It's a beautiful day today. I leaped over a fence and fought with trees and went down a steep embankment to get my painting for the day. I had paint all over my clothes; I dropped my finished picture and got dirt on it; then I fought my way back over the fence. It was worth it, I think.

(Back to Red Trillium)

Today was so cold that my hand became stiff and I couldn't open my paint tubes. So I hurriedly finished this one, and I am not satisfied with it so I will do it again.

I have changed triads again; I'm using Indigo, Brown Madder, and Cadmium Yellow (as a substitute for Quinacridone Gold which I couldn't find). Working with indigo is like working with India Ink.

(Back to Keswick River and Fallen Tree)

Today while painting by the Keswick, I was joined by a bank beaver who swam around looking at me curiously for awhile. He slapped the water a few times and left.

(Back to Art Musings)

I am not a portraitist but I have been asked to paint a picture of a woman from a photo that was taken at night so that I have a reddish hue for her skin. I am not happy with this first effort, so I will try again.

My problem is that I find it hard to make a light red without making pink! I used Alizarin Crimson.

(Back to Red Lady)

Today I sat by the Keswick River and painted two paintings of the same dead tree from a different angle than previously. I wanted to try two different ways to paint the same subject matter but I find that they both pretty much look the same. I'm finding it hard to break out of my old habits.

With one painting, I wet the paper and waited until the gloss disappeared and then painted the background. I let it dry and did the tree and other detail work. With the other painting I just started right in putting colour on the paper and painted the sky, river and background trees. I let it dry and painted in the detail. You would never know that I approached them in different ways. Oh, well.

I'm still using the triad of Cerulean Blue, Indian Red, and Yellow Ochre.

(Back to Dead Tree...)

This morning was very cool and damp. My paper wouldn't dry enough to get the details of the painting done. So I am posting this "before" picture which shows what the dampness accomplished. I finally gave up and decided to work on the painting after it dried.

The "after" picture will follow.

I have moved on to the next triad of colours: Indian Red, Cerulean Blue and Yellow Ochre (the opaque colours).

(Back to Old Stone Bridge)

Today I sat in the ditch beside the old rail bed and painted the Old Train Station which is located a few hundred feet from the Old House I painted yesterday. Since then, the Vandals have been throwing rocks at the unboarded windows of the Station and there isn't one window left unbroken. Glass lies everywhere on the ground.

What kind of people live here? Why does everything have to be destroyed when it is abandoned or unoccupied? I'm very down about the small regard that people have for others' property in the place that I have chosen to live.

You have to imagine the train tracks in the front of the station. This small place used to be a hub of agricultural activity with grains, cattle, lumber, and all kinds of produce being sent to others in the province. Near here are the remains of at least three old root cellars that stored potatoes and other vegetables, probably before putting them on the train. There is a confluence of two streams that make up the Keswick river just a few hundred yards from the Station.

(Back to Train Station)

Today was very cold on the hands to be painting outside. (When I got home, the themometer said 10 degrees C.) This house is adjacent to the old house I painted earlier. I noticed that the vandals have started destroying things around these deserted houses. Six bird feeders that were all intact yesterday are smashed today. Such a shame! Other old places that I used as subject matter have met disastrous fates also: one old shack was burned. I cannot understand such destruction.

In this effort, I think I have learned how to represent old shingles better. I'm getting used to using the triad of colours to their best advantage also.

(Back to Abandoned House Entryway)

Finally, it is warm enough to hop on my bicycle and go to my selected area to paint. I have had my eye on this old house for a long time now. The people who live in the adjacent house moved last fall and I made a sketch of this funny little house then but it was too cold to paint. Now I shall visit it at my leisure and make a few paintings of it.

It is full of old stuff but I imagine it was built a long time ago and somebody just loved it. It is very small and the tree which is trying to grow right through the house is quite old now. I imagine it was just a twiggling when the house was built.

In choosing my colours, I used Nita Leland's idea about triads. This one being Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna and Payne's Gray. I thought how appropriate the colours were as there isn't anything green yet where I live. These colours are what I see at this time of the year.

(Back to Tree and Old House)