a favourite window...

I have been spending a lot of time painting recently.  My arms get tired, I get stiff because sometimes I seem to be at it for several hours!  And my eyes need a break so I am glad to finally sit in my comfy chair and gaze out of the window which is beside my work table and easel. Amazing how I forget to pause and look out more often.

The window is open and because we are at the high end of the street and this is the second floor of our house I can hear everything that goes on outside in our corner of the block and beyond...  There is a lot of black around the photo because I just grabbed my iPhone and took the picture from where I am sitting.  Hope you get the gist of it.

Two paintings - almost done -  and, just for reference,  I never want to paint another pond lily again!

"Boffins #2"  24x48" acrylic on canvas

"Pond"  24x30" acrylic on canvas

Landscapes within landscapes....

Nature offers us endless beautiful views! I never tire of them.

For many years my summers included lake time.  Wading in the water.  Canoeing - in the Churchill River area and along the edges of lakes where you can glimpse into the underbrush or see stones and fish in shallow areas.  I have wandered paths through trees stopping at an open sunny patch of blueberries and what we called ground or low-bush cranberries.  A mouthful of these berries together  - the sweet and the sour... delicious! The endless variety of plants and flowers, shrubs, trees and the water bugs skimming along the surface of the water. (I don't like bugs!)  I have stood in the grass on a windblown hillside and looking down picked up a perfectly round stone or marvelled at a minute flower almost hidden from sight by sage and grass.  I have come close to a beaver chopping at a tree near a slough.  The splash of light across a carpet of green in a forest destroyed by recent fire is a green like none other.  One could go on and on picking out favourite scenes or memories of places which stay in our minds for one reason or another.

I have found that there are landscapes within landscapes! There are the panoramic views and the closeup views.

There is a beautiful pathway through the oak trees as your walk up to the gate to Boffins -  but looking down you will see miniature plants amongst the moss at the base of the tree.  Sitting beside a lake, we often look out towards the lake and distant landscape - which is beautiful! And we especially wait for the sun to set and fill the sky with colours that reflect on the water.  But look to the side and there you might see a miniature landscape that calls one to wonder at it as well.

I am often drawn from the panoramic view to a small part of it. Maybe we all are.  It is these smaller views which I sometimes like to capture in my paintings and which I have included in this post.  The first painting is a small corner of Boffin's pond. The second, also with marsh marigolds in it is from Brightlsand Lake, and the last two are near the water's edge at Candle Lake.

... so as we spend time in nature this summer lets take deeper looks, narrow our gaze and enjoy the smaller landscapes.

"Pond"  acrylic on canvas, 24x48"

"Marsh Marigolds"  Watercolour

"Lakeside Garden"  Watercolour

"Beside Candle Lake"  Watercolour

Looking forward to summer....

It has been awhile since I have posted a completed painting.  Life has been full - seasons of life and death.  The joys of grandchildren, birthdays, and sunshine.  Even though it is colder this evening we know that spring is giving place to summer.

I have no idea what to name this painting! As usual I am stymied and I am always open to suggestions.  It is a scene primarily out of my memories of prairie clouds, sloughs, hills and trees.  The prairies bring so much beauty to our lives with the various seasons offering our senses much to see, feel and smell.  The clouds are never the same, a full slough this year may be almost empty next summer, dry summers may give way to wonderfully rainy falls with vibrant colours.  A hot, dry summer may be followed by a refreshingly humid summer.  Well, one never knows what a day will bring.  With this painting I guess I just wanted to somehow capture something of the incredible cloud formations I have noticed the past few years.  I never tire of looking at the clouds!

The painting is done in acrylic and is 24 x 36"

Show and Sale results...

The Big Sky Artists Show and Sale was very successful.  We had lots of people attend and many paintings sold.  I was thankful that 7 of mine where purchased, 6 of them were oils and one a watercolour of a peony flower.  Guess I will get my oils out once it warms up a bit more and I can open the window.  Even though I don't use turpentine as was used in the past, there is still a strong smell when using oils.  At the moment I am working on a larger acrylic painting with lots of clouds.

These are the paintings which sold: thank you very much to those who purchased the following paintings.

   

   

Closing down...

Well this painting has exhausted me and I just need to stop. It will be put on the shelf for a bit and maybe I will look at it in a few days to see if there is anything more I can do.  It started with promise as you might have noticed in a previous post but in the end I 'worked' / 'worried' it too much.  Frustrating!  I really do have a lot to learn about how water and paint work together!

Show and Sale

It is time for our annual Show and Sale!  I am sorry the poster is not as clear as it could be but I hope you can read our names.  We are all looking forward to this and hoping you are able to drop by to share some time with us.

I have been busy adjusting some larger acrylic paintings and working steadily on several watercolours.  Yes, I'm still working on the roses although I took time out to do a peony which I am hoping will be framed in time for the show.  It was a bit frustrating as I was using a smooth watercolour paper which also seemed 'soft' and a different brand of paints - Daniel Smith watercolours.  But the challenge is done and I will get back to the roses now.

Threshold

Seems I am at another "Threshold" with this painting!  what decisions do I need to make to take the next step.

There are times when I need to set a painting aside, take a photo, and look at it from a distance.  And of course the pondering sets in and I realize I need to think more carefully about the next move.  As you will see I have been working on this - although I did take some time off to work on an acrylic painting with some huge clouds in it!

But this will call be back until I finish or until I give up!

When I set it aside after several hours of work this morning, the word which came to mind was "threshold" so I looked it up and realized, yes, it did fit.  I am at a point of entering the second final stage - that of the final painting before the finishing touches are done - and this point has the possibility of producing an image that is a little less than enough so that the the finishing touches complete it OR producing an image that is overworked and more than enough.... It is a cold hearted analysis of the painting, an emotional optimism versus discouragement, and finally a mental willingness and determination to go on - all of these factor in to what is decided on this threshold.

Here are three more photos - hopefully the final one will soon be available!

1. Threshold:1:  the plank, stone, or piece of timber that lies under a door :  sill2a  :  gate, door    b (1)  :  end, boundary; specifically  :  the end of a runway (2)  :  the place or point of entering or beginning :  outset <on the threshold of a new age>3a  :  the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced <has a high threshold for pain>   b  :  a level, point, or value above which something is true or will take place and below which it is not or will not