Les Toit Rouge

The Red Roofs

This is the third of the paintings that I have placed at Maison Catherin'Art. It is a 15x15 landscape in oil on watercolor paper. If it seems a bit out of focus its because its framed under glass. I didn't want to go to the trouble of pulling it out of the frame to photograph it. Lesson learned--photograph before framing.

Lightning Storm

Tempete Eclair

This 16x20 landscape oil on watercolor paper is one of the three that I have on display in the gallery at Maison Catherin'Art.

Arrangement in Green

Etude en Vert

This 16x20 still life is done in oil on traditional stretched canvas. It is one of the three paintings that are hanging in the gallery at Maison Catherin'Art. If it looks somewhat familiar its because its the predecessor of the pastel I posted on 23 September. That one was titled Still Life with Harvest.

I'm Back

I'm back and I have some very good news. I've been invited to join the Corporation des Artistes et des Artisans de la Jacques Cartier (CAAJC). Its a collective of local artists and artisans working in a variety of media who present their work at a galley/boutique called Maison Catherin'Art. I have, of course, accepted the invitation, and have submitted three paintings to be displayed in the gallery. This is a picture of Maison Catherin'Art:

Over the next couple of days I'll post pictures of the paintings that I have placed in the gallery.

Just to let everyone know, I've enabled anonymous posting so you don't have to be a member in order to post a comment. The purpose of the "word verification" system is to eliminate comment spam generated by automated systems. Comment away.

Just to let everyone know, I'm having a spot of surgery on Monday so I probably won't be posting any artwork for the next week or so.

untitled 1/2 nude

This little sketch is an example of why one should always work on acid free paper. This is done on a piece of note paper and even though it's never been exposed to light its slowly yellowing and the graphite is fading.

Blue Heron

Another 10x13 pastel on sanded paper.

Stanley Park Ducks

This is a 10x13 inch pastel on sanded paper. Again, this landscape is less about the land than it is about the reflections of the sky in the water of this quiet pond in Vancouver's Stanley Park.

Big Sky

This little landscape is a 5.5x10 inch oil painting on sanded pastel paper. Perhaps it should actually be called a skyscape since it is more about the the depth of perspective in the sky than it is about the landscape itself. The trail leading out of the meadow and seemingly into the sky serves to emphasize the expansive depth of the sky.

A word about the technique of painting on paper. The initial underpainting is done with paint heavily diluted with turpentine. This gives the paint qualities more closely associated with water colors, but with a great deal more control. Subsequent layers are thicker, and the final touches, the highlights on the trees for example, are directly from the tube.

Night ride

I tried a new technique yesterday. This little work is the result. It's 5.5x7 inches, and its done in graphite pencil on black mat board. It's amazing the range of values that can be acheived against a black ground with pencils that make black marks themselves. To acheive this effect I used everything from a 4H to an 8B. The darkest darks are the 4H (which would make the lightest marks on white paper), and the lightest lights in the sky and on the mountaintops are 8B (which would make the darkests marks on white paper). The lines on the highway are in 2B.

Wreck beach sketch

Thought for the week:

The Buddhist prayer chanted by the monks of Myanmar in front of the home of Aung San Suu Kyi in September:

“May we be completely free from all danger, may we be completely free from all grief, may we be completely free from poverty, may we have peace in heart and mind.”

I went back to some of my old sketch books and found this graphite sketch of Vancouver's Wreck Beach that I did back in the summer of 2001. I'm thinking this might make an interesting pastel what with the weathered greys of the wood and the light and shadow on the rocks.

Guest painting

Something a little different today. This 12x24 inch oil on stretched canvas was painted by my granddaughter Amanda in the summer of 2004 when she was ten years old. Not bad at all.

Winter Trail

This is a 9x12 inch acrylic on water color paper.

Tribute to Vincent

I finished this 16x20 inch pastel on sanded paper yesterday.

woman walking-2

woman walking

Another 5.5x8.5 graphite sketch.

bedtime sketch

A 5.5x 8.5 graphite sketch.