I'M BACK ... for a bit

I didn't like where the last rendition of this was going, so, OF COURSE, I started again.

It's a narrower format, with a softer [hopefully]  positive/negative space effect of willow leaves.

I am here now. I'll probably bring a very thin yellow wash in front of goose, with drizzles of the leaf colors flowing vertically, in a wet-in-wet wash.

Bruno looks like a giant anteater here. He's actually reaching down with his choppers to scratch at some obnoxious insect. I even had an opportunity to ride the lad today. OH, I'M IN HEAVEN TODAY!!!!

I WILL be Back Painting SOON!!!

The office

The Bug and me, before a drastic and much-needed haircut

Shayna and Lucy

And the chins

They're so cute

Himself

Lucy at the paddock gate


One of the dentists with whom I work broke her arm, so I am doing more than twice the office time I usually do. And this week, the Boxer girls are here for a week.  So parts of my life are being a bit neglected, namely Bruno and painting. I miss them so very much I almost feel like I'm living in a gray, numbing haze. But this won't last too much longer. And I have some painting ideas percolating in my head, and the weather is improving for riding. So onwards and upwards, or as Crystal Cook says "HUZZH!!!"

YAY!!! Buddy Is Going to the Framer Today

I did a bit of touching up. I darkened the entire ear, as I found it stood out too much. I put in a bit more shading on his muzzle and eyebrows. I touched up a few spots on the perimeter of Buddy's image. And of course put on my signature.

Some close-up shots. I really am proud of his eyes. Buddy always did so intently speak to you with his eyes.

Well, it's done! What an effort. I so much wanted to capture the soul of Buddy. He was such a cool dog - a rescue, who just eased his way totally into all our lives. I will take him into White Rock to my favorite framers after I've played with Bruno this morning.
 Then I will start working on some ideas for a Vancouver cityscape. I must admit I found it difficult to find something about the city that I still found I loved, and that reminded me of the old Vancouver. It's changed so unbelievably much in the past ten to fifteen years. Right now, I'm thinking of doing something with the Burrard Bridge with the mountains [of course] in the background.

As ever, your comments are always welcome!  

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.

All Right!!! STILL More Geese ...

It's Pat's birthday today. So I ran out a few days ago to our favorite nursery, and bought a gift certificate. Pat LOVES gardening. And it's always so much fun watching her come home with a car-load of plants. Then all spring and summer, we enjoy the beauty of the garden - sounds a bit sappy, but it's gorgeous. Of course, I'm out there for hours, sketching and taking photos as long as there are flowers for "models". I was just going to give her the gift certificate, but did a decent sketch last night, put it on watercolor paper, and painted the background. I worked on the goose quickly this morning, and will finish it this evening after work.

Just What You Always Wanted ... MORE Geese

Working sketch

Ditto for 2nd goose

Some value sketches

Masked, and two separate washes done. First wash was  aureolin. pink and cobalt blue. Second wash was a spattering in  a pre-wet area of burnt sienna and umber. I thought I'd try some granulation for texture. This painting has already hit the shower once, because I tried doing the granulating wash first - OOPS. I'll probably start the goose before deciding what, if anything, to add to the background.  

And this one also went for a swim to remove the first wash. I have cryptic notes on the sketch about the washes I'm considering - aureolin from upper left, quin. gold from left, pink from top, quin. burnt orange from bottom, and either cobalt blue or ultramarine from right and lower right.


For some reason, I am finding myself feeling pressured to push myself, to improve in my painting. It may be partly because I have much less time to paint right now. One of the dentists with whom I work fractured her left radius, and is of course unable to work. As her practice consists mostly of hygiene patients, I am filling in for her. I think that's only part of the reason. I'm just finding the creative part of my brain full of ideas and what-if's. So, we shall see ...

As always, I love your comments - always welcome!