Reader House w/c sketch [~7”x10”]

I met some artsy friends at Reader Rock Heritage Garden today to paint…  my first time at this location.  It’s a beautiful rock garden re-opened in 2006 with the arts & craft home of Mr and Mrs William Reader rebuilt to house a lovely restaurant and the gardens restored to their previous beauty.  This was the perfect day for painting outside…  no wind, minimal cloud, and perfect temperature!  I perched on one of the rock pathways and sketched up this view of the house.  I love that veranda and I plan to get there for tea sometime…  Cheers!

Storage [acrylic on paper, 16”x12”

This line of bins sits near the Leighton Centre.  I’ve been meaning to paint them for a while now.  They are so evenly spaced and tidy in a shabby fashion.  I pictured it in the fall with the intense golds of a harvest morning.  Enjoy!

Camping at Three Sisters [12”x18”, acrylic]

Yesterday I spent some time in Canmore.  Although medical appointments take me there, I’ve decided that I’ll make a day of it each time and enjoy the beauty of the place.  I wandered around and found myself at a construction site near the river.  I took my sketch pack and camera and walked around enjoying the incredible beauty.  This view is from a new bridge that looks towards the Three Sisters Campground.  WOW!  What a place to camp…  it’s breathtakingly beautiful.  Today I started this painting…  I’ve got some work to go yet.  Tomorrow maybe.  Cheers!

Free [16”x12”, acrylic]

I slathered this canvas with molding paste and textured it with a new carved stamp, butterflies, and various other tools.  Once dry, I applied washes of yellow, gold and transparent red iron oxide.  The butterflies, the fence-like texture and the building type shapes began to feel like a city park.  I gessoed an area on the bottom right and transferred the photo of the little girls onto it when dried. I’ve added some dark shapes to the composition as well.  I’m setting this aside for a bit while I think it over.  I find the more abstract paintings are much more difficult to finish.  Cheers!

Counter Huddle [8”x10” acrylic on paper]

My friend Lindsey and I had a play date today and this was my effort.  I’m always challenged by the white teapot…  I think it’s fairly true to what I saw in this case.  Great practice anyway!

One of the unique aspects of painting with acrylics is their quick drying time.  It’s great once you get the paint onto the support just the way you want it…  I love that it dries fast then.  However, it has a short “open” time in which changes can be made.  Also, paint squeezed out onto the palette must be used before they dry.  That can cause a race against time and it hinders the “meditative” benefit of painting [for me].  I’m finally trying out a modified Stay-Wet palette using a flat plastic tray with a very tight seal.  I squeezed out a lot of paint today and I will work with it over the next few days/weeks.  I hope it works well for me…  I’d like to paint outside with acrylics if it does. 

Cheers!

Melted Melvin 2 & Lazy Leo [8”x10” watercolour]

I’m so much happier with Melted Melvin 2…  he has a bigger tree trunk and he looks more comfy ;-).  Lazy Leo has a more natural background rather than his abstract background previous.  I think the set is now done and can be hung up for Parker.  Here are the three together…

  Cheers!

Sheep River Rock Face [14”x11” acrylic]

Sheep River Falls, near Turner Valley, Alberta, is a gorgeous place to spend an afternoon.  The parking is very close to the falls and a short hike takes you to a viewpoint overlooking the falls.  Across the gorge is an almost vertical rock wall and I’ve tried to capture that here.   

I painted this from a photo I took last summer.  In those lighting conditions the rocks are pink and grey with lots of lichen and some moss patches.  I found those a challenge to paint and this is much simplified from reality. 

It would be lovely to get out and try painting this en plein air.  This summer I’ve been painting in my studio and taking it easy on my sore back.  I’m anxious to get outside and I’ve considered taking out a feather light setup:  pencil, sharpie, a few pencil crayons and a pad of paper.   Soon I hope.

Happy Independence Day to all my state-side friends!!!! 

Sheep River Rock Face [14”x11” acrylic on canvas]

This painting has quite a bit of texture.  I spread coarse and fine pumice gel over the bottom 2/3 of the surface before painting.  Then, when I began painting I dropped shavings [acrylic scraped up off my glass palette] into the the first wash.  The pumice gel is absorbent so it’s interesting to see what happens with the washes.  I attempted to capture the variety of colors and textures on the rocks…  will repost when this is complete.  Cheers!

Glowing [10”x8” watercolor]

I had a full art day today beginning with painting at Sally’s house for a while.  I just had to paint these sunflowers – I can’t seem to resist them.  I was particularly drawn to the way their stems twist.  I’m not sure why.  Part way through we took a break for a bite to eat in the garden while we watched pine siskins, nuthatches and woodpeckers feasting at the feeders.  It was lovely!

After a nap for my back’s sake, Ron and I got “Connected” and “Counting Sheaves” into their floater frames, labelled, and packed for delivery tomorrow.  I’ll deliver them for the Journey in Art show tomorrow.  Cheers!

Melted Melvin [8”x10” watercolor]

Melted Melvin just can’t keep swinging.  He’s having a quick nap on the handiest branch.  These are fun to do…  :-)