Autumn Snow 1 and 2 - Two Works in Progress

Since the 15th July we have had only two days without humidity and all the rest were 86F (30C) or higher, which is unheard of in this part of Ontario. With today no different and the temperature is at 82F (27.8C) and the humidity at 89F (31.7C) with a few sprinkles of rain.

We will see if August brings more of the same.

I thought I should work on a winter scene to "cool" things down, so I pulled out these two little paintings that I have been working on at various times this year (see posts on 29 February 2016 and 11 May 2016).

Using a mixture of French ultramarine blue and raw sienna, I painted in the pine trees on both paintings.

Autumn Snow 1

Next I mixed a grey with French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

I started painting in the tree trunks and branches on the maple trees, doing the furthest away ones first.

I darkened the paint gradually by adding either a little more of the blue or of the brown as I painted the in closer trees.

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

Autumn Snow 2

Thank you for looking at my artwork.

Transportation Show at Art on Kent

Today I did a double shift at Art on Kent for the final day of the Transportation show.

It is a good thing that there is an air conditioner at the Gallery otherwise with the heat 84F (28.9C) and the humidity 93F (33.9C) it would have been unbearable.

I was surprised to see that in the back room one of my paintings had its own wall.

In the main Gallery area five of my paintings were placed in a grouping together by themselves on another wall which was even more surprising.













My final painting with the Transportation theme was in the center of the middle Gallery wall in between two large photographs of antique cars.














The heat didn't keep people from coming in to view the exhibit and even though I had taken out pieces to paint while at the Gallery I didn't have any time to work on them.

Abandoned House I - A Work in Progress

It is going to be another hot 86F (30C) and humid 91F (33C) day and this morning I worked in my garden before it got too hot.

Since I didn't have a lot of time after lunch before my friends came over, so I pulled out this pen and ink drawing that I had started a while ago (see posts on 19 June 2013 and 20 March 2016).

I outlined the building first and will decide later whether to make it into a stone house or a log house.













Next I finished the trunk and branches on the tree on the right side of the building.

While waiting for my friends to arrive I added some more grasses and growies along the path to the building and around the tree.

I will post this drawing again at a later date once I have completed the building.

OSWOA - Sailboat 2

After the weekend show Art @ the Locks, where I had the opportunity to watch all kinds of boats and watercraft going through Lock 27 on the Trent Severn Waterway heading either to Clear Lake or to the Otonabee River and Katchewanooka Lake I decided that working on a painting with boats would be appropriate.

With the continuing high heat 84F (28.9C) and humidity 93F (33.9C) I wanted to work on a painting that brings memories of a day on the lake with the wind on my face; so I pulled this painting out that I had been working on since last year (see posts on 29 August 2015, 24 January, 28 February and 05 May 2016).

I started on the sails and painted in the highlights with new gamboge.

I used a mix of French ultramarine blue, cobalt blue and alizarin crimson for the darkest show on the sails and lightened the colour for the lighter areas. Once this was dry I applied a wash of new gamboge to the shadowed areas.

I painted in the hull of the boat with alizarin crimson.

Next I used the same colour to reflect the hull colours into the water and then added cobalt blue to put in the darker areas of the wave ripples at the back of the boat.

With a dark mix of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I put in the rigging lines, mast, windows, cabin door, motor, rudder and the heads on the people.

With a mix of cadmium yellow and cadmium red I painted in the life jackets. Lastly, with cadmium red I put the number on the sail.

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 $50.00 and sold unframed.

ACEO - Autumn River 1

Today I wanted to complete this painting that I started last year (see post on June 2015).

Using French ultramarine blue I put in the sky and the river and set it aside to dry.

While the painting was drying I mixed various autumn colours for the tree leaves using raw sienna, new gamboge, aureolin, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson and cadmium yellow.

I started with the trees in the background first and then used raw sienna to put the reflections into the water.

Again the painting was set aside to dry.

Next I mixed the tree trunk colour using French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna and then, I painted in the tree trunks of the maples in the middle area of land followed by the ones that were on the right side in the foreground.

While the tree trunks were drying I put in the grasses and growies in the middle areas and in the foreground using mixes of raw sienna, burnt sienna, new gamboge and cadmium yellow.

Using a sponge I put in the leaves on the maple trees in the middle area with mainly yellow mixes and a few, with areas of orange.

I did the same with the foreground maple trees, using a smaller amount of the yellow mixes and more of the orange mixtures.

Next I put the reflections in the water from the middle trees.

Lastly, using pure cadmium red, I dotted in a few brightly coloured leaves throughout the painting to create interest.

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.

Fence Posts 4-6 Three Works in Progress

It is another sunny hot 86F (30C) and humid 93F (34C) day and I am going to go along more of the back roads like I did earlier this month (see post on 17 July 2016).

I thought I would continue using the same two blues: French ultramarine blue and Antwerp blue for the sky and mixtures of the two blues together with new gamboge, aureolin, burnt sienna and raw sienna for the trees and grasses.

The first place I stopped at had a bent pine tree in the background, deciduous trees in front of them all behind a fence line.

Fence Posts 4

As I did at all my previous stops when doing quick sketches I took a reference photograph before going to another location.

As I continued down the road I came upon a cluster of intertwined cedar trees close to the fence with a hay field in the background and a distant line of trees on the horizon.

First I put in the sky with a graduated wash of the two blues.

Next I blocked in a rough outline of the mass of cedars and the small pine tree with a dark green.

Fence Posts 5

That was followed by indicating the hay field and background treeline.

By this time the sun was coming around and I decided to take the next road in the direction of home.

After coming to the top of a hill in the distance I could see a part of the Miller Creek Wildlife Area.

I did this piece the same way as the others, starting with the sky, followed by the areas of woodlots and open fields.

Fence Posts 6

I will post each of these paintings at a later date as more work on them has been completed.

Northern Lights - A Work in Progress

Around 3:30 a.m. this morning Kyora woke me up due to the sound of thunder in the distance as the storm was approaching. Normally thunder storms do not bother her, but by her actions I knew that it would be a major storm.

It certainly came in with a vengeance, the rain started and got harder as the storm came closer until we had this tremendous thunderstorm right over the house. The sky lit up and in less than a second the booming thunder clapped over the house causing the windows to rattle.

Since I enjoy a thunderstorm I sat out on the front porch for most of it, but for the better part of almost an hour you couldn't see the lightning,  just a flash as the sky light up and the crash of the thunder overhead.

It wasn't until around 5:00 a.m. that I could finally see the lightning and the rain gradually started to slow down. The storm finally abated around 5:45 a.m. when it moved out of the area.

Usually, after a major storm like this one you can expect the temperature and humidity to drop; but that didn't happen with this one as it remained hot 86F (30C) and muggy with the humidity at 100F (38C).













One benefit of the storm was with all the rain we had, the grass was no longer crunchy when I took the dog out for her walk.

Even though I didn't get a lot of sleep I wanted to get a little more work on this piece that I have been painting on over a long time (see posts on 09 December 2010, 21 February, 29 May, 10 July and 29 August 2012 and 25 May 2016).

Using a dark of alizarin crimson, burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue I started by putting in an indication of the tree trunk on the furthest left side of the painting.

This was followed by indicating the trunk of one of the background trees closest to the completed trees in the background.

Next I started with the closest tree on the left side beside the finished area of the painting on the right. Once again starting with a line indicating the trunk before proceeding with applying the bark onto the tree trunk beginning at the bottom and working my way up toward the top of the tree.

It wasn't long before I decided to stop before I made a mess of the painting due to being tired.

I will post this painting at a later date once more of the trees on this have been completed.

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

Poster for Shades of Summer Art Show

Today is the second day of Art @ the Locks, hosted by the Lockside Trading Company in Young's Point, Ont. and it is going to be another hot 89F (31.7C) and humid 95F (35C) day.

It is located by Lock 27 on the Trent Severn Waterway and we will be able to enjoy watching the boats go through the Lock all weekend.

While at the show I was also handing out some of my redesigned posters for the upcoming Buckhorn Artists' Group's 26th Annual Shades of Summer Show held at St. Matthews Church in Buckhorn, Ont.

I would like to thank Ron and Barbara Pereman of Blackstock, Ontario on their purchase of On the Edge (see post on 11 April 2010), Haven 1 (see post on 20 June 2011), Shoreline 2 (see post on 29 June 2013) and Flower Bed 5 (see post on 30 July 2010).

6th Annual Art @ the Locks Show

Today we will set up the exhibit for Art @ the Locks, hosted by the Lockside Trading Company in Young's Point, Ontario.

It is located by Lock 27 on the Trent Severn Waterway and we will be able to enjoy watching the boats go through the Lock all weekend.














First the tent was set up that Norma and I will use for our display, it was close by a couple of cedar trees which would provide shade during the course of the day.

Tables and grids were set up next and it was time to decide how to display the various paintings in the space available.














Originally I had a large watercolour painting on an easel by the front of the tent, but as the sun came around in the morning it was in direct sunlight.

With the high heat (32C) and humidity (38C) it could cause the glass to sweat and damage the painting, so I moved it to the back of the tent where it would be shaded throughout the show.














After getting myself a cup of tea, I set up my equipment and pulled out a number of small paintings and began working on them.

I find it is better if I work on completing small pieces that will only take an hour or two to finish. This way I can stop at any point and talk with the people who come into the show.














I was surprised with the number of people that came out to the show on such a hot and humid day, but with the temperatures remaining unseasonably high for so long, perhaps everyone is simply getting used to the heat.

I am looking forward to another enjoyable day by the Lock tomorrow.

Early Morning 1 - A Work in Progrress

I was up early this morning and enjoyed watching the sun come up over the hills on the east end of the property.

While it was rising I quickly pulled out this little sketch that I did a number of years ago (see post on 26 April 2013) and brushed in the sky.














It is supposed to be another very hot 91F (33C) and extremely humid 102F (39C) day and unfortunately, I do not have the time to do more work on this piece, but I will post it at a later date once it has been completed.

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

Barracuda I - A Work in Progress

It is typical hot July weather with the temperature reaching 91F (33C) and the humidity making it feel like 99F (37C).

This is another sketch I transferred onto paper from my diving slate when I was in Roatan, Honduras at the CoCo View Resort.















I was on Newman's wall after the first morning dive on my way back to the Resort when I came across this small school of barracuda slowly moving along the reef.

I did a quick sketch of their placement in the reef and thought it may turn into a nice painting later.

I will post this sketch once more work on it has been completed.

Coon Lake X - A Work in Progress

It is another nice summer day with the temperature at 82F (28C) and the humidity making it feel like 102F (39C).

I picked this sketch to work on today I sketched a couple of years ago (see post on 29 July 2014).

First I drew in the distant horizon line and then put in the water lines below the rocks and started a little bit of the reflections.

I started putting in the shadows and cracks on some of the rocks and then the little dead branch at the end of the rock island.

Next I did the grasses at its base.

Then the last thing I had time to do was put the trunk of a tree on the left side of the island.

I will post this drawing at a later date once more of the rocks have been completed.

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

Uncle Alfred's Farm I - A Work in Progress

It is a nice day with the temperature at 78F (25.6C) and a nice breeze keeping the humidity away.

I thought I would do a little work on this drawing that I had started a few years ago (see posts on 22 October 2013 and 19 December 2015) while I wait for Christine to arrive.

I started on the left side and put in the overhanging tree branches.















Next, I started on the draft horse, but before I got it completed Christine arrived.

It was time to go to the cemetery with flowers, as we do every year on my Mom's birthday.

I will post this drawing at a later date as more work on it is completed.

Communion - A Work in Progress

The humidity is back with the temperature reaching 82F (27.8C) and feeling like 91F (32.8C).

I thought I had better get some work done on this piece that I started (see post on 09 May 2016) for the Church Show coming up in September.

First I made a large pool of pure burnt sienna in one well of my palette and then mixed another of raw sienna with a small amount of burnt sienna in another well.













I applied the raw sienna mix into the areas of the background wood where the sunlight touched of the panels.

Then I painted the rest of the wood with vertical strokes, varying the darkness and lightness throughout the background.

Using pure raw sienna I laid in the under paint for the wooden tray on the table and added a few shadows on the front of the tray with the raw sienna mix.

I set this painting aside to let it dry and will post it at a later date when I start working on the table.

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

Fence Posts 1-3 Three Works in Progress

Today while I was out driving along one of the back roads I thought I would stop when I found an interesting scene with a fence line.

It wasn't long before I came across a tree covered hill with a grouping of fence posts and a broken wire fence.

I washed in the background with a pale mix of Antwerp blue and French ultramarine blue.

While the sky colour was drying I made various greens of   the two blues, raw sienna, new gamboge, aureolin and burnt sienna.

Fence Posts 1

I then used the various greens to paint in the hills and foreground grass and set the painting aside to dry.

Before I left I took a reference photograph before carrying on down the road.

Next I came to an area with a stand of pine trees behind another wire fence.

Using the same two blues I put in the sky with lighter and darker areas.

With the various greens I put in the pine trees and the distant hills.

Fence Posts 2

Once again I took a reference photograph before continuing  down the road.

Since there was a side road which would take me back home I took it planning on doing one more background.

I came across a weedy field with deciduous trees in front of pine trees.

I used mixes of the same two blues for the sky and different combinations of the blues and yellows for the trees and grasses.

Fence Posts 3

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

2016 Peterborough Garden Tour

Today Cindy, Norma and I set up our display at Griffins Greenhouse and Garden Centre at 3026 Lakefield Rd., Lakefield, Ontario.














We were set up near the back of the grounds under a tent in among the beautiful flowers and shrubbery, close to the gazebo and the pond.

An added attraction on the other side of the gazebo was a group of Highland dancers who performed throughout the day, which also attracted many people.














We were fortunate to have an overcast day with the temperature at 77F (25C), without humidity and a mild breeze.

While I was there I took many photographs of the plants and displays of flowers in pots, some which were the living parts of metal sculptures scattered throughout the property.












During the latter part of the afternoon we had an unexpected visitor, a painted turtle who came out from the marsh, walked across the road and came into the tent to visit and enjoy our art show.

When he turned to cross the road again, Cindy picked him up and set him in the pond so he wouldn't get run over by a passing vehicle. I think he will probably join the other turtles sunning themselves beside the guardian of the pond, a large metal crocodile.












The gardens are a delight with many hidden treasures to be found in and among the plants; gnomes, elves and cherubs peeking out from between plants, a hidden waterfall guarded by sculptures of snails, toads and butterflies.














Wonderful wood carving of bears, raccoons and birds watching you from their hiding places in the shade of a tree, or peeking out from shrubbery. These are just a few of the many things you will find and I recommend that you take the time to visit Griffins and be enchanted by their gardens. I know I was.

School's Out I - A Work in Progress

We had rain last night and the power went out in the evening around 7:30 and didn't return until around 4:30 this morning. The rain, wind, heat 79F (26C) and the humidity 88F (31C) continued throughout the day.

I came across my slate that I use when diving and transferred this sketch that I did when I was in Roatan onto a piece of paper.

This landmark rock formation is at a decompression stop at 30' (9.1m) located between the Prince Albert wreck and the platform in the backyard of the CoCo View Resort.

While waiting there you are almost always guaranteed to see a multitude of fish swimming around the large sea fan.

I will post this sketch at a later date when I have tightened up the drawing of the fish and added the details of to the rocks and sea fan.

Thank you for coming to look at my 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.

Three Mountains - Nevada - Three Works in Progress

It is another day where they are calling for thunderstorms with the high heat 92F (33.3C) and the humidity made it feel like 108F (42.2C) and once again we are not getting any rain or stormy weather.

I pulled out these three sketches that I did while we were in Las Vegas a number of years ago (see post on 21 November 2014).














Early Morning Mountains I

I thought I would start by indicating the top line of each of the mountains that would be silhouetted against the sky.












Dark Mountains I

Then I added the some of the lines for the lower mountains below the high points.











Mountains I

I will post each of these paintings at a later date as more work on them has been completed.

Autumn Trees 1 and 2 - Two Works in Progress

Today I pulled out these two paintings that I had started while in Magnetawan ant the Knoepfli Inn (see posts on 20 October 2013 and 17 February 2014).

I worked back and forth between the two paintings to try and keep the background in the same colour range in case I wanted them to be made into a diptych.

I started by wetting the paper first and then brushing in the background with a mix of raw sienna and new gamboge.

While the paper was still wet I added a little aureolin into some of the lighter areas of the background being careful to blend the colors together.

Autumn Trees 1

In the darker areas I added in some cadmium yellow and a little more raw sienna, once again being sure that there were not hard lines.

Using cadmium yellow with a touch of new gamboge I dropped the paint onto the still wet paper in areas where I wanted to indicate leaves but not have them very detailed.

As the paper continued to dry, with a very pale wash of raw sienna I added a little bit of darkness into the bottom of the paintings.

I will post each of these paintings once I have started painting in the tree trunks.

Autumn Trees 2

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

Replacing Some of the Barn Floor

Parts of the barn floor in the mow are gradually starting to get "mushy" and Ron decided that before I fell through carrying a bale of hay to feed the horses, he would replace the floor.















He started by removing the panels covering the floor by the doorway.















Next he removed the first layer of the floor boards which showed signs of deterioration and these were put onto the trailer to be dumped as fill at the side of the track.















This was followed by the removal of the second layer of boards which were also put onto the trailer.
















He then squared up the edges of the opening in preparation to replacing the boards.















In the meantime I picked up all the small pieces of wood and took them out of the stall and they went with the rest of the boards onto the trailer.















Sepia 1

While Ron was covering the opening in the mow and emptying the trailer I thought I would start a couple of little monochromatic landscape paintings.















Sepia 2

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

Bucking 1 and 2

Today I was watching a program on television about rodeo, cowboys, bucking horses and bulls.

It didn't take long before I had my sketchbook out and was doing some quick sketches.

I was able to get a little more detail on some of the horses when they showed the action in slow motion.

The amount of extension they achieve after they kick out when bucking just before their front feet touch the ground.

Bucking 1

It is amazing the power they generate as they twist and turn trying to dislodge their rider.

I decided to leave the rider out of the sketches and try to capture as much of the movement and the different positions the horse can get its body into as it tries to get rid of the cowboy.

I managed to get enough detail into the sketches to create drawings.

Bucking 2

Backlot Trees 1 - A Work in Progress

It is another day of high heat 88F (31C) and humidity 99F (37C) with still no rain in sight, but hopefully we will get some rain soon.

I came across this little painting that I started last month when the KAGS Outdoor Painters' Group had a paint out at the Cavan Art Gallery.

In the afternoon we were invited to tour Galerie Q, which is two buildings away from the Cavan Art Gallery.

I worked on this painting in the morning, before we went for the tour from the parking lot of Galerie Q facing toward the Cavan Art Gallery.

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

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

Clear Lake V - A Work in Progress

It is another hot 88F (31C) and humid 95F (35C) day and they are calling for thunderstorms for this evening and overnight, but I don't think that is going to happen as the clouds are just not forming the right way for a thunderstorm.

I pulled out this drawing that I had worked on earlier this year (see posts on 09 June 2013 and 16 May 2016).

After looking at this drawing I decided that I would like to make it a little larger in size and since there was plenty of blank paper I developed the land in the background by adding a cottage, a boat dock, trees and a pathway.

I started on the background trees behind the cottage which had the added benefit of outlining the edges of the building.

Next I went in and put in the cottage into the background, then added the grasses along the pathway down to the dock.

I put in the water and reflections below the dock and along the distant shoreline. Lastly I put in a few rocks at the edge of the water.














Before I started on the foreground cottage, I lightly indicated where the large tree on the left would be placed, as it is in front of the cottage.

I put in the front edges of the cottage, then the fascia boards. Next I indicated where the door and windows would be placed and then I added the shadow on the wall caused by the edge of the roof and the reflected light in the windows.

Then I started on the roof by putting in the chimney first, adding the roof line and finally putting on the shingles.

Next I started working on the larger tree trunks on the island, but ran out of time before I could get them finished.

I will post this drawing at a later date when I may also extend the foreground out a little more and put a fire pit in front of the Kawartha chairs.

Long Lake VI - A Work in Progress

Today I didn't have a lot of time to work on a painting, so instead I went through some of my sketches and decided to work on this piece that I had started a number of years ago (see post on 15 June 2013) while canoeing on Long Lake.

I started by putting in the smaller pine tree on the right side of the drawing.

Next I added in some of the grasses on the tops of the rocks.















I indicated the trunk of one of the large pine trees when my friends came over to pick me up to go to hiking and sketching through the Warsaw Caves Conservation Area and Campground.

I will post this drawing at a later date once more work on it is completed.

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 July.

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

Trees 1 and 2 - Two Works in Progress

I pulled out these two paintings that I sketched earlier this year (see post on 12 June 2016).

For the background of the first painting I used a mixture of French ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson and then painted in the warm background colour with vertical strokes.

I decided that this piece would make a nice snow scene and while the background was drying I darkened the mixture slightly and painted in the tree shadows onto the snow at the base of the trees.

Christmas Pines 1 is this painting's new name from Trees 1.

Using various mixtures of raw sienna, burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue I put in the foreground grasses and growies.

I wanted a very soft and misty background for this piece.

After wetting the paper thoroughly, I used various mixtures of raw sienna, burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue and streaked the colour into the background.

I left some of the areas fairly light in colour and made others slightly darker while keeping it fairly muted.

Foggy Day 4 is the new name for this painting from Trees 2.

I will post each of these paintings as they are completed.

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