Lake Louise

Lake Louise
5 x 7 oils on panel

Lake Louise is the reference image kindly provided by Debbie Later for the Virtual Sketch Date for February.

Its funny because I have a photo of me at this same lake, at virtually the same viewpoint - as do likely thousands of others who visit Banff to experience the mountains. The lake in summer is an amazing turquoise colour, fed by glacier springs from the mountains. The skiiing there is beyond compare and I'd highly recommend a visit if you're anywhere nearby.

Landscapes are not my strong suit, but I like to keep trying in the hopes that they'll do what I want them to one day. This little piece was fun to do and I find if I paint them quickly, concentrating on values and shapes without fiddling with details, they seem to come out better. This one may have some adjustments to it but for now it stands.

Capelin print - enhanced

Capelin
Gyotaku print with watercolour & ink
5.5 x 7

I've been experimenting with gyotaku or fish printing and the initial results are on Watermarks.

The original prints are quite lovely just as they are in their simplicity, but the addition of detail and other colour enhances them more and adds a new dimension. Each print is very unique in its own way and quite limited in edition. For this fish, I took 7 or 8 prints and that's it. Its odd, because of the experimental nature of the fish that I used, the prints even smell slightly fish like. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but definitely adds to the realism of it.

I will continue to add to the prints with different mediums to see where I go with it. And I will tackle some other fish which should give me much more promising results in terms of detail and realism. However, I rather like the movement and lines in this little guy. If you click on the image, you can see a more detailed version of the print/painting.

Kevin - complete

Kevin
11 x 14 watercolour & pastel

This is the final update for the portrait that I've been working on for the study group.

I started it in watercolour and it lacked some oomph. I'm always a little timid about watercolours and don't want to muddy them. But then I end up too weak. So I added some pastel to this as well as more layers of watercolour and am pleased with the final result.

The portrait was a fun one to do and challenging as well. There is always great appeal for me in trying to create skin tones and expression and I learn something new with each portrait that I complete.

Something fishy

Capelin study I

watercolour 5.5 x 8

Today I went to the supermarket to find a fish and came away empty handed. It seems winter and snow make people hoard and the fish counter held a vast quantity of crushed ice and nothing more - literally.

So then I figured I'd go for a frozen fish. I wanted a whole one. A simple request you'd think, living on an island wouldn't you? Noooooo, nothing again. Lots of filleted, sliced, diced and pieces but not a whole fish.

So I ended up with my own store of smoked capelin. Capelin 'roll' in late June or early July in Newfoundland. These small silvery fish launch themselves in the thousands on the beaches to spawn and people gather them to eat. Its virtually a tradition in Newfoundland and I have an opinion on overfishing, but I won't go there right now. Personally, I don't care for them. They've got a strong taste to me, but others adore them. Smoked they're not too bad, but I don't go out of my way to get them. In Newfoundland people like to share and there always seems to be a bag full of them landing on the doorstep.

However, I digress.

All of this is Robyn's fault. She put a bug in my ear about a printing process and now I have to do this. Over the next couple of days, if the experiment works, I'll show you what I'm talking about.

For now, here is a little smoked capelin waiting to join his friends in a bath and become hydrated. Keep your fingers crossed. And tomorrow, I'm off to find a real fish! Living on an island...hmph.

A touch of sun

La Jolla Cove, San Diego
5 x 7 oils

We don't seem to have seen sunshine here for a week or more and I was craving it when everytime I looked out the window it was snowing again.

This reference was in the All Media Art Event on WetCanvas and it spelled summer to me. So I pulled out my oils and a small canvas and this was the result after about an hour. After investing a some new flat brushes, it almost became an 'aha' moment using them to place values in this painting. Things just seemed to flow for the rest of the day art-wise. I'd better take advantage of that flow before it disappears again!

Bruce

Bruce

coloured pencil 9 x 12

I usually don't like drawing really hairy dogs. It is time consuming and ends up being confusing. However, letting the paper work for me helps a lot, as it did with this loose portrait of Bruce, a Scottish terrier. These terriers are sweet dogs, if not a little stubborn and somewhat protective.

Another snow storm greeted me this morning, worse than the other day and this was the view out of my studio window at 7am. Are we seeing a pattern here?? I waited til 11 or so to head to work and by that time the snow had changed to rain and the roads were rapidly clearing. How many weeks of winter are left? Anyone want to do a house swap??

Kevin - update

Kevin WIP
11 x 14 watercolour

I've been adding a few layers in watercolour to my portrait study group reference. I am too timid with watercolours and need to do something large and loose to break my habit of small and tight. I'm slowly building the colour and shading in the face and am wary that I don't do too much and make it muddy, yet not enough to make it look insipid.

Frost

Frost study

oils 5 x 7

Its been a snow day here with a raging storm throwing down snow and blowing it around in 100k/hr winds since the wee hours. Most of the city has been shut down but its due to stop by the morning and things should get back to normal again after close to 30cm of snow is down.

Frost on windows is a rarity these days with insulated houses and efficient heating. I remember as a child frost was very common on the inside of windows on cold winter mornings. I loved the patterns that it made, like feathers or ocean waves.

There is a long back porch on my house that houses feed and wood and potatoes and the window of the screen door occasionally has the right conditions of moisture and cold air for frost. The other morning, the planets were in alignment and frost patterns were there.

I took a photo of the patterns, as they are short lived once the sun comes up, and this morning with the storm outside, I did a study of frost patterns. I think the patterns would translate well into graphite, painstakingly slow, but lovely when done.

Gathering

I'm in the throes of a larger oil painting but when I find a few minutes to spare I still draw. Its almost reflex action at this point. This was a little sketchbook drawing that will be the basis of a larger piece. Its a friend's daughter who sucks her thumb and twirls her curls at the same time. Its adorable.

I don't know about others, but I have pieces of unfinished art or jewelry in various stages in various rooms of the house. This past weekend I gathered them up and brought them to the studio as I'd bought a new storage unit to house the waifs and strays.

This is one of the jewelry pieces that is now on Etsy. I used a lovely stone that I found on the beach locally. The lines going through it couldn't have been better designed and remind me of art nouveau designs, so simple and clean.

Fish eye

Fish eye study
coloured pencil 8 x 5

The glassy eye of this fish attracted me as did the textured skin. Greys, blues and greens with that firey eye. I couldn't resist a small study of it. I'm not even sure what the type of fish is, some sort of perch I think.

I enjoy the process of drawing and seeing if I can produce textures and patterns. The challenge is endless.

Meanwhile, back in the studio, mice start to breed... I wonder when the cat will notice?

Elizabethan dog

Biscuit
9 x 12 coloured pencil

I started this piece back in November as a work in progress, then got waylaid by other projects. This portrait is of my dog, Biscuit, who died about 3 years ago at the age of 16.

He had amazingly thick fur and a ruff of fur around his neck like a lion's mane that always made him look like he was wearing an Elizabethan collar. You could sink your hand into the fur and it would cover your hand completely. That probably explains why so much of it was on my sofa!

This piece was done from a photo taken while he sat in a snowbank the winter before he died. On close inspection while drawing his eyes, you could see the reflection of the living room window in his eyes. He'd watch carefully for signs of movement then rush to the front door to be let in.

Still missed, my friend...

Three down, one to go

Self portrait
9 x 12 coloured pencil

I've completed the self portrait for the forum challenge and that finishes the trio of portraits that I was working on more or less simultaneously. I just have one more on my easel now and hope to do some work on that watercolour tonight.

I have a couple of small table and travel box easels that are perfect to put pieces on while I consider them for a few days after I think I've finished.

I'm still doing a little work on the studio pet mouse and think he may well have a friend soon...

Studio pet

I had ever intent to do some serious drawing and painting tonight, then the phone rang and I got sidetracked into conversations. Sitting next to me on the wall by the laptop in the studio is a telephone jack that is unused. For reasons unknown to me I thought it needed some embellishment. So this little mouse was born. The studio pet, as yet nameless.

I used some coloured pencil on top of a pencil sketch, but the latex paint on the wall surface isn't accepting it well. I should have used paint for it, but too late now. Its in progress and I'll figure out how to complete it with a mix of mediums.

Many years ago I had a conservatory with a long blank wall which I filled with paintings of various objects, all realistic. It became a talking point for neighbours and people who visited as to what I'd put on it since the last visit.

Yes, I know I do need to get a life....

Meanwhile, I have completed the portrait below and will leave it for a few days to see if it needs adjusting. Already I can see that I need to soften the shadow line in the neck area. It should be in the hands of its owner early next week.

The third and a treat

Kevin

watercolour 11 x 14

This is a fun piece for the portrait study group that I'm in. I originally started it in graphite then a few glasses of wine last night made me try it in watercolour. This is first layer or two of colour and I'm taking my time so I don't muddy it too much. Now I'm officially working on three portraits at once. Yes. 'nuff said.

Then there is this little gem that I bought on Etsy to treat myself with. Its a beautiful journal with exquisite pages of Arches paper coloured in black ink, water, as well as green, red, blue, and yellow liquid acrylic paint. The combinations of colour and ink turn each sheet into its own work of art almost. I think I'm scared to put a mark on it, but it does inspire me and its rather like looking at the flames in a fireplace in terms of seeing images and shapes.

A new me

I'm taking part in a self portrait challenge at WetCanvas in coloured pencil. I've done lots of self portraits in a variety of mediums over time, but realized I'd never done one in coloured pencil or not a complete one.

I wanted a pose that was slightly different and looked through some photos and found one taken of me in the car with my glasses on looking sideways. The photo quality wasn't great, but I liked the composition and knew myself well enough to make up the lost detail with a degree of accuracy.

And this is the result so far in stages. The lighter images were taken in early morning light, the golden ones in artificial light. The gold photos more accurately depict the real colours of the piece. The drawing is being done on dark sand coloured colourfix paper with prismacolor pencils and is 9 x 12.

Portrait update

Keith
9 x 12 coloured pencil

Here's an update on the portrait I'm working on. Not a huge update as I haven't had a lot of time to work on it tonight. I'm hoping to have it finished before the end of the week. I still need to work on the mouth downwards. I just hate this artificial light for taking photos! Nothing ever looks as it should.

Steve Chipman showed me the daylight lamp that he uses to photograph his work and I think I'll have to invest in one of them to get some decent photos of work at this time of year.

I've neglected my waterscapes this week, as I've been concentrating on portraits, but I hope to start a new painting tomorrow. I'm going big! Its difficult for me to break away from the smaller scale pieces that I've been doing. I have a 24 x 30 canvas that I just may tackle - or I may wimp out and go for the 18 x 24. Either way, I want to start a series of waterscapes that are a similar size and that are more substantial than the usual 'daily painter' size. Of course there will still be the smaller ones to fit both budget and wall size, but I think impact and presence will come from larger pieces.

I was also looking through Legion Paper's site for some good watercolour paper and found they provide sample kits at very reasonable prices, of a variety of types which is just what I was looking for. I ordered a set which have arrived and I'm thrilled to get them and hope to put them to good use very soon. There are about thirty 8 x 10 sheets which are quite big enough for me to do a reasonable painting on and also see how I like the type of paper. Living on the island, I'm limited at times to what I can purchase or sample, so I may be back to Legion's site to look for more once I find one that I love.

More portraits

Update 2

Keith - 1
9 x 12 coloured pencil

I've made a start on my next portrait - actually I'm doing two at once. The other is a self portrait for a challenge in WetCanvas. Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment.

I'm liking the Colourfix support more and more now that I'm understanding how it grips the pigment and how much I can manipulate it. I've tracked down a Canadian source for it now, as I'm still using the package of paper that I bought in California and don't want to order cross border with the current market not quite so dollar friendly.

Just in case others are looking for colorfix paper in Canada, here are a short list of some reputable suppliers I've found so far. If anyone knows of other suppliers in Canada, let me know and I'll add them to the list.

Aboveground Art Supplies
Opus Framing & Art Supplies
Wallack's

Portrait completed

Two - finished

9 x 12 coloured pencil

I knuckled down and completed this portrait over the last couple of days. There wasn't a lot in terms of updates that I could provide as it was mostly layering skin tones and refining shapes as I went along.

I will leave it for a couple of days to see if anything jumps out at me that needs adjustment. After that it gets a light spray of fixative, then sent off to its new home.

There are always lessons learned with each portrait that I do. For this, it was achieving that pale colouring without it looking too much like a chocolate box painting. The other lesson is in choosing the paper colour wisely. Too pale and the drawing fades into the colour, too dark and it impacts the skin tones. I choose a sand colour and it was too close to her colouring, so I added some contrast with purple and pink. As well it added some texture that helped bring her forward and not compete with the smooth skin.

Jan, from Pets to Posies was so kind as to give me an award! It always thrills me when someone thinks of me in this way. Thank you Jan! Big hug!

In return, I am supposed to name 7 things that I love.

1. I love my family and friends who are scattered across the country and the world.
2. I love coffee - anytime.
3. I love having the house all to myself.
4. I love napping on weekends.
5. I love lying in bed, reading.
6. I love twilight.
7. I love watching the ocean waves roar in on a stormy day.

Violet Woods

Violet Woods
lino print 4 x 6

I have been chipping away at lino when some ideas came to mind. Some headed for the trash can but this one appealed to me. Last summer, I wandered through a shady section of Bowring Park. It was early morning and the sun was filtering through the maples and oaks, producing strong shadows and glittering pieces of light on the damp grass.

I loved the shapes and strong contrasts of the light and shade and took some photos. From that, I've played around it, breaking down the complex scene of leaves and light into something that I could carve out of a lino block.

The first image is the original print, not tweaked much. It looks a little sparse in places, but that is more the ink colour than the level of pigment on the paper. I created a beautiful violet colour that didn't dry as vividly as I'd hoped, but still is lovely. Soft, an almost sepiaed version of violet if that is possible. I had put a strong violet in the middle of the brayer to add some colour variance to the piece and that is the lighter shade.

This piece is a second print, scanned and darkened slightly in Photoshop. I will try some other variants of colour with this. I'm thinking a deep rich green to mingle with that luscious violet colour...

Its done.

I finally finished the last few pages of this little Moleskine for the sketchbook project. Am I happy with the contents? No. I didn't plan it well enough and could have done much better. There are some pieces in it that are fine, some are disasters, but I guess they're all art in one form or another.

Eclectic. That's one word for it.

About the only part that I am happy with are the covers. And they were done on a whim.

Ok, whinging over.

Here are a few samples of the contents of the sketchbook. There are a variety of mediums from marker to watercolour to pen & ink. I'll pop it in the mail tomorrow or the next day and let it go do its thing.

Would I participate again in a sketchbook project? Yes. But I would be better prepared. I felt rushed in this as the sketchbook didn't turn up til late, so the contents were hurried and I felt pressured to put something, anything on paper.







Will I put it up for sale? I still haven't decided yet. I don't know if I can get it back or not as I don't know if I can provide a SSAE with US postage on it originating in Canada. I'll check on that at the post office when I send it. Either way, its an experience.

Breakers II

Breakers II
watercolour & pastel 6 x 10

I've been moving more of the art supplies from the cupboard that was in the previous room I used down to my current studio which now has a big set of shelves in it. I'm sure these will soon be groaning under the weight of materials.

I unearthed a couple of boxes of pastels that I haven't done much with . The colours are so appealing though, just making me itch to use them. I had been setting up a new watercolour possibility in the handmade book I use for my Watermark projects and leafed through them.

Breakers was a watercolour I did a few weeks ago and while it shows the curl of the wave hitting the water and shore, I thought I'd add another dimension to it with the pastels.

They both appeal to me for different reasons. The watercolour paper in this book is very rough so both pastel and watercolour hit the peaks in the paper, giving a different effect depending on whether or not you blend them. The age old problem of getting a good image in artificial light remains to haunt me. No amount of tweaking seems to bring the colours or light to the state of the real image.

The Newfoundland Dory

The Newfoundland Dory

5 x 7 oils

The dictionary of Newfoundland English defines a Dory as: “A small flat bottomed boat with flaring sides and a sharp bow and stern, providing both stability in the water and easy stowage in stacks on deck.”

This little dory lay moored in the clear waters of Admiral's Cove, while just below the surface pale rocks lurked like ghosts.

I loved the colours of the water and how the wind was rippling the surface and the bright sun almost neutralizing any shadows in the boat itself.

“When the tides of life turn against you and the current upsets your boat, don't waste those tears on what might have been, just lie on your back and float.”

Light and shadow

Light and shadow gives objects their form and create form on their own through shadows. In winter the air is clear and cold and colours seem brighter somehow, perhaps reflected against the white snow, forming the perfect notan elements.

As I walked to the car this morning, shadows of early light surrounded me through the trees and on the snow that had fallen yesterday. These are a couple of images that caught my eye.

Shadows on the snow of the barn roof were so blue against the pinkness of the sun rising. The brilliant blue sky above the barn roof added another layer of colour to the scene.

The light coming through the trees against the side wall of the barn were almost painted on. If it hadn't been so cold and I didn't have to go to work, I think I'd be out here painting the scene of dawn over the farm.

I've been studying light and its effect on water, mostly the ocean for the last few weeks and have done some studies and paintings that I've put on Watermarks.

In the last week, I've taken a photo each morning at the same spot at around the same time so that I could see how weather and the resulting light alters the colour of the ocean and land. I'll then use that information to stock up my knowledge banks on colour for painting water.This abstract wall of frozen water caught my attention on the drive to work. There is a waterfall cascading down a rockface by the side of the road and tumbling into the stream below. The severe cold caught it in time, literally frozen and was just starting to flow again. The water could be seen and heard just visible under a lacy curtain of ice.