Hanging Baskets

Today is Mother's Day and I would like to wish everyone a very happy day.















When I let Kyora out this morning I found on the front porch my first Mother's Day gift. It was a flat of Marigolds.















Ron has watched while I fought with the many weeds that have taken over my rock garden and how long it takes me to remove them from just a small section of ground.















When I returned from grocery shopping I was greeted by four hanging baskets along the side of the house.















There was a fuchsia, which is one of my favourite plants and the other three were petunias, two were of mixed colours; pink, purple and red and the last one was a rich burgundy.















The nice thing about these flowers is that they attract hummingbirds throughout the summer.















Around suppertime Christine arrived bring Chinese food for supper, which was wonderful as I really didn't feel like going out to eat.















The other thing she brought for me was a beautiful hanging basket of very dark, almost black  pansies.















I moved the fuchsia to the hook by the maple tree at the front of the house and hung her basket on the hook by the kitchen window where I can see it every time I look out the window.

Fantasy Flowers

Today I took a class called "Pour Your Heart Out" with Valerie Kent at the Cavan Art Gallery in Cavan, Ontario.

Having tried poured acrylic painting earlier this year I knew how much left over paint there would be so I took along a dozen small 2" x 2" canvases to create some small poured paintings to eliminate wasting so much paint.

For the first painting we did is what called a "Puddle Pour" which can be more realistic as you have more control over the paint as it slides around on the canvas.

We were told to pick three colours and either white or black for the fourth one and I chose white and decided I would use the three primary colours. We mixed the paint together with equal parts of Floetrol.















We layered each of the colours in three different areas on the canvas.

I started in the first corner with my blue as the base, followed by yellow, red and lastly white. From there I went diagonally across the canvas and started with red, followed by blue, yellow and white.

For my last flower I went partway up the canvas and used white first followed by yellow red and blue.

Using a large straw I blew the paint across the canvas to form "petal" shapes. When I was pleased with the results I used the end of a Popsicle stick and indicated the flower stamens.

The final part of this painting I dropped light and dark green onto the canvas to create leaves, vines and stems by pushing the colour around with the Popsicle stick.

This original 11" x 14" poured acrylic painting when framed with be available for $175.00.

The Beauty of Stillness Show

The current show at the Kawartha Artists' Gallery and Studio is called "Beauty in Stillness".










The exhibit runs from 24 January through to 04 March with the opening reception on 28 January from 1-4 p.m.











If you have a chance please come out and enjoy the show.

Garden Shed 2 - A Work in Progress

We have a frost warning in place and with the high for the day being 32F (0C) I can understand why, so I decided to work on a painting that reminds me of spring that I had started last year (see posts on 26 May 2016 and 29 May 2017).

I started by finishing the boards on the shed and then adding the shadows cast by the edge of the roof and the shadowed side of the shed.

Next I darkened in the open doorway leaving and area near the bottom blank for when I draw in the wheelbarrow.

Using Antwerp blue, raw sienna and new gamboge I indicated the leaves of the flowerbed on both sides of the shed.















I added French ultramarine blue to the light green colour and put in the grass on the side of the pathway.

I scattered flowers throughout the flowerbeds using cadmium red and a few dandelions through the grasses with cadmium yellow.

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

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

Viamede Resort I-III

Today the KAGS Outdoor Painters' Group went to the Viamede Resort in Woodview, Ontario.

When Cindy, Norma and I arrived in the upper parking lot at the Viamede Resort, I stopped to take some photographs of the chapel on the property where numerous weddings have been held over the years since it was established in 1877.

From there we went back across the parking lot and started down the paved pathway to the docks on Stoney Lake.

I didn't go down onto the dock, but stayed in the patio area just above them.
The lake was very calm and I took photographs of the cottages on its edge that cast long reflections across the water.

Viamede III - Flower Pot

I sat down at one of the picnic tables and started sketching the cottages before the wind came up and blurred their reflections.

Once my drawing of the cottages was completed, I started on a sketch of the large wooden barrel planters at both entrances to the patio.

They were filled with ivy, dark purple petunias, bright pink geraniums and salvia.

What intrigued me was the use of two hawsers (a heavy rope used for mooring) running between the posts that surrounded the patio giving it a nautical theme.

Which, is fitting since the docks and boat house are right there.

Viamede II - Planters

Once I finished that sketch I noticed a flower pot on the upper level of the boathouse.

It had a black eyed Susan vine growing out of the pot and climbing up the corner post on the rail fence around the deck.














Viamede I - Cottage Reflections

At a later time I may turn each of these drawings into either watercolour or acrylic paintings.

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork.

On the Lawn - Revisited

I pulled this drawing out as I felt there was no strong contrast in each of the elements, so I started by darkening some of the areas of the flag first.

Next I darkened the rock in behind barrel, on the barrel I darkened down some  of the barrel staves and hoops.














Lastly, I darkened the shadows on the wooden deer.

This original 6" x 9” pen and ink drawing when framed will be available for $150.00.

On the Lawn I

This morning I saw my little kestrels going in and out of the nesting box that I have for them. It is just under the eaves of the house and beside my bedroom window.

Today I thought I would work on this drawing that I did on location when I was in Magnetawan last year at the Knoepfli Inn.















This original 6" x 9” pen and ink drawing when framed will be available for $150.00.

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

OSWOA - Showy Lady's Slipper 1

I started this painting a long time ago (see post on 09 December 2011) and recently came across it in a box of small paintings that needed to be completed.

First using cadmium yellow I put in the stamens and the little bit of yellow on one of the petals.

Next using French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I added more details to the petals with shading.

With alizarin crimson I added a little more colour to the pink areas of the flower.














Lastly using various mixtures of French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, raw sienna and aureolin I finished painting the leaves and stem.

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.

2016 Peterborough Garden Tour

Today Cindy, Norma and I set up our display at Griffins Greenhouse and Garden Centre at 3026 Lakefield Rd., Lakefield, Ontario.














We were set up near the back of the grounds under a tent in among the beautiful flowers and shrubbery, close to the gazebo and the pond.

An added attraction on the other side of the gazebo was a group of Highland dancers who performed throughout the day, which also attracted many people.














We were fortunate to have an overcast day with the temperature at 77F (25C), without humidity and a mild breeze.

While I was there I took many photographs of the plants and displays of flowers in pots, some which were the living parts of metal sculptures scattered throughout the property.












During the latter part of the afternoon we had an unexpected visitor, a painted turtle who came out from the marsh, walked across the road and came into the tent to visit and enjoy our art show.

When he turned to cross the road again, Cindy picked him up and set him in the pond so he wouldn't get run over by a passing vehicle. I think he will probably join the other turtles sunning themselves beside the guardian of the pond, a large metal crocodile.












The gardens are a delight with many hidden treasures to be found in and among the plants; gnomes, elves and cherubs peeking out from between plants, a hidden waterfall guarded by sculptures of snails, toads and butterflies.














Wonderful wood carving of bears, raccoons and birds watching you from their hiding places in the shade of a tree, or peeking out from shrubbery. These are just a few of the many things you will find and I recommend that you take the time to visit Griffins and be enchanted by their gardens. I know I was.

Butterfly 9 and 10

This morning while I was out doing barn chores I saw that the butterflies are out and flying around, which are something I enjoy watching.

The first one I wanted to do was the Clouded Sulphur Butterfly (Colias philodice).

I often see large groups of them in the late spring through to the middle of autumn grouped around puddles and damp spots on the driveway.

This one I saw in the garden by the bird bath, which was surrounded by tulips and daffodils.

Butterfly 9

I may add more spring flowers to this drawing at a later date.

My second drawing is of a Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) which is my favourite butterfly.















Butterfly 10

As a child when I lived at in Toronto, I used to collect the caterpillars, feed them milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and watch them when they left their chrysalis as butterflies and then released them back into the wild.

Garden Shed 2 - A Work in Progress

Even though the forecast called for warm temperatures 83F (27.8C), high humidity  94F (34.4C) and thunderstorms, today I went and painted with the KAGS Outdoor Painters' Group at a farm on Cameron Line that was known for its lilac bushes.

The first thing I saw as we turned into the driveway was a peacock walking across the road; needless to say I grabbed my camera and took a picture.

I later learned from the owners that they had eight peafowl on the property but the peahens had already gone to ground and wouldn't appear until after the eggs had hatched.














The farm was a treasure trove of opportunities for paintings and I spent most of the morning taking photographs and making a few quick sketches.

The original barn was built in 1813 and the original section of the stone house was built in 1821 and various additions were added at later times.

There were many wondrous things hidden in and among the flower gardens surrounding the house which also had an enchanting natural stone slab set of stairs leading up to one of the additions.














After taking many reference photographs of the building, gardens, livestock and farm equipment I settled down to work on a painting.

Just before lunch time it started to cloud over and when I went back to do more work on my painting it wasn't long before the first few drops of rain started to fall.

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

Petals Art Show at Art on Kent

Today I sat the morning shift for the Petals exhibition at Art on Kent in Lindsay, Ontario.

Normally, I sit for the last shift on Saturday on the closing day of the show; but tomorrow we are going to Toronto and taking Ron's mother out for supper for mothers' day.

I had three paintings in this show which features many lovely paintings and photographs of a wide variety of flowers, weeds and gardens.

If you have the opportunity, please drop by the show before it closes tomorrow at 3:00p.m.














It is well worth the drive to Lindsay.

Floral and Still Life Show

Today the Portrait class at KAGS was cancelled which due to the Gallery policy requires two people to sit the art show so Cindy and I were there together.

This made the afternoon go quickly as we discussed the upcoming shows, galleries we would like to visit and have an exhibit at in the future and the new art pieces we were painting.

I put in two paintings into this exhibit that had been shown at the Garden Show earlier this month.














We were pleased that a number of people came in to view the display which will run through to 05 May 2016.

If you have a chance please come out and view the show.

16th Annual Peterborough Garden Show

It was a very busy day, starting first thing this morning when we took the grids and lights from KAGS and transported them to the Evinrude Centre to set up the art display at the Peterborough Garden Show.

Fortunately, we had many people helping to unload and set up the grids which were the most time consuming part.

While we waited for artists to bring in their paintings the drapery and lights were set into place.

For the most part we tried to keep all of each artist's work together and also to have similar colours and media on the same panels.

That way none of the paintings would be over shadowed and each one would have the chance to shine in their own light.

In total it took about three hours to hang all of the 58 pieces and to adjust the lights to present the paintings at their best.

Some of the group made sure the identification tags were put into place, being careful to make sure they were with the correct painting.

Others saw that the tables and chairs were set up, covered with tablecloths and the business cards, pamphlets and brochures about KAGS were displayed.

With a final check to be sure all the lights were working, the tie ends were picked up, the tablecloths were straightened and everything was neatly in place. We left for the afternoon.

I will return tonight to sit the first shift and if necessary correct anything that needs fixing, though I doubt there will be any problems.

The hours for the show are:
08 April 5:00-9:00pm.
09 April 10:00am-9:00pm.
10 April 10:00am-4:00pm.

If you have a chance, please come out and enjoy the show.

Who knows you may find something for your garden or a painting that you will enjoy having on your wall for many years.

OSWOA - Flower Power 1

I decided that I wanted to finish this painting that I have been working on for a while (see posts on 09 May 2012, 23 January 2014 and 09 August 2015).

I started with the yellow mass of flowers on the right side of the arrangement and using aureolin and raw sienna I created flower shapes by painting in the negative.

Using burnt sienna I added the stamens to the center of the flowers.

I wanted to put in a few larger yellow flowers on the left side of the floral arrangement.

With raw sienna and painting in the negative I created the first of the two large blooms.

A little burnt sienna was added into the shadows.

Aureolin was added to the shadow colour and a few small flowers were added around the large blooms.

With various shades of green, leaves were added throughout the painting.

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 140lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $40.00 and sold unframed.

Flower Power 1 - A Work in Progress

It is another bright and sunny day with warm temperatures 77F (25C) but the humidity makes it feel like 85F (29.4C) which is still a nice summer day.

I decided to work on this piece that I had started quite a while ago (see posts on 09 May 2012 and 23 January 2014).

Using various yellows such as raw sienna, new gamboge and aureolin and painting in the negative, I gave a little more definition to some of the flower shapes.

Then with Antwerp blue and cobalt blue I tinted some of the off white flowers.

I darkened some of the red flowers with alizarin crimson.

Using cadmium yellow, new gamboge and raw sienna I painted in the stamens into the center of some of the flowers.

I will post this painting again once I have completed the yellow flowers in the middle sections of the floral arrangement.

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

White Flowers 2

Yesterday, I did a painting of white flowers and after looking at it today, I decided that I would like to do another painting similar to it and make them a matching set.

I started by lightly sketching in a large semi abstract flower at the bottom right side of the paper.

From there, I added another flower on the left side, finishing slightly above the middle of the paper.

Above these two flowers I added two smaller partially opened flowers, leaving some open space at the top and on the right side of the paper.

Once again using Cobalt blue at the top of the paper I painted in the sky.

Using alizarin crimson with a small amount of the blue I painted in some areas of the petals.

Adding varying amounts of Cobalt blue and alizarin crimson together I indicated the edges of petals and the shadows.

I left areas of the white paper for the highlights.

Using various mixtures of Cobalt blue, French ultramarine blue, raw sienna, new gamboge and aureolin I painted in the various leaves and stems.

Lastly, with burnt sienna and raw sienna I put in the stamens on the larger flower at the bottom of the painting and a few on the middle sized flower on the left side.

This original 11" x 15" watercolour painting once it has been framed, will be available for $295.00.

White Flowers 1

Today, I wanted to paint a large floral painting.

I started by lightly sketching in a large semi abstract flower at the bottom of the paper.

From there, I added another flower toward the top of the paper on the left side and behind the first flower. This was followed by putting a bud to the right of the flower and having it go off the paper.

Using Cobalt blue at the top of the paper I painted in the sky. This was followed by adding touches of the blue on the right side of the bud.

I added a flower bud above on the right side of the main flower.

Using alizarin crimson with a small amount of to the blue I painted in some areas of the petals.

Adding varying amounts of Cobalt blue and alizarin crimson together I indicated the edges of petals and the shadows while leaving areas of the white paper without paint for the highlights.

Using various mixtures of Cobalt blue, French ultramarine blue, raw sienna, new gamboge and aureolin I painted in the various the various leaves and stems.

Lastly, with burnt sienna and raw sienna I put in the stamens on the larger flower at the bottom of the painting.

This original 11" x 15" watercolour painting once it has been framed, will be available for $295.00.

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork.

Hanging the Peterborough Garden Show

Today was a beautiful, mild and sunny day with the temperatures reaching 53F (11.7C) which is wonderful although by the weekend we are to get more snow.

It has been over three weeks now and still no sign of Junkyard; I can only hope that he is safe and has found a new home.

I started the day by going to KAGS to help load the grids, lights and tables that were to go to the Evinrude Centre for the Peterborough Garden Show.

Once there, the panels were quickly unloaded and two of us went to work setting them up. In the meantime others on the committee were doing the take in of paintings for the show.

When we finished the grids, we hung the cloth panels and finally the lights were added and turned on; we were ready to start hanging the fifty one paintings that were entered for the show.

We first set up the center panels with the larger paintings and from there tried to give each artist a grid for their artwork to keep it all together.









We put the tags with the paintings and had everything set up by 1:30. It was a lovely display of floral artwork.














I returned at 5:00pm to do my sitting for the art show and while there decided to work on this drawing of African Violets in a basket. This original graphite pencil drawing when framed will be available for $65.00.

I hope you will be able to come out and enjoy the Peterborough Garden Show and visit our art show during the weekend.

The hours for the show are:
02 Apr 15 - 5:00-9:00pm
03 Apr 15 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
04 Apr 15 - 10:00am - 4:00pm


African Violet Sketch

Tulips - A Work in Progress

I have everything ready for Christmas tomorrow and I thought I would have some time to paint today, so I pulled out this painting that I had started earlier this year (see post on 25 October 2014) and removed this masking fluid from the flowers.

The drawing needed a little more work before I would be happy with the way it looked.

I had just started into it when we had some unexpected company arrive and that ended my doing any more work on this piece.

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