Another Boat Subject

Painted several days after the previous one. This was done at the Ashbridges Bay Yacht Club at a paint-out hosted by a member.

First Plein Air of 2014

This 8 x 10 oil was painted in June of the inner harbour on Wards Island, part of the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario. This was at a paint out sponsored by the Ontario Plein Air Society (OPAS).

I wasn't particularly happy with the sky when I brought it home. Lately I have been painting the trees before painting the sky which allows me to control the edges there, getting both soft and hard which helps to connect the two; adding depth and avoiding a "pasted on" look. As I am new to doing it this way it is easy for the situation to get out of control. So I waited for it to dry a bit and then repainted the sky area back in the studio.

Fall in the Laurentians

This 8 x 10 was painted on the Thanksgiving weekend (mid October in Canada) along the North River in Val David. I have bee re-using panels that haven't turned out too well and this was one of them. A problem which I  had initially is that the oil painting ground that I have used to re-prime the panel is very slick when it dries and so it is difficult to get a good thick brushstroke. After more experimentation, it seems to work better to tone the panel with a thinned-down colour as one might do anyway. When this layer is dry the panel has more tooth and the paint stays much better where it is placed.

This is the last outdoor painting of 2013 so now I can get one with 2014!

Two More Laurentien Paintings

Here are two more 8 x 10 paintings done in August of last summer.










The first is of a boggy are beside the North River and the other one below is a view of the same river near the village of Val David.

Painting in the Laurentins in August

As usual my family and I spend time at our cottage in Val David. This gives me a good opportunity to paint en plein air. The next few posts will show some work that was done this past summer.

This was an 8 X 10 on panel done just off the section of the bike path running along the old railway bed between Val David and Ste. Agathe as it crosses the North River. As I was painting a gentleman came along on a bicycle and stopped to watch what I was doing. He introduced himself as Gordon Harrison, an artist from Ottawa, and gave me some great tips!






















This photo shows my easel and the view beyond.

First Painting - Summer 2013

This 8 x 10 painting, titled "Urban Geometry'" was done in early summer. I had seen this view of the overpass where the Don Valley Parkway meets the Gardner Expressway from one of the bike paths that follow the Don River north of Lakeshore several years ago. This summer I went back to find the same view, but was unable to find it due to the fact that the bike path had been diverted in the meantime. To get to this place, I left the path as it crossed some railway tracks (partially seen on the left) and walked up this road until I was satisfied with the scene. Having set up and happily painting for a while a private security car approached up the road and asked what I was doing. I explained and showed him my painting and then said "I am on private property aren't I." He answered yes and then asked how long I thought I was going to be. I replied another 15 mins. and he said "Well I'll be back in a bit and you'll be gone" and drove off. So I finished the painting, packed up and left.

Winter Painting

This was my first (and so far only) winter plein air painting. It was painting on a warm and sunny day in March of last year. I am standing on a frozen pond created by an abandoned beaver dam in a park in Scarborough. So I am at a beaver pond within the city limits of Toronto. The painting below is no great shakes, but the location is pretty amazing so that is why I have a picture of my easel first this time.