Hope you enjoy this Paint Along Video

I was asked  by the Richmond Hill Public Library to create a paint along video. Hope you enjoy it.

For additional information on how to paint, a jpg of my finished painting and the outline please visit my website. Hope you all enjoy it. Have fun and do share your attempts with me. I would love to see them.

Ona

I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus!

'I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, underneath the mistletoe last night' 

Transparent Watercolour 23 by 17.5 inches

I couldn't resist painting this one for Christmas. Have a look into Isla's eyes. Can you see the silhouette of Mommy kissing Santa?

 I hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season. I am going to be taking a break now for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I will have lots of  new ideas to paint and share with you all next year.

In the Windmills of Your Mind

I am always fascinated how creating art doesn't happen in isolation. Other things in our world spiral in, influence our thinking, our approaches, the way we work and what ultimately we create.

'Like the Circles that you find in the windmills of your mind'

Transparent Watercolour 17 by 22.5 inches painted using QoR Modern Watercolours

Earlier this year I was approached by Bryce Lampe, Brand Manager for QoR Watercolors and Golden Acrylics who asked if I would like to try a selection of their watercolours. So, I selected a key few colours that, to me, evoked a soft dreamy, far away feel an a couple more warmer tones to create balance and to help me create skin colours.

The QoR paints when used have all the subtlety, transparency and flow of watercolor, with colors that have strong vibrancy even after they dry. I am used to seeing the vibrant colour when you apply the paint wet but many brands, become less vibrant as they dry. This isn’t the case with the QoR colours. There is also much more pigment held within the mixture and the combination of these two properties make the colours simply glow on the paper even when dry.

 I am a curious soul and my mind was certainly spinning wondering why- so I did some research. The exceptional color strength of the QoR range of Watercolors is apparently achieved through the use of a unique binder called Aquazol®.

'Conservators have been using Aquazol since the early 1990's as an adhesive, consolidant, and inpainting medium. The properties that make it ideal for use in conservation also make it a great binder for watercolor paint. It is highly soluble in water and remains re-soluble over time. It remains stable after accelerated light aging tests with no significant change in color, and it is very safe to work with. But what is really exciting is that Aquazol can hold much greater amounts of pigment than the same amount of gum Arabic, while retaining a strong and flexible paint film.' 

(https://www.qorcolors.com/science) 

When working with people in other disciplines– it can sometimes seem like everyone is speaking a different language as our mind circles round and round trying to understand why or how. But collaboration between disciplines is crucial for coming up with new ideas. Our minds may circle round and round as we play with fresh ideas but by allowing this circular thought amazing new products are born. Thank you QoR for your circular thinking.

Honorable Mention Pennsylvania Watercolor Society 2019 Member's Exhibition

I was very pleased to receive the news today that my painting 'Bah Humbug' was selected  by Juror Yachiyo Back from over 200 paintings  as one of the 15 award winners in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society 2019 Members exhibition. Congratulations to everyone in the exhibition. There are some beautiful paintings.

Click on this link to see the award winners  and the complete exhibition.

We took our Christmas lights down inside the house at the beginning of January but still have our lights up outside. It brightens up a cold snowy winter and is a welcoming sight when you come home of an evening. I had to laugh though. We have a switch on the floor just by the front door which got covered in snow a couple evenings ago during our last snow storm. When I took our dog out first thing the next morning I wondered why half the lights were not working. I checked the main power socket, the power adapter, the fuse lights and still couldn't work out why they were not working. I probably had a very similar expression to this until I suddenly realized my husband must have stood on a switch that was buried in the snow and accidentally turned it off the night before. Luckily it was an easy fix and our lights are now working again!

A rose... with love

This was my demo piece yesterday evening at the Toronto Watercolour Society. It is created using just 5 colours: Perylene Green, Perylene Violet, Sap Green, Quin Coral and Quin Gold deep. I have put a new paint Along video on my website of the process. Maybe you would like to follow along and create your own rose to send to someone special this Valentines Day.

https://emotiveexpressions.ca/paint-along-with-ona/free-paint-along-videos-for-everyone-to-enjoy/with-love/

Oh Baby It's Cold Outside!

Sometimes there is a painting that just makes you smile when you are working on it. This was one of them. I just loved bringing his expression to life and making him look and feel really cold by playing with colours on his face and giving him dragon's breath.

Transparent Watercolour 15 by 22 inches

Do you think I ought to let him in to warm up now?

A Glimpse into my process of Creation:

 I guess when you paint pretty realistically, a lot of people presume you just copy a photo. With me, this is so far from the truth. I love taking photos but if I am happy with them as photos I personally feel no need to paint them because I am happy with them as they are. What I enjoy painting is something I can't capture easily in a single photo. So if, for example, I see an expression I love or an icicle that looks super awesome shining in the light I capture these small aspects and file them away in my 'one day....' folder. They aren't great as photos in their own right but the potential in each one is there. Every so often I look through this folder and sometimes when I do an idea for a painting just pops into my head. This usually happens because of something YOU have all written about or said, or something has happened in the world to trigger my idea. So Thank you all. You might all think you are just flittering away hours posting on facebook but you all help me by doing so. Keep it up folks!

With this painting I used a photo of Garry I took at a photo shoot about 15 months ago now, back at a time of year it was a lot warmer than it is now. I had no pre conceived thoughts of a painting when i took this photo. I merely asked Garry to convey a series of different expressions/feelings. In this one I asked him to look a bit pissed off. I had a LOT of work to do adapting this photo and making his expression into someone who was cold but the basics were there! I really accentuated his nose... I wanted to make it feel ultra 3D to really show the cold blues I was going to put on it. I also changed his lips a little (and yes, I did wander around the carpark at Walmart for a good half and hour pretending to look for my car LOL to see peoples expressions in the cold. I also changed his eye brows a touch... it's all very small changes... millimeters difference but enough to adapt his expression to suit what I wanted the painting to say...

... and yes... in -20 I did go outside and actually paint part of the painting there. Why??? because water freezes in these temperatures and so as I was painting the background the watercolour froze and formed ice crystals. Its only subtle because I didn't want it to detract from his face but if you look closely at the background you can see tiny ice crystal patterns. How cool is that!!! (pun intended LOL) So there it is... from start to finish. Realistic... YES but very different from what I began with ... such fun to do!

Bah Humbug!

It's time to decorate your home for the Holidays. You get out the lights and check each one...all are working beautifully so you carefully hang them up. Then you gather the family to watch the magic 'turning on of the lights' only to find one light not lit up. Bah Humbug! 

I usually work with a very limited palette when I paint so tackling this painting was a huge step outside my comfort zone... so many colours so close together EEEK!!! for someone  for whom colour and emotion is so closely intertwined it was a challenge not to get overwhelmed as I painted it. It was fun to do though. Thank you Garry for allowing me to take the photo that inspired this painting.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. Remember, it is the light within you that is what your friends and family like about you. So don't stress about all the external trimmings.

Transparent Watercolour  17. 5 by 12 inches.

Ona's Pumpkin Spice Trio by Da Vinci Paint Co.

  Da Vinci Paint Co. approached me and asked if I would select a trio of their colours to create a special set which I could name. I have called it the Pumpkin Spice Trio. This trio is available from Da Vinci Paint Co. beginning today. The three colours I selected are Quin Red, Raw Sienna and Indanthrene Blue. They are gorgeous colours on their own but together they create magic.... beautiful fall oranges, muted greens, shadow purples and AMAZINGLY rich darks... just perfect for capturing fall colour, pumpkins, ghords or cozy fireplaces.

 Hope you enjoy this brand new Paint along with Ona using these three colours

Splash 19:Illusion of Light

I am honoured to have my painting 'A Penny for your Thoughts' featured as the lead image for the portrait section of the latest 'Splash 19: The Illusion of Light'  recently published by North Light Books. There are so many amazing images in this book. It is one well worth getting.

Bottoms Up

It has been a lovely  warm sunny few days  so yesterday I painted outside. I love watching the local wildlife at our local pond. These little ducks obviously found something super yummy under the water.

'Bottoms Up' Transparent Watercolour 11.75 by 7.75 inches

Small but Mighty

I've just finished this miniature transparent Watercolour that is just 3 inches by 4 inches in size. Although the kestrel is one of the smallest birds of prey she is much larger in real life than in my painting. The little painted kestrel measures only 2.5 inches by 1 inch and was painted with a magnifying glass and a very small brush.

 This is the painting matted and framed.

Snuggle 'Down'

This little cygnet is sleeping peacefully in his mother's downy feathers. There is nothing quite like a warm soft downy bed to snuggle up in after a busy day.

'Snuggle down' Transparent Watercolour 11 by 14 inches.

Lighting the Way

When you light the way for others, you also brighten your own path

Tower Bridge, London UK. Transparent Watercolour 28 by 18 inches

Walking beside the river Thames in London was something I loved doing, especially at night when the skyline was all lit up. This scene certainly has a place in my heart. The inspiration for the watercolour though was at a much more metaphorical level. The bridge at night lights the way and guides others in the darkness but in doing so it illuminates itself too. When you light the way for others, you also brighten your own path. Only by giving will you be able to receive more than you already have. Light someone's path today and brighten yourself too.

Puzzled

Life is a puzzle without edges. No one is born with all their pieces, or knowing what their life puzzle looks like. It's something that has to be pieced together as we go. Eventually all the pieces will fall into place but until that time we just have to accept the confusion, live for each moment and know that even when things dont immediately fall into place things happen for a reason.

Transparent Watercolour 23 by 14 inches

Broken In Transit

'Broken in Transit!!!!....the nightmare of all artists who transport paintings to and from exhibitions! We put so much of our hearts into our work and are so pleased when they are accepted into big exhibitions ... then this happens...

I think my models face says exactly how we feel. Don't you?

Thank you so much to Garry Sugden for agreeing to be my model for this painting. Think I am going to have to find a really distressed frame for this one.

Transparent Watercolour 25.5 by 17.25 inches

The Teds are featured in the International Watercolor Magazine's 3rd Issue

It was a great start to the new year to receive a copy of the latest issue of the International Watercolor Magazine. I have a 6 page feature in this magazine. My Teds have been eagerly awaiting this issue all holidays and so, of course, when it arrived we had to all sit down for story time.

 

I am honored to be featured alongside Alvaro Castagnet, Myint Naing, Huang Zhigang, Olga Litvinenko, Sun Jiangang, Dino Dante Pajao, Ouyang Songbai, Ouyang Songbai, Shi Zengxiu, and Mark Mehaffey in this issue.

You can purchase the magazine online http://www.iwsmagazine.com/en/products/

Happy New Year to you all.

Vertigo

Transparent Watercolour 30.5 by 21.5 inches. 

This one was such fun to do. It's the 2nd in my new series of  portraits focusing on larger than life expressions. Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights but for some it can be overwhelming. 

I was going to call this painting Vertigo but technically a fear of heights and a feeling you are going to fall is actually Acrophobia. Maybe I should just call it Hold on tight! Any other ideas would be very gratefully received.

It's been a hard days night!

I began this painting in a beautiful woodland garden at the Schomberg Garden Tour a couple weeks ago, worked in it some more at First Friday Richmond Hill yesterday, and put the finishing touches to it at home today. Even rascal raccoons can be peaceful sometimes. This little one is snoozing in the sunshine high up in a tree.

Transparent Watercolour 13.5 by 7.25 inches

Citrus Sunshine

Some days, when its miserable and rainy, you just have to create your own sunshine. Painting this watercolour has been my way of finding sunshine over the last few days. Since last Friday its been cloudy and rainy here almost every day so just in case your day is gloomy too I hope this sunny painting brightens your day.

Transparent Watercolour 25 by 16.5 inches

RED ALERT!!!

It has been such fun painting this, just capturing that expression and playing with some really bright colour.

I have always struggled in the past when painting predominantly red/orange paintings because I feel colour as emotion and emotions as colour. So for me to use a predominantly orange/red palette makes me much more daring, determined, energetic, powerful, impulsive and slightly aggressive than usual.  It is a highly visible colour that makes me make spur of the moment rash decisions which is so unlike my style of painting and, in the past, has led to me making mistake after mistake. My saviour in this painting was Dawn's green eyes. when I started to get overwhelmed by all the orange/ reds I would just focus on the eyes and add a little more detail to them until I felt calmer again.

Do you find you are affected by the colours you paint with?