Jul 26
Summer’s End – 36 x 48 – Acrylic on Wood
Working a little more on the greens in the foreground. I think I need to see some more of the orange and lavender plants though. And some more of the lake. And I want to get back to the dark side too. (I hear they have cookies.) And then there’s all the trees way back in the cheap seats. And the sky.
It’s such a large painting for me; it’s a challenge to hold it all together in my head – I’m in a hurry to see it on the panel! I know I have sketches of it but it’s not the same. Once the painting hits the panel the sketches are nearly obsolete. Unless I get stuck. And I’m not feeling stuck. It’s just pouring onto the panel. I guess that’s what can happen when you have something in your head for so long. 
Jul 19
Summer’s End – 36 x 48 – Acrylic on Wood
I really needed to see the light oranges and pastels in the context of the rest of the painting, so that’s where I went. I think it’s going to work well; the sun is hitting that patch and providing a nice counterpoint to the foliage in deeper shadow. I want to balance it with some more foreground greens and also flesh out that lighter area more. I really like the way these colours are working together!
Jul 12
Summer’s End – 36 x 48 – Acrylic on Wood
Moving right down into some of the foreground green foliage. I think one of the biggest challenges in this painting is to keep all the colours working together, so I need to get them on the panel pronto! Next session will involve some yellows and pale pinks and lavenders, as well as some more of the lake.
Jul 06
Summer’s End – 36 x 48 – Acrylic on Wood
I have been waiting to start this painting for a while now – I haven’t done a really big painting since last summer! I originally wanted it for the Oshawa show but I knew I wouldn’t finish it on time.
Outside it’s 37 celsius but in my painting Summer is winding down. The day is cool, there is almost a bite to the air; Fall has brushed the leaves with colour.
I’m working with a big palette on this one (another thing I’m excited about ). I’m going to have a great time managing the reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues and purples in this painting. I can hardly wait to see how this one turns out – is it the weekend yet?!
Jun 21
View From Mazengah – 16 x 20 – Acrylic on Wood
Commission
Delicate twisty branches reach out over the water, fans of needles catch the breezes and the warm sunshine bounces off the lake. A perfect Ontario cottage-country day.
Jun 15
View From Mazengah – 16 x 20 – Acrylic on Wood
Commission
The trees are almost complete.Their branches reach gently over the water, enjoying the breeze and the light bouncing off the wavelets.
I think I’m going to have to paint some more of these pines; I love using these colours and I want to explore these shapes some more. I have some near my house, but I don’t think I’m north enough for the good twisty ones. Hmmm, road trip!
Jun 07
View From Mazengah – 16 x 20 – Acrylic on Wood
Commission
It’s time for the trees and sky. I love these pines. Their fan-shaped needle clusters, their rich red bark, the way their branches twist and swoop, tangling and reaching for each other.
May 31
View From Mazengah – 16 x 20 – Acrylic on Wood
Commission
A wall holding in the sparkling lake, the far shore stands green and implacable. The sun, so eager to brighten the rocks and the water, lightens the far trees only a little.
May 17
View From Mazengah – 16 x 20 – Acrylic on Wood
Commission
Moving away from the darker, calmer water in front of the shore and into the sun-kissed choppier water on the lake. It’s starting to feel like one of those beautiful days where the hot sun is mitigated by sprightly breezes and wispy clouds chase each other across an azure sky.
May 10
View From Mazengah – 16 x 20 – Acrylic on Wood
Commission
My new painting is a commission. It’s a summer view from a cottage on one of the gorgeous lakes we are fortunate to have here in Ontario. I’m enjoying this palette immensely – a broad range including strong blues, greens and a little red too.
