An Interior

Living Room Corner 12"x10" original oil on stretched canvas

Since seeing a book by Connie Hayes called Borrowed Views (which I have kicked myself for not purchasing at the time, because now it is out of print), I have admired paintings of interiors.  Today, I decided to try my hand at one. 

Vast sky on a small canvas

Cloud and Bay Landscape 9"x12" original oil on canvas board

I was reading that it wasn't until the late 1800's that the different kinds of clouds were named. In this scene there is a combination of cloud types. Whatever their names, clouds are a beautiful challenge for the painter.  I wonder what this one would look like on a huge canvas...

Rocky Landscape

Rocks and Trees 8"x10" original oil on canvas

There is something powerful about these rocks piled on top of each other, jumbled together by some ancient upheaval.  All the shifting planes are intriguing and the scrubby pines are almost like a crown on this craggy rock face.

Into the Woods

Tree Study 8"x10" oil on canvas

The effects of our very long autumn linger on.  Painting trees is always a challenge for me...how to give them individual character and to convey that they are really rooted in the ground.  I enjoy the play of shadows and light on the ground and on the trees. 

Indoor Garden: Longing for colour

February Bouquet, 10" x 8" oil on stretched canvas

Colour, please!  After so much white scenery, I long for the colours of spring.

Belated Valentine!

Valentine Reds, 16"x16" oil on stretched canvas

The idea here was to explore the qualities of different reds: Pyrrol Red, Cadmium Red, Permanent Magenta, etc.  The  large chocolate heart was covered in red tin foil...a challenge to paint!  I painted the heart trying to get the volume and values right and then glazed it with Pyrrol Red, which gets it red, and then went back in to pick up a few little highlights in white to try to get that sheen of tin  foil.  The heart, rose and candies were on a bed of pink tissue paper, over a red velvety fabric. This was an exercise in using the colour red and in creating texture.  Done in Still Life Class & Colour Theory at Ian Shatilla Studios...a great course and a great teacher!

Day 30: 30 Paintings 30 Days

Barn Near St. Irénée, Quebec, 7" x 9"

A summer scene painted in the midst of another cold spell.  Oh well, we can always dream!  This was painted from a photo I took on a trip many years ago to the Charlevoix.  Well, I did it!  I painted 30 paintings in 30 days.  It is pretty addictive, so though I might not post every day, I intend to be painting quite a bit and will post frequently.  Many thanks for the many wonderful comments and interest!  It really helped to spur me on. 

Day 29: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Carrot Cake, 6" x 8" oil on canvas board

With apologies to Wayne Thibaud, a most remarkable painter of pastries and cakes, amongst other things.  This was fun to paint but hard to look at for a couple of hours without sneaking a bite.  I think I subconsciously omitted a fork from the painting as a way of saying "hands off" to myself.  The glass plate posed a challenge too, to paint, that is! 

Day 28: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Eggs, Bowl and Plate, 8" x 8" oil on canvas board

There was a very dramatic ray of light coming in from the side of this still life composition, so I worked as fast as I could to try to capture what I was seeing before the light faded.  Tricky business!  I remember years ago in a drawing class having to draw 3 eggs on a white plate.  Sounds easy, right?  Not so much!

Day 27: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Cream Jug and Strawberries, 8" x 8" oil on canvas board

I think the composition could be improved by not having the creamer handle cropped the way it is.  It should be on or off.  It's a similar  to shooting a photo where the age old wisdom is not to cut people at their joints (elbows, knees, etc.) because there is something deeply unsettling about that to the human psyche.  Guess it's the same for jug handles?  Sometimes you need to break the rules to get something more dynamic, but I don't think that was the result here.  Well, part of the point in doing this is to learn....

Day 25: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Sand Ripples and Beach Grass, 7" x 9", oil on canvas board

This was based on a photo I took on First Encounter Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  Fun to think of the beach on a cold day in January.  The sand ripples were the fascination for me and how they seemed to speak to the beach grass.

Day 24: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Leek, Scallions and Turnip, 6" x 8" oil on canvas board

This leek had a serious bend in it, unlike your everyday leek that is quite straight. 

Day 22: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Quebec Town, 8" x 6" oil on canvas board

I painted this today from a photo I took some years ago somewhere in Quebec, but I don't remember where, exactly.  Could it be Petite Riviere St. Francois?  Is it on the way to St. Emilie de L'Energie or somewhere else in the Laurentians?  One thing is for certain, there was bound to be a church as part of the landscape.  In not quite the words of Mark Twain, you can't throw a rock without breaking a church window in Montreal / Quebec!

Day 21: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Spools of Thread, 5" x 7" oil on canvas board

Humble subject but still a challenge, at least for me!

Day 17: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Snowy NDG Street, 6" x 8" canvas board

This was painted from a photo I took looking up Marcil Avenue.  The house in the foreground on the left was actually an old farmhouse way back, built before there was anything else around, or so the story goes.  NDG looks pretty in the winter with all the snow-laden trees, but the sidewalks and streets can be quite dangerous and at times almost impassible! 

Day 14: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Toast and Jam, 8' x 8" canvas on board

Reds are tricky business for me.  I was aiming for more of a burgundy for the cloth, but ended with a purple / mauve.  Colour is challenging but oh so fun!

Day 12: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Keen's and Jalepeno Peppers, 5" 7" oil on panel

Spicing things up a bit.  Jalepenos are the cutest peppers to paint and they do spice up life in the kitchen too!

Day 11: 30 Days 30 Paintings

White Jug and Clementine, 5"x7" oil on panel

I love the shape of this little jug.  It has great curves! 

Day 9: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Oil and Vinegar, 6" x 8" oil on panel

Plus a red onion, all ready to make a salad!  Lesson learned:  painting is like poker...you've got to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.  Danger lurks in that one last touch of the brush to "fix" some little detail, then there's another, and another and before you know it....well if you paint, you know what that's all about.  Knowing when to stop is the hardest of all.

Day 7: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Cyclamen, 8" x 8" oil on panel

Thought I'd paint another of my flowering plants before it gave up the ghost.  The background colour makes me feel warm, much needed on this freezing cold day!