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.

Twisted Trees 1-3 - Three Works in Progress

Along the fence line of the farm there are a number of windblown trees which have had their branches twisted due to the elements.

Most of these trees are found along the north fence line which takes the full force of the north wind.

There are also a few of these bent trees on the higher hills just south of the north fence line.

Many of these trees are fairly large and with the exception of the pine trees are hardwoods such as maple, beech and apple.

Twisted Tree 1

It was a fairly mild day with the temperature reaching a high of 45F (7C) and it had been raining overnight and during the morning which melted a lot of the snow.

I thought I would take Kyora out for a short walk along the fence and take a sketchbook with me so I could draw some of the trees without any leaves on them to hide the trunk and branches.

Twisted Tree 2

As I stopped and sketched different trees along the fence I encountered a different bird in each of the trees and decided to add them into the sketch.

In the first drawing there was a pileated woodpecker, in the second drawing there was a bright red male cardinal and in the last drawing I was fortunate to capture a great horned owl on a branch of the tree who sat motionless.

Twisted Tree 3

I will post each of these drawings as more work on them is completed.

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

The Beauty of Stillness Show

The current show at the Kawartha Artists' Gallery and Studio is called "Beauty in Stillness".










The exhibit runs from 24 January through to 04 March with the opening reception on 28 January from 1-4 p.m.











If you have a chance please come out and enjoy the show.

Dragon Candlestick Holder - A Work in Progress

Today I went to KAGS for the Still Life class where the theme was "All Things Asian".

There was a nice assortment of things to draw or paint including a black embroidered kimono, a gold coloured Buddha, a dragon candlestick, a couple of fans, an abacus, a bowl with chop sticks and a vase filled with peacock tail feathers.

I chose to do the candlestick and after I sketched it in lightly with pencil, I brushed in the background with alizarin crimson.

Before I could go too much further on the painting CHEX News came in to do a segment about the Gallery and its current exhibit "Beauty in Stillness" and I was one of the artists chosen to be interviewed. The program will air tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.

Colour and Composition 3-5 - Three Works in Progress

Today we had a wide variety of weather, starting with a rare winter thunder storm around 4:00am in the morning, which was followed by 1/4" (6mm) of ice accretions, changing to rain and by 2:00pm we had a flash freeze followed by 4" (10cm) of snow.














Colour and Composition 3

Since I wasn't going to go anywhere, I pulled out three paintings from my Colour and Composition class that I took with Neil Broadfoot in 2011 (see posts on 15 December 2011 and 29 January 2012).

After taking some time to look at White Cedars 1 (see post on 15 August 2017) I felt that the background colours would overpower the painting, which is why I decided to lighten each of these three pieces.














Colour and Composition 4

Using water and a soft bristle paint brush I gently lightened the darker areas of paint from each of the paintings.

On each of the three pieces I left different amounts of the green pigment, from removing all of it, leaving a faint trace and leaving a stronger but subtle amount.













Colour and Composition 5 - White Cedars 1

I will post each of these three pieces at a later date as more work on them is completed.

Lily Pond I - A Work in Progress

Today I am at KAGS for a Directors' meeting about shows, classes and fund raising for this year as our rent is being increased.

With the temperature at 28F (-2C) and the wind chill making it feel like 19F (-7C) and cloudy skies, I am hoping that the Meteorologist Alert for freezing rain is going to hold off until I return home after this meeting.
















While I was waiting, I thought I may as well spend my time productively and started working on this sketch that I started quite a while ago (see posts on 18 June 2013 and 25 January 2017).

I started on the trees in the background but before I could get much more finished on piece some of the other members arrived and I put this drawing away.

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

ACEO - Farm Buildings 5

Today I thought I would like to work on a painting with some farm house and barns and after going through a number of small paintings I came across this piece that I had started a couple of years ago (see posts on 13 June 2016 and 22 January 2017).

I started with various greens made with Antwerp blue, French ultramarine blue, raw sienna and new gamboge and painted in the trees on the horizon line, the furthest back field, then field by the farm house and then the field by the barn.

With alizarin crimson and French ultramarine blue I painted in the barns, leaving the windows and doors untouched.

Next I used burnt sienna for the roof on the farm house.

I used cadmium yellow to put in the open doors and windows in the barn and some of the farm house windows.















I mixed a dark of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna and put in the the fence rails and the windows in the farmhouse that were in darkness.

Lastly, I lightened the dark colour with water and painted the barn roofs and the silo.

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

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. Fabriano 100% cotton, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

Coon Lake III - A Work in Progress

Today, I had a little bit of time to work on a drawing before I had to go out to meet with friends for lunch.

I pulled out this piece that I had started a few years ago while we were canoeing on Coon Lake.

Starting with the rocks in the foreground, I tidied up the outlines to give them more shape.















Next, I started work on the smaller rocks in front of the large rock of the island before running out of time.

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

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

Old Cottage II - A Work in Progress

I pulled this drawing out that I started quite a while ago (see posts on 14 July 2013 and 31 May 2016) while at a paint out with the KAGS Outdoor Painters' Group.

After looking at the drawing I decided that I didn't want to put in the wheelbarrow leaning against the building and I put in the wooden boards across on that side of the building.

From there I added the grasses and growies at the base of the larger part of the building as well as putting the climber going up the side of the building.
















I put the shadows beneath the eaves on both sections of the building.

Next I darkened in the broken window on the smaller section of the building.

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

Twin Falls

This is the painting I did for tonight's class at The Point.

I have decided that I will donate this original 8" x 10" acrylic painting as the first of two that I will be donate for the Small Treasures show held at the Kawartha Artists' Gallery and Studio  in March to raise prize money for the Best of High School Art Show held each May.

Now I have to complete the other canvas that I started last year.

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork.

School's Out - A Work in Progress

Today, I thought I would do a little more work on this drawing (see posts on 15 July and 28 December 2016 and 29 January 2017) which is an underwater scene near the rest stop at the CoCo View Resort.

I started by adding more details onto the branches of the sea fan at the top of the rock and indicating the outer edges of the fan.

Next, I brought the outer edge of the large rock down and in behind the tube sponges.

I added some of the shadows onto the tube sponges to give them a little more shape.

I will post this drawing at a later date once I have finished adding all the details onto the various fishes.

Winter Solo I - A Work in Progrress

Today I wanted to do more work on this painting that I had started last month (see post on 31 December 2017).

Using titanium white, cerulean blue and Grumbacher red I put in some of the trees on the far side of the lake.

Making a dark of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I painted in the trunk of the main tree.

With pure white I put in the snow covered frozen lake, followed by adding a little of the tree color for some of the shadows on the lake.

Using white in some areas, followed by the lake shadow colour and leaving some areas of the dark rocks showing through the snow.

I wanted to put in a few grasses and growies on the top of the rocks.

With various mixtures of raw sienna, cadmium yellow and burnt sienna and put them at the base of the tree trunk and then scattered some across the rocks.

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

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

Resting Place - A Work in Progress

There is a flash freeze warning in place for this afternoon and it looks like we are going to have freezing rain all day. Needless to say, I decided that I would stay in and go through a box of art supplies that I brought down from the heated storage room I have upstairs.

While I was going through some of the pads of acrylic, pastel and drawing paper I found this partially completed drawing that I had started in the 90's when I was doing a number of drawings in pastel.

I started by blocking in the sunlit background with a pale yellow green, then applied the base for three cedar tree trunks with a medium brown followed by using a dark green for the base colour of the cedar foliage.














Using a soft grey, I put in a little bit of detail into the cedar foliage, followed by using a yellow green for some variation. Then I added a few cedar boughs of different greens to see in which direction I wanted to take the cedar colours.

Lastly, I put in the base for the foreground with yellow ochre and then started adding a little detail into the grasses with various greens into the foreground before calling it a day.

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

ACEO - Pottery 5

With working on the pottery bowl yesterday I thought I would like to finish this painting that I have been working on for quite a while (see posts on 26 March 2013 and 27 October 2016).

I liked the colour of the tablecloth under the bowl that I worked on yesterday, so I decided to use the same colours (new gamboge, aureolin and cadmium yellow) today.

I added another layer of cadmium yellow to brighten the left side.

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.

Pottery 6 - A Work in Progress

I pulled this piece out that I started a few years ago (see post on 26 March 2013) and I worked to balance top and bottom of the bowl.

Next I drew the main section of the bowl trying to make both sides if the bowl match. I am  still not happy with it but it have to do for now.















Using new gamboge, aureolin and cadmium yellow I put in the top of the table beneath the bowl.

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

Coon Lake II - A Work in Progress

Today I wanted to get closer to completing this drawing that I started a long time ago (see post on 29 July 2014 and 25 March 2017).

I started by putting in the various trees on the far shore, followed by two of the islands close to the shoreline.

Next I put some trees on the island on the right side of the drawing.













This was followed by adding the trees, grasses and growies onto the rocks of the foreground island.

In front of the island I added a few bull rushes and some water ripples around the base of the rocks.

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

Pink Sky 2-4 - Three Works in Progress

It shows how hard the winter is this year for the birds, as today I had a small flock of snow buntings come to the lawn for the cracked corn.

The temperature as I headed down to do the barn chores was -9F (-23C) with the wind chill making it feel like -33F (-36C), the nice thing was that by the afternoon it had warmed up to -6F (-21C) and feeling like -29F (-34C).

I wanted to work on these three paintings that I started a couple of years ago (see posts on 16 October 2016 and 14 May 2017).

Pink Sky 2

I started by mixing a number of different green mixtures using French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, cobalt blue, raw sienna, new gamboge and burnt sienna.

Working back and forth on each of the three paintings I added some needles onto each of the trees in various greens letting the paint dry between each layer.

Unfortunately, for most of the day I was interrupted a number of times by telephone calls and this made it difficult to get back to do work on each painting and some got further along than on others.

Pink Sky 3

Each of the paintings will require a couple more layers of colour on the needles as well as the tree trunks and branches added onto them.

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.










Pink Sky 4

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 January.

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

White Picket Fence - A work in Progress

It is a little colder today with the temperature at 18F (-8C) and the wind chill making it feel like 5F (-15C) adding to this is the 2.5" (6cm) of snow that is currently falling.

As I was going through a box of  partially completed drawings and decided on doing a little more work on this one (see posts on 20 December 2016 and 25 May 2017).

Using a pencil I indicated more trees into the background; and then I added more layers of bushes and growies into the foreground before moving on to the large tree's branches and leaves.















Next I started inking in the background trees and added a little more of the fence on the horizon before starting on the bushes in front of the foreground tree.

From there I worked my way up the main trunk of the tree and along the first large branch; before I proceeded to work on some of the leaves in the lower branches.

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

Barn IX

The nice thing about today is that at least the severe cold is over for now and all I had was a few snow flurries as I went to Extendicare in Peterborough to take down my exhibit.

When I returned home I decided to work on this drawing That I have been working on over a number of years (see posts on 28 September 2013, 15 May 2016, 06 April, 20 August and 09 October 2017).

First I put in the large maple tree in front of the hay barn, followed by the hill and the fence line behind the barn.














Next I worked on the hay barn, starting with the tin roof and followed by the barn boards on the building.

This was followed by putting in the large round hay bales being stored in the barn.

Lastly, I added the birch trees to the left of the hay barn and put in the grasses and growies in front of them and in front of the hay barn.

This original 5-1/4" x 9” pen and ink drawing when matted and shrink wrapped will be available for $45.00.

Confirmed Shows for 2018 - January

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

Extendicare, 860 Alexander Court, Peterborough, Ont.
30 Oct 17 - 01 Jan 18

Kawartha Artists’ Gallery and Studio, Peterborough, Ont.
KAGS
29 Nov - 22 Dec 17 and 03-21 Jan 18 The Winter Show
Opening Reception 03 Dec 17 from 1-4p.m.
24 Jan - 04 Mar 18 Beauty of Stillness
Opening Reception 28 Jan 18 from 1-4p.m.
07-25 Mar 18 Small Treasures
Opening Reception 11 Mar 18 from 1-4p.m.
Draw 25 Mar 18 from 1-4p.m.
28 Mar - 03 May 18 SPARK Photography Show
Opening Reception 08 Apr 18 from 1-4p.m.
20 Jun - 15 Jul 18 Interactions
Opening Reception 24 Jun 18 from 1-4p.m.
08 Aug -09 Sep 18 Figuratively Speaking
Opening Reception 12 Aug 18 from 1-4p.m.
26 Sep -21 Oct 18 Driven to Abstracrion
Opening Reception 30 Sep 18 from 1-4p.m.
24 Oct - 11 Nov 18 Outdoor Painters' Show- Nature's Splendour
Opening Reception 28 Oct 18 from 1-4p.m.
28 Nov - 21 Dec 18 and 02-20 Jan 19 On the Move - A History of Transportation
Opening Reception 03 Dec 18 from 1-4p.m.

Academy Theatre, 2 Lindsay St. S., Lindsay, Ontario
Guild Room
29 Nov 17 - 03 Feb 18

The Douro-Dummer Library Art Gallery, 425 Douro Fourth Line Road, Hamlet of Douro, Ont.
04 May - 04 Ju1 18 Countryside Art Group
Opening Reception 11 May 18 from 7-8p.m.

St. Matthews Church, Buckhorn, Ont.
Buckhorn Artists' Group
16-19 Aug 18 28th Annual Shades of Summer Art Show

Fenelon Falls Fair Grounds, Fenelon Falls, Ont.
Kawartha Arts Festival
01-02 Sep 18 Kawartha Arts Festival

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