I Hope I Am Learning from My Mistakes, because I Am Making a LOT of Them!

Nice subject - I was having fun, puddling in w/w.

Still having wet fun, but the reds may be too dark, too fast.

More work on the leaves.

Here's where it went wrong. I decided to mask all the leaves, and try to get a graded wash of several hues.
The edges, after 2 -3 washes, started leaving oozy marks from the stapled areas, leaking onto the painting area. I tried a desperate rescue attempt. I used a large, flat, soft brush to remove all the background I had done. It was removed reasonably well, but so was the sizing! I tried [no choice, really] to go very dark, and I did, but I don't like it. I will try again, changing the format a bit, making it narrower, and apply the lesson learned - MASK FIRST.    

I tried several washes of alizarin crimson and phthalo blue, but , to my eye, it does not look at all appealing.
Back to the proverbial drawing board!

Still Cold ... Still Snowy ... Still Painting ...

The view outside my front door this morning

"Hens and Chicks"
A photo I took at Western Gardens 2 years ago

This should keep me busy for a while

Another one from Western Gardens

I may pay for not masking completely, with slightly uneven washes, but the background is going to be very dark, so I might be all right.


I really needed something  warm and summery to paint, and a break from working with all the blacks and darks in Buddy's portrait. So I dug into my photo library, and came out with 2 photos I took [of many] at a local nursery.
Ahhhh, I can feel the heat!!!
As always, please feel most welcome to leave a comment!

WHO TURNED OFF THE HEAT?!!!!!

I'm making sure the birds are well fed.

There's Bruno inside, having his hay.

The pond is frozen solid.

The lad is staying warm, with 2 padded blankets, and lots of hay.

I thought I'd try a painting of this, NOT that I like the snow, but the grasses do make an interesting and complex composition.

My favorite tree [yes, I have a favorite tree!] in the park.

Out for a quick walk with the dog. WOW, was it cold!!!


Our weather has suddenly become most un-Vancouver-like.  Out in the countryside, we've had temperatures down to -7C at night, and it feels much colder ... you know, the sort of cold that freezes the inside of your nose. And we've had a fair bit of snow over the past 3 days, about 8 inches. So that means no riding, just stuffing Bruno full of hay, and making sure he has warm water [carried from the house]. If horses do not have potable water, they could develop an impaction in the colon, colic, and possibly die - serious business!
All this means I am also getting on with Buddy's portrait. And I am going through my photo reference to find some flowers with HOT colors! 

I've finished "mapping" the colors of his face, and am starting in with the blacks. As always, all your comments are so very welcome!

The Ballade of Buddy ... or ... Buddy the VI

I really liked the head, especially the eyes and nose.
Pat, Buddy's owner, wanted a background, of which I made a supreme mess, so onto the next rendition. 

I started with the tan on his face, and then went into the shadows of his scarf. 

Got a "bit" too intense too soon ...

A "collage" of the good head on the bad painting, for color reference.

I am here now, working on ANOTHER version. To my eye, it seems to be going well.


The ballade of Buddy Graham continues. Stay tuned if you dare! And please feel free to leave  comments, questions, good jokes ...  I love to hear from you!!!

HEY! ... It's Starting to Look Like an Owl

It sure doesn't look like much when I start!

Still unrecognizable ...

... maybe???

Definitely looking owlish


I used aureolin, quin. siena, quin. burnt orange, quin. violet, indanthrone blue and ultramarine blue [which I have not used for years, as I usually get variations of mud, but I needed a really warm blue to use with orange]
This is as far as I got today, in between running an animal spa/restaurant/fitness centre. I was a bit busy feeding six animals several "home-made"  meals, and exercising Bruno, and  walking and playing with the Boxer Girls. It was a great day. Bruno was a superstar genius; he is picking up the yield-to-the-leg and carry-your-own-front-end so very well! He cracked me up, when he started doing the leg-yielding exercises [from the ground] all by himself. He was so proud of himself today!!! And I apologize to those of you who do not speak "horse-training". If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
And as always, please leave your comments - I love them!!!

Boy Genius

A Eureka Moment ...

Touched up shadows on foreground sheep

Sandy, I lightened shadows on left, and pumped up a few at the centre. I thank you for your input!


As I was coming up from the barn, after feeding the lad,  I caught the toe of my gum-boot, and went flying. It must have jolted some of my little grey cells, because I realized what I have been struggling to figure out for the past few months. Like all artists, I have been trying to find my voice, my style, who I am as a painter. I've been scrambling, trying different techniques and styles. And it hit me ... well, I hit the ground, and then it hit me. I am a perfectionist, always have been, probably always will be. And I love detail and intricacy. Even in riding, I fell into dressage - the systematic training of horse [and rider] to increasingly more refined movement. 
I am happy and content with that revelation. While I will take occasional, temporary diversions from my customary style, and deeply admire the looseness [yes, THAT again] of some painters,  I will be at reasonable peace with my art.

Well ... It's Going to Be Interesting ...

Palette - aureolin, new gamboge, quin. burnt siena, alizarin crimson, phthalo green [y.s.]

Sketch traced onto wc. paper

Wet swath of aureolin with bit of new gamboge

Quin. bt. siena w/w

Thin wash of phthalo blue in flower and bud shadow.
Greens are mixes of aureolin, phthalo green and quin. bt. orange
Not finished

Beautiful Tunis sheep photo, courtesy of Jennifer MacNeil-Taylor
Thank you, Jen! 

Two sketches I did a few days ago.

Palette - aureolin, quin. coral, cobalt blue for sheep coats
                                             - quin. bt. orange, quin. coral and indanthrone blue for darker colors 

Wet wash of cobalt blue, leaving only foreground sheep white

Various warm and cool grey mixes to shape the heads

Same mixes to give texture to the fleece
For more intense colors and shadows, I used indanthrone blue instead of cobalt blue
Finished

LOVE the owl ... too bad I couldn't do a  credible start for a painting

I did a rough sketch directly onto wc. paper, and started playing with some neutral beiges and greys

I got to this point, and saw that my niece at the age of five could do a better owl, so I'll try again.


So far, I have learned HOW tight a painter I am - good or bad, that's me. I hope to be able to loosen up over the next while, playing with these "exercises". I found, painting the sheep, that I did go into more of an intuitive mode at times. Perhaps that's why it turned out alright. Anyway, there is a lot more painting, exploring and learning to be done.
As always, your comments are so very welcome!!!