Portrait study

Ever the frugal artist, I was at the end of my palette after finishing up a few oil paintings, and used what colours were  left to do a quick study of my youngest daughter when she was 3 or 4 years old.

I'd put out a tub of blackberries to thaw on the kitchen counter and found young madam tucking into the frozen berries with a spoon.  I found the photo while looking something entirely different.  It was meant to be.

This is the progression with no initial drawing.  Sometimes quick studies are the easiest and most accurate as I tend not to over think them.

 

Vertigo - complete

 18" x 24"

oil

I've spent some time finishing up details on a few paintings and Vertigo is one of them.  This is the final view of a Northern Gannet soaring over the ocean.  They dive like rockets, straight as an arrow, into the water to catch fish and its quite amazing to see them.

The feathers on the wings were the most difficult part of the bird.  It was a matter of breaking them down into small parts and just working steadily through them to get the task finished.  Some more glazing of the water surface and working on additional details of the head and overall values and I'm calling this complete.

I ran a segment of video while I was finishing some details of the bird.  Its quite difficult for me to talk about what I'm doing and paint at the same time, so there are gaps or stumbled words that didn't come out as I wanted them to do.

Iris - continued

Anyone who follows my blog knows that I don't paint flowers.  I try now and then, but lose interest in them very rapidly.  Why?  I have no idea.

Painting animals, fish, water, rocks...I tackle them all happily.  But present me with a flower and my mind instantly thinks 'yuck'.  I guess we're all drawn to different subject matter for a variety of reasons and maybe some of it is where our journey in art began.  There are so many good flower artists out there who make blooms look fresh and alive.  I just don't think I'm going to be one of them.

However, in my bid to finish a number of paintings that are sitting on my drafting table, I am determined to do battle and win with this flower.  The iris bud.  Simple form, complex form.  There are many subtle variances in colour and value that give this form and getting just the right colour is challenging, but I finally think I'm moving in the right direction.  Conquering the greens...oh that is a story for another post entirely.  Why do I find greens so daunting?  Is it just me or does anyone else have issues with greens?  Maybe its just because green is one of my least favourite colours.

 This piece is in oils on an 8" x 16" canvas panel.  I began this painting a couple of months ago and its sat there taunting me ever since. Bear with me for another few days and I'll whip it into submission.  Or burn it.

Balancing Act - complete

 8 x 10

oils

Here is my fuzzy friend again, complete this time.

It a bit unnerving studying insects very closely, but fascinating at the same time.  The construction of insects, like humans, is quite remarkable and never truly appreciated until an intimate study is completed.

I've been working on other paintings today, finishing details and getting them ready for the framer later this week.  Decision making is the challenge of what to put into an exhibition, especially when I have 10 or 12 choices to make.  I'm narrowing it down, but may need your help with the last couple soon.

Today of course is the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and the attack on the World Trade Center in New York.  Newfoundland played a role in assisting aircraft and passengers when air traffic was closed over New York and directed to airports across the island.   In small towns, not equipped with hotels for large numbers, people were put up wherever there was space, including people's homes. In Gander in particular, Newfoundlanders brought people home with them, fed them, looked after them and developed new friendships along the way.  Its always been that way.  Now, 10 years later, those who were stranded here, are returning to remember the day and the kindness of strangers and present the town with a piece of the fallen WTC.

The Globe and Mail

Balancing act - in progress

I am toying with which paintings I will put into the next exhibition and what needs to be framed - or created.  Waiting for layers to dry on one piece, I played around with this bumblebee balancing on a flowerhead.  I've not done many insects close up and, truth be told, I do have a fear of insects.  So examining one closely is a bit daunting for me. 

I chose the least menacing of them, a loud, round, furry bumblebee.  We have lots of them around here and uncovered a nest of them at the edge of the woods by the meadow the other day.  They're large and not as fast moving as honeybees, looking more like flying teddy bears I think. 

I'm still wondering how that weight balanced on the flowerhead...precariously of course.

This is an 8 x 10 piece in oils on gallery canvas.  The first layers are down and detail will pull it together over the next couple of days.

Coming out from under the pile

  Flatrock

14 x 21

watercolour

There really aren't enough hours in my day to fit in everything lately, but I'm trying.  As a result some things have gone by the wayside, such as the blog.  But I haven't forgotten you!  I'm just behind the scenes working furiously and getting ready for the next exhibition on October 6th.  Yep still finishing paintings for it and deciding which pieces will go.  Oh and framing,  I need to get that done too quite soon.

And there's commissions that I'm working on as well.  And day to day life and work.  So I'm up at 5:30 fitting in a little painting and doing more in the evening.  I haven't touched housework and laundry's piling up.  This weekend I will tackle the house for a few hours and get that under control.

Am I the only one who does this?  I mean work in spurts at this frantic pace then collapse in a heap when its complete?  Instead of things slowing down, they seem to be speeding up - or I'm getting older and it just seems that way.

So while I work away on some paintings, here's an update on one that I was working on this winter.  Its the amazing rocks of Flatrock that I started in watercolour.  I picked it up again the other day, needing a change of scene, and added some more washes to it.   Its about 90% complete now.  A few more details and its on its own in the world.

Classic Martini, ready for consumption

 Classic Martini

8 x 8 on masonite panel

acrylic

I think I deserve a martini after trying to photograph this predominantly black painting.  It really does look much better in person, despite my best efforts at adjusting in my ancient PS program. Although I did use Payne's Grey for the background, the resulting light reflected makes it look a lot bluer than it actually is.

Another piece to be the companion for this is in the works, but first I need to make a start on another commission and get that blocked in.  Its great to have things flowing, but it sure can take time to fit it all i n.

In situ

I've shuffled though some of my half finished paintings, trying to decide what I will put in the next exhibition in October and spent some time today adding colour and texture to a watercolour of the Flatrock rocks.  It may be overkill and the whole thing could be dumped.  We'll see.

Now where's that martini?

Classic Martini - Part 1

Martinis.  You either love them or hate them.  There are endless stories of who created them and endless recipes for different varieties.  This is a classic martini - gin, vermouth, ice, shaken or stirred.  The garnish can be a lemon or lime twist, olive or cherry.

I've started, trashed and restarted this martini painting.  I'm using an 8 x 8 cradled panel that is oh so smooth.  I think its the surface that was throwing me initially as it just didn't want to seem to grab the paint.  The first try last night and this morning didn't work at all so I painted over it with Payne's Gray and am now in the process of getting the textures and shapes correct so that it looks like glass and liquid in glass.

This is in acrylic and that can cause its own issues, especially on a smaller scale for me.  However, I think its starting to come together.  Another session tomorrow and it should be complete.

Sea Ghosts

As with all things done quickly, errors occur and this was no exception.  However, a crop or two sometimes saves the day.

This is a gyotaku piece of ocean perch printed with Caligo white ink on blue silk kozo paper.  I was pressing the paper to eliminate a few wrinkles and a little smudge of wax must have been left on the iron surface and transferred to the paper.   I muttered a few Anglo Saxon phrases then decided to crop the piece to eliminate the waxed area.  Either that or try to print over it with another fish.  Cropping seemed the easier solution.  I'll add a backing paper to it and keep my fingers crossed  nothing else goes wrong!

The white against the blue is  a good contrast and does give a ghostly appearance to the fish.  I added very light touches of watercolour and coloured pencil to highlight the gill plates and eyes of the fish.

Zucchini blossom

 Zucchini blossom

wax batik on unryu paper

5.5" x 9.5"

After a horrible summer, the weather's finally cooperating a bit and plants are springing to life at the unexpected sunshine and heat.  The zucchinis are taking full advantage and galloping ahead, setting endless blooms and fruit, well veg... 

I love the large bright blossoms and went out early on Saturday morning to take some photos of them as they opened.  What I love most is the point where they're still unfurled.  They are these perfect swirls, like the fanciest dress of a fairy.  With the morning light shining through, it makes them even more magical.

With some of the same unryu paper left over from the previous batik, I thought I'd do a small piece using one of the unfurled flowers as the subject. This piece measures 5.5 x 9.5 inches.

I also ordered some tjantings to make future wax batik work easier.  These little tools hold the molten wax and let it pour from a small tube in the end of the bowl.  Tipping the bowl backwards or forwards controls the flow and the bowl is submerged in the melted wax to keep it warmed if the flow slows.  I've ordered three different sizes and they were shipped today so hopefully they'll turn up in a week or two, customs willing.

Batik koi

  Koi

16" x 20"

Unryu paper, wax batik/watercolour

After my first experiment with wax batik on paper, I knew I wanted to do more.  This weekend I remembered that I had a design purchased ages ago from Kathie George who produces beautiful batik paintings.  I dug it out and figured it would be a good way to get some more experience with this technique.

I used some unryu paper and spent a laborious morning drawing and waxing initial layers.  The fish are the simple part, the intricate borders were a challenge.  Usually these borders are done with a metal pattern dipped in wax and applied like a stamp to the paper or fabric.  Without one, I had to draw it by hand.

I took images all along the process and will post them another time.  I like the final result, however the paper was perhaps a little too fragile for this technique and developed a couple of tiny tears.  Nothing that cannot be cured once mounted.  Also, I'm looking still for a local source of paraffin wax as beeswax alone is too soft and doesn't crackle in the final stage as I want it to.  Seems canning/bottling supplies are not carrying this as much as they once did.  Another tradition by the wayside perhaps.

Now with another under my belt and some lessons learned, I have a few more ideas for pieces that I'd like to try.

Write a post, help a dog

With the exception of one or two dogs,  every dog I've had in my lifetime has come from a shelter or been rescued from a situation that would likely have had a bad outcome.  The last dog I had, Biscuit, was being waved by kids in front of traffic as a small pup.  Too young to be taken from his mother and small enough to fit in a jacket pocket.  He grew to 40 pounds and stayed with me for 16 years.  I share this information in memory of every dog I've ever had and especially for Biscuit.

 Biscuit

8 x 10, acrylic

Here’s how it works:

• The Write a Post, Help a Dog program is aimed at raising awareness of the more then 4 million dogs that wind up in shelters and breed rescues each year. As well as to help get them all food (our goal is 10,000 lbs of food in the next two weeks) for the more than four million dogs that wind up in shelters and breed rescues each year.
• For each blog post mentioning the Pedigree Foundation from now until midnight ET on September 3, Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of its new dry Pedigree recipe food for dogs — its best recipe ever — to a shelter, because every dog deserves leading nutrition.
• Feel free to mae your post more visually appealing by using either or both of the two images seen in this post.
• The Pedigree Foundation — a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit organization is committed to helping dogs by providing grants to shelters and rescues and encouraging dog adoption. This year the Foundation has already raised more than $376,570 against its goal of $1.5 million to carry out its work to fund grants that not only help shelters operate, but to further shelter innovations.

The Pedigree Foundation depends on charitable contributions from individuals to carry out its mission to help dogs find loving homes. In addition to writing a blog post, here’s how you can help:

• Donate online at http://pedigreefoundation.org/donate.aspx
• Apply for a shelter grant from the Pedigree Foundation by completing a form atwww.pedigreefoundation.org
• Purchase Dogs Rule Gear at www.dogsrulegear.com where the proceeds go to the Pedigree Foundation to help loving dogs find a home. SPECIAL OFFER: Get 10 percent off Dogs Rule Gear by using the promo code BlogPaws10 from August 22 – September 30.

Once you get your post up and ready please feel free to grab the link code to include it in your post and add your link to the list so it is easier to keep track of all the posts plus it makes it so easy for your friends to learn about the event and see the progress we are making towards our goal of 10,000 lbs of food.

 This is a Blog Hop! 22 entries so far... you're next!

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1. To Dog with Love	2. Two Little Cavaliers	3. Boccis Beefs
4. www. houstondogblog. com	5. Lis Careys Library	6. DogTipper. com
7. Grouchy Puppy	8. Keisha the Spaniel : )	9. Saving Pennies for a Rainy Day
10. Kyndall @ Say No To Recycling	11. 4 The Love of Animals	12. Julianne @ Just a Simple Life
13. Write a post, help a dog	14. Laineys Pawtique & Bakery	15. Blog for Paws
16. Non profit organizations weekend on Empire Avenue	17. Brando and Bogart	18. Adriel Hampton on Tumblr
19. Write a Post, Help a Dog	20. Write a Blog, Save a Dog	21. Write a Post, Help a Dog
22. Help Feed Some Shelter Dogs This Week

You are next... Click here to enter
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Black bears

Black bears are native to Newfoundland, but not seen much on the Avalon, seeming to like points west, however they are around. Luckily a bear hasn't visited the farm yet.  Some people seem to consider wild bears, especially the cubs, almost like teddy bears and try feeding them.  Bears become addicted to easy access human food but then become a nuisance and often have to be shot because they become a danger as they grow and continue to interact with humans. I am always on the side of the bears and wish people would have the sense not to go near these creatures.  Whenever they do, they spell a death sentence for the animal as this story shows.  Cute?  Yes.  Now dead.  Another animal killed by human stupidity.  And they say mankind is the one with a brain.  It truly makes me wonder.

An RCMP officer face-to-face with a bear in Terra Nova National Park in central Newfoundland. (Courtesy: RCMP)

 CBC News Canada  Police warn people not to feed bears
CBC News Canada  Terra Nova bear cub put down


I bought a canvas awhile ago - 24 x 48.  As I stood in line at the checkout, a mother and child about 5 years old was in front of me.  As I rested the canvas on its end, I realized that it was the height or taller than the child and thought it would be fun to do a life sized portrait on it.

Not having the inspiration or setting up the right scene for it, bears seemed to wander into the picture.  There seem to have been endless bear stories in the news lately and it got me thinking about the size of a bear cub, especially when standing and how it might fit on that canvas shape.

Tonight I started some thumbnail sketches to see what composition may work.  This is one of them, cute little tree hugger that he is. Yes, bears can climb trees and often do, so not a good option if one is chasing you.

A Tangle of Capelin Part III

  A Tangle of Capelin

12.5" x 21"

Watercolour on masa

While digging through paintings, looking for a particular one, I pulled out A Tangle of Caplin.  This piece started life as a demonstration for creating a faux batik on masa paper.   That link has proven to be one of the most popular links on my blog and I will soon be creating it into a more structured pfd download to make it easier to find and use.

As some readers may remember I painted this, then went back in last June and added some more intensity to the colour.  The final piece  shared third place with James Hollingsworth's Black Grapes No. 3 in the 2010 MAM Award for  Best Picture of the Year on an Art Blog.

Well I decided that the 'Tangle' needed yet another wash of colour to punch it up a bit.  A better image, stronger colour and I think I can finally say that the caplin are ready for framing.  Maybe its an unrequired tweak but you know how yu just have this gut feeling about a piece and what MUST happen with it?  Often it takes time before that revelation appears.  My revelation comes with some experience behind it in terms of what I've learned over time regarding colour and value and how a piece 'speaks' to me. There aren't huge changes to the piece compared to the previous one, but the colours have intensified yet again.  The colours are a stylized version of their natural colouring and fresh, these little fish are quite attractive if examined closely.

Foot and Mouth

I was half heartedly playing around with the end of some oils and tried this 8 x 8 portrait of Tripod.  He was scrunched up with his foot almost in his mouth, hence the title.  I still have some darks to add to punch it up a bit, then I'll let it be.

Meanwhile just until Friday, there is a 15% Summer Sale on in my Etsy shop.  Enter SUMMER15 when you checkout and voila! 15% of your hard earned cash magically stays in your pocket!  Have a look and see if something appeals to you. Or start dropping some hints to others.  After all Christmas will be here before you know it.

Vertigo update

Some things get put aside to dry and become replaced by other things.  Vertigo is one of them.  I had completed about 80% of it but needed to finish some glazing and add details.  With another exhibition looming, I figured it was about time to bite the bullet and do it.  So I'm down to about 98% complete now with just some tweaks here and there.

This is in oils, 18 x 24".  I hope to get out to the northern gannet colony within the next couple of weeks to take some photos and experience them once again.

Cocktails on the beach

Earlier this summer I was walking along the beach looking for interesting things to photograph or draw and my eye was drawn to a shot of colour nestled in the grey stones.  A cocktail umbrella?  Perhaps the beach is going upscale from when I did my partying.  Back then it was beer and hotdogs.  Obviously these days its cocktails. 

It seems so incongruous in the setting and the colour popped against the stones, so I knew it was meant to be. The paper of the folded umbrella is delicate but intact and reminded me of the petals of poppies - that crushed silk look that they have.

This is a quick study for a main piece.  I was finishing up some oils on a palette before starting fresh and used paper for this.  A fairly sturdy canal paper by St. Armand that seems to hold up well to a variety of mediums.

Things that happen when you're tired

Someone had asked me the size of the coyote drawing and off the top of my head I can't remember, but here's a quick shot from my web camera that gives you an idea of its size.   The quality is terrible, but the principle solid.  I always hate these up close shots that fill a screen so you never get a look at a piece as it should be seen, which is not 3 inches away from it.

Its been a busy week with not a lot of time to paint besides a few sketches here and there.  I'm so tired, I long for sleep and that will come soon before I do something more drastic than the following since I got home.

1. Forget to change your sweater before painting and have indigo blue on cream cotton.  In oils of course.
2. Try to feed the cat bird seed instead of kibble.
3. Look everywhere for the ground coffee and find it.  In the hallway.  Where I was interrupted by a phone call.
4. Fall asleep and miss the best bits on Coronation Street, but wake up during the commercials.

More layers on the cliffs and more coyote tomorrow or at the weekend!

Weekday sketches

Life's too busy this week to let me get back at the Cliffs of Moher, but I always find time for some sketches as well as a little work on a gyotaku cod print that I'll show you another day.  I know I go on and on about it, but the ability to draw is vital to every artist.  And the time dedicated to sketching keeps that drawing ability honed.  Don't let anyone tell you that drawing is not important.  It is crucial to good art.

Tomorrow will be a complete washout for art as I will be working til 10pm or more.  But the weekend's on the horizon!

Symbolic colours

The other day I followed a link on Cath Sheard's blog to Mind Games.    The challenge on the blog was to come up with names for colours, then create the colours to match them.  Not names of objects that would have colours associated with them, but more abstract phrases that would make you think hard about what colour would represent it.

I've spent some time coming up with ideas and working on some colours around them.  The list seems to grow and I'm creating swatches of colour and seeing how they live up to their namesake.

Hot shower, disbelief, luscious, roadtrip, never ending, out of my depth, bbq on the beach, bleak house, 6 am......the list goes on as my my whirls around it.  Its a good exercise in colour mixing and a wonderful jumping off point for inspiration.  Why don't you give it a try and see what you come up with?

I used watercolour in this sample, but may switch to acrylics or oils for the next group.  The colours when scanned and tweaked still don't give perfect replicas of the hue and perhaps a photo may do better.  Next time.