A new piece in the Water Series...

I have returned to the larger paintings in oil, in pursuit of my fascination with water... This is from a series of photos I took at one of my favourite places - Grassi Lakes above Canmore, AB. It has a sentimental connection, since Lawrence Grassi was a family friend. There is a lot of subtle colour in this piece - I hope some of it comes through in the photo...

Reflection - Grassi Lake, AB

30 x 48 in.

Storm Moving In

Trying to use coloured conte with restraint... it is so easy to go crazy adding colour and having fun with lines - but going to far and adding TOO MUCH is a constant hazard... I think I stopped in time with this one.

Storm Moving In

Acrylic and conte

14 x 18 in.

Aspens

Playing with landscapes incorporating both paint and drawing tools - I love the energy of line (scribbley areas of colour, loose gestural contours, threads of line that lead the eye around...) I want to play with this idea for a looser approach to landscapes. This is early baby-steps in that direction - we will see where it goes!

Aspens    14 x 18 in.

Quicky No. 2...

Day 2 of a small, quick acrylic painting... I am still struggling with how the acrylics behave differently from oils, but I am enjoying the short-bite aspect...
This is Zorro, my wonderful French Copper Maran rooster - he's a real gentleman and an extremely handsome fellow. And Dominique - my only Austrolorp hen - a lovely black-eyed beauty.

A New Year - A New Project

After working very large for the last few years, I find myself interested in doing some small paintings. This should allow me to focus on a unique problem in each piece, rethink how I am using colour and media, and simply create more paintings. This sounds a lot like the Daily Painting phenomena that has become so popular! So here we go...

First, a series of quick value studies - a step I always intend to do, but seldom take time for. And it takes so little time... and the payoff is so worthwhile!

  

And then a quick 8 x 10 in acrylic - I started by mixing a dark neutral, which I used as a guide for the other colours to harmonize them. Then a highlight colour or two - and the whole thing was done in about 30 minutes. A nice change from working on 60 inch canvases! Not one of my most sophisticated paintings, but fresh and fun - can't wait to do the next one...