roses

 Treated myself to a gorgeous bunch of roses on the weekend, which became inspiration for some canvas's  on Sunday.  oh my the smell of these under the warmth of the studio light is luscious.

Roses are so cliche` in art, but how can one resist painting them? 

Gallery Road Trip

Some of my work on display at Gallery on Gore, Perth

Oh, Autumn!  You have bewitched me again.  
Today I set out on a one hour road trip to the town of Perth, Ontario for a visit to Gallery on Gore with the purpose of delivering new paintings.  


Usually I listen to CBC talk radio as I drive along, but this morning was sunny, bright and so spectacular, I wanted to be right in the moment and soak it all in.  Switch off that blathering radio and be mindful!
Canadian shield granite outcroppings among the myriad of fall color, luscious. I ended up taking a detour because of roadworks, but never mind, I traveled down roads never explored before.  I'm glad I could enjoy it today; I heard lake effects snow might be in the forecast for the weekend! ugh.

Johanne, hanging some of my work

Gallery on Gore is a lovely little gallery on the main street of Perth, Ontario.  Gallery owners Johanne and Kevin are professional and enthusiastic about the art, which is such a great feeling for an artist. I also think it's a super important quality when it comes to selling art.  So many people are intimidated entering galleries,they need to feel welcomed when they do.  No problem at Gallery on Gore, it's a friendly little place!
I was happy when they chose 8 of my paintings to restock their inventory of my work.

There used to be an empty storefront next to them when they first opened a few years ago, but now the Perth Picture Framing shop has moved in...perfect neighbor, I'd say!

Ride to Work

Ride to Work - oil on canvas 18 x 14"

This painting sprang to life last week.  I was feeling out of ideas of what to paint.  When that happens, I like to go digging in the many folders that contain my own photo resource collection.  I'm not a great photographer, but I can aim and click like the best of them when a light pattern or atmosphere inspires me.  The morning light spoke to me in this one.

original photo, and line sketch for painting

I am a lazy painter. I do not love drawing. I love to paint. BUT, when there is a lot of architectural stuff I do need a guide before I get all excited and lay in the paint.  I cheat.  Yes! I use tracing paper and a sharpie, but I try and keep my copy looser than the actual photo. Basically I grab the main lines and do a quick value sketch.

I stained my canvas with a thin mix of vermilion. Up-scaling the  line sketch with thin alizarin paint onto the canvas (ssshhh, dont tell anyone but I use a light box to do this, because as I said before, I'm impatient, I dont like wasting time drawing, somehow it kills my passion to get to the painting).  

yay! almost painting... but first I'm going to choose my palette.  I mostly choose lively high key pigments... two reasons, I want a light mood to my painting, and I want to play around with colours that I'm less familiar with so I feel like I'm learning something as I go. Learning = more fun!
Here they are:  warm white, indian yellow, cad orange, violet, cobalt teal, cobalt blue, vandyke brown.  I know, I know! wierd, eh?  ha ha.

Blocking in the darker values and lighter values, sets up a push pull kind of thing right from the start.  I like this push- pull, it's what artists refer to as 'a dialogue'.  For me it's the most fun part, because it allows the freedom for interpretation and individuality.  The vermilion creates a nice base for the other colours, as it seems to harmonize them as it glows through the thin paint. 

I begin to analyze the painting...  Here, I felt it might be more interesting with the addition of some life. Like what, I hear you ask.  Maybe a dog walker? Some birds? A pedestrian?  I decide maybe a student on a bicycle...after all, this neighborhood is close to the university, and I'm into bicycles lately. ha ha.

This one is 18 x 14 inches on canvas.