Morning Fisherman 1 - A Work in Progress

Last night there was a full moon and early this morning it was setting in the west as the sun was coming up in the east. The sky was a mix of greys and yellows.

I thought an early morning sketch with a blue heron patiently waiting for its prey to swim by and be caught would make in interesting drawing.

I started with the heron first and placed him standing on a rock.

Next I put in the distant shoreline with some trees behind the heron and then I placed the full moon in the sky to the left.

Lastly, I added in some bull rushes or cattails around the heron to finish the drawing.

I will post this drawing again at a later date once I have completed the sky and water.

Moonlight 1 - A Work in Progress

Tonight the rain stopped for a little while and the full moon peeked out and cast its reflection on my ice covered driveway.

Since I wasn't tired I decided to paint for a while and pulled out this painting with a full moon that I started last year (see post on 20 June 2016).

I thought on this piece I would put a halo around the full moon and using French ultramarine blue I started by circling around the moon and painting outward until the sky had its first layer of blue.















Once the first layer dried I added a second layer around the moon, left a thin ring around the moon and continued until all the rest of the sky was painted.

I added two more layers of paint to the outside of the halo around the moon allowing the paint to dry completely between layers.

I will post this painting again once the trees have been completed.

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

Blue Lines 5-7 - Three Works in Progress

Today I wanted to paint but didn't really know what subject I wanted to paint.















Blue Lines 5

I pulled out three pieces of paper and thought I would do a triptych. I wet all three pieces and while I waited for it to dry I mixed a small amount of French ultramarine blue with a touch of burnt sienna.















Blue Lines 6

I brushed it across the bottom of the all three pieces of paper and set it aside to dry while I had a cup of tea and decided what I would do to it next.















Blue Lines 7

Before I could get back to doing more work on it I had company come over and had to put them away. I will post each piece at a later date once I have more work on them completed.

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

The Point

Today I went to The Point - the Young's Point Diner and Pizzeria, at 403 South Beach Rd., Lakefield, Ont., with Cindy Allan and Norma MacEachern.









It didn't take long to hang my paintings on the one wall, where they will remain on display from 10 January through to 14 March 2017.













Over lunch we spoke with owners Max and Janice Costa about the class Cindy would be teaching tomorrow night and the class I would teach next month on 22 February 2017.














If you get a chance come out to The Point and enjoy a meal Tuesday through Saturday and an added bonus is the live music on Saturday night from 5-8 p.m.

Tied Up 2 - A Work in Progress

I came across this piece that I had started a number of years ago (see post on 22 June 2013) and I thought I would like to get more work on it completed.

With the boats tied to their mooring lines I felt an evening scene would be appropriate.

I started with aureolin at the horizon line and worked upward in the sky, then added new gamboge above the first colour, followed by a little alizarin crimson into the top of the sky.

I added a little burnt sienna to the alizarin crimson and brushed in a few clouds into the sky.














Using new gamboge with a little raw sienna, I put in the water just below the horizon line. This was followed by adding in alizarin crimson and painting down to the top of the wave curling toward the beach.

Leaving some areas white for the waves rolling up on the beach, I put in the sand using mixes of burnt sienna and raw sienna.

I will post this painting at a later date once I have completed the boats.

Oak Leaf 1 - A Work in Progress

Today I came across a number of photographs I had taken last fall of leaves on the ground with water droplets on them.

I thought I would do a small painting of oak leaves and perhaps in the future do other kinds of leaves with water droplets.

After putting the main leaf down, I indicated other leaves beneath it and then placed water droplets on the leaf.














Using a wash of burnt sienna I painted in the main leaf and left spaces for the three water droplets white.

With various tones of burnt sienna to make the water droplet and its cast shadow, I put in the largest water drop.

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

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

ACEO - Pastel Colours 1

Going to the barn this morning it was 10F (-12C) and the wind chill made it feel like 0F (-18C), but the good news is that it is going to warm up to 17F (-8C).

I thought I would finish this painting of an early morning in the fall (see posts on 14 April and 17 October 2016).

With clear water I lifted a little of the colour from the sky where the birch tree trunks are placed.

Using a mix of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna for a grey I put in the background trees while waiting for the birch trees to dry.













Once the paper was dry I put the markings on the birches trees and onto the dead cedar tree.

Lastly, I mixed French ultramarine blue and raw sienna and painted in the grasses and growies into the foreground.

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 paintings using Artist quality Winsor & Newton paint on 300lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.