The washy layout...

 

Snowy Farmyard     9" x 12"    o/p

 

I began the layout or composition of this painting with a loose wash of ultramarine blue and alizarin. This wash concentrated on the large overall shapes (sans details) of the buildings and some of the cast shadow areas in the foreground. The washes at the same time were dark and light in their values. The visual effect at end of this stage was that of a continuous half tone not unlike a "washy black and white  photo". 

 

The next stage was to introduce the local colours to the main objects in the painting while the initial wash was still 'loose'.

While applying the final colours, they picked up the 'ground colour' which helped to moderate the final colours. I liked this effect. In other areas, the colour was laid down close to and around the objects in the painting, leaving the 'red' of the ground colour separating some positives and negatives. 

 

I found this method during the course of painting to be very intuitive and helped to keep the painting as a whole rather loose and fun.

 

'til next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Christmas Card ?

Winter Reflections    12" x 16"     o/p

 

This painting is a bit larger than my usual resent paintings. The Masonite panel was pre coated with two coats of gesso and a covering of red-orange acrylic paint.

 

My palette for this painting was my usual or near usual "split primary" plus a couple of "helpers" in  a sap green and a permanent green light oil paint and titanium white.

My medium was odourless mineral spirits, and I used a selection of different sized brushes.

 

This painting just may turn out to be this years "Christmas Card" !

 

'til next..

 

 



First Snow Of The Coming Winter

 

Cold With Some Snow    9" x 12"    o/p

 

We woke up this morning to our first light 'dusting' of snow of this late fall season. By the afternoon, the cold had surrendered to the late afternoon sun and the early dusting had all but disappeared . A sure sign of what we can expect in the coming winter days.

 

This piece was painted on a pre stained panel (acrylic yellow red ) using a split palette of warm and cold red, yellow and blue.  My medium for this painting was odourless mineral spirits.

 

So, painting of the white stuff finally starts !

 

'til next...



A Later Autumn..

Latest Autumn On The Abbey Dawn    10" x 12"    o/p

I had painted a similar  piece, an 8" x 10", a few years ago and shortly thereafter, was approached by another plein air artist and asked if I would be interested in trading for another painting of my choice painted by this artist.
I had admired this artist's work for some time and immediately responded with a , "yes".

As much as I liked the painting that I exchanged my first "Abbey Dawn Road" for, I missed my little painting. Today I decided was a good day to replace that "missed " painting.
Although it is a bit larger and it is of the same area, I am pleased with the outcome.  If nothing else, I like to think that over that short time I have a record of my change in "style".

'til next...

Amherst Island Village

 

Stella's Intersection    10" x 12"    o/p

 

Today's painting is on a Masonite panel that had been gessoed and a orange red coat of acrylic paint applied to the surface prier to its' use.

The palette for this painting was my "split" palette. It is as follows, ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, alizarin, cad red med., cad.yellow med., lemon yellow.  I also have on my palette, Prussian blue. It and some alizarin gives a nice "dark punch" when needed.

 

I used a small brush to lay in the composition with a very loose mixture of ultramarine blue and alizarin. (A little heavier than a watercolour wash.)  I have found that when laying in the composition, it is easier to wash in big shapes, keeping a rag close at hand to remove or blot changes to the plan. Nothing lost ! In many cases, it saves having to basically destroy a nice line drawing that I had spent to long on anyway.

After I am finished with the washes it is just a matter of starting to cover the dark shapes (no line drawing to destroy now ) with your choice of colours. At this stage I have switched to a larger brush as dictated by the shapes.

 

I find that "things" happen faster with this method. No fuss and less mess !

 

'til next..

 

 

 

 

 

From the past..

 

 

Fisherboys    12" x 10"    o/p 

 

Yesterday was a 'stay at home' kind of painting day. When trying to find a subject from my reference photos, I decided to try something out of the normal for me today. This reference photo was taken from a earlier paint out this past summer at the "floating bridge". I usually paint landscapes sans people.

Also out of the normal for me is that I usually do not paint in the portrait or 'vertical' position.

 

I used  one of my landscape panels for this "people" painting,  and no changes were made to its' preparation to accommodate the subject matter. 

In this instance, my "attack" plan was the same as it would have been for a landscape painting. (as in the previous painting) I think that this method saved me from having to deal with the details before the composition and attitude of the figures were finalized. Those details, as few as they seemed, were saved until the end.

 

My palette for this painting was the same palette that I would have used had the painting been a landscape.

The final painting has an "illustrative look" to it in my humble opinion, but I do not think that is a bad thing.

 

'til next..

 



 

 



Hunting for colour

Autumn Creek    10" x 12"    o/c

Autumn creek was painted on a Masonite panel that had been triple gessoed and  pre stained  prier to being painted on. The original  layout was drawn with a  'loose' mixture of ultramarine blue and alizarin . This was followed up with a larger brush to lay in the darker colours (shadow areas and dark objects ) in the composition. I used the same brush to lay in the middle tone values of the brighter colours on top and around the shadow areas and dark objects.

Lastly, I checked the values of my colours (many were overly close to each other on the gray scale) and removed many of the middle values. From there it was simply a matter of using my "rigger" to put in a few sticks and branches to suggest some detail and help give a finished look to the painting.

'til next..