Painting ... Making Mistakes ... Hopefully Learning ...

I played with the background of the chickadees, using "sludge" colors. That's what I call sedimentary pigments, as they are heavy and cover almost everything else. But I must admit, they give a decent look here. I'll probably try these two again, after touching up the drawings and doing a proper value study.

And this cutie will be done, too.

I started this in class last Saturday. I like the mountains, and the sweep of the hills ...

... but somewhere I lost it. I don't think the green was a good idea.
 

I did a quick finish at home. I think oranges and yellows throughout the work, with some violet shadow would be a better plan. The class wanted to do a landscape, so I thought I'd try to paint something along the lines of the big painting I have to do with all the animals. The person who commissioned the work lives in a part of the States with dry, rolling hills, with tall and rough-looking mountains in the distance, so I tried a practice run on the background. 

This is what I am playing with right now. Again, it was something I started in class; this one is preparation for a larger painting. I need the bright colors, and  the  accommodation of flowers - they don't mind too much what you do with their shapes and colors in a painting.

Thank you for dropping by!!

Painting Progress, and Maggie Does the Hay Room

Not too bad. I like the effects you get from doing those all-over, three-color washes with the spattering afterwards.  This is another demo I started in the class, and finished later at home.

Still darkening Voodoo and the background. I have another slightly different pose that I drew, that is waiting on the watercolor paper, after having done only one wash using two different blues. Might get to that this afternoon.

As I was heading to the barn the other morning, something caught my eye. It turned out to be a raccoon. I fed Bruno, then got my camera. My barn assistant was in hot pursuit. Thankfully the raccoon was well up in the tree by the time Maggie got there. Would not want her tangling with one of those beasties. 

There's the rascal, making his escape. I kept Maggie inside for an hour to give the raccoon time to escape. I think a family has moved into the area - I've seen them off and on for the past few months.

His Imperial Highness, after our ride.

Yes, it's a horse bum ... but a horse bum with sweat marks in the right place. It shows he has been using those powerful hindquarters properly.

While Bruno has his munch, Maggie and clean up, and clean and refill his waterbucket.  Maggins has discovered the joys of hunting in the hay shed!!! Today, she actually looked at me like she was asking to be allowed in. So in she went ...

She jumps and bounces from bale to bale ...

... looking for rodents.

I think she is probably a hunter, quite like a Jack Russell. She also shares the same intenseness and focus of that breed.

I just looked at the clock - 3:00 already, but it feels like it should be only 1:00. The time change has really discombobulated me this year.
Anyway, thank you very much for dropping by!!!

Back to Painting What I LOVE

FUN in the snow

All the family dogs had a good Christmas, too

Sketch I am getting ready for one of my sister's birthday - Denise, the Boxer lover
Her birthday is Dec. 30.

First washes of a new painting I have started - tug boats on the foggy B.C. coast.
Started with some cobalt blue, and w/w washes of grey. 

After several more washes, I finally have the mask off, and have started the tugs.

Well, it's been a month of changes - all good. My winter/pre-Christmas gloom lifted around mid-December. I swear I notice the days getting longer already, and I am noticing buds opening!!! I decided to leave the cooperative gallery. I had initially thought to give the enterprise six months, till Christmas. Time came up, and I was not happy there [for several reasons]. It must be the right decision for me because I feel great! I entered three paintings in one of the Federation of Canadian Artists juried shows, and all three were accepted. And I had a wonderful Christmas Day with my family.
It is teeming rain today - back to normal Vancouver winter weather, and even that is welcome. I'll pack up Twilight [the dog I am sitting for a friend] and head into Vancouver to pick up my things from the gallery, and do some family visiting.

Thank you for dropping by!

Pooking Along ...

I added a foreground, first with a w/w wash of phthalo green mixed with sienna and indanthrone, with some quin. gold in spots ... 

... then I felt I had to darken the entire painting, so I did two w/w variegated washes   using cobalt blue, quin. coral and quin. sienna. I stayed away from the focal area of the sun with the colors. 

I added some mid-ground trees and a fence line, and I am calling it DONE.  You all know I am not much for painting landscapes, but this very ethereal, foggy scene does appeal to me. Might do more ...

This is a portrait of another blogging buddy. Her name is Tweedles, and she is the cutest pug, who writes about her adventures visiting Mother Nature. Miss T. recently had two major surgeries, and she and her moms have been through a very rough time. I thought, as they love my work, I would send a portrait of The Tweedles to them to cheer them up. I was introduced to Miss T. by another good blog friend, Suzanne Berry. She paints exquisite oils [including pugs], and is truly weird and wonderful! Take a visit ... suzanneberry.blogspot.com

And this cutie is Roxie. She belongs to one of the artists - a jewelry maker - at my cooperative gallery. Linda has commissioned a portrait for her husband for Christmas [hopefully].

Thank you so much for dropping by, and your comments are always welcome!

Meanwhile ... Back at the Swamp ...

I've been playing around with landscapes. I wish I could be doing this in some hillside Italian village, but ...
 This is on "0" Avenue, the road following the U.S./Canada border. At one point, there is a fabulous swampy area. I drive by it several times a month, and have always found it quite attractive - in a marshy sort of way.
When starting something new, I tend to be quite tentative. You can see this in the photo.

I've strengthened it a bit, but it still needs oomph.

Another view of the swamp.
I enjoyed painting these two, and I have another more complicated one on the board to paint, as well as another pair of shoes.

Thank you for dropping by. Your comments are always welcome.

Calling It Done

I think i got a bit carried away with the foliage, but the rest is OK.

As always, your comments are always welcome.

FRUSTRATED!

Is the sky too dark? Are the mountains not dark enough? Is the abutment too wishy-washy? I've been pecking away at this off and on all day so far, and I am not impressed. Time to leave it for a while ...

This is it in black/white, to check values.  It all looks like a glop of mid-values to me, but then it is supposed to be a cloudy scene. I don't know.

As always, your comments are most welcome.

As I Soldier on with the Bridge ...

I've put in some of the girders, and the frame-work under the road-way.

Here's a close-up of the road-way, with the mountains and city in the background. I like how the skyline came out. I painted it all, water's edge to mountain top, w/w, and then lifted the buildings.

I've intensified the mountains, and got in most of the reflections. I decided to do the reflections first with lighter washes, instead of incorporating them into the water. Working on both at the same time in such a large format would have been a wet disaster. Next, I will paint the water, and re-assess what needs tweaking. I have a feeling "tweaking" is going to take a long time.


As always, your comments are most welcome. 

A Morning's Work ...

I'm continuing to add shadows ... almost there. I think I may have to darken the sky again in certain areas to highlight the focal spots, and put in the girders and understructures, to see exactly what I have here.

And I'm still playing with these much smaller ones, while the paint dries on the bridge.

Studio light

Day light.


Well, it's finally stopped bucketing rain outside. Mind you, I'd rather have this than the extreme heat and fires some areas are experiencing. I think it's time for a break outside.

As always, your comments are most welcome.