ACEO - Morning Pond 1

Today I wanted to work on something that wouldn't take a lot of time to complete so I pulled out this painting that I had started earlier this year (see post on 01 January 2019).

I started in the background and completed the pine trees and areas of brush and deciduous trees using carious mixtures of Antwerp blue, French ultramarine blue, raw sienna, aureolin and new gamboge.

Adding a little more Antwerp blue to some of the pale green I brushed in the water of the pond.

Using a darker green I put in the background reeds and the stalks on the foreground reeds.














Next using burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue I painted in the cattails, being careful to leave areas on two of them for the pale coloured open seed heads. I also indicated a few cattail heads into the background reeds.

Lastly, I put in the foreground reeds using a mix of French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue and aureolin.

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.

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.

Clear Lake II

I have been working on this drawing for a while (see posts on 09 June 2013, 23 March and 12 October 2016, 05 March and 17 May 2017).

First I started by putting in the remaining background trees in behind the three pine trees and behind the large rocks on the left side of the drawing.














To finish this drawing I added the shadows onto all the rocks in the background.

This original 6-1/4" x 9" pen and ink drawing when matted and shrink wrapped will be available for $50.00.

Clear Lake IX

I wanted to finish this drawing that I had originally started a long time ago (see posts on 09 June 2013, 27 May, 18 July and 29 August 2017) while canoeing on Clear Lake.

I started by completing the deciduous trees in the centre area of the drawing and put in the background trees in behind.

Next I added more of the rocks against the shoreline and added the shadows and reflections to each of them until the foreground area was complete.













I then added the background across the distant shore and put in the various pine trees across the island and a few into the background.

Lastly I added a mother duck and her young ducklings following along behind into the water of the lake.

This original 6" x 9" pen and ink drawing when matted and shrink wrapped will be available for $40.00.

OSWOA - Evening Marsh 1

I wanted to finish this painting that I have been working on for quite a while (see posts on 11 December 2011, 31 January, 19 March and 12 May 2016 and 19 August 2017).

With various mixtures of burnt sienna, raw sienna and French ultramarine blue I first painted the reeds by the dead cedar behind the fallen tree trunk.

Then I put in some grasses and growies at the base of the trees in the background on the left side of the painting.














Lastly I added more grasses and growies at the base of the foreground trees on the left side

If you would like more information about OSWOA please go to my post on 12 March 2010.

The OSWOA shown here is an original watercolour painting using Artist quality Winsor & Newton paint on 300lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $40.00 and sold unframed.

Clear Lake IX - A Work in Progress

I wanted to do more work on this drawing and at least finish the reeds.

I started with the ones on the left side adding in more reeds in among the ones that were already there until I was happy with the arrangement.

From there I moved to the rocks on the right side and added in some reeds in behind those rocks.














Next I added the reed reflections into the water and added a few more water ripples into the water.

I was not ready to put in the shoreline behind the foreground rocks so instead I put in the tops of the two large pine trees into the background.

I will post this drawing at a later date once the background trees have been completed.

Clear Lake IX - A Work in Progress

I wanted to do some work on this sketch and try to get all nine pieces of Clear Lake at least started (see post on 09 June 2013).

I thought I would like to add a mother duck and her brood of ducklings into the foreground in front of the rocks.

Along the shoreline of Clear Lake there were a number of areas that had bull rushes close to the shore and I added them into the drawing to create interest and depth in the picture.














First I put in the closer rocks, the small pine trees, the grasses and added the shadows to the rocks and reflections beneath them.

From there I started on the bull rushes and cattails behind the rocks and then added a few of the reeds to the left side of the drawing.

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

Clear Lake II - A Work in Progress

The swallows have arrived! I saw one pair of barn swallows and two pairs of tree swallows. Hopefully this year they will nest again in the barn and in the surrounding trees.

I decided that I would continue to ink in this drawing (see posts on 09 June 2013, 23 March and 12 October 2016 and 05 March 2017).

First, I lightly put in the distant trees into the background behind the far rocks.













Next I indicated the top of the distant rocks and then the closer rock, at which time I added the small pine tree.

Then I turned my attention to completing the three large trees on the island.

I will post this painting at a later date once I have completed the shadows on the rock.

Clear Lake II - A Work in Progress

I wanted to do a little more work on this drawing that I have been working on for a while (see posts on 09 June 2013, 23 March and 12 October 2016).

The drawing seemed to lack definition, so I went in with a pencil and added more details to the large foreground trees, indicated a large rock on the right side and added a pine tree.

With the fine liner I put more cattails in front of the island and also a few more of the water ripples.














Next I added some of the branches and needles onto the foreground pine trees.

I kind of like the way it looks, having a mix of the pen and ink and graphite pencil.

I will post this drawing again once I decide if I am going to leave the drawing as it is, or when I have completed the trees on the island.

Morning Fisherman 1 - A Work in Progress

Last night there was a full moon and early this morning it was setting in the west as the sun was coming up in the east. The sky was a mix of greys and yellows.

I thought an early morning sketch with a blue heron patiently waiting for its prey to swim by and be caught would make in interesting drawing.

I started with the heron first and placed him standing on a rock.

Next I put in the distant shoreline with some trees behind the heron and then I placed the full moon in the sky to the left.

Lastly, I added in some bull rushes or cattails around the heron to finish the drawing.

I will post this drawing again at a later date once I have completed the sky and water.

Clear Lake II - A Work in Progress

I pulled out this drawing that I had worked on earlier this year (see posts on 09 June 2013 and 23 March 2016).

First I added a few rocks and grasses at the base of the tree trunks as well as some small bushes.














Next I worked on the cattails in front of the rocks and added some ripples from the fast moving water going past the island.

I will post this drawing at a later date once I decide what I want to do with the background and the trees.

Clear Lake IV - Sitting Ducks I

I wanted to complete this drawing that I worked on last month (see posts on 09 June 2013 and 05 August 2016).

First I added in the rest of the cattails to the right of the large rock and the more I looked at the drawing the more I felt that something was missing.

Using a pencil, I lightly sketched in a pair of ducks sitting on the large rock near the cattails; it was at this point that I decided to change the name of the drawing to Sitting Ducks.











I carefully inked them in and then added some cast shadow onto the rock and put in some of their reflections into the water.

This original 4-1/2" x 9” pen and ink drawing when matted and shrink wrapped with be available for $40.00.

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

Clear Lake IV - A Work in Progress

The temperature is hot 93F (34C) and with the humidity it feels like 109F (43C).

Even though the Meteorological Report from Environment Canada was sending out severe thunderstorm warnings, high wind warnings and hail warnings all we received was a sprinkle of rain. It wasn't even enough to dampen the dust on the driveway.

I pulled this drawing out that I had started a number of years ago (see post on 09 June 2013).











First I put in  the rocks and the shadows on them and then I added in the water ripples.

I started to put in some bull rushes before I ran out of time and had to leave it to finish on another day.

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

Clear Lake II - A Work in Progress

I pulled out this sketch that I started a few years ago while out in the canoe on Clear Lake (see post on 09 June 2013).

I started with the pine tree trunks but just couldn't get into finishing them, so I moved onto adding grasses and growies at the base of the main tree trunk.

Next I started adding a few of the bull rushes that were just off the shore by the main tree trunk.















Next I added a few more of the rushes along the front of the island.

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

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

Lake Reflections I - revisited

Today, I was going to cut mats and backing for some of my pen and ink drawings; that is until I came across this drawing that wasn't finished.

It didn't have the reflections in the lake (see posts on 12 June and 30 November 2014 and 13 April 2015).















It didn't take long for me to put in the reflections onto the lake's surface.

Now, I can erase the pencil lines and get the mats cut and get it ready for framing.

Lake Reflections I

Today I was going to paint with the Lakefield Creative Arts Guild but with the weather being so nice, sunny and warm 62F (16.7), I decided to work outside in the garden.

Later in the day after I had finished the section of my garden I wanted to clear, I thought that I would mat and shrink wrap a number of the pen and ink drawings I had completed last year.

I pulled out the mats I would like for the various drawings and found that there were a couple that needed a little more work before they were finished.















This was one of them and it needed a little more land put into the background (see posts on 12 June and 30 November 2014).

By the time they were finished I didn't have time to cut mats; but when this original 7" x 9-1/2” pen and ink drawing is matted and shrink wrapped it will be available for $50.00.

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

Reeds 4-6 Three Works in Progress

Today I was over at my friend Heather's along with Irene and the three of us worked on our paintings.

Where we are set up on Heather's kitchen table we are able to look out the window and see the inlet and a section of Lake Chemong.

I decided that I wanted to paint the reeds and bull rushes from the inlet.


Reeds 4

Mixing up Antwerp blue with a little burnt sienna gives a wide range of lovely green greys which make a wonderful under paint for the calm water of the inlet.

I worked back and forth on all three of these paintings.

I started with the paler background colour of the slowly moving water with the sunlit reflecting off of it.


Reeds 5

Then each painting was set aside to allow it to dry.

A slightly darker mixture was made by adding more pigment and a touch more burnt sienna.

To the first one I added in the mass of reeds. With the second one I added a little raw sienna to the mixture and started to indicate the brighter coloured reeds.



Reeds 6

I will post these paintings at a later date as they are completed.

Reeds 2 - A Work in Progress

I was just playing with various mixtures of green and made some of the reed leaves that are often found on the edge of lakes and marshes.

I indicated the water with a bit of blue paint and using dry brush put in a little of the background with burnt sienna.

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

Brief Moment

It is in the brief moment before night falls when the breeze causes the soft rustling of the reeds and cattails along with that of the dying leaves still hanging tightly on the tree branches to a create a soft symphony of sound.














This is an original 5-1/2" x 7” framed watercolour available for $165.00.