Dog Days - all paintings 11" X 14"

I have been painting just slow to post.  I really need to find my camera charger.
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This was painted on Monday July 8th but I had to wait for paintings to dry so that I could scan them.  It was a very hot day at Bronte Harbour but fortunately we could find some shade and there was a gentle breeze coming off the lake.
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This was painted last Monday.  It was just as hot with a bit less of a breeze.  Do oil paints ever get soft when it is this hot.  Three of us all painted this scene as an exercise is getting the shape of the water correct.  I am happy with my result.
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This was painted Thursday.  It was rather horrendous.  It was very very hot,  there wasn't even a whisper of a breeze and the deer flies were biting like crazy.  It was still good to be painting.  I love my job even if it doesn't pay well.

Manitoulin Island

Debbie and I spent two marvellous days on Manitoulin Island last weekend and I managed to find time for two paintings.  Unfortunately the battery in my camera died and I have misplaced the charger so I had to wait for them to dry enough to scan them.

This is the gate for the lane leading to my brother-in-law's home.  Bill's house has a magnificent view across Lake Manitou of the Cup and Saucer.  I have the gateway a bit narrow and the sun from different directions but I am happy with this.  It was a beautiful day but the shadows were moving faster than I was painting so I got a bit confused.



I had a few hours to kill in Little Current so I headed out towards Whitefish falls looking for rocks, water, and pine trees to paint.  There are lots of great views however very few places to pull off the highway to paint.  This was painted at a boat launch at the narrows at the top of La Cloche Island.  Locals call it Swift Current but I couldn't find any reference to it on any map.  The scenery here was awesome.

Fletcher Creek again

We went back to Fletcher Creek Conservation Area again and painted from 2 PM until 9 PM with a short break for supper.
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This is my afternoon painting.  The weather was perfect.  I was in a old cedar grove beside a marsh and the bugs surprisingly weren't a problem.  The only challenge was the lack of light.  There was a thick canopy and mostly cloudy skies so it was pretty dark.  Every once in a while the sun would break through and there would momentarily be gorgeous highlights.





When we brought our paintings out into the sunlight the colours and contrast was much different than we expected.  I love this location and am okay with this painting.  I should have used more colour.

Guennadi's "Old Maple"

I am still struggling at times with oil paint so I enrolled in Guennadi Kalinine's painting landscapes from photos class so that I could learn from him.  He said that a great way to learn is to copy a master so I decided to copy one of his.  How better to learn than to copy a master while he is looking over your shoulder.

I wanted to learn how he does his backgrounds, tree leaves and grasses so I chose a wonderful painting that has all three.  Of all the paintings that I have done with oil paint this one was the most fun.

I am very happy with this one.  

I need to learn how to properly photograph oil paintings.  They all look much better in real life when you can see the texture in the thick paint.  

Saddly last night was the last class.

Paletta Pine 11" X 14" oil on birch board

I painted with the Burlington Fine Arts Guild this morning.  It was sunny and a comfortable 20 C with a gentle breeze off Lake Ontario.  We were painting at Paletta Park and Mansion on the Lakeshore in Burlington.  I prefer slightly less manicured locations but the hazy view over the lake was a nice backdrop for
this old pine.

I probably shouldn't have put the tree dead centre in the painting but I felt that it deserved centre stage.  The water is still a bit too blue but I am pretty happy with this one.

Almost the Solstice

It was a fantastic evening to paint.  The low light created long shadows and the yellows and reds were brilliant.  I am pleased with this.  I was told that it was my best yet and that I should call it "Solstice" because I captured the light so well.


The mosquitoes were ferocious and the constant buzzing made it difficult to concentrate at times but the temperature and lighting were perfect.  I am still having a lot of fun with oils and I guess it shows in my paintings.

Burns Pond

We were painting at Burns Conservation Area.  It was a nice warm evening and a wonderful location however as soon as the sun started getting low the mosquitoes got so bad we retreated to our cars.

I am continuously learning and improving with oils.  That is my goal right now so I am happy.