Winter Morning I - A Work in Progress

Yesterday I spoke too soon about there being no snow in the forecast; overnight we received about an inch (2.5cm) of snow. The temperature has dropped to 14F (-10C) and there is more snow called for later in the afternoon.

We did however have a nice sunrise this morning and it inspired me to capture the lovely pinks, mauves and blues in the sky of the new day.

The colours were reflected in the soft shadows spreading across the snow, seeming to give it a warm glow. I then set the painting aside to dry.

Later when it was dry I lightly indicated where I would place the trees.

I will post piece at a later time once the trees have been painted.

Bath Time - A Work in Progress

The temperatures have finally dropped and we are back to the colder winter weather, although there is still no snow in the forecast.

I decided to work on this piece that I had started earlier this year (see posts on 11 and 16 July 2014).

Using new gamboge I painted in the back of the duck's body that would be seen through the glass bottle of bath oil and a little into the cap of the bottle for the reflected colour.

Next I worked on finishing the bottle cap with mixtures of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson.













I started on the bill with mixtures of new gamboge, cadmium red, cadmium yellow and alizarin crimson.

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

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

Deer in the Shadows - A Work in Progress

This morning as I was going over to my friend Heather's house to drop off her Christmas gifts now that she was back home from celebrating the holiday with her family in Toronto.

I glanced at the lake as I was driving by and at the edge was a doe with last year's fawn standing with her deciding if they were going to cross the ice covered lake.

I stopped the car and quickly took a photograph before opening the door and getting out just in case I spooked the deer and they disappeared before I could get closer.

It was a good thing that I did because as soon as I got out of the car she spotted me and that is exactly what happened. So it is a good thing I listen to the voices in my head some of the time.

I got back into the car and visited with Heather for a while before returning home and doing this little sketch.

I will post this piece at a later date once I have taken the time to develop the sketch and transfer it onto either watercolour paper or a canvas.

Gardening 2 - A Work in Progress

If the temperatures continue this mild I may have to cut the grass with my Christmas gift from Ron; a beautiful, new, black riding lawn mower with all the bells and whistles including cruise control and a 46" deck which will cut my time mowing the lawn by about a third.

The drawback to the larger mower is that there is only an inch (2.5cm) of clearance on each side of the deck when going into the west barn.













I didn't have a lot of time to paint today with going to Christine's for  opening Christmas presents and supper at her home and with it being so mild I did a little more work on this painting (see posts on 25 May and 14 August 2014).

I will post this painting later once I have completed the watering can and the other flower container.

Welcome the Newborn - A Work in Progress

Last month in the Still Life at KAGS we did a class with a number of figurines; I chose to do the ones of dragons and changed a number of things on them to create my own dragons.

I liked the idea of a dragon clinging to a marble column and heralding the birth of the first dragon hatchling from a clutch of eggs.

There is still a lot more drawing to do before the sketch is complete and ready for me to paint including the placement of the legs, putting in the scales and adding the other eggs.

Being a big fan of dragons and other mystical creatures I am looking forward to working on this piece.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Tulips - A Work in Progress

I have everything ready for Christmas tomorrow and I thought I would have some time to paint today, so I pulled out this painting that I had started earlier this year (see post on 25 October 2014) and removed this masking fluid from the flowers.

The drawing needed a little more work before I would be happy with the way it looked.

I had just started into it when we had some unexpected company arrive and that ended my doing any more work on this piece.

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

First Snow - A Work in Progress

With the milder temperatures that are being called for the rest of the week I do not think we will have a white Christmas this year.

I decided that I would start on one of the three canvases I am donating for the Small Treasures Show from the 18-29 March 2015, which is a fund raiser for the Best of High School Art Show at KAGS.














I under painted the canvas with raw sienna and using cadmium red blocked in the distant hill and the edge of the field as well as the two main trees in the foreground.

Using various mixtures of Titanium white, French ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson I painted in the sky first, then gradually added a little more white and painted the far hill and then the field.

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