Letting go of one's paintings...

Sometimes paintings stay with you for awhile and some leave rather quickly.  For the past few years I have had a "Seasonal Sale" and this year I was happy that two paintings found new homes.

The first one the purchaser had looked at before and wasn't quite ready but this year he said "Yes, I will take it!" I was glad because I know he loves the outdoors and spends time teaching an outdoor Biology class each summer.

Beside Candle Lake - Watercolour

 The second painting went to a friend who lives near the river it is a view of.  It is a dark painting with light along the horizon, not unusual during the summer evenings. We get the most beautiful views at sunrise and sunset!

River Sunset - Oil

Recently - well before the snow, which came way too early this year, I wandered along the river behind the university buildings.  I walked a path after crossing the railway bridge along the river past a ravine and to class each day for 6 years.  A beautiful walk, and I was reminded of its beauty by looking closely at the shrubs and grasses as they wound their way down to the river.  I also went further along the river and sat on a huge rock at the river's edge.  It was quiet and beautiful.

This is my first of, I hope, a number of scenes close to the river. A 10 x 10" acrylic.

 Three different views - three different mediums - three of my favourite paintings.

nature's offering....

Nature never stops giving us beautiful scenes to look at.  Places of quiet beauty where silence is the natural response.

Last fall we spend a few days near Waskesui and wandered a few paths including Boundary Bog.  Love this trail.  Although the boardwalk soon became treacherous due to ice we were able to experience the quiet beauty.  I have tried to capture some of the roughness of the branches, twigs and tree limbs amongst the moss where there are various tiny plants which sometimes give a rusty glow.  Love the moss.  This painting is done in oil.

We also spent a short time at Candle Lake and one warm evening the sky was particularly beautiful.
A larger painting done in acrylic.

River Views:  I never get tired of looking at the river!! Here are a few paintings  - the scenes are from virtually the same spot but looking in different directions.  One from the top of the hills and one looking down into the river valley where there are lots of ravines with various trees.

Small cloud studies....

Clouds have always fascinated me and inevitably I look up to see them when I go outside.  Morning and evening - they give me the weather report!

I realize that the sky is never the same and clouds do not have a "pattern" so, as far as I can see, trying to paint them provides me with a huge challenge as well as great liberty.  I finally rolled out my oil paints and did a few small studies of clouds, trying to capture a small part of their variation.

Fallen Leaves...

While I don't want to think about fall, I do like to rustle through fallen leaves and I know that as the seasons go, fall will surely come.

This watercolour was begun last spring and I have worked on it off and on for the last few months - not as consistently as I should have.  However, I am calling it finished!

Slow and steady...

The new studio is up and running. I have been painting this week and enjoy having the birds keep me company outside the open window.  I'm still getting used to the space and have some items to put on the walls in the far end area - to break up the whiteness of the space, and to cheer me up when I give my eyes a rest.  

I continue to work with watercolour in my inside the house studio - yes,  I now have two spaces which is great!  It means I can work in different mediums without having to put one away before getting the other out.  It is also much less crowded inside.

Below is the "Leaves and Stones" painting in progression so far. See if you can see the differences:-)

slow going...

Some times things move along slowly.  But this can be good and is sometimes necessary. Slow and steady is generally how I work best.

Family commitments this past month have included wonderful times together and included adding one more beautiful daughter-in-law to make 4!!  Parents and grandchildren from afar joined us for a week which certainly livened up our house.  It's so good to have a full house.

We finally finished the floor in the garage studio and I made a window curtain.  I have started moving my acrylics and oils out there.  I will keep the watercolours in the house as I have a great window location to work on them.  I have two larger river views to do in acrylics and then it's back to oils - it has been over a year and I am itching to use them.

The studio is filling up but I have the canvas on my easel and paints set to go...  I hope to work on a painting this next week.

Meanwhile there is the garden!  It seems we have so many garden spaces in our yard and I still haven't worked through them all.  But some of them are shaping up.  This little side garden has a bit more light now since removing a shed alongside it.  I've added a few more perennials but still need to weed an overabundance of clematis seedlings.

I usually spend a few hours working in the garden in the morning before it gets too hot... then it's inside to paint or sew - oh yes, that is another thing - I absolutely must get my material under control so have been working on a few smaller items. 

 
Since taking this photo I have given it a good soaking and added a few perennials.  It's surprising how plants pop up after a good drink of water.  The hostas are finally up - I love to watch their leaves unfurl, and each year they get larger.

The new watercolour of leaves and rocks below is slow going.  My last painting of leaves sold at the April show. It  was one of my favourites [I don't have many favourites which I want to hold on to for awhile, but that was one and it took a few years to finally let it go to the gallery.]

This is slow going and will take quite a bit of time to finish yet.

So lots on the go... but moving slowly with many twists and turns.  :-)