Replacing Some of the Barn Floor

Parts of the barn floor in the mow are gradually starting to get "mushy" and Ron decided that before I fell through carrying a bale of hay to feed the horses, he would replace the floor.















He started by removing the panels covering the floor by the doorway.















Next he removed the first layer of the floor boards which showed signs of deterioration and these were put onto the trailer to be dumped as fill at the side of the track.















This was followed by the removal of the second layer of boards which were also put onto the trailer.
















He then squared up the edges of the opening in preparation to replacing the boards.















In the meantime I picked up all the small pieces of wood and took them out of the stall and they went with the rest of the boards onto the trailer.















Sepia 1

While Ron was covering the opening in the mow and emptying the trailer I thought I would start a couple of little monochromatic landscape paintings.















Sepia 2

I will post each of these paintings at a later date once they have been completed.

Bucking 1 and 2

Today I was watching a program on television about rodeo, cowboys, bucking horses and bulls.

It didn't take long before I had my sketchbook out and was doing some quick sketches.

I was able to get a little more detail on some of the horses when they showed the action in slow motion.

The amount of extension they achieve after they kick out when bucking just before their front feet touch the ground.

Bucking 1

It is amazing the power they generate as they twist and turn trying to dislodge their rider.

I decided to leave the rider out of the sketches and try to capture as much of the movement and the different positions the horse can get its body into as it tries to get rid of the cowboy.

I managed to get enough detail into the sketches to create drawings.

Bucking 2

Backlot Trees 1 - A Work in Progress

It is another day of high heat 88F (31C) and humidity 99F (37C) with still no rain in sight, but hopefully we will get some rain soon.

I came across this little painting that I started last month when the KAGS Outdoor Painters' Group had a paint out at the Cavan Art Gallery.

In the afternoon we were invited to tour Galerie Q, which is two buildings away from the Cavan Art Gallery.

I worked on this painting in the morning, before we went for the tour from the parking lot of Galerie Q facing toward the Cavan Art Gallery.

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

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

Clear Lake V - A Work in Progress

It is another hot 88F (31C) and humid 95F (35C) day and they are calling for thunderstorms for this evening and overnight, but I don't think that is going to happen as the clouds are just not forming the right way for a thunderstorm.

I pulled out this drawing that I had worked on earlier this year (see posts on 09 June 2013 and 16 May 2016).

After looking at this drawing I decided that I would like to make it a little larger in size and since there was plenty of blank paper I developed the land in the background by adding a cottage, a boat dock, trees and a pathway.

I started on the background trees behind the cottage which had the added benefit of outlining the edges of the building.

Next I went in and put in the cottage into the background, then added the grasses along the pathway down to the dock.

I put in the water and reflections below the dock and along the distant shoreline. Lastly I put in a few rocks at the edge of the water.














Before I started on the foreground cottage, I lightly indicated where the large tree on the left would be placed, as it is in front of the cottage.

I put in the front edges of the cottage, then the fascia boards. Next I indicated where the door and windows would be placed and then I added the shadow on the wall caused by the edge of the roof and the reflected light in the windows.

Then I started on the roof by putting in the chimney first, adding the roof line and finally putting on the shingles.

Next I started working on the larger tree trunks on the island, but ran out of time before I could get them finished.

I will post this drawing at a later date when I may also extend the foreground out a little more and put a fire pit in front of the Kawartha chairs.

Long Lake VI - A Work in Progress

Today I didn't have a lot of time to work on a painting, so instead I went through some of my sketches and decided to work on this piece that I had started a number of years ago (see post on 15 June 2013) while canoeing on Long Lake.

I started by putting in the smaller pine tree on the right side of the drawing.

Next I added in some of the grasses on the tops of the rocks.















I indicated the trunk of one of the large pine trees when my friends came over to pick me up to go to hiking and sketching through the Warsaw Caves Conservation Area and Campground.

I will post this drawing at a later date once more work on it is completed.

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 July.

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

Trees 1 and 2 - Two Works in Progress

I pulled out these two paintings that I sketched earlier this year (see post on 12 June 2016).

For the background of the first painting I used a mixture of French ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson and then painted in the warm background colour with vertical strokes.

I decided that this piece would make a nice snow scene and while the background was drying I darkened the mixture slightly and painted in the tree shadows onto the snow at the base of the trees.

Christmas Pines 1 is this painting's new name from Trees 1.

Using various mixtures of raw sienna, burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue I put in the foreground grasses and growies.

I wanted a very soft and misty background for this piece.

After wetting the paper thoroughly, I used various mixtures of raw sienna, burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue and streaked the colour into the background.

I left some of the areas fairly light in colour and made others slightly darker while keeping it fairly muted.

Foggy Day 4 is the new name for this painting from Trees 2.

I will post each of these paintings as they are completed.

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