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.

ACEO - Morning Fisherman 2

Today I decided to finish this painting that I had started a couple of years ago (see posts on 07 February 2017 and 08 December 2018).

First, I mixed a couple of different greens with French ultramarine blue, raw sienna and new gamboge. I painted in the distant shore on the right side of the lake and then using a sponge, I dotted the leaves into the area above where a tree would be located on the rock spit.

Next, I mixed a brown of burnt sienna and the remaining green paint for the tree trunk and branches.

With burnt sienna I put in the rock reflections into the water.















For the fisherman I used cadmium yellow for the shirt, French ultramarine blue for the jeans and a mix of the blue and burnt sienna for the hat.

Lastly, the all important fishing pole and line were put in with the hat colour and a small amount of the tree trunk colour to darken it slightly.

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.

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

ACEO - Pink Sky 4

Today I wanted to work on a small painting, so I chose this one that was part of a series of paintings with "pink" skies (see posts on 16 October 2016, 14 May 2017 and 05 June 2018).

I started with the background and added in a few pine trees throughout the distant shore.

With the dark green I put the needles on the branches of the largest pine tree.

From there I added some Antwerp blue to the green and put the needles onto the middle tree, followed by adding a few needles onto the branches of the far right tree that had lost many branches through the years.

At the left side of the island I added a young tree.

Using the dark green, I painted in the trunks and branches.

Grasses and growies were added to the base of the trees and in various places by the rocks.

Using burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue I added the shadows onto the rocks.

Lastly, with a light tint of Alizarin crimson I brushed a few lines of pink across the surface of the lake to change it from one solid colour.

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.

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.

ACEO - Pink Sky 2

Today I wanted to finish a painting and I picked this one that I had worked on for a few years (see posts on 16 October 2016, 14 May 2017 and 05 January 2018).

I started by mixing a variety of greens using French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, new gamboge, raw sienna and burnt sienna.

Beginning with the centre pine tree I applied a medium green for the first layer of needles and worked from the top of the tree to the branches at the bottom.

I repeated this process on the pine trees on either side of the first pine tree.

Using a darker green, I put in the shadows throughout the needles on each of the three pine trees this was followed by applying a light green on the ends of the pine needles on all the trees.

With a dark of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, I put in the tree trunks and branches to the pine trees and added a couple of dead pine trees.

Grasses were added around the base of the tree trunks with raw sienna and lastly, with one of the greens reflections were put into the water below the island.

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.

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.

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.

Early Morning 2 - A Work in Progress

It continues to be hot 84F (29C) and the humidity making it feel like 100F (38C).

This morning I saw a couple of flocks of geese and pulled out this little painting that had geese flying and getting ready to head south.

Using a grey of burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue I indicated the trees on the far horizon first.















I darkened the grey slightly and put in the trees on the far side of the water.

Lastly, with a slightly darker grey I put in the geese and the maple tree in the foreground.

I will post this painting once it has been completed.

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

ACEO - River Morning 1

This morning I looked at the two Monarch butterfly chrysalis on the outside of the front porch.

The first one that was at the lower part of the porch window frame had changed and you could see through the outer shell the darker veining in between the areas of the orange on the wings and some of the white markings.

More than likely the butterfly will emerge either later today or very early tomorrow morning. I will keep checking on it and hopefully be able to watch it happen.

The second chrysalis, which is on the corner of the upper window on the porch, hasn't started to change colour and probably won't emerge today, perhaps sometime tomorrow.

I will just have to be patient.

In the meantime I thought I would work on this painting that I had started a few years ago (see posts on 13 September 2015 and 26 February 2018).

The first thing I did was bring the orange and peach colours from the sky further down into the water making the river wider.

With a pale mixture of burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue I put in the furthest back tree trunks on the far shore and gradually darkened the colour and increased the size of the tree trunks as the trees came closer to the river.

Darkening the colour more I put in the largest tree trunk on the shore in the foreground.

Next I mixed a pale green of raw sienna, French ultramarine blue and Antwerp blue and using a sponge I put the leaves on the furthest back trees first. Then I slightly darkened the green mix and put in each layer of trees on the far shore.

At this point I put the grasses at the edge of the shore leaving some areas untouched for the rocks at the river's edge.

I wet the river with clear water and using the green brushed in the reflections of the closer trees into the water.

While the river was drying I darkened the green mix and with the sponge I put the leaves on the foreground tree.

Lastly, I painted in the grasses and the growies at the base of the foreground tree and on the closer shore.

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

ACEO - Peach Sky 2 and 3

While going through some small paintings, I pulled out these two pieces that I had started a couple of years ago (see post on December 2016).

With Peach Sky 3 I had to turn it upside down and then the two of them when placed side by side matched at the edges and may be framed as a diptych.

I worked on both of them at the same time so that one ran across and would seem as a part of the other.

Peach Sky 2

First I lightly marked in the waterline on both pieces with a pencil so I had a base for the rocky shore.

Using various greens and greys, made from French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, raw sienna and new gamboge, I started at one side and worked across adding the pines trees being sure to leave a space between the waterline and the tops of the rocks.

To complete both pieces I used a mixture of burnt sienna and raw sienna to put in the rocks.














Peach Sky 3

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork.

If you would like more information about ACEO please go to my post on 11 March 2010.

The ACEO shown here are all original watercolour paintings using Artist quality Winsor & Newton paint on 140lb. Fabriano 100% cotton, acid free watercolour paper. They are priced at $20.00 each and sold unframed.

ACEO - Peaceful Morning 1

Today I wanted to finish this piece that I had started a while ago (see posts on 10 September 2014 and 26 February 2018).

I started by putting in the far shoreline trees with various greens made from French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, raw sienna and new gamboge.

Next, using burnt sienna and a tiny amount of alizarin crimson I indicated the rocks at the edge of the water.

Now it was time to start on the island in the foreground.

Using the same green mixtures from the background trees with the addition of small amounts of burnt sienna I put in the large pines.

With French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I put in the dead tree trunks; and then adding a little alizarin crimson I painted in the rocks on the waterline.

Lastly, I added the grasses and growies at the base of the pines and in among the rocks.

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

ACEO - Quiet Place 2

Overnight we had freezing fog which coated all the trees and grasses in little white crystalline coats, which is why today I wanted to finish this painting that I had started a while ago (see posts on 12 November 2014 and 09 December 2016).

First I wanted to put some of the sky colour into the snow, so I used alizarin crimson and Antwerp blue and brushed a pale wash of each colour across the snow.

Next I mixed a grey of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna and painted in the bare tree trunks and branches as well as the rail fence.















To compete the painting I used various mixtures of raw sienna, burnt sienna, new gamboge and alizarin crimson for the grasses and growies poking up out of 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. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

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

ACEO - Pink Sky 5

Today isn't too bad outside with the temperature at F (6C), with the wind making it feel like F (-2C).

I pulled this painting out that I started a couple of years ago (see post on 16 October 2016) and lightly drew in the top of a pine tree.

Using combinations of French ultramarine blue, raw sienna and new gamboge I painted in the needles on the pine tree.

Next I put in the pine tree trunk and branches using French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

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

Mornings - Two Works in Progress

After returning from the Executive meeting at KAGS I wanted to do some work on a painting and I pulled out these two drawings and wanted to at least put in the skies.

The first one (see post on 13 September 2015) already had some colour in the sky and I wanted to darken it slightly.

In the bottom of the sky I washed in aureolin, then added alizarin crimson and put in the centre of the sky and into the water.

Lastly, I added more red and put it into the top of the sky and into the water.

River Morning 1

I set this painting aside to dry and picked another drawing to put in the sky and reflections using the same colours.

For the next piece that started a long time ago (see post on 10 September 2014) I wet the paper and started with aureolin in the bottom of the sky and in the water nearest to the shoreline.

I added alizarin crimson and brushed in the middle of the sky and the water.

Adding more red I finished the sky and water.

Peaceful Morning 1

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

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.

Pink Sky 2-4 - Three Works in Progress

It shows how hard the winter is this year for the birds, as today I had a small flock of snow buntings come to the lawn for the cracked corn.

The temperature as I headed down to do the barn chores was -9F (-23C) with the wind chill making it feel like -33F (-36C), the nice thing was that by the afternoon it had warmed up to -6F (-21C) and feeling like -29F (-34C).

I wanted to work on these three paintings that I started a couple of years ago (see posts on 16 October 2016 and 14 May 2017).

Pink Sky 2

I started by mixing a number of different green mixtures using French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, cobalt blue, raw sienna, new gamboge and burnt sienna.

Working back and forth on each of the three paintings I added some needles onto each of the trees in various greens letting the paint dry between each layer.

Unfortunately, for most of the day I was interrupted a number of times by telephone calls and this made it difficult to get back to do work on each painting and some got further along than on others.

Pink Sky 3

Each of the paintings will require a couple more layers of colour on the needles as well as the tree trunks and branches added onto them.

I will post each of these paintings as they are completed.

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










Pink Sky 4

Pink Sky 7 - A Work in Progress

It is Christmas eve and I thought I would work on this little painting, which I started last year (see post on 26 December 2016).

Using a pencil, I lightly drew in the outline of the rock face in the foreground that would be touched by the sunlight and be lighter in colour.

This was followed by indicating the shoreline on the land in the background.

Next I indicated the tree trunks and the main branches of a couple of pine trees on the rock face.

Using a pale mix of Antwerp blue and raw sienna I painted in the trees on the far shore leaving the paper above the horizon line untouched.

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

ACEO - Early Morning 1

Today we are supposed to have a high of 23F (-5C) and with the wind chill it will feel like 16F (-9C) which is a lot warmer than yesterday when I had no heat for most of the day.

We did however, have a beautiful sunrise and I thought I would finish this painting that I had started quite a while ago (see posts on 11 February 2013 and 22 July 2016), by adding some of the sky colours which were reflected onto the snow.

Next I painted in the tree trunks and fence rails with various mixes of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.















Lastly, I added in some of the grasses and growies at the base of the trees and some of the ones poking out of 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. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

Rural Outlook - A Work in Progress

Today I was painting with the Buckhorn Tuesday Painting Group and for a change decided to work in acrylic on canvas.

I used various mixtures of Hansa yellow, burnt sienna and Grumbacher red for the sky.

With cobalt blue and various mixes of the sky colours I painted in the fields starting with the one furthest away and gradually moving until the foreground field was complete.

Using various red, yellow and burnt sienna mixtures I put in the trees against the sky and the larger one behind the barn.














With mixtures of burnt sienna and cobalt blue I put in the roadway to the barn and added the fence rails on the far side of the roadway.

Next I put in the red barns, the one on the hilltop and the other one in the foreground and then I added a little titanium white to the road mixture and put on the barn roofs and the under paint for the closer fence posts.

I will post this painting later once I have completed the fence and decided if I would put people walking to the barn to start their morning chores.

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

ACEO - Morning Sky 10

When I returned from my physiotherapy appointment, I wanted to work on something I could finish today so I pulled out this painting that I had started earlier this year (see post on 28 February 2017).

Using French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I painted in the tree trunks and main branches.

With mixtures of French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, new gamboge and aureolin I added the foliage onto the 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.