New Watercolour

This 15" x 22" watercolour is the first in a new series of paintings inspired by a recent trip to Southeast Asia.

This one is called "Morning - Phnom Penh."

Ponte Vecchio in the Rain

These two paintings were done from scenes in Florence on the Ponte Vecchio on a very rainy day a year ago. The top one is called the "Green Umbrella." The bottom is "Rainy Day on the Ponte Vecchio." They are both half sheet watercolours so they are 15 inches by 22 inches.

Special Announcement

I am pleased to announce that I am again participating this year's Spring Beach Studio Tour, now in its 20th year. This spring's tour starts Friday evening May 3rd at 6 pm. and runs to Sunday May 5th and offers the work of 25 artists, both residents of the Beach area of Toronto, Ontario as well as guests from other parts of the city and the province.  I am happy, once again, to be hosting a fine Ceramic Artist, Zsuzsa Monostory who maintains a studo at the Glen Williams Mill just outside of Georgetown. For further information you can contact me at 416-694-3277 or go to the tour website: www.beachstudiotour.ca.

Zsuzsa Monostory

Quite Afternoon in an Italian Village

Orvieto

This was painted after returning from a trip to Italy in late October. I was looking for compositions based on the architecture of the old towns; narrow streets, with the sunlight cutting between the buildings.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't  very co-operative. It was cloudy, wet and chilly most of the time!

"En Plein Air"

This watercolour is called "En Plein Air" and was painted from a photo that I took (oops, did I cheat?) of a fellow artist painting en plein air at the "A Brush with the Highlands" event, an anual event held at the beginning of August in the Haliburton Highlands north of Toronto.

I am quite pleased with it and think it is one of the best ones to date.

Portrait of a Young Woman

This is a recent watercolour portrait, painted from life, of a young woman.

"Summer"

This was the second of the large (full sheet 22 x 30 inches floral watercolours in my Summer Series. These are bolder and more colourful and looser than my first large watercolour shown below which is in a more traditional style.

Hew Series of Paintings

Here is the most recent example of a new series of watercolours that I have called The Summer Series. They are large (full sheet 22 by 30 inches) paintings of floral scenes. So far they consist of Phlox and Black-eyed Susans, but I plan some more using other types of flowers. It just seems to me that you can't beat the combination of the purple-pink of the phlox and the yellow of the blak-eyed susans!

Waterclour Show - Faces and Figures

I am pleased to announce that I will be having a show of my portraits and figure paintings in Watercolour at the Riverdale Artists' Network's Hang Man Gallery here in Toronto. As you can see from my previous posts I have a loose and impressionistic approach to the medium. I find that painting the human form is both challenging and satisfying and even though it can a battle I find it most enjoyable.

The Hangman Gallery is located at:

756 Queen Street East

Toronto, Ontario

(416) 465-0302

The show will run from February 15 to March 6 and the hours are Tuesday to Sunday 12 to 5 pm.

Figure Breakthrough

A couple of 20 min. figure sketches done several weeks ago. I felt that I was beginning to understand some techniques; such as hard and soft edges and being able to effectively soften edges to create the feeling of light passing over form particularly in the face area.

In watercolour it is so important to keep going, to have faith that improvement will come. Practice not only improves technique and skill it also promotes understanding; the "Ah-ha" moment.

Still Life #4

Here is the next one.

Still Life #3

This one is even better. Good clear shapes, recognizable objects and lots of colour. Something I learned at the Charles Reid Workshop. Fresh moist paint and lots of paint on the brush.

Still Life #2

This one is a bit better. The same set up, but better drawing for starters. And a tighter, more focused composition.

Doesn't it seem true that the second time that you attempt a particular picture it is better. I guess in the first you are just bumbling along trying to solve problems, discovering other problems after you've finished and in the second you have an inkling of the problems that you will encounter as you go along. I guess a way to deal with these is a preliminary sketch or experience.

Still Life #1

I have recently returned from a Charles Reid Workshop, at which I learned a bunch of very important things about how I paint and how I should paint.

I am attempting in a series of small and (I hope) daily paintings to apply those things that I have learned and show some improvement.

Here is the first.

Woman in Blue and Orange

Or, like Whistler, "Composition in Blue and Orange." Or maybe "Grunpy Woman with Oranges." This was a three hour pose with the Toronto Watercolour Society (although I tend to finish in one and half to two hours) .

Whatever the title I am quite happy with the way this one turned out.

Wednesday Night Figure

Another painting from my Wednesday night group. A twenty minute pose of a large model from behind.

Male Nude

A painting from life last Tuesday. Not a particularly good likeness, but I am satisfied with the result.

Growing Body Syndrome

This is another Tuesday evening portrait.

She is suffering from what one drawing book referred to as "growing body syndrome." We (or I) usually start with the head and in this syndrome the rest of the body gets bigger and bigger as we come down the page. A slight exaggeration can give a weight to the bottom of the composition as well as a monumental feeling. I also like to take a slightly lower viewpoint, sitting in a chair with the model on a model stand; this gives the resulting portrait a nice feeling of importance.

We are so interested in other people and spend so much time looking at them that even a mistake of half an inch or a quarter of an inch can create a proportion problem that is readily visible to a viewer. If they can see it and we can see it (when we are finished) why do we miss it when we draw it?

Wednesday Night Drawing

This is from last Wednesday night at my drawing group. A twenty minute painting of the model from behind. I am fairly happy with this one.