Landon Library: watercolour, pen and ink

I've been walking through Wortley Village with my friend Cheryl Radford, sketching and taking photographs and looking for inspiration. Along with my friends, Len Hughes and Amelia Husnik, Cheryl and I will be having a show of Wortley based art in November of 2013. It may seem a long way off , but time has a way of flying past so quickly these days, that it seemed like a good idea to start looking for ideas.The piece above was done in the studio and is based on one of the photos I took. I drew the scene and then washed it with several layers of watercolour and finished it with pen and ink.

The second sketch was done on location, around 5:30, sitting on the steps at the front door of one of the churches in Wortley Village. It's a sketch of a house on Elmwood Ave. The view of the house was partially obstructed by trees, but I enjoyed sketching it anyway. This time I used watersoluble ink and water.

This painting is of a house on Princess Ave here in the Woodfield area of London. I have been looking at this house for a couple of years now, wishing I had the time to sketch or paint it. I finally got the opportunity to do so this summer. This painting will be in The Gallery Painting Group's show in October at the Byron Memorial Library. The information about the show follows.

Remembering Venice

Reflections: A Canal In Venice

I had the good fortune to travel to Italy with a group of artists in 2011 and my favourite place was Venice.  I did several sketches and took many photos while my husband and I strolled through the streets. The old buildings and their reflections were wonderful. This watercolour painting was finished two days ago, using photos and sketches as references. It will be entered into the Square Foot Art Exhibition at The Art Exchange along with two other paintings. Some day I would love to go back to Venice. 

Painting for the Spring Shows and Summer Galleries

Daylily

I have been busy painting, getting ready for the Spring club shows....Brush and Palette and Lambeth Art Association as well as getting work ready for The Boathouse Gallery in Port Stanley ( opening March 1st) and Sunset Arts Gallery in Grand Bend (opening May 5th ). This little watercolour will be at one of the shows or galleries. I haven't decided yet where it is going to go.

Art Exchange Miniature Juried Show 2012

Island of Burano, Italy

 

This is one of my entries into the Art Exchange Miniature Show. It is a watercolour painting of the reflections on the canal on the Island of Burano in Italy. Burano, famous for the handmade lace made there, is located near Venice. We were fortunate to have beautiful weather while on the island and enjoyed walking and wandering.

A Gift: Lilies In My Garden

I did a watercolour sketch of these lilies in my garden this morning. They were a gift years ago from my mother's garden and have faithfully returned every year since. They have always intrigued me because their seeds appear to form at the base of their leaves, having nothing to do with their flowers. Mom always called them Tiger Lilies, but I think their spots make them leopards!



A Voice from The Past: Memory Work, Kindness and Miss M.

When I was a child in grade five my teacher, Miss M., was in the habit of giving us memory work. I remember only the following lines  now, from a poem, the title of which I no longer know.

" Slowly, silently, now the Moon
  Walks the night in her silver shoon
  This way and that she peers and sees
  Silver fruit upon silver trees."

I think the poet was Walter de la Mare, but I may be wrong. Last night at the Sunset Arts Gallery Opening a woman walked through our door with some companions. She looked very familiar to me but it wasn't until I heard her voice as she was talking to her friends about her favourite painting in the gallery that I could place her. I introduced myself to her. I am sure she didn't remember me, since I have changed quite a bit in the many years since grade five. I reminded her of the great kindness she had shown me when I inadvertently destroyed many of her files when I was plant monitor and over watered ( to say the least ), causing a river of water to run down the shelves and on to her work.  I was sure I would be in so much trouble, but as I tried to explain what had happened, she laughed and said she understood and helped me to clean up the water. I have never forgotten her kindness to a terrified little girl. Before she left the gallery she purchased her favourite painting, Near Ril Lake, which was one of mine  which I did plein air near a friend's cottage. Thank you Miss M., for the purchase and for so much more!

Near Ril Lake

  

On Location with The Gallery Painting Group

This is a small watercolour sketch done on location this morning. The Gallery Painting Group meets regularly in the spring, summer and fall to paint on location. It's a great group of painters and we have fun together while also learning. At the end of each session we critique each other's efforts, offering both praise and suggestions. This morning we gathered at a dairy farm where there was an amazing variety of subject matter. I chose to do a landscape view across the road from the farm. I spent more time chatting than painting, but that's part of the appeal of this group... a chance to talk with other painters and compare ideas, methods, media and goals.The spring greens, yellows and pinks were fun to paint ... much softer and more high key than my usual palette...   Next week we are meeting at a different farm. If we are very lucky the weather will be as nice as it was today.                                                                                             

Award at Brush and Palette Show

Market Series # 1, watercolour and pen

I was delighted to be the recipient of an Honours Award at the Brush and Palette Club Show. The judge, Catherine Elliot Shaw, made the folowing remarks:

The combination of architectural details, urban vista and intriguing table groupings creates an engaging image of ordinary stories. The text provides an additional dimension and its ambiguity allows us the opportunity to complete the narrative ourselves. The colour and technique imbues the scene with a distincitve,  melancholy quality.

Westdel Bourne Sheep

This is a watercolour done after one of the Gallery Painting Group's paint outs. I had done a graphite sketch of the amazing barn on location, intending to paint it in watercolour at home in my studio. However, when I saw the sheep with their personalities so clearly visible on their faces, I was enchanted and took several photos of them before I left. I decide to use one of the triadic colour schemes I have been playing with to paint the sheep in front of the barn. When I was finished I cropped the barn out of the painting entirely and was happy with the result. I will paint the barn another time.....perhaps.

GPG Komoka Paint Out

Yesterday the Gallery Painting Group went to Komoka to paint. The weather was hot and extrememly humid, but in spite of that many members were there. I chose to paint the woods by the river. I was intrigued by the way the river shone through the shaded woods and branches and decide to attempt to paint it as my subject. The humidity made working in watercolour a challenge, but I treid anyway. I began by blocking in the shapes as seen in the picures below.

The finished painting, completed at home in the studio, was not what I had hoped. It was too dark and muddy, but I will try the scene again, this time in a vertical format which should help to bring in some sky and light.

finished painting

photo in vertical format

Breakfast At Roxy's

Roxy's, watercolour

Brian and I went to Port Stanley this morning to sketch and to have breakfast. We arrived around 8 am, walked around the center of town , took some photos and then succumbed to the heat and humidity. We went to Roxy's for a late breakfast. It was very busy, but the breakfast was worth waiting for. We then made our way home with a stop at Thomas Brothers to pick up corn, raspberries and back currents. Tomorrow I will be making black current jelly!! Yum!!

Just outside Roxy's

Port Stanley Harbour

Rain Date: Komoka School House

Tara kindly invited us back to her property today, since the original date was a rainy day. There were lots more painters today. The weather was wonderful, the birds were singing and there was a lovely little breeze...in short a perfect day to paint plein air. I did two small watercolour sketches, one of the building and one of the old orchard behind it. On the way home I stopped to take a few photos of a wooded area beside the road filled with wild phlox.