If You Could See Me Now [14”x11”,acrylic on canvas]

I’ve had another go at the colors on this painting.  Mostly I’m going back into this one to try to help me work through missing my brother.  This painting speaks to me of Chuck’s continued presence in our lives through the veil.  I know his spirit lives on. 

I believe that at times he is aware of what’s going on as part of “the great cloud of witnesses” cheering us on to victory in our lives.  He’s much more able to intercede on our behalf from there.  He’s also busy learning all the ropes up there and Kiya [she’s just coming up to her 2 year birthday] has got Papa on a steep learning curve I’m sure!  Lots of people to show him around to.  I can imagine how wonderful it was for him to finally hold that little one in his arms.  I can imagine him sitting around visiting with those that have gone before and enjoying their company. 

If I asked him if he’d rather be here with us I can imagine him saying “sometimes sis.  But, you’d be glad for me if you could see me now”.  Well, I am glad for him…  just not so much for the rest of us.  But, this week I promise to work a bit harder at entering into the Christmas spirit.  Have a great week!

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Bowness Buddies [22”x30”, acrylic]

I’ve resolved many of the issues with this painting and I’m [definitely] ready to move on to another one.  I’m really liking my doggie in this painting – she’s kind of a large version of my Kassie.  She loved Bowness Park…  ah, we had some good times together there, that’s for sure.  Enjoy!

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Bowness Buddies WIP [22”x30”, acrylic]

So evolves a painting…  try to fix the 4 things you didn’t like and create a few more in the process ;-)  Oh, and while you’re at it HURRY and take blog photos before the sun goes down – at 4:30 pm.  First , it would do me goo to say what I LIKE about this painting:

1. I’m still liking the bridge – it’s been glazed a bit darker and that’s working.
2. I now like the sky – the bigger shape is still a triangle but the gradation helped even though it’s subtle. 
3. I toned the value of the rocks on the left down and extended them toward the bank…  that’s better.  The trees on the bank extend above the deck of the bridge now too. 

And now we get the inevitable next steps:

1. The hat needs help.  Once I get the shape right I will…
2. Get the get the lights back on the right side water and sand.
3. The trees on the far right bank are too warm/light. 
4. Bump the gradation in the sky a bit further???

Otherwise just puttering….  Oh, the joy of acrylics – it’s never really over! 

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Bowness Buddies [22”x30”, acrylic]

I’ve kept a bunch of the texture from the original acrylic ink start.  Due to the darkness of the start I decided to select a subject I could work abstractly.  The railway bridge has plenty of graffiti on it and I wondered how it would look to paint the bridge negatively and leave most of the color and texture as the bridge.  So, I’m pretty happy with the bridge. 

Still on the list after looking at this in thumbnail size:

1. My man looks really dull in the figure.  I’ve got to work on that a bit.  He also looks sad.  What’s with that?  Shouldn’t he be a happy camper wandering around Bowness Park with his buddy in the SUMMER?  Hmmm. 
2. The sky shape in the top right is about as boring as shapes get.  That’s got to change.
3. The rocky shore curves way too smoothly as it goes under the bridge.  It makes the shape of the water too static. 
4. I’m missing the bits of overlap in the brush in front of the left side of the bridge -  it’s causing a perspective issue. 

Stay tuned…

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Elbow Falls [acrylic, 11”x15”]

Elbow Falls, is about 45 minutes from my home in Calgary.  It’s a great place to go for a picnic as long as you get there before the rest of Calgary.  Every visit provides a slightly different scene, varying with the weather and seasons.  If it wasn’t for my terror of grizzly bears, I would love to tackle some of the easier hiking trails in this area.  Maybe next spring I’ll get my bear spray recertified and head into the hills. 

This acrylic on 140 lb watercolor paper was started transparently and then worked back into with translucent and opaque paint.  The eye sees transparent against opaque very differently.  This is clear in the waterfall…  I did the furthest left water first and then painted the right most water opaquely on top.  The closer opaque water comes forward as I’d hoped it would.  Enjoy!

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Three Sunflower Sisters start [acrylic, 11”x15”]

I started this transparently today and it was fun.   I’m really into the split compliment created by Pyrrole Orange/Phthalo Blue & Green Gold/Dioxazine Purple.  I think a fairly realistic array of colors can be created if one wishes to work realistically.  But, there is still  plenty of scope for the imagination.  Abstracting a subject’s color is lots of fun and a definite stretch for the imagination.  I hope to find some hard evidence one day to support my premise that puddling around in bright colors is good for one’s mental health.  I have anecdotal evidence that says it’s so.

I am working my way into quite a pile of these starts.  My plan is to work on several concurrently and, eventually, move them closer to finished.  Hope springs eternal!

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Chaos again…

I’ve had these Daler-Rowney FW acrylic inks for a while but haven’t used them much at all.  Last night I wanted to play with something new so I took 3 bottles of ink and my water atomizer and went to work on this full sheet of 300 lb watercolor paper. 

I dampened the 300 lb paper and then applied the inks straight from the dropper.  I continued to spray and tilt the paper from side to side to get the inks to run and spread…  possibly a bit too much.  The inks are really quite beautiful as they run and drip and blossom on the paper.  Perhaps I am easy to entertain, lol.  Lots to do here still.  Stay tuned!

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