Above Kingston - watercolour & gouache - 13″ x 20″
I’m working on some landscapes with a different perspective. I’ve just added the misty distance, am happier with it now. more mood.
Monthly Archives: September 2007
Down On The Street- watercolour - 14″ x 19″
My latest interest is finding the places in Kingston where I am able to get up above the usual hustle and bustle and get some resource material for these birds eye views that I am interested in these days. So far I have only sussed out a couple of multi-storey parking lots, but I might go ask downtown if I can go up in the hotels for a good view.
University Campus - watercolour - 15″ x 22″
I’ve spent most of the day doing watercolours today…have managed to get a good start on one and finished 2 others. This is one of them. I am working on the ‘feeling’ of the Queens campus here…I’m not interested in if the architechture is correct or what street it is. I want you to see it a little differently than what you would expect.
Night Lights - watercolour - 15″ x 11″
I’ve been spending a great deal of time lately casting about trying to decide which direction I want to go with my painting….I feel like I’m standing on the edge…I’m waving goodbye to full representational paintings, I want to push myself to explore the possibilities of atmosphere and mood over representation.
Saturday’s End - watercolour - 15″ x 22″
I’ve been working on a few watercolours this week…I think they will end up being sketch material for the oil paintings I will do using them for reference. I want to do a night scene of this painting, but I am going to try it in oil. Still lots of stuff to work out…but that’s the fun part.
Also have sent off a submission package today to the Ontario Society of Artists. I would like to join to be able to take part in members shows. fingers crossed!
Tree Near My House - oil on linen - 9″ x 12″
I painted this a few weeks ago one evening after supper. I know I’ve got all the golden rules broken… like putting the centre of the tree trunk right in the middle of the painting(bad composition) but in this case it actually wasn’t a slip up, it was a conscious choice. This tree had been asking to be painted every evening at sundown for a couple of weeks; then finally I listened and took out my paintbox. This tree did not want to be marginalized!! by the way I love painting on linen. first time ever, will do it more often.
Rocky Mountain Patterns - watercolour - 8″ x 6″
here’s another watercolour sketch done in the studio from the reference material that I brought back with me from my trip to Alberta. I found the mountains an invigorating source of abstract patterns in the landscape.
40% Chance of Showers, Sun Peaks - watercolour - 10″x9″
Here’s another watercolour sketch from my holidays. We had a family reunion at a ski resort called Sun Peaks in August. I was inspired by the interesting patterns on the hills with the trees, clouds skitting across the mountains and the ski runs. I sat outside our chalet and painted this one ‘en plain air.’ It was a great opportunity to take a break from the activity of the reunion. The weather was very cool up there for August, not more than about 17′ celcius during the day…the nights were really chilly.
Jasper - watercolour, 7″x5″
I took a gazillion photos on my holidays while out in Alberta in August, but didn’t get much sketching or painting time while I was there…I’ve been using my snapshots as resources, and they’re not great for showing the true colours, photography always seems to deaden and darken everything.
However I was doing a little experimenting with my watercolour colour chart that I made up…I needed a really warm blue to capture the true blue of the glacier rivers….I discovered that cadium orange and winsor blue used together in a wash leaves a lovely warm blue with resonance….I tried it on this small watercolour sketch of the river at Jasper. I like the way it handled. I might give it a try on a 1/2 sheet size painting, ….oh boy I’m asking for it!! But nothing ventured nothing gained.
