Twisted Trees 4-6 - Three Works in Progress

With this last week of unseasonably warm temperatures and today's high of 56F (13C) making it feel like a nice spring day.

There is very little snow remaining on the ground and I decided to take Kyora along to keep me company as I went for a little longer walk along the fence line.

I brought my sketchbook with me and planned on doing a few more drawings of the bent trees. Hopefully, I will find some more of the birds we have in the area and be able to add into my drawings.

Twisted Tree 4

I went along the fence line at the back of the barn to the north west corner and started sketching one of the maple trees.

It wasn't long before I heard a crow calling as I looked around and I soon found my crow, which Ron named "Squawky"  that I rescued a couple of years ago (see posts on 10 and 18 March 2016) perched in a nearby tree watching me.

Twisted Tree 5

I will put out some bread for him when I go back to the house.

The next tree I did had a black squirrel in it, which scolded the dog for sitting under the tree watching him.

As we headed back to the house I stopped once more to do a drawing of another tree, this one had a nuthatch peaking around the tree trunk at Kyora and I.

Twisted Tree 6

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.

Sunset Island 4 - A Work in Progress

Today I was at St. Matthew's Church in Buckhorn painting with the Buckhorn Tuesday Painting Group. Unfortunately, I could only be there in the morning as I had two appointments in the afternoon.

I thought I would do a little work on this painting that I had started last year while teaching a class at The Point, in Young's Point (see post on 31 May 2017).

First I drew in the islands and main trees.

With a mix of burnt sienna and a little bit of French ultramarine blue to darken the colour slightly and painted in the two islands in the background.

I darkened the brown slightly by adding in a little more of the blue. I started with the trees on the foreground island and at the bottom of the trees painted the grasses in the negative.

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

Mornings - Two Works in Progress

After returning from the Executive meeting at KAGS I wanted to do some work on a painting and I pulled out these two drawings and wanted to at least put in the skies.

The first one (see post on 13 September 2015) already had some colour in the sky and I wanted to darken it slightly.

In the bottom of the sky I washed in aureolin, then added alizarin crimson and put in the centre of the sky and into the water.

Lastly, I added more red and put it into the top of the sky and into the water.

River Morning 1

I set this painting aside to dry and picked another drawing to put in the sky and reflections using the same colours.

For the next piece that started a long time ago (see post on 10 September 2014) I wet the paper and started with aureolin in the bottom of the sky and in the water nearest to the shoreline.

I added alizarin crimson and brushed in the middle of the sky and the water.

Adding more red I finished the sky and water.

Peaceful Morning 1

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

Small Treasures Poster

My artwork appears on the poster for the upcoming Small Treasures Show, together with the art of Lorraine Ryan and Walter Artymko. This exhibit is a fundraiser for the Best of High School Art Show held each year in May at Kawartha Arts Gallery and Studio.

Tickets can be purchased at $30.00 each (with all proceeds going for prize money for the B.H.S.A. show) starting on 07 March until the start of the final day on 25 March, with no more tickets available than the number of paintings exhibited.

Tickets will be drawn on the final afternoon of the exhibit starting at 2:00pm.

The first name drawn will have the first choice of one of the paintings on display. This will continue until all the purchased tickets have been drawn.

We are hoping to have at least 80 paintings donated by the many talented artists of KAGS to help encourage the next generation of artists.

The Road Home 3 - A Work in Progress

Today is going to be an interesting day weather wise. We are under a Meteorological Alert with a freezing rain warning for this morning and the freezing rain to change to rain later in the day as the temperature makes it to 43F (6C).

I made sure I filled the feeders and put plenty of cracked corn on the ground as the red winged blackbirds have arrived from the south, and it helps to have them well fed to survive the freezing rain, just in case it doesn't change to rain later.















I started by putting in the sky using French ultramarine blue with just a touch of burnt sienna to grey it slightly; being careful to leave areas of white paper for the clouds.

Next I added a little bit of raw sienna to the sky colour for a yellow green and put in the distant field. I then added in a little more blue to darken the green and painted in the pine trees.

I added a little bit of burnt sienna to the green to create a dark for some of the maple tree trunks and dead pine trees.

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

Creation

Today at the Kawartha Artists' Gallery and Studio there is a poured acrylic demonstration and I brought along a canvas and paint to try my hand at doing this new type of painting.

After watching the demonstration, I primed the canvas with a little bit of pouring medium and white acrylic paint.

Next I mixed three colours for this swipe pour in different containers; Copenhagen Blue, Caribbean blue and silver. I mixed equal portions of the pouring medium to each of my colours and added three drops of silicon.



















I poured each colour onto the canvas in a circular motion, starting with the darkest colour and going to the lightest colour.

With a palette knife I spread the paint gently in a circular motion and then set it aside to dry.

This original 12" x 12" acrylic painting will be available for $250.00.

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

ACEO - The Lookout

This is a painting I started a while ago (see posts on 06 November 2016 and 05 February 2017) and decided that I would like to get it completed today.

The first thing I did was put in the figure looking out over the waterfall.

The pants and hair were a dark of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, and the jacket was a bright combination of cadmium red and cadmium yellow.

I started on the rock faces of the cliffs using various mixtures of burnt sienna, alizarin crimson and French ultramarine blue, being careful to leave the section with the waterfall untouched.

Next I painted in the pine trees that made their homes in among the rocks, using French ultramarine blue, raw sienna and new gamboge.

Lastly, I put a little colour into the water with a pale mix of Antwerp blue and raw 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 90lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

Loon Call Lake Turtle I and Clear Lake V - Two Works in Progress

I wanted to work on this drawing that I had started a number of years ago (see post on 27 September 2015) while we were out on the lake canoeing.

It didn't take me very long to put in the fallen tree trunk that on which the turtle was sunning himself and then I set it aside.











Loon Call Lake Turtle I

I still wanted to do more drawing  so I pulled out this piece that I started a long time ago (see posts on 09 June 2013, 16 May, 06 July and 16 December 2016).















Clear Lake V Cottages

I did a little more work on the shoreline and added in a few more ripples into the water. I will post each of these drawings as more work on them is completed.

ACEO - Long Shadows 1-3

After the 8" (20.3cm) of snow we had yesterday on top of all the previous snowy days we have had over the last week, I wasn't surprised to see a pair of snow buntings arrive for the cracked corn I put out for the small birds.

With a lot more snow in the forecast over the coming week I know that I will have a lot more flocks of snow buntings coming to visit.

I thought it would be a good day to work on a few paintings of snow scenes, so I pulled out these three that I had started quite a while ago (see posts on 30 November 2013 and 18 December 2016).















Long Shadows 1

I decided that I would work on all three of these pieces at the same time and began by painting in the tree trunks with various mixtures of burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue as well as the building in the background.

Next I mixed the shadow colour of Antwerp blue and French ultramarine blue and put in the shadows across the snow being sure to follow the depressions in the snow to create interest.















Long Shadows 2

Using raw sienna, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson and new gamboge I put in the dead grasses, growies and leaves at the base of the trees, peeking out of some of the snow drifts and in some of the branches.

Lastly, I added a few pine trees into the background using raw sienna and Antwerp blue.















Long Shadows 3

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

The ACEO shown here are all original watercolour paintings using Artist quality Winsor & Newton paint on 140lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. They are priced at $20.00 each 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.

New Exhibit at the Academy Theatre

Today I switched my paintings in the Guild Room at the Academy Theatre, located at 2 Lindsay Street, Lindsay Ontario.

This year this publicly owned non-profit organization is celebrating its 125th anniversary of the Theatre.

















The paintings will be exhibited year round in the Guild Room, changing every one to two months.

Check show dates and come out to enjoy a live theatre performance and before, during and/or after the intermission of the show enjoy the art exhibit by the members of the Kawartha Arts Network.

Winter Solo I

I wanted to finish this painting I started last year (see posts on 31 December 2017 and 13 January 2018) for the Small Treasures Fundraiser at KAGS.

I mixed various greens from French ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, raw sienna and cadmium yellow.

Starting at the top of the pine tree I gradually worked my way down the tree, changing the colour of the pine needles as I reached the bottom branches.

Next I made a dark of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

I put in the various branches throughout the tree to complete the painting.

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

Confirmed Shows for 2018 - February

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.

Academy Theatre, 2 Lindsay St. S., Lindsay, Ontario
Guild Room
29 Nov 17 - 03 Feb 18
03 Feb - 24 Mar 18

Kawartha Artists’ Gallery and Studio, Peterborough, Ont.
KAGS
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.

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

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