Mind the Step!

I thought I would share this fun watercolour I did as part of a demo for an Art in the Park event a few days ago.  The event took place in our local park which is actually right next to where we live so I didnt have far to travel. The park has a pond so I couldn't resist painting the ducks that we often see on and around it. They always amuse me how they seem to forget they can fly sometimes, especially when they have to negotiate tricky things like steps!

The painting is 21 inches by 9.5 inches and will be available for sale in the Studio Tour in a couple of weeks.

Ona

Grandpa visits the Theatre for the month of October

The painting of my husbands grandfather 'Finishing Touches' which won an award at the Signature American Watermedia Society earlier this year is on display from today until the 31st October at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts as part of the Richmond Hill Studio Tour promotion. If you live in the area pop in any time between 10am-6pm and view all the beautiful paintings on display. You can find my painting on the main north facing exhibition wall on the ground floor.

Selected for Strokes of Genius 6

 I've just received notification to say that my pen drawing of my gorgeous labrador Harry (with just a touch of watercolour in his eyes) has been selected for publication in North Light Books' Strokes of Genius 6: Value | Lights & Darks. This means I'm going to have work in both Splash and Strokes of Genius next year. I'm very happy :)

This Labrador waits patiently for his owner to return. His soulful eyes reveal his feelings without the need for words.

His love is unconditional.

Ted's In print

A copy of 'The Art of Watercolour' magazine arrived in the mail for me yesterday afternoon.

It was very exciting to see my 6 page featured article in print.  Thanks again to Laurent Benoist and Janine Gallizia. You've done an amazing job.

If you are interested in ordering a copy of the magazine follow this link

And to all of you that live within travelling distance of the GTA, many of the Ted paintings will be on display next month at the Richmond Hill Studio Tour so keep the 19th and 20th of October free. I will post more details about the tour in a couple of weeks.

Ona

Teds featured in new issue of the Art of Watercolour Magazine

I have some wonderful news to share with you today. My Ted series of paintings are featured in the new 12^th issue of ‘The Art of Watercolour’ magazine which is published in France and distributed worldwide. Thank you to Janine Gallizia and Laurent Benoist for including my work in this issue. It is such an honour to be part of this beautiful magazine. I can’t wait to get my copy in the mail.

If you are interested in ordering a copy of the magazine follow this link http://www.artofwatercolour.com/  The article is also in the French version L'Art de l'Aquarelle

Ona 

Sold at Art in the Park

As part of the Richmond Hill studio Tour promotion I was asked to paint  at an official Park opening as part of an Art in the Park event. Its always lovely to meet and chat to the public about what we love doing.

I was painting the last in the current Ted series. It's technically not quite a miniature  if you include the painted in mat but the actual painting part is only 6.5 by 2.75 inches so its pretty small.

 I hadn't quite finished it by the end of the afternoon so brought it home and finished it yesterday morning. I promised several people that I would post it here so they could see the completed painting so here it is.

The legendry detective Furlock Holmes is busy investigating another crime scene where fine art has been appreciated a little too literally! Furlock uses his trusted magnifying glass to search for the smallest clue that might lead him to the cupcake tasting criminal. But while he is caught up in the fine details of the case, is he missing the bigger picture?

and yes, the painting is sold. One of the organisers fell in love with it as I was painting it at the park and has reserved it.  

Create-Ted

For all of us that love Teddy bears you might not know that we actually owe huge thanks to an artist for its creation as well as Teds namesake Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt.

For those who do not know the story…On November 14, 1902, Theodore Roosevelt attended a bear hunt in Mississippi. During the hunt, Roosevelt came upon a wounded young bear and ordered a mercy killing because he hated to see him suffer. The Washington Post ran an editorial cartoon created by the political cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman that illustrated the event. At first Berryman drew the bear as a fierce animal but later he redrew the bear making it a cuddly cub. The cartoon and the story it told became popular and within a year, the cartoon bear became a toy for children called the teddy bear.

This painting, while not depicting the event specifically, celebrates the idea behind it…. I wanted to capture the focus, imagination and thought that goes into a painting as the artist brings their ideas to life (quite literally in this case) on the paper.

Thank you Paul for agreeing to be my model for this painting. I really appreciate it and I hope I captured even just a little of your wonderfully creative spirit, and the care and thought you put into each painting you do.

Transparent Watercolour 22 inches by 15.75 on Arches 140lb cold press paper. 

Ona

More progress

Blogger seems to be doing strange things today. My post from yesterday seems to have disappeared and I've just got an e mail notification for another post I made months ago instead of the one below.  I guess gremlins are in the works. Apologies if you too got the wrong or an extra e mail or feeder notification.

 I thought I would share my progress today because I finally managed to get a half decent photo of the painting so far (Its a just a touch over saturated in the background).

Paul is now nearly complete. I just have a little bit more work on the hand and brush and some final overall value adjustments then I will be ready to begin work on the objects on the table and the actual section that Paul is painting.

 I'll post again once the painting is finished.

Ona

My Progress

I've been working on the portrait section of the painting over the last few days. I still have the hair on the right side to finish and the final darkening washes to go over the whole area but I need to paint in the clothes first before I can do this as some of the hair falls over the top of his shirt.

Some of the colour matching isn't as accurate as I would like in the photo above especially with the skin tones and hair which is much darker in the actual painting but hopefully as I paint more it will get easier to photograph.

It was the focus in Paul's face when I was watching him demo at the TWSA celebration weekend in June that initially gave me the idea for the painting. I think his expression sums up, for me, the love that artists have in the creative process. We begin with an idea that only we as the artist can see in our minds and are so totally absorbed in its creation as we put paint to paper.

Ona

Finally I'm painting again

I have been busy working away at the background to this painting over the last few days. Its nothing like the background in the reference photo I am using which was taken at the TWSA celebration weekend a month or so ago. I have kept the lighting direction the same but wanted to create a very different feel for this painting.

My subject? Well, can anyone guess who it is from the outline?

Ona

Featured Artist

I'm the featured artist on 'Art on the Hill' today. Click on the  link to read my feature and find out how I got started in the world of art, who my inspiration as an artist has been, what colours best describe me and the answers to several more fun questions.

Book the dates 19th and 20th of October in your calenders too because I will be part of the Richmond Hill Studio Tour again this year and will have many of my paintings on display at Boynton House in Richmond Hill that weekend. 

Ona

Framing Little and Large paintings

Sorry for the silence over the last 3 weeks or so. I had my parents staying so spent a lot of time with them. I have been working on several ideas for paintings too though, just nothing yet that I can really share. I am nearly at the outline stage with a large portrait and ideas for my last two Ted paintings in the series are happily progressing too, so hopefully I will have something to share with you soon.

James and I have also been framing a couple of paintings that need to be shipped off to exhibitions next month and while we were doing this I couldn't resist framing one of the miniature Teds too. The two paintings make quite a contrast when seen together don't they.

Ona

Rhythm 'n' Blues

The saxophone dances the rhythm of her notes across the air and between these notes, our heart and soul beats to her sound.

The painting certainly provided challenges... Working with such a limited palette meant that the awareness of values was a very important key to the success of the painting. It also involved a play with warmth and coolness of colour, not just in the contrast between the golden yellows and the cool misty blues but also within the individual colour ranges. It's hard to see from the jpg (apologies for this) but the blues in the background warm up nearer to the source of the light and there is also graduation  between the warmer and cooler blues on the shirt, getting cooler as you move away from the saxophone. Lastly I had to battle with all the fiddly keys and levers on the saxophone to give the impression of reality but not too much so that it becomes the total sole focus of the painting. I wanted it instead to be more part of the whole... almost an extension of the person. The use of warmth in the hands and face mirroring the warmth in the saxophone hopefully helps with this too.

Ona

More good news!

I had another e mail today to say my painting Craft-Ted with Love has been accepted into the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour CSPWC Open Water International Exhibition which will take place at the Leighton Centre in Calgary Alberta this fall.

Yay!!! Another Ted will be off on his travels :)

Ona

Pennsylvania Watercolor Society Exhibition Acceptance

I am pleased to be able to tell you that 'Coded Thoughts' has been accepted into The Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s Annual International Juried Exhibition

The exhibition will take place at the Crary Art Gallery, 511 Market Street, Warren, PA from October 5 – November 15, 2013

Ona