Prize Winning Painting!

I haven't been outside painting lately. Since this autumn, I have traveled back and forth to B.C. to help my parents sell their home of 40 years and then, a couple of months later, unfortunately, my dad at age 91 had a fall, slipped into a coma and passed away. I am also back in school and with all my responsibilities painting has taken a back seat for awhile.

With everything that has been going on, I forgot to post this painting, which won 2nd place this fall at The Ontario Plein Air Society Quick Draw Painting Challenge, held at J.E.H. MacDonald House in Thornhill. The artists had 3 hours to create a work of art on the spot and then the entries were judged with the public voting. It was fun to participate and I was thrilled to be awarded a prize. The extra challenge with this painting (which I painted right in front of J.E.H. MacDonald House, looking toward the parking lot) was that I basically had to paint it twice since the sun came out at about the 1 1/2 hour mark and the lighting was completely different. I used a palette knife at the end for the thicker lights.

We still don't have any snow to speak of here in Toronto, Ontario and it is the middle of January although it is still pretty chilly painting outside at the moment!

I liked this article, published by Artist Daily which gives tips for fair weather plein air painters to keep their skills sharp over the winter. If you live an inclement part of the world like I do, you ought to read this asap!

My favorite tip from the article is to paint from life INDOORS. Still life has a lot of advantages over plein air in that the lighting and subject don't change so it can be a great time to improve your observation skills and maybe become a little faster at capturing what catches your eye when you do get back out there in the spring.

J.E.H. MacDonald House - 8"x10", oil on panel

This is the former home of one of The Group of Seven, renowned plein air landscape painters in Canada.

You can view this piece of work, along with many other landscape paintings, in person, at the upcoming exhibition of The Ontario Plein Air Society, 121 Centre Street in Thornhill, Ontario (with parking on Brook Street southeast of the house) from November 12-14, 2010.

The opening festivities are on Friday, November 12, 2010 from 6-9 pm. Saturday the hours are 10-8 and Sunday from 10-5. This is a great opportunity to pick up some original art at a great price - fabulous for gifts!

Mixed Media Pear - 16"x16", gallery wrap deep stretched canvas

This piece does not need a frame - just hang it on the wall.

I was experimenting with layers of bronze metallic paint and texture in the wide border surrounding the oil painting of the pear. Lots of fun! The bronze paint extends to the sides of the deep, gallery wrap canvas.

Blue Nose 2 - 8"x10", oil on canvas panel

This is a very recognizable, landmark mountain near my parent's home in B.C. It is my Mont Sainte-Victoire.

I was in Lavington for a few days after my Bugaboo adventure. I went nowhere, and saw no one, other than my parents, since it was such a short visit. I painted and ate and walked the roads I knew so well, my head swimming with memories.

Bugaboo #3

So, I turned around and painted the view in the opposite direction, trying to channel John Singer Sargent. The light changed every couple of minutes which made capturing anything at all rather difficult, but I loved every minute!

Georgian Bay Beachscape #1 - 30x40, oil on canvas

This rather large painting brings back a hot summer day at the beach with the waves rolling in!

Non-Toxic Oil Painting!

After a very brief period of experimentation with acrylics, I switched to oil paint.

I had always wanted to paint in oil but was scared off by the toxicity of the solvents I believed to be necessary to the process. I was delighted to learn that not only is it possible to paint without turpentine or mineral spirits, it is actually preferable for the longevity of the painting, so I happily began my journey painting in oils

As it turns out, brushes can be cleaned with oil just as well as with solvents and I take care not to eat or drink while using pigments that are risky, such as lead based white, cadmiums and cobalts.

I love working with colorful, thick, buttery oil paint and find it much more forgiving than watercolor, where you really have to get it correct right away.