match.

From there I drew in various coniferous and deciduous trees on or above the ground, leaving space for shadows.

Autumn Snow 2

I will post both of these paintings again at a later date, once more work on them has been completed

Sailboat 2 - A Work in Progress

Today was a wonderful warm day of 40F (4.4C) with plenty of sun and the ice on the trees is melting as is much of the snow on the ground.  Because of this I have a small river of water running down the driveway from the melting snow.

Unfortunately, by tomorrow with the temperature dropping overnight all the water will be frozen.

I wanted to work on this painting that I had started last year (see posts on 29 August 2015 and 24 January 2016).

I started by using aureolin and brushed clouds into the sky and some of the reflected colour into the water.

Next using cobalt blue while the paint was still wet I put the sky in around the clouds.

I added burnt sienna to the blue and put in the water.

The painting was set aside to dry before the background could be added.

I will post this painting at a later date once the distant shore is panted and the miskit is removed.

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

Spring Stream 2 - A Work in Progress

I decided I wanted to do a little more work on this painting that was started a couple of years ago in a class on Colour and Composition class (see posts on 29 January 2012 and 11 December 2015).

It was originally called Colour and Composition 7 and I have renamed it Spring Stream 2.













I added more aureolin into the top of the sky and while the sky area was still wet I added a mix of cadmium red and cadmium yellow throughout the sky.

Using aureolin and the mix of cadmium yellow and cadmium red I put in the under paint on the stream.

It still needs a lot more work before it is finished and I will post the completed piece at a later date.

The Abstract Art Show at KAGS

Today I was sitting at the Kawartha Artists' Gallery and Studio for The Abstract Show which started yesterday and will continue through to 24 March 2016.

There are a wide variety of media, styles, techniques, sizes and colours offered in this exhibition.

Due to the large number of paintings entered in this show the large wall on the lower level of the Gallery was brought into use as well.

As usual I was planning on working on a couple of small paintings.

That however, did not happen due to the large number of visitors coming into the Gallery to view the art display.












If you have a chance please, come out and meet the artists at the opening for the show on 28 February 2016 from 1-4p.m.

Cross Roads - Summer

We had a power outage last night shortly after 10:00p.m. due to the freezing rain on the lines. Hydro One was great in their service as the original estimate for return of power was to be by 4:00p.m. today but they had it restored by 3:15a.m. this morning.

A couple of weeks ago (see post on 13 February 2016) I did the first, Spring of a set of the four seasons at a crossroad.











I worked on this sketch of a pair of draft horses pulling a hay wagon which I felt is exactly right for Summer.

I will post this drawing at a later date once I have added more details to the horses and the background.

Clear Lake I - A Work in Progress

This morning I was greeted with the Meteorological Alert of a Winter Storm Warning calling for snow, changing to ice pellets, freezing rain and finally changing to rain; and they weren't wrong.

It started off at 24F (-4.4C) with a wind chill of 16F (-8.9C) and then the snow started and the rest of the weather followed. I get to look forward to more of the same for tomorrow.

I pulled out this sketch that I started a few years ago (see post on 09 June 2013).

I started with the foreground trees, deciding which ones would be birches or maples.

Next I worked on the rocks on the far side of the lake and once they were finished I indicated the trunks of distant trees.

In the foreground I put in the grasses and growies at the edge of the lake first, then added some more at the base of the birches.

I will post this drawing again, once it has been completed.

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

Country Road 1 - A Work in Progress

The first flock of Red-winged Blackbirds have arrived to join the four others that have been here all winter.

I had a little bit of time and wanted to work on one of the paintings that have been around for a while and need to be completed like this one (see posts on 29 January 2012 and 11 December 2015).

It was originally called Colour and Composition 6 and I have renamed it Country Road 1.













I added more aureolin into the top of the sky and while the sky area was still wet I added a mix of cadmium red, cadmium yellow and alizarin crimson into the bottom of the sky.

With cobalt blue and alizarin crimson I added a few clouds into the sky.

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

Bunny and Basket 1 - A Work in Progress

Today I painted with the Creative Arts Guild at the St. John the Baptist Anglican Church in Lakefield.

I pulled this little painting out that I had starting working on again earlier this year (see posts on 27 May 2014 and 06 January 2016).

I began by drawing in a few more pussy willow stalks and did a little more work on them.

With a pale wash of raw sienna I indicated the shadows on the head covering.

Using a mix of cadmium red and cadmium yellow I painted in the middle tone on some of the ribbons.

The vest was indicated with alizarin crimson.

I will post this painting again at a later date once more work on the bunny is completed.

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

Morning Lake 2 - A Work in Progress

Today is another mild day like yesterday with the temperature reaching 43F (6.1C) and most of the snow has once again melted.

I pulled out this painting that I have been working on for quite a while (see posts on 08 December 2013, 27 January and 22 February 2014 and 22 January 2015) and would like to complete it today if time permits.













First I mixed a dark of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna and painted the shadowed areas into the pine needles. Then I added a few dead branches to the ends of the pine tree.

With burnt sienna I put the under paint down for the land area below the pine.














Using various mixtures of French ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson and burnt sienna I painted in the land below the pine tree and added grasses and growies around the trunk.

It was at this point that I realized that the single pine needed company and lightly drew in a few more trunks.

It still needs a little more work before it is complete. I will post the finished piece at a later date.

Emil Varga Workshop on Painting Skies

My friend Joanne had wanted to learn to paint in watercolour and I had advised that she take the class with Emil Varga at KAGS.

Since her birthday is tomorrow and she was able to be here I enrolled her in the class as her birthday gift and supplied her with the brushes, paint and watercolour paper she would need for the class.

The theme for the workshop was how to paint skies and during the course of the day we worked on three different paintings.















The first painting had a dramatic sky and we put masking tape across the bottom quarter of the paper to protect the area for the snow that would be there and painted in later.

The paper was thoroughly wet with water and we put in various mixtures of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, Antwerp blue and cobalt blue.

The paint was sprayed and rolled around on the paper as layers of colour were added to the paper to achieve the moody sky.















Winter Thaw

It was set aside to dry before the background islands could be painted.

The distant islands were painted in using various mixes of French ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson.

The tape was then removed leaving with white paper and a large untouched area for the foreground islands to be placed














Last Light

The bottom of the paper was covered with masking tape to protect the white paper then it was wet thoroughly and new gamboge was brushed into the bottom area.

Burnt sienna was applied above and to the side of the yellow, then permanent rose was added on both sides of the yellow.

Clouds were put into the top of the sky with various mixtures of cobalt blue, French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and permanent rose, leaving some areas of white paper showing through.

It was then set aside to dry before the tape was removed.














The third painting was worked in stages in between the other paintings.

The bottom area of the painting was covered with masking tape and then the paper was wet.

Aureolin was put into the bottom of the sky against the masking tape and then softly blended upward to the top of the sky with clear water and set aside to dry.














Once the paper had dried completely it was wet with clear water and permanent rose was applied slightly over some of the yellow and up into the middle of the sky.

It was then blended upward to the top of the paper with clear water and set aside to dry.

The last colour to be added was cobalt blue and as before the paper was wet with water and the colour added above the permanent rose and blended upward to the top of the paper.














Early Morning Light

I will post each of these painting as more work on them has been completed.

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

OSWOA - Evening on the Lake 1

It is 9F (-12.8C) with the wind chill making it feel like -2F (-18.9C) and we are to get more snow today. But I really cannot complain about it as we haven't had much snow and cold weather so far this winter.

I thought I may as well warm things up by working on a painting of a warm summer evening that I have been working on for a little while (see posts on 29 August and 22 October 2015 and 30 January 2016).

The first thing I did was remove the masking fluid from both sailboats.














I then started by painting the hulls of each of the boats different colours. The first one in red using alizarin crimson and the second one in green using aureolin and Antwerp blue. These colours were also used for the hull reflections in the water.

With a black made with French ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson and burnt sienna I put in the windows and hatch openings on the sailboats, the rudders, the hair on the people and the top part of the mast.

Using cadmium yellow and cadmium red I put the life jackets on both people.













Now it was time to start work on the sails and with cobalt blue I put in a band of colour near the top of the sail on the green boat and then added a little alizarin crimson and used the violet colour on the sail of the red boat.

Next the sails needed the shadow and reflected colour put onto them with various mixtures of new gamboge and aureolin.













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 300lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $40.00 and sold unframed.

ACEO - Stillness 1

Today I was at KAGS painting with the Outdoor Painters' Group.

I brought a number of small pieces to work on while I was there and decided to start with this one that I had started last year (see post on 27 December 2015) while I was playing with combinations of the various blues in my palette.

I thought I would make this piece look as though it was from Stoney Lake with its many small pink granite islands.

First I put in the islands using alizarin crimson as the base and gradually added combinations of burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue for the shadows and texture in the rocks and for the rock reflections in the water.

This was followed by putting the pines onto the islands, starting with the furthest back ones to the closest ones.

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 Winsor & Newton paint on 300lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

White Water I - A Work in Progress

I pulled out this drawing that I had started last year (see post on 15 October 2015) and thought that I would like to possibly get it finished today.

Starting with the closet rock I placed in the shadows and then the cracks and crevices.

I did the same for the rocks behind the first rock and then added some grasses on top of these ones.

Next I put in the waterline and gradually added in the water ripples and the waves caused by the fast moving water.

I added some splash marks at the base of the foreground rock.

I will post this painting once I have finished the birch trees and added in the background.

Gathering Storm - A Work in Progress

It is a milder day 24F (-4.4C) than what we had on the weekend and the snow that started yesterday afternoon continues to fall and is supposed to continue into tomorrow.

I pulled out this painting that I haven't worked on in a long while (see posts on 29 May 2010 and 08 August 2013).

I started by indicating lightly with pencil the distant shoreline first, then added a couple of islands into the lake one further back than the other and added some trees onto both. Lastly, I added an island on the left side of the painting close to the foreground and put in the main pine tree trunks on top of the rocks.

I added another layer of raw sienna into the water just below the sky to darken the reflected colour slightly.

Once that dried I applied a pale wash of alizarin crimson just above it to indicate the rocky shoreline.















Next I made various green mixtures using Antwerp blue, French ultramarine blue, raw sienna and aureolin.

I started with the distant shoreline and put in trees above the rocks across to just beyond the rocks of the second island as I knew some of them would be covered by the trees on both of the island.

With a slightly darker mixture of green I put two pine trees onto the smaller island on the left side first.

To finish the trees on the first island I made a dark colour by adding alizarin crimson to some of the darker green and painted in the dead tree.

Going back to the green from the first island I started putting in the largest pine tree when I was interrupted by unexpected company.

I will post this painting at a later date as I complete more work on the various islands.

Field Poppies I - A Work in Progress

Although today is warmer at 8F (-13.3C) the wind chill is making it feel a lot colder at -14F (25.6C) and we are supposed to get both snow and freezing rain later in the day.

I thought I would work on another sketch of poppies today this time a field of them standing tall against a bright morning sky.














For this painting I will use a canvas that was called Background 59 (see post on 18 December 2015) which should work quite well.

I will post this painting at a later date once I have transferred the sketch onto the canvas and started painting in the background grasses and leaves.

Poppies and Fence Post I - A Work in Progress

Happy Valentine's Day! At least today is warmer at -11F (-23.9C) and not very much wind when compared to yesterday.

Since it is not going to be a nice day I thought I would work on sketches of poppies, which are bright and bold flowers and seeing them in bloom in the early part of the summer always cheers me up.

And since I need some new paintings for the upcoming Floral and Still Life show in April what could be more appropriate.

I pulled out some of the yellow based acrylic backgrounds that were made using the remaining paint and decided that Background 73 (see post on 26 January 2016) would work well with this drawing.

I will post this painting at a later date once I have transferred the sketch and started painting the fence post.

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork.

Cross Roads - Spring

Today is my daughter's birthday and it is also the coldest day of this winter season with the temperature at -18F (-27.8C) and the wind making it feel like -43F (-41.7C).

Last night as the temperature dropped you could hear the nails in the wood sounding like gunshots as they contracted against the wood due to the cold.

















I wanted to do a sketch of a crossroad, with each of the roads being in a different season and having different kinds of horses. I started with Spring and using riding horses.

I will post this drawing at a later date once I have added more details to the horses and the background.

Morning Fog 1 and 2 - Two Works in Progress

Today I wanted to do a little more work on these two paintings that I had started a few years ago (see post on 12 September 2013).

Using a pale mixture of Antwerp blue and burnt sienna I washed in the first layer of the fog on each of the paintings being careful to leave the sun untouched and set them aside to dry.

Next I added a small amount of cobalt blue to the original mixture.

Then I wet the area of the sky and painted it in, again leaving the sun untouched.

Morning Fog 2

I lifted a small amount of colour from the sky around the sun before I them aside to dry.















Morning Fog 1

I will post each of these paintings at a later date once they are completed.

Summer Evening 1 - A Work in Progress

Winter has come alive with a vengeance, the temperature was at -3F (-19.4C) and the wind chill making it feel like -16F (-26.7C). The snow was squeaking beneath my boots as I filled the bird feeders and went to the barn to do chores.

I pulled this painting out that I had started a number of years ago (see post on 23 July 2013).

With a grey of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I painted in the distant shoreline and a few shadows on the frozen lake.

I put in the pine needles using various mixes of French ultramarine blue, raw sienna, Antwerp blue and new gamboge.

Next I started to put the bark on the tree trunks and branches in grey and brown tones using French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

Using the same brown and grey tones I indicated the rocky shore on which the trees were placed.

While the paint was drying I felt that more trees and growies were needed rather than having just the two trees standing alone.

I put these in with pencil.

I will post this painting again as more work on it is completed.

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

Mailbox 2 - A Work in Progress

I decided to do a little more work on this painting that I had started quite some time ago (see posts on 20 February 2012 and 14 December 2015).

I wanted to put the trees onto the distant hills, but before I could do that I lifted some lighter areas out of the snow with water.

The furthest back trees were put in using mixes of Antwerp blue and raw sienna.













The closer trees on the next hill were mixtures of Antwerp blue, French ultramarine blue and raw sienna.

Next I lightened the snow covered area on the top of the mail box.

I will work on this painting again and post it at a later date.

Toadstools 1-3 - Three Works in Progress

Today I painted with the Buckhorn Tuesday Painting Group and decided I would like to get a little more work done on these three paintings that I had started last year (see posts on 20 and 31 October and 23 December 2015).

Although they had worked on the heating system at the church and taped up the gas leak until the parts for the repairs arrived and the work could be completed, you could still detect a slight gas odour and we kept the windows open. Needless to say, I didn't stay very long.

I worked back and forth on all three of the paintings.

Toadstool 1

I wanted to get the background completed so I could work on the toadstools next.

Using Antwerp blue with a small amount of French ultramarine blue added, I washed in the sky on the first painting then set it aside to dry.

Using the same colour for the first sky I repeated this for the second and third paintings.

By the time I was ready to work on the first one again it was dry and I didn't have to wait.

Toadstool 2

With a mix of burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue I indicated the background tree trunks in the paintings.

With various mixtures of the sky colour with raw sienna, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson, aureolin and new gamboge I added the leaves onto the trees, being sure to leave some of the sky colour showing through the leaves.

With French ultramarine blue and a mix of raw sienna and aureolin I put in the background grass.

Toadstool 3

I will post each of these paintings once the friskit is removed and the toadstools are painted.

Evening on the Lake - A Work in Progress

I took out this painting that I had started last year (see post on 29 August and 08 December 2015) and decided to at least put in the sky and water.

First I lightly drew in the horizon line with a pencil.

I wanted to create and evening scene and to do this I used a mix of alizarin crimson, cobalt blue and French ultramarine blue.

I brushed in the sky above the horizon line with diagonal strokes.

I left a few little spots of the white paper showing and used horizontal strokes to midway down the bow of the boat.

Below the boat I left an area of white for the top of a wave and swept the paint upward into the white.

I will post this painting at a later date once I put in the background and remove the miskit.

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

Countryside Art Group Blog - Show Updates

On the first of each month I will update the Countryside Art Group's blog with a 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.

ACEO - Tied Up 1

We may have an early spring this year as a flock of Red-Winged Blackbirds arrived today to join the four that have been here all winter.

I thought that I would like to complete this little piece that I had started a few years ago (see post on 22 June 2013).

I started by putting in a sky using Antwerp blue, followed by indicating the beach at the bottom of the paper using raw sienna.

I added a little burnt sienna to the sky colour and brushed in the waves on the water leaving a few white areas for the white caps.














To the wave colour I added French ultramarine blue and more burnt sienna and used this mixture to put in the land masses on the horizon line.

With raw sienna and blue I put in the a few trees on the closer land mass.

Now it was time to put in the boat. I started with alizarin crimson and painted the gunnels.

Using a dark of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I put in the mooring line, then lightened the colour with water and painted in the hull of the boat.














Lastly, I added a few darker areas on the sand at the edges of the waves with raw sienna and burnt sienna.

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 Winsor & Newton paint on 140lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

Buckhorn Artists' Group Blog - Show Updates

I have updated the Buckhorn Artists' Group blog with a listing of shows some of the various artists in the Group are exhibiting their work in during the month of February

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

Sailboat 3 and 4 Two Works in Progress

It has been an interesting day, weather wise. Last night it was snowing and during the night the temperature rose and we had about four hours of freezing rain before it changed to rain. Needless to say this made sliding down to the barn to do the chores on the wet ice covered road not a lot of fun.

When the rain stopped and the sun came out the temperature continued to rise giving us a summer like afternoon of 52F (11.1C) and the day ended with a beautiful sunset.














Since the weather was so miserable in the morning I pulled out these two paintings that I started last year (see posts on 29 August and 29 October 2015).

I worked back on forth on both pieces and started by painting in the water with various mixtures of Antwerp blue, French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.














Sailboat 3

Next I worked on the sky using both of the blues and left some of the areas in the sky white for the clouds.














Once the sky was dry I washed in a small amount of raw sienna and new gamboge into the bottom of the clouds to five the painting a little warmth.

Then set them aside to dry completely before removing the miskit.














Sailboat 4

I will post each of these paintings at a later date once I complete the sailboats.

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

Autumn Maple 1 and 2

This morning I looked out my kitchen window and saw over a dozen robins on the front lawn. They are up very early this year and hopefully we will have an early spring.

Today I was at KAGS with a few of my previous students to help them with leaves on trees and the various ways they can apply the paint to achieve the effect they want in their paintings.

I used as an example of using a sponge to create leaves one of the pieces I had started with the Lakefield Creative Arts Group last year (see post on 23 March 2015).

Most of the students had tried this method at one point or another in a previous lesson on painting trees and they also brought in some pieces where they had practiced with leaves and wanted to know how to put in the sky and tree branches behind the leaves.

Another method of painting leaves is to splatter water on the paper in the area where the leave are to be placed and then float the leaf colours into the water to let them blend. I set this painting aside to let it dry.

I went back to the first painting and with French ultramarine blue and painted the sky in behind the sponged in leaves; and then I did the same with the second painting.

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

Confirmed Shows for 2016 - February

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

Kawartha Artists’ Gallery, Peterborough, Ont.
KAGS
24 Feb - 24 Mar 16 The Abstract Show
Opening Reception 28 Feb 16 from 1-4pm.
13 Apr - 05 May 16 Floral and Still Life
Opening Reception 17 Apr 16 from 1-4pm.
15 Jun - 10 Jul 16 Figuratively Speaking
Opening Reception 19 Jun 16 from 1-4pm.
24 Aug - 11 Sep 16 Black and White Plus 1 Colour
Opening Reception 28 Aug 16 from 1-4pm.
28 Sep -23 Oct 16 Nature's Palette
Opening Reception 02 Oct 16 from 1-4pm.
26 Oct - 13 Nov 16 Outdoor Painters' Show
Opening Reception 30 Oct 16 from 1-4pm.
30 Nov -18 Dec 16 and 04-15 Jan 17 Warm in the Cold
Opening Reception 04 Dec 16 from 1-4pm.

Kawartha Arts Network - Art on Kent, Lindsay, Ont.
KAN
14 Apr - 07 May 16 Petals
Opening Reception 16 Apr 16 from 1-3pm.
09 Jun - 02 Jul 16 Annual All Members' Show
Opening Reception 11 Jun 16 from 1-3pm.
07-30 Jul 16 Transportation
Opening Reception 09 Jul 16 from 1-3pm.
01-24 Sep 16 Mixed Masters
Opening Reception 03 Sep 16 from 1-3pm.
29 Sep - 22 Oct 16 Then and Now Part 2
Opening Reception 01 Oct 16 from 1-3pm.
27 Oct - 19 Nov 16 Feast for the Eyes
Opening Reception 29 Oct 16 from 1-3pm.
24 Nov - 17 Dec 16 and 05-14 Jan 17 Affordableism
Opening Reception 26 Nov 16 from 1-3pm.

The Evinrude Centre, 911 Monaghan Road, Peterborough Ont.
08-10 Apr 16 The 16th Annual Peterborough Garden Show

Fenelon Falls Fair Grounds, Fenelon Falls, Ont.
KawarthaArtsFestival
03-04 Sep 16

Dancing Blueberries, 360 George St. N., Peterborough, Ont.
28 Sep - 03 Nov 16

Extendicare, 860 Alexander Court, Peterborough, Ont.
07 Nov 16 - 02 Jan 17

Please come out and enjoy the artwork displayed at one or all of these shows.