Dahlia painting continues

So here it is, almost finished.  I need to add some definition to a few more of the petals, but overall it is coming along nicely.  I have been busy with things other than painting lately, mostly working on building a playground (click here to read about the new playground at Digby Elementary School.  This was a MAJOR undertaking for our community.  I am pleased to have been a part of it from the beginning and now also pleased that the playground is built and now I can start to focus on other things again!  Like painting more.)

A Dahlia in Fall Colours

It has been a while since I have posted a work in progress.  This painting is a request by a friend of mine.  I hope that she will enjoy seeing it in it's various stages.  I began with a fairly detailed pencil drawing (no photo of that) and then started with the shadows on the small white petals in the center, working my way out as I went along.

I did not want to get into too much detail before I had the background in, so that went on soon.

I realized that some of the earliest shadows were a bit light, so I started making them darker as you can see in the lower left corner. 

As always, I welcome comments.

btw, this painting measures 10 x 14". 

Open Farm Day

Today was Open Farm Day.  And I missed it!  I had scheduled one of my children's birthday party for today and by the time it was over we were all done for.  So we went home and played with new toys (them) and cleaned up (me).  At least I am learning something and we had the party at the bowling alley.  Money well spent to outsource the location.  Much less cleanup, need I say more?

So I missed my chance to visit with local farmers.  At least four farms in the near-by area opened their grounds to the public today, giving us all a chance to meet them and learn more about what it is that they do.  I am lucky, I have met all these people before and know they grow good stuff.  But they always put on a good show for us on Open Farm day with activities for kids, yummy snacks and animals to see and touch.  And the weather was perfect for those who did go.  I will try harder to get there next year...

On an agricultural note, my painting of my family haying has won some recognition,  which is very exciting!

Finalist- Outstanding Watercolor, Bold Brush Painting Competition (August 2010)

While the Sun Shines, 14 x 21", watercolour, 2010

Guess Who?

Guess Who

A Mystery Art Auction

 sponsored in support of the CLASS program

by Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Center

***

I was once described as a child of Sunbury Shores.  True enough, my family has been intimately involved with the Center since I was a wee one.  I took my first real class there as a young teenager but attended a preschool and a kindergarten there years before that. 

I have certainly benefitted from early exposure to all sorts of artistic pursuits, from the usual crayons and pencils familiar to most children to the less usual pottery, print making and weaving.  I am pleased to support this fundraiser to give other children similar experiences. 

And it looks to be a fun evening.  Click the link above for all the details, but here they are in brief.

Tickets $10

W. O'Neill Arena, St Andrews-by-the Sea

 Oct 2, 2010.

Be there to view the artwork around 5 pm or so. 

(Yes, the website says 7pm but I was told today that they want people there earlier)

Your $10 gets you in the door and a ticket in the draw.

If your ticket is drawn you get the opportunity to choose a painting which you may purchase for $90.

This brings me to

THE ARTWORK

6 x 8" canvasses

creatively adorned by

Celebrity and local artists.

This includes the like of Robert Bateman, Freeman Patterson and of course, me, too!

 

Here is the kicker:

The artwork is signed ON THE BACK!

You have to guess who painted what. 

You'd best hope that your knowledge of Canadian art is up to the task, because

you could end up with a $5000 painting and only have paid $100!

Good Luck!

Hope to see you there.  It should be an entertaining evening! 

Marine Commuter Traffic

Marine Commuter, 14 x 21", watercolour, September 2010

Available throught the Flight of Fancy

Bear River, NS

You can read about the sketch that led to this painting and the gentleman who inspired it in an earlier post on my blog, here.  Rowing in this fashion used to be a major means of getting around in the days before good roads and motor cars.  There are stories of men rowing across the Bay of Fundy (35 nautical miles!!) to see their sweethearts on the other side.  Now that is a sign of committment, if you ask me.  It took this fellow a while to row the 1 km from the wharf back to his boat, but it did not seem like it would have taken much longer than walking.  (Of course I was painting while he was rowing and my husband can tell you all about my perception of time while I am painting....) 

So when your look at this painting contemplate how you get around during your day.  When you are hopping in the car to drive somewhere really near by, stop and consider if you could actually walk that distance instead.  So often I find myself rushing to get places and hopping in and out of the car.  I do not leave myself the time to walk the short trip from the bank to the post office or from the store where I work to the place where my meeting is.  But I should.  It would be better for me and for the planet.  More restful, too.

The hurricane missed us

No paintings to show tonight.  Just a quick post to mention that Hurricane Earle took an unexpected detour and went up Nova Scotia's other coast, affecting Halifax and the South Shore more than he did us.  We lost power briefly and had a good amount of rain, but not much wind.  I did manage to go out and got some new photos of waves for future paintings.  (I was careful, the wind was not too strong and I stayed way above the high water mark.  My photos suffered a bit because of that, but sometimes it pays to be cautious.)

Here is one of the photos of Point Prim.

Waiting for Earle

Reflections on a Sailboat, 7 x 10", watercolour, August 22, 2010, SOLD

Another Paint the Town painting.  These boats are all one sailboat that I sketched as it swung back and forth on its mooring.  There was only the one sailboat there that day but I wanted to do something more interesting that just a portrait of that boat.  This is the result. 

This one is from Paint the Town and there is yet one photo to come.  (I know that I said last night that there was only one photo left but I forgot about this one)  I also painted another one of sailboats sailing down the Annapolis Basin toward Digby but neglected to photograph it.  If you are the owner of that one (you would have bought it on Sunday at Paint the Town) I would love to hear from you.  Especially if you have not framed it yet and are willing to email me a digital picture.

Meanwhile,  we have battened down the hatches here in Digby County.  The eye of Hurricane Earle is expected to pass very close to us tomorrow morning.  The weather office says that it will likely all be over by noon tomorrow so we shall see how right they are.  Last year's Hurricane excitement was provided by Hurricane Bill which passed over here quickly as well.  I was driving to Cape Breton that day and ended racing the hurricane up the length of the province.  I am glad that I do not have to do that again!  I remember the colour of the sky.  When the rain was just beginning as I got on the road outside of Annapolis Royal the deeply overcast sky was an odd green shade. 

If you want to know what is happening here tomorrow you can always tune into CBC radio from anywhere in the world.  They livestream their broadcasts on the CBC website and this includes the Halifax station.  It sounds like there will be local radio all morning.  During Hurricane Bill they did a good job of keeping us informed of what was going on (when I could hear the radio over the din of the water on the roof of the car!) 

Glare over Granville, 7 x 10", watercolour, August 22, 2010

And this is the last Paint the Town painting.  With the dark clouds in the background I thought it a suitable picture to end with tonight. 

Paint the Town Volunteers Rock!

Here is the second to last painting from Paint the Town.  I am saving the last one for tomorrow's post, when I can talk about the impending hurricane Earle or lack thereof...  (we should be so lucky!)

                                    Go Fly a Kite, watercolour, 7 x 10", watercolour

This one actually acquired a bid as it was being picked up by a friendly Paint the Town volunteer.  These wonderful people walk or ride their bikes around town, transporting fresh paintings in pizza boxes.  They converge on the Legion where they deliver the brand new works of art into the hands of yet more volunteers who hang the paintings and prepare them for bidding. 

This event could not happen without these volunteers.  They put a fabulous effort into making this event a success.  I find it humbling that a town of 500 people can pull together over 100 volunteers to make this event so remarkable.  Hats off to the people of Annapolis Royal!!

(Oh, about the painting...  this shows the waterfront boardwalk of Annapolis Royal.  There were lots of people walking along the board walk that day, including one child with a kite.  I thought that such a nice day needed more kites, so I added some!)