I am feeling better now

Last Thursday and this Monday were both disasters.  For the first time ever I produced a painting that I was too embarrassed to show anyone.  I scrubbed it off before I came home.  Monday's wasn't much better and I was getting really frustrated.



Wednesdays sketch group model was Leah and she had a great face to paint so I was inspired.  This painting has some problems but I like to think that I would have fixed most of them I hadn't run out of time.  I do feel and I was told that I managed a great likeness and in portraits that is important.
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This morning we were in Hidden Valley Park.  It was cold.  It was 4 degrees C but there was a cold wind and we just aren't acclimatized to this weather yet.  I wasn't prepared for it either .  I will be next time.  I debated putting the three maples standing equally spaced like a row of soldiers but that is the way they were planted and part of the charm of the scene.

I haven't decided if I like this one but it is much better than the last two landscapes so I am happy.

Gordon

I went to my first Burlington Fine Arts Association meeting last night and it just happened to be their critique night.  The critiquer was Marla Panko and she told it like she saw it.   Constructive criticism is what helps us grow so I was looking forward to getting some "educated" feedback from someone who doesn't know me. I received more positive and less negative comments than most of the other artists so I was feeling pretty pleased with myself.  I fully agreed with the negative so it was a good night.
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This mornings BFAA studio time was with a model and I love doing portraits so it was another good morning.  Gordon was sitting reading a book on his tablet.  I probably should have done a full figure painting so that it would have context.  Because he is looking down the head and shoulders painting makes it look as if he is sleeping.

This was completed in about two hours so I am quite pleased with it.

I need to find a way to get better photographs of my oil paintings.  It is hard to eliminate the glare when they are wet.

Kerncliff Park

This was our second Thursday at this old quarry which has been turned into a fantastic park complete with a boardwalk through a marsh.  I was so unhappy with my paintings last week that I didn't post them.  I was once rejected by a gallery because I wasn't in their minds consistent enough.  I think that consistency would be death to me as an artist.  It is the failures that I learn from and grow from.



This was my first painting.  It is actually almost the exact motif that I failed miserably at last week.  This is much better but I am still not happy with the rocks.  I need to learn how to do the stone faces in the escarpment.
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This was my second painting.  It was done in about a third the time of the first and I like it much better.  I think that there is a lesson to be learned there.

What a Gorgeous Day to be Outside

It started off a bit chilly this morning but it quickly warmed up to about 22 degrees with a bright warm sun. I was painting at Princes Point with the Burlington Fine Arts Association and we couldn't have had better conditions.  It was such a great day to be out that I completed two paintings and I was still reluctant to pack up.

I was originally attracted to this scene because this glowing field was the backdrop for some low hanging branches of a very old maple tree.  I was going to do a painting of the branches but when I finished the background I decided that I liked it as is and branches hanging down in front of it wouldn't make it any better so I left them out.

I am very pleased with the result.


I am not as pleased with this painting but I am okay with it.  I have the reds a bit too intense but it balances the darks on the other side so it kind of works.


We are off to a volunteer reception at the Carnegie Gallery tonight so I will get a preview of the completed addition to the gallery.  It will be the perfect finish to an intense day.

It was a fantastic day to paint.  A group of us met at Meyers Apple Orchards in Copetown.  It was about 16 degrees and the sun was warm with a few fluffy clouds to make the sky interesting.
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Meyers is a u-pick orchard. All the apple trees are pruned so that they can be picked without ladders and they have fantastic shapes and gnarly branches.  They are also loaded with apples.  Most of the others attempted to paint the rows of trees however I decided to stick to one tree with the wonderful blue sky as a backdrop.


I am very happy with this painting.  I would also recommend Meyer's apples.  I bought three of their many varieties and they are delicious.  It was indeed a great and productive day.

Dundurn What?

It is time to listen to Debbie and fix my lackadaisical painting storage system.  I was sickened to discover that a painting that sold was badly damaged. Not only did I lose that sale but one of my best paintings in now not ruined.

I didn't expect to do well painting today because I was still upset by my ruined painting, it was cool and windy where we were set up and there was a very noisy truck right behind us the whole time that we were painting.


The act of painting removes me from all that.  I get so wrapped up in the process that everything else becomes insignificant.  When I started to pack up I came to the realization that I was shivering from the cold and my fingertips were numb.  I was also pleasantly surprised by the resulting painting.


This is the back door to a grand mansion built by Sir Alan McNab in 1835.  It was built on the site of a War of 1812 fort and was named Dundurn which is Gaelic for "strong fort".  It was affectionately nicknamed Dundurn Castle by Hamilton residents.

Lowville Creek 14" X 11"

Today was a great day.  Is was about 18 degrees C with clear blue skies so there was great lighting and it was very comfortable. I rushed out of the house without my tripod or my rags but a picnic table served as a tripod and towels were borrowed from a friend so I managed quite well.

I struggled with my last couple of paintings so I had mixed feelings about painting today.  Eagerness to paint mixed with some trepidation about how it would go.  I needn't have worried.  I am quite pleased with this painting.  I still have a long way to go and lots to learn but paintings like this one keep me excited about the trip.