Long Time...No Post

It's been quite a while since my last post, happily, not my last painting.

I discovoured Watercolour and am now painting exclusively in it.

I won't bother showing my exercises and earliest attempts 'cause if you have kids...you've seen it coming home from school.

These are from the last 4 months...some are about 3 -4 months old and one was just finished a few days ago with my painting-Pal....John.

John is now also somewhat interested in watercolour and we have decided AND have started taking a course ( 2 hours a week) in Sudbury.

It will last 8 weeks and hopefully, even with this limited instruction we will both be more learned in the art of watercolour than we were before.

Newest Finished Painting

This was intended to be more or less a 'study' so I did it on a 12 X 16 inch canvasboard.

it turned out rather nicer than I thought it would and in fact is perhaps the first one I have done with my friend John that 'might' be a little nicer than his version.

It is from a photo I took a few weeks before just down the street from me.....a flowerpot on a mailbox support.

I hope you like it.

P.S. It is so far unsigned as I intend to do a few little touchups to it before i declare it finished.

Painting 7

This is not my own composition although it resembles many of the places I visit in the north.

It is changed substantially from the original but nontheless it is NOT from a photo of mine.

It's a little dark and that is really how I wanted it....a little broody and the sky is decidedly unsettled....but to me it's a 'warm' painting.

Hope you like it.

Painting # 6

This is a scene looking down Mercer Lake from the middle of the lake not far from the landing.

Done in the late evening in the fall it 'tries' to show the late evening sun on the tops of the trees on the western side of the lake.

A favorite spot of ours for camping for many years it usually has no visitors at all in the late fall....when we usually find ourselves there.

I have shown this time the painting done in 3 stages....that's all I could remember to take with my camera.

#1 picture shows just the wash for the sky and water.

#2 picture I have added some greenery and a little shore.

#3 picture had a little more detail and shows the light on the tree tops.

I hope you enjoy it.

Painting # 5

This painting is my first in a new-for-me larger size....12 X 16.

I have to say that I much prefer the larger size.

More paint to push around but less fiddley and easier to correct any mistakes ( although I NEVER make any ).

The scene is from the west end of Lake Nipissing in an area generally called the West Arm.

The road in is not usable by anything but the most highly strung trucks or a quad or a nice long walk if that's your style.

It's called Hidden Island after a camp that used to be situated here years ago and attracts some pretty determined fishermen and women.

I hope you like it.

Painting # 4....Sugar Shack Road

This painting is of a road to a sugaring off shack not too far from my house.

It is completely surrounded by huge maples and this day it was incredibly green.

This painting is 9 X 12 and is as usual in acrylic.

John and I both did it but he took a liberty and inserted a deer on the road in the foreground....a nice addition but slightly beyond my ability I think.

I think I might have captured the feeling of the dirt road and the light and shadows that played across it.

Let me know what you think.

My Studio.....LOL

Here's a picture of John and I working in my studio....which my wife INSISTS on calling the kitchen.

There she is, in the background......disaproving of our kitchen space gobbling.....oh well.....at least she ended up with something to hang on the wall.

Visible in the background is a loon I carved and yes.....we're in Northern Ontario so there are the obligatory snowshoes.....not yet put away for the winter.

As well note the homemade easel with my own 'special' touch of 'rails' on each side where I rest a homemade dowel so I can more easily make straight lines and details on the paintings.

We sure had fun this day!