Queen and Spadina

8 x 8 oil on canvas paper

So the big question is, did I maintain the atmosphere even with adding more colours to the picture? (See previous post) I think the limited palette conveys more "heat" from a hot sunny day. The other feels a little cooler. (to me)

Which painting shows more atmosphere? I'd love to hear your opinions.

Sunny Day, Queen and Spadina

8x8 oil on canvas paper

I'm finding that more and more I like to do a study or two before I start a larger painting. This scene has many more colours than this, but I wanted to try for  atmosphere with a limited palette and then decide where to go from there. 

This is a very busy corner at Queen and Spadina.

Late Afternoon Light, King and University

24x24 oil on canvas

I did an 8x8 version of this scene and wanted to try it on a larger scale. I wanted to keep the looseness and spontanieity of the smaller picture. I tightened up more that I would have liked, but I'm ok with the result.

The late afternoon light is reflected off high rises, creating some shadows and highlights. The Union Building which is home to the Elephant and Castle is illuminated in the background.

(There is some glare on the picture, which I will correct when it dries and rephoto)

En Plein Monitor

8x8 oil on canvas paper

I am hoping to get into the city to do some plein air painting. I think it is important to have some idea how we will approach a scene when we are out there. There are many ways to start a painting. We can do a monochrome value study, draw it in, or block it in and paint from there. In my "Plein Monitor" painting, I chose to block in with thinned paint and a large brush and work from there. I kept to a limited palette of ivory black, viridian, yellow ochre, cad red, and white. (I often use this for rainy scenes). I also worked from a black and white photo to get my values right. (I won't be able to do that out doors).

How do you approach a painting? I would love to hear some thoughts and opinions.

I will be doing the other 8 x 8 in a less limited colour palette and will post that one shortly.

Plein Air, Early Morning Light

8 x 10 oil on canvas

I have been spending some time on our sailboat and took some paints along hoping to get some plein air work in. This scene was viewed from the dock beside the boat. The early morning light was great, so I tried to sketch in the lights and darks before the light totally changed and clouds moved in.It was also very windy, so the dock was bouncing around. I got more seasick from the dock than the boat. This took about an hour and a half. I would have liked to work on it some more, but the conditions deteriorated so much, I decided to leave it as is.