- Painting For Life -

2012-01-31T15:48:00.001-05:00

Open Woodshed ..11" x 14" ..O/P

As I had mentioned in a former post, finding snow, believe it or not, has been a chore in my local area.The source for the painting above was a place several miles north of my home. They had snow ! I do not think that it will last long as the temperature today is now 40*F.

The palette for this painting was my new limited palette. The colours were Prussian blue, perm rose, cadmium yellow and titanium white. I also added a couple of colours from my former limited palette. Just for comfort sake !
I am still on the learning curve with this selection of colours and it has been a good experience, so far.

Onward and upward...I hope.

'til next..

2012-01-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

Deserted Shack ..8" x 10" ..O/P

Well, isn't that about the way it goes ? First I mention that we have not had any snow yet this year, and wouldn't you know it... rain, snow , freezing rain, snow, melting, warm, cold, snow, warm, rain..and not necessarily in that order. Certainly not good plein air painting weather IMHO. But, it is what it is. Perhaps tomorrow !

This painting, again, was with the new palette that I am trying to get used to. It is tough in a way to get used to it since I had been using my previous limited palette for so long. I think it is coming and it is fun to try new colours. I always have a couple of my favourates on my palette so that I can always fall back on for support.

Like I said before, Practice, Practice, Practice...

'til next..

2012-01-12T10:10:00.000-05:00

Snow Tree ..11" x 14" ..O/P

Believe it or not, there is still no snow on the ground and the temps continue to hover around the thirty-two and thirty -seven F* mark. ...And here it is, the end of the first week in January.

So, what am I looking at ? I have grown quite restless waiting for the opportunity to paint "snow".

The piece above was painted using a reference photo that was originally quite dark and rather colourless that I changed to a continuous gray toned photo. By doing this, I could proceed with the painting without being influenced by the colours of the original photo and still exercise my own colour experiences for this type of scene..

My palette for this painting was my latest new palette that I used in the previous two paintings.

I found this exercise to be both practical and of course, fun.

'til next..

2011-12-13T14:49:00.000-05:00

The Ski Hills Hut ..11" x 14" ..O/P

The old ski hills hut has not been in operation for a number of years. In its later years it became rather derelict, which just seemed to add to its old world charm. It never really aroused the painter in me to want to paint it in the winter months.

During the summer it was hard to get a good angle on the scene because of the summer foliage and undergrowth.

But now, the late autumn, early winter, before the snow settles in it seems is the perfect time to paint it.

This painting is on a Masonite panel that has two coats of (textured) gesso applied to the surface. The surface was not prestained which meant that I was painting on a white panel.

I used my new limited palette with the addition of yellow ochre and burnt sienna.

The base colours or darkest colours in the layout were applied thinly (runny) using a lot of medium ( solvent )

Some of the spots where I applied the paint more heavily, the wet surface was left to evaporate for just a short period of time while I worked on other areas. This allowed the fresh paint to be applied without skipping over the thin wet surface.

I rather like what looks to my eye to be a 'fresh look' or 'feeling' to the painting'.

..'til next...

2011-12-06T18:29:00.000-05:00

Second try..

Experimental 8" x 10" o/p

For some time, I have been thinking about changing my limited palette. I wanted to keep the idea of the limited palette and just change my basic red, blue and yellow plus white. It seemed that I had been using alizarin, ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow med. plus white for so long that they began to look as though they had lost their "intensity" (to me) The mixtures in some cases looked to have lost the 'shock' that once impressed me.

After some thought, I decided to substitute the alizarin with 'rose', ultramarine with Prussian blue and cadmium yellow will remain as my yellow. A few of my former favourites remained.

Wow ! This change will take some getting used to !

My suggestion for anyone who may be planning a similar move- practice mixing the colours before hand, first !

This change has certainly, to my eyes, found the lost "shock".

(photo reference for the above two paintings were borrowed from the WetCanvas Library.)

Practice, Practice, Practice...

..til next..

2011-11-29T16:20:00.000-05:00

Autumn Park Lake ..7" x 9" ..O/P

Another visit to a scene that I have previously painted in other seasons. However, I do not remember painting this subject in the fall.

This piece was painted on a double gesso coated Masonite panel. I did not prestain the surface, but painted on a white surface.
The initial layout of the small painting was layed in using various thin dark 'washes', which were allowed to 'evaporate' before laying in the final colours. The final colours and mixtures were that of my limited palette.

This painting method was a good exercise for 'a limited time' painting.

'til next..

2011-11-23T23:47:00.001-05:00

Roadside Bluff ..8" x 10" ..O/P

This painting is a little on the rough side when it comes to refining the "look or "finish". By the time I had finished the piece, the importance of the "look" had shifted from the finish to the composition. The thing that I became interested in included the dark pines reaching into the lighter sky and the lighter trees against the darker background in the bottom right of the painting. The juxtaposition of the two was exciting to me.

The piece was painted on a Masonite panel prepared with two coats of unsanded gesso and a ground coat of beige-pink oil paint mixed with plenty of mineral spirits and applied to the surface. This application was then 'blow dried ' with a hair dryer to evaporate the medium and then lightly rubbed with a paper towel to smooth out the light covering of colour. This was done with both applications of the beige-pink colour.

The colours used were the usual colours that I use in my limited palette. I did add a chromium green and green earth to my palette. Just in case !

I was excited by the composition and may carry the painting further to a more final stage.

..til next.

2011-11-17T12:12:00.002-05:00

Country Stable ..6" x 8" ..O/P

This little panel seems like a small area to work on when doing plein air in the great outdoors. But, it is just the right size to fit into my ( 9" x12" ) pochade box without much trouble.

Anything smaller than 9" x 12", I apply a folded masking tape on the reverse side o f the panel and adhere it to the inside lid of the box and I am ready to start. When the painting is finished, it is easy to pull off and store in the vehicle for the trek home.

The palette for this painting also allowed me to get painting in a hurry. The colours are the leftover colours of the sprevious days' painting. It was just a case of replenishing the most used colours of the previous day. It makes no sense to waste colour if it is still pliable, IMHO.

An enjoyable little painting to paint but with it's own faults. ... Never the less...

'til next..

2011-11-15T16:28:00.000-05:00

Autumn Morning Outside The Bunky ..8" x 10" ..O/P

" Bunky" is not an uncommon word in our cottage country or vacation land. For those who have a summer cottage , it is not unusual to have a smaller 'outbuilding' next to or beside the main cottage, usually reserved for 'overflow' guests as an overnight sleeping quarters.

This particular panel prier to painting was primed with two coats of gesso and finally, in this case, coated with two coats of oil based "light pink".

My palette for this painting was a limited palette which included, red lite, alizarin, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow med. and titanium white. I did have a sap green and yellow ochre on my palette as well.

My first effort did not go well so I made the decision to 'scrape' it off. I did not clean (wash) the image completely off but left the rubbed image and used it as a background dark for my next effort. I was pleased with this method . It felt as though the first darks for the painting had been painted before I started the next stage of laying lighter colours or values and working towards the finnish. The painting seemed to go quite quickly.

It was a fun painting and just a little different I felt.

..'til next..

2011-11-08T16:23:00.000-05:00

Early Autumn, Collins Creek 11" x 14" O/P

Today I returned to a scene that I have painted different seasons of the year. The day started out as a welcoming sunny day and as time ware on, became cloudy, with a sprinkling of rain. That kind of weather can be expected this time of the year.

I used my limited palette for this painting. Ultra marine blue, cerulean blue, alizarin , cadmium red light, cadmium yellow med., cadmium lemon yellow and titanium white. I also had on my palette, yellow ochre sap geen and a flesh colour.

My support was a 11" by 14" Masonite panel that had two layers of gesso applied to its' surface. No coloured under painting was applied before continuing the painting.

Pockets of autumn colour can still be found in the countryside.

'til next...

2011-10-25T16:12:00.000-04:00

Autumn Shore Rocks ..10" x 8" ..O/P

There is still some nice fall colour out there. It is strange that in some pockets of the county, there are trees that have maintained their late summer green colour. Strange to see when some other trees are bare.

The panel for this small painting was a two coasts of gesso Masonite panel.. No under coat of colour was added to the surface before the painting was started.

My palette for this piece was my usual limited palette . Colours that I added as 'extras' (just in case) were yellow ochre, a number five gray (neutral), lime green, earth green and naples yellow.

This painting was painted using an assortment of three 'round' brushes. (for no specific reason).

It is a small painting but anytime there are rocks in the scene, it can be a separate challenge.

'til next..

2011-10-18T18:01:00.001-04:00

Bridge And Rock ..11" x 14" ..O/C

Well, I am really going to have to give up on the autumn colours, at least around this area. The leaves are disappearing fast and I cannot keep replacing them as I paint. I could not resist just one frenetic last time at ' the bridge '.

My palette continues to be my limited palette with the warm and cool primary colours. During fall, I have put out other colours such as, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, lime green, and naples yellow and of course, titanium white.

Hopefully, there are pockets of colour still to be found in many of my other old haunts. Autumn just may not be over yet..!

'til next..

2011-10-11T16:08:00.001-04:00

Autumn On The Skootamatta River ..11" x 14" ..O/P

It has been a beautiful run. I now feel that my little series of paintings of the Storrings Bridge area is now complete for this year.
Although the colours do not seem as vivid, many areas closer to home have been waiting to be painted. I am excited to get out there while the nice weather we have been having stays with us. The white 'stuff' comes soon enough.

The palette for this painting was, ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, cadmium red light, alizarin red, cadmium yellow medium, cadmium lemon and titanium white. I also added chromium oxide green, lime green and earth green .

My panel was Masonite with two coats of gesso and the surface was, in this case, left white.

Thank you for taking the time to check out the painting.

...'till next

2011-10-04T16:33:00.001-04:00

Storrings Bridge ..11" x 14" ..O/P

Yes, there really is such a place. It begs to be painted, especially at this time of the year. The leaves on the trees are now at their most glorious colour. I cannot imagine our good fortune lasting much longer, although the weather forecast is favourable for the next few days.

It seems at this time of the year when the autumn colours are at their brightest, around every turn a painting waits.

My palette for this painting was my limited palette. I feel that a limited palette for me is preferred simply because it is easier to sort the autumn colours and their values that continually scream for your attention.

This weekend is our, "Canadian Thanksgiving". To all, I wish a Happy Thanksgiving.

'til next..

2011-09-30T12:17:00.002-04:00

Below The Bridge ..8" x 10" O/P

One more trip back to Storrings bridge to paint...in the rain !

After scouting the area , I finally settled on this spot and began to set up. I noticed how the wetness was effecting the scene, the overall 'flatness' of the different values and the darkening of the colours. Although I was fairly close to the subject, there seemed little or no aerial perspective due to the lack of light or the overcast and rainy day. Another disadvantage was the lack of 'shadows', which also contributed to the look of flatness in the scene.

In the photo (left) you may see my palette and panel plus my setup.

My palette is the basic limited palette with the addition of Burnt Sienna, Veridian, a Yellowish Green and Titanium White that had been lightly 'grayed down' and used in my mixtures.

I had to 'play up' areas in the painting with darker colours in order to make up for the lack of contrasting values. I felt at the time that it helped to sort objects from each other and that it also gave the painting a certain energy that was lacking in the non shadows.

You can see how I have stylized the scene as I painted, compared to the photo of the actual scene. In my mind, objects or their colours shown in the photo seemed to be separated or scattered about and unrelated to each other.

In this case, I exaggerated the objects in the scene by giving them more volume, thus pulling them together to unify the objects and in my opinion, improving the composition, introducing a more abstract feeling that gave the painting much more energy.

Of course, as we all knew it would happen, the sun came out just as I was finishing. : (

'til next..

2011-09-27T16:21:00.002-04:00

7" x 9" ..O/P

I have passed this home and out building a number of times. Each time, I promised myself that I would return and paint them. It wasn't just the colour of the buildings in the afternoon sun, but the location. As one leaves the small village and drives up hill, the approach to the house is dead ahead. As suddenly as the house appears in front of you, the road curves to the right. One cannot help but notice the house and barn and many times they have left the thought of returning to paint them. It was that time.

I used my limited palette for both paintings and because of the season I added a few additional colours to "punch" up the colour surprises. Veridian, lime green, and burnt sienna in a lot of the mixtures can be seen in the paintings.

The panels were Masonite, with a double coat of gesso. No stain was applied before the start of the painting.

The last painting , the red barn is painted on a 8" x 10" panel.

They were both small pieces but fun to paint.

'til next..

2011-09-20T18:40:00.001-04:00

11" x 14" ..O/P

The slow moving water of the rapids at Storring's bridge are yet another example of the many scenes that are available. It seems that in any direction one can see a scene to paint, any time of the day or year.

Right now the early fall colours are beginning to change the flavour of the scenes from the summer greens to a more colourful autumn. I just know that when the autumn is over and we are heading for winter and snow scenes, that we will still be looking for that last colourful bush or last dying leaf to paint. And it will be here.

I used a white gessoed panel at the beginning of this painting. I tryed to cover as much of the panel , as fast as I could, with thin washes of varying greens, sky and back lit yellow greens. The rest of the painting was drawn and layed in with purples and blues.

From this point on it was a case of picking out the largest details and placing their colours on the previous washes. Repeating the same method, I kept breaking down the next largest details with further suggestions of colour to suggest the objects in that area. I kept refining all the areas in this manner until I had what I felt was a completed painting. At this point I could concentrate on further details and correcting values, picking here and there to finish.

It was a fun painting and seemed to develop and finish quickly.

'til next..

2011-09-14T12:23:00.002-04:00

From Storring's Bridge ..11" x 12" ..o/p

It has been years since my last visit to "the bridge" and the view remains much as I remember it from that time. Artists often joked amongst themselves by referring to Storring's Bridge as "Theme number two". Probably because if one was having a problem finding a painting location, one could always depend on a successful scene at ,"theme number two". It was a popular spot for painters and as a 'swimming hole' for local youngsters during the summer months and it remains so, I am told.

It was not unusual to arrive there to paint only to find other artists set up and painting, in my spot ! It was even rumoured that artists from northern New York State had painted there from time to time.

My palette for this painting was, ultramarine blue,cerulean blue, cad red light, alizarin, cad lemon, cad yellow med., and titanium white. Veridian and yellow green were also added to my palette.

The Masonite panel was gessoed with two rough coats and not pre-stained.

Again, with the coming of autumn, I am sure the magnet of, "Theme number two" will draw many to paint its' many views.

'til next..

2011-09-13T23:51:00.002-04:00

The Apple Orchard ...11" x 14" ..O/P

This piece was painted at the former home of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first Prime Minister. I have painted this home several times in the past. This is the first for painting the orchard. It grows in the front yard between the fence at the street and the circular drive to the front of the house. The fence at the street may be seen in the background of the painting.

I used my usual limited palette for this painting, but as you may see, it was an exersize in the use of green paint and its' values. (But, I love the red.) I did add veridian, sap green and yellow green to my palette.

The panel itself was not prestained so this meant painting on a white panel, In retrospect, perhaps this was not a good idea.

It was an interesting piece to paint and posed a number of problems that had to be solved as the painting progressed. When it was all said and painted, I am most pleased with feeling of the abstract shapes that are suggested.

'till next..

2011-09-13T19:08:00.001-04:00

Today, I am back !

It has been a disappointing last week and a half as I was unable to post anything on my blog or view
the work of others .
It was frustrating to put time and money into a computer that was unwilling to cooperate .

I bought a new one. ... Problem solved !

Early Autumn Pasture- Almonte ..11" x 14" ..o/p

Almonte is a rural community about one hour and a half hours north of my home town. I was enthralled with the area as soon as I saw it. It was rich in the last of the summer greens
and the golds of the coming autumn. It is also the area in which I first saw the "Sugar Shack", of the previous painting.

I have kept the same palette for this painting as in the previous painting and I think that the difference in the paint mixtures can be readily be seen.
I did add a value three warm gray to my palette in this case. Its use seemed a little strange.

It is nice to be back !

'til next..

2011-08-31T15:47:00.004-04:00

Maple Syrup And Pancakes ..11" x 14" O/P

I managed to get "back north" for a couple of days to look for painting subjects. I came across this old deserted maple sugar shack advertising pancakes and syrup. It is not often that one finds this large type of sugar shack. Obviously at one time a commercial enterprise.
The main feature of this 'shack' was that its main structure was entirely made of huge logs. Not unlike the early pioneer home.
Just unusual enough to beg to be painted.

My palette was limited to the basic red, yellow and ultramarine blue, and of course, titanium white. My panel was Masonite that had two coats of gesso applied to the surface. The surface was also left white.

I noticed that the "gold" was beginning to gradually creep into the green field grasses. The golden rod was in full bloom.
Still lots of good painting weather, especially with autumn just around the corner.

til next..

2011-08-17T20:37:00.002-04:00

Cemetery Chapel ..7" x 9" ..O/P

This sketch was painted on a Masonite panel with two coats of gesso applied to the surface pryer to painting. No undertone was used in this piece.

For this painting I stayed true to the three primary colours. Yes, it seemed a hard thing to do but I refused the temptation to reach for some of my more familiar mixtures.

The colours for this piece were, cad. red med., cad. yellow med. ultra marine blue and titanium white. Because of the thicker application of paint, (as seen in the brushstrokes) I used an odourless solvent.

The layout of the subject was a rather quick sketch with very few details. As a result, the masses were layed in without much 'fuss' and the details were more or less squiggles of light.

I think that the result turned out to show a fun and radical little painting.

'til next..

2011-08-14T23:06:00.002-04:00

Summer Marsh ..7" x 9" ..O/P

I returned to a scene that I had visited a number of times before. I was surprised to see that the little marsh had began to show a hint of the colour that was to come.
In this small painting, I decided to 'pump up' the intensity of the 'reds' that in the original scene seemed to be a bit overwhelmed by the strength of the summer greens. I really liked the balancing results.
The foreground is from a previous autumn colour sketch and was added in the studio.I thought it to be more effective painted in front of the pine tree than the disappointing short grass in the original scene.

I used my usual limited palette for this painting. Very little medium ( odourless solvent) was used at the start of this painting. As the piece progressed to the finish, more solvent was added to the paint mixtures. This addition allowed the paint to leave the brush and 'stick' to the surface of the thicker layers of paint without disturbing their surface.

A bit early, but it was nice see and add that colour even if I had to exaggerate it.

'til next..

2011-08-03T14:25:00.003-04:00

Conservation Park ..10" x 14" ..O/P

This park is very close to where my home is. I really do not take advantage of it to paint in. I guess it is a case of the grass never being as green on the other side of the fence. Or, is it possible that the perfect composition could never be found that close to home. It was a nice change not having to drive around in the country and end up with nothing worthwhile to paint. You know the feeling !

This painting certainly felt like an exercise in, "how many greens can I mix today." I started with my usual limited palette. It was not long before I had added green earth, chromium oxide and a yellow green. Even though it was an overcast day and the values seemed close, this gave me plenty of options.

'til next.

The panel was a gesso (two coats) covered Masonite panel . I left the face of the panel white.

...A good exercise in the mixing of those "summer greens"...

2011-07-27T22:54:00.003-04:00

Marysville, Wolfe Island ..9" x12" ..o/p

Wolfe Island is a beautiful place to plein air paint. It is bustling with locals and tourists all going about their business. A Canadian Island, it lies in the mouth of the St. Lawrence River and is joined to Kingston by ferry and to the south, upper New York state, by ferry.

I used my basic palette for this painting. Alizarin, cad red, ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, cad yellow med., cad lemon yellow and titanium white make up that list.
You may also notice that I have yellow-green on my palette as well.

For this painting , out of curiosity, I used only two round brushes. It was different for sure.

The panel did not have a coloured wash on its' surface before painting on it.

A beautiful day of painting in a beautiful place.

'til next..

2011-07-27T19:27:00.002-04:00

Yellow Home In Historic Barriefield ..11" x 14" ..o/p

The painting day started out real well. Only the weather forecast gave any hint of rain showers. As a matter of fact, the weather had been quite hot up to this date so I decided to 'sit' for this painting just to conserve energy.

After arriving, it did not take long to set up as I had squeezed out my limited palette colours the night before. I even found a shady spot on a little knol, right in front of my subject. ..Perfect !

I opened a "Coke", put it into the holder on the arm of my fold up chair and nestled in to do the layout for the painting. Things were going well until I noticed the sky cloud over (a little) and a few drops were felt. My first thought was, "Don't mess with the weatherman."

By this time I was in pre-panic mode, asking myself if I should pack it in or carry on painting. All the while I am trying to reach for my white tube of paint from the seated position, only to have my fold up chair collapse and deposit me on the downside of a wet knol.

Upon closer inspection , I found that the "Coke"had been thrown out of the holder and had emptied its' fuzzy,sticky self on my back. I was "Coke" soaked from the neck to my waist. As if the rain was not enough !

That was it ! Hurriedly packing my gear, throwing it into the van for sorting later, I headed for home.

Last evening, I was able to overlook my little embarrassment and have another go at it.

..Glad I did.

'til next..

2011-07-16T18:12:00.001-04:00

Kingston Mills ..9" x 12" ..O/P

It started out as a sticky, hot weekday morning. I had already made up my mind earlier that this was going to be the scene that I would paint today. As a result, the setup seemed to go quite fast and it was not long before the sketch was finished and I was laying the paint down.

It was no secret that I had painted from this spot before. The challenge this time was or seemed to be, getting the values at least close to what it was that I saw before me.

My palette for this painting was a limited palette. The colours were ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, alizarin, cerulean blue, cad red light and cad lemon yellow. My medium was odourless mineral spirits.

As nice as the day started out, shortly after lunch break it began to sprinkle and before I could get to the vehicle, it was pouring down. Thankfully, I had completed the painting to a point where I could call it finished. Sometimes an unexpected rain at the right time can be helpful.

'til next..

2011-06-28T16:18:00.001-04:00

Shore Flowers ..16" x 20" ..O/C

It feels as though I have not painted on canvas for some time so it going to take some getting used to again.

There was not much experimenting going on during the painting of this piece. It was all alla prima for the most part from start to finish. The canvas was not prestained therefore, I painted on a white gessoed canvas.

My palette was a limited palette and as I painted , I added a couple of other colours for accent here and there, mainly the yellow green and English red for the dead spruce..

My only medium was OMS ( odourless mineral spirits )

It felt good to be painting on canvas again.

'til next..

2011-06-22T15:54:00.001-04:00

Freeman Road ..9" x 12" ..O/P

When the rush is on and you feel the pressure of hurrying to get that last stroke , that last fleeting ray of light , the adrenalin is flowing, you are uninhibited , oblivious to all but the scene before you. Things are happening, it paints itself and you can do no wrong it seems. The colours are where you want them on the palette and mixing is intuitive. You are ' in the zone '! The act of painting is frenetic and as you near the finish you feel accomplished, drained. "That was work", and ...you smile.

This happens as it did for me in this painting as I am sure it has happened for many of you.
It isn't to say that a painting done in a short time ( twenty minutes) as this one was , is a good or even a bad painting.

It was just, 'in the doing' !

'til next..

2011-06-21T19:52:00.004-04:00

Isle Of Man On The Rideau ..9" x 12" ..O/P

Unlike many of my previous paintings , this particular panel was not precovered with a reddish orange mixture before painting on it.

The colour of the base was a very light gray-blue colour that I had rubbed down after blow drying.(evaporating) This method has been mentioned in some of my earlier posts. In retrospect, considering all the different greens that were in the scene, it may have been more wise to consider the red-orange colour option.

As a result, it was a bit of a fight to apply the different colours of green and their many values. The red-orange (complementary) would have given a darker base in which to lay the following greens.

It was not long before I was piling on the paint..trying to separate the values, mostly to no avail.

There are many things that I like about the painting and I have decided to give it a chance.

'til next..

2011-06-14T19:25:00.001-04:00

Summer Home In Lyndhurst ..11" x 14" ..O/P

If this piece looks familiar and you have guessed that you have seen it before, you have guessed right. I did a painting similar to this one during the past snowy winter and used it as a Christmas card.
This painting is a 'spring' painting !

The panel for this painting was prepaired with the usual 'rough' two coats of gesso and when dry, a coat of medium gray was applied to the surface. From the start , I was not influenced by the ground colour such as my usually rubbed 'red-orange' surface.
It seemed that from the start I was able to work back and forth between the dark colours and their values and the brighter colours and their values. I found that the medium gray base allowed me more freedom than usual to apply dark or bright colours interchangeably at will. I was able to paint more frenetically as seen for example in the foreground of this painting.
Some areas such as the front of the houses show the effects of the gray base effecting the 'thinner' final colour.

Being able to use all the colours as I painted was exciting and showed in the finished piece, IMHO.

'til next..

2011-06-08T19:57:00.001-04:00

Spring Pasture ..9" x 12" ..O/P

This painting follows in the footsteps of the previous two paintings in that I was finally able to use up the paint I had originally put out on my palette. It was getting a little on the dry side.
I did not use any of the grays that I had on my palette . I think not using them improves the brightness of the colours for sure.
My initial colours were darker, thin 'washes ' using odourless thinners.
This allowed me to be able to remove the colour or add to them in order to arrive at what I thought were my final base values. Once this problem had been solved, the fun 'stuff' of painting I find is just beginning.

Great fun !

'til next..

2011-06-07T20:11:00.001-04:00

Deserted Home ..5" x 7" ..O/P

Yup, I guess it could have been a piece painted in my little pochade box . Because it is such a small painting, it was executed 'alla prima'. The paint that I used for this painting was the left over paint from the previous painting.
It was fun to lay the paint down on the panel without first doing a rough layout or sketch on the panel. The old rule, if there is such a thing, a stroke layed is a stroke stayed, does apply here.
I guess that it does not come much fresher than that.

'til next

2011-06-07T18:09:00.003-04:00

A Wet Market Day Behind City Hall ..9" x 12" ..O/P

I think that this painting could be quite ambitious considering the complexity of the large limestone building and the activity in the park behind it. The streets were still wet from an earlier rain. With these thoughts in mind, I decided that instead of covering the whole panel with my normal 'prewash' colour, I would be more selective and lay down a wash in the basic shape of the objects in the painting. Therefore I would have three or four main washes. For example, a wash for the hall, sky, foreground and so on.
Once this was completed, I could then continue by defining areas within the washes, changing the values and colours as I worked. This method, I think, kept me from getting 'bogged down' in the details of the scene.
I stayed with this method until to continue further would mean only tightening and overworking the piece. A few touches here and there and I was finished.

I used my basic palette and added a light gray and a medium gray to my palette as well. I think that they worked nicely with the colours to suggest ' the day'.

'til next..

2011-06-01T18:26:00.000-04:00

My " Churchill (cigar) Pochade Box "

The last thing that I was able to do to the Pochade Box was to paint a sketch on the front of the lid. This was purely a second and decorative thought. I left the "stamps" ( bottom rt. corner) on and covered them as well with gesso and whatever else was not protected by the masking tape. My reference for the sketch was a painting that I had previously painted. I left the truck out.

After the paint had dried , I removed the masking tape to reveal the original wood of the cigar box and a portion of the 'stamp'. I think it makes a good frame and helps to maintaine the "cigar box look"

I am pleased with the looks of the pochade box and the idea of it.

Now, do I really want to use it ?

'til next...

2011-06-01T16:57:00.000-04:00

My Churchill "cigar" Pochade Box ..7 1/2" x 8"

Yes, it was a former wooden cigar box that originally contained ten 'Churchill' cigarros . ( Dominican Republic ) I was lucky to have it given to me, no strings attached. What to do with it now that I had it. I can not count the number of times that I reopened and closed the box before the light came on... I decided to convert it into a small pochade box.

A pochade box, then, is a portable painting box meant to facilitate the creation of a small alla prima painting or sketch. In this case, my sketch or painting will be limited to a 5" x7" or a 6" x 4" panel.
In my mind, I think that this small box will be perfect for working in tight or close quarters, standing in a doorway, under an umbrella or in the front seat of your car in cold weather. Great for a limited palette.
When finished with the sketch it is just a question of closing the lid and walking away or throwing it under the seat of your car.

I have an old "fanny pack" that I can use to carry a rag, a small container of OMS and medium cups, if needed.

Anything that I had to add to the original cigar box in order to convert it are seen in the above photo.

I wanted to show a photo of the front outside of the box but the "blogger program" will not allow me to insert that photo in this post. My apologizes for that. I will try a separate post for that when the program quits sulking !
Anyway, can't wait to try it out.

'till next..

2011-05-31T20:21:00.001-04:00

Rock Face And Spring Flowers ..10" x 12" ..O/P

The many spring greens and their close values were really confusing, so I settled on a rock face that seemed to hold lots of promise for a small painting with fewer greens. After some time starring, I did notice wild flowers growning in the grass. That clinched it !
As I began to paint and to really observe the subject, (squinting) I began to appreciate the abstract shapes more and more that were in front of me. I am sure that seeing the abstract shapes in the subject made solving the composition that much simpler. Being more familiar with the composition now also made finding the colours of the subject and their values all the more easy to establish as well.

I used my usual limited palette of red, yellow and blue plus white and a odourless solvent for my beginning wash. I let that wash 'air dry' and began applying paint ( in a dry brush fashion) that was close to the values of the subject until I was satisfied that I had a good impression of the subject.

I am going to have to remember about that abstract thing when next painting.

'til next

2011-05-17T21:04:00.002-04:00

Junkyard Daisies 2 ..16" x 20" ..O / C

This is the result of having the previous painting (Junkyard Daisies) staring me in the face every time I sat down . Since it was a preliminary "sketch" for a much larger painting that was not to be, I decided to make some " spring" revisions. I ended up reworking the whole painting before I was satisfied with the result.

From the top of the painting down to the bottom of the barn,(background and middle ground) I decided to add different values of 'grays' to my mixtures of colours to help neutralize them. The car and foreground were mixed as usual but without the 'gray' mixtures. I think that these foreground colours look richer because they are supported or backed up by the "duller" grayed background colours, IMHO.

I used my usual limited palette, and odourless mineral spirits. The paint had to be applied a little thicker because of the texture of the previously dried painting on the canvas. Some areas of the dried painting may be seen in some areas. (barn)

This was an interesting painting for me as I usually do not rework a previously painted canvas or panel.

'tril next

2011-05-10T18:06:00.001-04:00

Junkyard Daisies ..16" x 20" ..Oil / Canvas

I had painted this scene earlier this past winter (End Of The Road) when the snow was on the ground. After painting that winter scene it did occur to me to do a larger painting of the same theme.
This painting was to be a study for that particular larger painting.
Now that I have finished this piece, I am not sure that I want to do this painting for the third time.
I had planned for a 40" x 48". Really !

Decision, decision !

Warning outdoor painters: The Black Flies are out !!

..Thanks for lookin'

2011-05-03T17:24:00.002-04:00

Springing To Life ..11" x 14" ..Oil / Canvas

Finally, the buds are more than open and the soft greens of early spring are revealing themselves, helping to hide the last vestiges of winter. Things seem to be so fresh now !
I had to take some license with this painting by exaggerating the masses of the buds to more mature leaves, thus filling out some of the main masses and to use more variety in the use of the 'older' greens. I think that this helps the composition of the panting and keeps the eye of the viewer on the main subject .

The palette for this panting was my usual limited palette. The method was the same as for the last couple of paintings.

'til next..

2011-04-26T18:01:00.000-04:00

Spring Pasture ..10" x 12" ..O/P

Hey, finally a sunny spring day !

The Masonite panel for this painting had been previously stained with the red - orange oil wash that I had become accustomed to using.
Once I had found the scene and layed my panel as 'flat' (on the ground) as possible, I proceeded to "squint" at the scene, in order to pick out the big shapes and determine their colour and value. I then, using a 'wash' of that oil colour, applied it loosely to the canvas. I continued to do this for all the remaining large shapes.
After the 'wash' had evaporated, (placed on the easel) I established the composition using burnt sienna and a small brush.
The oil colour from the wash could still be removed with a rag or paper towel if need be.
With this method, it did not take long to 'cover' the panel.
By this point it seemed that only the finishing needed to be strengthened and a few details added.

Perhaps in the future it may be worthwhile to try this method without first applying the orange-red stain.
With the addition of the "big shape colours" in the field, the red-orange does feel a bit redundant.

'til next..

2011-04-19T18:12:00.006-04:00

Barn And Red Shed ..10" x 12" ..o/p

When we are expecting things to warm up because it is spring, here we are, having to put up with cool, damp and windy weather. Maybe mother nature was not ready to accept our pushing for spring. We are now forced to accept her 'cold shoulder'.

This painting follows the same pattern as the previous painting as it pertains to the palette, the treatment of the gessoed panel and painting execution.

Perhaps, any warmth felt or seen in this painting is purely coincidental...

'til next...

2011-04-12T19:08:00.001-04:00

The Ol' Ford ..10" x 12" ..o/p

Why would you ever want to paint something like that ? That is not my thing ! Who would want that ?
I feel sure that more than one artist has heard that same comment in his/her painting lifetime. There are days when for whatever mood or feeling strikes you, you will want to paint what moves you. Perhaps it is just a feeling of 'breaking away' or exerting a 'strike for your artistic freedom'. .."Dang, it is my painting and I just felt like painting that old car !"

I covered the rough gesso textured panel with thin coloured washes as suggested by the local colours of the scene. These washes (OMS medium) were then evaporated using a hair dryer.
From there, I used a rag to wipe out areas of wet colour were I wanted to rough in the suggestion of the car in this instance, the sky and some lighter spots in the background. I then drew or suggested my composition with a small brush and paint.

My limited palette was one of warm and cool of each red ,yellow and blue. Again, I worked in different areas of the panel as to bring the painting to its' overall finish at roughly the same time.
I adjusted the values in some areas and had to darken others.

It is "sketchier" in many areas compared to some of my other pieces, ...and it felt good, it felt free !

'til next ..

2011-04-05T17:34:00.000-04:00

Village Backstreet 10 x 12" ..o/p

Observing the subject with both open eyes and squinting, I painted in, very loosely, a rough layout of the subject with a wash of multicolours using odourless mineral spirits as my vehicle. Prior to painting I used a hair dryer to evaporate the odourless mineral spirits. With the thin layer of oil colour that was left, I was able to proceed with the painting of the subject matter by overlaying the final colours on to the wash.

In this particular painting, I worked in different areas of the painting in order to keep a balance of the darks, lights and their values. It also helped to keep a balance of colour harmony until the end of the painting. Gradually, the whole painting and their areas came to completion roughly at the same time.
All that was left to do was to play with the details and some final adjustments.

It was a fun method that left lots of room for the imagination to work.

'til next..

2011-03-29T16:04:00.006-04:00

Spring Comes To Sydenham Village ..10" x 12" ..o/p It is nice to finally be able to do a painting that does not have a snow reminder of the past winter. Sydenham is a small village in the agriculture and tourism area north of my hometown. It is also just south of Frontenac Provincial Park in the Province of Ontario. This panel was prepared with three coats of gesso using an old brush in order to leave a texture of the strokes in the drying gesso.. no coat of colour was added to the gessoed panel later. My method to begin with was to lay in the shadowed areas and some local coloured areas with "runny" colours. (I used the odourless mineral spirits for this step.) I let them set, letting them settle as in what one would see in a "wet in wet" watercolour technique. Once the "wash" had evaporated, I layed in the composition (drawing) on top of the evaporated wash. In some areas that I knew would be lighter when finished, I removed the oil wash with a rag. In other areas, I darkened . The paint that was applied was still in a wash form. Once this wash had evaporated, I was able to apply the lighter colours over the rubbed out lightest areas and lighter colours to some of the dark areas. Lastly, I strengthened some other darker areas, checked for lost and found edges and strengthened some of the highlight areas or lines. The palette used was my same limited palette that I have used for past paintings. I think that all of them were used in some combination or mixture. 'til next..

2011-03-22T15:23:00.002-04:00

...Out Of Westbrook ..10 x 12" ..o/p

The snow of the past winter is all but gone. What remains to be seen in the open is the unmelted snow that is left along the shaded side of the tree lined fences. I am usually apprehensive about painting during this time of year. Spring ! With early spring, one can expect to witness the scattered dirty remains of winter, mud and the dampness of rain.

This panel was only prepared with three coats of gesso. The gesso was applied with the old, used brush in order to end up with the texture of the strokes. No sanding of the gessoed panel was done between applications.

After the composition of the painting was completed, I 'washed in' the darker values of the finished colours. ( left side of the house and shadowed sectons of the front ) While waiting for those areas to set up, I worked on other shadowed and dark areas such as the large spruce to the right and some of the foreground.

I then proceeded to lay in the sky area and the lighter sections of the front of the house. The colour painted in here was very close to the finished colour and value. Moving now to the left, I could now lay in the large maple tree that runs through the side of the house, into the sky.

From here on was the fun part. Adjusting values where needed, fixing the lost and found edges and adding the intuative nuances that one feels are needed to call it, "finished".

til next..

2011-03-17T10:53:00.004-04:00

Last Of The Winter Snow ..7" x 9" ..O/P

What a great day to paint ! Spring is in the air, I can smell it. If I am not mistaken, Monday is the first day of spring in our neck of the woods.
In the last few days and nights, the "quacking" overhead of the migrating ducks could be heard . Sighted my first Robin yesterday and just had to "stamp" the back of my hand. ..Remembering a childhood thing..

I started out with a pink stained panel that had a rough texture of gessoed brush strokes. I decided that I would use a larger brush than usual to start the painting once I had the composition plotted on the panel. I also decided to concentrate on placing in the larger shapes. In doing this, a dark wash was applied, all the while, paying attention to the different values, aided by 'squinting' .
A thought here, ..I feel that it is important, to deal with 'shapes' or their impressions when laying in these values than to think in terms of 'things' or objects. I'll save the painting of details until finishing the painting.
Continuing with this method, I lay in the darker areas with darker values of paint with less medium. I found that as the darker areas were placed in, the temptation to apply a light area or value next to or near it was strong. Really strong .
I gave into temptation ! ...In retrospect, it was a good thing.
The job now was to finish the painting by continuing to follow the same method with the lighter colours and their values.
Lastly, refine the "impressionistic" details, soften some edges and check the overall values. Finished !
I wish the photo reproduction was as bright as the original. I will have to work on that !
Happy Spring to All.. !
'til next..

2011-03-15T16:46:00.003-04:00

Ice ..10" x 12" ..o/p

A little "Mom and Pop" country convenience store is the subject of today's near spring painting.
It appears to me that they have one of everything in stock that one could ever want to purchase. If by chance you do not see what you want, asking will make it suddenly appear from a back storage room, or so it seems.

I used a slightly tinted panel (pink) that had two coats of gesso applied to the surface. I left the gessoed surface unsanded. I like the texture of the brush strokes that tend to appear through the thinner washes of colour.
The palette that I used was my 'warm and cool' ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, cad.yellow med., cad. lemon yellow, alizarin, cad.red and titanium white. I also had a raw sienna on my palette.
My odourless mineral spirits was used sparingly at the beginning layout stage and increased as the painting progressed.

Spring is in the air !

'til next..

2011-03-08T16:07:00.002-05:00

Winter Morning Chores ..10" x 12" ..O/P

Two days of pouring rain, only to wake up on the third day to find a snow surprise on the ground My first thought was that this can only mean one thing , get the shovel out, again. I wonder if we will ever see the end of this winter. Surely, spring can not be far behind.

I used a thin pink background wash for this painting. Much of the two coats of gesso white could be seen through the wash in many areas. This was the result of rubbing the surface with a paper towel prier to to using the hair dryer to evaporate the medium ( oms) used in the pink wash. After the drying , I did not smooth out the wash as I had done in previous preparations.

My palette of colours for this piece was my usual palette of warm and cool colours, plus I added a 'brilliant yellow' . I used this to warm the white paint that was representing the light coming between the two buildings.
I used my "putty knife" when applying the foreground 'blue snow', followed by the use of a brush to roughly smooth out or blend the rough edges left by the knife.

I really liked the rather large 'red' abstract shapes of the barns in the composition.

'til next..

2011-03-01T16:07:00.002-05:00

Long Reach - Late Winter ..7 x 9" ..o/p

This was a fun piece to paint. It is not very often it seems to me, that a painting practically paints itself. This was one of those times !

This piece was painted on a orange-pink Masonite panel. The colours used were my usual limited palette .I started the painting by laying in the middle ground distant hills and then worked my way down the panel. I then layed the cedar trees into the the middle distance painted area using my palette knife ( 1" putty knife ). I also painted in the snow below the row of cedars with the knife. I then used the brush to lay in the trees shadows, highlites and other nuances. Lastly, I painted in the sky with fairly thin paint.
I used odourless thinners for my medium in the last stages of this painting.

'til next...

2011-02-22T16:12:00.003-05:00

The Fisherman's House 10 x 12" ..o/p

I have been ill with a cold this past week that just seems to hang on. The last couple of days have seen a lessening of the "puffy head" feeling.
Today I played with the thought of using a painting from the past that I was less than pleased with, as a colour sketch for a new painting. I loved the original scene and did not want to see it wasted !
It was a scene from a painting trip that I made with a painter friend in Canada's Provence of Nova Scotia .

The panel for this painting is a panel that has two layers of gesso applied to it. I did not stain this panel but in retrospect, wish I had. The spots of under painting I think would have added to the final visual effect of the painting, IMHO.

My usual two colours of each - red, yellow and blue were on my palette and I added Naples yellow, yellow ochre and of course, titanium white.
My medium for this piece was odourless mineral spirits , used liberally at the start of the painting and less so as the painting progressed. I was following the "fat" over "lean" rule.

I was happier with the copy of the original, but I felt the painting could have been stronger with fewer values of each colour overall.

'til next..

2011-02-15T17:12:00.004-05:00

Gary's Pine Shop ..10" x 12" ..o/p

This particular painting was executed on a stained red- orange panel. The colours on the palette were the same colours that were used in the last couple of paintings. My medium for this painting was Odourless Mineral Spirits.
The composition was drawn in with a brush loaded with a fluid mixture of ultramarine blue and perm. alizarin. The buildings and shadows in this case, were washed in with a more diluted mixture of the same colours.
As the painting progressed, I went over the walls of the building with their darkest colour values, continuing to then lay in the lightest colour values. I also did this for the ground, snow, and tree shadows. At this stage of the big picture , I layed in the sky , adjusting the colours and their values as I went.
Lastly, I layed in and strengthened the details of the posts, weeds, trees and corrected what I felt to be values in other areas that felt to weak or to strong.
I also played with the lost and found edges. I think that this helps to destroy that "cut out and pasted down look" of the painted objects.
All in all, I think that the painting was a success..

'til next

2011-02-09T22:42:00.003-05:00

Cold, With Clear Skies ..10"x 12" ..O/P

Again, another painting that was painted on a non pre-stained panel with a lot of gesso texture.
The same palette as previous paintings was used for this piece.
I decided that I would continue to go for the " oil wash ' and "wipe out" method that I had attempted in a couple of previous paintings. In this piece I started with the traditional method of laying in the background, (sky first) , followed by the middle ground trees. I was well pleased with the 'look' of the sky, and hoped for the same results for the mid-ground trees. The trees seemed at the time to have the right feel, but in retrospect, I now think that they could have been much lighter and cooler to emphasize a more distant perspective between themselves and the middle ground building.

I was pleased with the composition of the middle ground buildings.
Perhaps my own criticism would be that this area and the foreground area texture provided by the gesso is not seen. ...The texture of the paint took over ! The oil wash and wipe out was lost at this point.

Live and learn !

'til next..

2011-02-08T15:42:00.003-05:00

Fixer upper ..7" x 9" ..o/p

This piece was painted on a non stained panel. I used the same palette of colours as in previous paintings.
The plan was to wash in the the subject and the darkest shadows at the same time. Following that, I rubbed out the paint to reveal the brightest highlights.
I then proceeded to draw in the main objects of the composition utilizing the dark wash , shadows and lightest lights. (The building and trees made up the starting wash of darks and lights.)
After this stage was finished, I proceeded to start working on the bigger details by refining the left and right background and the sky. Following that , I worked up the snow and shadows in the foreground . The finished painting was taking shape. All that was left to do was to work on the finishing details.
This seemed like a good plan as everything felt like it was falling into place as I proceeded.
...Don't you just love it when a plan comes together ?

'til next..

2011-02-01T16:07:00.006-05:00

Winter Shore Logs 9" x 7" o/p

As you can see by the painting above, I have tried something a little different again today. Again, you will note that I did not pre stain the panel for this particular piece. I did however apply two coat of thick gesso with an old house painting brush so that I could get a rougher texture on the surface of the panel once it had dried. The texture may be more noticeable in the sky , and ( left click to enlarge) the water of the river.

I started the painting by drawing in the composition with purple oil coloured strokes, followed by washes of the main local colours of the subjects and darker shadows. I did this for the background, middle and foreground, followed by wiping out of some areas for highlights. I continued laying other darker values of the local colours to represent impressions of the background trees, shoreline and etc.

The foreground had less "rubbing out" as I added the local colours with thicker paint, in a more traditional manner, giving the foreground greater texture than the middle and background. Overall, I felt that this method, at this point, helped give the feeling of depth to the painting. I played with objects and their shadows in the foreground until I was satisfied that they gave the impression of what I was trying to accomplish.

This was a fun painting to work on, not unlike a "watercolour ".

'til next..

2011-01-25T18:57:00.003-05:00

R.I.P. ..11" x 14" ..O/P

I just could not resist painting the other side of the truck with the open door. To me, the open door was an eye catcher with a natural sense of humour. It cannot help but conjure images, serious or humorous, as to the "why" of it. And the "No Trespassing" sign ?
The support for this painting was a Masonite panel with two coats of gesso. No under coat of my reddish orange was applied to the panel. I tryed to keep the texture of the brush stroke as I applied the second coat.

Again, the palette for this piece remains the same as for previous paintings.

As for the method, I tried intentionally to lay in the darkest colours in the shadow areas and used a "wipe out" method to lighten the values. For further lightening, I used some mineral spirits on the rag or paper towel to remove the paint. Doing this, allowed me to be able to add a further stain or wash of colour over the area. Most areas were handled this way or with a dry brush effect. Smaller details were added at the time I felt the painting was about finished.

The painting was definitely a valuable, continuing experiment.

'til next..

2011-01-22T14:51:00.004-05:00

Winter Workshop ..5' x 7" ..O/P

This is a small painting, the smallest format that I have painted on. Usually this kind of format for me would dictate a more straight forward stroke or "sketchy look". A good reference size for a quick colour note or "notan" type layout.

Again, my usual palette was used for this little painting.
But, this time I did not use my usual prestained panel.
I used a white gesso prepared panel, (two coats) all the while, trying to keep as much of the brush texture as possible.

During the layout stage, I kept the oil colour application to the biggest areas as one would with a watercolour. In some areas where I thought the paint was too thick, I wiped back with a cloth or paper towel. This method can bee seen in the sky area where the colour is thin and the texture of the gesso can be seen. After the medium had evaporated, I came back in with thicker colour, working back and forth with the cloth and brush until I felt comfortable with the results of the area. I think an example of this method can be seen in the distant trees and workshop. As I neared the finish, I worked more with the brush, laying in the finished details and nuances, all the while, keeping the texture of the thicker paint.

I enjoyed doing this piece and would like to try it on a larger panel.

'til next..

2011-01-18T15:50:00.002-05:00

Derelict Barns ..10" x 12" ..O/P

Another painting from 'The County'. I think that I have struck the ' mother load'. It seems that there are paintings to be painted just for the looking. It must be the change in scenery or location that enthuses me.

Again, now that I am replenishing my colours the night before going out, my palette has remained the same as the last three paintings. They are the three primaries and a warm and cool of each. I have as yet to add any new or favourite colours to the palette. For this painting I did use some or more medium for thinning the colours than usual. My medium is still Odourless Mineral Spirits.

I did use the same three brushes and also my painting knife ( putty knife) as in previous paintings. In this particular case the evidence can be seen in the sky and in the foreground snow. The small nuances and the bits of detail were still the fun 'things' to do in the painting.

'til next..

2011-01-14T09:48:00.002-05:00

Please, No Tire Kickers ! ..9" x 12" ..O/P

A GMC ghost from the past, a field mate to the car in the painting, "End Of The Road". I have a feeling that the owner of these relics was and is a loyal General Motors Company fan.

As my painting life marches on, I have increasingly discovered that my backpack and painting supplies have gotten gradually heavier. As you know, we all carry those little extra 'things' that we just know we will need at the next painting site, and never do.

In order to lighten my load, I have decided not to include the heavy 150 ml (5.1 fl. oz) tubes of paint in the bottom of my bag. Yes, the ones that you can not buy when you are painting in the field. Those extra ' favourite ' tubes we just can't do without.

So, before leaving home, I prepared my palette by laying out enough paint in the usual order, to last for the next painting.
In so doing, I discovered that I could do three paintings before I had to replenish the palette. ...And no digging around in the bottom of my bag for that one missing colour ! ..I should have thought of this before..

In this particular painting, I made up my mind to use only larger brushes and my "putty knife". These brushes were two long flats, numbers 8 and 6 and one 'round' for laying in the composition . I felt that this selection would be good for the 9" x 12" panel and comp.
Many of the missing nuances that make up the final touches are , in my opinion , due to the larger brushes while painting. Those that are seen are the result of the 'knife' .( grasses, etc.) I suppose other details could have been added later with smaller brushes.
With the materials that I had at hand, I think, at the time, I said all that was necesary to say about this particular painting .

A quick, fun piece !

'til next..

2011-01-12T13:31:00.005-05:00

Century Farm " In The County " ..10" x 12" ..O/P

"In The County", refers to Prince Edward County in the Province of Ontario, Canada. On a map of Canada, you will see that it is situated at the east end of Lake Ontario, and at the start of the St Lawrence River. It is a beautiful place to visit in any season of the year and a beautiful place to paint out doors, as I have found, . The whole County seems to appeal to the 'romantic' in me. Certainly in my mind, another " Currier and Ives" kind of time and place, feeling!

This painting is literally from the same palette as the painting, " End Of The Road". I tried, while painting it, to keep it a little at the lower end of the colour key scale in order to contrast with the 'left side' light and the lighter handling of the snow.

I feel that the addition of the birds in flight and the old gentleman walking through the gate towards the house lend an added feeling of cold and 'homey' warmth to the painting.

'til next..

2011-01-11T15:53:00.004-05:00

..End Of The Road ..10" x 12" .. O/P

I finally got the chance to do a painting of this old car long after spotting it in a farmer's field.
It is not often that I get a chance to paint a car. Come to think of it, I can not remember the last time.
I painted this piece in much the same manner that I would paint any other painting.
The palette for this painting was my usual two blues, two reds and two yellows and titanium white. Although, I did add Naples yellow.
While painting this piece I used a palette knife. In Reality, it was a 'putty knife'. I found it to be an excellent tool for the purpose that I used it. You can see evidence of its use in the snow on the car and with some manipulation, the snow with the grasses in front of the car .
Working with the 'knife' was worth the time and experience not to mention the fun.

'til next..

2011-01-04T16:13:00.003-05:00

Cow Barn In Winter ..10 x 12 ..O/P

While I have the opportunity, may I wish all of you a very Productive, Healthy and Happy New Year. May your next painting be your best painting !

So, why stain the panel ? This piece was started on a Masonite panel that had previously been stained with two coats of gesso. The stain on this particular panel was, on a grey scale, equal or close to a number five grey, assuming that white is 'one' and black is number 'ten'.
Personally, I find that this 'number five value' a distinct advantage when starting the painting.
This number five or "middle" value will allow me to work as I normally would using darkers colours (values) to set up the composition and also to apply and compare lighter or 'high key colours' as opposed to a white background of canvas or panel. It is always nice to be able to see and compare the lighter colours !
'til next..

2010-12-14T20:41:00.004-05:00

A Time For Christmas ..9" x 12" ..Oil/Panel

It is that time of the year again and the same question hangs over my head. "Do I make my own Christmas cards again this year ?"

The pressure is on !

...This Christmas card is painted on , you guessed it, a reddish orange Masonite panel.
The palette for this painting is a 'split palette' consisting of warm and cool reds, blues and yellows. and perhaps a favourite colour or two, whether I use them or not. My reds in this case are, Alizarin and Cad. red light. The blues are Ultramarine blue and Cerulean blue, and lastly my yellows, Cad. yellow med. and Lemon yellow.
My medium, when I used it, was liquin used sparingly.
The brushes used were mostly numbers two and four, except for the 'finer details'.

This painting turned out to be a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the results of adding in the Christmas Tree. An after thought !
All that is left to do now is to download the original and print ! ....Right .

'til next..

2010-12-07T23:16:00.002-05:00

Pine On The Rocks ..11" x 14" ..Oil/Panel

I think that winter is here to stay this time. The days have been cold enough that I feel the snow that has fallen lately will be here to stay and not melt until spring. Now, that may be just me !

It is not usually how cold it is outside that will influence my decision not to paint that day. The question that I have to ask myself is," How windy is it out there ? I think that I have reached a time in my plien air painting career when it is not fun while setting up to paint, only to fined that I will have to chase my canvas, easel and paints down the road or into a snow filled ditch, because of the wind.. I think that all of us at one time or another has been humiliated by the wind.

This piece was painted on a pregessoed and stained (red/ orange) Masonite panel using my usual limited palette. Again, I have added a couple of extra colours. Sap green, raw sienna and a "no name blue" were the colours added to my palette. My medium was OMS (odourless mineral spirits).

A fun piece to paint.. ( Hmmm, that blue has got to go ! )

'til next..

2010-11-30T16:15:00.002-05:00

Autumn Sugar Shack ..11" x 14" ..o/p

I think that this is a deserted sugar shack. I can not imagine it being used next spring in the manufacture of Maple Sugar. These old buildings are fast disappearing from our rural landscape. I am sorry to see that.

I used my limited palette for this painting. The support was the usual under painted Masonite panel. Certain areas of the painting were painted using a palette knife. But, I must admit that most of these areas were gradually reworked with the brush. There is just something that I like about the texture left by a good oil painting brush.
Rain is forecast for the next couple of days, gradually turning to flurries. This is not a good sign for near future plein air painting.

'til next..

2010-11-23T16:08:00.002-05:00

Early Winter Ice ..10" x 12" ..Oil/Panel

Yes, ice on the edge of the banks has got to be a hint of what is to come. I am not sure that I am ready for it

As you can see, this piece was painted on my usual pre-stained panel. In this case, it is the orange-red wash that was applied over two coats of gesso.
Since I have not mentioned my palette in a number of posts, it may be time to do so. The colours for this painting were: Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue, Alizarin, Cadmium Red Lt.,Cadmium Yellow Med., Lemon Yellow and Titanium White. I also put out a bit of Yellow Ochre for convenience.

I began by dividing the scene into large shapes and laying the darks ( alizarin and ultramarine blue) within these shapes, changing the values (darker) as I proceeded from background to foreground. Once I had completed this step, it was more or less a case of working with the colours of the objects within the large shapes, working from the medium values of that particular object's colour to the lightest values. When the whole of the painting was completed in this manner, it was time to play up the brightest of the hi-lights.

Adjustments were made to the painting as I painted by changing colours or values as needed or dictated by the scene.

Yes, winter is coming fast...

'til next..

2010-11-16T18:56:00.005-05:00

Autumn Pasture ..10" x 12" ..O/P

Many of you may recognize this painting from a former post. That post was a 6" x 8" sketch done as I had mentioned with a 'larger brush' and a short period of painting time. In the back of my mind, I thought that I would re due the sketch into a painting when I had time.
Well, today was that time !
I tried to keep to the original sketch by using the same brush, and keeping in mind the time as the painting evolved. Of course, the larger size and additions to the composition extended the time a little.
I wanted the finished piece to still have the look of immediacy, and other 'signs' of a loose impressionistic painting.

Detail from the painting..

Other signs to my mind would be , lost and found lines, paint texture, brush work (scumbling, short and long strokes, brush textures in the paint, thick and thin application of paint in areas, the painted impression of objects, light to mention a few) I think that the finished piece was successful and showed these signs. But that is J.M.H.O. (Just My Humble Opinion)

...'til next..

2010-11-09T16:06:00.004-05:00

Carriage House And Red Door II ..10" x 12" ..O/P

This painting is from a reference 6" x 8" piece by the same name that I did last week . At that time , I mentioned that I would keep it as a reference and do a larger painting during the winter.
Well guess what? I could not wait !
I feel that this is a much stronger painting. The composition is stronger in that the large empty 'sky area' in the original has been toned down by the addition of the tree behind the house. It just seemed to fill that space. The colour is more harmonious as well in the 'new' painting. I hope that you agree.
The addition of the red (complimentary to the green) barn on the far left works well visually, helping to move the house to the right, making it less centered in the composition , which is an improvement..
'til next..

2010-11-02T23:34:00.005-04:00

Heritage Farm .. 6" x 8" ..O/P

Here we are, the second in a group of two. The same palette and procedure was followed as the previous painting.

I think that this one could be worked up larger into a good studio painting sometime during the cold winter days when it is not possible to get out. I am thinking that a 14" x 18" panel would be a good proportion to paint on for this particular composition.

So, until such a winter day arrives, I will have to hide these away.

'til next...

2010-11-02T17:22:00.007-04:00

Coach House And Red Door .. 6" x 8" .. O/P

Yes, it does look as though he has gone back to a small board. As these have been in my painting kit for the last while, I decided to use them, if for no other reason than to get them out of the way. This size panel makes for a good size if one wants to do a quick sketch for a larger future painting. This is what I have attempted to do.
The sketch was rapidly layed down on the under painted panel, the whole while paying attention to the shadows and dark areas of the subject and adding them as I went. In some cases, I changed the dark colour (ultramarine blue and alizarin) for the dark colours of the object being painted. The sketch/painting seemed to work its way to completion very rapidly using this method. I did not take time to "mess around" so to speak, leaving the final "flurrishes"of the brush until the end.
It was a good exercise and a good use for the small panel.

'til next..

2010-10-31T19:25:00.003-04:00

The "Winter Beater" ... 11" x 14" ..O/P

It is nice to work on a panel that is a little larger than the last few that I have painted on.
That extra inch or two makes a nice challenge, especially in the laying out of the painting prier to laying on the colour.
Many areas still had the bright fall colours of the leaves hanging on. It was a chance to do
another last fall painting.
It is hard to believe that the palette for this painting was my usual split ( warm/cool) palette.
I really thought that the orange colours would be a real fight. I will admit that I did put the tube of cad. orange in my paint box. Yes, I did use it in a few spots that needed that little extra push or attention.
It has been exciting to be able to try and paint the colours that nature presents to us at this time of the year.
'til next.

2010-10-19T16:44:00.005-04:00

Midday Autumn Light ... 6" x 8" ... O/P

This is a rather small painting in comparison to some others I have painted recently. The panel was prepared with an under painting the same as previous panels.
The palette for this painting was the left over paint from the last painting, Nature's Colour Exhibit .
I managed to use a larger brush on this piece right from the start, I think that this gives the painting as a whole, a looser look and feeling.
The reference was further away than usual and as such, many of the details were blurred and many edges were softer or lost. Many of the colour 'values' in the painting were more distinct and fewer of them. The scene was not unlike viewing an out of focus slide, or squinting to view the subject. Not being able to determine the view clearly, leaves room for the artist to improvise, or paint his/her impression of the subject.

'til next..

2010-10-19T16:02:00.003-04:00

Nature's Colour Exhibit... 9" x 12" ... O/C

Unlike some previous paintings, this piece was painted on a stretched canvas. This canvas had been previously under painted with a reddish orange wash and treated as my other painting supports.
It felt strange to paint on a stretched canvas after so many pieces on Masonite panel. A number of my paintings in the past were painted on a 10" x 12" format. It did seem odd not to have that extra inch at the top of the support. I noticed it mostly when laying the painting out. In spite of that, It was not long before I felt the familiar 'bounce ' of the brush as the paint hit the canvas.
For this painting, I used a 'split palette' ( a warm and cool of the three primaries). As it was the autumn of the year , I also put out a ribbon of yellow ochre, Indian yellow to give me more choices in my greens , reds and oranges. And, let us not forget titanium white !

til next..

2010-10-12T18:11:00.002-04:00

Autumn Stag Sumac...10" x 12".. O/P

Autumn seems to be 'hanging in there'. Plenty of leaves have yet to turn to their fall colours. This makes for , if the weather holds out, exciting painting. A glorious day today !
This painting follows the same pattern of the last painting in the sense that the same limited colours and plan of execution were adhered to. The bold red of the autumn sumac do seem strange in the landscape. I do not think that I have encountered it in such a way in any other landscape that I have painted out of the fall season. It certainly grabs the eye this time of year.

'til next..

2010-10-05T15:43:00.007-04:00

Nature's Coat Of Many Colours 10" x 12" O/P

This Autumn seems a little strange to me compared to previous autumns. There are pockets of full colour showings and in other areas, much of the late summer greens remain, yet to turn. Perhaps this means that the colours will hang on for a longer period of time. Let's hope so.
As you can see, this piece was painted on a red-orange tinted Masonite panel.
Mainly, I used my "split palette" for this painting. Additional colours that I added as I felt would be used were, Indian yellow, middle grey, yellow ochre and in retrospect, there were others I wish I had squeezed out but did not.
My procedure for this painting was mostly by default. I started by laying in the bigger objects with a small brush that I use for drawing. I became so involved with the drawing and the laying in of shadows that I forgot to change the brush for the larger passages.
This 'method', if I may, accounts for the multiple shorter brush strokes that are seen.
I am not unhappy with the results of the drawing brush as they stand.
In some areas, I did introduce brush strokes using a larger brush. Scratch marks, using a pen knife, may also be seen in other areas as part of the 'flourishes' that I thought help me bring this painting to a finish.
'til next..

2010-09-29T00:33:00.004-04:00

Autumn Marsh And Duck Grass 10" x 12" O/P

Aside from the autumn colours what drew my attention to this scene was the low horizon line and how it accented the long flatness of the perspective. The sight of it felt like an invitation to paint .

Again, this panel was a gessoed prepared ( two applications) panel without the red-orange under painting that I usually use.

The paint on the palette at the beginning of the painting was the leftover paint from the previous painting. I added fresh paint to the palette as the painting progressed. This palette was the "split palette" made up with the warm and cool three primaries. The three primaries in this case were, Alizarin, Ultramarine blue, Cadmium yellow med. and cools, Lemon yellow, Cerulean blue, Cadmium red light and Titanium white The method for this painting was the same as the previous painting.

Another 'fun' autumn painting !

'til next..

2010-09-28T15:27:00.003-04:00

Roadside Autumn 10" x 12" O/P

The colours are really starting to come out in full force now. Once they start to come, it seems that it is no time before we are seeing the last of them. It is just that quick !
For this particular painting , I used my split palette, a warm and cool of each primary. In addition, I used an Indian yellow, Terrie verte and a titanium white.
The method for this painting was fairly methodical . Firstly, I started with a white panel.
I first laid in my various darks of the subjects on the overall panel. I then proceeded to lay in the darker values of the objects main colours, proceeding to the lightest and finally in the end, adding the lightest accents for the details.
The rush is on as the weatherman is calling for rain over the next couple of days.
'til next..

2010-09-21T15:35:00.006-04:00

The Apple Tree 10" x 12" O/P

This has to be my favourite season of the year. A beautiful day that seemed to show a golden overcast, a chill in the air, the mixed aroma of fallen leaves and apples in the orchard. This mixture has a personal warmth that is totally different than the airy summer greens and heat of a few short weeks ago.
The palette for painting has not changed from my regular limited palette. In some cases in the past I have altered the palette colours to help capture the ' impression' of autumn.
The panel for this piece was not prestained with the orange -red of my previous panels. I left this one with two coats of gesso.
After setting up my easel , I proceeded to lay in washes of different colours determend by how I felt the colours of the scene dictated them. When finished, my panel looked like a water colour wash with soft lost edges. I left the panel to "air dry" for a short time. With this method, I was able to wipe out areas of ground colour with a rag or paper towel , leaving a white gesso base to work on if needed.
After this stage of preparation, I was able to lay in my darkest darks and painting my way to the lightest lights. Then lastly, the free strokes, slashes and nuances that make up the finished ' look ' were added.

Comparing this original view of the scene and the painting, my interpretation and editing of the scene is readily seen.

'til next..

2010-09-15T21:07:00.005-04:00

The Boat Works 10" x 12" O/P

I think that autumn is in the air. Today was bright and sunny with a chill in the air and a steady breeze. This painting was painted in full sunlight on the surface of the panel. It was a real chore to paint, fearing that the dark colours would not be dark enough and the light colours would be to light. My experience usually tells me that pieces painted under such conditions (for me) usually "die" when taken inside and viewed under artificial light. So, I played with adjusting the colours as I painted.

The support for this painting was a Masonite panel that had been coated with two coats of gesso and under painted with a wash (o.m.s.) of red-orange rubbed into the surface with a paper towel.

My palette for this painting was my usual limited palette. No other additional favourite colours were added. I did use a medium for this paintng (o.m.s.) The procedure (see pic. rt.) was to draw and paint as I searched the scene for the next object to lay in. I worked between painting the light and dark colours all the while looking for contrasts in colour values, warm and cool colours and shapes of objects as I proceeded . Mainly, I was aware that the scene was front lit and lacked the definition between objects that I wanted.

As the day passed, shadows did appear. I was aware of them and had to remind myself not to start chasing the shadows around only to end up with a confused looking painting.

The photo on the right shows the painting in front of the scene. Adjustments were still being made at this stage of the painting. It was a challenge from start to finish and I could see that the end was coming close. From this point on it was a case of adjusting some values and edges and placing a few nuances and flourishes in some effective areas.

'til next..

2010-09-14T16:07:00.003-04:00

On The Middle Road 10" x 12" O/P

It starts from now ! Some of the trees in this area are beginning to show their autumn colours. It will only be a matter of a few short weeks before the autumn colours will be at their most brilliant. Photographers and artists alike will be out in full force trying to capture natures explostion of colour in the two short weeks that it takes to happen and last.
My palette for this particular painting was the same as the previous painting. This painting differs in that the painting was initially started by using 'washes' of dark colours in the shadow areas of the previously drawn subject..( As I mentioned before, in the previous painting, very little if any odourless mineral spirits was used at this point or in that painting.) Light areas of the painting also received a lighter wash of their local colours. This portion of the painting was then left to 'air dry' for a short period of time. . After air drying, I proceeded to lay in the middle values of the shadow areas. (using less medium) Lastly the high lights were added using the brightest colours. Lastly, I played at bringing up the lightest colours in the lighter washed areas of local colour.
I checked for lost and found edges, added 'sky holes', and played up other nuances I felt were important to the painting.
Get ready for the colour !
'til next..

2010-09-07T15:36:00.003-04:00

...Along The Cataraqui River 10" x 12" O/P
After the warm days of summer, I was not prepared for the chill of this morning. It makes me think and feel that the cooler days of our autumn cannot be far behind. Say, "Goodbye" to summer painting.
Again, this piece was painted on a 10" x 12" Masonite panel prepared with two coats of gesso and a coat of
red-orange to cover the white of the gesso.
My palette for this piece was my "split palette" consisting of , Two blues, (ultramarine and cerulean ), Two reds ,( alizarin and cadmium red med.) and two yellows, ( cadmium yellow med. and lemon yellow)
No medium was used in this painting other than what may have been in my brush after cleaning in my OMS (odourless mineral spirits) Before washing the brush, I made sure that I squeezed the excess paint out with a paper towel, just in case I did not wash the brush before applying a fresh load of paint.
The execution of painting followed the simple method of laying down an outline of the largest shapes followed by the outline of the smaller shapes relating to scene.
It was now time to lay in the darkest 'patches' of colour in the largest shapes as dictated by the scene. This was followed by doing the same to the lesser shapes and so on to the smallest shapes. I continued filling in all the shapes with the next lightest value of colour until all the shapes had their areas filled.
Lastly, I used a smaller brush and played with the smaller details such as the branches, grasses,water and stones.
It did not seem long until I felt that there was not much more that I could say about the scene. It was time to say, "Finished".

'til next..

2010-08-26T19:36:00.007-04:00

Late For The Tea Party 10 x 12 O/P

This painting was painted in short order and 'no looking back'. I feel that I captured the feeling of the scene and presence of the three hundred years the home has stood here. With this piece and the photo references, I feel that I have a good head start on a studio painting for a later date.
As you can see, a tent was set up for an afternoon tea, hence the title. At the time I did not feel that the tent was conducive to the scene. I may change my mind when it comes time to do the studio piece.

The painting was painted on a gesso prepared Masonite panel that had a 'wash' of orange -red oil colour applied to its' surface and evapourated with a hair dryer and then left overnight before using.

Again , my palette for this painting was my split palette and included, Ultramarine Blue, (a change) Cobalt Blue, Alizarin, Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Yellow Light, Lemon Yellow and Titanium White.

Two Blues, two Reds and two Yellows plus white. For this particular painting, I did not use any medium except what was in my brush when I cleaned it in my brush washing pot. This brush washing pot contains OMS. ( Odourless Mineral Spirits) Obviously, not a clean OMS

The large shapes of the building and the mass of the trees was roughed in and then the foreground lastly. After this was completed, I began to sort out the larger details within these large areas. Lastly, when dealing with the smaller areas I used smaller brushes, I sorted out some of the smaller details in the small masses.
I proceeded by breaking up some of the edges so that they appeared as more "lost and found" edges. The rest was left undone. That was it !

'til next..

2010-08-11T15:33:00.009-04:00

Waiting For Late Autumn 10" x 12" o/p

Another painting that seemed to be pushing the envelope. It is unusual subject matter for me and I was determined to try it. For some unknown reason, I seem to be putting myself into these strange painting positions. I was prepared to struggle with it.

The panel for this painting was a gesso prepared Masonite with a reddish orange surface . Very similar to the previous painting.

The oil colours were my limited palette with these changes. Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Alizarin, Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Naples Yellow, Jeune( Yellow) Brilliant, and Titanium White.

In this particular painting, I massed the objects onto the panel as opposed to drawing each object. Once the objects were massed (foreground, middle and background) it is now a question of sorting the larger details for each object and adding the impression of that detail to the shape. Sounds easy ! The thing is to continue this method until you are satisfied with the "finished look" that you desire for your painting.... Interesting !

The method certainly gives a different feel and look to the painting and allows lots of room for being intuitive. I certainly did not feel 'locked in' while painting with the initial massed objects.

It was a fun painting to work on and certainly provided another workable painting avenue to help execute the next piece

'til next..

2010-07-31T22:51:00.005-04:00

Creek Side Weeds 12 x 10 O/P
I probably should have named this painting, "Creek Side Weeds and Mosquitoes" by the time I had finished it.

It was not long after starting it that the 'doing' of the painting became an exercise in frustration. In spite of the mosquitoes, I was determined to finish no matter what !

The panel had two thick coats of gesso applied to the surface and a coat of orange-red runny oil paint added and evapourated with a hair dryer. Immediately after the evaporation, I rubbed the surface with a paper towel to even out the colour. I left it over night to let the oil colour dry a little so as not to be picked up by the brush strokes of paint that I was to apply to the painting later .

Again, the palette for this painting was my 'limited palette' and titanium white. At the time, I did not realize how thankful I would be for the 'speed' and 'simplicity' the limited palette would offer.

Because of the conditions, no time was wasted redoing or correcting passages.

It occurred to me as I was rushing to finish that this was probably a good lesson if for no other reason than , 'a stroke laid is a stroke stayed'. I suppose that I can thank the mosquitoes for that but it certainly

does not make the itch any less.

'til next..

2010-07-28T18:53:00.006-04:00

Collin's Creek Rapids 6" x 8" O/P

The morning started out with sunshine and a well lit subject. As luck would have it the sky clouded over and rained . It then cleared and the sun came out again, giving hope of finishing the painting. You guessed it ! The rain started again only to turn into a downpour. By this time every thing was soaked by the rain . I now had to make a decision to either go home wet or stay and pant wet. I chose the later !

Luckily I chose today to paint with my limited palette. This choice served me well when hurrying to finish in case of more rain.

The limited palette was in this case, Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin, Cadmium Yellow Med. and Titanium White. I also put a small amount of Indian Yellow and Lemon Yellow on the side, just in case..

I tried to remember to start painting with the larger brushes after I had established my layout. On a 6" x 8" panel, it was not long before I was using the smaller brushes again.
I was able to finish the painting without further interference from the rain.
'til next..

2010-07-21T22:16:00.003-04:00

Church On Sydenham Road 11" x 14" O/P

Okay, so no fooling around with the smaller brushes on this painting. (which seem to have become my "large" brushes)
The larger panel seems to give me a fighting chance to use the larger brushes. These brushes were eights and tens in size. A little on the scary size, I thought at the time.
Because this painting was painted on on the same day as the previous painting, I used the same palette, only having to replenish a few of the colours.
As I was using larger brushes, I thought that I would not us my regular method of drawing in the masses of the painting. I opted this time to make up washes of darker colours and lay in large shapes of the subject with different values. If the shapes were 'off', it was easy to use the rag to take away the 'mistake'. When I was satisfied with the lay in, I let it set for a short time, which allowed me to proceed applying a more loaded brush stroke without worrying about picking up the colour with my stroke or' slipping' over the washed surface.
The larger brushes did feel a little on the clumsy side, but it was something that I thought if persuade, would end up with a more loose look and feel to the painting. It wasn't until I felt that I could go no further with the details of the painting that I started to switch to the smaller brushes. ...Must remember not to get carried away with the details and smaller brushes or I will undo all that I feel I have gained with the larger brushes.
I really like the little nuances that just happen while using the larger brushes. Got to remember to leave them !
In many cases, they look as though they "make" the painting.
'til next..

2010-07-21T21:26:00.003-04:00

A Sydenham Street Home 5" x 7" O/P

I do not usually paint on a panel this small. They just do not seem to give one much elbow room to "get into it". But at the same , they do provide a nice size to warm up for the next painting.
It seems that no matter what size brushes one uses, others are still likely to advise you to use larger brushes. With this size panel, It seems to me, every brush is that larger brush.
This panel had two coats of gesso roughly applied to the surface, followed after drying, by a 'pinky-red' mixture of runny oil paint. I then evaporated the wet mixture with a hair dryer. I followed this procedure by rubbing the remaining residue into the surface with a rag or paper towel in order to even the mixture on the gessoed surface.
My palette for this painting was my usual limited palette. As a matter of fact, it was the paint on my palette that was left over from the previous painting day.
All in all, I think that it was a good exercise, with "bigger brushes", even if I had to fool myself into thinking so. I was happy with that !

The scene..
'til next..

2010-07-16T12:52:00.004-04:00

Old Barn and Summer Hay.. 8" x 10" o/p

This piece was painted on a very hot, humid and sunny day. And not unlike most painters who paint outside, my setup ended up in the sun ! I am sure that we have all been there more than once.
The support for this piece was a gessoed Masonite panel. Usually, my panels have had a coloured surface of oil or acrylic paint applied to the surface before being painted on. This particular panel was left white. The fact that the surface was white certainly contributed to the glare on the panel being more harsh and harder on the eyes. Umbrella, where art thou now ?
My palette for this painting was my usual limited palette. Those colours are, ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, alizarin, cadmium red med. cadmium yellow med, cadmium lemon yellow and titanium white. On the side, I put out a dab of yellow ochre.
Because the "greens" are so dominant in the painting, I will mention that the greens were mixed by using the yellows (and yellow ochre) with the two blues in varying amounts. Touches of 'red' was added in some mixture to gray the greens were needed in darker areas. Thus, the variety of greens.

Because of the heat, the paint was much more loose (runny) than usual and I found that I did not have to use the medium as much or at all.

...Another great day in the sun !

'til next.

2010-06-29T17:23:00.000-04:00

Lemoine's Park Beach 10" x 12" o/p

This painting was painted on a Masonite panel that had been prepared with three coats of gesso and a final coat of a pinkish orange colour applied to the surface.

The palette for this painting was cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, alizarin, Cad yellow med., Cadmium lemon and white.

The medium that I used was a odourless mineral solvent . The first coat of paint and the drawing layout was put on with a fairly runny dark colour. Subsequent layers were mixed with the available oil that came with the colours in the tubes (notice the 'impasto") As the colours and details became harder to apply, solvent was added to the mixture, to help them flow and stick to the previous layer.

Another summer fun panting...

'til next..

2010-06-22T16:21:00.000-04:00

Sailing Away ( Collins' Bay) 6" x 8" o/p

Every once in awhile it is nice just do the 'devil may care' kind of thing. This was one of those times to 'just go for it'...a feel good time. I feel that those loose, free times are as important to an artist as a "time out".

This was my time out...

This painting is on a 6" x 8" Masonite panel with only a couple of coats of gesso applied to the surface. No undercoat of any colour was added before painting.

Again, only the three primary colours and white were used in his painting. Odorless Mineral Spirits was the medium used, and only as needed.

'til next...

2010-06-22T15:51:00.003-04:00

Harvard Trainer - Free As A Bird 8" x 10" O/P

The story goes that the Harvard Trainer was flying out of Trenton, on a training run over the east end of Lake Ontario. Trouble developed and the pilot ditched the plane into the lake. Years later, the plane was recovered and restored to its' original condition. The plane was eventually mounted on a pillar and left to turn at the mercy of the wind for all to see.

This painting was painted on a Masonite panel that had been pre-gessoed and a coat of Burnt Sienna was later applied to the surface.

My limited palette of Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin, Cad. Yellow Med.and White was used for this painting.

I used Odourless Mineral Spirits for thinning the paint when needed.

It was a quick, fun painting to do and was completely out of my comfort zone as far as subject matter goes..

'til next...

2010-06-15T15:51:00.001-04:00

'47 Plymouth 9" x 12" O/P

The complex of buildings that make up this painting was once a general store and a favourite stop on the way to our summer cottage . It was treat time for the boys and it was always a pleasure conversing with the two retired brothers behind the counter. Time then seemed to stand still.

The support for this painting was a Masonite panel that had two coats of gesso and a coat of burnt sienna acrylic with a touch of cadmium yellow applied to its' surface.

My palette for this painting was cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, alizarin, cad. red med. Cad. yellow med., lemon yellow and titanium white. On the side, I had some yellow ochre.

My medium of choice was the copal painting medium, as I began using in the previous painting and am still experimenting with it. I used odourless mineral spirits for my beginning ( runny sketch) lay-in.

In speaking of the last painting and the use of the copal medium, I must say that I quite like the results as I see them. I like the way that the texture holds up after drying, and it has a bit of a shine as opposed to the mat finish the dry oil seems to have. The painting looks fresh !

'til next...

2010-06-08T17:52:00.001-04:00

The Pasture 8" x 10" O/P

This painting is one that was painted from a spot that I had previously painted from some time ago. This time, it was the cows that drew my attention to the area. The composition also seemed to warrant the addition of the birds. I guess that I am pushing the envelope just a little with this painting.

Usually, the only medium that I may use is OMS (odourless mineral spirits), other than that, I used straight from the tube with the available oil that is in the colour. Okay, I will admit to using Liquin from time to time. For this particular painting, I thought that I would try a Copal Painting Medium.

Copal medium, as read from the front of the container, is an oil painting medium. Speeds drying, improves flow, increases gloss. Add directly to colour for increased fluidity and enhanced ease of application. I did add directly to the colour and the colour did become more fluid. I did notice that after applying the colour, it did hold the texture of the brushstroke. This was a concern as I do like the texture.The rest remains to be seen after the painting has had time to dry.

The medium must be used with extreme caution. As the bottle warns..Combustible. Exposure may cause allergic reactions, skin irritant. Further precautions and contents are labelled on the back.

If you plan on using this medium, please treat with respect.

I used my regular limited palette. The panel was gessoed and a reddish stain was applied to the surface and dried before using.

'til next..

2010-06-01T16:15:00.001-04:00

A Walk In The Woods 9" x 12 ' O/Panel

This painting started out as a "pink red" panel. I blocked in most of the dark background using a combination of Alizarin, Ultramarine Blue and Black. I then proceeded to, using a cloth or soft paper,
to wipe out the trunks of trees and large areas where the leaves were to be painted.
I then mixed the values for these areas and began to lay in the colours beginning with the darkest and working towards the lightest, the lightest, being the details.
The last part of the painting that I worked on was the figures.
The painting seemed to have more than it's share of 'verticals' which gave the painting an unbalanced look.
I decided that I would then apply strokes of paint to represent horizontal branches of different width. I made sure that the strokes or branches crossed the 'sky holes' at the top of the painting so as to not let the sky holes appear as 'patches', but behind the trees.

This painting was executed with my usual limited palette and odourless mineral spirits. (where needed)

As an alternative, it crossed my mind to 'crop' the painting down, perhaps to fit a 8" x 10" frame ?..Hmmm..

'til next..

2010-05-25T16:47:00.000-04:00

Lakeside Farm 10" x 12" Oil / Linen on Masonite Panel

This painting may look strange to you at first sight. This painting was painted on linen.

The method for this painting on linen was as follows...

I cut a piece of linen one half inch larger all around than the Masonite panel .I then covered the surface of the of the panel with a archival white glue and spread it evenly but not thinly.

I then layed the piece of linen, centering it on the surface of the panel, covering the glued surface. The next step was to use a roller ( a credit card may work) to smooth out the linen on the surface of the panel and to get rid of any 'bubbles' that may lay between the linen and the panel, preventing a good bond. Excess glue will be forced to outside edges of the panel. The linen should be smooth to the look and feel.

As I was in a bit of a hurry to use the panel, I force dried the glue using a hair dryer and applied two coats of gesso, working each into the linen as it was applied and force drying.

I then left the panel overnight, trimming the edges off the next morning before painting on.

Painting on this fine textured surface was a little strange at first.

The biggest concern (for me) was dealing with the paint and how fast it was absorbed into the panel.

I loved the texture !

The effects of drybrush ,soft edges and textures were the second things that I noticed and liked.

Double clicking on the"photo" should give you a larger picture to view details of the textures, etc.

The painting itself was my usual limited palette with odourless mineral spirits used as needed.

'til next..

2010-05-18T16:58:00.003-04:00

Lilac Home, Sydenham Road 10" x 12" o/p

It is that time of spring when lilacs seem to flood my part of the world.

The countryside is alive with their colour, and the air is full of their fragrance.

I used my limited palette for this particular painting, with the addition of a medium

gray and some raw sienna. Medium was used in the early stages and at the end

when adding highlights.

Now that I see the painting reproduced as above, I have reservations about their close values .

In order to better compare the values of the colours, I have reproduced the painting in a

black and white photo or, in other words, as a continuous tone photograph.

After comparing the two photographs, my feeling

is that the right side could have been painted with less contrast.

Well, paint and learn..

'till next...

2010-05-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

Road To The Ferry 8" x 6" O/P

This painting was done on a small panel that was covered with two coats of gesso and stained with a warm cadmium yellow and a small touch of alizarin.

I kept the colours, while painting, fairly thin from start to finish and you can see the effect that method produces on top of the stain.. As a result, a warm cast is produced through the following painted colours.

The colours or palette used for this painting were, ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow medium, alizarin, cadmium lemon yellow, cerulean blue, cadmium red light and titanium white. A limited palette of warm and cool colours.

Between the "spring" colours and the "warm " stain, I feel that this small painted panel exudes the feel of early spring..

'til next.

2010-05-04T21:48:00.002-04:00

Deserted Insulbrick 8" x 10" O/P

The spring greens are still showing and the blossoms are in full bloom. Ahh, the aroma of spring! I know that there will be some question about the title and what is isulbrick ?

Insulbrick is not unlike the material that is used for the shingles that are applied to the roof. Insulbrick was applied to the outsides of homes or buildings of the past. The siding had a pattern applied to the surface that when seen from a distance, gave the building the appearance of being built out of our present day brick.

Today, it is not used by the building trades.

I primed the surface of this panel just before starting the painting, and used a variety of stains.

The palette for this painting was my usual limited palette. Alizarin, Ultramarine Blue ,Cadmium Lemon Yellow and Titanium White made up this palette. I did have some Cerulean Blue that I used in the sky as well.

Ahhh Spring !

'til next...

2010-04-28T21:25:00.001-04:00

Clergy St., South 10" x 12" O/P

This was an interesting piece to paint in that the panel that I painted on was a white gessoed panel. I know that I missed the stained background that I normally use, namely the reddish stain. It seemed that while painting, I was continually adjusting the colours to make up for the lack of that look of 'warmth' that is provided by the red under painting.
The palette for this painting was the same as the previous painting. I think that by comparison, at least by my eyes, the warmth of the former is obvious.
I find this to be interesting, as it has been awhile since I last painted on a white panel or canvas.
Perhaps it would be appropriate for me to remember that saying, " If it ain't broke, don't fix it..." :~)

..'til next

2010-04-20T16:12:00.000-04:00

Spring Comes To Collin's Creek 8" x 10" O/P

Just as I had thought, the little creek was still flooded in spite of little rain falling this spring. The air was full of the spring sound of rushing water and the busy churping of birds.
I was disappointed to see that the large oak had not surrived the winter winds. What was left of it when last seen near the end of this past fall was now lying on the ground. Like the passing of an old friend, it was a sad start to beautiful spring day.

The panel was prepared with three coats of gesso and after drying , coated with a redish pink oil colour.
The palette that I used for this painting was two blues, ultramarine and cerulean. two reds, alizarin and cad red light, and two yellows, cad yellow mediuim and lemon yellow. And of course, the trusty titanium white.
This was a small paintng, therefore the emphases was on laying in "the masses" first of all. Once the masses were drawn in, it seemed that much easier to paint the local colours of the background, middleground and foreground.

Another 'fun' subject to paint.
'til next..