When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

Archive for February, 2009

Bird’s Eye

Saturday, February 28th, 2009


 

Bird's Eye, Banff, Alberta, Canada, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted

Bird’s Eye, Banff, Alberta, Canada, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.
 
Progress thumbnail images below:

 Bird's Eye, Phase 1 work in progress Bird's Eye, Phase 2 work in progress

St. Catharine’s Sunset

Friday, February 27th, 2009


 

St. Catharine's Sunset, Ontario, Canada - 11H x 11W x 3D acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted
St. Catharine’s Sunset Ontario, Canada just north of Niagara Falls, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.

St. Catharine's Sunset, phase 01 dripping water down wet surface St. Catharine's Sunset, phase 02 dripping pthalos green and cadmium red light hue from the bottom, drawing with brush St. Catharine's Sunset, right detail, all sides painted

There is no one method for starting a painting.  When faced with a blank white surface, sometimes our mind can go blank too. When that happens I use a base color that inspires energy. Here, water and paint were dripped down a wet surface of Hansa Yellow Deep. Painting intuitively with a wide raggedy old brush, the fraying bristles are used to advantage, and those marks direct how the painting proceeds.

This painting is dedicated to my Mom, born in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, Canada whose birthday was two days ago.


 

St. Catharines Sunset, 11H x11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas - wrapped sides painted


Winter Reflections

Thursday, February 26th, 2009


 

Winter Reflections, Coppell, TX, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted

Winter Reflections, winter in Coppell, TX, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.
 

Winter Reflections, 11 x 11 x 3inches, acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted Winter Reflections, top detail, wrapped sides painted

Jack Pine

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009


 

Jack Pine, Banff, Alberta, Canada - 11H x 11W x 3D acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted

Jack Pine, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas and detail of right side; wrapped sides painted. Signature is on the side, so one is superimposed here on the front. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface.

Jack Pine, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, sides painted Jack Pine, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, detail of sides

Dancing With Trees 03

Thursday, February 19th, 2009


 

Dancing With Trees 03, upper portion of 85H x 45W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas

Dancing With Trees 03, central portion of 85H x 45W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas

Dancing With Trees 03, lower portion of 85H x 45W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas

Dancing With Trees 03, signature piece for the Majesty of Trees solo exhibition, 85 x 45 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas

Dancing With Trees 03, 85H x 45W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted, trim frame. Signature piece for the Dancing With Trees exhibition, formerly entitled ‘The Majesty of Trees’.  There is no black in this painting; the darkest areas are dioxazine purple. Aside from a couple of areas that are still questionable this painting is now finished. Specifically: I’m not sure about adding shadows and contrast on the bark of the main trees because it may take away from the cheerful expression of colors.

Progress in previous posts:  January 19th and 30th

The name of the exhibition changed to ‘Dancing With Trees’ to avoid plagiarizing the title of a book, ‘The Majesty of Trees’.

End of Tulip Season

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009


 

End of Tulip Season, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 14 x 11 inches oil pastels on paper
Finished today: added some life to End of Tulip Season, 14H x 11W oil pastels on paper.

Images of progress

End of Tulip Season, 14H x 11W oil pastels on paper, 2006 End of Tulip Season, 14H x 11W oil pastels on paper, rework in progress 2009

Except for the fact that paper has a limit to how much it can be reworked before it starts stretching, I could keep revising these drawings in the Paper Places series continually!  Some of them are finished in a day, and truly finished. Some drawings seem OK when they are finished, but have areas that are not quite there yet, so they are left for a month or a year or two then taken out and reworked. It’s great exercise playing with color and composition. Some are taken too far, but with regard to learning, effort is never wasted. Change characterizes this series too; change of place, change of time, change of styles, changing what’s already been changed.

Please pass the peace

Saturday, February 14th, 2009


 

Garlic Chive seeds, heart-shaped growth

Garlic Chive seed head, heart-shaped growth

On Cloud Nine

Sunday, February 8th, 2009


 

On Cloud 9, view from the road to the Giant Redwoods in the John Muir National Forest, CA Mariposa Grove, Sequoia National Forest, central California..forest fire still smouldering in October 2008

On Cloud Nine Left:  The view from the road to the Giant Redwoods in the John Muir National Forest, western coast CA. Right:  A forest fire still smouldering in October 2008, Mariposa Grove, Sequoia National Forest, central California.

Some new photos of the Giant Sequoias have been posted on majestyoftrees.com

Please curb your dogma

Saturday, February 7th, 2009


 
Lake Cote Cloud Forest Reserve, 14H x 11W oil pastels on paper, 26H x 22W inches framed“Please curb your dogma” reads the large sign outside the Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church in Carrolton, Texas. The Artists On The Horizon  program offers artists an opportunity to show and sell their work in an open, receptive atmosphere. Now on exhibit: a series of  interesting collages of paper that incorporate elements of painting, drawing and sculpture by contemporary artist Bryce Lafferty. The Paper Places series shows March 1 – 31st.  Left: Lake Cote Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica.