Red Alert WIP

Say Ahhhhh!

 It's so good when you get an obliging model as you paint, especially when you are painting an open mouth.(grin)

 Doing big portraits is a lot of fun. This one has a long, long way to go before it is done ( the teeth are still masked out, there are no proper eye brows or eye lashes, my subject is decidedly pale and she has no hair ) but I just had to share this moment as I finished blocking in the main features and my subject starts to 'interact' with us as I paint.

Dear Angel

 Life is full of quiet moments that only you and your angels share. Times when you  ask  for their guidance or just need a moment to gather your thoughts and seek reassurance that you are on the right path. Times when you feel remorse for something you know you could have handled better and want to find the best way to say sorry.

Transparent Watercolour 30 by 19 inches

Having a guardian angel with us can be an enormous comfort. Some people believe that their guardian angel is a spiritual being who looks out for their well-being, many believe it is a deceased loved one who offers guidance during times of need, a few, like me, believe it is your own inner conscience, within you always, if you just allow yourself to listen. Whatever you believe, it is good to feel you are never truly alone.

I am still pondering over a title for this painting. Any ideas will be very gratefully received.

News

I had two exciting pieces of news this week. 'Chocolate Chipadees' will be winging its way to Kenosha this spring for the 2017 Transparent Watercolor Society of America's 41st Annual Exhibition (Jurors, Jean Pederson, CSPWC, AWS and Bruce Handford TWSA MS, NWS)

The exhibition will take place at the Kenosha 5500 First Avenue, Kenosha, Wisconsin from May 6th to August 6th 2017.

 My painting 'From Little Acorns' was also awarded an Honourable Mention in the International Watercolour Societies online contest.

The contest had an overwhelming response and received 1452 entries. To be chosen as one of the top 31 paintings is such an honour. I hope you enjoy the slideshow of all the winners. 

Just Ducking Out!

I have always loved the idea of painting outside, capturing the scene as it is right at that moment in time, but I am such a slow painter it just so hard especially when I do love to paint animals. This Watercolour illustrates what I am sure would happen if I tried!

 Ona the amateur plein air painter searches for a suitable subject to paint. Aha!!! a nest of baby wood ducks high in a tree....a captive subject. I can paint them! They look so adorable waiting for mom and dad to return with food. I can take my time and not rush. So each day I returned to the same spot,  set my easel up and paint while the light allowed. I thought... do the babies first and then I can paint the nest around them. I worked hard to make them look as real as possible and was so pleased with how they turned out but before I could finish the nest around them.... well, just look what happened!!! My little painted ducklings fledged and started leaping out of my painting!

I guess I am just not cut out to be a plein air painter am I! (grin)

Exhibition News

I was honoured to receive an e mail from the President of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour to inform me that my painting 'Artist at Work', which is part of the National Diploma Collection, had been selected for a special exhibition to be held at the Peel Art Gallery and Museum, Brampton, Ontario.

My painting (on the left) is of a very special person who sadly died a few years ago. He believed in me as an artist long before I did and encouraged me so much in the early days. When he saw this portrait of himself he encouraged me to apply for  CSPWC elected membership.  I was elected shortly before he died and when I told him the painting of him was the one selected to be part of the National diploma Collection he was thrilled, He said he would now live on forever. You still have a very special place in my heart Denis.

Richeson 75 Small Works Exhibition Finalist

I was pleased to receive an e mail yesterday afternoon to say that my painting 'Incarcerate-Ted' had been selected as a finalist in the 2017 Richeson75 Small Works Exhibition.

Now I need to package him up so he can safely be transport-Ted  to the exhibition. It opens on February 22, 2017 in Kimberly, WI and runs until April 18th.

Happy New Year!

I just want to wish my readers a very Happy New Year and to let you know about some events that will be happening this year. Firstly I was honoured to be asked by the President of the International Watercolor Society to be part of the leadership team for IWS Canada.

I met with Atanur along with the president of CSPWC this week and we talked about building a stronger relationship between the two organisations here in Canada. I am looking forward to working with both presidents to make this happen.

I also wanted to let you know that this year I will be participating in the King Studio Tour in April rather than the Richmond Hill one in the fall. The dates for the King Studio Tour are April 22nd and 23rd. More details will follow soon but save the dates!

From Mid July until late in August I will also have a solo exhibition at the Aurora Public Library. More details will follow for this later this spring.

Ona

Feed the Birds

Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is the purest joy you can experience.

I really enjoyed painting this. I think the child's joy must have been contagious. I love painting both children and animals so having both in one painting was a lot of fun to do. I used  5 different reference photo's to create this. The Chickadees were actually visitors to my feeders over this past summer. It took me many attempts to get the references I wanted. The cookies are  a pile of my husband's favourite chocolate chip flavour that I photographed and the child is from an old photo I had.

Can anyone help me out with ideas for a title?

Paint Along with Ona

My Holiday gift to you all this year is a paint along with me. In this video you will see how I create realistic folds in fabric. I hope you will enjoy following along and painting your own version of this simple Holiday themed watercolour using just 6 colours. If you don't have the colours I use, just substitute for ones you do have. You need a neutral colour,  a purple/red, a pink, a warmer orange/red, a mid brown, and an orange/brown.

If you have subscribed to my e mail notifications or you want to see the video full screen please click on the link to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/q04gZvRFLEk

Feed the Birds WIP 2

I am really enjoying working on this painting. I think the child's delight must be contagious, don't you? As promised, here's an update on my progress.

People often ask me what I think as I paint. Do I focus on the colours or the values or where to put the detail? Although I think about all three, more than anything I think about the emotion or atmosphere I want to convey as I paint. In this one I am trying to capturing the feelings of softness, delicacy, joy and sunshine. I wonder if it's my subconscious making up for the shorter, colder days that we have now by filling my painting with light and warmth?

An early Christmas gift

Christmas came early today for my special little boy Harry. Jamie Markle from F&W kindly sent us a special preview copy of the newly published book 'Art Journey Animals' which has my drawing of Harry as the front cover. I hope you enjoy the photo's my husband took as I unwrapped the package and showed the book to Harry. I think he approves, don't you?

'Hey Harry, Santa heard you wish. A package has arrived from F&W'

'Look Harry, it's you on the front cover. Isn't that awesome!'

'That's me, that is. They have made my eyes extra shiny too'

The book can be pre ordered from North Light Books http://www.northlightshop.com/art-journey-animals.

Feed the Birds WIP 1

I realised looking back through my blog this year I haven't done a single WIP. I think I've been either so absorbed in the process  or had a crisis of confidence in what I was trying to do that I have shy'd away from sharing as I paint. I thought that today I would change this, as the little face looking at me and my brush right now just radiates such happiness that I hope it will make you smile too.

As you can see I have a LONG way to go with this but the child's delight has reminded me to just enjoy the moment that is now.

Whatever you are doing today, whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving as many of my US friends are doing or it's just a normal  Thursday as it is here in Canada, I hope you can find some joy too.

I am not sure how speedy I am going to be with this as the holiday season is fast approaching but I will try to share my progress with this as I go.

Ona

Art Journey Animals

Harry can't wait to get his own special copy with my drawing of him on the jacket cover. Art Journey: Animals is now available to pre-order from North Light Books and is estimated to be shipped around the 15th December. I wonder if Santa will manage to get Harry's copy here in time for Christmas? 

Ona

Light's Rainbow

As Watercolour artists we know that every colour works as a team to create the white light that we strive so hard to capture in our paintings. Although the light we see in the world may appear colourless, the sunlight we strive to capture in our art is actually white light that is composed of all the colors of the spectrum working together. You don't see the individual colours most of the time but they are there working in harmony: a rainbow is proof of this. The sum of all the colors creates the white light. By working together they create something pure and beautiful and uplifting.

 With this in mind I chose to use all the colours of the rainbow in this painting to help me create an illusion of pure, simple white light on my paper. Its only through the diversity of my palette that the beauty of the light shines out.

 (((Hugs to you all today, whatever your race, colour, beliefs, or philosophies. Remember, just as in this painting, diversity can be our strength not our weakness if we work together in harmony.)))

My Thinking Cap

 With all the hate and animosity on the web and news at the moment I do wonder about how this is affecting our children and how they think and feel about what is happening.

'My Thinking Cap' Transparent Watercolour 24 by 16 inches

 I wanted to capture this in a painting. In the background I have written quotes about love and hate, racism versus tolerance of others, good and evil. The child thinks about these things. They become part of him and how he views the world and the people in it.

 In front of him is largely a blank canvas representing the future. As he stares ahead he will, over time form his own thoughts and this empty space will be filled in.

 Please be kind to others and not hateful towards those who do not feel the same way as you. Show some tolerance, love and understanding of others thoughts and beliefs so our children learn by our example and fill the years ahead of them with love, understanding and tolerance too.

Careful the things you say 

 Children will listen 

Careful the things you do 

Children will see And learn 

Guide them along the way 

 Children will glisten 

Children will look to you 

For which way to turn 

To learn what to be 

Careful before you say 

"Listen to me" 

Children will listen 

 (from Disney's Into the Woods)

I love the idea behind this painting but for some reason I am not totally happy with the way it's turned out. Something is wrong. I think I will just put it away for a while and then maybe look again in a couple of weeks. So for now I'm calling it done but we will see.... I will let you know if I decide to make any changes.