Murex Shell 1 - A Work in Progress

It is another cold day with the temperature at 9F (-13C) with the wind chill making it feel like -9F (-23C) and more snow falling to make things more difficult. The drive into KAGS wasn't as bad as expected, but then I left fairly early for the Still Life class.

The theme for the class was "At the Beach" and we had many seashells of various sizes and shapes, jewellery made of coral and shells, beach towels, sandals, sun glasses and many other things you would take with you to the beach.















Since many of the larger shells were mine, I chose to start on a small Murex shell that another member brought in for the display.

After the break I didn't have much time to work on my drawing as I was busy getting the themes for the remaining Still Life classes put together and ready for the printer.

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

Wine and Beer - Two Works in Progress

These are the remaining two sketches that I started in the Still Life class at KAGS earlier this month (see post on 24 January 2019).

This one was of the display featuring the wine bottles and various wine glasses.

We had five different types of wine glasses, a couple of smaller cut crystal glasses, two long stemmed tulip glasses, one of which was tinted blue and a tall Champagne flute.

Ginger ale was put into a couple of the glasses to imitate sparkling wine.

Wine

There were two bottles of Vidal Icewine one from Jackson-Triggs and the other from Reif Estate Winery to complete the wine display.

The last grouping features beer.

The beer mug was filled part way with a cola to imitate beer, but of course it was not the right colour.

There was an O'Keefe's beer chalice and an Old Vienna stange glass.















Beer

There was a bottle of Budweiser and another of Barking Squirrel set in behind one of the glasses and at the base of the beer bottles there was a lemon and a lime to add colour to the display.

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

Thank you for looking at my artwork.

ACEO - Snow Storm 1

I wanted to complete at least one painting today and I wanted work on this piece that I started a number of years ago (see posts on 23 Oct 2016 and 20 March 2017).

First I wet the paper slightly across the foreground and while it was drying I used French ultramarine blue and raw sienna for the foreground trees.















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.

Baileys and Spirits - Two Works in Progress

Today I was at KAGS for the Still Life class in the morning and sitting the Gallery in the afternoon.

The theme for the class was "Things Found in a Bar".

We had four different displays, with the first one featuring a bottle of Baileys Original Irish Cream and two glasses for Irish Coffee.

The second display featured various spirits and had a bottle of Disaronno with a matching glass, which we partially filled with Pepsi to imitate having liquor in the glass. But the colour didn't match the colour of the alcohol.

Baileys

There was a bottle of Speyside 12 year old single malt Scotch Whisky together with a couple of shot glasses, a tumblers and a pair of Highball glasses.

There were lemons and limes scattered around the bottles and glasses.















Spirits

I will post these two drawings at a later date as more work on them is completed.

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

Monochrome and Black and White Show

Today is the first day of the Monochrome and Black and White exhibit at KAGS.

Some monochromes were drawings using only burnt sienna, burnt umber, or Payne's grey.

Mine was using only French ultramarine blue with the darkest being the colour straight from the tube with no water added to a very pale mix with just a tiny amount of colour added to water to just tint the paper.

There were a number of monochrome paintings in the show where the base colour of burnt umber, red oxide, viridian, cobalt blue or turquoise was changed with the addition of black and white paint.












Two paintings that I found interesting were poured acrylic abstracts, the first was of black and white only and the second one was of black, white and cobalt blue.

For the black and white only, there were a number of pen and ink drawings; some were very detailed and others that were quick sketches.










There were a couple of lino prints that were quite interesting and showed another way to use black and white.

The majority of the black and white pieces were created using graphite pencil. Some of which were so realistic that they could almost pass as photographs.















Needless to say there were also a number of black and white photographs in the show featuring a wide range of subject matter.

On the whole it is a wonderful exhibit and beautifully presented.













The show runs from today through to 24 February with the opening reception being held on Sunday, 27 January from 1-4 p.m.

If you have the chance, please come out and see this exhibit.

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.

Asian Still Life - Two Works in Progress

Today I am at KAGS for my first Still Life class of the New Year.

Our theme for today's class was "All Things Asian" and we had an interesting selection of fans, tea cups, tea pots, bowls, chop sticks, platters and a Chinese checker board.















Asian Tea Set

For my first sketch I decided to do the first tea set with a carved fan set behind it and a large brass platter on the left side.

I may add another tea cup to the right of the tea pot, but I will wait until I have finished the drawing.















Waiting for Lunch

For my second sketch I used the tea pot and one of the tea cups again and put in a bowl and a pair of chop sticks.

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

Gathering Storm 1 - A Work in Progress

Today Norma and I were painting with the Lakefield Creative Arts Group at Saint John the Baptist Anglican Church in Lakefield.

As usual I brought my box of partially completed paintings that I take with me and chose this one to try and finish that I had started a number of years ago when I taught a class on how to paint different types of skies (see posts on 12 January, 19 February and 15 May 2015 and 24 January 2017).

I washed in some alizarin crimson across the rocks in the foreground and while the paint was still wet, I dropped in a small amount of burnt sienna in spots to create texture.

With various mixtures of French ultramarine blue, raw sienna, Antwerp blue and aureolin I put in the under paint for the pine needles onto the trees.



















With a mixture of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson I painted in the tree trunks and branches.

I thinned the dark mixture down with water and added a few ripples below the far shore in the background.

Next, I put some below the rocks and then added a wash of alizarin crimson for the rock reflections.

Lastly, I dotted in a small amount of alizarin crimson throughout the background trees to add a little warmth and interest.

I will post this painting at a later date once more work on the trees and rocks has been completed.

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

ACEO - Lone Pine 2

I pulled out this painting I had worked on last year (see posts on 10 April 2016 and 15 March 2018) and I wanted to get it completed today.

Using a mix of French ultramarine blue and raw sienna I indicated some tall pine trees into the background.

I darkened the green colour by adding a little more of the Frenh ultramarine blue and started to add more detail to the pine needles on the tree.

Next I added burnt sienna to the green and put in the dead branches and some of the branches

Lastly, I added some grasses at the base of the tree using raw sienna and cadmium yellow.

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

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

Douro Dummer Library Art Gallery Exhibition

Today Daniel Marlatt and I are setting up our art show at the Douro-Dummer Library Art Gallery which is located at 425 Douro Fourth Line Road, Hamlet of Douro, Ontario.










We brought in our art work and after setting it around the walls and book cases on the lower level of the library/gallery we discussed the best way to exhibit the art.











We decided that on the lower level of the gallery space we would mix our artwork on the walls and started with the long wall on the right as you enter the lower level.















My five abstract paints together with the painting of the sea anemone were set up in the centre of the display area. To the right side of the centre paintings Daniel hang four of his smaller pieces.











To the left side of the centre paintings Daniel hung one piece on the end of the wall space and I had three pieces of mine to the right of his and to the left of the centre grouping.











In the area above the bookcase at the back of the room I put one painting on each end of the care and Daniel put a number of his pieces in between.












On the left wall we started by placing a large piece of Daniel's in the centre followed by a small watercolour painting on each side of it.











On each side of the watercolour paintings were a long piece of Daniel's art followed by a small acrylic abstract of mine that picked up the colours of his art.









In the front room Daniel took the two walls closer to the entrance to the room and I took the wall between the windows over the computers and the back wall in the reference area.












I put a larger painting in the centre of the two windows and a smaller painting on each of the outer ends of the windows to balance the display.












On the wall in the reference area I hung one large painting in the centre of the wall.
















The show begins today and runs through to the 22 March, with the Opening Reception on Friday the 11 January from 7-8 p.m.

If you have the chance, please come out and enjoy the exhibit and we look forward to seeing you at the opening.

Moonlit Creek I - A Work in Progress

This morning I was greeted with a Freezing Rain Warning on The Weather Network and as I went down to do the barn chores the temperature was 7F (-14C) and the wind chill made it feel like -2F (-19C). Needless to say, I left the horses in for the day just to be safe.

Since I had no plans to go out today, I thought I would like to do a little more work on this drawing that I had started a number of years ago (see posts on 24 June 2014 and 18 August 2018).














I started on the right side of the drawing and finished the pine trees, followed by adding in the rocks at the edge of the river.

Next, I put the ripples into the water of the creek, and adding more grasses and growies on both sides of the drawing.

Lastly, I put in the full moon and some of the clouds in the sky. I will post this drawing 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.

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.

Winter Trees 8 - A Work in Progress

Today the temperature is hovering around the freezing mark 32F (0C) and it is raining, but it could as easily change to freezing rain or snow.

I started by putting in the sky with washes of cobalt blue and alizarin crimson and continued with slightly darker mix of the same two colours into the snow.

Next I ran a little bit of the red in a few spots on the top of the snowbank.

Using a mix of cobalt blue and burnt sienna I put in some of the main tree trunks and branches.

I wanted to think about what more I would like to do with the trees and I set it aside to dry.

Once it dried I indicated a few pine trees and more branches on the trees.

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

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

Confirmed Shows for 2019 - January

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 and Studio, Peterborough, Ont.
KAGS
28 Nov - 21 Dec 18 and 02-20 Jan 19 On the Move
Opening Reception 03 Dec 18 from 1-4 p.m.
23 Jan – 24 Feb 19 Monochrome and Black and White
Opening Reception 27 Jan 19 from 1-4 p.m.
27 Feb - 24 Mar 19 Awakenings
Opening Reception 03 Mar 19 from 1-4 p.m.
27 Mar – 02 May 19 SPARK Photography Show
Opening Reception 07 Apr 19 from 1-4 p.m.
19 Jun – 07 Jul 19 Two Guys and a Girl
Opening Reception: 23 Jun 19 from 1-4 p.m.
21 Aug - 22 Sep 19 Stems and Stuff
Opening Reception 25 Aug 19 from 1-4 p.m.
25 Sep – 27 Oct 19 Faces and Figures
Opening Reception 29 Sep 19 from 1-4 p.m.
30 Oct – 17 Nov 19 Sky, Land and Sea - Outdoor Painters' Show
Opening Reception 03 Nov 19 from 1-4 p.m.
04-22 Dec 19 and 03- Jan 20 Harvest of Colour
Opening Reception 08 Dec 19 from 1-4 p.m.

Academy Theatre, 2 Lindsay St. S., Lindsay, Ont.
Guild Room
01 Jan - 11 Feb 19

The Douro-Dummer Library Art Gallery, 425 Douro Fourth Line Road, Hamlet of Douro, Ont.
09 Jan - 22 Mar 19 The Art of Daniel Marlatt and Susan Sydney
Opening Reception 11 Jan 19 from 7-8 p.m.

St. Matthews Church, Buckhorn, Ont.
Buckhorn Artists' Group
16-18 Aug 19 29th Annual Shades of Summer Art Show

Fenelon Falls Fair Grounds, Fenelon Falls, Ont.
Kawartha Arts Festival
31 Aug - 01 Sep 19 30th Annual Kawartha Arts Festival

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

Morning Pond 1 - A Work in Progress

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!

This morning I watched the sun come up on the first day of the year.

I thought I would start by painting the morning sky with raw sienna and adding the haze from the ice crystals in the air with a pale wash of Antwerp blue.

I put in the reflected sky colour onto the distant hill followed by some cast shadows at the edges of the closer field.














Using a pale wash of alizarin crimson to warm the painting I applied it to the snow covered surface of the pond.

I added a little burnt sienna to the blue and started to put in some reeds in the foreground and decided I didn't like the way they looked.

Once the paper was dry I added in some trees on the distant hill, put in some reeds at the far edge of the pond and some growies at the edge of the field. In the foreground I put in some cattails and reeds.

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