It was another fantastic day to paint.  It was about 5 C when we started but it was close to 15C when we called it quits at noon.  John Mullenger and I met in the RBG parking lot of Rock Chapel Sanctuary.  There are many wonderful views of Cootes Paradise and Hamilton at this time of year.  In the summer the leaves on trees block most of the views.

John elected to paint the sugar shack and I turned and painted the view of the "High Level Bridge" and Hamilton behind it.  The view was very hazy and it stayed that way even as the sun rose higher and the day heated up.  It was very challenging because of the branches in the way and the distance but I am happy with how this one turned out.  I need to cool down the mid ground.

This afternoon I reworked my Mount Nemo painting a little.  Catherine Gibon suggested that I darken the sky a bit to accentuate the stream of clouds wafting up behind the point.  I think that it helps a lot.


I need to keep this pace up.

Foggy RBG Morning

It was very foggy at the RBG Arboretum at 9:00 this morning but visually very interesting as subject matter for a painting.  I love painting scenes like this but it takes a long time for my paper to dry enough to get a hard edge when the humidity is 100%.  If I didn't like challenges I wouldn't use watercolours.

Tomorrow is supposed to be another great day so I hope to get out again.

Fletcher Creek Conservation Area

It was a fantastic day to paint at the Fletcher Creek Conservation Area in Puslinch.  It was overcast but bright, about 8 C and relatively low humidity.  There was lots to motivate me and I found myself in a cedar grove with some very old cedars.  These trees were massive and close enough together that it was easy to lose my bearings.

This is 11" by 15".  It was a struggle because the trees were so dense and the twigs so thick that they looked like lace.  I wanted to capture that wildness without being over fussy and too busy.

I am still not sure how I feel about it.  I received some very positive feedback from other artists but I still feel that it needs something.

I would like more contrast but the grove was so thick that is was very dull with little in the way of shadows.  I think that I will call this finished and head back in there next week.  Off to the RGB tomorrow.

Mount Nemo Scout Camp at it's most Glorious

I went out to the Scout Camp to help with some maintenance work but I wasn't needed and fortunately I had my paints with me.  It was another perfect day for painting so I managed two painting this afternoon and I am happy with both of them.

The first one is of Mount Nemo as seen from the edge of the camp property.  I have been struggling for ages trying to go bolder quicker and I came to the realization that I am using far too much water.  I could have bold colours but the thin washes meant they faded to almost nothing when they dried.  Now instead of adding layers of colour and often overworking a painting I am sometimes having to remove some paint.  It is way more fun this way.

This second painting of the day was from the exact same spot but a slightly different angle.This barn was across a couple of bright green fields and nestled up against the maples on the side of the escarpment.  I could have done at least five different paintings from this location and every one a different subject matter.  What a great location.

Valleyview Farm Retouched

I went back in and reworked this painting a little.  Can you tell the difference between this and the earlier posting of this painting?

I darkened the top of the sky and lightened the background hills to give it more depth and I worked on the forground tree to give it a better shape.

On Fallsview Rd East

I will continue to post blogs here as well as my site.

It was another fantastic day to paint today.  Warm and sunny but there was one challenge. Gusts of wind kept trying to blow my easel over.  It only actually went over once but it was after I had finished so no harm was done.

The wind is blowing a lot of the leaves off the trees however there are still areas of absolutely brilliant colour.  I actually saw this view from two concessions over because it was glowing so brightly.

I had another first, for me, as a plein air artist.  I finished my painting, packed up and headed to Tews Falls.  A white pickup truck followed me all the way from Fallsview Rd to the parking lot at Tew's.  The driver  said that he saw my car parked with the trunk open and now there is a pile of garbage by the side of the road.  He accused me of dumping it.  I explained that I would be more likely to pick garbage up than to dump it and showed him my painting.  He seemed to accept that.

This view was far more exciting and brilliant than this photo makes it appear. That is the advantage that an artist has over a photographer.  We can paint a scene the way we see it and not necessarily the way it is.

Redesigned Website

I have been working hard redesigning my website.  It is done now and anyone wishing to view my artwork can find it at www.johnchristie.ca.

I have been painting although nowhere near as much as I should be.  This was painted Tuesday afternoon at Valleyview Farm just west of Dundas.  It was a perfect day to paint, cool and dry.  I will probably do a little more on this one however I need to look at it for a while so that I have a better feel for what it needs.

Seing it here I realize that the foreground needs some work and the sky needs to be a little darker at the top and graduated to give the painting more depth.