A glimpse into growth

a squash blossom

While I work on drawings and paintings, life continues on the little farm with many chickens and turkeys in the barn and lots of veggies growing in the garden and greenhouse. I love the scent of the earth at this time of year. After a couple of days of rain and fog, today was hot and sunny and you could almost see the plants grow before your eyes.

I thought I'd share some images that I took this evening so you can share a little of my world.

foxgloves

These foxgloves grow wild all around the place, becoming a nuisance at times and overcrowding flowerbed and woods. I let a few stay and this white one is especially beautiful with the contrasting purple. Its growing right up against the house near the front door.

leaf lettuce

I love being able to walk to the greenhouse or kitchen garden to pick lettuce for salads. You can't get fresher than that!

Heirloom tomatoes

There are about 6 or 7 varieties of heirloom tomatoes growing in the greenhouse this year, from Green Zebras to Black Russians and everything in between. Heirloom tomatoes aren't as prolific as modern hybrids, but they make up for that in taste and resistance to disease. This is the sea of plants taking over the greenhouse.

hot peppers

Still in the greenhouse, a variety of sweet and hot peppers are being grown. Some very, very hot. Anything called 'Dragon' has my respect.


The hay grass grew really well this year, even if its not really needed anymore, not having horses anymore. It moves in the wind as if it is one single unit, almost like waves on the ocean. It likely will be cut soon as the ducks enjoy having some hay to nest in during the winter and you never know what kind of animal will turn up here next.

moose skull and vertebra

Finally, the artistic find - the skull, jawbone and some vertebra of likely a moose found in a peat marsh. Knowing anatomical detail of animals and people is so useful in drawing and to purchase a skull is very expensive. These will be scrubbed then stored in the studio for future use and in teaching.

Moving pictures

There are a number of forms of learning and with many people, reading and seeing photos is useful and often used in home study. The next step up is seeing a technique being completed and hearing spoken words, which would usually take place in a class setting or one on one.

Technology can cross barriers and provide access where geography wouldn't normally allow it and bring people and information into your living room or studio.

I bought a Flip video camcorder and this is the first test of a tutorial just to get a feel for it. Lighting and set up are crucial and neither are perfect in this, so bear with me. I do often get asked to create video clips of techniques and thought this may be a possibility. I have noticed more and more bloggers providing video information and it is very useful to see how others create their work or speak about it.

Now I just need to get the focus right so people can actually see more clearly what I'm doing. Also the talking and drawing at the same time are challenging. I can see the appeal of just drawing and having a music background instead of voice.

Drawing

I've started to layout a complex drawing of the rocks that make up the cliffs and slide into the sea at Flatrock. The layers of rock are multi-textured and combined with a slice or two of sea is challenging. To ensure that I was on the right track, I decided to grid the piece so I could get the proportions right and have some semblance to the rocks as after awhile they start to all look alike. Its a bit like putting together a puzzle. If you look away, you lose your place.

I chose a piece of Bainbridge hot press illustration board which is too smooth to take layers of graphite, so I will try this in pen and ink once I get the initial drawing in place. The board is 15 x 20, so the drawing may take awhile to complete. However I like having complex pieces to work on while I do other drawings or paintings. Its something I spend a few minutes or a few hours on depending on my mood and end up rather missing the process once its complete.

The image of the start of the drawing is poor. Its taken under artificial light and adjusted so that you can actually see the lines which are drawn in a hard pencil so they can be erased or gone over without showing. However, it does give an idea of the structure of the rocks and the image below shows a section of rock similar to what I will be drawing.

Making decisions with technology

I often have a love/hate relationship with technology, but I do sometimes use it to help me see potential in drawings or paintings. With a few tweaks in Photoshop I can have a glimpse into how a photo reference may look in different mediums, before I start investing time and materials.

This image is a photo I took early Sunday morning just after sunrise in Flatrock. This old abandoned boat has sat there for years with weather taking its toll and it makes an ideal subject for drawing and painting. I liked this shot that shows the ribs of the boat and some of the effects of age on the wood.

This first manipulation is done using 'fresco'. I like the soft colours contrasting with the darkness and it could be recreated using watercolour and ink.

The second is a simple paint manipulation and that has possibilities too, depending on how impressionistic I would want it to be.

The final manipulation is graphic pen and I like this a lot. I think it adds to the overall feel of age of the boat. Its a piece that would easily translate into pointillism instead of the diagonal lines used here.

I do have a graphics tablet but a finite amount of patience as to the steep learning curve around creating something vaguely acceptable on it. While those competent can produce wonderful art digitally, I am a traditionalist and like to get my hands dirty!

So now I have some ideas that take the guesswork and some of the decision-making out of medium choice and I may decide on one or more of these when using a reference. Despite some of its drawbacks, being able to play with images digitally is a bonus and a shortcut for artists.

Candle in the window

Candle in the window
9 x 12 coloured pencil

Over at Watermarks, we got together to wish Sarah Wimperis a happy 50th birthday, each of us contributing a little piece of art to wish her well. See Its Only Half a Hundred to read what we said, see some art, and wish Sarah happy birthday as well.

I had a scene of an image appearing out of the darkness in my mind for awhile and this was the perfect opportunity to try it out. The drawing is a combination of photographic reference and inspiration from David Blackwood's dark images of views of the sea out of windows in Newfoundland. I love his images and prints and the opening on the main page of his website that has that haunting sound of whales singing which always gives me shivers.

This image is in coloured pencil on Artagain black paper. My original idea was a giant piece on a fullsized sheet of black Stonehenge. That may be ambitious for cp so the size will likely be reduced to a half sheet.

I enjoyed the process and detail of cp after not having used it for awhile. There are some areas which I would like to have done better, but I'll work on that for the next piece.

Birch pour

Today was bright and lovely and I thought it would be a good time to try some watercolour pours outside in the garden. I singled out this little birch at the rear of the house as my victim and started in.

I'm lucky to have a range of painting opportunities literally on my doorstep as lugging all the water and paints and brushes, etc. etc. is like packing for a trip where you'll be gone for weeks! While plein air painting is great, it does pose challenges, but if I want to draw from life, I have to put up with the problems.

I also wanted to complete a base of a watercolour pour in preparation for a painting I have in mind over the next couple of weeks. I tried one today, but it just didn't turn out as I planned. Too many hard lines and the colours weren't what I had in mind, so I'll try again tomorrow. I did complete a watercolour pour in the winter, inside, on a full sheet. After that I vowed it wouldn't happen again until the summer when I could take the mess outside.

So I played with the birch outside and the temperatures soared until I had to call it quits or succumb to the heat. The insects also seems to take a great liking to this painting while I was doing it and tonight there are a number of flying beasts with multicoloured legs being stared at by their friends and relatives.

I shall add this piece to Vivien's tree challenge and see if the watercolour behaves tomorrow.

Weddings and mermaids

This photo from my daughter's wedding in June seems appropriate for the rock challenge. The scene is Middle Cove and the dress train looks like a fish's tail almost, giving her a mermaid appearance.

There are photos from a number of locations, but the beach ones appealed to me most.


Another location was downtown St. John's coming up over the brow of one of the very steep hills. My other daughter is the second from the right.


Photos copyright: Wayne Thornhill, St. John's.

Fog

A low line of shore was visible at first on the right between the movement of the waves and fog, but when we came further it was lost sight of, and nothing could be seen but the mist curling in the rigging, and a small circle of foam.
John Millington Synge

While waiting for an idea for a painting to gel, I thought I'd share a photo that I took last week. A northeasterly wind blew in fog which blanketed the coast and gave a surreal appearance, allowing small glimpses of land or ocean.

The tip of the distant land is just seen poking through the bank of fog and shrouding the closer land to the left.

Below the horizon is obliterated, truly making it seem as it you were indeed at the edge of the world with trust alone making you move forward.

When you get it wrong

This is a hair's breadth away from the trash can, but I thought I'd show it anyway, if for no other reason but to remind myself what not to do in the future.

I will redo this painting of my mother, as the watercolours just weren't working for me. The muse was off doing other things and she obviously was not guiding my hand on this one!

So what is it that makes us know when a painting or drawing isn't going right? A drawing that is off is one thing, but often I find it is values that are lacking, or simply the vision that is in our head just doesn't appear on paper or canvas. Or fatigue, lack of inspiration - the list could go on and on to help justify why what I want to do doesn't turn out as I want it to.

I also accept that not everything I do will be pleasing. I haven't calculated numbers of drawings and paintings, but should for perhaps a month to see what I think works and what doesn't. If I note time of day when I draw, mood, weather, level of fatigue, and the other things that all seem to feed ability the create, perhaps I will see some pattern emerge that leads to success or failure when creating an image.

I'll let you know the results when I figure out just how to analyse the process.

Mariner's foe

This piece is part of a series of rock studies that I am doing to help understand how rocks are formed and to enable me to draw and paint them more realistically. This will be the first for the rock challenge. Feel free to join in!

This is a section of rock that juts out of the sea in Savage Cove at low tide. With rocks like these submerged, you can see why it was called Savage Cove. I loved the shape of it and how the water around it was so still and reflective - a rarity in the Atlantic.

I still haven't gotten quite the level of roughness and jagged nature of this rock, but I'll keep trying. I started with a line drawing, then switched to coloured pencil in sepia. I didn't like the grainy nature of that on Bristol vellum, so I switched again to 'Sketch & Wash' General's pencil that I found in the bottom of my pencil case. This pencil is a water soluable graphite, perfect for light washes. I added a hint of colour with watercolour pencil and a light wash.

Birthday portrait

I took a few photos surreptiously of my mother at my daughter's wedding in the hopes of finding something suitable to do a portrait from. She hates having her photo taken so its a rare thing that I can find any material to work with and she isn't interested in sitting for me.

She will be 85 at the end of July, still lives alone and although there are challenges in many areas, she continues to do so. I thought that a portrait to mark this birthday would be good, but I doubt she will feel that way somehow. But whatever the case, it will still be done and you never know, she may even like it!

I've done the line drawing and will continue it in watercolour initially. I may try an oil later, I just wish the original photo was clearer when enlarged.

Rock challenge

Today was a beautiful day depending on where you were. I left home in bright warm sun and arrived 5 minutes later at the beach in Flatrock where the fog was rolled in and got thicker and thicker as I sat there. I was determined to do a little plein air painting, so with billows of fog floating around me, I made a very quick watercolour of some of the rocks partly submerged in the sea. Literally, as I was painting, the fog was obscuring my view of the scene so I eventually admitted defeat and this is the final result of about 20 minutes work.


I want to spend more time concentrating on painting and drawing rocks. They are a constant in the waterscapes that I draw and I never seem to do them well. I know its all down to practice and I am determined to work on the structure and colour of rocks around me. I played around with the start of this large cliff last night and will work on more details over the next few days. I wanted it loose, but still to have the ability to 'read' as rock.


So I thought I'd throw it open as a challenge to any others who want to hone their rock skills. Create rocks in whatever medium you like, look at shapes, planes, values, texture, colour. Small beach pebbles or large cliffs, I would love to see them all. This will helps us learn from each other.

I think about a month should provide enough time to tackle rocks, so August 4th do you think? Then simply add a link to your drawing or painting in the comment section of this post when you're done and I will create a post with the links to individuals work then.

1,023 fingerprints

I knew I was approaching my 1,000th post, but hadn't realized that I had over run it by 23, well 24 now.

I originally started my blog as a way of making myself accountable to my art - to ensure that I would produce both artwork and writing. I also enjoyed the process of writing and sharing knowledge and life with others from around the globe.

The original purpose of the blog is still there and there have been many benefits along the journey.

• I have met hundreds of people that I would never have if I had stayed silent.
• I have pushed myself to explore other media, spurred on by others.
• I have participated in artistic groups and ventures, though done through words and pictures are as real as any local ones.
• I have honed writing skills and the ability to know what appeals and what doesn't.
• I can expect honest critiques of my work for which I am always grateful.
• I push myself to produce, share, market and build my craft because I know others are watching.
• I have left my fingerprints on the world.
  

The image of my fingerprint, above, was an idea for a painting that I had. A blown up version of my own print, painted. It is an intricate labyrinth and unending maze of corridors when seen enlarged. It is a project for the future.

Portrait complete

Watercolour in many respects is a quick medium. Once you start, aside from drying times, it tends to fly along I find. I've worked more on this portrait in spurts of time today and am calling it complete.

It hasn't got the looseness that I've come to like, but the watercolour pencils veer me towards a more controlled portrait. I did add some washes of colour with my pans set of paints but overall kept it fairly tight. I may still go back in and deepen the shadows, but I don't want to muddy the piece. I'll let it sit for awhile then see how I feel about it.

Watercolour portrait

I've been working in oils last night and today and the result of that is posted on Watermarks today. The turps fumes were getting to me but I still wanted to do something so I tackled one of the portraits on WetCanvas July portrait thread in watercolour.

This is the initial drawing and the first layers of colour. I'm using watercolour pencils for this piece but my pans may come out as well depending on how it goes. I find that I can't acheive the depth of colour with the pencils as I can with pans. I also like the fluidity of the paint/water with pans, however the control that watercolour pencils give, especially for tight areas can't be beaten.

Nurturing creativity

The last bouquet

The last bouquet
pen and ink, 5 x 8

The last vase of flowers from my daughter's wedding party was sitting on the dining table as I sat down with coffee early this morning. The carnation petals were dropping and flowers were decaying and I knew that if I picked it up, the blossoms would shatter and the illusion of perfection would disappear.

So I decided to sketch part of it.

Now those who read this blog will know that flowers are not my favourite subject matter by a long shot. However, I have learned several things over time that I tell to others and need to keep telling myself too.

1. There is nothing I cannot draw. There are things that don't inspire me or interest me, but that doesn't mean I am unable to draw them.
2. I learn something when I try a subject that I don't usually enjoy drawing. I learn that its not as difficult as I anticipated and that drawing is simply drawing, whether a mountain or a person or a flower.
3. Don't tell anyone this part, ok? Sometimes I actually enjoy the process of drawing something outside my comfort level.

Portraits and ponds

I haven't made a lot of progress with the portrait today. Fatigue has overwhelmed me and after shopping for groceries, cooking and cleaning up, a nap was the order of the day. I must be getting old, I love my naps.

I've wiped the eyes several times on this portrait and they're still not what I want, they're too blue. I want them grayer so they don't become the focal point. I've blocked in colour and some values so everything looks a bit bright here.

I haven't decided on a background yet either. I'm toying with an African plains background as the portrait is The Lion Cub. I may play around with that and see how it goes or perhaps leave it a muted blue/purple which would complement the ochres of the towel.

The spell of hot, muggy weather definitely changed today with fog rolling in and a cool breeze. It must be the weekend! But on the way home in the evening the sun was setting over Gallow's Pond. With not a breath of wind to disturb the water, the reflections were perfect and I had to take a photo.

Trees in bulk

Trees behind the barn
graphite 8 x 10 Moleskine

When I sit on the sofa in the living room and look straight ahead, this is part of my view. The wood shed attached to the barn and trees, trees, trees. I am surrounded very literally, by trees. As a visitor commented, they seem impenetrable, they grow so thickly. So drawing them as they grow is a challenge.

There are a variety of trees; aspen, poplar, birch, juniper, pine, spruce and labernum are all in my view here. Then there are the honeysuckle shrubs and lilacs which are the forerunners for the trees.

So how to tackle them? Simplification seems the best method. I try for overall shapes and values then start adding more form and depth to them. As I don't want minute detail at this distance, it seems to work well. I don't have to worry about individual leaves or textures, just the impression that the trees give 'en masse'.

Portrait update

I've started blocking in some colour for the portrait and still need to refine the features and adjust some proportions. The hands are in a unique position, like she's plotting something secretly and they'll be worked up as I move ahead.

Right now she has a rather serene look, almost Mona Lisa-like. This photo is taken under artificial light and doesn't really show the colours well, despite tweaking on PS. But for tonight, its the start and a weekend is coming up so I may well have some more time to work on it.

I'm feeling more comfortable with oils now and can predict what they'll do and how colours will behave. The learning curve back to oils has been long and only now am I approaching where I was many years ago when oils were in daily use for me.

It really does go to show that if you don't use it, you do lose it. Or at least lose some elements of it.

The lion cub

Now that small people are no longer visiting, I can pull out the oil paints and get tucked into a new portrait.

I took a photo of my grand daughter just after her bath, wrapped in a lion towel. The hood of the towel was the lion's face and the triangles of fabric made up the mane. She posed for me, no doubt with an eye on getting her hands on the camera, and I took a photo that turned out well. The natural evening light was just right and the child stood still for a rare moment. The planets were aligned.

I have decided to do an oil painting of this pose and started the charcoal underdrawing of it on an 11 x 14 gallery canvas. I want to make sure that the drawing is accurate before I begin painting. However, even then, I can adjust as I go along. I'll spray this lightly so it won't smear then come back to finish the drawing tomorrow.

Operation Aborted

Ducklings - Bowering Park
pen and ink/wash

Several of my blog readers have reported problems accessing this blog through Internet Explorer and get the dreaded 'Operation Aborted' message, sending you to a Microsoft problem reporting site.

Some bloggers have stated that changing from the inline comment form, to a popup or separate form, has helped eliminate their version of the problem. Presumably, the problem, if this is going to be effective, will be seen only in single post mode, not in archive or main page view.

The Real Blogger states:

Blogger Support acknowledges the problem, and notes

This only affects viewers using IE to view the blog; for right now, blog owners can either move the Followers gadget lower in their sidebar, or remove it altogether. Either action will eliminate the pop-up dialog box in IE.

Two weeks after the latest problem was reported, though, this problem continues. And some bloggers are recently reporting that their blogs have this problem, and it's not apparently solved by removing the Blogger Followers / Google Friend Connect gadgets, or by changing the comment form from "Embedded below post" to "Full page" or "Popup".

The longer that this latest version of the problem goes, unsolved or unacknowledged by Blogger Support, the more confusion this causes. People who would like Following / Friend Connect, or the inline comment form, on their blogs, won't be installing them because they are uncertain what will happen to their readers ability to access their blogs. And if the original problem (problems) which existed before May 2009 continue, or if new non Blogger caused problems occur, we won't know about them because we wait for Blogger Support to fix the known (or perceived) problem with Following / Friend Connect.

Based on the above information, I'm not sure what I should do. It seems until Blogger Support fixes the problem, I don't really know what the problem is! I'm am hesitant to remove Followers and have those individuals lose their links on my page and I my connection to them. So I will remain status quo for a few more days until I hear more information. Until then, my recommendation is to use Mozilla Firefox, as that does not seem to have clashes with Blogger.

The pond

Most of my visitors will be gone in a day or two and my ability to devote some time to drawing and painting will return. I've been sketching plein aire and not very far from home. Its amazing what is on your doorstep, almost literally, that can be explored and seen in a new light.

There is this little pond on the edge of my property. The ducks and geese swim there and its a stopping point for some wild ducks in fall and spring. The trees and bushes have closed in around it, making it secluded and quite sheltered and the excess water flows out via a small brook into the marsh to the right, feeding hundreds of blue flag irises which will flower next month and are quite spectacular when they do.

I made the start on this piece and had it about half done when the black flies drove me inside to complete it. As long as I can get the bones of a piece down, I'm happy and can finish it provided I've gotten the base values in.

The old larch

At the side of my house a very old larch tree grows. Well grow, is perhaps stretching it, as its reached pretty much the end of its lifespan and has a lot of dead limbs, lichen and broken branches on it. Each time I go past it, I think its soon time to cut it down. But, its like an old dog who is sick and you think, `well let`s just wait another while and see how he gets on` then before you know it a year has passed and the dog and or tree are still there.

I started this sketch this morning, standing in my dressing gown in the garden (there is a lot of benefits to being isolated) fighting off black fly and waiting for the coffee to brew. I will continue to wait and let this tree exist until it becomes dangerous or really starts falling apart. Meanwhile, I will capture this elderly statesman in his decline and glory and it will join the others for Vivien`s tree challenge.

Rustic drains

It was a very warm day and I managed to get 30 minutes to myself to go for a stroll in the early afternoon, trying to keep with at least some effort for my involvement in Sketchercise.

On the road to my house, there has been some reconstruction lately and one of the efforts was to update the ditch that drains water from wetlands on its journey to the sea. In the sections that had 'bridges' (read piles of earth and stone) new culverts were installed and the work crew made some rather nice little stone walls around the drainage pipes. this is one of about six little bridges created along the road and they caught my eye as the old fashioned method of creating a stone wall is unique these days with so much work being created in concrete.

Trees and sketching

Top of the drive
pen and ink 6 x 8

I am part of a group created by Katherine Tyrrell called Sketchercise which is designed to get people moving and to promote sketching. I'm in need of both and made a small start this evening. I have guests so its difficult to go far right now and a cold isn't helping breathing, so slow steps this week. The sketch is the turning point of the driveway of my house. There are many many trees, some areas completely inpenetrable in thickness, but they add to the privacy, not that its really needed here as I'm already out in the middle of nowhere!

Once small people are gone home again I will start in earnest to get back into running again, provided the body cooperates. Or at least brisk walking.

The trees will also be part of a challenge that Vivien Blackburn of painting, prints and stuff has set to draw or paint trees from life. I don't think there'll be any need to search for suitable models for that challenge. however trees, like flowers, scare me and I tend to avoid them for the most part. This could be just the thing to push me to conquer that fear.

Rest?

Its difficult to sleep with an active toddler around, so some cartoons and Upsie Daisy kept my granddaughter amused (more or less) while Mommy took a quick nap. I took advantage of the situation with a sketchbook and pen.


This had been preceded by a tour around the coast and lots of wandering for little legs on beaches.

Its quite difficult to capture expression or position in a toddler who is constantly moving.
Finally, the child succumbed to a base comfort - a bottle of milk - allowing me to at least capture some more structured lines.

Acrylic sketching

With a house full of people off and on, I miss my time for drawing and painting, but do usually manage to fit in a little in between. However, even sketching with a two year old around is virtually impossible as she immediately wants to grab the sketchbook or the pencil as soon as she sees me with it. Providing her with her own doesn't work. So while she sleeps and others do what they must, I fit in some time to myself.

This is a 5 x 7 acrylic sketch of a rough sea in Pouch Cove. The waves were rolling, the sky was grey and the wind high. Painting moving sea is difficult. Its a matter of reality mixed with memory as you scan the water, trying to capture the changing light and movement. No two waves are the same, but they have similarities which help you achieve the overall effect.

I have switched to acrylic while my grand daughter is in the house, as the fumes from the turps are fairly strong and not good for her - likely not good for me either, but I am used to them. One day I'll get some less toxic cleaner/dilutant. I haven't done a lot of work in acrylic, tending to prefer oils. Acrylics do have benefits and drawbacks and I do find the quick drying time an annoyance sometimes. I know I can get a drying extender, but for the brief times I use acrylics, its not worth my while. For plein air sketches, acrylic is good and way less messy than oils to transport. The speed of application and drying can work to my benefit in on site sketching, then I can take it back to the studio to work on it further. There really isn't anything comparable to plein air for getting the light and colour just right in seascapes. Photographs just never seem to do it justice.

Coming out

I think I'm fully 'out'. A blog, Facebook and now Twitter. Please don't let there be more programs- my aging brain may not cope! I am like this drop of water, great on my own, but may dissolve into a larger mass of technology once I fall.

I have been pulled or dragged into many elements of technology protesting, others I have explored willingly. Until now Twitter has been the part of technology that I was unwilling to enter. It has been mostly because I didn't quite understand it or how it could help me with art marketing or communication. I still don't understand it completely and will be feeling my way as I go.

I will give Twitter a trial period to see how it performs and how much it eats into my already dwindling available time. I believe that selectivity is the key with Twitter as with other technology. If you follow everyone, you can become overwhelmed easily. I want to use this method of connecting with other artists to network and to promote my art.

So bear with me while I creep around this new technology. I may stick with it or abandon it, depending on how it works for me. Who else is using Twitter and how is it helping you as an artist?

Sporadic blogging

La Manche bridge sketch

My blogging will be sporadic during this next week or two. My daughter is getting married on Friday and there's lots going on including having my other daughter and 2.5 year old grand daughter visiting. She's a bundle of energy but very placid generally. I forget the energy levels of small children and how many things I still need to move out of harm's way!

Her rapt attention was more for getting her hands on my camera than me this morning, which she took then spent ages going around pretending to photo everyone. The cat wants a vacation for two weeks I think and views the child with horror even though she doesn't harass him at all.

However, I did get a little sketch in today of a painting I am planning. This is a suspension bridge over a river to the sea at La Manche, an abandoned settlement on the southern shore. Nothing could have enticed me to get on that bridge, but the view was spectacular around it and into the clear waters below. It may become part of the series that I'm working on, but I haven't decided what part it would fit yet. Its the point where sweet water from the river mixes with the salt water of the Atlantic.