So Far, So Good ...

I've started on the goose. And for the background, I put in a wet, thin wash of aureolin, and then drizzled thin strips of a green mixture with vertical strokes to suggest grass.

This photo, and the ones below, are some references I'd like to use for the Vancouver scene. It's of the Burrard Street Bridge,  one of three bridges connecting Vancouver south with the downtown core. For me, the view of the water, the mountains and the old bridge give a strong sense of the city. I like the softening effect of the fog.

Slightly different angle, and I LOVE that old ship in front.

I'd like to get the colors of sunset in the painting.

Another angle. I like the feel this photo creates of looking up at the massiveness of the bridge.

Vancouver really is beautiful - over-developed, but beautiful.

The Black Russian Strikes Again ...

I started by laying in some graded washes - aureolin, quin. pink and cobalt blue. 

More cobalt blue.

It was looking rather sparse, so I put in an impressionistic sort of drape of poplar leaves behind the goose. I'm not 100% thrilled with it, but it will do. 

The lighting in the reference photo was not quite what I needed, so I used my sketch to rough in a plan for the shadows.

And here, I've started with shadowing, using quin. pink and cobalt blue.


It's not quite a Black Russian - more of a Dark Slav. That's my feeling about my painting right now.  And yes, pure imported borscht runs through my veins. All my grandparents came from the Ukraine just after the First World War. I attribute all my quirks to that fact!
Bruno is my Cossack steed. { He doesn't know it yet.  :) }
I love the old Red Army Chorus. A Welsh men's chorus is a very close second. I still have an old 78 RPM vinyl of the opera "Alexander Nevsky" buried in my closet, along with many other vinyl records.
Anyway, there it is - a bit more of who I am. The art will straighten out. I'm just going through what all of us artists go through from time to time.

And as ever and always, please be welcome to leave a note.

What Do I Do When I'm Not Ruining a Painting?

He was well-groomed 4 hours ago. I spent about an hour getting hair and mud out of his coat before riding.

Bruno is shedding A LOT, and is itchy.

So he rolls in the mud.

The flip side is just as bad.

Then there is the pile of composted "horse essence" that is used in the flower gardens, but most will be harrowed into the field. It's covered over the wet season, so too much doesn't get into the ground-water.

Then there is the constant war with the blackberry brambles. I love the berries, but if not savagely cut back, they spread like the weed they are.

Blackberry all along the back fence-line.

Hah - back fence-line.

A parting shot of Muddy Mud Skipper, chowing down dinner.

This one is salvageable.

This one isn't. I think I'll have to plan the background more before I dive into it again.