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Wednesday 31 December 2008

Complementary Colours, Original Fine Art Painting - "Phineas"


Phineas
Acrylic on wrapped canvas on wood stretcher bars
8 by 10 inches, 20.4 by 25.5 cm

I was asked to paint this baby boy and I decided to emphasize the warm colour of the baby's face and enhanced the warm face by using the muted complement purple blue background.






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Sunday 21 December 2008

Reflections, Original Fine Art Painting, "Covered Bridge, Lighthouse & Steeples"

Covered Bridge, Lighthouse and Steeples
Acrylic on wrapped canvas on wood stretcher bars
8 by 10 inches, 20.4 by 25.5 cm

I wanted to paint the reflections on the water. Light objects have darker reflections and dark objects have lighter reflections on water.

[Click on title of this post to go to my Etsy internet shop.]



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Wednesday 3 December 2008

Original Fine Art Painting, Tension - Peppers


Peppers
Acrylic on wrapped canvas on wood stretcher bars
8 by 10 inches, 20.4 by 25.5 cm

I wanted to create tension and a push & pull sensation where the cool green pepper partially overlaps the warm red pepper.

[Click on title of this post to go to my Etsy internet shop.]




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Monday 24 November 2008

Cherries - My Original Painting


Cherries
Acrylic on canvas on wood stretcher bars
8 by 10 inches; 20.4 by 25.5 cm

I was interested in painting the red reflection of the cherries on the tree limbs.

[Click on title of this post to go to my Etsy internet shop.]







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Thursday 13 November 2008

Drama and repetition with location of shapes-Dock Pilings


Dock Pilings
Acrylic on wrapped canvas on wood stretcher bars
8 by 10 by 0.75 inches, 20.4 by 25.5 by 1.9 cm
[Click on the title of this post to go to my Etsy internet shop.]

In this painting, you view a more abstract image although the painting is of a real image of 4 dock pilings. I was interested in the light and color of the pilings and the reflections in the water. The pilings and reflections are seen close up and this adds drama to the painting. There is also repetition, i.e. the pilings, the reflections. Repetition will add movement and animation to a painting.
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Impressionism, Original Fine Art Painting, Sunset Silhouette


Sunset Silhouette
Acrylic on watercolor paper
11.5 by 14 cm. 4 by 5.5 inches
& a 1.3 cm. (.5inch) white border

I was interested in using impressionist techniques. The dark of the silhouette includes strokes of crimson and green. The orange sunset includes strokes of yellow and red. The clouds are a muted purple and enhances the orange sunset.


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Wednesday 12 November 2008

Soar - Bird of Paradise


Bird of Paradise
Acrylic on wrapped canvas (ready to hang)
8 by 10 inches, 20.4 by 25.5 cm

[Click on title of this post to go to my Etsy internet shop.]

I admired the shapes of the flower. I also wanted the viewer to soar with the image but took care not to let the flower soar out of the left side of the painting. As I have mentioned before, since the flower is seen close up drama and intimacy are added to the painting.

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Monday 10 November 2008

Original Fine Art Painting, Lyrical Movement - Apple on Blue Drapery


Apple on Blue Drapery
Acrylic on Mount Board
8 by 10 inches, 20.4 by 25.5 cm;
includes a .5 inch (1.3 cm) white border

I was interested in the lyrical movement of the blue drapery.

[Click on title of this post to go to my Etsy internet shop.]




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Saturday 8 November 2008

Texture in Art - Glistening Snow

Glistening Snow
Acrylic on acid free mount board
7 by 9 inches (17.9 by 23 cm) exluding .5 inch (1.3 cm)
white border

[Click on title of this post to go to my FAA internet shop.]












I love the ice and snow that covers trees in winter. I started having problems while painting. I knew my work included elements and principles of art but I just lost my direction. I knew why I wanted to paint the scene and decided this was best done with the element, texture. Texture in painting can be actual or depicted. You can depict heavy snow covering trees without using thick paint strokes (impasto). I love painting with thick impasto strokes and you can see this on my image.

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Unity & Movement - Outdoor Market


Outdoor Market
Acrylic on canvas on wood stretcher bars
8 by 10 inches (20.4 by 25.5 cm)

[Click on title of this post to go to my Etsy internet shop.]

In Outdoor Market, I emphasized the sun shining down on this busy market scene. Good paintings should be unified; they should have a sense of oneness. This busy scene is united by the dark colors which link together. If you squint, you see the dark colors connecting. I used brush strokes to convey the busy scene & moved the viewer through the painting with the diagonal line of the boxes & the similarity of colors, i.e. the red.

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Friday 7 November 2008

Original Painting - Falls

Falls
Acrylic on watercolor paper
17.2 by 11.5 cm; 6.75 by 4.5 inches
Original not for sale; available as fine art prints, cards, postcards.

[Click on title of this post to go to my FAA internet shop.]


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Saturday 1 November 2008

The Colour of Snow - Original Fine Art Painting - Abandoned Barn in Winter


Abandoned Barn in Winter
Acrylic on wrapped canvas on wood stretcher bars,
20.4 by 25.5 by 1.9 cm, 8 by 10 by 0.75 inches
Original painting sold. Fine art prints and cards available.
[Click on title of this post to go to my Fine Art America internet shop.]

The snow reflects the colours of the sky and other objects around.




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Thursday 9 October 2008

Original Painting - Covered Bridge


Covered Bridge
Acrylic on wrapped canvas on wood stretcher bars,
20.4 by 25.5 by 1.9 cm, 8 by 10 by 0.75 inches
Sold; available as fine art print and cards.

[Click on title of this post to go to my FAA internet shop.]

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Wednesday 1 October 2008

Original Painting - The Wreck


The Wreck,
Acrylic on wrapped canvas on wood stretcher bars,
20.4 by 25.5 by 1.9 cm, 8 by 10 by 0.75 inches

[Click on title of this post to go to my Etsy internet shop.]


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Thursday 11 September 2008

Original Painting - Lily


Lily
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
on wood stretcher bars,
25.5 by 30.6 by 1.9 cm, 10 by 12 by 0.75 inches.

See link - Fine Art America internet shop for more information.


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Monday 1 September 2008

Halloween & Thanksgiving Colors Painting-Pumpkin Patch


Pumpkin Patch
Acrylic on acid free mount board
20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches, including a 1.3 cm, 0.5 inch, white border

This painting celebrates the color of autumn, orange, and our Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays.

Sunday 31 August 2008

Studying the Masters


















Throughout history, artists have copied works of the masters to improve their skills and study the past.

Besides my own sketches, I also have copied and learned from the masters. Two of my sketches are graphite on cartridge paper (Hals and an unknown artist). The third sketch is graphite and watercolor on cartridge paper after Durer. The painting is watercolor paint on watercolor paper. It is based on a sketch I did of a woman and altered for artistic purposes.

Monday 25 August 2008

New Painting - A Different Perspective




A Different Perspective,
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
on wood stretcher bars,
25.5 by 30.6 by 1.9 cm, 10 by 12 by 0.75 inches,

I was attracted to the explosion of water and waterfall behind the rocks in the foreground.

Tuesday 12 August 2008

Light & Shadow- Rose in Movement


Rose in Movement
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
on wood stretcher bars,
25.5 by 30.6 by 1.9 cm, 10 by 12 by 0.75 inches,

I was attracted to the lyrical movement of the flower’s petals. It was hard to make cast shadows from one petal onto other petals; form shadows on concave petals, and form shadows on convex petals. There was no cast shadow from the rose onto the ground. It was difficult for me to capture the light and darks of this image but with help from friends, I hope I was successful in achieving that goal.

Thursday 31 July 2008

Texture & Depth - Snow on the Mountains


Snow on the Mountains
Acrylic on acid free mount board
20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches, including a 1.3 cm, 0.5 inch, white border

I was attracted to the snow on the mountains and wanted to emphasize the luminous glow of the snow. Texture is normally seen in the foreground and not the background. In this situation, I adopted techniques similar to the impressionists. I put thick strokes of a pink tinged white for the mountains’ snow. After this layer had dried, I glazed over the thick strokes with yellow in places and later added dabs of orange. Like impressionist works, if you view the painting up close, you see texture and a break up of form. When you are a few steps back from the painting, the texture is not as evident and you see the luminous yellow white snow.

Sunday 27 July 2008

Abstraction of Representational Art-Orchids in Abstract


Orchids in Abstract
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
on wood stretcher bars,
25.5 by 30.6 by 1.9 cm, 10 by 12 by 0.75 inches,

I am a representational artist and this is one of my few attempts at abstract art. I liked the shapes of the orchids and wanted to paint them in an abstract theme. I believe I achieved drama by painting the flowers close to the picture plane and in a frontal view. I also wanted to achieve animation and movement with the repetition of the petals and colors. Others have told me that I also achieved unity. These elements and principles of art also apply to other forms of art, i.e. representational art. I do not know if the painting is attractive and exciting to others but I hope you enjoy this work.

Friday 18 July 2008

Reflections on Water - Sun Setting over the Sea


Sun Setting over the Sea,
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
on wood stretcher bars,
20.4 by 25.5 by 1.9 cm, 8 by 10 by 0.75 inches,

I liked the reflections of the setting sun on the water. I also wanted one sail boat to be a silhouette in front of the sun. This was a difficult painting because the reflection on the water had to be a near mirror image of the sun and sky. Despite this, I had to make the horizon line of the sky separate from the water. I added a minor white glaze over the water in the background and a violet color to the horizon line of the sky.

Saturday 5 July 2008

Complementary Colors-Hibiscus 1



Hibiscus 1
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
10 by 12 inches, 25.5 by 30.6 cm

I liked the lyrical movement of the flower. This image also gave me the opportunity to use the complementary colors of purple and yellow. The colors enhance each other and make the flower glow. The pink of the flower is also more luminous because of the muted green background.

Sunday 22 June 2008

Text & Visual Weight - Orchid #1


Orchid #1
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
10 by 12 inches, 25.5 by 30.6 cm

I wanted to reproduce the glowing yellow orange petals of the orchid. I put my last name in the upper left corner to give more visual weight to that area and balance my painting. Text adds visual weight to an area of a painting.

Wednesday 4 June 2008

Movement & Repetition - Orange Lily

Orange Lily
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
8 by 10 inches, 20.4 by 25.5 cm
Original Painting Sold; Available as Fine Art Prints

[Click on title of this post to go to my FAA internet shop.]

In this painting, I wanted to emphasize the swirling movement of the petals and flowers. The flower is seen close up and this adds drama and intimacy to the painting. There is also repetition, i.e. petals, leaves and stamens. Repetition will also add movement and animation to a painting even though no image is moving.

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Monday 26 May 2008

Reflections in Water-The River Bank




The River Bank
Acrylic on wrapped canvas on stretcher bars
8 by 10 inches, 20.4 by 25.5 cm

In this painting, I had difficulty doing the reflections of the trees on the water. In the original image, the water and reflections were muddy. With a lot of help from friends, I was able to make the reflections. The reflections are painted with vertical strokes. The reflections are lighter and more muted than the color of the trees.

Monday 12 May 2008

Actual Texture - An Old Wall and a Door

An Old Wall and a Door
Acrylic on acid free mount board
8 by 10 inches (20.4 by 25.5 cm) with a .5 inch (1.3 cm) white border


In this painting I emphasized the texture on the old wall. I wanted to try crackle medium but it was not in my 2 art stores. I used a pumice medium. I did layers under and over the pumice medium with colors and a gloss medium. When this was dry I scumbled a warm yellow medium over parts of the wall. Texture is usually seen in the light and not seen so distinctly in the shadow.

Monday 5 May 2008

Warm and Cool Colors - Lilies

Lilies
Acrylic on watercolor paper
6.5 by 5 inches (16.58 by 12.75 cm)
including a .5 inch (1.3 cm) white border















I liked the shape of the lilies and this was one element of art I wanted to emphasize. The warm orange of the lilies contrasts with the cool muted green background heightening the color of the lilies and pushing the lilies forward in the picture plane.

Wednesday 30 April 2008

Warm & Cool Colors - The Stroll

The Stroll
Acrylic on mount board
7 by 9 inches (17.9 by 23 cm)
not including a .5 inch (1.3 cm) border

I decided to paint the land and rock a warm color. This contrasts with the cool lake. The focal point is a single figure.

Monday 7 April 2008

Intimacy, Curves, Rhythm and Movement - The Rose

The Rose
Acrylic on watercolour paper
7.5 by 5.5 inches (19.13 by 14.03 cm)
including .5 inch border (1.33 cm)










I decided to crop the flower’s image and bring it closer to viewers thus reaching into our space. This creates intimacy. The lyrical, rhythmic curves of the petals give the painting and flower a sense of motion and life. I used contrasting (complementary) colors, red and green. Each color enhances its opposite color. I wanted to put more space between the flower and green background so I painted over the background with a blue white. This would push the background further into space.

Tuesday 1 April 2008

Warm and Cool Color Contrasts - Cactus in the Desert

Cactus in the Desert
Acrylic on watercolor paper
7 by 7 inches, 17.85 by 17.85 cm
















I wanted to emphasize the heat of the desert. I did this by using a warm color, orange on the ground. The orange color bounces back into the shadows of the cactus. The contrast with the cool blue of the sky and the cool green in the background makes the warm color more evident. I also used a warm yellow light to make the heat stand out.

Monday 10 March 2008

Making Texture, Movement & Making Dimensions with Color - Waterfall

Waterfall
Acrylic on mount board
7 by 9 inches (17.9 by 23 cm)
exluding .5 inch (1.3 cm)white border





This painting is about texture & movement. The texture is seen in the rocks & water & the depicted movement in the waterfall. (I am not discussing moving the viewer’s eye around the painting.) Texture is not usually seen in the shadows. I used a coarse gel medium to create texture in the rocks as well as thick paint. The waterfall was created by adding a thick gel medium to the paint & repeating linear strokes over each dried layer. I had difficulty painting the rocks. I needed to put more color into the forms of the rocks. Like most artists, I don’t consciously try to develop a style. But I am a colorist & I like luminosity. There are many different styles of color painting. An early traditional style was tonal. The artist built up the 3 dimensional forms by using color based on a light to dark scale. Think of a black & white photograph & the range of grays in the photo. The range that varies from light to dark is considered a value scale. Each color, i.e., yellow, has a local value. The value of most yellows is light. Purple usually is the darkest value. (I do not consider pure white & black colors.) You can also create form by the temperature of a color. Warm colors, i.e. orange & red, move the area/shape forward. Cool colors, i.e. blue, green, make the area recede. Remember though each color has a value & you can model or turn the form in space using temperature & value. One book I read recommended looking at the paintings by the master art works in the book. Which ones do you like? What are the dominant color schemes in the paintings? My favorite colors are blue & orange. This does not mean that the colors are pure. I like a brown-orange, a green blue, etc. So next time you look at pictures or paintings, consider why you like them. There are many reasons to like paintings beyond the color scheme. I also like texture & loose expressive brush strokes.

Saturday 23 February 2008

Creating Movement - Ballerina on Toes

Ballerina on Toes
Acrylic on canvas l/d on mount board
7 by 9 inches (18.2 by 23 cm)
exluding .5 inch (1.3 cm)white border











Although the dancer was on her toes and leaning forward, I found the painting static. I painted her head in a frontal view. This is not the direction of her body and therefore movement is created. On the left side of the figure I added curving lines of light blue which continue on the right side. Again this provides movement for your eyes. There are strokes of pink at the left of the dancer’s legs. The repeated strokes of blue and pink add movement. The similar color pink of her tights also creates movement as the color of the tights and the strokes are similar. The lines of color moving into the painting at the left upper and lower sections create movement and lead the viewer to the dancer. The barre also leads the viewer to the dancer as it moves from thick to thin. The blue white behind the dancer pushes her forward in space. Therefore, despite a static pose, the techniques used contribute to a sense of movement.

Tuesday 19 February 2008

Shape and Light-A Downed Tree, Elora Gorge

A Downed Tree, Elora Gorge
Acrylic on canvas laid down on mat board
12 by 8 inches (30.6 by 20.4 cm)











This painting was due to my walk along a narrow path that ran through the woods in this Ontario area. The tree appeared to have been hit by lightening and a large limb had fallen into a small clearing. I loved the shape of the tree and the way it angled into the small area of light. I increased the brightness of the tree’s color. The real color was a dull grey. I feel I captured the sunlight on this summer day but was also able to push the woods into the background. The paint on the background is applied thinly and the canvas weave can be seen in some areas. The canvas’ texture contributes to the overall impact of the image. The canvas weave can also be seen in a postcard I made from this work.

Monday 18 February 2008

Prepaing the Support - One Season Following Another

One Season Following Another
Acrylic on mount board
7 by 9 inches excluding .5 inch border
(17.9 by 23 cm excluding 1.3 cm border)












In One Season Following Another, I emphasized the sun setting behind the 2 trees. I used white acid free mount board as my painting’s support. You can increase the life of absorbent supports by coating them on both sides with matte medium. The medium is absorbed into the board and seals it. I could then paint on the board but I like a non absorbent surface. When the matte medium is dry, I put down a coat of gloss medium on the side on which I will paint. This makes the board non absorbent. I like to mix the gloss medium with white acrylic paint. Once the medium is dry, I put drafting tape along each border. I then begin painting. When my painting is completed and dry, I remove the tape. This leaves a .5 inch (1.3 cm) white border around the painting.

Friday 8 February 2008

Contrasts, Complements & Focal areas- Woods in Winter

Woods in Winter-Postcard
Postcard on Matte
8.5 by 5.5 (21.7 by 14 cm)
Reproduction of my painting,
Woods in Winter











This work is a reproduction I made of my painting, Woods in Winter.

In Woods in Winter, I wanted to convey the beauty of winter & snow but also isolation if we cannot go outside. I used the color blue, the coldest color on the color wheel & heightened its color by using its dulled complement, orange, in this case orange brown. The reflection of the sky is seen on the snow. The warm light strikes the tree & shines on the snow. The greatest contrast is the dark person & the light on the tree. This was my focal area. The partial tree in the foreground & the snow on its branches are soft & blurred. It was not my area of emphasis but it draws the viewer into the painting & provides a sense of depth.

Saturday 2 February 2008

Triangular Compositions - After the Dance

After the Dance
Acrylic on canvas and stretcher bars
10 by 10 inches (25.5 by 25.5 cm)

Sold.














In my painting, After the Dance, I wanted to emphasize the dancer’s fatigue after her hard work. The structural composition I used is triangular. The triangle starts at the top of the dancer’s head and moves down and along each leg. When a triangle is resting on its base in the vertical position, it gives a painting more stability. The location at the top of a triangle attracts the viewers’ eyes. The dancer’s head resting on her arms is at the top of the triangle; this gives the head and arms more dominance in the painting. Although the dancer is resting her head and arms on the chair, her feet are in a pointed position. Her lower legs are vertically positioned. The positioning of her lower legs and feet, are more powerful. This contrasts with the resting head and arms and therefore, the differences between these areas would be heightened. A triangular structure that is not in a vertical position is less stable and more active.

Wednesday 30 January 2008

Glowing Colour - Evening Sail

Evening Sail
Acrylic on w/c paper & mount board
7 by 9 inches (17.85 by 22.95 cm)
8 by 10 inch (20.4 by 25.5cm) board

Not For Sale.














Evening Sail was inspired by the evening light flowing over the landscape and this light’s reflections on the water. The luminous glow of the painting was achieved by using two main colours, orange and blue. Orange and blue are complementary colours (colours directly opposite each other on the colour wheel). Both colours were dulled (reduced in intensity, muted). These dulled colours make each other brighter. When these complementary colours are beside each other, the differences between the colours are heightened. The painted layers, primarily of the dulled orange colour painted before and under the blue water, results in a glow that is seen over the entire painting.