Beyond the Hill

The weather has been just beautiful this week!  On Monday I took my paints and easel out to the back of the farm and painted this view of the next farm over.  The paint was very wet which made it hard to work with. Would like to play around with this a bit more so that I can feel the haziness in this painting.  I also hope to have my studio open starting this Saturday till Christmas. 

November Sky #2

The other part of the sky ona blustery afternoon.  Will have to practise more of this! 

November Sky

I tried to concentrate on skies this past week. And they have been so exciting!   It's the clouds that are the challenge-constantly changing and who would have thought that they have so many colours!

Barns in fall

This was painted the same afternoon as the tamarack tree.   Just turned my easel around and changed the viewpoint.  The foreground tree had lost it's leaves but had left a shining carpet on the grass beneath and the tree behind was giving a golden glow to the other's nakedness.  This was also done in acrylic on canvas paper.  Thank you Lord for the beauty in this broken world. 

Golden Tamarack

I love the shape and form of the tamarack trees at this time of year.  They have such a wonderful glow from their ready to drop needles. 
This was done on canvas paper.   

European Oak in November

This European Oak managed to keep it's leaves in spite of the winds from hurricane Sandy.  This painting was done on a black background on a lineny surface.  Interesting texture!  are those weeds in the front too centred?
I have found that all the painting done plein air at this time of year have a somber dreary tone.  That's not necessarily the way it feels when I'm out there.  The skies are certainly challenging in purples, oranges and pinks.  Maybe it's the freezing fingers influencing the painting.

Laneway to the Barn

Late afternoon view from the lane way to the barn and then the house.  Still working on the painting which my daughter wants for a sometime in the future home.  She would like the four seasons painted from this viewpoint.  We will see how that goes. 

Moon Glow

This is the second of one evening's   "nocturne" paintings.   Personally, like the first one better.  The light from the kitchen window was illuminating the last of the leaves on the sugar maple.  I will need to try this exercise again. 

Laneway to the Barn

I worked on this painting in the house,with the help of a photograph, after starting it outside.  It still needs some more work but has been a fun project.  The colours are now history even though the weather is balmy.  What a lovely day for the end of October and after two dreary, rainy ones.

October Moon

The Ontario Plein Air Society is doing a "Nocturne" challenge.  A painting done "plein Air" anytime after sunset.  Such an interesting challenge!  I was fortunate to have done this at the beginning of the week when there was this beautiful half moon.  The acrylic paint took ages to dry with the damp conditions in the evening.  Have to totally revamp my idea of colour at night.

Laneway to the Barn

Started a painting last week to celebrated the beauty of the fall colour and weather.  The time was late afternoon and the sunshine was touching the grass and trees and also leaving long dark shadows.on the lane in front of me.  Will post the progress of this painting again in the future. Didn't have a lot of time but wanted to get a sense of the light.

Fall Asters

A couple of weeks ago, I had an opportunity to paint outside when the fall asters were particularly showy except my confidence level was particularly low.  Quickly painted this little sketch to get the paint juices flowing again.  Wonderful to be outside in the beautiful fall sunshine.

Oak in Full Colour

 This venerable old oak tree beckons us to admire it's beauty all season..  In the winter, it's shape is so interesting and in the fall. it's put on  a beautiful show!

Oak Tree in the Hedgerow

The soybeans have been harvested and the winter wheat seeded.  That made it easy to go out on the field with my cart and painting supplies, drive onto the field, park my easel and  try and give my impression of this beautiful oak, showing off it's fall colours!  First, had to go back and get my brushes.  Then, this gargantuan piece of equipment disturbed my reverie and came roaring up and down the field spraying, whatever, at an unbelievable clip.  Gathered my stuff together and made my way home.  My dear hubbie , later found  the little ledge to my easel flattened beyond redemption after I'd lost it and the monster had driven over it!
  The colours and the skies this fall are fantastic and I give thanks for the inspiring scenery.

Fall Glory:Earth and Sky

Let the fields be joyful and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice.  Psalm96: 12

Behind the Soybeans

This is the sketch done last Tuesday of the hedgerow behind the soybean field.   The weather was wonderful and the sky was also challenging. 

Japanese Anemones

The pink Japanese anemones were lovely again.  Tried my hand at painting them with a palette knife.  The frost has hit almost every flower in the garden.  It's a rubbery looking mess-especially the dhalias.

Little bridge in Thornhill

My contribution to the painter's challenge.  I was disappointed in myself because this whole thing made me so stressed.  Hope to be able to try this again and enjoy the experience.      There was lots of wonderful material for painting .  Really am enjoying the lovely fall weather and the splendid colour show.  Am trying to get out there and paint. 

OPAS Art Show

Some of my painting hanging in the J E H MacDonald House last weekend.

Plein Air Challenge

Saturday morning we had an opportunity to take part in a "plein air" challenge.  Those who took part had from 9:30 till 12:30 to paint picturers or picture in a preferred   medium.  The painting had to be ready and framed or prepared for framing on your easel by 12:30.  There was some beautiful work shown.  There were 1st 2nd and 3rd prizes offered and also the most popular judged by the spectators.  It was a very interesting and challenging morning.  I chose to paint a litttle bridge in the woods.  In this picture the paintings have been set up for judging.

Site of "The Tangled Garden"

J.E.H.Macdonald painted on this spot in his garden.  Most will be familiar with "The Tangled Garden", a painting I can look at for ages, it is so beautiful!  See the post and beam construction of a barn. The wall from this former drive shed or barn was the background of that garden.  It is a very dark and gloomy garden right now with a couple of large trees growing inside the foundation of the barn.   It was inspiring to be there. 

J. E. H. MacDonald House

On Saturday the Ontario Society of Plein Air took part in the "Thornhill Festival". A number of artists had artwork hanging in this lovely house.  This was once the home of "Group of Seven Artist"  J. E. H. MacDonald.  The home was donated to The town of Vaughn by his son. 
  There was a plein air painting challenge in the morning.  I think we all had an enjoyable experience.  There was some great work shown inside the house.  It was my first experience  with an "OPAS" event.

Biking on the "Hoge Veluwe"

Yours Truly on a a "white Bike".  

De Hoge Veluwe

We spent ten days in the Netherlands with our four 13 year old grandsones,showing them their roots.  One of the highlights for me was that the heather was in bloom.  This park also contains the museum that shows a number of "Van Goghs" . We had perfect weather.  This is worth a painting, don't you think? 

Lavender

Lavender in pots in Mike's yard waiting for the hair cut.  B.C.

View from 224th ST.

I think this is the final draft.  So would love  to do this scene on site "plein air".  I hope that lovely pine will be there for many years. 

View From 224st

I have been fascinated with thie view from our families' home everytime we visit beautiful B.C. This is the first attempt to try to get the depth and the hazy afternoon  that day but from a photograph. Memories of wonderful company,and gracious hosts.

GrindStone Hay Harvest

Can't resist the hay bales. This field is the farm right next to us.  Lovely rolling countryside!

Tranquility

I think the wrinkles are finally ironed out of our longtime computer problems.  Enough of that!  I worked on this some more and think I'll just leave it alone for now.  It was fun to paint and it's good to have pressure to go fast (yes, even faster than I normally paint).  We spent five days in the Fraser valley with family, for a wedding.  We visited Minter Gardens.  The lilies were spectacular.  Will have to download some from the "I Pad", soon as I learn how!

Star Gazers in a Vase

We have found it very frustrating to lose our computer to a lightening strike.  The whole thing has taken alsmost three weeks and it still not all working properly.  The positive is that we didn't lose every thing.  I still need to get the picture downloading mechanism to work.  Have been doing a little painting and hope to download the results after we get that working.  It's been too warm to paint out during the day, but the evenings have been lovely.  
  I have been working on redoing this sign   on which the paint completely peeled  after it was hanging outside in the cold and rain.  Hope the new one works better!

Forest Tranquility

Our painting instructor asks some of us to be props for her interview by CHCH TV last Wednesday morning.  We were at Dundas valley Conservation Area and because of the heat , found beauty and coolness in the shade of the forest.  Had to get this painting going very quickly and didn't finish on site and still need to put some more  work into the front of the painting.

Pine Floor Board With Barns

Tuesday evening was hot and muggy  so I sat in the shade of some old farm equipment and japanese elm and used this old floor board from my son's century home to paint this wideangle scene of the series of barns at Andy's farm. The knothole in the board had a piece of concrete in it when I got it-to keep out the cold from the basement. You can see the shadows are lengthening and the willows were being tossed about by the wind.

Willows and sunset

My impression of the setting sun as it glowed through the willows and turned the horizon a yellow-green.

Andy's small Barns

The shadows had really lengthened as the evening progressed and the wind had picked up.  The willows and grasses were swaying and the temperature dropped so that sweater was indeed necessary.  Who would have thought after the heat of the day. 

Small sketch of barns

Last week Tuesday evening's painting session was lovely and the evening was lovelier yet!  First thing after setting up and choosing a location(so much to choose from) I painted this very small sketch. 

Birches in Flamborough Hedgerow

I had this long narrow canvas that seemed to be suited to something tall so tried this birch painting. Believe it or not, it was still hard to get them all in.

Birches on the 10th Concession

Took the opportunity last week to paint birches.  This was my first effort.  Find them very frustrating because there are so many marks on them but also many shadows.  What to leave out?

Poppies and Lupines

Poppies and Lupines from the neighbour's garden.   They sure don't last long.  Another reminder to "seize the moment".

Setting Sun

The last painting of the day using a palette knife and the leftover paint on the palette.

Spring Fields, Flamborough,evening light

This was painted a little later in the evening on the same location.  The shadows are really starting to move across the fields and the sky was showing more cloud.

Spring fields

The beauty of painting in the evening is the light!  The difficulty is that it keeps changing and becomes more exciting-so easy to get carried away and ignore the moment.  This was the first attempt at 6 PM after walking the trail and back to get my supplies.  Thankfully, there were few bugs and the sky was starting to cloud over.  We were sure hoping for rain.

Dundas Valley White Pine

The regal white pine tree has been immortalized by many Canadian artists.  It always beckons when we move to a new location.  This one was the first painting , this spring, outside.  The setting sun was playing with it's light on the trunk and branches and kept changing as it moved down the horizon, challenging us to try to catch that moment when the light seemed surreal.  I had to try this tree to regain the confidence to go on painting.

Barns in evening light(Troy)

A beautiful Tuesday with the anticipation of painting outdoors this afternoon.  We are painting at a location on a dead end of a country road with lot's of lovely possibilities!  This morning we had an inspirational Bible study.  Wow! Ready to go, now.  Psalm 145: All His mercies are over all His works.  And Thy works shall give thanks to Thee, O Lord!

Painting buildings present a challenge to this mathematically challenged artist.  This grouping had all kinds of issues with me(or me with it?)   Still had some fun with it .     

Yellow Irises

The weather has been beautiful but very dry!  Thanks for the rain!  Painted irises Thursday before they fell over from the weight of the water.

Sunset in Troy

The Spring painting season is here again and I'm revelling in the splendour of it!  I do need some time to find my painting confidence, to get back to that place where it gives so much satisfaction-but can still enjoy the opportunity to hear the birds, the rustle of the grass and the wind in the trees.  Oh, and those clouds are up there telling His glory in numerous ways.  In small broken ways, we try to do that too.

Laneway in Troy

It was a glorious day for painting, last Tuesday. The phlox is particularly colourful this Spring.  The late evening light was inspiring with wonderful clouds to add interest.

Lily of the Valley

Hello, finally in the painting mode again!  Smell those lovely "Lily of the valley"(my mother's favorite flower and perfume). It seems appropriate to put them in one of her vases. Step out the door and the aroma is there to greet you.  A  wonderful reminder in this month of mother's day.