Awenda Inspired 2010 - Kettle's Lake

I discovered a neat trick while painting this piece - for short sighted plein air painters, just take off your glasses when you are massing in areas!

Awenda Inspired 2010 - Giant's Tomb

A view of Giant's Tomb from the beach, with a pretty white sailboat passing by in the distance. The weather was pleasant, but unremittingly cloudy, for most of the day.

I have forced myself to persevere with plein air work, despite my former distaste for painting rocks and trees. I have to say I really enjoyed painting the distinctive large rocks and grasses in this scene. I think I am finally starting to get the hang of this and enjoying it more!

Plein air painting is really addictive - enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and sensations of being in nature imprints the experience on your being. Even the discomforts - wind, rain, snow, hail, scorching sun and bugs, for instance - are bearable because painting brings you so much into the present and therefore is unforgettable.

The heavens finally opened up around 3 in the afternoon when I had to make a dash for shelter.

This group of paintings and other works inspired by the day will be exhibited in May/June 2011 at Quest Art Gallery in Midland, Ontario.

Awenda Inspired

On Saturday, September 26, 2009,  I participated in a plein air painting event in Penetanguishine, north of Toronto. The event was held at Awenda Provincial Park.

At first it seemed we would be getting some rain - it was a very cloudy day. Fortunately, we had only a few minutes of very light sprinkling. The temperature was a bit cool, so with many layers of clothing I was quite comfortable and had a great time working surrounded by the beauty of nature in Awenda Provincial Park.

I don't know how many participants there were but it there was a pretty good turnout and the artists worked in a variety of mediums, including oil, pen and ink, watercolor and graphite. There were also a few photographers, one of whom was taking shots for his wife who is a rug hooker. I used my oil paints on gessoed masonite panels, using a couple of 9x12 boards and one smaller 5x7.

I must admit that landscape is not my forte. I keep aiming for a masterpiece, but even without attaining that goal I am receiving good training for the eye with regard to color and value and improve all my other work. I intend to persist in this discipline and continue to gain the benefits.

Out of doors, the value range is so immense and detail so profuse that you really have to edit and choose in order to get a good design. The tendency for many is to put everything in which does not make for an effective painting.

My new mentor, Dawn Whitelaw, who is a plein air afficionado, once told me to choose what your painting is about - what makes you want to paint this particular scene and focus on that. For this first piece, for me, it was the sky, so my composition reflects that.

Awenda Landscape

Awenda Marsh

This is my final small painting of the day. There were a lot of reeds in the water that I at first painted stalk by stalk, which looked awful. In a fit of frustration I smooshed them all together and blurred them out, which is a huge improvement.