White Cedars 1 - A Work in Progress

After having our class last month cancelled due to weather we are painting today at the church this week and will return to our usual second and fourth Tuesday of the month next week.

Today I wanted to work on slightly larger paintings than I did last month and I chose this painting that I had started a long time ago (see posts on 15 December 2011, 15 August 2017 and 23 January 2018).

With a mix of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, I painted the trunks of the five large cedar trees in the foreground.














I mixed a green of Antwerp blue and raw sienna and painted the trees on the background hills.

Next, I darkened down the green mixture and painted in the middle ground cedar tree on the left side of the stand of  white cedars.

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

Chemong Lake X and XI - Two Works in Progress

Today was another hot 82F (28C) and humid, 93F (34C) and although they are calling for thunder storms tonight, I doubt that they are going to appear.

Ron wanted to take the pontoon boat out again and see if the motor was going to work any better, so we went back to Chemong Lake.

It took at least four tries until he finally managed to get it to go into gear and take us out into the lake. This time we went up the lake to the very end.
















Chemong Lake X

Once we made it to the end, we stopped to have lunch before turning around to head back to the boat launch.

On the way back Ron stopped to try his luck at fishing, while I worked on a sketch of a nice area with bent and twisted cedars, sunken logs and lots of strong contrast with sunlight and shadows.
















Chemong Lake X

From there we moved further down the lake as Ron continued fishing, letting the current carry us along which didn't give me much time to sketch.

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

Wolf Lake V-VIII -- Four Works in Progress

With it being a nice sunny day we decided to take the canoe and go out on the lake for the day.

As we headed up Highway 28 we were talking about which of the many lakes in the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park and decided that we would go on Wolf Lake.

It didn't take long for us to unload the canoe, put our gear into it and head out onto the lake. We paddled up the lake until we came to one of the inlets and I started sketching while Ron got his rod out and cast his line.















Wolf Lake V

I had barely gotten started on my sketch when he caught a nice sized bass, so I had to stop what I was doing and carefully take it off the hook and release it back into the lake.

It wasn't long before we left the inlet and went onto the lake again and headed further up the lake and went to the far side of an island.















Wolf Lake VI

Once again I started on a sketch beginning with a tree stump sticking out of the water just off shore of the island and then, Ron caught a small bass. So, I had to stop and take it off the hook and release it.

I barely had time to pick up my pencil before Ron caught a larger medium sized bass for to me to remove it from the hook and release it.
Before I could clean my hands there was another medium sized bass for me to unhook and release.















Wolf Lake VII

We moved further up the lake and stopped between the shore and a large group of islands and had lunch. Then we turned the canoe around and once again I worked on a sketch while Ron went back to fishing and before long, he caught another medium sized bass and I had to set it free.

We found another inlet and at this one Ron wasn't catching a fish as soon as he cast out the line. I was able to spend some time on my drawing where I put in the island and indicated some of the land on the far side of the lake before he caught another small bass.















Wolf Lake VIII

It wasn't long before we returned to the boat launch and headed were soon heading back home.

I will post each of these drawings again when more work on them has been completed.

Simply Cedar I

I pulled out my box of dried and pressed leaves and found he parcel with small cedar branches.

After sorting through them I found four branches that would fit my canvas.

I painted my canvas with the background colour using a mixture of black and iridescent acrylic paint and set it aside to dry.

Next I used combinations of metallic paints including emerald green, copper, bronze and gold ring to imitate the colours already on the cedar branches. As each one was finished I set it aside to dry.















When the branches were completely dry I used acrylic gloss medium to glue the branches into place beginning with the ones on the bottom first and gradually working up to the ones on the top layer.

I let this layer dry and lastly to make sure they didn't move and were protected, I applied four layers of acrylic gloss varnish giving each layer time to dry completely.

This original 8" x 10" framed, mixed media painting is available for $150.00.

Selwyn Beach VII and VIII

Today was another bright and sunny day with a nice breeze, although a little cooler than yesterday at 63F (17C).

After all the work we did to clear most of the debris from the windstorm we decided to go to Selwyn Beach for a picnic. While the others were looking for "treasure" with their metal detectors I sketched the south end of the beach.

Most of the rocks at the end of the beach were underwater.

The only thing showing above the water was the top half of the post where during the summer one end of the rope is tied to mark the south edge of the beach's swimming area ends and goes the other end of the rope goes through the water across to a dead weight mooring at the north end of the beach.

Selwyn Beach VII

My first drawing was of the shoreline on the east side of Chemong Lake facing south down the lake. I started with the edge of the water on the beach and continued where the land juts out into the lake.

I added in the main trees on the shore first, followed by the grasses, growies and smaller bushes.

Lastly, I put in the horizon line and added the trees on the distant shoreline.















Selwyn Beach VIII

For my next drawing, I thought I would start with the post at the end of the submerged rocks and work my way back to where my first drawing ended.

Once the post was drawn in, I followed the path through the water first to a clump of bushes, then the top of a few rocks, followed by a small bent cedar tree, partially submerged by the high water of the lake and then, I a few more tops of rocks with some small, partially submerged bushes.

Lastly, I put in the horizon line, added trees onto the distant shoreline, a closer island and a few cottages and boat houses on the west side of the lake.

I will probably ink in both of these drawings in at a later date.

Loon Call Lake Turtle I

I thought I would like to complete this drawing of a little painted box turtle sunning himself on a fallen cedar tree trunk that I started a few of years ago (see posts on 27 September 2015 and 07 February 2018) while we were canoeing on Loon Call Lake.

The first thing I did was to redraw the turtle in order to get the proportions of the turtle and the shape of the shell correct.










I gradually added the stripes onto the head and neck, then darkened the turtle's shell leaving the light areas between the plates and finished the turtle by adding in the legs.

Lastly, I added a little more bark onto the cedar tree trunk and put in a few more ripple lines in the water beneath the tree trunk.

This little, original 3-1/2" x 9” pen and ink drawing when matted and shrink wrapped will be available for $30.00.

Colour and Composition 3-5 - Three Works in Progress

Today we had a wide variety of weather, starting with a rare winter thunder storm around 4:00am in the morning, which was followed by 1/4" (6mm) of ice accretions, changing to rain and by 2:00pm we had a flash freeze followed by 4" (10cm) of snow.














Colour and Composition 3

Since I wasn't going to go anywhere, I pulled out three paintings from my Colour and Composition class that I took with Neil Broadfoot in 2011 (see posts on 15 December 2011 and 29 January 2012).

After taking some time to look at White Cedars 1 (see post on 15 August 2017) I felt that the background colours would overpower the painting, which is why I decided to lighten each of these three pieces.














Colour and Composition 4

Using water and a soft bristle paint brush I gently lightened the darker areas of paint from each of the paintings.

On each of the three pieces I left different amounts of the green pigment, from removing all of it, leaving a faint trace and leaving a stronger but subtle amount.













Colour and Composition 5 - White Cedars 1

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

Resting Place - A Work in Progress

There is a flash freeze warning in place for this afternoon and it looks like we are going to have freezing rain all day. Needless to say, I decided that I would stay in and go through a box of art supplies that I brought down from the heated storage room I have upstairs.

While I was going through some of the pads of acrylic, pastel and drawing paper I found this partially completed drawing that I had started in the 90's when I was doing a number of drawings in pastel.

I started by blocking in the sunlit background with a pale yellow green, then applied the base for three cedar tree trunks with a medium brown followed by using a dark green for the base colour of the cedar foliage.














Using a soft grey, I put in a little bit of detail into the cedar foliage, followed by using a yellow green for some variation. Then I added a few cedar boughs of different greens to see in which direction I wanted to take the cedar colours.

Lastly, I put in the base for the foreground with yellow ochre and then started adding a little detail into the grasses with various greens into the foreground before calling it a day.

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

Dark Water I

Today I wanted to finish this drawing that I had started last year (see posts on 02 July, 20 August and 31 October 2016).

I started by putting in the rest of the trees on the distant shoreline, indicated a few rocks at the waterline and added in a few ripples into the water below the rocks.

From there I started working on putting in the shadows on the large rocks behind the pine trees and the large dead cedar tree.

I added in the growies and small bushes along the edge of the water and at the base of some of the trees.














This was followed by adding definition and shadows onto the small rocks on the shoreline.

Next I put in the two dead cedar tree trunks on the left side of the drawing.

Lastly, I added more ripples into the water in the foreground below the rocks and the shoreline.

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

27th Annual Shades of Summer Art Show and Sale

Today I thought I would work on smaller paintings today and chose this piece that I had started a while ago (see posts on 11 December 2011, 31 January, 19 March and 12 May 2016).

I added a few more cattails to the far bank of the marsh then added some reeds and growies on the closer bank.

I will post this painting a later date once I add some growies to the base of the trees and darken a couple of the tree trunks.














Evening Marsh 1

It was a fairly busy day with six paintings sold by Diane Collins, Ron Desjardine, Sharon Harper and Bonnie Windover; pottery by JoAnne Connell Northey and small items purchased from Diane Collins, Irene Smith and JoAnne Connell Northey.

The hours for our show are:
19 Aug 17 - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
20 Aug 17 - 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

We hope you will be able to come out and visit the show either today or before it closes tomorrow.

White Cedars 1 - A Work in Progress

Today is another hot 79F (26C) and humid 88F (31C) day and I thought I would do a little work on this painting that I had started quite a while (see post on 29 January 2012) ago when taking a workshop with Neil Broadfoot called "Colour and Composition" at KAGS.

Yesterday, while I was out walking through the bottom fields near the pond I came across some beautiful White Cedar trees that I had taken photographs of and I thought that I would draw some into this painting using my photographs as reference.













I started by putting in five mature Cedar trees into the foreground grouped slightly off centre. This was followed by putting in more Cedars trees of various sizes on both sides of the main trees.

Lastly, I added some trees on the far hill top.

I will post this painting at a later date once I start painting in the trees.

Big Cedar Lake V - A Work in Progress

Today I didn't feel like going out to paint so I picked this piece to do some more work on, that I had started a couple of years ago (see posts on 23 August 2015, 02 December 2016 and 28 May 2017).

I decided to extend the drawing to the full width of the paper.

I started by extending the large rock on the edge of the water across the page, followed by indicating another rock in the background.














This was followed by adding in a large tree partway between the existing trees and the edge of the paper.

Lastly, I added a number of smaller trees behind the new rock that I just added.

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

Clear Lake VIII - A Work in Progress

Today is Christine's birthday and I am here and cannot take her out for our Mother and Daughter supper at the restaurant of her choice. But I will do that once I am out of here and upwardly mobile.

I couldn't get into drawing but I needed to do something while I waited, so I looked through some of the sketches I had in one of the sketch books and settled on this one that I had started a number of years ago (see post on 09 June 2013).

I started with some of the pine and cedar trees but, decided to stop before I ruined the sketch.













I will post this drawing at a later date once more work on the trees is completed.

Thank goodness the surgeon got me in for surgery today; it means that I will get to leave the hospital soon and go back home.

Big Cedar Lake IV

Today I was painting with the St. John's Art Group in Lakefield and decided to work on this sketch that I did last year while canoeing on Big Cedar Lake (see post on 23 August 2015).

The sketch was originally of a cedar tree that had fallen over and was laying in the water and I decided that I would rather have it upright before it fell over into the lake.

I started with the dead tree trunk and then added the branches.

Lastly I put a few growies and grasses on top of the rock at the base of the tree.

This original 4" x 9” pen and ink drawing when matted and shrink wrapped will be available for $25.00.

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork.

Dark Water I - A Work in Progress

Today I wanted to do a little more work on this drawing that I started earlier this year (see posts on 02 July and 20 August 2016).

I started by putting in some of the background trees and rocks.

From there I put in the dead trees behind the pines at the edge of the lake and added some details to the grasses and growies. Then I finished the rock at the water's edge on the right side.















Next I worked on the big dead cedar tree; adding the branches, putting in the bark and shading on the tree trunk and adding the water ripples around the branch in the water and those against the shoreline.

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

Pastel Colours 1 and 2 - Two Works in Progress

Today I picked these two pieces that I drew onto watercolour paper earlier this year (see post on 14 April 2016).

On this one I brushed the sky in starting at the top with a small amount of aureolin in the upper left corner.

Using a pale wash of alizarin crimson I started with the colour in the upper right corner and gradually darkened the colour as I went down the painting leaving the bottom of the paper white.

I set this painting aside to let the sky dry.

Pastel Colors 2

I started on the next painting using alizarin crimson in the sky gradually darkening the paint toward the bottom.














Pastel Colours 1

Once again I left the bottom of the paper white.

I will post each of these paintings at a later date once they have been completed

1st Annual Outdoor Painting Festival Cavan/Millbrook

Yesterday was day one of the 1st Annual Outdoor Painting Festival Cavan/Millbrook and we signed in and had our canvases stamped at the Cavan Art Gallery at 8:00a.m. in the morning before heading out to our first painting location.

The morning was cloudy and overcast with a cold breeze blowing.

As I set up by Needler's Mill just off Distillery Road in Millbrook near Needler's Pond it started to drizzle.

Since we couldn't prime the canvases with a base coat of acrylic before signing in that is what I had to do to my first canvas.

It started to rain a little harder and since it was getting wetter instead of being able to dry, I set it under the table out of the rain and primed a second canvas.

By this time my first canvas had dried and with alizarin crimson I blocked in the trunk and branches of the northern white cedar tree, the bench and the tops of the background trees.

Using mixes of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I put in the grey sky.

A darker mix of the same colours was used for the tree.

Raw Sienna, ultramarine blue and burnt sienna were used for the grasses and the grass in shadow beneath the tree.

Then I put a little bit of titanium white onto the bench for the high lit areas.

By this time with the amount of rain on the canvas I could not get a thicker layer of paint on the canvas so I decided that I would go for lunch and hope that the rain would slow down or stop.

When I returned it had gotten colder and the wind had picked up, but I wanted to do more on the painting and I lightened the sky with a little ultramarine blue and white.

Next I added mixes of raw sienna and Hansa yellow to the sky colour for the background trees, the grass areas and the grasses in the shadowed areas.

By this time my fingers were numb and it was time to go home and warm up. I would return early in the morning and continue to work on this painting.

I arrived around 7:00a.m., which was shortly after sunrise and set up in my spot on a picnic table.

With titanium white I added some highlights to the bench before starting on the foliage of the tree.

Next I put in a few markers of raw sienna and burnt sienna for the areas where the old growth was turning brown with age and a few of the new growth of bright green with a mix of Hansa yellow and cerulean blue.

Then I finished the bench before I ran out of time and then went back to the foliage of the cedar tree using various mixtures of raw sienna, burnt sienna, Hansa yellow, ultramarine blue and cerulean blue.

Although I didn't get the painting totally finished, but when considering the conditions of the first day, I am pleased with the results and I will post this painting again at a later date once it has been completed.

Dark Water I - A Work in Progress

It is going to be another hot 90F (32F) and very humid 106F (41C) day.

Ron and I continued to work on replacing a section of the barn floor that had rotted (see post on 09 July 2016) from many years of the rain coming in through the opening in the loft where we put hay out for the horses.















By late afternoon we had it completed and Ron tossed some hay down onto the floor from the mow.

I wanted to do a little work on one of my sketches and I picked this one that I had worked on last month (see post on 02 July 2016).















I started by adding more branches and details to the dead twisted cedar tree.

Next I added in some rocks along the shoreline and a few dead pine tree trunks behind the live pines.















Lastly I drew in the distant treeline into the background.

I started with the trunk of the large cedar tree in the foreground, but before I could get too much further on the drawing I realized it was time to start supper.















I will post this drawing again once more work on it has been completed.

Fence Posts 4-6 Three Works in Progress

It is another sunny hot 86F (30C) and humid 93F (34C) day and I am going to go along more of the back roads like I did earlier this month (see post on 17 July 2016).

I thought I would continue using the same two blues: French ultramarine blue and Antwerp blue for the sky and mixtures of the two blues together with new gamboge, aureolin, burnt sienna and raw sienna for the trees and grasses.

The first place I stopped at had a bent pine tree in the background, deciduous trees in front of them all behind a fence line.

Fence Posts 4

As I did at all my previous stops when doing quick sketches I took a reference photograph before going to another location.

As I continued down the road I came upon a cluster of intertwined cedar trees close to the fence with a hay field in the background and a distant line of trees on the horizon.

First I put in the sky with a graduated wash of the two blues.

Next I blocked in a rough outline of the mass of cedars and the small pine tree with a dark green.

Fence Posts 5

That was followed by indicating the hay field and background treeline.

By this time the sun was coming around and I decided to take the next road in the direction of home.

After coming to the top of a hill in the distance I could see a part of the Miller Creek Wildlife Area.

I did this piece the same way as the others, starting with the sky, followed by the areas of woodlots and open fields.

Fence Posts 6

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

Backlot Trees 1 - A Work in Progress

It is another day of high heat 88F (31C) and humidity 99F (37C) with still no rain in sight, but hopefully we will get some rain soon.

I came across this little painting that I started last month when the KAGS Outdoor Painters' Group had a paint out at the Cavan Art Gallery.

In the afternoon we were invited to tour Galerie Q, which is two buildings away from the Cavan Art Gallery.

I worked on this painting in the morning, before we went for the tour from the parking lot of Galerie Q facing toward the Cavan Art Gallery.

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

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