Winter and injuries

Tripod in the snow

Hot little paws and three legs make tracking Tripod in some dry snow an easy task. I loved this little set of footprints and how crisp they were. It could be an interesting drawing or painting in the future.

It must be the season or something in the water, as I've done some kind of injury to my shoulder, I don't even quite know how, and its beyond painful, making even sleeping uncomfortable. As a lot of my job involves computer work, being in that position doesn't help it a lot either. It feels like a trapped nerve so I'm taking it easy for awhile and hope that it resolves itself soon.

Still no laptop back, but I should have the other scanner hooked up and ready to add some images in the next day or two. My posts may be short and sweet for a few days due to incapacity and technical difficulties.

Also shadows on snow, taken a few weeks ago were amazingly blue and long in the afternoon. The snow is pretty much all gone now and with it the light that it brings too.

My final thing to amuse you all with tonight, a big red fox that paid a visit around suppertime the other week. The image isn't clear as the light was fading and I was rushing to grab a shot before he took off. You never know who'll turn up at the farm. Foxes have been a problem in the past and they are quite opportunistic, grabbing chickens, ducks and even killing geese.

Barbed

Barbed wire study
graphite

I'm still awaiting the fate of my laptop so I'm rather in limbo when it comes to reproducing images unless I could lug everything to work, scan it there then put it on a usb stick and bring it home again. Desperation may take over if the laptop's not back soon!

As usual, I have several things happening at once. I played a little with one of the koi in the greenhouse when I got home from work today. It was still fairly frozen so I didn't get good prints and will let the fish thaw completely before trying again. The one decent print I got is quite promising as the scale pattern is prominent, almost reminiscent of a pinecone. I also discovered that koi have very sharp spines in their dorsal fin...

I spent tonight fighting with the initial drawing of Cath Sheard's mother whose portrait I am doing. Cath, if you remember, won my birthday portrait. I've decided to complete it in watercolour and have laid down the first washes. Watercolour always leaves me holding my breath til it does what I want it to do. Cross your fingers, so far, so good.

Not having new work to show you, I've dug out a barbed wire study that was the start of a piece still to come into being. I don't often share rough studies as I figure not many want to see the dirty side of work. I want this drawing to be a large piece, a full sheet perhaps to provide impact and perhaps in charcoal. Drawing something fairly mundane in a close view turns it into something entirely different. The curves and shadows around the sharp edged wire create art, not barriers. It always amazes me.

Ocean life

Untitled
oils 16 x 20

I've been meandering for the last couple of days, caught between portraits and prints, oils and watercolours, without anything very concrete to show for it. Especially with my laptop down and my favourite programs not available.

I've started this oil painting using mostly sea for interest. I want a wide expanse of water with just some movement on the surface. I've put down some base colour and added lighter sections that I will blend in to reflect light on the water. I'm not quite sure where exactly this one is going yet, but it will get there.

Its funny how word spreads about 'the artist' and her gyotaku interests. Some friends locally have a pond stocked with a variety of koi carp. Recent cold weather and deep ice killed a number of these fish and tonight I was presented with a bag full of bodies. They may not all be suitable and they may be a bit 'ripe' even if half frozen, but I'll try a few prints with some of the smaller fish. They have great definition in larger scales, so it should provide some good prints.

I still have more based prints to enhance and am delighted that they are being well received so far. I have plans for some of them to be printed as notecards. Adding colour turns them into something so different and the scans or photos don't do them justice in terms of shading and colour. This is one of the original fish print cards that's for sale on Etsy.

Portrait announcement

My laptop is at the shop because of a disturbing graphics problem which randomly posterizes images which I hope they can fix, so I'm using my old laptop which has none of the bells and whistles and speed that I became accustomed to with the new model. It also means that I haven't got the regular programs on it either such as camera or scanner, so unless I go dig out the installation cds and put them on this laptop, I will be suffering a little. However, hopefully the problem will be shortlived.

Now for the news that everyone has been waiting for............drum roll.........the name of the person who will receive a portrait. I gathered all the names of those who had commented (even the late ones) and wished me happy birthday and put them all in a bag. I asked Tripod to draw a name, but he's been terribly cranky lately and refused because there wasn't tuna in the deal, so I had to ask an alternate - T.O.O (the other one) - to draw a name. And its Cath Sheard! Once I've received Cath's portrait request, I'll get to work on it.

The image here is a pen and ink sketch of a couple that I did on the exotic sketchbook I bought awhile back. The pages are stained with acrylic inks and its interesting to add to them as they become almost backgrounds for the drawings.

Marketing realities

exerpt from my bedtime sketch book

I have been reviewing my art marketing methods and need to make some changes if I want to make progress.

A few months ago, I started a separate blog to put sale pieces on. I said I would give it some time and then reassess it. That time is here and the verdict is that it does not produce sales as I hoped. That may be because the public isn't in the buying mood for my type of art and it may be that I haven't put the time and effort that I should into 'selling' the sales blog.

I have on online store in Etsy and prints in Imagekind, so my presence and sales there tick over. I won't get rich from them, but there is some movement. Based on that, I am removing the dedicated art sales blog on Sunday and placing art for sale either straight from this blog or through Etsy. Prints of originals will remain on Imagekind.

I am also exploring some local opportunities using some of the fish prints and local scenes as greeting or notecards. I will be working out printing and packaging costs next week and have some contacts for stores that likely will stock these for the upcoming tourist season.

I also need new business cards and I will be also ordering those next week as well. Despite people's unwillingness to part company with dollars in this recession, there is still money around and it is being spent. It just depends on where you target your potential buyers and how you market your services. Price does factor in which is why I am moving towards prints of images. There will still be sales of originals, but often prints become the viable option for those who do not or can't afford to invest in original art.

Free!

Tripod sketches
5 x 7 sketchbook, graphite

While watching the news tonight I sketched Tripod as he shifted and changed position snoozing on the sofa. Its always good practice to try drawing something that keeps moving and changing shape. I like to see how much I can capture, getting in basic shapes before it moves again.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I never know where the years go and its very true, the older you get, the faster they disappear. Fifty-five. Wow. How did I get that old? Only a moment ago I was 20, or even 30. And now. Wow....

However, I'm happy in my skin and don't deny or hide my age. There's not much I can do about me being me so I accept it and let life take me along to where it wants me to be. And around now, its put me in a pretty good place.

So to help me celebrate tomorrow, while I can't have you all over for cake and wine, I thought I'd be both self serving and giving at the same time. For each person who comments between now and midnight tomorrow (Friday, March 6th) and wishes me happy birthday, I will put their name into a draw to receive a portrait of their choice from me.

The person's name will be announced on Sunday's post and whoever is chosen will get a 9 x 12 portrait by me, using the medium of my choice. The photo can be of you, a spouse, partner, child, animal etc. I will mail the portrait to you at my own cost.

So join in the fun. You could get a free portrait out of it and I won't feel quite so old with your good wishes.

Pisces indecision

Pisces Indecision
12 x 16 gyotaku print and watercolour

This is the last fish print for a little while. I have taken lots of base prints with my trout but its past its 'best by' date and will now be crow breakfast in the morning.

I am a Pisces, so fish and water always seem to play a role somehow in life. I either live near the water or have fish swimming next to me in a tank or I'm drawing or painting them. This version of Pisces has them both swimming in the same direction instead of opposite which contradicts the true nature of this zodiac creature(s).

Its more an experiment in shape and colour at this point, rather than composition and being true to the subject. I'm still seeing what colours work well with the prints and how much layering I can get away with and be transparent, letting the print beneath show through.

Its not complete but I don't want to tinker too much more, as its easily on the verge of mud. Paint will take a backseat for a couple of days while I complete the portrait of my niece and start another one.

Camouflaged Rainbow

Camouflaged Rainbow

watercolour 8 x 12

I promise my fish frenzy will be over soon and I'll get back to regular stuff. I just need to do these last few prints on the paper that I was experimenting with last night.

I used diluted acrylic inks on sheets of aquarello portofina. The print was already on the paper or will be printed there after the inks dry. With this print, I had already put the fish on the paper then used the acrylic inks over it randomly, almost making the fish look as if it were swimming through it. I added more watercolour to the print. I wanted a bold, bright look that but transparent so the print of the scales and lines of the body showed through.

I think I got there, even if the image doesn't show the brightness of the colours at their best.

I had put some of the fish cards and a print on Etsy and wondered why there were so many viewings. Then someone sent me a message saying the fish print was on the Etsy Gift Guide under Original Art and Printmaking. It was on the first page for the last couple of days and has now moved to page two.

You can find this print and others in my Etsy shop.

I also tried some pastel on one of the fish prints, but am not as keen on it as it covers too much of the print itself. The colours are fine, but the essence of the print is lost in parts. I'll have to work on that and decide how much should be print and how much colour so there can be an easy marriage of the two.

Fish and cats and ice

This is what I looked out on this morning. Freezing rain had coated everything during the night turning the world into a giant skating rink. And guess where the car was. In the barn. Yep, what fun walking across that to get to it.

I really don't like freezing rain, at least not having to go out into it. It does a lot of damage to trees if it coats them heavily and bends them. However we got off easy today and the day warmed up significantly and it turned to rain and melted.

The ice makes for interesting photos however if you can risk life and limb trying to get to things. This is the side fence looking out from the dining room. The hops and little solar lights are well coated with little curtains of ice.

Finally, one of the garden chairs looking like some kind of torture device with icicles everywhere!
I'm giving this poor old trout a run for its money and getting as many base prints as I can out of it before it deteriorates. While I think the skeleton print looks quite interesting, it really does seem to come to life more when its enhanced with colour, so I'm in the process of experimenting with different papers and tonight preparing an abstract background in acrylic inks to lay another print on. Its a messy business...

I've lifted off some of the muddied colour as it pooled into the middle of the paper and may add some crumpled plastic film for texture before it dried.

I've added more prints to larger sheets of watercolour paper and will add colour to them later, as well as some additional cards.

While waiting for prints to dry and ideas to gel, I painted a tiny watercolour of Tripod. This is ACEO size and I rarely try this size. I find it difficult to adapt to the small size and it continues to amaze me how those who work in miniature on a daily basis do so and do so well.

Tripod was vaguely interested in the print process but more for the paper, not the fish. He's a strange animal who doesn't like any fresh food except tuna. He won't eat fresh fish, chicken, turkey, any kind of meat. He will only eat a particular type of cat food and dry cat food. When he first arrived, he didn't know how to eat dry cat food and would just swallow it whole without chewing it. While I figured out how to do the Heimlich on a cat, he figured out that he needed to chew.

Fish cards

I finally found a rainbow trout today after much searching. I was getting ready to go ice fishing myself to get one! I played around with some prints, trying to get a clear image which was being tricky. I'd get the body and the head would be blurred or it would be wet on the gills.

The gyotaku technique really is fish rubbing and I felt like I was giving the trout a massage in the end, but it seems to be the best way to get the imprint of the fish onto the paper.

I tried partial prints onto some card stock to see if they'd translate into greeting cards and it worked fairly well. I then enhanced the original prints with watercolour and a touch of ink. I'll put a couple of these in my Etsy shop. The design wraps around the outside of the card and the inside is blank.

Starts and progressions

Perhaps I'm the odd one out, but in pretty much everything in life I have several things going on at once. I ready several books at once, altering titles each night. I make several pieces of jewelry of various kinds. When I knit, I have a complex piece and a simple piece to do. And when I draw or paint I have several pieces that I work on alternately.

Maddy WIP
9 x 12, coloured pencil

Tonight, its three pieces I'm working on. The portrait of my niece, and a rough start of a piece in which I've laid down basic colours and shapes in oils and will now work on building it. This is a friend's daughter who loves dancing, twirling around in her 'princess' dress - a pale green confection of organza with roses and all the pretty things little girls love.

The third piece is a seascape a shoreline including rocks and water, but its not fit for human consumption yet. I need to make the rocks look more like rocks than balls of putty. It too, is in oils.

Maddy

I've started another portrait. This time of my niece Maddy, currently studying at Oxford in England.

I did a portrait of Maddy many years ago when she was a toddler and visited me in England. As a few years have passed since then, its time for another portrait.

This is coloured pencils - Prismacolor - on Colourfix paper. Again, not sure of my choice of background colour for this one. The paper is a grey rose and is almost too similar in some skin tones. But I'm into it now so let's see what happens.

Don't worry Maddy, the skin tone will not be all blotchy and weird like it is now. This and the next few are the ugly duckling stages of the portrait, where I usually want to toss the whole thing. But it will come together. Crossing fingers...

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.