Monochrome and Black and White Show

Today is the first day of the Monochrome and Black and White exhibit at KAGS.

Some monochromes were drawings using only burnt sienna, burnt umber, or Payne's grey.

Mine was using only French ultramarine blue with the darkest being the colour straight from the tube with no water added to a very pale mix with just a tiny amount of colour added to water to just tint the paper.

There were a number of monochrome paintings in the show where the base colour of burnt umber, red oxide, viridian, cobalt blue or turquoise was changed with the addition of black and white paint.












Two paintings that I found interesting were poured acrylic abstracts, the first was of black and white only and the second one was of black, white and cobalt blue.

For the black and white only, there were a number of pen and ink drawings; some were very detailed and others that were quick sketches.










There were a couple of lino prints that were quite interesting and showed another way to use black and white.

The majority of the black and white pieces were created using graphite pencil. Some of which were so realistic that they could almost pass as photographs.















Needless to say there were also a number of black and white photographs in the show featuring a wide range of subject matter.

On the whole it is a wonderful exhibit and beautifully presented.













The show runs from today through to 24 February with the opening reception being held on Sunday, 27 January from 1-4 p.m.

If you have the chance, please come out and see this exhibit.

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.

Asian Still Life - Two Works in Progress

Today I am at KAGS for my first Still Life class of the New Year.

Our theme for today's class was "All Things Asian" and we had an interesting selection of fans, tea cups, tea pots, bowls, chop sticks, platters and a Chinese checker board.















Asian Tea Set

For my first sketch I decided to do the first tea set with a carved fan set behind it and a large brass platter on the left side.

I may add another tea cup to the right of the tea pot, but I will wait until I have finished the drawing.















Waiting for Lunch

For my second sketch I used the tea pot and one of the tea cups again and put in a bowl and a pair of chop sticks.

I will post each of these drawings at a later date as more work on them is completed.

Gathering Storm 1 - A Work in Progress

Today Norma and I were painting with the Lakefield Creative Arts Group at Saint John the Baptist Anglican Church in Lakefield.

As usual I brought my box of partially completed paintings that I take with me and chose this one to try and finish that I had started a number of years ago when I taught a class on how to paint different types of skies (see posts on 12 January, 19 February and 15 May 2015 and 24 January 2017).

I washed in some alizarin crimson across the rocks in the foreground and while the paint was still wet, I dropped in a small amount of burnt sienna in spots to create texture.

With various mixtures of French ultramarine blue, raw sienna, Antwerp blue and aureolin I put in the under paint for the pine needles onto the trees.



















With a mixture of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson I painted in the tree trunks and branches.

I thinned the dark mixture down with water and added a few ripples below the far shore in the background.

Next, I put some below the rocks and then added a wash of alizarin crimson for the rock reflections.

Lastly, I dotted in a small amount of alizarin crimson throughout the background trees to add a little warmth and interest.

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

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

ACEO - Lone Pine 2

I pulled out this painting I had worked on last year (see posts on 10 April 2016 and 15 March 2018) and I wanted to get it completed today.

Using a mix of French ultramarine blue and raw sienna I indicated some tall pine trees into the background.

I darkened the green colour by adding a little more of the Frenh ultramarine blue and started to add more detail to the pine needles on the tree.

Next I added burnt sienna to the green and put in the dead branches and some of the branches

Lastly, I added some grasses at the base of the tree using raw sienna and cadmium yellow.

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. Lanaquarelle 100% cotton, acid free watercolour paper. It is at $20.00 and sold unframed.

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

Douro Dummer Library Art Gallery Exhibition

Today Daniel Marlatt and I are setting up our art show at the Douro-Dummer Library Art Gallery which is located at 425 Douro Fourth Line Road, Hamlet of Douro, Ontario.










We brought in our art work and after setting it around the walls and book cases on the lower level of the library/gallery we discussed the best way to exhibit the art.











We decided that on the lower level of the gallery space we would mix our artwork on the walls and started with the long wall on the right as you enter the lower level.















My five abstract paints together with the painting of the sea anemone were set up in the centre of the display area. To the right side of the centre paintings Daniel hang four of his smaller pieces.











To the left side of the centre paintings Daniel hung one piece on the end of the wall space and I had three pieces of mine to the right of his and to the left of the centre grouping.











In the area above the bookcase at the back of the room I put one painting on each end of the care and Daniel put a number of his pieces in between.












On the left wall we started by placing a large piece of Daniel's in the centre followed by a small watercolour painting on each side of it.











On each side of the watercolour paintings were a long piece of Daniel's art followed by a small acrylic abstract of mine that picked up the colours of his art.









In the front room Daniel took the two walls closer to the entrance to the room and I took the wall between the windows over the computers and the back wall in the reference area.












I put a larger painting in the centre of the two windows and a smaller painting on each of the outer ends of the windows to balance the display.












On the wall in the reference area I hung one large painting in the centre of the wall.
















The show begins today and runs through to the 22 March, with the Opening Reception on Friday the 11 January from 7-8 p.m.

If you have the chance, please come out and enjoy the exhibit and we look forward to seeing you at the opening.

Moonlit Creek I - A Work in Progress

This morning I was greeted with a Freezing Rain Warning on The Weather Network and as I went down to do the barn chores the temperature was 7F (-14C) and the wind chill made it feel like -2F (-19C). Needless to say, I left the horses in for the day just to be safe.

Since I had no plans to go out today, I thought I would like to do a little more work on this drawing that I had started a number of years ago (see posts on 24 June 2014 and 18 August 2018).














I started on the right side of the drawing and finished the pine trees, followed by adding in the rocks at the edge of the river.

Next, I put the ripples into the water of the creek, and adding more grasses and growies on both sides of the drawing.

Lastly, I put in the full moon and some of the clouds in the sky. I will post this drawing at a later date as more work on it is completed.

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