Neighbours

30" x 30" acrylic on canvas


Speaking of neighbours, check one one of my all time favourite artists, Mark Gould. He paints an amazing neighbour series, which inspires me everytime I look at his paintings.

Clarksburg Morning

24" x 48" acrylic on canvas

This one was a challenge, but so much fun to paint! It is the largest painting in size that I have ever done at 24"x48". It depicts the main street of my little town, where I often walk first thing in the morning. I will be submitting it to the upcoming Loft Gallery Spring Show.

Spring Impression

16" x 20"
Acrylic on canvas
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I sometimes wonder if my infatuation with painting buildings stems from the fact that I always wanted to become an architect. I took a half a year of engineering to try to pursue this route, but soon found out that I was much more of a people person, and went into marketing instead (which finally lead me to painting). I've always wondered what would have happened if I had chosen the path of architect...

Before Nightfall

24" x 24"

Acrylic on Canvas



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There is something magical about the last few minutes before night cloaks the world in darkness...

Vasey Barn

24" x 24"

Acrylic on Canvas

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Check out one of my favourite artists, Canadian landscape painter Mike Svob. He has such beautiful, vibrant landscapes. I kick myself for not taking one of his workshops when I lived out west.

Awakening

16"x16"
Acrylic on Canvas

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Spring is here. Can you tell that I am excited about it? R Garriott had a great question about how I paint. So I thought that I would share a little more with you. I know how much I enjoy seeing how other artists' work evolves.

I usually paint on canvas (cotton), with a ground applied. Most recently I have been starting with black gesso. But I have also been known to use red, purple and yellow as an initial ground colour as well.

I then use chalk pastel to sketch in the composition. I usually do a few thumbnail sketches on paper to make sure the composition works.

Next I jump in with my acrylic paints. I love love love Golden heavy body acrylics, and though I have a few other brands (Windsor Newton/Liquitex), I primarily use Golden. I find it is best if I am as fearless as possible when applying colours, because with acrylics, I can always mellow it out later. Plus, acrylics darken when they dry - a component that I really struggled with when I first started using them. I enjoy layering colours in an impasto sort of way. I am afraid that I am just too impatient to glaze (which is a shame because it really adds a glowing sort of element to your paintings). My other favourite way to paint is negative painting (ie. painting the space between two shapes, like the sky between tree branches etc). I often look for a composition which allows me to do this.

When I am done, and the paint is dry, I wipe off any remaining chalk pastel with a wet rag. I finish all of my paintings with a semi gloss varnish, the sheen gives a richness to the acrylic paint, and brings out the colour.

That's it in a nutshell. Above you will see three different stages of a painting I did yesterday. What's your process?

Solitary Understanding

24" x 24" acrylic on canvas

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I am preparing for an upcoming studio tour: The Blue Mountain Tour of the Arts. I am thrilled to be displaying my work at a beautiful local store in Thornbury, Interior Motives. Leslie Lewis, the store owner, has a wonderful array of home decor, furniture, and gifts available. It is the perfect setting for my artwork!

The tour is on the May long weekend, as well as over Canadian Thanksgiving. If you are in the Collingwood, Ontario area then, come check it out!

Windswept

24" x 36" acrylic on canvas

SOLD

Hope everyone had a great Easter. I know I did. Lots of time spent with the family, and puttering around the yard outside. I am ready for spring!

You can see that by the colours I got into on this painting.

Lasting Impression

We have had a beautiful March here in Ontario. No snow, sunny days, and the daffodils were even getting ready to bloom. Then April came, and as most Canadians can attest - ANYTHING can happen with the weather in March/April. We just had a big storm blow through here that left us with 18 inches of powder in 24 hours.

So here is my final homage to winter. Now I am off to snow blow the driveway. Adieu!