work in progress

This is the one I began here. I'm still working on simplifying and the colour palette. Not quite sure where I'm taking this one. Next time I post it will probably have an entirely new colour scheme : )

Feast your eyes: Painters Eleven by Iris Nowell

Painters Eleven, The Wild Ones of Canadian Art by Iris Nowell 

Nature Evolving, oil and Lucite 44 on canvas, Jock Macdonald

Dawning Morrow, oil on canvas board, Jock Macdonald

Symphony, oil on canvas, Alexandra Luke

It's been a while since I posted, due in equal parts to a) taking stock of my direction/re-focusing b) being under the weather, and c) chillin' out. Next week it will be back to business but in the meantime I thought I'd share a wonderful book that arrived yesterday: Painters Eleven: The Wild Ones of Canadian Art by Iris Nowell. 346 pages packed with vibrant, sophisticated, joyful images! Wow! Just what I needed. I've been working at semi-abstracting the landscape over the past year and the middle two images just clicked when I saw them. I very clearly see landscape influence there! I'm not well-versed regarding the Painters Eleven so I am looking forward to reading the biographies and will share more as I know more. For now, feast your eyes!

Exploring

So again...just trying something different. Trying to crack away the shell and be completely intuitive. I was looking at the same hills I was standing at for yesterdays work. Just went with a different approach. I used three colours: carbon black, titanium white and quinacridone gold. I took today off and the only painting I did was the garage doors. Couldn't get overly creative there ; )

Breaking from a block

Yesterday I wrote on my Facebook page "What do you do when you're feeling frustrated and like you've forgotten how to paint?!" I got a lot of wonderful responses. Today I tried to implement them. Sugar? Check. Chocolate was my particular poison. Change of scenery? Check. Outside. Rolling hills. Handle things in a different way? Check. Tried working with a stick, sitting in the field. Music? Check. I synched my iPod with music I love (I usually listen to CBC all day) I needed to clear my head. Another suggestion was to take a day off. That will be tomorrow as I need to get some housework done anyway. Great suggestions all!

So I did two paintings today. This one is 12x12. I will post the other one I did tomorrow. I just let go and tried to forget about everything technical. 

Work in progress

This is the painting I began last week. Progress...but still so much to do.

Petals

This is a painting I've just finished up. I started it last spring but it was never quite working so I put it away. It's taken a few turns but I'm ready to stop now. I think it's done.
acrylic on stretched canvas / 8"x10" / $165

Plein air on a farm

Warning: This is a six picture post - I was really taken with the place ; ) Fresh autumn air + a farm and paints = a perfect day. This was the tree that stopped me in my tracks. So much flow.

The initial stages...

View to my right...

 ...and behind me.

My painting at the end of the day. Obviously there's much to develop & refine but it was a great couple of hours and it felt so good to be out there surrounded by bright colours, crisp air and a light wind whipping around! More to come! Acrylic on stretched canvas, 14"x18"

A beginning

Today was a boring but necessary afternoon in the studio. I had a bunch of paintings whose edges needed painting...yawn. So I thought I'd post the initial drawing for a painting I did last week when I was painting outside - I did this after "Roots". This is 12"x12" but I'm going to work it up to a larger scale after this study.

Roots

Here's what it looks like today. I am still debating whether to darken the top strip - really darken. I'm going to have to think on that...
This is acrylic on stretched canvas, 12"x12"

Leaves, Roots and Black Gesso

The leaves are changing and it is starting to look gorgeous! This is a bit of the colour I saw today. Fabulous, yes? Wow, does nature ever give us a show. THANK YOU trees!

So walking through the woods, I came across an embankment and the twisted, exposed roots from the trees grabbed my attention. I've always found the shapes they create so intriguing. I had a canvas that I had prepped with black gesso and began my work on that. It's the first time I've used black gesso. Kind of cool but I found I really had to be thoughtful about my darks. I definitely didn't want to rely on the black as my dark because I think it can look dead. So I mixed up some deep dark paint to work with.

Here is a detail. I will be developing/finishing the rest tomorrow. And I can't wait to dive back in! I love it when you get the feeling that you just want to to paint non-stop.

Tangle

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

I'm finished! I really enjoyed developing this piece. And it's my favourite subject to paint.

20"x24" / acrylic on canvas / $585