watercolour 7″ x 5″
this is one of the ‘Cidery’ paintings. I did a lot of them, all inspired by a trip to the ‘county’.
Monthly Archives: December 2006
Had the chance to paint yesterday, as my older brother is visiting, and he offered to ’sit’ for me in the studio while I painted him. That was really fun…he found it sort of awkward being ‘looked at’ at first but soon got used to it, and he was an easy ’sitter’. i did not feel pressured to accomplish anything great…which is good, because there are lots of unresolved areas to work on…however these will no doubt take place over time. it’s funny, i often dont ’see’ what needs altering until months down the road, when i may get a ‘eureka!’ moment to make it work, but it could also just as easily sit there for months, then one day i finally realize it wont ever work and make the decision to scrap it and use the canvas for something else! It’s the process, not the product… right?
watercolour - Apple Blossoms & Barn
‘Contemplation’ oil on canvas 14″ x 14″
Didn’t get any time in the studio today as had to work. I dont have a lot of creative energy left after work. I am anxious to get some time to work on a large oil that has been occupying my thoughts of late; I started it about 1 1/2 weeks ago, but have not had a few hours free to work on it anymore with Xmas and all. oh well, I’m sure that January and February will offer me some time to paint more. Thought I’d post a watercolour today. The country roads around the orchards of Prince Edward County offer endless watercolour subjects.
Woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground and in the trees today. Enjoyed a lazy day of self-indulgence… My dear (middle) daughter Rachel agreed to sit for a portrait today. I was SOOOO excited to get working on one of her; as have wanted to paint her for a while, but you know it’s so hard to pin someone down to the required time for sitting. I put a comfy chair in the studio, set up the lighting, and had her get comfy with her MP3 player. It took me a while to get the blocking in done in a thinned burnt umber…after a 1/2 hour break we were at it again; I was able to model the skin tones, halftones, and the warm and cool areas… We took a long break, then went back for a final 1/2 hour to get the hair and highlights. It is still unfinished, as I want to glaze in some of the deep shadow areas, but have to wait for it to dry to accomplish this….so far so good, it is definately her likeness; though it is her in a pensive mood…I would also like to try one of her in an upbeat mood; as she is such a lovely joyful personality most of the time. maybe next boxing day!
My purpose is to share art, which is one of my greatest joys… and so here I will post some of my paintings, and share some thoughts too. This is called “Hillside Olives” and it was painted after I returned from Falerno which is in Umbria, the province next to Tuscany in Italy.
