Cows 3-5 - Three Works in Progress

Today I was back working on the cow paintings. I would like to have these finished for the upcoming 26th Annual Among Friends Show at St. Matthews Church in Buckhorn, Ontario next weekend.















Cow 5

I completed the drawing of Cow 5 that I had started earlier this month (see posting on 02 May 2014) and made a number of changes.















Cow 3

I decided that I was going to work on these three pieces in the same manner I worked on the two that I completed. (see yesterday's posting).

First I painted in a simple sky on Cow 3 using French ultramarine blue, white and a touch of burnt sienna and set it aside to dry.















Cow 4

Next I worked on Cow 4 and after painting in the sky decided to give it a little more interesting background and with Hansa yellow, and French ultramarine blue I put a pasture behind the cow.

With the last cow, since the image takes up so much of the canvas I once again did a simple background sky.















Cow 5

I decided that I wanted to work up Cow 4 since it was different than the other two cow paintings.

Using just black and white I painted in the markings on the cow and indicated some of the hair detail as well as some of the shadows.















Cow 4

I will post each painting at a later date as the cows are completed.

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

Cows 1 and 2

I worked on some of the drawings of cows that I put on canvas earlier this month (see posting on 02 May 2014).
















Cow 1

I started with putting the background in on the first painting of a cow. Then I set it aside to dry and worked on the next painting and put in a slightly different background, this one with clouds.















Cow 2

Now it was time to paint the first cow. I used a limited palette of white, black, for most of the cow's body and burnt sienna for the eyes. For the nose I used mixtures of alizarin crimson, Hansa yellow and burnt sienna.

Lastly the fence rail was painted in using mixtures of all the colours to create an interesting weathered look on the wood.
















I changed the name of Cow 1 to Holy Cow! which  is available for $95.00. SOLD

Using the same colours as for the first cow painting I completed the next cow. I also changed its name from Cow 2 to You're Joking?















I would like to thank Ms. Adrienne West of Bethany, Ontario on her purchase of You're Joking? as a gift for her mother on Mother's Day.

OSWOA - Out of the Fog 1

Starting the day off at 54F (12C) and a layer of fog blanketing everything this morning.

I thought it fitting to work on this painting (see postings on 12 December 2013 and 06 January 2014) that I had started in a class I was teaching last year.

With this painting I started with pale images of trees in the background gradually darkening the trees as they came closer to the foreground to give them a misty effect.













Now that the fog has lifted I am going to go out and work in my garden.

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 $30.00 and sold unframed.

ACEO - Purple Rocks 2

Today was a wonderful day, starting off sunny and 40F (4C) first thing in the morning and I was able to go out and work in my garden later in the afternoon when it made it up to 72F (22C).

I spent the time in my garden transplanting the new plants I got from Heather yesterday in the rock garden and in the main flower bed. The sky the entire time clouded over as I continued with the weeding and preparing the soil for the gladioli bulbs I bought last weekend.

Shortly after I called it a day and came in to make supper it started to rain which was just what the garden needed.

I thought I would like to work on a painting that I had started a long time ago, (see post on 23 August 2012).















I started on the growies that were coming up in between the rocks and added a few more leaves using French ultramarine blue, raw sienna and new gamboge.

Next I placed the reflections from the rocks into the water with alizarin crimson and the blue. To the reflection colour I added a small amount of burnt sienna and added in the shadows and crevices onto the rocks.

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.

Moonlit Forest 1 - A Work in Progress

Today is the last day of the Brian Atyeo workshop and the theory for the day was about the importance of the use of line and shape within a painting.

For the demonstration in addition to doing his usual tonal value sketch, he also did a small colour watercolour value sketch.

This little painting was later raffled off to the class; unfortunately I didn't win it, but the small piece was exquisite.

The painting he did was a semi abstract with the use a line and shape to create an image of a forest of birch trees on a moonlit night.

My painting isn't quite as abstract as his one was and I am using a mixture of birch and cedar trees.

I will post more on this painting as it gets closer to completion.

Barron Canyon 1 - A Work in Progress

Today is the second day of the Brian Atyeo workshop and most of the theory was about the differences between, transparent, sedimentary and opaque paints, how they work together and what they do when applied to paper.













We worked on a landscape painting in the afternoon using different layers of both transparent and sedimentary colours along and when mixed together as well as layers of transparent glazes to achieve a depth of colour.

There are a number of things I still need to do and I will post this painting at a later date once I have added the trees and completed the painting.

Two Family Home 1 - A Work in Progress

Today was the first day of the Brian Atyeo workshop.

It was a learning experience; especially about the importance of preliminary sketches to get your tonal values correct before you start painting. Brian works on a scale of five tonal values in his paintings as well as strong use of shape and contrasts.













I did a number of sketches of a painting of a barn I would like to do at a future date and Brian's comments concerning the tonal values were very helpful.

I started a small painting of his demonstration piece. The painting still needs a little more work before it is complete. I will post the finished piece at a later date.