Toronto Streetcar and Snow Storm, Queen and University

                                                           

11x14 oil on canvas

I'm getting ready to do a much larger version of this scene, so I decided to paint it again a little larger, making a few changes along the way. I added more color and a bit more detail. Its always difficult to know how far to go with color and detail, and of course the only way to find out how it looks is to paint it.

Toronto Streetcar, Snow on Queen

8x10 oil on stretched canvas

The atmospheres and scenes that I choose to paint require the use of gray tones. I have been creating grays using different mixes. For this painting I used ultramarine blue mixed with transparent iron oxide for the main color scheme, and added white, cadmium red, and yellow ochre for highlights.

I purchased James Gurney's book "Color and Light". There is so much info in it, it is mind boggling. In his section on Grays and Neutrals he says "Grays or neutrals are the opposite of intense colors. We sometimes associate grays with blandness or dullness, but they are actually an artist's best friend. More paintings fail because of too much intense color rather than too much gray,"

Passengers board a Toronto streetcar on this blizzardy day.

Spadina and College Rain, Toronto

6x6 oil on board

Spadina is a street full of eclectic stores, wonderful colors, lots of activity, and home to Toronto's Chinatown. This view features the corner of College and Spadina during a downpour in the fall. I am continuing to experiment with color palettes and in this picture I used Viridian, Ivory Black and white for the main background and added cadmium red, yellow ochre, and cadmium yellow as highlights.

 

After my show in July of this year, I chose to devote my time to family responsibilites and my art was set aside. It was an all encompassing path which didn't allow time to pick up a brush along the way, but it was a path that I needed and wanted to take. My beautiful wonderful mother passed away Nov. 20 after a difficult illness. I will cherish every moment I spent with her.

Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition

I will be at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition this weekend in Booth 262 (white section near the cafe at City Hall.) Please stop by if you are in the area. I would love to meet you.

I have been busy with framing and finishing up some larger pieces, but I will be back with some new postings next week after the show. I'm also looking forward to visiting my fellow bloggers  to see all the work I have missed during the last two weeks.

Heading Home, Union Station, Toronto

24x24 oil on canvas Sold

This is another scene that I was hoping to get finished for the upcoming show. I don't think working under pressure helps creativity. All it does is create stress, but nonetheless, I am still enjoying the intense painting time. I hope to get back to some regular posting after the show.

I did this scene in a 12x12 a while back and wanted to do it on a larger scale. I hoped to keep the main structure of the scene and not work on too many details. When going up in size, its easy to start focusing on details rather than the shapes.

"Suits" head for the Go Train after a day at the office.

Bay Street Rain, Toronto

24x24 oil on canvasSold

There is nothing like an upcoming show to get one motivated. There was a time when I came into the studio, checked mine and other blogs, and procarastinated a "little". Now I come in, pick up a brush, and get going. I have to say that I really enjoy the momentum and the production, even though it is sometimes exhausting. 

I did a similar scene to this a while back, but wanted to revisit it in a square format. My focus this time was the streetcar tracks and cables. I think it is a little darker and drearier, reflecting our weather for the past week.

If you are in Toronto for the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibiation, visit me at booth 262.

FAV 15% in the May Boldbrush competition

12x12 oil on canvas

I am pleased that my painting "Movie Night at the Westdale Theatre" was voted into the FAV 15% in the May Boldbrush painting competition. You can view the FAV 15% paintings HERE.

6x6 oil on board

Here is another Toronto Streetcar using the Zorn palette with the addition of Viridian for some highlights. I like the misty rainy look that is possible with the limited palette. I also tried to incorporate more palette knife work and thicker paint. I often use a palette knife on certain areas of my work, but would like to incorporate it a bit more. For some great videos on painting with a palette knife, visit Tom Browns blog. He has several videos where he paints on a small scale using the palette knife only. You can visit his blog HERE

Taxis On Yonge Street, Toronto

30x40 oil on gallery wrap canvas Sold

I previously did this scene 8x10 in acrylic (view it here) to get a sense of what it might look like on a larger scale. An obvious lesson I learned, is that you have to PAINT it on a LARGE scale if you want to know how it will look. There really are no shortcuts. And then I ask myself why I am doing this,(as I am covered in head to toe paint and the studio is a complete mess) and the answer is "because I have to" and also because the image is kind of fun and funky.

When painting on a large scale, I found it difficult to maintain the value study I did. The details try to sneak in. I had to repaint the middle and far distances three times.

This is Yonge Street in Toronto with the signature Taxicab colors dominating the foreground.

Toronto Streetcar 2

12x12 oil on gallery wrap canvas Sold

I've been spending a lot of time getting paintings ready to take to the TOAE in early July. Varnishing, signing (I have a very bad habit of not signing them until I think they are done, and then I forget). I am also painting the sides of the gallery wrap canvas...a lot of work.
There are  a few more pictures that I want to paint to take. I did a smaller version of this one, and would like to do a large (24x24) but decided to try the 12x12 first.

I used a version of the Zorn palette here, but added some viridian for a few highlights. I may do another 12x12 with a more extensive palette to decide which one to use for the 24x24.

Toronto's Painted Ladies

6x6 oil on panel sold

The other day the forcast was for rain and more rain, so I grabbed my camera gear and headed into Toronto hoping to get some nice rainy shots of the Kensington Market area. As the train was pulling into the station, the rain stopped and I was left with a boring gray cloud cover. I decided to head over to the Kensington Market area anyway, took in the Art Gallery of Ontario (more on that later) and then wandered around the streets between the University of Toronto, Kensington Market and  Dundas Street. There are some wonderful Victorians here, some in a state of desrepair, some fixed up nicely, and many of them painted in  unique colors. They are surrounded by fences, gates, and overgrown gardens. As I wandered around, the sun would peak out every now and then, and shine through the many lush chestnut trees that lined the streets. I'll get that rain another day.

6x6 oil on canvassold

Just For Laughs, Yonge Street, Toronto

24x24 oil on canvas Sold

Thanks everyone for your great comments regarding realism vs impressionism. Reading through them, I realize that I am a little "uptight" in my approach to painting and need to relax a little and not worry so much about a distinct style. There were some thoughtful comments about letting the subject decide, and also to possibly incorporate both styles. A quick read through them will reveal some choice tidbits of  insight well worth taking to heart.

I will be exhibiting at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition again this year and if you are in the area July 8,9,10 you can find me at Booth 262.

The banners advertising the "Just For Laughs" show influenced my title choice for this painting of Yonge Street in Toronto. The Hard Rock Cafe is visible under the Expedia sign.

Your opinion needed:Realism vs impressionism

16x20 acrylic on canvas

8x10 oil on canvas

Renovations, family responsibilities (sandwich generation), and yard work have kept me away from the studio. I don't know what happens when I am away, but when I come back, I feel that I have lost my way. I question my goals and where I want to be artistically. I used to paint realistically, doing commission work. Like many other artists out there in the blogosphere, I am now trying to learn to paint more "painterly" with looser more expressive brush strokes and a more spontaneous look. Sometimes though, I miss painting those wonderful details. I used to have confidence when I approached a painting. Now everything is a learning experience and struggle.

How many of you out there struggle with the transition from realism to impressionism? Or do you find it difficult to "loosen" up in your work. Why is this so difficult to do?

I did this painting of a Maine Coon cat on a marble fireplace  about 5 years ago. Below it is a scene from Dundas that I did today. The lilac bush and mauve colored car caught my eye as the evening sun created long shadows. The house had some great green shutters and door.

Bloor Street Market, Toronto

8x10 oil on canvas

I needed a break from large, rainy, and complicated and this proved to be just what I needed. I took this photo the other day in Toronto. Its still a little early for planting, but a few markets had pansies and a few other items for sale. Early afternoon isn't the best time for photos, but there was a slight overcast haze that helped the atmosphere.

This is Bloor Street West in Toronto.

Yonge Street Rain, Toronto

24x24 oil on canvas

This is the third time I have attempted this scene, and it didn't get any easier. I wanted to do it larger than previously, and as usual, my bad habits came into play. I grabbed the smaller brushes and started doing details. Then, having to be away from the studio for a day, most of the paint dried so I had to remix all the colors. I made sure at that point to keep all the small brushes far away. (Why does the need to do realism keep sneaking back into my style) I did an acrylic sketch of this scene to see how far I wanted to go with the colors. I still subdued them a bit, and the oil allowed for more blending. This is probably the last time I will visit this particular scene, although Yonge Street is still a favorite spot for me.

The store in the foreground is called Pia Pia Fashion Boutique, and some letters of the Zanzibar club sign are just visible next to the yellow canopy sign. This is Yonge Street in Toronto.

Movie Night at the Westdale Theatre

12x12 oil on canvas sold

This painting was challenging for several reasons. There were too many colors, so I was concerned about maintaining color harmony. I could have chosen a limited palette, but all of the sparkly lights of this old movie theatre and the lights of the stores were a big part of the attraction for me. Using more colors than I normally do, I also worried about having the road turn into a mud color.

This theatre dates from the 1930's and is one of the few, if not the only, theatre of its era still in use in Hamilton. Next to it is the Bean Bar, a great coffee place.

Toronto Street Car on Dundas

8x8 oil on canvas sold

I would like to thank everyone for their insightful comments on my previous posting. I really enjoyed reading about other artist's color choices. I even heard from two writers who had some great things to say. So again, thank you!

We are back  doing some renovations on our little stone cottage, and so the studio was out of commission for a few days. I thought I would get back into painting with this little picture of Dundas Street in Toronto on a rainy day.

To bid on this painting, you can go to the ebay auction HERE

I need your input and opinions!

12x12 acrylic on stretched canvas

I have been doing some experimenting with color, using limited palettes. I want to find a color scheme that works best  for the urban images I like to paint. I tried the Zorn palette with a sunny city scene, and found it very limiting. So then I thought I would do the opposite, and try a picture in acrylics, using several different colors. I like to use acrylics from time to time...I like the fast drying time, the glazing one can do almost immediately, and the quick changes that can be made.

I would love to hear your opinion about your choice of color. Do you always use the same colors? Do you change for different types of images? Do you like a limited palette or a wide variety of colors? Your information will help me in my quest to find out how different color palettes influence the look of a painting. Thanks!

Oil Sketch of Queen Street in Toronto using the Zorn Palette

Taxis at the Go Station, Toronto

12x12 oil on canvas

In the previous posting, using the limted palette, I was able to convey a gray misty feeling. The challenge with this picture was to convey the same feeling even though I was adding more colors. I knew it would be difficult to maintain "color harmony" with the variety of colors in my photo reference and I didn't want to change the taxi color as it is typical Toronto colors. I did tone down the colors of the taxi in the foreground, and kept the greens of the trees muted. I'm still wondering if it looks too bright for a rainy day.....so complicated!

Taxis wait at Union Station in Toronto for pedestrians escaping from the rain, while others head down the stairs to catch the Go Train.

"Zorn Palette" Landscape

8x10 oil on canvas

I used the "Zorn Palette" to do this cityscape. I think this palette will work well for rainy misty scenes. I like the look it created, but I found myself reaching for the blue, which wasn't there. I was surprised that I could mix a sort of green color using ivory black and yellow ochre.

This scene is from James Street North in Hamilton. Cars head down hill, under the TH&B railway bridge, going north towards the bay. I may try a larger painting using this palette.

The "Zorn Palette"

8x10 oil on canvas

While reading blogs and other internet info, I often come across what is called the "Zorn Palette". It consists of Ivory Black, Virmillion (or cad red or cad red lt), yellow ochre, and white. The artist Anders Zorn apparently used this palette. Differing opinions suggest he used this palette for landscape, others say he used it for figures. There is also the opinion out there that he rarely used this palette, and had several colors in his studio. Regardless, I want to try a few paintings using the palette he is known for.

I spent a lot of time learning and discovering values, and now I am delving into color. I want to find out how different palettes affect the look of our work.

I used a photo on my monitor as a reference to do a painting of my daughter. I used ivory black, titanium white, yellow ochre, cadmium red light. It was difficult not being able to paint her turquiose blue eyes and the matching blue shirt, but thats the beauty of this palette. Not overdoing the details or color.

It has been a very long time since I have done a portrait, but thought it was time.

I'm off to try a landscape using this palette. Give it a try!!