New Landscapes and old exercises

Landsdowne Road, 10 x 14", March 22, 2008

Annapolis Basin, 14 x 21, March 2008

Cool Daisy, 5 x 7", 2007

Warm Daisy 5 x 7", 2007

I was experimenting with using warm and cool to create form. This is an exercise from Jeanne Dobie's book "Making Color Sing" which I enjoyed doing. I have found her book very educational and helpful, though I have since discovered through other readings and my own tests that some of the pigments that she recommends most highly are very prone to fading.

On the topic of fading I endeavour to use only those pigments which do not fade at all. I have determined this through quite a bit of research and my own light fastness tests of the pigments that I do use.

Paint the Town, Annapolis Royal Aug 2007

Day One

It rained. It rained and rained. Then the wind blew and then it rained some more. I spent the morning painting under a pavilion just outside of Annapolis. The view overlooked the Annapolis River. I got cold and my feet got wet but I did manage to produce 4 paintings. The rain spatter created some interesting effects on some of them if you look closely.

Untitled, 5 x 6" , Private Collection

Rainwashed I, 7 x 10"

Pink Trumpet, 5 x7", Private Collection

Rainwashed II, 10 x 14", Private Collection

At Lunchtime I took a break to thaw out, buy some dry socks and eat a delicious bowl of sweet potato chowder from the Pony Expresso Cafe. Thus fortified I ventured out once more into the inclement weather to paint. I ended up painting in the back of our van, while parked on the town wharf. I had an unresticted view up and down the river. At this point even though it was still gusty and wet I could see some blue sky peeking through. The clouds were actually quite marvelous. So that was what I painted.

Annapolis Basin, 7 x 10", Private Collection

Storm Clouds, 10 x 14", Private Collection

Clearing 10 x 30", Private Collection

Day Two

Saturday presented much nicer weather. I managed two paintings in the morning, then got tired in the afternoon and produced a bunch of not too much. However, I finished with what I think is the best painting of the day, the view of St Luke's bell tower.

Puddles in the Road, 7 x 10"

Marsh in the Morning, 8 x 14"

Waves I and II, approx 6 x 8" each

I am not pleased with the wave pictures but here they are to show that I cannot always paint what I try to.

St Luke's Church, 14 x 10"

More 2007 Paintings

Bear Island, 4 x 6", July 2007

Private Collection

High and Dry, 4x6", July 2007

Ebb Tide, 4x6", July 2007

Private Collection

Heading Out II, 7x10", July 2007

Private Collection

Heading Out I, 7x10", July 2007

Private Collection

Moth Orchid, 10 x 14", July 2007

Private Collection

Annie in the Sheds, 6 x 7", June 2007

December Sunset sketch II, 4x6", June 2007

Private Collection

December Sunset sketch I, 4x6" , June 2007

Floating Iris, 8 x 10", May 2007 Private Collection

More Early 2007 Paintings

As I have had difficulty loading all my paintings from last year into the post below I shall try to add them here and in future posts.

Red, Red Rose, 16 x 20", April 2007

Glads, 6.5 x 10", Mar 2007

Private Collection

Pink Tiger Lily, 7 x 10 " Mar 2007

Cherry Blossoms, 10 x 14 ", March 2007

As you can see from here, Little River featured heavily in the work I did early last year. I had been commissioned to do a scene of the harbour there, and in the course of my research I came across several views that I wanted to paint. By the time I had finished the larger Low Tide painting I had started to repeat myself, which has taught me a valuable lesson about how far I can explore an image before getting bored of it.

Low Tide at Little River, 14 x 21", Feb 2007

Low Tide sketch III, 7 x 10" Feb 2007

Private Collection

Low Tide Sketch II, 7 x 10" Feb 2007

Private Collection

Low Tide Sketch I, 5 x 7", Feb 2007

Holly I, 10 x 14" , Jan 2007

I did two paintings of this this holly branch; I used the second one for my Christmas Cards this year. The two of them are really quite similar, so I shall only show one here.

Little River NS, 20 x 30" Jan 2007

Commissioned work, Private Collection

Some Spring Flowers

Mock Orange 10 x 14"

watercolour, March 2008

Apple Blossom 10 x 14"

watercolour, March 2008

In honour of the nice weather we had for a couple of days, I felt like painting some flowers. Now it is snowing again they help to remind me that spring will come. I took the reference photos for these myself. The top one grows in my parent's back yard. The apple blossoms are from a wild apple tree just down the road from here.

Snow in the woods

I went for a walk after a snowstorm early in february. The sun was shining and the shadows were really interesting.

Tree Shadows sketch 7x5" 2008 watercolour

Tree Shadows 14x10" 2008 watercolour

Digby wharf

Here is my finished version of Digby Wharf. I am having trouble deciding on a crop for it. I was trying to show the ripples that spring up with a slight breeze, but I am not sure if I was successful...

Digby Wharf , 12x 30" approx, 2008 (with ripples)

Digby Wharf , 10x 30" approx, 2008 (without ripples)

This is another crop I am considering.