Sandbanks Provincial Park I-V - Five Works in Progress

Today the family decided to go to Sandbanks Provincial Park located at 3004 County Road 12, in Picton, Ontario.

The Park has three day use beach areas; Dunes Beach, Lakeshore Beach and Outlet Beach which are very popular. All three have sandy unsupervised (no lifeguards) beaches, with six emergency phones located at the base of the white flagpoles.















We were fortunate after we arrived and got our day passes at the Main Gate to find parking spots in parking area 11 which was close to Outlet Beach.

Once we had everything on the beach and set up, with some of the chairs on the beach in the sun and others set up in the shade under the trees, Aaron, Christine, Kyle and Ron went for a walk along the beach while I decided to relax, take some photographs and do a couple of sketches.















Sandbanks Provincial Park I

My fist sketch was of some of the many gulls standing on the beach, flying in to land in the water and those that were either wading or swimming in a small shoal close to shore.















It wasn't long before everyone returned from their walk along the beach and it was time for us to go into Lake Ontario for a swim.

With the water being so shallow and the high temperatures we have been having for the last couple of months it wasn't surprising to find that the water was fairly warm.















Sandbanks Provincial Park II Sand Castles

We spent a lot of time splashing around in the water, and Aaron who is just learning how to swim didn't want to come out of the water. So we took turns, so that there were always two of us that stayed in the water with him until he was ready to have lunch.















Sandbanks Provincial Park II Sand Castles (details)

After lunch, Ron and Aaron decided that they would build a sand castle, complete with a moat that Aaron filled with pails of water from the lake. While they were doing this I did a quick sketch of them building the castle.















While they were busy with the castle, Kyle and Christine took a stroll to the other end of the beach collecting some of the small shells that had been washed up on shore.

I occupied myself by sketching the various beach chairs, towels, coolers and beach bags that were found on the beach.

Sandbanks Provincial Park III

In the meantime a couple of paddle boats pulled up on the beach and the boats were left at the edge of the water, so I decided to add them into the background of my sketch.















From there I started doing a couple more small sketches of the beach umbrellas, chairs and the gulls which hovered around them hoping for a hand out.

I also tried to capture some of the areas of colour that were reflected into the water from the many brightly coloured umbrellas, chairs and towels.
















Sandbanks Provincial Park IV

In one of the sketches I was looking toward East Lake and put in the far shore where Outlet Beach and the Cedars Campground are located.












Sandbanks Provincial Park V

Most of the other sketches are looking out over Lake Ontario with little to no land showing on the horizon line.















Time passed swiftly, which is usual when you are having fun and it was soon time to pack our stuff back to the vehicles and then go to the Currach's Park Store and Restaurant for supper before we headed home.

I am sure that we will return here again.

ACEO - Along the Shore 1-3

Today I am back at the Douro Spring Automotive Flea Market and Car Show held at the Douro Community Centre and Arena, located at 2893 Highway 28 and County Road 4, in Douro, Ontario.














Along the Shore 1

When I first arrived, there were already four of the old cars lined up along one side of the parking lot and after taking a few things inside I came back out to take photographs.

With wanting to go back outside to take photographs as more cars arrive I decided I would work on these three paintings that I had started a number of years ago (see posts on 16 September 2013, 27 August 2016, 16 January and 22 December 2017).















Along the Shore 2

In between taking photographs of the cars, I completed each of these three paintings.

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














Along the Shore 3

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.

Sail Softly on By I

I didn't have very much time today to work on my art as I have to go to the Executive meeting at KAGS this afternoon.

I pulled out this drawing that I started a long time ago when I did the original sketch in the Caribbean and started to ink in when I returned home (see posts on 24 June 2014, 27 May 2016 and 09 February 2017).















I started by completing the drawing of the mother first and then working on the child.

Lastly, I added a few seagulls into the sky to finish the drawing.

This original 5-3/4" x 9" pen and ink drawing will be available when matted and shrink wrapped for $75.00.

Thank you for looking at my artwork.

Along the Shore 1-3 - Three Works in Progress

This morning I woke up 19F (-7C), with the wind chill making it feel like 8F (-13C) and add to that another 3" (7.6cm) of snow on top of everything we had received a couple of days ago.

To offset the cold I decided to work on these three paintings that I had started a number of years ago (see posts on 16 September 2013, 27 August 2016 and 16 January 2017).

Working on all three paintings at the same time, I started by putting the seagulls into the sky using a dark of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.















Along the Shore 1

Next I put in the blue of the water using various mixtures of Antwerp blue and raw sienna, leaving some areas of the paper white against the shoreline.

I added a small amount of French ultramarine blue to the water colour and added a few darker areas throughout the water to indicate waves.















Along the Shore 2

Using various mixtures of French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, raw sienna, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson I started adding layers of colour onto the distant islands on the horizon line.

Darkening the colours slightly I put in the closer islands.















Along the Shore 3

Lastly, I worked on the closer more detailed rock cliffs close to the beach.

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

ACEO - Caribbean Shore 1

It is fairly mild here 39F (4C) with the wind chill at 28F (-2C), fairly "balmy" weather for a December day, which is why I pulled out this painting that I had started a couple of years ago (see posts on 08 April 2015 and 27 August 2016).

Using greens made from various mixtures of  Antwerp blue, burnt sienna, French ultramarine blue, new gamboge and raw sienna I started by putting in the trees on the distant land on the left side of the painting first.

I followed this by putting in the palm trees on the right side of the beach, followed by adding the closest palm trees on the left side of the beach.














I added a few strands of seaweed onto the sand of the beach just above the waterline.

Finally, using a dark of burnt sienna and the darker green mix I painted in the coconuts among the palm fronds on the two closer trees, then lightened the colour with water I put in the tree trunks on the closer trees and on the tree trunks at the far end of the beach.

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 - Beach Sunset 1

I wanted to complete this little piece that I had started last year (see posts on 15 April and 24 May 2016).

Using a pale was of raw sienna I put in the sand on the beach, leaving the sea shell without color. I then added a tiny amount of burnt sienna to darken the sand colour in the foreground and with a little more burnt sienna added to the mixture painted in the wet sand at the edge of the water.

Now it was time to tackle the water, painting it in with the reflected colours from the sky.

I started at the edge of the shore using new gamboge and a touch of raw sienna, I put in the first section of the waves leaving some areas of pure white against the wet sand.

Next I added a touch of alizarin crimson to the new gamboge for a pale orange and put in the next section of waves from the horizon line on the left side and down to the yellow waves.















To complete the water I used almost pure alizarin crimson from the orange waves to the horizon line.

With French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I made a dark grey for the distant land on the horizon line between the sky and the water.

I put in the seaweed that washed up onto the beach with a green of French ultramarine blue and raw sienna.

Lastly I painted the seashell in with pale shades of alizarin crimson and the shadows were in pale 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. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.

Tied Up 4 - A Work in Progrress

I thought I would do a little more work on this piece that I had started earlier this year (see post on 19 April 2012) before I had to leave for my physiotherapy appointment.

Since this is going to be a painting of  the Caribbean I decided to use Antwerp blue for the sky.

I wet the top part of the paper first and brushed in my sky being careful to leave some areas of the paper untouched for the clouds.

Before I could mix the water colour it was time for me to go and I had to stop painting.

I will post this piece at a later date once the ocean has been painted.

Sand Bucket 1 - A Work in Progress

Today I wanted to put some paint on this little drawing that I did quite a while ago (see post on 21 Jun 2013).

First I needed to fix a few of the lines on the bucket and then I moved the horizon line a little higher up in the painting.

Using cerulean blue I put in the sky and the under paint for the lake.

Next I made a mix of raw sienna with a small amount of burnt sienna and brushed in the sand being careful to leave an area of white paper between the sand and the water.

With a mix of Antwerp blue and cerulean blue I put in the waves on the lake surface almost to the beach.















Into this section where the waves roll over the sand and onto the shore I first put down the water colour and then added lines of raw sienna and burnt sienna to indicate the churning sand.

With pure burnt sienna I put in the "wet" areas of the sand between the water and the dry shore, still being careful to leave the white paper as the foam.

Lastly, I put in the distant shores on the horizon line with a mix of the blues and raw sienna.

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

Grass Huts I - A Work in Progress

It is hot 84F (29C) and humid 91F (33C) and I thought that I would work on one of a number of sketches that I did while I was in Cuba (see post on 15 February 2017).

Along the beach by the Tryp in Cayo CoCo were a number of dilapidated huts that were left there to provide shelter should you get caught outside during a thunderstorm.

Hopefully, the wind won't be strong enough to cause them to collapse on top of you.

I finished the huts by putting in the walls and doors.

Next I indicated some of the sand on the beach and the waves along the shoreline.

I drew in a clump of palm trees by the huts.

I started with the small clumps of young palm trees at the base of the large palm trees before I started on the trunk and some of the palm fronds at the top of the trees.

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

At the Beach 1 - A Work in Progress

Today I was given the wonderful news by the surgeon that I would no longer have to wear the hinged splint and that I could finally put full weight on my leg, drive a car and go upstairs. I can get back to having a life that goes beyond being confined to my living room and kitchen and most importantly I can have a shower instead of a sponge bath using my kitchen sink.

I pulled out this painting that I had started a number of years of years ago (see post on 24 November 2014) and thought I would like to work on something bright and colourful to match my mood.

I started by under painting the sky with aureolin, leaving the sun untouched.

While the paint was still wet, I used a mixture of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson to paint in the evening clouds at the top of the sky.

Next I used new gamboge; I darkened the sky just above the horizon line.

I darkened the sky colour with a little bit of alizarin crimson and painted the sky reflection below the horizon line leaving some areas of white for the crests of the waves.

To this mix I added some cadmium yellow and put in the middle area of the water.

Lastly, using burnt sienna and raw sienna I put in the sandy shore.

I will post this painting at a later date once I decide on the colour of the water against the shore and place the people on the beach.

Tied Up 4

Today as I was waiting for Christine to come and take me to my physiotherapy session I saw a couple of seagulls flying.

I thought that I would do a little drawing of a small boat tied up with its reflection in the still water of a tidal pool.

It seemed fitting that I would fill an area of the sky with a large group of seagulls.

At a later date I may develop this drawing into a painting.

Grass Huts I - A Work in Progress

This was one of a number of sketches that was in one of the pads of paper Ron and Christine brought in for me the other night.

These sketches were all from when I was in Cuba a few years ago for two weeks, staying at the Tryp in Cayo CoCo and the Iberostar in Cayo Guillermo.

I started on the first grass hut by putting in the wooden uprights, followed by the cross members and then the face boards.















Next I put the palm fronds onto the roof to get most of this open air building finished.

I wanted to do more on this drawing but I was tired and had to put this sketch away before finishing the first hut.

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

Waiting I - A Work in Progress

This is one of a number of sketches I started when I was in Aruba, relaxing on Eagle Beach.

There was a vendor who had a couple of Sea-Doos, a few paddle boats, and some small sailboats for rent. All of them were brightly coloured and stood out against the white sand, azure sky and turquoise water.









I tightened up the details on the paddle boats in the foreground and straightened up the masts on the sailboats.

Lastly I fixed up the little sailboat near the horizon.

Beach Scenes - Four Works in Progress

Today I thought I would like to work on some of the scenes from the Caribbean.

I pulled out three drawings from Aruba (see post on 16 September 2013) and one from Roatan (see post from 08 April 2015).














Along the Shore 1

I thought that I would work on all four pieces at the same time starting with the sand.















Along the Shore 2

I used raw sienna in various strengths for the sand on the beaches leaving some areas of white paper by the shore for the froth from the waves.














Along the Shore 3

Using Antwerp blue in the sky I brush in the sky and then added in a little of the raw sienna for the water, leaving some areas white for the froth on the beach and for a few white caps.















Caribbean Shore 1

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

Three Mountains - Nevada - Three Works in Progress

It is another day where they are calling for thunderstorms with the high heat 92F (33.3C) and the humidity made it feel like 108F (42.2C) and once again we are not getting any rain or stormy weather.

I pulled out these three sketches that I did while we were in Las Vegas a number of years ago (see post on 21 November 2014).














Early Morning Mountains I

I thought I would start by indicating the top line of each of the mountains that would be silhouetted against the sky.












Dark Mountains I

Then I added the some of the lines for the lower mountains below the high points.











Mountains I

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

Cuba - Three Works in Progress

I pulled out these three sketches that I did in the various resorts I stayed at when I was in Cuba.

This first one was of the Breezes Veradero, which although it is a little run down on the outside, the food, the service and the entertainment are very good you can walk for miles along the beaches.

I enjoyed my time there, the diving is wonderful and we went out on the boat a number of times during our stay. 

Sharing the Sky I

The next one is of the Iberostar Daiquiri in Cayo Guillermo, which was still undergoing renovations, but the food and service were excellent.















Kite Surfers I

The last one is of the Tryp Cayo Coco, which is fairly large resort and belongs to a chain of resorts that can be found throughout the Caribbean.














Floating Islands I

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

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

Caribbean Shore 1

We are under a freezing rain warning for later this morning and with the temperature at 27F (-2.2C) and the wind chill making it feel like 20F (-6.7C) it gives me a feeling of déjà vu back to 2013 when I was without power for almost five days due to the freezing rain storm that we had about this time of the year.

So rather than dwell on the upcoming storm I thought I would do a drawing of a nice warm place like a beach in the Caribbean, with the surf rolling up onto the shore and a soft breeze making the palm fronds gently sway.














This little black and white drawing brings back warm memories of the white sand beaches. I can hardly wait to head south to the Caribbean islands again.

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

ACEO - Beached 1

It is a cold day today with the temperatures dropping 2F (1.7C) per hour last night until it bottomed out at -20F (-30C) this morning and the wind chill making it feel like -39F (-39.4C).

My flock of snow buntings are staying close to their food supply and are becoming a lot less shy of me when I fill the feeders and put the feed out on the ground in the morning for them.

I thought that doing a painting of a nice, warm place like in the Caribbean would take away some of the chill of what I see and feel when I go outside.

I selected this drawing that I did a few years ago (see post on 14 November 2013) and started by putting in an evening sky using a mixture raw sienna and new gamboge at the horizon line and working upward I added a little alizarin crimson.

Making a grey of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I put in the lower layer of clouds in the sky while the paint was still damp. Then, I added more blue and a little alizarin crimson to the grey mix and put in the clouds at the top of the sky.














Next I put the sand on the beach using raw sienna, before adding various colours from the sky throughout the water being careful to leave an area of white between the beach and the water.

Using various combinations of the cloud colours darkened with burnt sienna I put in the distant land masses on the horizon and the dark areas of the waves.

Using the sky colour I added it to the foreground rocks on the edges closest to the evening sky.

This was followed by using the dark wave colour and adding more pigment to put in the shadows and to indicate the cracks and crevices in the rock face.

I continued using both rock colours into the water to create the foam in the water at the edge of the beach.

Now it was time to start work on the boat. Using alizarin crimson I painted in the gunnels first to define to the boat.















With a dark of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and a small amount of alizarin crimson I put in the shadowed areas beneath the seats, being careful to leave the boards of the seats white.

Next I gradually added water to lighten the shadow colour as I worked from the darkest shadows on the boat the lightest.

Once the paint dried I added a small amount of the sky colour onto the bow of the boat.

Mixing a green of the blue and the sand colour, I scattered some seaweed across the sand that had been washed ashore by the waves.

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.

Three Mountains - Nevada

-4F (-2C) but at least there is no more snow in the forecast and the wind won't start until this afternoon which will make it feel a lot colder.














Dark Mountains I

After finding these sketches that I did when we were in Las Vegas around this time of the year and I think about how it was hot enough that we went swimming in the pool everyday and relaxed in the sun.














Early morning Mountains I

In the morning as the sun was rising I did these sketches as I looked out our hotel window at the mountain ranges in the distance.











Mountains I

I did one sketch each morning that we were there of the three different mountains: Sunrise Mountain, Frenchman Mountain and the River Mountains.

Perhaps one day soon we will return to Las Vegas, Nevada even if it is only for a long weekend.

Sand Bucket 1

Today I wanted to do something fairly simple and I started playing with shapes.

As my sketch began to develop it turned into a bucket lying on its side and I thought on a beach would be perfect.















I sketched in the sand and put in some seaweed into the foreground.

As a finishing touch I added in the lake or ocean behind the bucket and the wave running up onto the shore.