Sail Away - A Work in Progress

Today I felt like working on something with a summer theme.

What would be better than out sailing on a lake, in the middle of a hot and humid summer day; beneath a bright blue sky with the sunlight glittering off the tops of the waves?

Rather than do a traditional horizontal painting, I thought a vertical format would make it a little different and create more interest.

I will have to make some changes to this sketch to move the sailboat from being dead center of the painting.

I will post this painting at a later date once the outline drawing is completed.

Ruffed Grouse - A Work in Progress

We have had more snow since yesterday and the temperatures continue to be below freezing so the ice coating on all the trees remains.

I wonder if we will ever get out of the freezing temperatures, but it sure does look pretty outside although we are having a bit of a heat wave with the temperature making it up to 20F (-6.7C) today.

One of my neighbours offered me the loan of his stuffed grouse over the Christmas season so I could make drawings of one of the many game birds that inhabit the area.

First I took a lot of photographs of the bird from almost every angle and light source.

Next I did a number of quick sketches of the grouse in different positions and with the ones I  preferred I started to tighten up the sketches and turn them into outline drawings.

I will post the outline drawing at a later date once I have decided on the one I like best.

Winter Day 1 - A Work in Progress

It is a cold -12F (-24C) but once again another bright and sunny day which even with the cold I prefer to an overcast cloudy and cold day.

Before my daughter arrives for Christmas breakfast and opening presents I wanted to get the last sky and foreground completed for the four seasons on a lake in cottage country painted (for the others see posting on 22-24 December 2013).













My timing was perfect. I had just set this piece aside to dry when Christine arrived.

I will post this painting again as more work on it is completed

I would like to wish a very Merry Christmas to All!

Autumn Day 1 - A Work in Progress

It is Christmas Eve and we are definitely going to have a white Christmas although the temperature is -5F (-20C) we do have a bright and sunny day.













I didn't have a lot of time to work on paintings but I wanted to get at least the sky and water painted on the autumn scene.

I will post this later after doing more work on this piece.

Summer Day 1 - A Work in Progress

The temperature remains at 22F (-5C) and is slowly dropping and the ice covering from yesterday remains on the trees. Fortunately we did not get the high winds which could have caused power outages, much like what happened in Toronto yesterday.

It would be nice if we had a day that makes it above 32F (0C) so I can get the doors open on my vehicles.
I will probably have to run alcohol through the doors to get them to open and now the snow is starting again.













So what better than to start a painting of a lake in the summer to get warm thoughts flowing and try to get away from the continuing cold?

I put in the water and the sky using French ultramarine blue and Antwerp blue, then set the painting aside to dry before I put a wash of raw sienna on the horizon line.

I will post it once it is completed.

My plan seems to have worked as in the late afternoon the sun finally came out and lit everything up with a crystal glow.

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

Spring Day 1 - A Work in Progress

The freezing rain continues today and hopefully we won't get the high winds they are calling for later this afternoon.

This painting is the first in a series of the four seasons on a lake in cottage country.













I wanted to portray the cold water of the lake in early spring once most of the ice on the lake has melted leaving the ice closest to the shore is still grimly holding on to winter.

As I do more work on this painting I will post it at a later date.

OSWOA - Frosted 1

We are back in the deep freeze yet again with the temperature being -16F (-26.7C). I could hear the snow crunch and squeak underfoot as I walked down to do the barn chores this morning. The only good thing is there is a bright blue sky and the sun is shining.

I wanted to work on a painting this morning before I went out to get the last few things I needed for Christmas. I thought working on a winter painting would be appropriate for the season and I chose this one that I had started last year (see post on 09 August 2012).

It was originally called Blue Sky 6 but with the light areas in the blue sky I thought I would make them represent frost covered branches that are often seen after a night of freezing fog and I renamed the painting Frosted 1.














I lightly drew in a small brook, the trunk and main branches of the trees and will use paint for the finer branches coated with frost.

I didn't like the broken branch at the right side of the painting and lifted it out with water and added another tree.

Using various mixes of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and raw sienna I painted in the tree trunks and branches.

Using cobalt blue and French ultramarine blue I painted in the brook; with the same colour watered down I indicated trees on the horizon line.













Using raw sienna, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson and new gamboge I put in the grasses and growies at the base of the trees.

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 Windsor & Newton paint on 300lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $40.00 and sold unframed.