A Cozy farmhouse

This oil painting on a 11x14 board was done with a photo reference. For the past few weeks the temperatures in this part of Canada have been below freezing and there is no way I am going painting outside!! Because of this fact of life, If I stay in Ontario for the winter, I paint from photos. But there is some good news in this painting story. Soon we are going to Florida, Fort Myers Beach in particular, and plein air painting is a fact of life again. I am so lucky!!! Our weekly paint out group will be traveling all over to paint and I will have some wonderful painting opportunities, on the beach, by myself, as well. If you follow my blog you will see the change in the paintings, as the weather changes.

 This is a cozy farmhouse on Amherst Is. and reminds me of wonderful paint out locations to come.

                                    

The Spirit of Sir John A.

                                   

Does this painting look familiar? It should, because a painting much like this one, is on this blog. Did you find it? That previous painting was sold. I know the passage with the older painting says it was for my son, BUT, I entered it in a show and it sold. So, obviously I had to redo it. This is a task I was not especially looking forward to. The passage with the previous painting says it all. I started the new painting on a 22x28" canvas. I had the initial sketch done with the brush and was thinking about how to start the next step. A fellow artist said to start with darks and just stroke them in, even do it with my eyes closed. Well I did. Once I'd scribbled them in and messed up the sketch, my whole attitude changed and I just tackled it, with speed and abandon. As usual I blocked in the major shapes with diluted paint and stood back and looked at it. It had promise. I put in some details and decided that the City Hall was done. I liked the result there, so I just tackled the rest of it in the same way. It seemed to paint itself after that. No frustration and I learned a good lesson. When you start a painting remember what you have been taught on how to paint. AGAIN!! and. AGAIN!!!! How many times  do I have to be told.

                                

                              

A Winding Street in Whitby UK

Another of the wonderful days I had in England, was at Whitby, on the North Sea. This is a small quaint, fishing village that clings to the cliff side and has the Eyre River providing a sheltered Harbour. Many tourists and people living in the area visit for a day and wander the winding streets and prowl on the beach, where you can have a donkey ride. The old demolished Roman Catholic Church ruins sit at the top of the cliff and make interesting photos. Along the fishing pier there are many tourist shops and some wonderful restaurants. We stopped in one for lunch, that specialized in seafood, and I had the fish pie. So delicious and fresh. In one of these winding cobblestone streets we found a Tea Shop and ordered Cream Tea. This means you get tea, and scones with coddled cream. It sounded wonderful but since it was the end of the day they were sold out. This was the Sherlock Holmes Tea Shop decorated in Holmes memorabilia and small little rooms with tea tables crammed inside, among the antiques. I am so glad my cousin decided to go for a drive, across the moors, with all the heather and visit Whitby. This oil painting is 11x14.

                               

An Orpington Village cottage

                                  

                    

                               

This was so much fun to paint. A small cottage that we passed on our way to a coach tour of Three Villages in Essex, in the UK., was so quaint and picturesque, and I missed the photo as the coach sped by. On our way home I was prepared and got a wonderful photo of the home. This was one of my many photos that I just had to paint......so here it is. 

An oil painting on 16x20 canvas.

Chimney pots in Whitby, UK

During my trip to England, one of the things that I found fascinating were all the different sizes and shapes of chimney pots.........on the same chimney!! In C ananda we have chimneys of course, but usually one or two plain pots, where the smoke comes out. In England their chimney pots are amazing.All shapes,  very different colours and all kinds of things attached to the chimney. There are antennae and wires and satellite dishes. Hopefully my painting does justice to the chimney pots, but also a wonderful little village, Whitby, on the North Sea. Such interesting, winding streets going up and down the cliff face on the River Eyre

                           

                               

This oil painting is 12x24".

Ilkley Moor, The Cow & the Calf, England

 One of the many things I thoroughly enjoyed about my trip to England, was the moors. My cousin Gary and I went to Ilkley Moor, just north of Leeds and had a wonderful day. When we arrived at the top of the Moor, where the heather grows, we lunched on a tasty Cornish pasty, it's a warm flaky pastry with a meat filling. Wonderful! Then after putting on our jackets, we set off hiking to the Cow and the Calf. These are two huge boulders. Not boulders by our Canadian standards but much,

 much bigger. If you look closely you can see Gary and myself, walking side by side up the narrow path beside these  two ginormous rocks. We hiked around the rocks and then around the very large "crater" that forms part of the rock formation. We were glad to get back to the car, at the end, and get out of the wind that was howling around the Moors. This oil is 12"x24" on canvas.

 

                              

Kingston Ont.

My oldest son wanted an oil painting for his dining room and asked me to do one of the City hall. Tourist information Booth, and the new train, The Spirit of Sir John A.. I worked on this for a few weeks and found that it was a challenge. The perspective of course had to be correct, the colours had to be close and the composition had to be true to the real thing. That's what he wanted. This commission, because it had to be  realistic, stifled any creativity. It was more like a paint by numbers where after the sketch you just fill in the spaces. I wonder why he just didn't enlarge a photo and frame IT!! When I paint I like to put my own impressions and artistic feelings into the finished painting. It does not have to be exactly what is there in front of me, I can use artistic license and move things around and change their colour. This difference is important to me. It seems to be the difference between being an illustrator and an artist.

This is the finished oil painting on an 16x20 canvas.

                                   

A rainy Day

This was a Wednesday paint out day when the weather just did not cooperate. No sunshine just rain, wind and clouds. I think the painting reflects the weather conditions. We arrived at a small park, called Floating Bridge, early in the morning (about 9:00), and parked beside the outhouse. When I organize these Paint Outs I always try to make sure there are washroom facilities for everyone. This day I outdid myself. This park had a newly built concrete block outhouse. There was a men's and a woman's so it was quite large. I thought we were all set. I forgot to factor in my calculations that the township that cleans the outhouses in the parks had not emptied this one in a very long time. I will leave the rest to your imagination. Needless to say, only the very desperate used this facility that day. 

There was  a large covered pavilion with four picnic tables where we set up our equipment to paint. This meant we were out of the rain but the view was very limited. I chose this boathouse on the opposite shore of Lake Ontario and through the rain and wind attempted to capture the scene. This was one time when I used my "artistic license"!!

                     

                                  

Back to Reality

Two weeks in England was just not long enough! What an incredible place to visit. I had eight days in London and the rest in Leeds. There is so much to see, with such history at every turn that a tourist just doesn't know where to start. I'm glad I did quite a bit of research before going and therefore I was pretty well prepared, but, there is so much when you get there that it can be overwhelming.  My greatest thrill was standing just above the promenade that runs beside the Thames, and staring at the Tower bridge. The bridge was shining in the sunshine and right beside it was the Tower of London. I spent the day there and then had High Tea on a Thames River cruise. What an experience. My favourite. No wait! I really enjoyed Westminster Abbey, the Mall, the castle and the national Art Gallery. That was a great day too. When I was in Leeds, the moors were just there on the horizon. So much green, and the stone walls and the historical villages. I think I will paint Inkley Moor first. I'll have to return some day and do some painting on location and not from photos when I return. What a trip, one I will remember for a long time.

An Adventure in England

On Monday, Sept. 16 I am off to England for two weeks. I am taking my watercolour paints and if I have time to sit and paint I may post the results on my blog. Otherwise I will update my space in two weeks. ENJOY!

Wilton Pottery, Side Door

This is the Wednesday we painted in Wilton, a small  village not far from Kingston. There are some very old limestone homes in and near the village which is surrounded by farm land. There is not much great farmland around Kingston, because of the Canadian Shield and the limestone bedrock; but grazing seems to flourish in the Wilton area. When I was standing in the driveway of Wilton Pottery to paint this, a farmer was cutting his hay in the field behind the buildings. In fact there is a working farmhouse and farm buildings in the village itself. It was a very pleasant morning, even if the temperature was in the fifties. In fact a couple of the artists did their art work inside the car! I was glad I had a jacket and long pants. I do wish I had taken my toque!

                        

A Porch to relax on in Bath

This Wednesday morning our Plein Air group was at Amherst Island Ferry Terminal. However it was very busy. Not only was there very limited parking but we had to compete with a large cycle group for the few spaces. Our painting locations, in the shade, were limited, so we decided to go the few kilometers down the highway to Bath. The organizer, of these locations, had not scouted this one out carefully enough. That would be ME! OOPS! We found a lovely little park on the Lake Ontario shore, with flush toilets,( what a luxury) and plenty of shade. I settled in to paint this lovely old home with a great, cozy porch. There were blue spruces beside the house that gave it additional character too. It seemed perfect. And then the road construction started. They had a bulldozer and a back hoe and they were less than a block away. What a racket! ALL Morning. They didn't even take a coffe break. Sorry, yes the men did, but they left the equipment running. The porch on this house looked more and more appealing, to curl up in. But only on a quieter day!

                      

A Home in Odessa

On Wednesday, every week in July and August, a group of us get together to paint on location. This day we met at the Babcock Mill in Odessa. This mill and other interesting spots are on a lovely stream that runs into Lake Ontario. I chose a house, beside the stream, in the small village of Odessa, just west of Kingston. What a lovely , warm morning, with a Kingfisher fishing on the stream and a flock of ducks busily feeding. I thoroughly enjoyed the morning. A picnic lunch together, beside the Mill, with friends made for another wonderful day. This was painted on an 11x14 Masonite board, with oils.

                  

As you can see the Queen Anne's Lace, Goldenrod and grasses were enjoying their stream side location.

Sunflowers on Wolfe Island

This was painted on location in Marysville, on Wolfe Island, last Wed. It was a hot, humid, and unlike Wolfe Is. , a very still morning. I couldn't see the Wind Farm, from where I was painting, but for the first in a long time, the fans must have been very still. I was on the shoulder of the street, looking down a slight hill to the street scape and as you can see the houses were old and looked huddled into the ground. I think they were hunkered down out of the wind that usually blows at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. It takes a short ferry ride to get to the island and then we could have walked off the ferry to this street. Of course you have to stop at the Wolfe Is. bakery for a butter tart and coffee. What a treat before settling down to paint for the morning. This was painted on a 11x14 board.

       

Dieter's Perennial Garden

This is the finished painting of Dieter's Garden. My first attempt on an 11x14 Masonite board was pleasing, but lacked the vibrancy, colour and life that this one has. I felt if I went bigger, the result would be less cluttered and do more justice to the garden. Hopefully you agree. This is 16x20 on canvas. I like the way the path leads into the painting, and how the colour of the flowers is accented against the darks of the garden. This is some thing that is always a challenge.

Update

I am hoping that having endured or finished , medical issues and technical confusion, I can return to blogging. Hope this my first of many. 

This is me, of course, painting in a friends perennial garden. As you can see its sunny, beautiful and just a wonderful day. A friend, Jane, who painted with me, took this photo of me engrossed in my painting. I will post the finished painting.

Laundry Day

This is my first attempt on returning to Ontario. Somehow it's a hard transition , in terms of the light, from Florida to Ontario. The days here have been cloudy, windy and cool. I think this is reflected in my painting. The colours are subdued and the values are on the lower end of the scale; they somehow match my moods and the weather. As the weather changes and spring comes, my paintings will change too. For the better, I hope.
This cabin at the end of the road, was painted from a photo, in the studio.

Back to my Studio

Any photos I have of Ontario or Kingston landscapes, look depressing with my memories of Florida still so fresh in my mind. I think I will still paint some scenes of Florida until our landscapes here become more green. We have been so busy doing tasks related to getting home and getting the house back to normal that my painting has suffered. Maybe this week I can paint again...............Hpefully!

Home Again

It is great to be back in Canada. Kingston, Ontario never looked so good. As we drove north, it was depressing to see the change in the landscapes. Deciduous trees had full, green leaves in northern Florida. In Georgia, wisteria vines were blooming in many of the trees on the roadside. The trees were starting to turn green and the azalea bushes were blooming. Lovely reds and oranges were along peoples driveways. As the miles went by and the states passed, the landscape became more and more wintry. In the Syracuse area there was snow on the ground, but that disappeared as we kept driving north. Thank goodness there was only snow on the dark sides of the hills in Ontario. When we pulled into our driveway after a wonderful cup of Timmy's, there was no snow, but the buds on the trees were shivering in the cold. Oh Canada!

Passing the Morning

It was a sparkling sunny morning and what could be better than standing with my easel and oils and painting. I had fun painting this and thoroughly enjoyed MY morning just as much as he did. I like the way the sand trap has the two palm trees and the golfer looks like he's ready for the put. Hope he had as good a morning as I did.

Jellyfish II

While creating this Jellyfish scene I found myself much more relaxed and therefore free to try different colours and techniques. I used the Golden Tar Gell, and Glass Bead Gell again, since I liked the effect they created. I again used the Webbing, in an aerosol . I chose my watercolour paints carefully and added them liberally to the dry paper. The details I added when everything was nearly dry. This was fun. I'm not too sure if I'm finished yet.

The Shrimp Fleet corrected

This painting is a repeat of a previous one on my blog. You may be able to find some small changes that I think improve the painting. The background was too dark and needed more lights since the sun was shining in that direction. I also lightened up the foreground and I am pleased with that result. I also added additional highlights throughout the painting. I learned some good lessons while doing this Plein air painting. The position of my easel in relation to the sun, is key. By the time I finished, on site, the sun was high and very bright sparkling off the water, between me and the scene. This made my view of my painting in front of the sparkling water, very difficult. When I was finished on site, the painting was over all, too dark. Now that I have spent more time on it, I am more pleased with the result.

Jelly fish

. This experimental piece was created at a Tuesday session with the Experimental Artists. I have been attending this group at FMBAA for about six weeks, and have been trying different techniques with gesso and watercolours. This is the only one I want to share. I enjoy the colours of the piece and think I will try another.
Sorry, the photo should be vertical, rather than horizontal, but I haven't figured out how to rotate a photo yet.

White Pelicans

Flocks of these birds are around. They are such graceful fliers, soaring on the air currents. Here they are resting and preening.

family Time

Here's mom, dad and their son heading off for an afternoon on the beach. Everyone helps carry all the gear that is essential!!

Mangroves

A public walkway leads to a fishing platform on Back Bay. There are numerous docks here and the shores are covered with mangroves. ft. Myers Beach is a Lon thin 8 mile long island with the Gulf on one side and Back Bay on the other. We are renting on Back Bay where all the boats can only go idle speed to protect the Manatees. Very Quiet!

Beach Access #14

Between the houses and the hotels on the Beach are various beach access sites where anyone can access the miles long, Ft. Myers Beach. This access point, as you can see has a wooden bridge over an old drainage ditch.

The path to Mound House

Mound House is a big tourist attraction on Ft. Myers Beach. This path leads up to the home which is being refurbished. The most interesting aspect of this site is the underground section where the staff points out the mounds of conch shells created by the earlier Calusa inhabitants.

Beach Access

This was painted early in the morning when the tide had just gone out. You can see some of the tide pools created as the tide recedes.

Shrimp Boats

Shrimp Boats
This is the finished painting of just three of the boats.

Hazel's Art Corner: Bonita Bills

 

Here are five artists, and my easel at the forefront, busy in the Dixie Fish Co. As you can see it is wide open to the marina and the shrimp fleet is in front.When I stand at my easel, I could see the Shrimp Fleet. I chose only three boats and used them as the focal point.

Bonita Bills

Today we painted at Bonita Bills , under the bridge at Fort Myers Beach. There were about twelve artists, and everyone found a spot with shelter, since the sky was unsettled and showers were forecast.
Most of us were in The Dixie Fish Company, which is being remodeled by a new owner. We walked around the No Trespassing signs and settled in to paint. Unknown to us, the video cameras sent our pictures to the local police, who were monitoring the premises via video feed. The owner showed up, asked what was going on, and when we explained,  he let us stay. I think he even bought one of the finished paintings. So, in spite of the showers, wind, and a surprise visit, the morning ended on a good note.

Hello World!

My first post....... Hello World! This is my first venture on the blog and it , of course, is very exciting. I am going to let the world see my art! I'm still new at this so it may take a few tries. Wish me luck!