Remember

French Poppy - Sold

5" x 7"  oil on panel

CQMS 930 Bastow, Gordon Clarence St. John's Fatality 11/10/16
Pte. 700 Bastow, Frederick Donald St. John's Fatality 12/10/16
Pte. 2750 Bastow, Albert Chesley St. John's Fatality 11/11/17

Three brothers had three sons who joined the 1st Newfoundland Regiment and went to the Great War but never returned.

Gordon Bastow, shown above, was my great uncle. Missing in action at the battle in Gueudecourt, France. His body was never found. Age 22

Frederick died of a gunshot wound to the head, buried in Wandsworth Cemetery in England Age 22

Albert died of disease in Kriegsgefangenenlager, a prisoner of war camp in Germany and was buried at Conde-Sur-L'Escaut Cemetery, northern France. Age 22

Information on these men as well as many others are listed on the Great War database at The Rooms http://www.therooms.ca/regiment/part3_database.asp
 
Last Post http://www.dva.gov.au/…/organise_eve…/Documents/LastPost.mp3

Voices

Wave demo

oil on paper

Reproductions available through Fine Art America

As I paint, there are voices in my head.  No, not a mental health issue, more an internal guidance system that help me make decisions on the fly.  There is a colour commentary going on as I paint, that goes like this:


"OK, what's the colour/hue that I need to mix?  Is it the right value?  Let's put some on the canvas...ok, that works/darn, that's too bright/dark/light/wrong colour etc.  I want to lighten it with some of the blue.  Add more white, pull some paint from the mix created previously, try it again.  Ok, that works, now leave it alone and go on to the next section."

It sounds crazy when I write it out, but really that's the conversation I'm having with myself when I paint.  Its a series of internal questions, verified by paint strokes on the canvas than pushes me to the point of my original vision for a piece.  Each impending colour, value, or stroke is preceded by a deliberate decision. Whether that decision takes microseconds or hours, its still a decision that is debated internally, and sometimes on canvas.  It is a comparison of what is there to what could be there to determine if there will be harmony or a clash that sends me off the path.

Making Waves

demo oil on paper

Developing this conversation takes time and practice and is essential to provide the series of internal checks and balances that are required to make art that I am happy to put my name to. 

Do others have those internal conversations when painting?  I remember hearing a similar painting thought process from one artist, Rose Frantzen, but not from other artists.  Perhaps its not something one mentions in public for fear of being considered altogether too strange.

Inspiration tantrums

 Plumb Tuckered Out

5" x 7" oil on panel

Available from Etsy - $50 plus shipping

Inspiration is one of those strange things.  There is nothing constant about, no predictability, no reliability either.  It can be as elusive as a needle in a haystack or it floods your head with so many ideas you don't know where to start.

What is inspiration exactly?  The Oxford dictionary definition is:

"The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative."

When inspiration evades us, it can be coaxed out of hiding by ignoring it completely and just carrying on in any creative vein.  Like a toddler having a tantrum, if ignored, it stops crying and thrashing around and becomes curious about what you're doing.  Curiosity is replaced by the "I want to do that too." phase and before you know it, inspiration takes over your hand and head and is slapping paint on the canvas like never before.

Each time I finish a painting, inspiration drains a little and that's where I pull out the small canvasses like this one and just play.  I can see inspiration poking her head around the corner, sniffling a little but curious too...

Autumn Pear

 Autumn Pear - SOLD

5" x 7"  oil on panel

Silence doesn't mean I'm not painting.  It means its head down mode and full steam ahead.  I'm trying to make up time in the boat series after deciding that one piece just wasn't working for me, and there was no choice but to restart it.

I think we all know when we don't put our best out there.  Sometimes its easy to let something go just because its the path of least resistance, even if we know something is not right with the painting.  Yes, I could have added the piece but, to me, it would have stuck out like a sore thumb in exhibition and niggled at me constantly.

So now its being redone and coming along nicely.  I've also got #9 on the easel and am pretty much on track again for time - or I hope so.

Of course with the end of one painting, the inevitable "end of palette" small painting was in order.  An autumn pear.  Pears are likely the most over painted subject in the world, some good, some bad and some very bad.  To give them their dues, the shape is simple and value can be complex depending on the lighting.  Its the perfect beginner's fruit to test painting skills with in all mediums.

When I finish all the boats in the series, it might be fun to see if people can match the end of palette painting with the actually painting, based on colours used.

Insomnia series

 Blue Christmas  - SOLD

5" x 7"

oil on panel

When I can't sleep, there is no point in me staying in bed tossing and turning and fighting with the  thoughts in my head.  I get up after about 10 minutes of trying to sleep and head to the studio.  Doing something, anything is the only way to quiet my mind.

The disadvantage is that painting or drawing takes over and before you know it, the night has gone and sleep hasn't come.  Then I must either go to work or start the day. Sleep usually is not the option that ever wins, at least not until late in the day, as morning primes my spirit and soul.

During my restless nights, I work on large paintings or sometimes tackle little pieces like this one, done around 4am this morning.  I should call these the "Insomnia series".  Where the Christmas theme came from this morning I have no idea.  But it made itself known there in the wee hours.

Paintings are like books

 A painting is like a book, there is a beginning, a middle and and end. But paintings seem to come with more twists and surprises along the way, although some books can do that too.

There is a beginning to each painting; this is where the planning takes place.  It involves subject, composition, sketches, value studies, colour studies and palette choices.

 
The middle can be no man's land where things can go very well or go very poorly.  That section rests on mindset and experience.  There is a point where every artist believes their painting is beyond disgusting.  They believe they should never paint, why did they ever believe they could paint and that they'll give it all up and start knitting.  With experience comes the knowledge that this is simply a phase of unfinished work and progress is not often pretty.  Knowing that fact and keeping in mind the vision in your head sees me through to the end.


As the end approaches, all that angst from the midsection is eliminated and you can see things coming together.  There are still moments of trouble, where those 'just one little stroke here' can be the death of a painting that you spent hours on.  Like approaching wild animals:  slow movements, gentle touches and never look into its eyes.  That last section is putting the painting far from you and not looking at it for a week or more before deciding if any adjustments are needed.

I've just put #7 to the wall of the series of 15 wooden boat paintings that I'm working on and #8 is at the beginning stage.  Unfortunately I can't show you the full painting until the exhibition, but you can see glimpses here and there to pique your interest.

Glassy Jack

 Glassy Jack - SOLD

5" x 7"  oil on panel

Glassy Jack always makes an appearance in October, gearing up for the season of falling leaves, cold nights, candy corn, shiny smiles and long shadows. He's looking for a permanent residence to share his brilliance. Could it be you?

I have a couple of glass pumpkins that seem to find their way on to table tops in the fall and provide a warm glow in the evenings.  With a small candle casting light and shadow across a surface, its a prime candidate for a small painting.


There is an illusion that glass is difficult to draw or paint. In reality, its an investment of time to observe shapes and values and patience in ensuring colours correct and in the right place.  Easier said than done, you're saying.   Like the old carpenter's rule of "Measure twice, cut once.", something similar is true in painting.  I observe much more than I paint, meaning that I look carefully a number of times, check shape and proportion, colour hue and value against the subject and my colour study, THEN I put paint on the panel.  And one stroke only, removing the knife and going on to the next stroke.

Traffic light series

 
I called this little group of small paintings that were done from end of palette paint leftovers, the 'traffic light paintings' due to the red, orange and green colours.

Hard Pressed - Sold

These were fun to do and were snapped up quickly from my Etsy store.  I eased my own rules a little to create another in this group which will be available to newsletter subscribers only.  As my Studio News will be sent within the next day or two, you still have time to sign up and see what the painting is.  You can easily sign up by clicking on the link on the right hand side of this blog page or click below.  Simply add your email address, hit subscribe and that's it!

Subscribe to my monthly mailing list

Keyed Up  - Sold

Why the names?  It must have been my frame of mind at the end of a hard work week!  All I can reveal about the fourth painting is that it follows suit.  You'll have to be a subscriber to find out more!

Juiced Up - Sold

End of palette rules

 Juiced Up - Sold

5" x 7" oil on panel

I can never bear to throw away good oil paint when a painting is complete, so I usually end up creating a small painting from whatever is on the palette.  One of my secret end of palette rules is that I can't add any more of a colour to what's already on the palette, besides white.

I use a split primary palette which consists of cool and warm versions of each primary, as well as an earth tone like burnt sienna or burnt umber as well as titanium white, so it usually gives me a fair choice of colour mixing options.  However that can depend on how much of each paint colour is left over.

I lucked out with a good quantity of pthalo blue, burnt sienna, cadmium red, alizarin crimson and cadmium yellow, so I could mix pretty much anything I wanted and meet the value ranges needed to create this apple.

My other end of palette rule is that the painting must be small, quick to produce (no more than an hour) and loose.  It should be very impressionistic with the colour "bleeding" into other areas.  The challenge for me is that my end of palette paintings are a big transition in size as I come from large (30" x 40") down to 5" x 7" like this one.  I have to remember to get out the small knife and put the trowel away!

Mixed apples

I love apples.  I mean, really love apples.  In their natural state, cooked, preserved, apple butter, apple pie...on and on.  I can't resist them.

So what is more natural than planting apple trees to ensure your own crop?  Perfect idea, right?  So there are six or seven trees planted a couple of years ago with just that idea in mind.

It seems that nature has its own ideas in this part of the country and the weather always seems to get the better of the poor trees.   It might take the form of a late frost that kills the flowers, but more likely its the wind.  When you live on an island, wind becomes almost a constant.  Probably not wind that you're thinking of.  This is gale force, rip limbs off trees, blow away anything not tied down wind that is much more common than I ever remember.  And it isn't kind to young apple trees.   Yes, the trees are staked.  Yes, the wind blows the stake and tree sideways.

However, for the last couple of years there have been some apples growing!  Until the wind blows them off the tree.  Literally.  Its so disheartening I could cry.  I mean, its not too much to ask that I have enough apples to make a pie is it?  And they make such wonderful subjects for painting too.

But, to the rescue, a friend with a couple of apple trees that are older and more sheltered perhaps that are doing well.  So he provided a sack of apples with offers of more where they came from.  I think there will be some apple turnovers arriving on his doorstep soon as a thank you.

The apples are a mix of Golden Delicious and a little intensely red and gold one that looks almost like a crab apple but is sweet with pink tinged flesh.  A mix of both of those were chopped up for a Cinnamon Apple Crumble muffin that I made tonight.  A handful were the subject for this little study on paper using mixed media of anything from coloured graphite to charcoal to pastel and acrylic.  And I may not be finished yet.

PS  Don't get sidetracked by painting when you have muffins in the oven.  Like I did.  I hope they are salvageable.

Summer

 Summer - SOLD

11 x 14  oil on masonite

A subject can be painted or drawn a dozen times, two dozen times and each time there is a new discovery in the process. Colour and value analysis shift with each new view.  Painting experience influences the approach and familiarity with the subject matter guides decision making.

This painting was the demo in yesterdays palette knife workshop on painting boats and water.  It was a subject that I had painted previously on a large scale (30" x 40") and long sold.  The simple shape lessens intimidation factors for those less experience, and the complex reflection shapes and colours gives a challenge for those with more painting time under their belt.

The next palette knife workshop will be held on December 6th and has a Christmas theme.  There is just one spot left right now so grab it quickly if you're interested.  All supplies are provides and lunch is thrown in as well, all for $150.  Registration is available online.

Worth repeating

 Yellow

9 x 12 oil on panel

Available on Etsy  $95 plus shipping

I teach workshops in palette knife painting and find its a wonderful introduction for beginners who are intimidated by a more structured approach that requires more intensive drawing skills and control.  It also works beautifully for more experienced artists who want to free themselves from tight representational control and loosen their approach.

This little yellow boat is a piece has been used several times in workshops.  Its simplistic shape makes it approachable, yet subtle shading provides enough of a challenge in colour mixing and shape manipulation to have a good learning curve.

Art as a business

Wave - oil study

Waves have a lot in common with artistic life.   They are ever changing, but have a constancy that is reliable.  These studies were done as demos for an art class and painting water is one of my favourite subjects.  Its very nature is forgiving and allows you leeway in form and colour.

When an artist decides to seriously invest time, money and effort into an art career, it takes on a life of its own.  Like any business, the amount of reward comes from the size of the investment.  A career from art doesn't come easily - anymore than any career does.  There is training, practice, marketing, sales, inventory, production, etc. that has to be done on a daily basis.

There is a thought that an artist's life is an easy one, where we sit in the studio and 'play' with paints, effortlessly producing paintings that get sold magically, or we flit about going to openings or mixing in exotic circles of people at wine bars and cafes all the time. While there are moments of that, the reality is much further from there. 

Wave - acrylic study

Here's a typical day for me:

1.  Up at 5 - 5:30, coffee then into the studio
2.  Check emails and social media
3.  Paint for an hour or hour and half
4.  Go to the day job
5.  Home to get supper, do chores
6.  More studio time for painting, marketing, admin, or teaching
7.  On weekends, change out the day job for more concentrated studio time and run all day workshops about once a month

This is a constant pattern.  It doesn't change on holidays, birthdays, Christmas, etc.  Well, except the day job part, but then more time is devoted to catching up in the studio, developing marketing, making contacts and painting.

Wave - acrylic study

Also an artist's life is very solitary.  Producing art can of course be done in a group, which is often a workshop or practice session, but producing art that is intended for sale or exhibition it is usually done on your own.  You have to be content in your own company, introverted perhaps and willing to make sacrifices and yes, be selfish.

Its very much a business and being self employed, you do everything from the fun stuff to the mundane to the downright nasty, whether you want to or not.  What provides the incentive to move ahead is determination, and the level of need.  Its not for everyone. Making a living from art takes time, patience and a big leap of faith sometimes that all will be well.  It makes you take a long hard look at your life and lifestyle and how much you are willing to give up and accommodate to reach your dream.  More than anything, a solid plan is needed and a willingness to act on it, no matter what.

I'm pushing towards my dream and can see an end in sight.  How's your dream coming on?

Wave  - acrylic study

The Winningest Punt - in progress

The Winningest Punt - in progress

22" x 28"  oil on panel

I spent Saturday at the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador, starting work on a boat painting.  I didn't get a lot completed at the museum as I spent time talking to people who were visiting and letting them play with a few strokes of the knife on the painting.  It was good to share the process and information about the subject with others and the environment was perfect, surrounded by original wooden boats.

I've  put a few more hours in on the painting since Saturday, but need to let it dry a little before adding some final details. I usually work wet in wet with all my palette knife pieces, but the layers are getting thick in places and I wanted a bit more precision so will let the paint skin over before adding more.

Landscapes are not my forte so I was steadily carving out colour and 

detail of the rocks, vegetation and houses of the background.

I asked for references of wooden boats to be sent to me as potential subjects to be painted at the museum and from the submissions, chose this punt taken at water level by Mark Hiscock. This punt is called the winningest punt, because of its ability to capture first place in punt races at Fogo Island over the last four years.  Mark will receive a fine art reproduction of the finished painting for allowing me to use his image to paint.  The background of houses and above that a rock face, is The Battery at St. John's harbour.  It still looks very much like the original fishing village it was, despite being smack dab in the city.  Its one of the city's treasures and I hope it never changes.

A Gander River Boat made a great display for my sketchbook and business cards at the museum.

Of course with the glare of light off the oil paint, its near impossible to get a decent photo of the painting in its current stage.  Photographing paintings is my least favourite part of art.  Well not so much the photographing, more the editing!  However, here's a crop of the piece at its current stage.  I'll post the final image when its complete, hopefully sometime this week.

Bleeding Hearts

 Bleeding Hearts

10" x 20" oil on panel

$400 - shipping included in North America

Available on my website

The current boat painting I'm working on just isn't cooperating, but I will conquer it today if it kills me!  When one piece frustrates, I start on something entirely different to get over the hump and reassure myself that yes, I still can paint!

Here is the completed painting of Bleeding Hearts that I started yesterday over an abandoned painting.  These old fashioned flowers are a favourite, especially in northern gardens as they flower profusely and for so long in spring.  For me, they'll never go out of favour.

 Starstruck

9 x 12 oil on panel

And....don't forget to check out my Sunday Sale on Etsy.  Most Sunday's I am virtually giving away an original painting at half price.  I am making room in the studio as this new series is taking up a LOT of room.  And I love making original art affordable for people.  Have a look, you might find a great gift for yourself or someone else to start their original art collection.

Recycling supports

 As much as we would all like, not every painting turns out as we anticipated.  Mine get put into cupboard, tubs or on shelves to be pulled out weeks sometimes even years later for review.  Some are worked on more, some torn up or trashed and then there are some that I paint over.

I had this image of bleeding hearts that always appealed to me.  I had several of these plants in the garden and always loved the old fashioned heart shaped flowers that bloomed reliably year after year.  I was looking for a rectangular panel and had nothing new in the size I wanted.  I rummaged around and found an old painting that never quite worked and decided it would fit the bill.  Its a 10" x 20" canvas panel so fit the composition nicely.

I'm no purist. I don't sand and gesso and sand and gesso an old piece before painting over it.  I jump straight in.  The rule is that it must be the same medium on the old piece as what I am using.  Other than that, there are no rules.  And as I'm using a palette knife, any texture on the original painting doesn't affect the new layer.

So stay tuned for the finished painting.  And yes, it is flowers.  I know.  I must have hit my head somewhere...

Lucky

 Lucky

5" x 7"  oil on canvas

NFS

When animals pass on, I like to commemorate their passage with portraits.  Lucky was around for a long time and Lily was more the newcomer of just a few months before the fox changed all that.

Lucky in Sunshine

Stillman & Birn Gamma Series sketchbook

Pen and watercolour

7" x 10" 

White Pekin ducks are lovely creatures, so pristine white with brilliant orange beaks and legs.   I did a little watercolour sketch of Lucky and with some paint left on my palette from another painting, decided that I would create this little 5 x 7" painting using a small palette knife.  I love the texture a knife can provide, but find going this small with one can be a challenge.

Lily will be next for her portrait when I have a spare moment to fit her in.

I use what I consider 'fast' mediums when I create sketches.  These are paints that dry quickly such as watercolour or acrylic, along with pen and ink or graphite.  But it doesn't stop me from adding oils if the mood takes me.  The sketch demands the medium and all dry eventually.  The beauty of a Stillman & Birn sketchbook in most all of the series that I've tried, is that the paper is quite substantial and will take a lot of water and stand up well.

Sunday Sales

  

The Tragedy of the Commons - SOLD

oil on panel  5" x 7"

Whenever I clean out the studio, I get inspired about finding homes for paintings and supplies.  Now that I can see the floor and work surfaces again and have more room for a lot of large canvasses, I have launched a Sunday Sale on my Etsy site.

On Sundays during the year, I will offer original paintings or drawings at half price. While I do this large boat painting project I need all the space I can get and I enjoy others being able to purchase original art at affordable prices too.

To launch Sunday Sales, I'm offering The Tragedy of the Commons.  This little worried cod is my interpretation of the impact of the cod moritorium in Newfoundland and Labrador. The tragedy of the commons title is based on an economics theory by Garrett Hardin, according to which, individuals, acting independently and rationally according to each one's self-interest, behave contrary to the whole group's long-term best interests by depleting some common resource.

Keep an eye on my Etsy store on Sundays and see if you can grab a bargain for yourself or someone else.  Remember Christmas is only 129 days away...

Seeing colour

 

 Sunspot 24" x 48" -  SOLD

I have number 3 boat painting on the easel and its progressing nicely.  There is freedom in creating paintings using a palette knife and at a larger scale.  It eliminates or at least lessens the ability to drift into too much detail.  That leads to more expression and where my 'different' colours come from when painting boats and water.

Boat # 3

I get asked how I see the colours that I use in painting a subject.  It's developed from years of acute observation, seeing subtle differences in light and environmental colour reflections on a subject, combined with a knowledge of how values work, no matter what the colour.   I could create a monotone piece like "Dream Boat" below and it works because the values are correct.  We know in reality that this colourway would never happen, but it can be pulled off visually because the light and shadow work.

Dream Boat

It's a similar thought/visual process that I use when adding additional colour to my boat and water paintings such as in "Sunspot" or "Boat # 3", currently on the easel.  The colours may not be reality based, but they are value based.  They add visual interest but don't detract or lose the viewer's ability to identify the subject and have it  read as correct.

Bulgarian Carrot Pepper

While my head is wrapped around researching and creating a body of paintings for a solo exhibition in 2015, I still find time to sketch daily. I know, I know, I keep harping on about it but I can't apologize. Drawing is THE key element in all art disciplines. If you can't draw, you're in a boat without a paddle. So step away from the computer, look at whatever else is in front of you and draw it. 5 minutes, 10 minutes. Just do it. You'll thank me eventually for bugging you about it. :)

 

This time of year the garden offers up lots of bounty and is the inspiration for sketches. This is a watercolour sketch of a Bulgarian Carrot pepper, also known as "Shipkas”. It's small, about 2 inches in size, and the colour is beautiful. I haven't eaten it yet, so can't tell you my version of the heat factor, but this Scoville rating states heat between 12,000 and 30,000 units. Research seems varied on that, but there are so many factors involved that create levels of heat in peppers, as well as individual taste tolerance too that it is difficult to provide an accurate guide. I think I'll try making a hot sauce with some and see what the heat level is like for me.

 

And a sad note, Lucky and his friend Lily were attacked the other evening in the garden.  Lucky was killed and Lily gone.  It was most likely the silver fox that has been hanging around for the last week or two.  The ducks were part of the landscape for me and visitors and are missed.  Life in the country is never easy.