Run in Shed I

It is 24F (-4.4C) and overcast and we are to get more snow flurries today. I think it is supposed to be spring, but winter just doesn't want to leave.

I pulled out this sketch that I did a couple of years ago (see post on 18 June 2013) when I went out for a drive in the countryside.

Beginning with the closest building I put in the barn board and straightened the fascia boards. Next I added some overgrown grasses and weeds at the base of the shed.















Then I moved to the next building and began working on the well weathered, wooden roof. Some of the boards had warped and twisted showing their age.

From there I started on the solid side wall with its entry door for the times when the animals are shut into the shed during bad weather. Then the back wall and interior sidewall.

Lastly I added a fence line in for the pasture and some long grass and growies around the second shed.

Autumn Solo 1

It is another day that I am greeted with a light covering of snow on the ground with cold temperatures of 21F (-6.1C).

I decided that I would go out to Burleigh Falls and take photographs as at this time of the year the water is quite high, but I also wanted to do a sketch of an oak tree that was near the water that I didn't have time last year draw.














The colours on this particular tree instead of being the usual shades of brown and rust, was in shades of red, yellow and orange.

At a later date I may do a painting of this tree against the rapids above Burleigh Falls.

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 April.

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

Confirmed Shows for 2015 - April

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.

Norwood Skillet, 4247 Highway 7, Norwood Ont.
25 Mar - 27 May 15

The Evinrude Centre, 911 Monaghan Road, Peterborough Ont.
02-04 Apr 15 The 15th Annual Peterborough Garden Show

Kawartha Artists’ Gallery, Peterborough, Ont.
KAGS
08-30 Apr 15 Emerging
Opening Reception 11 Apr 15 from 1-4pm.
10 Jun - 05 Jul 15 Warm and Cool
Opening Reception 13 Jun 15 from 1-4pm.
26 Aug - 27 Sep 15 Faces and Figures
Opening Reception 29 Aug 15 from 1-4pm.
11-29 Nov 15 Outdoor Painters' Show - Elements of Nature
Opening Reception 14 Nov 15 from 1-4pm.
02-20 Dec 15 and 06-17 Jan 16 Winter Show
Opening Reception 05 Dec 15 from 1-4pm..

Kawartha Arts Network - Art on Kent, Lindsay, Ont.
KAN
09 Apr - 02 May 15 Local Floral
Opening Reception 11 Apr 15 from 1-3pm.
02 Jul - 01 Aug 15 Annual All Members' Show
Opening Reception 04 Jul 15 from 1-3pm.
03-31 Dec 15 and 07 Jan-16 Jan 16 Affordibleism
Opening Reception 05 Dec 15 from 1-3pm.

Peterborough Public Library, 345 Alymer Street, Peterborough, Ont.
Trent University, Canadian Studies Department, Art and Culture Tour
22 May 15 from 6:30-9:30pm.

MacKelvie Gallery, Keene, Ont.
PioneerVillage
28 May - 25 Jun Lang Pioneer Village Museum, Keene, Ont.

The Lindsay Gallery, Lindsay, Ont.
LindsayGallery
24 Jun - 25 Jul 15 Motion in Stillness
Reception 25 Jul 15 from 2-4pm.


St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, Lakefield, Ont.
27 Jun 15 Artists in Bloom II 2-4pm.

Lockside Trading Company, 2805 River Ave, Youngs Point, Ont.
18-19 Jul 15 3rd Annual Art @ the Locks from 9am-6pm.
16-17 Aug 15 4th Annual Art @ the Locks from 9am-6pm.

St Matthews Church, Buckhorn, Ont.
BuckhornArtistsGroup
16-23 Aug 15 25th Annual Shades of Summer Art Show

Township of Douro-Dummer Library Art Gallery, Warsaw, Ont.
08 Sep - 24 Oct 15 Three Good Friends
Opening Reception 11 Sep 15 from 7-8pm.

Millennium Park, Peterborough, Ont.
5th Annual Purple Onion Festival
20 Sep 15 from 11am-4:00pm.

Dancing Blueberries, 360 George St. N., Peterborough, Ont.
02-28 Oct 15

Fenelon Falls Fair Grounds, Fenelon Falls, Ont.
KawarthaArtsFestival
05-06 Sep 15 Kawartha Arts Festival

Please come out and enjoy the artwork displayed at these shows.

Hanging the Peterborough Garden Show

Today was a beautiful, mild and sunny day with the temperatures reaching 53F (11.7C) which is wonderful although by the weekend we are to get more snow.

It has been over three weeks now and still no sign of Junkyard; I can only hope that he is safe and has found a new home.

I started the day by going to KAGS to help load the grids, lights and tables that were to go to the Evinrude Centre for the Peterborough Garden Show.

Once there, the panels were quickly unloaded and two of us went to work setting them up. In the meantime others on the committee were doing the take in of paintings for the show.

When we finished the grids, we hung the cloth panels and finally the lights were added and turned on; we were ready to start hanging the fifty one paintings that were entered for the show.

We first set up the center panels with the larger paintings and from there tried to give each artist a grid for their artwork to keep it all together.









We put the tags with the paintings and had everything set up by 1:30. It was a lovely display of floral artwork.














I returned at 5:00pm to do my sitting for the art show and while there decided to work on this drawing of African Violets in a basket. This original graphite pencil drawing when framed will be available for $65.00.

I hope you will be able to come out and enjoy the Peterborough Garden Show and visit our art show during the weekend.

The hours for the show are:
02 Apr 15 - 5:00-9:00pm
03 Apr 15 - 10:00am - 5:00pm
04 Apr 15 - 10:00am - 4:00pm


African Violet Sketch

Lone Tree I

Today has been a busy day and full of many surprises. The morning started off cool 26F (-3.3C) but by late afternoon the temperature was a wonderful 40F (4.4C) when I took Kyora out for a walk through the fields, which still have a little snow on the trails but most of it has melted.

When I returned from running my errands in Peterborough I was delighted to see my pair of North American Kestrels have returned and will once again be nesting in the hawk box on the south side of the house.

We have had a pair of Kestrels nesting there for over 35 years; originally they nested in a hole in the building under the eaves but after five years we finally finished that side of the house in the late fall and closed the opening. Rather than the birds trying to find a new home when they came back in February I called the Toronto Zoo and received the dimensions for a hawk box that would be appropriate for them.

Ron built it and put it up in the late fall and they adapted to their new nest with no trouble, other than the first year kicking out the starlings that tried to take over their nesting site.

With wear and tear from the elements over the years we have had to replace the box three times with a new one.

I wanted to work on a drawing of one of the old dead trees along the fence line that will soon be felled and turned into firewood. It didn't take me long to do this little drawing and return to the house to warm up with a nice cup of hot tea.

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork and I hope you will return often.

Countryside Art Group Blog - Show Updates

On the first of each month I will update the Countryside Art Group's blog with a listing of shows where the various artists in the Group are exhibiting their work.

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