Glass fishing floats

 
Norway was the first country to start production and use of glass fishing floats around 1840 where glass floats were on gill nets in the cod fishery and then adopted by Japan in the 1940s. Glass fishing floats aren't seen much anymore and ones available for sale range in price depending on the colour. I have friends in the antique business with a whole window full of them that are just beautiful when the light comes through.

I've done this small study in watercolour in a sketchbook to help me decide if I want to invest time (and patience) to create a full sized painting in oils.   There is a lot of detail and this is just a crop of the whole reference that I would use.

Studies really are the key to working out decisions on composition, colour and technique to avoid painting half way through a large piece and deciding nothing is working.

I'm looking carefully at the subtle changes in value and hue that painting glass presents and thinking how I can translate that into oils using just a palette knife.

I think another study is in order using oils and a knife before I make a final decision.

Brigus South

 Brigus South - SOLD

24" x 30" on canvas

Fishing sheds, stages, twine lofts...every structure that loads fish, dries fish, is a set off point or a home port or a refuge to mend nets or meet with "the boys" for a few beers and a chat, have different names in Newfoundland.

Like many fishing related structures in the province many are not in use with the decline of the fishery, so they sit there, with nature adding and detracting from their character.

I found these fishing sheds/stages in Brigus South, a tiny community nestled on a small inlet harbour at the foot of tall rocky cliffs.  Weather and time is taking its toll on what must have been points of activity when the fishery was in its heyday.  Now they sit and await their fate.

Flanders Field

 Flanders Field - SOLD

oil on panel

The poppy is the recognized symbol of remembrance for war dead in Canada, the countries of the British Commonwealth, and the United States. November 11th known as Remembrance Day in Canada is a holiday, honouring the more than 100,000 Canadians who died in war.  On that day, and many other days, I think of those soldiers who have served, those who have sacrificed and those who have died so that we have the freedom we experience today.

For the last few years I haved painted a poppy to honour those who have gone before, including my great uncle, killed in World War I, the most brutal of wars. He died aged 22 and his body was never found.

  Gordon Clarence Bastow

1894 - 1916

This year, the poppy is called "Flanders Field".  The original poem was written by a Canadian military doctor Major John McCrae.  As the brigade doctor, John McCrae was asked to conduct the burial service for a killed comrade because the chaplain had been called away somewhere else on duty that evening. It is believed that later that evening, after the burial, John began the draft for his now famous poem “In Flanders Fields”.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Brigus South WIP

 

Detail from Brigus South

Work in Progress

Oil on stretched canvas, 24"x 30"

This small section above is a crop of a new painting that I am working on or some older fishing sheds and stages in Brigus South.  They look like they've seen better days, which makes them all the more appealing to me.  There's nothing duller than a bright, shiny paint finish to me.  I like the character that age brings to the table.

Its funny how paintings evolve from the initial concept through to finish.   I believe most artists have similar stages they pass through in completing a painting, even if the style or medium varies.  And like all paintings, there are sections that are more appealing than others to paint.

For me it buoys.  I love painting buoys.  I don't know if its the shape, the colours, the values, but its like having the cherry on the top of the dessert to get  to paint them.  Sometimes, I even make the buoy the subject as in this one.

Buoy - SOLD

Show me the easy way

 Night Watch - SOLD

5" x 7" oil on panel

“Skills aren’t enough on their own. Emotion has to come through. But when you’ve got the various skills sewn up, that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about.” (Zoe Benbow) 

There is a belief from some people who want to set off on their own art journey is that there are shortcuts to success.  I hate to burst bubbles, but the only way to acheive success is through good old fashioned hard work.

The process of repetition provides familiarity with using tools, making marks, judging proportion, mixing colour and creating values.  We all start out as horrible artists.  I know I did.  My first efforts were worthy only of destruction, though some kind people kept some of them.  And well they did, as they become a marker to show beginnings and measure progress.

Where did the concept of "easy" come from?  Experienced artists make drawing and painting look effortless, but that thought must be tempered with understanding just how many hours and years of work it took to instill those "effortless" skills into producing art.

Is the concept of easy a by-product of the society we live in, where everything is rushed, where busyness becomes a badge of importance, and time is limited to 3 or 5 minute snippets of attention before your brain/eyes/hands are sidetracked?

To draw or paint well takes discipline and alone time.  Robert Genn put it well in an interview saying something to the effect of a learning artist should be sent to their room - for six months or a year.  After concentrating completely on art for that period of time, then results will start to be seen.   Five minutes a day will help, but making time to dedicate to learning and practicing techniques is really the only way to become proficient.

Skills that are worth learning and that take time to learn are hard won.  Drawing, colour theory, composition, values and abstraction take time and practice to understand and become fluent with. There is a lot of unskilled art being made in the world. That can have its own appeal and provide joy to some, no doubt.  But not knowing and not taking the time to know the specifics of different mediums and how to apply them only ensures that after awhile all that art starts to look the same.

Knowing the rules is important before you can break the rules.

Siren

Siren  16" x 20"

 

  As I rearrange my studio for what is hoped the last time (though I know it won't be), I came across a watercolour on Arches board of a big pink flower.  I don't know what the reference was, its too long ago to remember. There was also the challenge of some masking fluid still on the upper left petal and was near impossible to remove after being there for so long.  So I removed as  much as I could and worked with the resulting texture that was left.

Original painting

Being inbetween paintings I thought I'd play around with colour and see if I could liven it up a bit.  I kept adding washes of colour and dropping other colours into the wet wash, letting them mingle. I hadn't used watercolour on a larger scale for a long time and enjoyed remembering how the medium worked its magic.

Colour wash progress

Looking back at it now I know I added too many layers, desaturating the colours too much and losing the freshness of the medium.  The colours are not as pure or fresh as I'd like, but overall it works. I think I'll stick with oils and keep the watercolours for my sketches! It may never be saleable, but it will brighten up a corner of the studio.

The Spice Girls

 The Spice Girls

9 x 12 oil on masonite

I've run a few palette knife workshops lately and then spent time catching up with myself in terms of creating my own paintings and dealing administrative work.  Admin seems to really take time if you let it slide, so I try to do a little every day so it doesn't become overwhelming.

One of the workshops I taught was an external one held at Anna Templeton Centre in the heart of St. John's.  The centre is housed in an old historic building that concentrates on providing creative opportunities from painting to jewelry making within the city.  I'll also be teaching there this winter from January to March. You can check out their full range of Winter Workshops.

These peperonchino peppers that were grown in our own greenhouse were my choice.  I'd painted them before in watercolour and wanted to see how they translated into oils.  The watercolour study was done without an under drawing, something I very rarely do.  But careful planning and study before putting down paint is the way to go if you don't have a guideline.  And patience.  Watercolourists must have the patience of saints and discipline not to mess with colour once its on the support otherwise the colours are muddied and results disappointing.  Its the same in palette knife painting, put down a stroke and leave it, don't go back and pat at it.  That is a recipe for mud too.

My second annual Painting Christmas palette knife workshop is filling up fast.  This is a fun way to start the season by creating a couple of small seasonal palette knife paintings and enjoy a delicious home cooked festive lunch. The fireplace will be going and the tree will be up. All that's needed is you on December 6th.   Registration is available online.

Fall sketches

 Pumpkin stack - watercolour

I sketch every day.  Its an ingrained habit now, like brushing my teeth or getting coffee in the morning.  It doesn't have to be an elaborate sketch and many sketches are the working tools for future paintings.

Fall apples - oil

I use all kinds of mediums in whatever sketchbook is to hand, whether the paper is made for wet or dry media.  I never consider a sketchbook to be precious and full of perfect drawings.  I consider it to be a  tool and the messier the better.  I try to draw from life when I can, but sometimes an image catches my eye and I'll go with that instead.

Fallen apples - pen & wash

Here's a glimpse into the sketchbook I'm currently working in.  It's an Earthbound recycled sketchbook that I "re-found" in the studio when looking for something else.  Yes, I do lose things in the studio.  You do too.  Go on, admit it...  This sketchbook is produced by Daler-Rowney, I'm not sure if they still do, but its quite pleasant to work on the tan paper.

 The last strawberry - watercolour

2016 Calendars

 2016 Wall and Desk Calendars

Available direct from the artist

I know its too early to think about 2016 and I won't say the dreaded ******mas word, but you know we're in the last quarter of the year and, for me at least, time speeds up lately.

I was determined to get some calendars ready well in advance this year and sifted through boat paintings that I had created over the past year, picking out a dozen of my favourites.  I hope I picked some of your favourites too.  A painting of Flatrock harbour, in the town where I live, is the cover image for each calendar.

I have made the calendars available in wall size - $25 (11" x 8.5") and desk size - $12 (8.25" x 3.75"). Shipping is included in the pricing within North America. You can see all the boat images in the calendar on my website.   Which is your favourite painting?

Benoit's Cove

 Benoit's Cove - SOLD

24" x 30"  oil on panel

Boats often have specific colours that attach them to communities or regions and this can been seen in Newfoundland as you travel across the island.  Shape, structure and colour play a part in defining the role of a vessel and its ties.

On the east coast you find mostly white boats, with dories being traditional "Dory Buff"  (yes, it is a colour!) but reserved for the Grandy Dory of the Burin Peninsula. When I say boats, I mean working boats, not recreational, although some boats flip from one to another depending on need. The standard yachts and sail boats tend to be white in most parts of the world.  I always wonder how people find them in a crowded marina.  But the working boats, small fishing craft, tend to be individualized or represent their region in colours.

The west coast of the province sees the introduction of oranges and blues to their boats and this past summer I wanted to add some orange boats to my painting arsenal.  When I was on the west coach, teaching in Gros Morne, I took some time to head down the coast from Corner Brook towards the Bay of Islands where I found lots of orange and green boats.  This one was sitting on a home made dock at Benoit's Cove.

There will be more orange boats in the future, as its difficult to resist that colour!

Sweetie Pie

 Sweetie Pie - SOLD

5" x 7"

This time of year the markets start to ramp up towards the Canadian Thanksgiving (first weekend in October) with a variety of squashes and pumpkins for sale.  The little ones always catch my eye as they're so cute.  The variety Sweetie Pie is pie sized and a perfect miniature of its larger pumpkin cousin.


October in Canada is the federal election and back in July I was asked to participate in a national CBC series Voters of Canada.  The project consisted of interviews with Canadians from a variety of professions who would speak about issues they felt were important.  I was the artist in Newfoundland & Labrador and the resulting interview can be seen here.   The image below shows the producer in the studio filming the painting I was working on at the time - Red Boat.

Interview content when aired is always misleading as so much is condensed to so little. The interview took three hours by the ocean and in the studio and ended up as about 2 minutes of footage. There have been a lot of funding cuts for arts across the country and recognition for the work that the arts contribute to society both economically and culturally is very important. Strong arts policies and appropriate funding should be a crucial part of the support for the arts.

Late Summer Fields

 Late Summer Fields - SOLD

6" x 6"  oil on panel

Late summer always brings rich colour that heralds change.  The colour zigzags across the landscape, pulling the eye with it and leading into the next, reminding me of those lines in old pinball games leading down and up to guide the ball.

This is a small painting done with leftover paint on my palette after a larger painting was complete.

"In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil.
And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb color effects as from August to November."
-  Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden, 1905

Labour Day for artists

Home Port

 24" x 30" oil

Available direct from the artist

For artists that work full time in the profession, Labour Day (or many other holidays, statutory or otherwise) tend not to exist.  Oh they exist in the day to day world with store closures and public building shutdowns and well deserved some of these holidays are for those in a 9 -5 job.  Artists, like many other workers outside the 9 - 5 realm, tend to work through holidays, unless prearranged plans prevail.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking holidays, I'm all for having a break from work, its needed to refresh and unwind.  But if you're self employed, holidays are a bit iffy.  I always seem to find myself in the studio at some point in the day, no matter what day it is.  Yes, even Christmas.  Especially Christmas! Its a refuge from the madness. :)

Its part habit, part necessity.  Yes, an artist can take a day off, but usually feels guilty if they do and has that niggling feeling all day about the current project and what needs to be done with it.  Inevitably, its an "I'll just go to the studio for 10 minutes." Which turns into 2 hours or more.  There should be no guilt taken about when or if you take a day off.  It doesn't have to be on the day designated for the rest of the world.  In fact, taking a day mid week is wonderful, as everything's much quieter then.

But even then, I'll bet most artists will still find their way into their studio at some point unless they are physically distant from the location.

Whatever your job, whenever you take your break, enjoy it, indulge and if you work, make sure you enjoy what you do.

Using oils in a sketchbook

After being away from home for three weeks I needed to test my painting ability again.  When I don't have the opportunity to paint for an extended period, it both inspires and freezes me when I get back in the studio.  To break the spell, I needed to just jump in and paint.

This is a study of some tomatoes from the garden, basking in full sun in a lovely old blue bowl that is one of my favourites. I've used my palette knife and oil paint in a regular sketchbook.  Yes, you can use a sketchbook for oil paints.  For me a sketchbook is a working tool, not a showcase of pristine pieces. My sketchbook is messy and I like it that way.  Of course, with oils, I need to wait until the paint is dry before closing the page and I do take the precaution of adding a sheet of deli paper on the back while it dries in case any oil seeps through.  However, once dry, I have never had any problems.

Yes, I hear the purists say "What about the future?  The oil will degrade the paper!"  That may well be, but as my current working tool, my sketchbook is not designed to be museum quality and if in a hundred years, it is crumbled, I have absolutely no problem with that.

I'm researching options for painting these tomatoes from sketch to completion live online, enabling interaction and others to paint along with me if they wish.  I need to test some camera and equipment capabilities first, but it could be fun.  I'm not sure of the platform yet, perhaps a YouTube Live Stream or UStream.  Bear with me while I experiment!

Studio Tour

I'm back from my travels, catching up on timezone changes and getting ready for a studio tour on August 29 & 30th. In my travels I had some time in the Canadian Rockies with a hike around Moraine Lake in Banff National Park.  The glacial lakes are amazing in colour and clarity, looking surreal.  Apparently its "rock flour" that gives the water that turquoise colour and even in August, the remnants of snow and glacier ice can be seen on the mountain peaks.  There's a few paintings waiting to happen there.

This year I will be taking part in the Pouch Cove Open Studio event.  This is a two day event where Pouch Cove area artists and artisans open their homes and studios to the public to showcase their work. This year I am one of the two artists from Flatrock who will be participating. On the tour you will find paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, and photographs.

I'll be making my organic vine charcoal available only through the studio tour and will have a range of prints and original paintings to browse through.  If you're in the area, take time to visit all the artist studios, you never know what treasures you'll unearth. 

 

A little break

I've just gotten back from time on the west coast of the province in beautiful Gros Morne National Park, where I taught gyotaku in Rocky Harbour and had some tourist time, as well as getting reference material for future paintings.

Bright and early tomorrow morning I'm off west again, but this time further afield to Saskatchewan and Alberta to visit family and explore and research more painting material as well as be a bit lazy.

Crossing the Line - SOLD

With travel and renovations at home, painting and drawing time have been limited.  But I am taking my sketchbook and pens with me and hope to fit in some work.

I'll be back in the saddle on August 19th and no doubt anxious to get to the studio and do some painting.

What you don't know about artists

The Red Boat  30" x 40" oil on stretched canvas - SOLD 

A comment overheard at a gallery recently made me think about the contribution that artists make to the economy, something which seems to be overlooked. The comment was about pricing for a painting and the person said something to the effect of  "That artist must be making a fortune.  And funded by government money too."

For individuals who are not artists, it may seem that the artist pockets all the money paid for a painting in a gallery.  However, there is a significant investment in time and money before a painting can end up on a gallery wall which eats into the final amount that the artist ends up with.  Industry springs up around artists, but artists are often the lowest paid and those who are asked  the most for discounts, deals and donations.

Artists contribute to the business community, such as art supply producers and sellers, framing businesses, marketing materials such as business cards and posters, book sellers for all those "how-to" books, website hosts, media industry for interviews for newspapers and magazines and to the tourism industry in communities, producing local images, prints, greeting cards, t-shirt designs, etc.

Without grants, artists may not have the resources available to explore new work and create new art.  Investment by government into the art industry is vital for healthy communities and growth of the culture and heritage.  Like the behind the scenes work and dollar investment that goes into a painting before it ever hits a public wall, a grant doesn't pay for trivial things.  It is essential to create, innovate and exist sometimes without undue hardship that affect these things. 


But still artists have to fight for a place to be seen in the world and have their work recognized and yes, sold.  It is a business, after all.  Of course art must be of a high enough quality to feed these industries and meet public need. With the deluge of "artists" who have discovered the internet, the market is flooded with images and it takes a strong soul with lots of time to weed out the doe eyed children painted on velvet and find quality art.

But before it ever reaches public display there is a cost and a risk to the artist.  Investment in tools and supplies, training, practice and inspiration all go into the production.  Then framing.  Professional quality framing is required, no off the shelf frames for most reputable gallery representation and of course that comes with a price tag. Transportation may be required if pieces are large.  Insurance if stored in a studio or home.

Gallery commissions take a portion of the sales costs, anywhere from 30% to 50% of the price on the gallery wall.  And they do their work when representing an artist, from holding paintings to insuring, marketing, sales and shipping if required.

So with the upfront costs incurred, commission fees and the hope that the right person comes through the door and loves your piece enough to purchase it, you can see that it is far from all profit for the artist.  This is why artists diversify into teaching, writing, design, prints and second jobs as the industry can be fickle and expensive.

However, I still love what I do and wouldn't change it.

2007 or 2015?

 Mission Figs

6" x 8" oil on panel   -  SOLD

Eight years ago I painted figs with oils using a brush and wrote a blog post about it..  The fig painting sold at an exhibition but over time I kept thinking about that image and it kept popping up when I looked for things to paint.  Over time an artist's style changes and I thought it would be interesting to paint the same image using palette knives and my current palette of cool and warm colour and compare the two paintings.

Similar colours are present but my style is quite different now. It is looser and impressionistic.  The 2007 version is tight and controlled but soft. These days I am bolder with colour and contrast levels.  Both values and colour saturation are more marked in the 2015 version of the painting.

If the person who bought the 2007 version saw the 2015 version, I wonder which they would prefer? 

Summer scheduling

I think life has speeded up since I left the day job at the end of February.  Not that I'm complaining about it.  I enjoy the pace and the variety and potential for the future that is unfolding.

Between working on a number of projects and commissions, I have managed to finish Flatrock Harbour and tackle another large piece that I'll share in a post another day. 

On Saturday July 18th, I'll be heading to the Wooden Boat Museum to do a painting demo of a new piece.  I painted at the museum last summer and its always interesting to meet people who come through and let them have a try at painting with a palette knife.  My new business cards should arrive next week, just in time to take with me as I'm running very low.

Then at the end of the month I head to Rocky Harbour in Gros Morne to run some gyotaku workshops. A dash back across the island, then I get on a plane to head to Saskatchewan and Alberta for a couple of weeks. Finally at the end of August I'm taking part in a local studio tour that winds its way through communities close by.  I haven't done one previously so am looking forward to taking part and comparing notes afterwards.

Meanwhile renovations are taking place to put in a new kitchen, patio doors and deck.  With some delays making work run behind schedule, I've had to cancel the first two workshops for September, but hopefully all should be done before the last two workshops are due to start.  

So with my schedule I may be even more scarce on my blog than I have been this month, but I'll try to get more posts in when I can.  You can always find me on Facebook or Twitter and follow my adventures there.

Reduction printing

 Shallow Water

I have never done a reduction print.  I've done lots of lino prints, but nothing that takes a lot of left brain thinking like a reduction print.  I decided to tackle one - a very small one - and see I could create.  I had a 3" x 4" lino block and used Rosaspina paper torn to about 7" x 10" and Akua Liquid Pigment to print.  Reduction prints are also called suicide prints.  Pretty much sums up what I was considering after the first couple of steps!

Reduction printing involves cutting away areas of lino, printing a colour, then cutting away more, printing, cutting...until you have reached saturation point and have little printing surface left.  The final lino is no more than a skeleton of the print and has no further use.   Of course a registration jig is required as well to ensure effective lining up of colours and I did try that.

Original tri-colour print

Being me, I was in a hurry and didn't take quite enough time to make either the jig or the paper guide completely square so after applying the second print colour it made me think I was drinking.  What to do?  There was no point trying to adjust the registration jig so I thought I'd do them by hand and hope that the printmaking gods would be on my side.  I put on the final dark colour in the hopes it would pull it together a bit and it did to a degree, but I think I wasn't generous enough with the initial ink loads and the result was a bit patchy.

What to do with nine prints?  Add colour!   I used a variety of mediums from watercolour to coloured pencil to transparent marker to add layers of colour to the prints.  And this is the result.

What did I learn from the exercise?  Planning is everything.  Patience is everything.  Luck comes into as well as troubleshooting.  I will try another reduction print when I have time and I enjoy the process of printmaking.  And the good thing?  I found the etched plate I was looking for after I last cleared up the studio!