Northern Lights

It is a miserable day with the temperature hovering around 41F (5C) and we have mixed precipitation falling to put the icing on the cake.

I decided I would get this painting finished today as I have been working on it for a long time (see posts on 09 December 2010, 21 February, 29 May, 10 July and 29 August 2012, 25 May and 25 July 2016 and 09 July 2018).













Using mixtures of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson, I finished the trunk and broken branches on the dead tree on the left side first.

From there I completed the pine tree on the far left side before working on the smaller trees on the far side of the lake.

This original 7" x 11-1/4” watercolour painting when framed will be available for $245.00.

Moonlit Evening - A Work in Progress

Today I was painting with the Buckhorn Tuesday Painting Group at St. Matthews Church in Buckhorn, Ontario.

I decided to paint with acrylic paint for a change instead of watercolours as usual. I brought a couple of background canvases with me and started by using Background 51 (see post on 16 October 2015).

First I lightly indicated with a pencil, some trees in the distance on the right side of the painting.















This was followed by putting in the main pine tree on the left side of the painting.

I wanted to do the large pine tree first and put in the tree trunk with a mix of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

From there I started painting the needles onto the tree branches using various mixtures of ultramarine blue, manganese blue, cerulean blue, raw sienna and cadmium yellow.

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

Moonlit Creek I - A Work in Progress

This morning I was greeted with a Freezing Rain Warning on The Weather Network and as I went down to do the barn chores the temperature was 7F (-14C) and the wind chill made it feel like -2F (-19C). Needless to say, I left the horses in for the day just to be safe.

Since I had no plans to go out today, I thought I would like to do a little more work on this drawing that I had started a number of years ago (see posts on 24 June 2014 and 18 August 2018).














I started on the right side of the drawing and finished the pine trees, followed by adding in the rocks at the edge of the river.

Next, I put the ripples into the water of the creek, and adding more grasses and growies on both sides of the drawing.

Lastly, I put in the full moon and some of the clouds in the sky. I will post this drawing at a later date as more work on it is completed.

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

Snow Scenes

It started off very cold 18F (-7.8C) with the wind chill this morning making it feel like 9F (-12.8C) as I headed down to the barn to do chores. Fortunately it is going to warm up to 27F (-2.7C) with the wind chill making it feel like 16F (-8.9C) and we are expected to receive more snow flurries.

I thought with more snow in the forecast I may as well do a couple of drawings of snow scenes with a building in them.















Moonlight 8

For the first one I thought a log cabin would be nice set in a snow covered field.

As I worked on the drawing, I added some smoke to the chimney and a fence in behind the cabin.

Lastly, I put a moon in behind the tall pine tree on the right side of the drawing.















Snowed In 1

For my second drawing I thought a barn would be nice set back behind a barbed wire fence.

I added some long grasses and growies poking out of the snow in the foreground.

Either of these drawings could be developed into paintings at a later time.

ACEO - Dusk 4

Today I wanted to finish this painting that I had started last year (see posts on 08 March and 13 July 2017).

With a pale green of raw sienna and Antwerp blue, I put in the trees on the far side of the lake.

Next I added some French ultramarine blue to the green paint to darken it down and painted the three pine trees into the foreground.

Using various mixtures of raw sienna, new gamboge and aureolin I put in the grasses and growies at the base of the pine 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.

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

Dark Skies - Two Works in Progress

Today I didn't have a lot of time to paint but wanted to get a little more work done on a couple of paintings and I thought putting in the skies would be a step in the right direction.














Quiet Place 3

I pulled out this small drawing I started a long time ago (see post on 12 November 2014) and put in the sky using a mixture of French ultramarine blue with a small amount of burnt sienna and set it aside to dry.















City Lights 1

Next I started on this piece that I started earlier this month (see post on 10 March 2018) and using the sky colours from the last painting and added more burnt sienna and a little bit of cerulean blue and brushed in the sky.

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

City Lights 1 - A Work in Progress

Today while watching television I did this little sketch of a city at night and added a little sepia paint to the bottom of the paper.














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

Moonlight 7 - A Work in Progress

I pulled this drawing out that I started a couple of years ago (see post on 17 September 2016) and thought I would like to do a little more work on it and decided that this would be a snow scene.

I wanted to try a different coloured night sky, so I started with a mix of French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue and a small amount of alizarin crimson to warm the colour.

Working with the darkest colour of the sky at the edges of the painting and I gradually lightened the colour toward the full moon creating a halo.

I will post this painting at a later date once I have added the river and the snow.

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

Shades of Grey - A Work in Progress

Today I pulled out this painting that I have been working on (see posts on 22 March and 17 August 2017), which I thought would be fitting for Hallowe'en night.

Using a dark mix of French ultramarine blue and raw sienna I put in the grasses with a little more detail on the closer field, leaving some areas of the white paper showing through which I will fill in later.














With light and dark mixtures of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I started painting in the trunks and branches of the three closest trees in the foreground.

I will post this painting again, once more of the trees have been completed.

First Day of the Shades of Summer Art Show and Sale

I decided to work in watercolour today and chose this painting that I started earlier this year (see post on 22 March 2017).

It was originally to be a snow scene but I changed my mind and thought I would make it a late autumn scene with a full moon.

Since I didn't like the way the clouds looked I blended them across the sky being careful to leave a light area where I painted in the moon with new gamboge.

Using a mix of French ultramarine blue and raw sienna I put in the distant hill behind the line of trees.

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














Shades of Grey 1

Although not many people came out to see the show today, small items were sold by Diane Collins and pottery was sold by JoAnne Connell Northey.

The hours for our show are:
17 Aug 17 - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
18 Aug 17 - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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 can come out and enjoy the artwork.

ACEO - Moonlight 1

I wanted to finish this painting that I had started last year (see posts on 20 June 2016 and 12 January 2017).

Using various mixtures of raw sienna, French ultramarine blue and Antwerp blue I painted in the pine trees.

With a wash of French ultramarine blue I put in the shadowed snow, leaving areas of white lit by the full moon in the sky.

The house and the barns were painted in with greys made of burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue.















To complete the buildings I painted in the windows on the house and the light on the side of the barn with cadmium yellow.

Lastly I put in the grasses and growies with mixes of raw sienna 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 300lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

Moonlight Island - A Work in Progress

Today as I continue to work in acrylic paint I wanted to get this canvas that I had started a couple of years ago (see post on 19 October 2015) a little closer to finally being finished.

I started by using titanium white and brushed in a few thin clouds into the dark sky.

Adding a small amount of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna to the white I painted in the tree trunks and put down a base coat for the rocks of the island and the rock reflections in the water.

From there I added the needles onto the branches of the trees using various combinations of ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, raw sienna and Hansa yellow.

I kept the brighter colours on the moonlit side of the pines and brushed a mid-tone green into the water for the tree reflections.

Using the white I touched a few highlights into the water and on the tops of the rocks.

I will post this painting 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.

Winter Evening 1 - A Work in Progress

I pulled out this painting that I had started last month (see post on 11 January 2017) and turned it upside down and started laying in more French ultramarine blue into the top area and gradually lightening it toward the bottom.

Once it dried I decided to turn it into a landscape painting by drawing in some pine trees and I changed its name from Blue Lines 7 to Winter Evening 1.















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

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

Moonlight 1 - A Work in Progress

Tonight the rain stopped for a little while and the full moon peeked out and cast its reflection on my ice covered driveway.

Since I wasn't tired I decided to paint for a while and pulled out this painting with a full moon that I started last year (see post on 20 June 2016).

I thought on this piece I would put a halo around the full moon and using French ultramarine blue I started by circling around the moon and painting outward until the sky had its first layer of blue.















Once the first layer dried I added a second layer around the moon, left a thin ring around the moon and continued until all the rest of the sky was painted.

I added two more layers of paint to the outside of the halo around the moon allowing the paint to dry completely between layers.

I will post this painting again once the trees have been completed.

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

Moonlight Reflections 2

Today is the first day where the temperature has finally dropped below 86F (30C) to 81F (27C) and the humidity is below 104F (40C) to 86F (30C), which is a pleasant change although still fairly hot for September.

I wanted to work on a snow scene and I thought that one at night with a full moon in the sky would be a great idea.

As the drawing developed I had the moonlight reflected on the river and then added a small cottage nestled among a stand of pine trees.

I put some large pine trees on the right side.

Lastly I added some snow covered rocks into the foreground together with a few grasses and growies.

Northern Lights - A Work in Progress

Around 3:30 a.m. this morning Kyora woke me up due to the sound of thunder in the distance as the storm was approaching. Normally thunder storms do not bother her, but by her actions I knew that it would be a major storm.

It certainly came in with a vengeance, the rain started and got harder as the storm came closer until we had this tremendous thunderstorm right over the house. The sky lit up and in less than a second the booming thunder clapped over the house causing the windows to rattle.

Since I enjoy a thunderstorm I sat out on the front porch for most of it, but for the better part of almost an hour you couldn't see the lightning,  just a flash as the sky light up and the crash of the thunder overhead.

It wasn't until around 5:00 a.m. that I could finally see the lightning and the rain gradually started to slow down. The storm finally abated around 5:45 a.m. when it moved out of the area.

Usually, after a major storm like this one you can expect the temperature and humidity to drop; but that didn't happen with this one as it remained hot 86F (30C) and muggy with the humidity at 100F (38C).













One benefit of the storm was with all the rain we had, the grass was no longer crunchy when I took the dog out for her walk.

Even though I didn't get a lot of sleep I wanted to get a little more work on this piece that I have been painting on over a long time (see posts on 09 December 2010, 21 February, 29 May, 10 July and 29 August 2012 and 25 May 2016).

Using a dark of alizarin crimson, burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue I started by putting in an indication of the tree trunk on the furthest left side of the painting.

This was followed by indicating the trunk of one of the background trees closest to the completed trees in the background.

Next I started with the closest tree on the left side beside the finished area of the painting on the right. Once again starting with a line indicating the trunk before proceeding with applying the bark onto the tree trunk beginning at the bottom and working my way up toward the top of the tree.

It wasn't long before I decided to stop before I made a mess of the painting due to being tired.

I will post this painting at a later date once more of the trees on this have been completed.

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

Moonlight 1-6

We have a beautiful full moon tonight and I thought it would be a good idea to do drawings of scenes with a full moon.

In the back field we had a pair of majestic, intertwined white pine trees.

Unfortunately, during a wind storm a couple of years ago one of the pines fell down.

I thought I would do a few drawings of the pines as I have seen them so many times in the winter with the moon glow shimmering across the ice and snow in the fields.

Moonlight 4

In the morning when the moon is setting in the west, it can often be seen peeking out from behind the branches of a grouping of three large maple trees that are at the front of the property along the western fence line.

Just before the sun rises I often see the long, cast shadows of these trees running across the snow on the track and on the rise to the infield.

Moonlight 5














Moonlight 1

I have property on the far side of the Snelgrove Brook and from there I have a clear view of my farm and at night in the moonlight it looks much like this sketch.















Moonlight 2

The view from the barn paddock overlooks the Snelgrove Brook and in the early years when we first bought the farm you could see the moon reflected in the water.














Moonlight 3

Along the east fence line by the house,the moon glow sends long fingers of cast shadow from the apple trees across the ground and creates some interesting patterns.













Moonlight 6

When I took night school classes at Sir Sanford Fleming College, I would return home late at night and would sometimes see the moonlight reflected on Chemong Lake when going through Bridgenorth.

Northern Lights - A Work in Progress

Today is going to be another hot 85F (29.4C) and humid 91F (32.8C) day, making it a good day to stay inside with the air conditioner on keeping things livable and getting work done on a painting.

I decided to do a little more work on this painting that I had started many years ago (see posts on 09 December 2010, 21 February, 29 May, 10 July and 29 August 2012) and recently found.

I started on the right hand side of the painting beginning with the trunk of the tall pine tree in the foreground.



Next starting at the top of the tree I added branches and needles, gradually working my way down the tree trunk.

I added the background trees in behind the rocks at the edge of the lake.

I will post this painting at a later date once I have completed the trees on the right side and drawn in the trees on the left side of the painting.

Evening on the Lake - A Work in Progress

I didn't have very much time to paint today before I had to leave and go to KAGS to take photographs of the Best of High School Art show and put it into a slide show for the Awards night.

I decided to work on this piece that I started last year (see posts on 29 August and 08 December 2015 and 08 February 2016).

Using a mixture of French ultramarine blue and raw sienna I put trees on the horizon line for the distant shore.

I set the painting aside to let it dry completely and then removed the miskit.

I will post this painting at a later date once I start painting the sailboat and maybe lift a moon out of the sky.

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

Mailbox 2 - A Work in Progress

I decided to do a little more work on this painting that I had started quite some time ago (see posts on 20 February 2012 and 14 December 2015).

I wanted to put the trees onto the distant hills, but before I could do that I lifted some lighter areas out of the snow with water.

The furthest back trees were put in using mixes of Antwerp blue and raw sienna.













The closer trees on the next hill were mixtures of Antwerp blue, French ultramarine blue and raw sienna.

Next I lightened the snow covered area on the top of the mail box.

I will work on this painting again and post it at a later date.