Lovesick Lake XV-XIX

Today we decided it would be a good day to take the canoe and go out on the lake for the first time this year. We picked Lovesick Lake as there is usually plenty of parking and it has easy access to the lake.

It didn't take long to get the canoe into the water, our gear loaded and we were on our way up the lake.














Lovesick Lake XV

We went up the main channel until we came to this island with the cottage on it and I worked on my sketch while Ron started fishing.

The current slowly carried us back toward the main channel until Ron moved us back, so I could continue with my drawing.














Lovesick Lake XVI

With Ron having no luck catching a fish in this spot, we moved on to another location and I worked on this sketch of a seagull on a rock eating a fish while Ron tried his luck.

After a while with him still not having any luck catching a fish, we decided to have our lunch as we continued to watch the gull eating his meal.















Lovesick Lake XVII

We let the current take us through the channel that has a multitude of close to the surface submersed rocks where motor boats cannot go through without damage to their props.

Although, today there was one man who knew exactly how to go through with his small boat and when he had to lift the motor out of the water to avoid damaging it; so you know he has spent a lot of time finding the way through the channel safely.














Lovesick Lake XVIII

We stopped at a small inlet just before entering the main channel, before slowly making our way toward the boat launch.

It was near the channel marker Buoy 234 the that Ron finally caught his first fish. It was a nice sized bass and I carefully removed it from the hook and released it back into the water.

Lovesick Lake XIX

We moved across the channel to the far side of one of the smaller islands out of the way of boat traffic and Ron caught his second bass, which I carefully released back into the lake.

From there we returned to the boat launch and went home after a very enjoyable day our on the lake.

Lovesick Lake XIII - A Work in Progress

I see that my goshawk is still around. Last year, he worked his way through almost 20 squirrels; this year with not as many squirrels available he did take out a blue jay.

I didn't see him do it but, the jay feathers and the imprint in the snow told the story.

With it being Ron's birthday today and the kids bringing Chinese food for supper I didn't have a lot of time to get into anything that was going to take a lot of set up to get working on a painting.

So I decided that I would work on some of the sketches I did last summer while we were out on the lakes in the canoe or on the pontoon boat.

I chose this one of  Lovesick Lake (see post on 08 June 2020) and started working on putting in the far shoreline.

From there, I put in some of the trees on the island and it wasn't long before Christine and Kyle arrived bring supper.













Christine had baked a "turtle" cake for him, as she felt that at age 65 he would slow down to turtle speed which, we both knew would never happen.

While Kyle went own to the barn to get Ron, we got everything set out for supper.

We had an enjoyable supper, followed by singing "Happy Birthday" to Ron , who managed to blow out the candles with no problem.

After dessert was finished, we decided to spend the rest of the evening playing Chinese checkers.

Time passes quickly when you're having fun and all too soon, they had to go home.

It won't be long before it is Christine's birthday.

Lovesick Lake XI - A Work in Progress

Today I thought I would work on this piece that I started last year (see posts on 07 July and 22 August 2019).

I started by finishing the large pine tree, from there I worked on the next largest tree on the right side of the drawing.















Next, I started on the smaller trees beginning on the left side and working across to the right.

But before I could finish the final tree, Christine came over for a visit.

I will post this drawing again once it is completed.

Lovesick Lake XIII and XIV

With today being a bright, warm 75F (24C) and sunny day we decided to take the canoe and go to Lovesick Lake.

Lock 28 - Burleigh Falls offers a great boat launch and plenty of parking, making it easy to load the canoe from shore and go out and enjoy the day on the lake.

We went through the channel between the shore and Ruba Island. Once we were passing by Richards Island on our left and a large unnamed island on our right Ron started fishing and I worked on a sketch.














Lovesick Lake XIII

It wasn't long before Ron caught a Large Mouth Bass as we were near Taylors Island. We went around the unnamed island and stopped to have lunch.

Ron returned to his fishing and I started on a sketch of gulls relaxing on some rocks protruding from the lake.















Lovesick Lake XIV

Between Beaver Islands and Porter Island Ron caught another Bass and it was time to head back to the boat launch.

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

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

Lovesick Lake IX

Today with the winds of 23mph (37km) and gusts of 37mph (60km) this morning the winds lifted my patio table and broke the platform as well as moving all the chairs together with the exception of one onto the front lawn.

After I finished the barn chores, I picked them up and moved them to the back of the house where they would not be blown away or damaged.

I decided that I would like to finish this drawing that I sketched last year when Ron and I were out on Lovesick Lake.

















I started with the large pine tree on the island and gradually added the smaller trees, the bushes and the growies at the base of the pine tree. 

Next, I put in the outline of the rocks followed by the shading on them.

Into the background, I added the two islands, followed by putting in the horizon line.

Lastly, I indicated a few of the waves at the base of the main island.

This 7" x 9" pen and ink drawing when matted and shrink wrapped will be available for $60.00.

Lovesick Lake IX, XI and XII - Three Works in Progress

Today I wanted to do a little more work on these drawings that I had started last month (see post on 07 July 2019).

On the first one I worked on the tall pine tree on the small island and managed to complete the one side of the tree and some of the ground at its base before I was interrupted.















Lovesick Lake IX

After lunch I thought I would work on another of the drawings and I started with this one. I managed to get the cottage indicated with some of the trees and bushes around it, as well as the tree tops on the larger pines before it was time to get supper ready.















Lovesick Lake XII

I started to work on the next, but I wasn't destined to get more than a few of the top branches finished and indicating the branches on the largest tree, before I had unexpected company arrive. 












Lovesick Lake XI

I will post each of these drawings as more work on them is done or they are completed.

Lovesick Lake IX-XII - Four Works in Progress

This morning the five baby swallows left the nest and are out flying with their parents. I do hope they all survive and hopefully will return next year.

Today Ron and I went out to Lovesick Lake to go canoeing.















Lovesick Lake IX

Ron wanted to try out the small trawling motor he had gotten for the new flat back canoe to see how long the batteries would last.

We paddled out from the boat launch area by Lock 28 Burleigh Falls and headed for the channel. Once in the channel Ron started the motor and we continued through the channel, watching for the submerged rocks and trees scattered throughout the middle channel.















Lovesick Lake X

At the halfway point we let the canoe drift while Ron fished and I did a number of sketches of the islands and trees.

After a while the wind came up and it started to cloud over and we decided to head back to the boat launch taking a different channel on the way back.












Lovesick Lake XI

On our way back, we went past Porter Island where there once had been a majestic pine tree which had been stuck by lightning since we were last there. The nice thing was that a pair of ospreys had built a nest and I managed to get a number of photographs of them.

It wasn't long before we made it back to the boat launch.

Ron was very pleased to see that after over an hour of use, the battery on his trawling motor was still more than half charged.

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

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


Lovesick Lake XII

Shades of Summer Art Show and Art @ the Locks Show

The high heat 87F (30.6C) and humidity 100F (37.8C) will continue to increase until the middle of the week when we are to get a break for a day or two before it returns.

This is another of the sketches I did last month while we were out canoeing on Lovesick Lake.

It is a scene from Beaver Island where the cabin that had once been on the property had burnt to the ground with nothing to indicate it had ever existed other than the trees which had surrounded it were charred more than halfway up their trunks and the lack of any form of vegetation within the area.

What was interesting was that the outhouse remained untouched further back in among the trees and that this part of the deck with a barbecue, a couple of chairs and a few small wooden tables sat exposed to the elements.

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

Traffic was fairly steady at Lockside both with foot traffic and from people off the boats going through the Lock, although the temperatures did keep the numbers down from last year.














Lovesick Lake V - Survivors

With it being the last day of the show we took everything down in the evening.

Up in Buckhorn three paintings were sold by Ron Desjardine and one sculpture and pottery was sold by JoAnne Connell Northey. Small items were purchased from Diane Collins and Penny Little.

Hopefully some of you will make it out to see the show.

The hours for our show are:
16 Aug 15 - 12:30pm - 4:00pm
17 Aug 15 - 10:00am - 4:00pm
18 Aug 15 - 10:00am - 4:00pm
19 Aug 15 - 10:00am - 4:00pm
20 Aug 15 - 10:00am - 4:00pm
21 Aug 15 - 10:00am - 4:00pm
22 Aug 15 - 10:00am - 4:00pm
23 Aug 15 - 12:30pm - 4:00pm

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork.

Orange Evening

Each day the heat and humidity continue to increase and today is no exception with the temperature at 86F (30C) and the humidity making it feel like 102F (39C).

I thought instead of working outside in the garden that I would take my paints and find a place by one of the lakes and paint.

Since I didn't want to travel very far, I went up Highway 28 until I came to the Trent-Severn Waterway Lock 28 - Burleigh Falls. I parked the car in the lot and took my art supplies and chair and set myself up along the far end of the concrete edge of the boat launch out of the way of people using the launch.

I could look out across Lovesick Lake and see the Buckhorn shoreline to my right and Ruba Island across the channel on the left.














I lightly indicated the horizon line and the land on each side of the channel with a pencil. It was at this point that I decided I would make it an evening scene.

I wet the paper thoroughly, then washed in the sky and the water and using mixtures of burnt sienna, raw sienna and alizarin crimson. While the paper was still damp, I added French ultramodern blue to the sky colours and put in the evening clouds into the sky and their reflections into the water.

It didn't take long for the paper to dry completely and I mixed burnt sienna with a little bit of the blue and painted in Ruba Island on the left side and the reflections into the water below the rocky shoreline.

This was followed by painting the closer shore using a darker mixture of the same two colours and adding more details to the trees, rocky shoreline and into the reflections on the lake.

This original 11" x 15" watercolour painting when framed will be available for $295.00. SOLD