gratitude....

I am grateful for:

1. my painting today
2. having Logan home to cuddle with
3. haydens courage
4. mcdonalds fries
5. my family
6. my really good paint brushes
7. my friends
8. jacks company
9. the sun shine

birch with blue sky

Not the greatest quality picture, so hard to get a good shot. I have someone who may be photographing my work for me which would be great as the colours just dont come out exactly right for me. So this painting is evoling nicely. I am pleased thus far, its sort of a new approach for me with smaller canvas ( 16x20) and 3 trees with 3 trunks and the landscape with rocks, still a few hours to go working on this but will be a nice size for the exhibit....

across the street

Last night I found a smaller canvas and sketched a new painting. I looked out the window and across the street there were 3 birch trees I have been looking at for 2 years and it never dawned on me that it could be a painting. So I drew it out and started painting it today.

open sky

heres the thing, I started doing landscapes in art school. I remember them vividly. I would make them up out of my head. The canvas was usually divided into 3 parts, water, land, sky. I loved this rounded, blended earth tones. The shapes on the canvas were massive with rolling hills and I painted large, it was too confining on a smaller surface. I dont know where any of those paintings are at this point. Maybe I gave them away or just stored them at school never to pick them up again. I also liked to draw in those days and never left the house without a sketch book. I remember one drawing in particular I did up at a classmates cottage in Perry Sound. She was an artist and a good one. Her and I sketched all weekend and Im reminded that my work now, is reflective of the style I had then. What I love about that is I was free. I drew and painted in my own style and experimented. Im doing that again and most importantly I feel like my paintings are starting to really represent who I am as an artist and who I was years ago in art school. Open and free to express myself, its a great feeling . Took me a long time to get to this point again. I remember picking up a paint brush and a canvas 10 yrs ago for the first time in years and copying other artists.....all the while trying to find me. Well Ive found me again at least Im closer than I was, really close.

No photo today but the painting below is a day away from completion Ill post it tomorrow....

evolution...

I am adding the smaller trees with white highlights in the left side...this will be throughout the painting but its beginning to add depth and interest. I am also going to introduce a blue/green to the landscape its actually called bright aqua green. It will bring light to the landscape. Sometimes you miss the colours that are in a landscape that you would think out of a tube would never belong but next time your looking out your window look closely and you can see aqua, purples, yellows etc that you may have never seen before.

into the gap

okay next painting...love how its rolling along. Ive got a million images in my head and cant get them onto the canvas fast enough. This one is really moving me, love the gaps and sky.....making me very happy.....just the beginning so watch the evolution.

sunday night

no painting today. Finished my assignment for my course though. Took me a few hours but submitted it and now I can relax a little and just look at my next course. I dont think Ill study over the summer with the kids home and an exhibit in Sept. I wish I could fit it all in, however Ill pick up 2 courses in sept 09 and 2 more in Jan 2010. Im not sure how close I am to being done just plugging away at it. Hard to juggle it all but worth it when you love what your doing and I really do.

Well the kids and Dean just left so Im off to rest and get ready for a painting day tomorrow, will post what I accomplish, finished a birch, started 2 more.... not to mention commiss. from a while back. Need to finish it all!!! Wish there was 2 of me.

Good night!