I love butterflies, and am planting as many host plants for them as I can fit in my garden! I take photos of them for painting references; Black Swallowtails are flighty and difficult to get to stay still! Here is a 16x20" oil on canvas with a couple of beauties!
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This 16x16" acrylic came about because I was thinking of tree branches and the use of the negative space between them. It looks like stained glass, and I love winter birds!
Every painting is like a puzzle that has to be solved. Palette knife and tiny beads brought my ocean to life. 24x 36" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, and my entry in this year's juried show at the Georgina Gallery. The theme is "All That I Love". I love being by the ocean! The photo references I used were from pictures I took in Ireland and Scotland- two places that I loved visiting.
July is a busy month! We have had a lot of rain, and the garden is thriving! I tend to plant things too close together, so it's a jungle! Can you see the row of marigolds along the edge? I am a believer in companion planting. I'm seeing a few butterflies here and there....not as many as I'd like, but here is a Red Admiral that came to grace my garden. This my new sign! What do you think?
This is part of a longer painting; a 12x 36" acrylic.
It's still pretty cold, but the sun is shining, and the snow is melting! Cardinals are, of course around all winter, but are easier to spot right now. I love their flashing red feathers, and distinctive cry. Like the Wicked Witch of the West, the snow is melting...melting...! I'm continuing to paint in oils. I just love the luminosity of colour, and the depth that is possible. Butterflies have been a recurring motif in my work for many years, and with the crucial need to depict their plight, I'm going to concentrate on painting them, and talking about them, and keep explaining the need to eliminate the pesticides that are killing them, and the need to plant native wildflowers; especially milkweed, which is, of course, their only host plant. Not a native..but a flower that is a challenge to paint, for many reasons. It's not quite finished, but I find it helpful to look at my paintings onscreen. A different perspective, so to speak. You will be seeing more garden pictures from me as time goes on..I'm working on a painting of some bloodroot, but it's not ready to be seen yet...a picture for next time... Good morning on a sunny Sunday! Here is my garden this morning. We had more snow yesterday; it will be a while before the crocuses are blooming! I put out suet for the birds....but everyone has to eat! My newest venture is into oil painting. I signed up for a class at the Georgina Art Gallery, with a dynamic teacher, who promptly solved the two biggest difficulties I've always had with oils. Here is a work in progress. I have started five paintings, and I work a bit on each one every day. We are using a hardener called Liquin with the paint, and applying very thin layers. Here is another work in progress. I'm really excited about these! This one is showing the most progress. Can you tell I love flowers? In my next blog, hopefully I can show you some finished paintings. Here's to spring, and spring flowers! Oh, and my seeds are sprouting! I probably started them a bit too early, but they will be okay. I wrapped the containers in tinfoil in an attempt to discourage the cats; apparently they don't like tinfoil. So far, so good! In this picture, March looks a lot like February! We still have a lot of snow to melt. But the days are longer; there is more sunlight, and a few above- freezing days make a huge difference. I throw out peanuts, and most of my customers are squirrels. There are a couple of cheeky bluejays though. I was lucky to get this shot! This picture might make a good painting! There was a spectacular sunset the other night! I've hardly been down to the lake all winter; too cold, and snowy; but this evening was lovely! I signed up for oil painting classes at the art gallery. I needed a bit of inspiration, and I'm learning so much! I've started five new paintings, all oil. I'm really happy with the oil paint. I've always preferred acrylic, because it dries faster, but we are using Liquin with the paint, and a thin glaze will dry in a day. Here is my messy workspace, complete with Missy and the Babes! Seeing that they were sleeping here anyway, I decided to go with the flow, and make room for their baskets. Happy cats! |
Author I have always been an artist. I studied art at Georgian College in Barrie. I majored in Textile Design, which I chose because it gave me a lot of flexibility in media. Currently, I am painting in acrylic ,and in oil, on canvas. My other passion is gardening, and flowers often show up in my work! Archives
January 2020
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