Cloudy Day - A Work in Progress

I came across a couple of photographs I had taken of the Power House - Clock and Chimes Tower before it had been restored and thought this would be an ideal background for the charred remains making them stand out in stark relief against the stormy sky.

It was during a fireworks display on 06 August 1939 that the roof burst into flames and soon the entire framework of the building was ablaze.

The local fire department arrived with the village pumper towed in on a scow, but the fire was impossible to contain and everything burned with the exception of the granite walls of the building.














The Power House - Clock and Chimes Tower remained a burnt out shell for 52 years.

The Alexandria Bay Rotary Club donated the funds to replace the three faced clock in the Clock Tower. The building was restored by the Thousand Island Bridge Authority at a cost of approximately $350,000.00 and was reopened to the public in 1991.

I will post this again once I have transferred the drawing of the shell of the Power House - Clock Tower and Chimes and started the painting.

Dawn Horizon - A Work in Progress

While going through my photographs of Boldt Castle and the surrounding buildings I came across a couple of the Arch of Honour and Peristyle before and after restoration.

What I find interesting in the history of Boldt Castle is that Elizur Kirke Hart purchased the 5 acre (2 hectare) island which was then known as Hemlock Island and renamed it Hart island on 31 July 1871.

On 21 June 1895 Edward Wallace Dewey purchased Hart Island from Elizur Hart's widow and subsequently sold it ten days later to Louise Augusta Boldt.














George C. Boldt and his wife Louise renamed the the property from Hart Island to Heart Island; and the first major change was to turn the island into a heart shape.

The Arch of Honour and Peristyle serves as a water gate allowing the St. Lawrence River to flow into the lagoon surrounding nearly half the island. It is over 500 feet (152 meters) in length and at one spot is 100 feet (30 meters) wide. The lagoon was built out into the water in such a way as to make the heart shape of the island more pronounced.

I will post this again once I have transferred the drawing of the Arch of Honour and Peristyle onto the paper.

Dawn Delight - A Work in Progress

This is a sky I would like to use for a painting of the restored Power House - Clock and Chimes Tower which is one of the buildings belonging to Boldt Castle.

Boldt Castle is found in the Thousand Islands region that straddles the Canada - U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from Lake Ontario. It is part of Alexandria Bay, New York.














Boldt Castle is accessible by ferry, private boat or by tour boat from Alexandria Bay, N.Y. USA or in Gananoque, Rockport, and Ivy Lea, Ontario, Canada.

There is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection office and visitors coming in from Canada or other countries must produce appropriate identification (passport, etc.) when visiting Heart (Hart)Island as you are entering the USA.

I will post this painting once I have the drawing transferred to the paper and have started work on the building.

Haunting Reflections - A Work in Progress

I was in the mood to paint skies and this is the background for a painting I would like to do of Alster Tower which was used as a play house and games room; there is even a bowling alley inside the building. This is one of the buildings belonging to Boldt Castle.

Over the years I have taken many photographs of Boldt Castle and the various buildings on Heart (Hart) Island.














It is one of my favourite places to visit and I try to go at least every other year and see what new improvements (which has been under renovation since 1977) have been made by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority.

I will post this painting once I have the drawing of the building transferred to the paper. Thank you for coming to look at my artwork and I hope you will return often.

Barns in Autumn - Work in Progress

With having completed a barn with Emil VARGA last week (for Barns in Summer see my posting on 25 January 11).

Heather and I decided that we would continue with paintings of barns at her place today.

I enjoyed doing last week's barn so much that I have transferred my sketch down onto another piece of watercolour paper and and masked out the barn.

While I was waiting for the masking fluid to dry I repeated the transfer on two more pieces of watercolour paper will do this barn in all four seasons.

I washed in the sky with French ultramarine blue, leaving some white areas for clouds and then added a little burnt sienna to the blue and painted in a little bit of shadow into the base of the clouds.

Using a sponge and mixtures of raw sienna, aureolin, alizarin crimson and cadmium red I decided to make this the autumn version and put in the Maple tree leaves.

Using pure raw sienna I brushed the under paint of the foreground grasses making sure to leave some areas of white.

Once the paint was dry I removed the masking fluid from the barns.

I will post this painting at a later date.

Buckhorn Artists' Group Blog - Show Updates

I have updated the Buckhorn Artists' Group blog with a listing of shows some of the various artists in the Group are exhibiting their work in during the month of February.

If you get a chance come out and visit them at one or all of the shows.

Confirmed Shows for 2011 - February

This is a listing of confirmed shows that I will be exhibiting my artwork at this year. I will update the list as more shows are added.

Kawartha Artists’ Gallery, Peterborough, Ont.
KAGS
27 Feb – 10 Mar Miniaturia
Opening Reception 27 Feb 11 from 1-4pm.
13-31 Mar Figuratively Speaking
Opening Reception 13 Mar 11 from 1-4pm.
05-23 Jun Temperatures Rising
Opening Reception 05 Jun 11 from 1-4pm.
11-29 Sep Changes
Opening Reception 11 Sep 11 from 1-4pm.
30 Oct – 16 Nov Outdoor Painters' Group Show
Opening Reception 30 Oct 11 from 1-4pm.
04-23 Dec 11 & 03-05 Jan 12 Christmas Show
Opening Reception 04 Dec 11 from 1-4pm.

St Matthews Church, Buckhorn, Ont
Buckhorn Artists' Group
21-23 May 23rd Annual Among Friends Art Show
06-14 Aug 21st Annual Shades of Summer Art Show

Fenelon Falls Fair Grounds, Fenelon Falls, Ont.
02-03 Sep 22nd Annual Kawartha Arts Festival