Toronto Facade

6x6 oil on gessoboard

In downtown Toronto, there is a great mix of old and new. This block of lovely buildings has been beautifully restored. I think it is on Wellington Street near Yonge.

This small painting is being offered for sale on ebay and if you wish to go to the auction page to place your bid, you can click HERE

$100 plus $10.00 shipping

Winter Sun, Yonge and Dundas, Toronto

24x24 oil on stretched canvas

This is a very "busy" city intersection.There is a lot going on...billboards, signs, cars, people, and different and weird buildings. I don't know why these scenes attract me and why I take on the challenge of painting them. Throughout the painting process, I definitely go through a love/hate relationship with the picture.

In this scene, the late afternoon light creates  many different highlights that reflect off of each other. There is almost darkness, and at the same time, light that is almost blinding reflects off of the snow.

Massey Hall, Toronto

6x6 oil on gessobord

Massey Hall was built in 1894 as a Music Hall, and is still used for music performances. It is a great place, full of character. Jazz lovers who are familiar with the Dizzy Gillespie, Charley Parker Recording, Live at Massey Hall...well, this is where it happened in 1953.

I took this picture on Shuter Street in Toronto.
If you are interested in this paintng, you can click here to go to the ebay auction page where you will have the opportunity to place your bid. Thank you for looking!
Check out my website at www.catherinejeffreystudio.com

Queen Street Shoppers, February

6x6 Oil on board

Queen Street in Toronto is an eclectic mix of boutiques, galleries, bars, cafes, and restaurants, usually in the original architecture. When the sun came out after our recent snow storm, I grabbed my camera and went in to get some photos. I liked the way the sun peaked around this corner building, highlighting these young ladies as they shopped on Queen Street. The light posts are always covered in signs, adding some color and interest.

If you would like to bid on this painting, you can go to the ebay auction page by clicking HERE.

Snow on Queen Street, Toronto

24x24 Oil on Stretched Canvas

When I did an 8x10 of this scene, I was planning to do a larger canvas. There are several challenges to painting larger. I find that the spontaneity of the smaller piece often gets lost when painting large.  I tend to overwork areas. Part way through this one, I went to the local art supply store and bought some LARGE brushes that I was desperately in need of.  Other challeges..winter trees are so hard!

I"m not sure if I am done. I can see from looking at the photograph that I need to soften some edges. I think the tree needs some softening with the blue of the sky. Also, I may need to soften the value of the girl in the foreground. Now on to something nice and small to reward myself!

Queen and St. Patrick, Toronto

6x6 oil on board

I was able to spend some time in Toronto, and took lots of photos. The city provides so much food for the senses. There are so many shapes, textures and colors. There is lots of activity going on, even on the coldest or snowiest days. Its exciting being there, taking it all in, and hoping that I can capture even a small portion of what it has to offer. And of course, the architecture is stunning.

This small painting shows the corner of St. Patrick and Queen, on a cold crisp February day. I plan to do a larger version of this scene.

$100.00 plus $10.00 shipping
If you would like to bid on this painting, you can go to the ebay auction page HERE.

Waterdown Victorian

6x6 Oil on canvas

Cold cold weather and bright sunshine add atmosphere to this house in Waterdown, a great victorian town up the hill from Dundas.
$100.00 email for information

Ancaster Church

6x6 oil on board

I love these old stone churches. Architecturally, they are quite magnificent buildings. This stone church is in Ancaster, a town very close to mine. The wrought iron fence in the foreground seemed to bring it all together.

$100.00 plus $10.00 shipping

February Sun, James Street Hamilton

16x20 Oil on Stretched Canvas

I knew what I liked about this piece when I started it, but as I worked on it, I realized how complicated it was. Most of the painting was about problem solving. Keeping the temperature of the shadows consistent was a challenge. And keeping detail at a minimum was important. This is one that will have to sit in the studio for a bit while I decide if it needs much tweaking. For now, I need a break from it.

Snow on Queen, Toronto

8x10 oil on canvas

We recently had the biggest snow storm of the year ( so far). As far as severe storms go, it was fairly tame. We had white outs, and school closures, but didn't get what was forcasted. It still created a lot of great snowy scenes. In this painting, young woman waits to get on a streetcar on Queen Street in Toronto.

A fellow blogger asked me what my palette is for my rainy and snowy scenes. Lately I have been using Diox purple, Transparent red iron oxide, cadmium red, cadmium yellow dark, yellow ochre, Ultramarine blue, and sometimes a little ivory black.

Snow Banks, McMurray Street, Dundas

8x10 Oil on Canvas

Fresh snow after a snow storm is illuminated by morning sunshine on McMurray Street in Dundas.

Dundas was once a manufacturing community before Hamilton became the larger city and took over. Dundas is mostly a bedroom community, but still has pockets of industry. This street leads to a manufacturing company that has been inexistence since 1840.

I was asked in the previous comments if I always use a limited palette. For sunny pictures, I usually use the limited palette mentioned in the previous post. For this picture, I added cadmium yellow light to mix the color required for the turquoisy/blue sky.

(I felt the snow banks were painted with too sharp edges, so I softened them and retook the photo.)