Splashing through Life

Have a Merry Christmas and a Hoppy New Year!

2011-12-23T06:47:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! See you in the New Year!

Patty

Wetlands- WIP Finished!

2011-11-20T08:58:00.000-05:00

Done! Now titled Elegant Ecosytem, this has been submitted to the Eco Arts Awards contest. It has been quite the challenge for me, but I think it was worth all the effort. Thanks to everyone for your support!

Wetlands - WIP 6

2011-11-13T09:23:00.000-05:00

Finally I have finished the heron! I've also done the red-winged blackbird and have started on the cattails. The turtle and frog will be difficult, I think, because of the tiny details. This can be very frustrating, as I learned with the blackbird's eye. I had the tiny circle all cut out to the right size, only to have it fall off the tip of my finger and disappear! This only happened three times before I got it to stick! Anyway, I am going to try and work like a fiend today and get it done. (or at least very close!). I want to get it submitted to the contest, plus I need to get started on a Christmas watercolour commission.

Wetlands - WIP 5

2011-11-05T11:43:00.000-04:00

I think I'm done with the water, next are the animals and plants!

Wetlands - WIP 4

2011-10-30T11:21:00.000-04:00

I've finally finished the sky! Next, on to the water....

Wetlands - WIP 3

2011-10-22T17:22:00.000-04:00

Today I finished my rough underpainting, rough being the operative word. I had to stop myself from putting in too much detail and remember that this is just a guideline and not the finished painting!
In the first photo, the underpainting is done and I have applied one piece of paper. (I forgot to take a picture before I glued it on.)

In the next photo, I've started working on the background. I like how the heron's smooth feathers contrast with the more busy background, so I will try to keep them that way when I collage the papers on to him.

Wetlands - WIP 2

2011-10-16T10:54:00.000-04:00

Today I started to block in the colours in the underpainting. As you can see it looks really rough, but it will all be covered in paper eventually. The paint acts as a guide for me and also to test colours and values.

Wetlands - WIP

2011-10-15T15:43:00.001-04:00

I discovered a great art contest the other day called Eco Arts Awards. I thought it would be a great contest to enter. Artists will submit artwork with their interpretation of the meaning of Ecology.

The first thing that sprang to mind was Wetlands. I love Great Blue Herons, so I thought I'd make one the main focus, and also in keeping with the ecology theme, I'll be using my paper collage process, using primarily papers recycled from old books and magazines if I can.

I found my heron reference from Paint My Photo a great website where photographers can post their photos for artists to use as copyright free reference material. Thanks Tracee Murphy for the great photo!

After doing a couple of thumbnail sketches, I drew my scene onto a 24 X 12" canvas. Since this piece will be fairly complicated I will loosely paint it first with acrylics to give me a guideline while applying the papers.

Here is my drawing so far. I will be fixing that poor dragonfly!

Sorry for the poor quality of the photo, it's very hard to get a good picture of a pencil drawing!

More to follow!

Thistles

2011-10-02T08:58:00.001-04:00

I had decided to try and paint a totally watercolour piece the other weekend. Well....it didn't turn out as planned. Wasn't happy with the colours, composition, and more! So last night I defaced it! LOL I got out some coloured pencils and went to town. I actually kind of like it now, but I think I'll start a new one. Who knows what I'll do to that!

Rise and Shine!

2011-08-28T11:49:00.002-04:00

The lady who bought my "Spring Chicken" collage piece asked me if I could do a companion for her. She raises chickens, so I asked her if she had a favourite rooster, and she sent me some great photos of this fellow. He is a "Lakenvelder" rooster, very handsome, and although the hens adored his fancy feathers and ruby comb and wattle, he wasn't up to snuff in the baby chick producing department! He has gone to live at Circle R Ranch near London, Ontario where he will, as my client says, " live a happy long life" Happy Retirement Mr. Rooster!

Donating an older painting

2011-08-14T12:04:00.000-04:00

This weekend I donated a older painting for a raffle being held at the Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing (WAMBO). The money raised is for the local Junior C Hockey Team, the Wallaceburg Lakers.

I did this painting a few years ago as part of a "Local Landmark Challenge" at Wetcanvas. It was the first time I had painted a car, and I found it quite the challenge indeed. I took the reference photo at WAMBO a few years ago.

Congratulations to the lady that won the draw!

...and they're Sold!

2011-07-19T18:51:00.001-04:00

The two paintings in my last post have been sold! I guess they were pretty popular, quite a few people showed a lot of interest in them. Not so interesting to the judges I guess, since they didn't win any prizes, but who cares!

Accepted!

2011-07-11T16:59:00.000-04:00

Two of my collage pieces have been accepted into the Desmond Juried Art Exhibition and Sale July 17-July 28th at the Ridgetown Campus, University of Guelph, 120 Main St. E Ridgetown, Ontario.
I'm pretty excited since these are the first collage paintings that I have entered into a show!
The two accepted are:

Bright and Early

and Spring Chicken

I hope you can stop by and take a look if you are in the area.

Sketching in my Garden

2011-07-03T10:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning, before it got too hot and muggy, I took my watercolours out to the garden and sketched a few tiny paintings. An hour or so and a few mosquito bites later, here's what I came up with:

These little paintings are in ACEO format, which means they are the size of a trading card. (3.5" X 2.5") They are available in my ETSY store right now! Click Here to view store.

Wind Dancers

2011-06-04T10:20:00.001-04:00

Some years, in the field behind our house, the farmer plants wheat. We love to watch the wind blowing across the field creating rolling waves. If you get up close you can see the individual wheat heads dancing in the wind.

This piece is 16" X 12" mixed media/collage on canvas. If you look closely, you will see that each little grain of wheat is a tiny hand painted piece of paper from pages of an old cookbook. I chose the section on bread making!

Fiesta 3 ~ A Commission

2011-05-22T10:19:00.002-04:00

I was excited a few weeks ago to receive an email from a lady who had found my art on Fine Art America. She was interested in having me paint a full sheet (22" X 30") watercolour similar to my painting "Fiesta!"

Well, it has been a while since I did that painting, so I got to work composing and practising. After two failed paintings, (lets call them practice pieces!) I finally got to one I liked. The client likes it too, so it will soon be heading off to Pickering!

Here it is, Fiesta 3:

Creating Texture Cheaply!

2011-04-03T12:46:00.013-04:00

In my last post I mentioned how you can use things around the house or purchased at the dollar store to create texture in watercolour or acrylics.

Here are a few examples of some of the "tools" I use to create texture for my collage papers and for interesting backgrounds.

Here I have some cheesecloth, Halloween spider webbing, and a styrofoam tray that holds test tubes. (I get these from work, we throw them out everyday so if you want some let me know. You'd just have to pay for the shipping!)

The ever popular bubble wrap (also fun to pop while waiting for paint to dry!), the one with the squares is a mat for the sink, and I can't remember what the other thing is!

The white one is for under rugs to keep them from slipping and the green one was for under placemats. The yellow stuff was in the craft section. Not sure what it's called.

This texture was created by first underpainting in fluid acrylic, then applying another wash and placing the green mat above onto the wet paint. I put a heavy book on top and let dry.

This was created using the spider webbing.

Neat texture from the test tube tray. One wash of fluid acrylics, then tray pressed into wet paint.

This was made with the mat for the sink and the one for under a rug. (Technical terms! LOL)

Finally, this one was created using the fibery craft item.

I hope you give them a try!

Spring Chicken

2011-03-27T11:49:00.003-04:00

You've heard the expression, "She's no spring chicken!" Well this girl is! Okay, so maybe her comb isn't as grand as the Rooster next door, but she's got attitude and can tiptoe through the tulips with the best of them!

This painting is 14" X 10" and consists of handpainted and found papers applied to gallery wrapped canvas. I discovered that I had almost no rusty brown or gold papers, so had fun making some with various textures. My friend Sue Galos and I spent a fun blizzardy afternoon a couple of years ago in the dollar store picking up things that we thought would make a good texture when pressed on wet painted paper. I made use of a lot of them! Maybe on another post I'll show you some if you'd like.

More Paper Paintings!

2011-02-21T16:02:00.006-05:00

Okay, I've become obsessed with this technique already! A couple of days ago, I reorganized my studio and obtained a few more storage containers which act almost like a very large pallette. Now I have 3 large containers for the primary colours, red, yellow and blue and 3 for my secondary colour, orange, green and purple. I would really like more, for my warm and cool blues for example, but I'm afraid my room will be taken over by containers!

I've started thinking ahead, and since I always enter the Desmond Juried art show at the Ridgetown Agricultural Collage each summer, I have already finished a piece that I might enter. The theme is always farm and rural living so I think this piece will fit in nicely!

"Time to Wake Up!"

14 X 11" on gallery wrapped canvas

I want to make a companion for this piece but I'm waiting for my canvas order to arrive. In the meantime I thought I'd do one on kind of a similar theme on a tiny 6 X 6" canvas.

"Sunny Side Up"

These were both created by applying hand painted and found papers to a canvas. Sunny side up even has some small scraps from an egg carton in the background.

Garden Party ~ Another "recycled" painting

2010-12-12T10:43:00.003-05:00

Well, this is one of the most "girlie" paintings I have ever done, but I really like how this one turned out. Again, I used scraps of old watercolour paintings and bits of magazines and some hand painted papers. This time I also collaged over a failed acrylic abstract on a small 8" X 10" canvas.

I've been writing down ideas for more of these collage paintings, and I'm quite excited about them! I haven't been this excited about painting since I first started, so I think I may be on to something. I'm sure I'll go back and forth between my first love of watercolours and collage, but right now I'm so glad to have gotten that spark back! I'm also tempted to do some really bad watercolours just to have them to rip up! LOL

After the holidays I'll be doing more and also hand painting some papers in some of the colours that I need. I will be looking for magazines, calendars, old maps, sheet music, crossword puzzles, almost any kind of paper for my projects.

Recycling can be fun!!

2010-12-05T08:08:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been captivated by some wonderful collage paintings by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson and my buddy Lauren Everett Finn. It got me to thinking about all of the, shall we say, "less than successful" paintings I had taking up space in my studio. If you look closely at the painting you'll see that some small scraps from old magazines have found their way in there too!

Last weekend I sat on the floor and had a great time ripping them up and pasting! It was quite therapeutic. This is the outcome:

Here Comes the Sun!

I know I'll be doing more of these! Yesterday I kind of organized my scraps into different colour categories. I've got a drawer for yellows and oranges, one for greens and blues and one for red and purples. I also have some earth tones and whites segregated. I need more drawers!

I've also decided that I haven't got a lot of red scraps so I've started creating some new hand painted paper, which is great fun in itself, allowing me to experiment with colour and texture without the worry of "ruining" a painting!

Thanks Frederick!

2010-11-13T07:40:00.003-05:00

"Uncle Homer"

After commenting on a blog post by Frederick Winston on his great art blog about Homer Watson the other day, Frederick contacted me to ask if he could write a post about me! Wow, what an honour! He was interested in the fact that Homer Watson, Canadian landscape artist was my great, great uncle.

You can see the post HERE.

Pet Portraits ~ Paint what you love!

2010-11-10T14:17:00.004-05:00

I've been lacking inspiration lately....and someone reminded me to "paint what you love". Well I love pets, so I got to thinking that I hadn't done any pet portraits or animals of any kind for a long time!

Also since it is getting close to the holiday season, why not give the gift of an original watercolour portrait of a beloved pet?

It's a win/win situation! I get to paint a fuzzy face and you get an original gift for someone you love!

Here are a couple of examples of previous portraits I have done:

The Life of Riley

Dog Day Afternoon (My dog Jack)

Check out this page on my website for more examples! Prices range from $100-$250 for 8 x 10" or 10 x 14" portraits.

3 Colours, 6 Tiny paintings!

2010-10-30T13:43:00.004-04:00

During my visit with my friends Lauren and Sue in Michigan, we took a day off from Plein Air painting and had a day in the studio. While Lauren and Sue got out their acrylics, I played with my watercolours, using a great triad of colours from the Daniel Smith line of paints. I tried this triad quite a while ago when I heard about them on Wetcanvas, and saw all the interesting paintings using this unusual combination of colours. They are: Ultramarine Turquoise, Transparent Pyrrol Orange, and Quinacridone Deep Gold. I painting all of these on small scraps of paper, none of which are larger than 6 inches on any side.

This one has some pencil added to the outline.

I was trying to use some of the techniques we learned while watching some art DVD's in the evening. Not sure if it succeeded, but it was fun!

Not the greatest apple painting in the world!

I used gel pens on this to create an interesting look.

The beautiful sumacs that we had seen all week inspired this one.

A quick sketch with watersoluble pencil and a watercolour wash of my tea mug.

And this is the painting I did a few years ago using the same triad. It is sold and is living in Belgium!!

Fun, Friends and Fresh Air!

2010-10-16T17:58:00.004-04:00

I just returned yesterday from a great week of fun and laughter at my friend Lauren Finn's house in the upper part of Michigan near Lake Michigan. I drove up there with another artist friend Sue Galos, and witnessed the trees becoming more and more colourful the closer we got to our destination.

We enjoyed some lovely crisp weather, perfect for painting outdoors or "plein air". It's always challenging trying to capture the essence of a scene, while coping with changing light and shadow, and wind. But I love it!

Here are some of the sketches I did, using my prismacolor .01 pen, waterbrush and moleskin sketchbook.

Nova Scotia Sketches

2010-08-31T19:54:00.005-04:00

We just returned from a wonderful week in Nova Scotia! Most of these sketches were done near the cottage we rented on the South Shore. I wish we could have stayed longer, but I'll always have these great memories...

Fire and Ice...maybe!

2010-08-01T15:38:00.003-04:00

Here is another mixed media piece along the lines of "Tenacity". This may be the beginning of a series! This one started out more red and blue, but I decided to add more "ice". I'm also not too sure about a title just yet, hence the maybe in the title of this post.

Once again I used masa paper, watercolour, fluid acrylics, and fibers. It's 14" x 11" on gallery wrapped canvas. It's finished for now, unless I get another brainstorm, or if some of you lovely people have any suggestions!

Doodles

2010-07-25T12:39:00.006-04:00

Haven't been painting much, but I started work on another mixed media piece the other day. While I was waiting for part of it to dry, I started playing with a piece of paper that I had brushed gesso on a while ago. Part of it looked good so I doodled these trees on the parts I liked and made a dyptych of it. Both are about 4" x 10" acrylic on paper. Just a little fun, nothing serious!

Tenacity ~ Mixed Media

2010-06-21T09:36:00.003-04:00

This is certainly a departure for me...this is a mixed media piece, Masa paper on canvas, watercolour and fluid acrylics, a bit of ink, gauze, and spider webbing! It's 24" x 12", not framed. I'm going to enter it into a show called "On The Edge", and while it does represent a physical edge, it has also pushed me over a creative edge, which is a good thing!

I have to say, it's hard to get a good photo. I took this one this morning, and you can see the shadows formed by the texture of the paper. Depending on the direction of the light, you get different shadows. It's also hard to see the metallic sheen of the gold and copper paint.

A Few from my Garden Journal Sketchbook

2010-06-13T11:26:00.004-04:00

Last year, I tried to paint all the perennials in my garden and I think I accomplished that. This year I'm sketching some of my annuals and other things around the yard.

I think I've become more comfortable sketching and I'm learning to simplify. Using a fine point pen and watercolour wash has made the process easier. Now I wish I'd used this technique from the beginning! Oh well, live and learn!

Accepted!

2010-06-04T19:43:00.003-04:00

My painting, "Make Hay While the Sun Shines", was juried into the 5th Annual Desmond Juried Art Exhibition and Sale in Ridgetown, Ontario!

My thanks to everyone for their encouragement!

I'm working on another piece for a show in Chatham this summer. The theme is "On the Edge"a nd it's completely different in style from my "Make Hay" painting. Actually it's completely different than anything I've done! I'm almost finished, so I'll post a photo this weekend.

From My Sketchbook ~ Jackie's House

2010-05-21T11:26:00.003-04:00

Last winter our next door neighbour moved into a rest home and sold the house that she and her husband built many years ago. I don't believe that any renovations were ever done to their house over the years, and it still has the same grey "insulbrick" siding and funky turquoise trim. Both we and our neighbours have large "double lots". When we first moved in, 19 years ago, Frank and Jackie's entire side lot adjacent to ours was a huge garden. Frank worked in it tirelessly all summer, even though he was elderly. They were generous with their bounty and would share whatever they had.
Over the years, the garden got smaller and smaller, until Frank could no longer look after it. Once he passed away, it was grassed over, but some of the flowers and shrubs still remain.
The new owners (who bought the house months ago and not moved in) have sent out a notice that they wish to sever the second lot next to us. We are worried that someone will buy that lot and build one of those huge new houses, squeezing as much house as possible onto that land.
I was thinking how much I've grown to like the view of her house from my kitchen window with it's overgrown forsythia bush on the side which houses a large family of sparrows, and our favourite lilac bush that provides us with sweet scents wafting into our windows.
I went out and tried to capture that view this morning, because I'm afraid it won't be there for much longer.

...and yet more!

2010-05-16T12:20:00.002-04:00

Here is the latest: Added more trees, lightened the horizon sky, and put more "sunshine" on the field. I still see some spots that need more attention though.

Revisions, revisions!!

2010-05-15T13:18:00.004-04:00

Some of you may remember my attempt last year to paint a landscape in acylics. It was based on a photo of some haybales in the field behind our house. I was never really happy with how it turned out, and it sat in my studio all winter mocking me.

I'm taking a vacation from work this week, a much needed break from stress. I decided my first venture would be to tackle a revision of this painting.

I decided the treeline was pretty boring so I fixed that up by bringing the sky down some into the trees and breaking them up a bit. I also added more farm buildings and a couple of larger trees. A suggestion I had received was to add more texture to the foreground field, so I attempted that, but I'm not sure how successful I was!

Here is the before:

And the after:

I'd really appreciate your feedback on this one...is there too much or not enough texture in the field. Does it need to look more realistic?

Here's my Plein Air Pallette

2010-05-08T07:51:00.003-04:00

In my previous post, someone asked what I use for sketching. I've settled on this Homee watercolor pallette. It's about 10.5 X 5 inches when folded up and inside I keep my Holbein watercolor brush and right now I'm using a 01 Prismacolor pen. I also have a pencil and a piece of paper towel.

It's nice and flat and will fit into a purse or backpack easily. My pen and brush etc. fit right inside when it's closed. I use a small Moleskin sketchbook for my garden journal and a larger one for landscape sketches.

Digging out the Sketchbook!

2010-05-02T11:39:00.005-04:00

I decided to get out my garden journal sketchbook, but there wasn't much yet to sketch that I hadn't done last year.
The only flowers that were blooming in abundance were these dandelions!

It felt good to get outside with the pen and paints!

Let Loose and "Wreck this Journal"!

2010-04-25T11:12:00.013-04:00

Sometimes I just don't feel like starting an actual painting. It just all seems like too much work, and I just want to play! That's when I pull out my Wreck this Journal by Keri Smith.

When I first ordered and received my journal, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, maybe I'm too old to be doing this, it seems to be for young kids."

Then I started wrecking. It was fun! It was for anyone! You get dirty or covered in paint, or maybe food...you just never know. It gets your creative juices flowing. I just haven't got up the nerve to tie a string around it and go for a walk with it yet!!

Here are some of my favourite pages so far:

This one I did today:

As you can see, it doesn't matter if you are messy, that's the whole point!

Here's one that may never be finished:

And one that I have gotten a start on, but need more materials!

From last spring:

Keri has other great books that help to inspire your creativity, check her out!

Bittersweet in Watercolour Finished!

2010-03-28T11:02:00.003-04:00

Finally I've finished this one. For such a small and seemingly simple subject, it did seem to take a long time!

I was undecided about the background on this, so I compromised and did a light cerulean wash.

Now...I wonder what I'll do next???

Bittersweet in Watercolour continued

2010-03-24T15:22:00.004-04:00

Well, they do say "slow and steady wins the race"! I work on this when I get a chance, but my youngest son was home last weekend and I only got a couple more berries done then.

Wednesdays are my short days at work, so after a nice walk I got a few more done. But then I also have a really good book to read! Dilemma!

Here's where I am now:

Bittersweet ~ In Watercolour

2010-03-14T11:43:00.007-04:00

Back to a more familiar medium. I liked the bittersweet berries so much, I've decided to paint them in watercolour this time. Since I'm so slow, I'm going to show my progress pictures, so at least I'll have some blog posts to show you!

The first picture shows my reference photo taken last fall. The drawing was done freehand and I used small touches of masking fluid for the highlights. I'm not usually keen on the stuff, but I thought it would be okay for the minute dots on the berries.
As you can see, I don't have a fancy setup, just a large piece of plywood on top of part of an old computer desk.

Here is a bit of a closer look at the drawing and my first start on the berries.

And here's where I am right now:

My only dilema for this painting is background or no background? I'm leaning towards a sky blue background at the moment....but will decide later.

2010-02-28T09:19:00.003-05:00

What a suprise the other morning to find that I had been given a "Sunshine" award by Christiane Kingsley of Christiane Kingsley's Art.

Thanks so much Christiane! I really appreciate it, and it did give my day a little extra sunshine!

I've been very busy cheering on Canada at the Olympics, so haven't painting anything new to post. I think I'll start something this morning, and hopefully will have something next weekend to show you!

GO CANADA!!!

Bittersweet ~ An Acrylic

2010-02-21T10:54:00.004-05:00

Something totally different from my last painting, an acrylic on canvas! I had botched an earlier attempt at watercolour over gesso'd canvas last summer, so I thought I'd gesso over it again. My jar of black gesso was screaming out, "Use me! Use me!" (I guess it was lonely!) So I did.

The canvas sat there, a blank black square for a few days, while I decided what to paint on it. It almost became the background for a collage, but while looking through my reference photos I came across one of some Bittersweet berries I had taken at Rondeau Provincial park in the fall. My original intent was to use the photo as a basis for a watercolour painting, but I thought, what the heck, I'll do this in acrylic!

I almost left the background black, but decided it needed some zip. I liked the way some of the black showed through around the berries and also through the background in places.

I think I'll still do this as a watercolour....I told you I couldn't stick with one medium or method for long!

Poppies Finished!

2010-02-15T09:36:00.003-05:00

I finally finished my poppy painting, and I'm pretty happy with it. It's very loosely based on a photo of some poppies in my garden. I wanted to keep this fairly loose, so I had to keep myself from overworking it by walking away, sometimes just after a few paint strokes! So for a small painting, it seemed to take a long time to paint!

I have this whole week off from work, so hopefully I can get started on something else. Now I just have to decide what!

Day Dreamin'

8 X 10"

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T09:52:00.013-05:00

Here's a little valentine to all my followers. A few weeks ago, right after the new year, I gave myself the challenge to make something new from something old. The original idea was to use an old painting that I didn't really like and make it something new.
What I ended up with was a painting made from three old paintings, and it turned into a little something I called "Modern Romance".

This is the first painting that I ended up using as the bottom layer. I used these old left over sheets from Christmas labels, stuck them on the painting and coved those with gesso. I peeled them off when dry and then painted over them.

Then I dug out these old experiments:

Did some cutting and pasting and stamping and ended up with this:

Happy Valentine's Day!

Blog Neglect!

2010-02-06T10:31:00.007-05:00

Well, it seems I've been neglecting my blog. Probably because I haven't been painting very much!

I think one of my problems was that I had gotten into the rut of thinking I had to have "a project" or a "series" I should be working on. Then my friend Lauren told me to JUST PAINT! I have to remind myself that it's the process of painting that I love, just watching the paint flow on to the paper, and the colours mingling together. I also have to remember to "paint what I love". I love flowers and animals and nature. I have tons of photos to inspire me over the winter, so I'm going to just paint! I may jump from subject to subject, using many different techniques and mediums, whatever catches my fancy on that day. So off I go!

I was in a mood for juicy reds today so am painting poppies.

Here's a small 5 X 7" doodle I did the other day when I was in a blue mood!

I'm taking a break from milkweed for a while!

Wilkweed ~ "Blowin' in the Wind" Version 4

2009-12-06T09:17:00.008-05:00

I have a short workday on Wednesdays, so last Wednesday afternoon I got the sudden urge to work on another Milkweed painting! I tried to take into considerations suggestions that I received here on my blog and on some art forums I belong to.
This one is quite a bit darker, and I tried to incorporate a lot of texture. I wasn't as successful with the Epsom salts this time, and had to get out the handy-dandy Proxa-brush to lightly scrub back to white for some of the seed fluff.
I finished this up yesterday morning. I happy with a lot of this: My experiment with granulating medium and India ink worked fairly well and gave a lot of interesting texture particularly in the bottom part. I also gave the whole painting a light spattering of iridescent gold acrylic paint which is easier to see in real life.

I think I could have done a bit better at composition, that's something that seems to get away from me sometimes!

Here is a closeup of some of the texture:

I think I've got a few more of these in me, so stay tuned!

Blowin' in the Wind -Third attempt

2009-11-29T11:41:00.004-05:00

Here's the third attempt at this subject, and I have to say that I'm actually kind of pleased with this one!
The colour didn't come out on the computer as rich and gold as it is in real life, but you can get an idea anyway. I'm currently in love with using black paint and I used a lot of it in this painting. I believe it has its uses, especially in something that isn't super realistic. You often hear in watercolour or other artist circles to "never use black". Well, I guess I'm the sort of person, who when she hears something like that just has to try it!
I used Epsom salts for the fluffy seeds this time, and really liked the effect. I read the outside of the box, and these salts have so many uses! Not only are they good for creating neat effects with watercolour, you can soak in them, feed your lawn and garden, and give your house plants a boost! I don't feel so bad now for buying such a big container of them.
After I finished this painting, I set my models free in the wind, and hope I have some of these lovely wildflowers blooming in my garden next year, and playing host to the Monarch butterfly!

Milkweed: Trial and Error

2009-11-21T19:26:00.006-05:00

I've had in my mind that I want to paint some milkweed pods with the seeds blowing in the wind.
I'm having trouble, however, getting the picture that is in my mind onto paper...(isn't that always the way?)

Last weekend's experiment went well until it came to the silky seeds. I had used masking fluid, and the filaments came out too thick. I tried to fix it with some white paint. I like the background, but other than that I don't really like it that much.

This morning, I thought I'd play around on the back of a failed painting, and ended up with this:

It's a bit more like what I had in my mind, but not entirely. I didn't use any masking fluid, but did resort to a tad of white acrylic for the fluffy seeds. I also used some epsom salt which gave some cool effects. I also had fun playing around with some unusual colours. I used lamp black, and Quinacridone gold, with a bit of Gamboge.

Back to the drawing board tomorrow!

Autumn Berries - Finished!

2009-10-25T12:04:00.004-04:00

Well, the idea was to post a lot of progress shots along the way.....um, I got one more and then I finished it! LOL

Here is the progress shot, with the first wash on some of the leaves.

Then, since it was such a yucky, rainy day, I did nothing but paint. I had the house to myself (Pat was at a Chili cook-off),I had the music blaring, and I proceeded to overwork that one leaf there. (The dark one)

Overall I was fairly satisfied with most of this painting, there are parts I really like and some not so much.

Anyway, onward and upward!

Back at it!

2009-10-24T11:17:00.003-04:00

Well, it's a perfect day for painting: cool, wet and windy! A blustery fall day is just the incentive I needed to get back at my Autumn Berry painting.
Today I worked on the stems of the berries, and I've just started putting a light wash on the leaves.

Berry Fun!

2009-10-18T11:06:00.003-04:00

Slowly working on the berries...I do a few, take a break, do a few more, take a break...etc!
This afternoon we are planning on taking a drive to Rondeau Provincial Park, so I hope to come back with even more reference photos to have on hand!

Weekend Watercolouring...

2009-10-17T16:46:00.008-04:00

Seems like the only time I have (or have the energy) for painting is on the weekends. Lately they have been busy with family Thanksgving and visits, so I haven't been in the studio much. Now that the weather is turning cooler, I look forward to more of my favourite pastime!

Today I decided to go through some of the photos Pat and I took while out on a nature walk a couple of weeks ago. There were some beautiful red berries that caught my attention, so decided to give them a go.

Using the photo as reference, I did a very quick pencil sketch. I then deepened some of the values and will use the sketch as a guide. I loosely traced my sketch onto the backside of some Arches 140 cp paper. (My favourite!)

Here is my studio set up. I am mostly using my sketch as a reference and only peeking at the ref. photos occasionally. There is my one and only brush that I will be using! You can see an open book by Ann Blockley that I have out as inspiration. Love her work!

I'm loving the reds of the berries so far!

Hare's Lookin' at You, Kid!

2009-09-25T12:25:00.003-04:00

This is based on a photo I took of a very friendly rabbit that came to visit while I was staying at a cottage recently. He was very bold and at one point jumped right up on the deck with us. Okay, I screamed when that happened, I don't know why, but I've never seen a bunny do that before!

This is watercolour and coloured pencil on the back side of Arches 140 lb CP paper, and the size is approx 8" X 10".

Make Hay While the Sun Shines!

2009-08-24T15:42:00.006-04:00

I had a sudden urge to paint something with acrylics yesterday, so I dragged a canvas out of the closet, and dug out the acrylic paints. I had taken some pictures of the hay bales that were sitting in the field behind our house so tried to compose a picture using them as a subject.
I still have a lot to learn about acrylic painting, but I really had a lot of fun doing this! One thing I probably need is some kind of proper palette, instead of the back of an old margarine lid...or not, but those darn paints really dry out fast!
Anyway, here it is.

The View from my Backyard

2009-07-26T12:24:00.009-04:00

It was such a pleasant morning, I thought I'd sit out in my backyard and do a little sketch before they take the wheat off. We live right on the edge of our town, and each year we enjoy the view of the field right behind us to the west. Most of our weather comes from this direction, as well as a nice breeze. Today, sitting beside the field, it was downright windy! I had trouble keeping my moleskin open, but it sure kept me cool. A little moth decided he would like to keep me company and sat at the edge of my ultramarine blue for most of the painting.

I also sketched some more flowers today. I'm trying to decide if I like the pen and wash for my flower sketches or pencil and wash...what do you think?

A Visit to my Sister's

2009-07-25T09:38:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, my mother and I took the train up to Belleville to visit my sister. The weather couldn't have been more perfect! Fairly cool, yet sunny. On Saturday we took the Belleville Garden tour. We saw many gorgeous gardens and flowers...kind of makes you want to take the rototiller to your own garden and start over! Of course I forgot to take the memory card for my camera, and only got a few pictures.
On Sunday we headed over to Prince Edward County, which has a wealth of galleries, wineries, artisan cheese making, wonderful homemade chocolate, and beautiful scenery! We sampled some lovely (and not so lovely!) wine, cheese and chocolate.
I brought my sketch book, but only had time to do this quick sketch from Janet's sunporch on Sunday morning while everyone was getting ready to go out for the day. Her neighbour has a dairy farm. Those little black and white things in the sketch aren't large dogs, they are supposed to be cows! LOL

Finished!

2009-06-30T13:13:00.003-04:00

It's been a cool and rainy day today, so I finally finished this painting! I think I like it...but am trying to decided whether to crop off some of the top and left hand side.

Wednesday's effort

2009-06-25T10:00:00.004-04:00

Worked some more on this yesterday, and I hope to finish it today. Will take Lauren's suggestion and leave most of the bottom right white. I had already painted some of it, but won't do much more.

And today...Robin's Nest WIP

2009-06-23T09:50:00.002-04:00

Today, I tried to work more on the nest and a bit on the background and bird. On the nest I did some more negative painting and a bit of positive using some white watercolour, sometimes mixed with other colours. Lots of work yet to do!

Robin's Nest WIP continued

2009-06-23T09:47:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I removed the masking fluid from the nest...yikes! Truly in the ugly phase now!

She Has Hungry Mouths to Feed

2009-06-21T09:13:00.003-04:00

I've started on a watercolour of the Robin family we had nesting at the back of our house. I've been taking some pictures along the way, so I thought I'd share them here. I forgot to take some when I first started though!

I had originally thought I'd do the nest with negative painting, but I decided I'm too lazy and got out the masking fluid! You can see it in the last picture.

More from the Garden Journal

2009-06-13T08:36:00.010-04:00

A few more from the journal. I'm really enjoying sketching the flowers from my garden! So far I've done only the perennials, but as summer comes along I'm sure I'll be painting the annuals as well.

Garden Journal Entries

2009-06-13T08:29:00.010-04:00

I've been delinquent in posting on my blog! I've got several more entries in my garden journal. Keep in mind these are just sketches, I usually limit myself to 10 minutes or less per flower.

April Showers Again!

2009-05-03T14:03:00.007-04:00

I was so pleased with my last "April Showers" painting, I decided to try another one. This one is based on the daffodils in my neighbours yard. Yellow flowers are definitely harder to do than pink!

But I think they look nice together, so I may do a few more!

What a wonderful day!

2009-04-25T14:52:00.006-04:00

It's been a wonderful warm day today!
The temperature right now is 20 degrees Celsius, and it's sunny and windy. Hung the laundry out to dry on the clothesline today for the first time this spring, but now there is a thunderstorm warning! I got my garden journal out again today to sketch the hardy Lamium that has taken over almost everywhere! The think I like about it is it attracts lots of bees. Today a big old Bumbler came to visit while I was sketching. Gotta go, I hear thunder!!

More April Showers....An encore!

2009-04-19T19:21:00.003-04:00

Well I ruined the last version of this painting when I tried brushing on varnish....so I've attempted another one, this time using spray varnish! I actually think I like this one better. I also bought some more canvases, so I'll be playing around some more with this type of painting.

Another Garden Journal Entry

2009-04-15T16:33:00.004-04:00

It finally stopped raining long enough to go for a walk this afternoon. When we got back we spotted these little blue snowdrops in the garden by the driveway. Soon there will be a sea of "Star of Bethlehem", and more, but for now this is the only colour besides green!

April Showers

2009-04-12T14:16:00.004-04:00

I was disappointed with my last painting so I thought I'd try something really different. I found a little 8 X 10" canvas and covered it with gesso, then painted with watercolour paint. When it was done, I sprayed it with fixative and then varnished it.

It was almost impossible to get dark values with this, but I kind of liked the washed-out effect.

Finished Vineyard painting

2009-04-12T14:13:00.003-04:00

Well, I pretty much overworked this one to death! Not happy with it at all, but I'll show it to you anyway!

I still like the original sketch the best.

Working from a Plein Aire Sketch

2009-04-05T15:58:00.006-04:00

While in Michigan last fall with Sue and Lauren, I did several sketches using pen and wash. One of my favourites was of a vineyard. I remember it being very windy, but sunny. It was a wonderful day, and painting from this reference brings back some great memories.

This is the sketch:

And here is where I am with the studio painting so far:

It probably won't end up looking anything like the actual vineyard we were at, but that's okay!

Starting a Garden Journal

2009-03-22T16:55:00.003-04:00

I've decided to start a garden journal, and hopefully sketch all of the flowers and veggies that grow this year! Here is my first entry, some brave little snowdrops.

A Peeling!

2009-03-15T09:26:00.005-04:00

I'm trying to do at least one painting a week, or at least use some kind of art material even if I don't complete anything. I just feel out of touch if I don't paint something!

Today I finished this little acrylic still life. I'm still learning the ins and outs of acrylic painting, and since I started out with watercolours, I'm having a hard time not using them the same way! I have to keep reminding myself that I can paint light over dark! I'm sure I'll catch on eventually.

And Now for Something Completely Different!

2009-03-08T10:36:00.003-04:00

Here's something that I did recently while playing at Sarnia Sue's and after watching a video of Pat Dew's. Hey that rhymes!

Anyway, it was all about texture and composition. We went to the dollar store to buy things that would create texture. Not too sure if I succeeded with the composition! Anyway, I've decided to name this "Ariel".

Landscape Practice

2009-02-28T10:53:00.007-05:00

I've had a week off work, and am nursing a cold, so I thought I'd get back to practising landscapes. I took a lot of pictures when I was in Belleville this past fall, so I thought I'd use some of those for inspiration.

Here are "Early Autumn Drive" and "The Old Mill".

Whimsy!

2009-02-15T17:03:00.004-05:00

I haven't felt like doing any large paintings lately, so I thought I'd tear up some pieces of the 300 lb watercolour paper that I don't like and play around! Most of these are pretty whimsical, so I've decided to call them Whimsies! I wasn't sure what to do with them so I put them on Ebay. Who knows if they will sell? If they don't, oh well, they were fun to do! And a fun way to try out new ideas.

An Excellent Source of Potassium!

2009-01-18T18:29:00.004-05:00

Here's a little something I painted this afternoon. I'm still experiment-ing with Fluid Acrylics, and trying to evolve from using them like watercolours to using them like acrylics! The subject will be cut up and eaten with my Cheerios tomorrow!

Polar Storm II ~ Arctic Fox

2009-01-18T11:29:00.003-05:00

Here's another painting in the Polar Storm series that I'm doing on a textured gesso background. I only use two colours with these: Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine blue. This is the second try for this little guy. I thought he turned out pretty well, and he's sure in keeping with the weather we've been having lately! It's all the way up to -7 degrees Celcius today! Break out the sunscreen and flip-flops!

It's a New Year!

2009-01-03T11:38:00.003-05:00

It's a New Year, and I wish everyone peace and contentment! I've just spent the whole morning updating my website and playing around with my Fine Art America and CafePress stores. You sure can waste a lot of time doing that! Anyway, take a look around if you'd like. The items can be changed, so if you are interested in anything in particular, let me know!

Experimentation

2008-12-27T12:30:00.007-05:00

I don't seem to be able to settle down to a particular style. Since starting in watercolours a few years ago, I have lately been experimenting with different mediums and supports, and haven't landed on a style which would identify me as a painter. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or bad, but I'm having a blast trying everything out! It must be the science loving side of me, that likes experimentation.
I did this little doodle from life this morning using Golden Fluid acrylics on cheap canvas board I got at Walmart. Ya gotta love Walmart! LOL

A Horse for Christmas

2008-12-20T08:35:00.003-05:00

This is a little commission I did for a good friend to give to her daughter for Christmas. It went through various versions before I was satisfied. Even though I've done many other animals, including Zebras, for some reason the horse gave me fits! Thanks to some help from my Wetcanvas! friends, since this picture was taken, I've added a hint of hoof to the far legs.

My first blog post!

2008-12-14T09:25:00.001-05:00

Well, here it is! My first post to my blog!

I'll try to keep you updated on my new artwork and anything else that's going on.

Here's my latest painting entitled "Polar Storm". This was completed using traditional watercolour paint over textured gesso.

Kind of gives you a chill, doesn't it?