I have started a project suggested by Martha Marshall--to paint 12 paintings on the same subject matter in order to help create a distinctive style given the same size paper, the same subject matter and the same palette.

I count this as my second painting. Today the insects were out in full force even though I left home earlier than usual hoping it would be too cool for them to bite in earnest. I also found that my paint was taking a long time to dry so I did a small painting while I was waiting. I seemed rushed, out of focus and bewildered by bites while doing this painting.

I did something else that I won't try again. I don't like to waste paint so I just added my new triad colours (Cobalt Blue, Aureolin, and Rose Madder (I don't know if it was "genuine") to the colours of the previous triad. A big mistake because the mixing was horrible. I couldn't get a grey I liked so everything is brown that should be grey. So I learned about sticking to three colours and not messing about in order to save paint!

(Back to Zealand House 2)

The no-see-'ums and mosquitoes were out in full force for the first time this year! I spilled my water all over everything (except my painting) and had to clean up. The painting fell into the sandy dirt and mixed some granules with the paint. But something else happened when I started to go faster because of the aforementioned incidents. I seem to have better values in this picture. I also think that because the building was not architecturally sound, I couldn't rely on what I knew the windows should look like so things are less stiff.

I am a painter of sharp edges, though, and need to work on those edges that disappear. First, I have to find a reason. That's next.

(Back to Zealand House)

I've had my eye on these buildings for some time--the reddish/orange doors and frames caught my eye. The owners were kind enough to let me sit in the yard and paint this picture. The building that was formerly a house was turned into a stable. Apparently the shakes and the nails were hand turned on the house. The buildings are more than 80 years old but I don't know by how much.

There's a third barn on the site and that will be done at some time in the future.

I had to pedal 26 km for the round trip. My behind was very sore!

(Back to Williams' Old House and Barn)

This painting is one of two that I did from two different viewpoints. This separator was chained to a post beside a market stall that sold fruits and vegetables (in BC where my mother lived). The colours were gorgeous from the weathering and, of course, it brought back some memories of my teenage years.

When my brother and I were eleven and thirteen respectively, we went to Alberta to live with my aunt and to do the farm chores. We looked after many chickens, a few pigs, and milked about 8 cows twice a day. We fed all the animals, sometimes made churned butter, separated the milk from the cream, cleaned up everything (including sterializing the separator which is quite a job as there are lots of disks to clean between). We also did the inside work, emptying the honey buckets, cleaning, washing and waxing floors, liming and washing out the outhouse, pumping the water from the well and carrying in buckets of water by hand, washing and hanging out clothes, chopping and carrying in wood, etc., etc., etc. Anyway, it is a memory from a year's very hard work (for no pay!)

That's my nostagia with this piece.

(Back to Cream Separator)

This morning it was very foggy and the temperature was 13 degrees C. I took a chance on its not raining and pedaled in a different direction to another site that has lovely barns. I have painted here many times and age is beginning to take a toll on the buildings. One of the sheds was burned down a couple of years ago. The house burned well before that. The weather is gradually destroying the doors but from a distance they are still impressive. These barns must have been wonderful when they were first built. Hay and bindertwine and old machinery are everywhere inside the barns.

When I first found this place, a man and his wife approached me to see what I was doing. They took my picture which surprised me. They told me a bit about the place but they didn't have much information. In the yard between the barns I once found a page of an old local newspaper dated 1956. Of course, I took it home and mounted it on a board. No Trespassing signs have now been put up on all the buildings.

Before I finished, the wind picked up and the air became so cold that I could hardly hold onto my brushes. I had to give up because it began to rain.

I have also begun my next triad of colours: Cadmium Red, Ultramarine Blue and Gamboge

(Back to Three Abandoned Barns)

It was very cold riding my bicycle to my painting site. I had just finished blocking in the sky with its dark clouds when it began to rain. You can see the drops on the work. I covered everything with a piece of plastic and waited it out. Mr. Brewer (the man who looks after the farm) was kind enough to come out and offer me shelter if it should rain harder.

I have also changed to the next triad: Winsor Lemon, Winsor Blue [Green Shade] (except I could only find Winsor Green [Blue shade] and Winsor Red. Wow, do these colours ever pack a punch!!

(Back to Coulter's Three Barns)

I pedaled my bicycle about 8 km to my favourite painting spot--Coulter's Old Farmstead. The first time I painted these buildings, the current custodian came over and told me the history of the place. His father (Mr. Brewer) used to work at the farm which has a lot of land attached to it. Years ago, water was carried via wooden pipes from the ridge behind the house to the upstairs where it gave running water to the family. There was a special lean-to (now rotted away) attached at the side of the house that was used to store milk, cream, and butter. There are a number of outbuildings including three barns. Three years ago there used to be cattle around the yard and fields, but no more. Now it is populated by dozens of red winged blackbirds protecting their territories. Their songs are beautiful!

I imagine that the family who lovingly build this house must have been proud of its grandeur. I estimate it to be about 100 years old.

(Back to Coulter's Farm)

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)

This wagon I found a few miles up the trail from where I live. On the seat were the two skulls that I painted earlier in oil. I actually sat on my chair and painted the wagon on site. Usually with finicky subjects such as this, I take a reference photo and paint from that. It started to rain before I finished the background so I did that in the studio. I was especially attracted to the yellow and pinkish-red colours on the wagon.

(Zealand Wagon)

I have decided to change over to watercolour. I will be interested to see what happens when I change my medium.

Back to Green Grapes

I gave myself a challenge with this painting. I arranged my tubes of paint into two piles--light colours and dark colours. With my eyes closed I chose one tube from each pile. I allowed myself the use of black and white also.

This skull is one I found in the woods beside the trail. There were bones from the body too and another smaller skull. I presume it is a deer skull.

(Skull 4)

I found this small skull in the fall of 2005 while walking on the old railway bed which is now a trail. I put it to one side and covered it with a scrap of rug so that it would still be there when I had a bag with which to pick it up. I couldn't find it again until 2006 at which time it was frozen to the ground. So I waited until spring and brought it home and made a painting of it. I think it must have been a raccoon at one time judging from the size.

The other large skull I found on the trail while I was looking for subjects to paint. It was located on an old wagon seat in company with another skull (that I will paint at a later date). I was quite excited to make such a find!


Skull