Burleigh Rocks 1 - A Work in Progress

Today Norma and I went to paint with the Lakefield Creative Arts Group. It is the first time we have been there since January.

Norma had a photograph she had taken earlier this year, when we went on the M/V Spirit of the Kawartha Boat Cruise on Stoney Lake that she wanted to paint and we decided that we would do our own version of the scene.

I took a small section of the picture to feature a grouping of the rocks close to the shore, while Norma decided she wanted to paint the entire area shown in the photograph.

Using French ultramarine blue with a small amount of Antwerp blue I brushed in the sky leaving a few area of white paper for the clouds and brushed in the water below the islands being careful to leave the foreground rocks without colour.

With various mixtures of raw sienna, burnt sienna, Antwerp blue and a small amount of aureolin, I painted in the far shoreline. 















Next, I added some new gamboge to the various mixtures and add in the deciduous trees onto the islands on either side of the painting. 

While the paint was still wet I dropped small amounts of pure burnt sienna in some areas pure cadmium yellow into others and some raw sienna to create texture in the foliage.

Once the trees on the island were dry, I used the remaining light green paint and added French ultramarine blue and raw sienna to darken the colour and painted in the pine trees on the islands.

Lastly, using a mixture of alizarin crimson and burnt sienna I painted in the rocks at the waterline of the islands.

I will post this painting at later date once I have finished painting the rocks.

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.

Snowed in Farm House - A Work in Progress

The temperature today is fairly mild at 23F (-5C) but I was not impressed with the 7" (12.7cm) of snow on the ground.

I lightly sketched in the farm house and the hills in the background.

With a mixture of French ultramarine blue and Antwerp blue I indicated some of the shadows falling across the snow in the foreground.















Using the shadow colour I added a small amount of burnt sienna and applied the under coat of paint for the background hills.

For each layer of the hills I gradually added more of the blues and the burnt sienna to darken the colour on each layer of the trees.

I will post this painting at a later date once I have completed the background and started work on the farm house.

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 December.

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

Christmas at A Place For The Arts

Today my friend and fellow artist, Norma MacEachern came with me to A Place For The Arts in Bancroft.

It was nice to see the Christmas display for the front window had been set up. The two large trees were hung with a wide variety of handmade Christmas ornaments available for sale and displayed among the the twinkling lights.

The floor was covered with a blanket of glittering snow upon which was decorations for sale.

I went around opening up the Gallery and turning on the lights.

As Norma helped me with the various duties of sweeping, dusting and watering the plants I noticed that a few more of my smaller paintings had been hung in the Gallery.

When I went upstairs to the Annex it was nice to see that it too had been decked out with Christmas decorations, as well as a few strings of twinkling lights.

With a new exhibit in the Annex, some of my paintings had been moved and placed in a grouping on one wall.

It was an enjoyable day with many people coming through the Gallery and to view the new show in the Annex.

Time passed quickly and before long it was time to close the Gallery and head home.

Back Road Birches - A Work in Progress

Today I was painting with the Lakefield Creative Art Group and the theme for today's painting was birch trees.

On the weekend I was outside and did a number of sketches of the snow covered pines, maples and birches on one of the back roads.

I transferred this drawing from one of my sketches onto a piece of watercolour paper.

Using French ultramarine blue, cobalt blue and alizarin crimson I brushed in the sky and some of the shadows on the snow.

I added raw sienna to the sky colours and put in the background trees.

Using burnt sienna and alizarin crimson I indicated the dark markings on the trees.

With burnt sienna I placed a few rocks at the base of the trees.

I will post this painting at a later date once more of the background has been completed.

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

Confirmed Shows for 2019-2020 - December

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.

A Place For The Arts, 23 Bridge St. W., Bancroft, Ont.
19 Nov 19 - 16 Feb 20
01 Jul - 03 Aug 20 Solo Show in The Annex
05-31 Aug 20 Buckhorn Artists' Group in The Annex

The Douro-Dummer Library Art Gallery, 425 Douro Fourth Line Road, Hamlet of Douro, Ont.
08 Jul - 27 Aug 20 The Buckhorn Artists' Group
Opening Reception 10 Jul 20 from 7-8 p.m.
05 May - 30 Jun 21 The Buckhorn Artists' Group
Opening Reception 07 May 21 from 7-8 p.m.
05 Jan - 30 Mar 22 The Art of Daniel Marlatt and Susan Sydney
Opening Reception 07 Jan 22 from 7-8 p.m.

Please come out and enjoy the artwork displayed at these shows.

Retired I

Today Ron had to go to Toronto and I went along to keep him company.

It is nice that he is doing the driving and I have time to take photographs and do some sketches.















This is one of the drawings I did while near Peterborough, of an old truck in a field.

I may use this one to work up a painting at a later date.

New Exhibit at A Place For The Arts

Today I am sitting at A Place For The Arts in Bancroft, Ontario.

It was a fairly busy day, with many of the people who came in were there to see the new exhibit which was hung yesterday.

Next week the Christmas decorations will be set up along with the lights and ornaments hung on the trees.

This time my art is scattered throughout the Gallery, some on the main level and the others in various sections of the Annex on the upper level.

One of my paintings was placed in the Annex with another one which also featuring birch trees.

On the panel to the left of the entryway to the Annex was a small grouping of three of my paintings and the one of the teddy bear had a red bow placed on it to match the bow on the bear.

Another of my paintings was in the back section of the left Annex together with works by a couple of other artists.

On the main level my large painting was hung in a space by itself.

If you have a chance please, come out and enjoy the show. Gallery hours for November and December are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

ACEO - Frozen Lake 2

It won't be long until there is snow on the ground, so I thought I would finish this painting that was started quite a while go (see posts on 24 November 2013 and 30 December 2017).

With a mix of raw sienna and French ultramarine blue I give a little bit of detail to the tops of the trees in the distant shoreline.

Next, I brushed in a few shadows across the snow with Antwerp blue.

Mixing a green of French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue and raw sienna, I put the needles on the pine trees.














Next I added little burnt sienna to the needle colour and painted in the branches and tree trunks.

With mixes of burnt sienna and raw sienna I put in the grasses and growies poking up through the snow.

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. or 300lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

Fire

With the high today, reaching a balmy 32F (0C) and up to 2" (5cm) of snow coming down, it was going to be a fairly busy day.

Starting off with my annual dentist appointment first thing in the morning, then running a few errands before going to a doctor's appointment.















From there a late lunch with friends, followed by more errands before heading for home and making supper.

I thought I would make the first fire of the fall and relax this evening with a nice mug of Ovaltine.

Fire

Today, after supper while I was babysitting my grandson, he brought out his and my drawings of Fire that we had started during the summer (see post on 02 August 2019).

I was very surprised to see that he had kept them and wanted to finish them.

We worked on putting in the flames with red, yellow, orange, blue, green and purple until the area of the fire was completed.

Together, we decided that it would be better if we did not try to put a dark background behind the flames.

He asked me if he could keep my drawing and I was happy to give it to him.

The End of the Elm Tree

Today Ron decided it was time to cut down the old elm tree that died earlier this year from Dutch Elm Disease.

The tree was over 100 years old when we purchased the property in 1978.

It continued to flourish and provide a look out post for the male North American Kestrel while his mate first nested under the eaves and then once we closed the hole, in the hawk box on the side of the house.

During the winter a wide variety of birds would pause in its branches to rest between trips to the feeders or be there in the morning waiting for me to fill the feeders.

Last year, in the early summer I was saddened to see the leaves on the western side of the tree wither and drop to the ground and it continued until by the fall the branches were completely bare.

In the spring only a few of the branches on the east side of the tree had leaves and by the summer they too, had withered and fallen to the ground leaving nothing but bare branches.

He first mowed the hay in the area where he was going to drop the tree to make it easier to cut the wood and load it onto the trailer.

Then he started by making the beginning cuts to the tree so it would fall where he wanted it to land.

It took some time to do as elm is a hardwood and this tree had a fairly wide base.

At this point I went down into the front field to take photographs of the elm as it would fall to the ground.

It didn't take very long for the once majestic tree to make its downward descent to the ground.

Now it was time to start the labour intensive work of cutting the branches into manageable lengths and loading them onto the trailer to be unloaded and then stacked along the fence line behind the barn to age for next year's firewood.

This will be our project for the rest of the day and probably continue until the end of the weekend.

But by that point we should also have the trunk cut up into manageable chunks and stacked to be split next year when it has dried.

My job while he is working on the larger pieces will be to clear the area of all the smaller branches and bundle them together for kindling.

One thing I do know is that I am going to miss seeing the elm tree each time I look out the living room window.

28th Annual Christmas at Presqu'ile Arts and Craft Show

I was going to go to the Opening Night Celebration of the 28th Annual Christmas at Presqu’ile Art and Craft Show, but with the windstorm and bad weather the power to the park had been knocked out and the opening was cancelled.















So we decided to go today to see the exhibit.














I had already been warned about how long the lines can be and to arrive early.















Ron of course, didn't believe that in the middle of the week it would be very busy, so we finally arrived around 11:30.















The line looks deceiving until you realize that once inside the tent the line snakes from front to back a couple of times so more people can be in under shelter in inclement weather.

I stayed with Ron until he was inside the tent and then I went to sit on the benches near the entrance to give my leg a rest.

A little over an hour later we were able to get into the building.

The wait was well worth it.

There was a large selection of art in watercolour, oils, mixed media and acrylic. Sculptures could be found made of clay, wood, wire and stone.

There was a variety of handmade Christmas decorations, jewellery, stained glass, quilts, as well as maple syrup, chocolates, and other edibles, just to name a few things.

If you haven't made it out to the Christmas at Presqu’ile show held at Presqu’ile Provincial Park, at 328 Presqu’ile Parkway, in Brighton, the last two days are 09-10 November 2019 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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 November.

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

Confirmed Shows for 2019-2020 - November

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.

A Place For The Arts, 23 Bridge St. W., Bancroft, Ont.
24 Sep - 17 Nov 19
19 Nov 19 - 16 Feb 20
01 Jul - 03 Aug 20 Solo Show in The Annex
05-31 Aug 20 Buckhorn Artists' Group in The Annex

Presqu'ile Provincial Park, 328 Presqu’ile Parkway, Brighton, Ont.
02, 03, 06, 09 and 10 Nov 19 28th Annual Christmas at Presqu'ile
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Douro-Dummer Library Art Gallery, 425 Douro Fourth Line Road, Hamlet of Douro, Ont.
08 Jul - 27 Aug 20 The Buckhorn Artists' Group
Opening Reception 10 Jul 20 from 7-8 p.m.
05 May - 30 Jun 21 The Buckhorn Artists' Group
Opening Reception 07 May 21 from 7-8 p.m.
05 Jan - 30 Mar 22 The Art of Daniel Marlatt and Susan Sydney
Opening Reception 07 Jan 22 from 7-8 p.m.

I look forward to seeing you at some of these shows.

Black Cat on Fence Rail 1 and Witch's Kitty 1 - Two Works in Progress

While going through a folder of small paintings I came across a drawing that I did in a Still Life class at KAGS a long time ago of a black cat (see post on 12 December 2014).

Since it is Hallowe'en, and we are getting the usual rainy weather, although this year it is also very windy (21mph (34kph) winds and gusts up to 31-37mph (50-60kph) it seemed fitting to do some work on it.

First I cleaned up the lines on the stuffed cat wearing the witch's hat.

I wanted to see how Antwerp blue would look as a background colour for a painting of a black cat.

So, on a small piece of paper I did a quick drawing of a cat sitting on the top rail of a fence.

Next, I applied Antwerp blue into the background.

Black Cat on Rail Fence 1

Once the paint was dry, I put a cut out of black paper over the cat drawing and I was pleased with the colour contrast.















Witch's Kitty

It didn't take long for me to wash in the background behind the cat wearing the witch's hat.

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

Thank you for looking 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.

ACEO - Early Morning 2

This morning I saw a number of flocks of Canada Geese flying in their V shaped formation as they head south for the winter.

I started in the background and put in the distant hills on the other side of the river with raw sienna and a little bit of cobalt blue.

With a grey of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna and put in the furthest back tree trunks on the left side and then darkening the colour slightly and put in the closer trees on the left side, followed by using a darker grey for the maple tree in the foreground on the right side.

I wet the river with water first and then using the colours of the sky I brushed in bands new gamboge, alizarin crimson and the cobalt blue for the reflected sky colour into the water















Lastly, I used various mixtures of raw sienna, new gamboge aureolin, cadmium yellow, alizarin crimson, cadmium red and burnt sienna to put the leaves onto the maple trees and the grasses and growies into the foreground.

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.

Stoney Lake I - A Work in Progress

Today I had a little bit of time before I went out to run errands with Ron and I thought I would like to do a little bit of work on this drawing that I started last month (see post on 19 September 2019).

I started by putting in the pine trees first and as I was starting on the rocks it was time for us to leave.











I will post this piece 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.

Hay Bay I

Today we took the trailer for our last trip of the year and went to Pickerel Park Sun RV Resort and Campground in Napanee, Ontario.

It didn't take very long for us to get into our spot and have everything set up. This time we brought Kyora with us and she quickly learned not to charge out at the other dogs or bark at people as they walked along the road.














Then we went exploring. The Campground is located on 21 acres (8.5 hectares) and features over 700' (213.4m) of shoreline on Hay Bay. The boat docks are set in such a way as where the small sandy beach is located the central dock forms a large, rectangular protected swimming area, with the boats docking on the outside, or at other straight docks on either side of the protected section.

The heated pool, been drained for the season, but there was bingo in one of the buildings and craft/art activities, there were a number of horseshoe pitches and Ron couldn't wait to go fishing.















After lunch, we went back to the docks and Ron went fishing while I did this little pencil drawing of the shoreline on the other side of Hay Bay.

Kyora, caught up on her beauty sleep as she lay behind Ron's chair and occasionally lifted her head and looked around to be sure that we were safe.










Time seemed to pass quickly, and before long the sun was getting lower in the sky and we headed back to the trailer to have supper and relax for the evening with a campfire.

We left the next morning, early enough to beat the Thanksgiving weekend traffic as we headed back home.

Chemong Lake VI and VII - Two Works in Progress

Today I didn't have a lot of time to work on my art, but as I looked through my sketch books I came across these two drawings that I started last month (see post 02 September 2019), when Ron and I were out on Chemong Lake.

The buildings needed to be straightened and have more details added.














Chemong Lake VI

Time passed quickly and before long it was time for me to go to an appointment.












Chemong Lake VII

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

Big Cedar Lake VII - A Work in Progress

Today I wanted to work in pen and ink and as I looked through my sketches and chose this one of a birch tree on Big Cedar Lake (see post on 11 August 2019).

From there I worked my way up the right side of the birch tree, adding branches and markings onto the trunk and leaves onto the smaller branches.

Then I worked from the top, down on the left side, adding markings, small branches and leaves leaving the largest branch to do last.

I gradually worked my way up the branch until a friend came over.

I will post this drawing once it is completed.

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

ACEO - Sunset Island 7

Today is our last day at the Knoepfli Inn and we will head for home after breakfast.

Last night I couldn't get to sleep so I got up, made myself a cup of tea and worked on this painting that I had started a couple of years ago (see post on 12 July 2017).

With a dark mixture of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson I painted in the silhouette of the pine tree and a couple of dead trees to either side of the main pine tree.

Next, I in a few reflections into the water.

With a lighter mixture of the same colours I put in the cracks and shadows on the rocks and indicated a few grasses at their base.

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.

The Old Outhouse 1 - A Work in Progress

Today is our last full day at the Knoepfli Inn, we will be leaving for home tomorrow morning after breakfast.

Since the weather was sunny and warm with the temperature making it up to 61F (16C) and no wind.

After breakfast I decided I would work on this painting of the old outhouse that I started last year (see posts on 01 October 2018 and 04 May 2019).

During the morning I worked on the getting the outhouse finished as I wanted the sunlight shining on it instead of having it back lit.

Time passed quickly and before long the bell rang calling us in for lunch.

After lunch I took the time to take some photographs of Ahmic Lake, the Knoepfli Rapids and the Magnetawan River for future paintings.

I went back to the cabin and did a little more on the painting by starting he trunk of one of the foreground trees.

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

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

Ahmic Lake I

Today is our first full day at the Knoepfli Inn in Magnetawan and I got up early to take photographs of Ahmic Lake which as usual had a layer of fog over the surface of the lake.

I stayed out until the sun came up and started to burn of the fog at which time the bell at the Inn started ringing to call us in for breakfast.

After breakfast I returned to the cottage picked up my  chair and sketchbook and walked back to the boathouse.

From the dock I started working on the first point jutting out into the lake.

Time seemed to fly by and before long the bell was once again ringing to call use in for lunch. I will post this drawing at a later date once more work on it has been completed.

View from the Farmhouse 1

Today we arrived at the Knoepfli Inn in Magnetawan, Ontario and had enough time to get settled into our cottages before we headed back to the Inn for lunch.

After lunch I returned to the cottage and picked up my smaller bag with paper and pencils and went to the farmhouse on the lake side of the property.

Since it was raining I set up on the porch on the upper level of the farmhouse.

I sketched the maple tree that was close to the building and had Ahmic Lake and the shoreline in the background.

I took photographs for reference before I left and depending on what the weather is like, I may work on this piece again tomorrow.

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 October.

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

Woodland Nymph - A Work in Progress

I pulled out this drawing that I had started in the late 80's. I had set it aside because I had to make changes to the little girl in the drawing.

I wasn't totally happy with the nose; it was a little "bulby" at the end and needed to be smoothed out.

I started with the top of the head to get rid of the flat top first, followed by adding strands of hair going across her forehead at the sides of her head and going across the ear.

The fingers of the hand needed more definition as well as the back of the hand and wrist.  I also added a few details to the elbow and defined the arm from the shoulder down.

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

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

Changing Season 1 and 2 - Two Works in Progress

Today I wanted to do a couple of small autumn paintings, so I used a couple of photographs that I took while canoeing on Eels Lake earlier this week.

The first one is taken from the dock of the shoreline area nearest where the boat launch is located.

It is a nice mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees at the edge of the lake.

It shows how low the water levels are in the lake at this time of the year, with so many of the rocks and stumps being above the water.

Changing Season 1

Next I chose the area in the inlet on the far side of the parking lot for those using the boat launch.

This view shows even more of the exposed rocks that are normally below the surface of the lake.

Most of the deciduous trees are higher up and further back from the shoreline, while the pines and cedars are lower and almost on the edge of the water.

I decided I would do these paintings just at sunset as I saw them.

Changing Season 2

I started by putting in the sky in with a mix of raw sienna and alizarin crimson.

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

Confirmed Shows for 2019-2020 - October

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.

Knoepfli Inn, 5484 Highway #124 Magnetawan, Ont.
18 Jun - 09 Oct 19 Scenes of Magnetawan

A Place For The Arts, 23 Bridge St. W., Bancroft, Ont.
24 Sep - 17 Nov 19
19 Nov 19 - 16 Feb 20
01 Jul - 03 Aug 20 Solo Show in The Annex
05-31 Aug 20 Buckhorn Artists' Group in The Annex

Selwyn Public Library - Bridgenorth Branch, 836 Charles St., Bridgenorth, Ont.
04 Sep - 05 Oct 19

Presqu'ile Provincial Park, 328 Presqu’ile Parkway, Brighton, Ont.
02, 03, 06, 09 and 10 Nov 19 28th Annual Christmas at Presqu'ile
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Douro-Dummer Library Art Gallery, 425 Douro Fourth Line Road, Hamlet of Douro, Ont.
08 Jul - 27 Aug 20 The Buckhorn Artists' Group
Opening Reception 10 Jul 20 from 7-8 p.m.
05 May - 30 Jun 21 The Buckhorn Artists' Group
Opening Reception 07 May 21 from 7-8 p.m.
05 Jan - 30 Mar 22 The Art of Daniel Marlatt and Susan Sydney
Opening Reception 07 Jan 22 from 7-8 p.m.

Please come out and enjoy the artwork displayed at these shows.

Eels Lake I-III

Since Ron didn't have to go in to work today and the weather was nice, we decided that we would take the canoe and head up toward Bancroft so I could take some photographs of the autumn colours which are a lot further along than they are here.

I thought that we would stop and go in to either Loon Call Lake or Wolf Lake, but Ron wanted to try a lake that we hadn't been to before so we ended up at Eel's Lake.

When we arrived, we could see that the water levels were down at least 2-1/2 - 3ft (.76 - .91m), which allowed many rocks, stumps and logs showing which would normally be submerged.

Eels Lake I

As usual we headed up the lake until we were as far as we wanted to go for the trip and turned the canoe around and I would work on drawings and take reference photographs while Ron went fishing.

I did a drawing of a large pine tree on an island which was at our turning point.















Eels Lake II

As we continued on our way back be went in between a chain of islands and the shore, both of which had cottages and boat docks.

My second drawing was of an island with a large number of pine, cedar and maple trees, which at a later date I may do a large painting in either watercolour or acrylic.














Eels Lake III

As we returned to the boat launch Rob decided he wanted to try one last time to catch a fish and we went into the shallow inlet on the far side of the dock.

Unfortunately for Ron, this trip the only thing he managed to catch was a couple of the sunken logs in the inlet. All in all it was an enjoyable day out on the lake.