First Snowfall, King Street West

36 in x 48 in Oil on canvas-SOLD

I'm enjoying painting on a larger scale, but as I've mentioned before, any mistakes are BIG mistakes. I did this painting a while back, but was not satisfied with the composition or the light, so I changed several things while doing a repaint. I added the crosswalk to create depth and included more people. The surrounding area is affected by the moving sign on the Canada Life Centre, highlighting nearby objects in pink, purple, or blue.

Home For Christmas

16 x 20 oil on canvas

I will be doing the One of A Kind Christmas show again this year. Each year the show has a contest where artisans are invited to create something according to a chosen them. This year the theme is "Christmas Wreath". The creation must be in the artists medium and style. I thought of several ideas but after seeing an image on line of a young woman carrying a large wreath, I thought I would go with this idea. Doing the contest allows me to have a little fun. I liked accentuating the greens of the wreath.

Snow in Chinatown, Spadina Ave.

12 x 12 oil on canvas

I love Chinatown in Toronto. The colours, the activity, and the fact that it is always open. This blustery blizzardy day in January didn't deter Saturday shoppers.

This painting will be available at the One Of A Kind show in Toronto Nov 26.

Early Evening Shadows, Bay Street

24 x 24 oil on panel

This section of Bay Street is so challenging, yet I keep going back for more. The blend of blue buildings and orange/beige buildings make colour harmony very difficult. I gave it my best, but I'm still wondering about the strong blue in the foreground vehicle. The One of A Kind show is looming in the near future (Nov. 26) so taking breaks from painting is out of the question!

T.G.I.F. Osgoode Hall, Queen Street

12 x 12 oil on panel

I love the colours and reflections of night. The wonderful fence at Osgoode Hall is visible to the right.

Snowy Day on Queen Street

30 x 40 Oil on canvas

I've been working on this one for a week, and I think its time to put it away to dry and come back for a look later. I still find it difficult to portray the large buildings and have them recede into the distance with the proper greys.

The Colours of Night, King Street, Toronto

16 x 16 oil on canvas paper

This painting is another study on paper. I wanted to see if the colours would work ok together before doing it on a larger scale. I like the way it turned out. The light on the Standard Life Building at 121 King street West changes colours, illuminating the entire corner in pink, purple, or blue. I never tire of finding new compositions for this corner.

A wet snow was falling, adding to the atmosphere.

Autumn Rain, King Street

12 x 12 oil on canvas

I love autumn and the cooler temperatures that go with it. It also means winter is coming, but we won't talk about that yet.

This scene features an autumn rain on King Street. A Beck taxi dominates the foreground. I used slightly more saturated colours for this picture.

Late Day at the Office, King and University

36 x 36 oil on canvas

There were difficult colours in this picture. The Sun Life Centre had blue green highlights while the rest of the scene was mostly traffic and street lights. Blue/green is not my favorite choice, but I wanted to maintain the look of the Sun Life Centre. 

 

Night Lights and Wet Snow on Wellington Street

12 x 12 oil on canvas

 I love the way the lights at night reflect off of the surrounding surfaces. The simple parking sign at the TD Centre created intense red shadows and the yellow car and street lights added to the mix. When I took this reference photo, it was a messy wet January snow. The large concrete wall along the TD centre added to the composition.

The Toronto Club is visible on the left, an historical building from the 1880's. 

Gooderham, Flatiron Building in Rain

24 x 24 oil on panel

The Gooderham Building, also known as the Flatiron Building, is a very interesting and historical building.It is also extremely difficult to paint. It stands out in front of the new high rises, an imposing red brick building in front of the soft blues of the reflected glass.

I thought I would give it a try again...I think I need to blur the receding sides a bit more to accentuate the "triangular" shape of the building.

March Sun, Spadina Ave, Toronto

12 x 12 oil on panel

After a snowfall, the sun can be brilliant.  On this day, the winter sun came out in full force, illuminating the buildings and wet streets. This scene is from Toronto's Chinatown, on Spadina Ave.

This painting will be available at The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition Sept. 18, 19, 20.

Out of The Mist, King and Simcoe, Toronto

16 x 20 oil on canvas

Night time scenes are difficult. The only colours are from reflected light, and sometimes they turn the surrounding surfaces into garrishly ghostly colours, resulting for new neon and led lighting. The new greens of the stop lights are also a much more minty green than before. nonetheless, I keep working at it.

I really enjoy this corner in front of St Andrews Presbyterian Church at King and Simcoe. The steam from the subway grates can almost be blinding on a cold evening. I have taken several shots here, but this reference photo is from Ben Roffelsen.

 

Rain, East 20th Street, New York

16 x 20 oil on canvas

I thought I'd change things a bit, and do a scene of New York City. It was a change, adjusting to the yellows of the taxis, but I found them a little easier to incorporate into a scene than Toronto's turqoise and orange Beck taxi.

Thanks to Jacob Santiago for the photo reference for this painting. Check out his Instagram account Here.

 

Late Afternoon After The Snow, Bay and Queen

24 x 30 oil on cradled panel

I almost had this painting ready to recoat with gesso when I decided to take another go at it. The original painting was very "brown". I was using a lot of transparent red oxide at the time I did the painting and I have since taken it completely out of my colour palette. I am not a big fan of orange unless I can control the coolness or warmness of it. I mix most of my oranges and browns with alizarin, cad yellow dark, and blue (with touches of white as needed.)

This was an extremely challenging picture, as so many urban street scenes can be. It is all about what to leave out of the details and what to accentuate.My brain definitely is on overdrive with all the decisions to be made, as with all paintings.

March Sun on Queen, Toronto

24 x 30 oil on panel

This painting is another "repaint". I think it sat in the studio for two years. I wasn't crazy about the composition, but I did like the scene and I particularly liked the post snow storm sun that illuminated the snow in late afternoon March. But I couldn't figure out the colours. The buildings were dull and in shadow, and the building on the right is a dirty yellow and in shadow. I worked away at it. Basically the painting "beat me up and left me by the side of the road". 

Sometimes paintings are a "fight" to the bitter end. Some paintings paint themselves, and that is so amazing when it works. Other paintings resist and fight back. I think I have made progress on this one, but it still needs something..... as Jazz legend Clark Terry says, "Keep on Keepin' on." Check out the movie by the same name . It is an amazing story of perseverance and sharing of knowledge.

 

January Snowstorm, Spadina Avenue, Toronto

12 x 12 oil on panel

 I have some shows coming up and I like to have a mix of subjects and seasons, so I'm sorry for the snow storm at this point in our short summer season.

I've wanted to do this scene for awhile. I like the composition with the streetcar, shelter, and people dominating the foreground. I wanted to keep the feel as realistic as possible, including the dirty messy snow and the refuse container that shows up in so many Toronto scenes. (I often take them out). No matter how often I paint snow, I'm still learning. 

Repainting a finished painting...why we do it.

36 x 36 oil on panel

Lets talk about repainting an already completed painting. From my experience, if a painting sits out after completion, visible on a daily basis, it will get some corrections, or in this case a major repainting. I didn't like the middle area (marked this area in the original painting) and I also thought the painting lacked atmosphere. The colour temperature was wrong, especially in the said middle area. I couldn't remember my original colour palette, so I went ahead with the one I have been using lately. Ultramarine blue, alizarin, touch of ivory black, cadmium yellow, touch of cerulean hue, titanium white. The retouches became a major repainting because ALL of the colour temperature was wrong. Richard Schmid says that when paint looks like dirt on a painting, it means the temperature is wrong. So, here is the new with the old one as comparison. I didn't hate the umbrella painting so some of that remained unchanged.

Which one do you prefer? Just a warning, if anyone likes the old one better, I may have to stop painting forever. (Just being dramatic, I appreciate all comments.)

Do you repaint finished paintings, and if so, what inspires you to do so?

Bay Street Blues

14 x 14 oil on canvas paper

I've mentioned this before, but doing studies on paper allows me to get the information down quickly and helps me stay "loose" and less contrived. I think it has something to do with the fact that its only "paper" and therefore just a study. That said, I always like the way they turn out and wish I would have been so spontaneous on a canvas or board. I'll get there..sometime.... .

I'm looking forward to trying this on a larger scale.

College and Spadina

 30 x 40 oil on canvas

This painting is still a work in progress. At 30 x 40 inches it is taking longer than I had hoped, but one can't force it. It takes what it takes. I need to add some streetcar lines, its always risky doing this as they need to be present, but not draw attention to themselves.

Late Afternoon Shadows, Bay Street

8 x 10 oil on panel

When I do a study, I don't know if I will do a larger painting from it. I like the composition and the colours of this image, and so I think it will work well on a larger scale

.The  sunlight shining down Queen Street is reflecting off of The Old City Hall tower and spilling onto the adjacent towers. Suits head home after a day in the financial district.

Waiting For a Streetcar on Spadina

12 x 12 oil on canvas

Waiting for a streetcar on a rainy day on Spadina in Toronto.

Rain on Yonge Street, Dundas Square, Toronto

24 x 24 oil on canvas

It was quite a downpour when I took this reference photo. I looked so drenched, someone wanted to take my photo. I have to admit it. I love the rain, the moodiness it creates and the atmosphere. Dundas Square on Yonge Street is our version of Times Square in New York. It is much smaller, but is interesting nonetheless. Large signs change the colours in the street. The Ed Mirvish theatre, formerly the Canon is visible on the right.

Lunch Break, Bay Street at King

14 x 14 oil on paper

Sometimes I like to do studies on canvas paper. I often do a series of studies before I take on a larger painting. When doing an oil sketch, working on paper seems to allow me to maintain more looseness.

This scene is midday at Bay and King in front of the Bank of Montreal. (I don't have a thing for Don Draper of Madmen, but sometimes a similarity emerges).

Rainy Saturday in Chinatown, Dundas Street

12 x 12 oil on canvas

I'm not sure why I keep revisiting Chinatown. The reds, greens, and yellows of the signage are a difficult combination when attempting to achieve colour harmony. This scene is in Toronto's Chinatown on Dundas. It was a very blustery rainy day and all colours were grey and misty.

Night Ride, 504 Streetcar on King

12 x 12 oil on board

 Night scenes are difficult. There is no set rule for warm and cool.(As far as I know...if anyone knows them, please let me know!) Just when I decided to put viridian in the drawer because it was too cool, I brought it back out for this scene.

The 504 streetcar stops for a night rider near the Kit Kat restaurant on King Street.

Thanks to John Tavares for the photo reference.

Suits at Bay and Wellington

12 x 12 oil on canvas

Lunch time at Bay and Wellington on a warm spring day. Another view of Toronto's financial district.

Rain at Bay and Richmond, Toronto

8x10 oil on panel

Another study. This scene features the corner of Bay and Richmond in Toronto's financial district.

End of The Day, King Street, Toronto

8 x 10 oil on panel

When I want to start some larger paintings, I often do smaller studies to get a sense of how they will look when painted. I get to decide colour schemes, compositions etc.

A lone "suit" heads home after a day at work in Toronto's financial district. This scene is on King near Bay.

Thanks to Ben Roffelsen for the photo reference.

First Light, Bronte Harbour

16 x 20 oil on panel

Sailing season has finally arrived in Southern Ontario. The water freezes during the winter, so most boats are taken out of the water and stored "on the hard". (land). Boats are being launched and masts, rigging and sails put back. 

I took the reference photo for this painting at Bronte Harbour last September in the early morning light.

Boldbrush painting competition, Fav 15%

12 x 12 oil on canvas

I'm pleased that my painting, "Heading Home 510 Spadina Streetcar", was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury's favorite 15% of the entries) in the March 2015 BoldBrush Painting competition. Still hoping to get into the top winning category...just have to keep trying!!


 

Toronto Traffic in Reds, King Street

12 x 12 oil on board 

Traffic heads east on King Street past the Royal Alexandra Theater.

Wet Snow on Wellington Street

12 x 12 oil on board

After doing three shows in four months, it has been difficult getting back to the studio. I took some nice rain/snow photos the other day and was inspired to paint this scene. I liked the reflected lights on Wellington Street, walking past the TD Centre. I would like to paint this on a larger scale, so tried it first on a 12 x 12.

Spring Sun on Spadina

24 x 24 oil on panel

This scene is definitely out of my comfort zone. Too many orange buildings, too much sun and a very busy composition. It started out as a painting for a client who wanted all of the Toronto iconic images: CN Tower, Streetcar, and a sunny day. I painted it about a year ago and didn't like it. It sat, with so many of my "disappointments" at the back of the studio on the floor. I decided to do a repaint. I am trying to work out a colour palette that works with a sunny scene. I approached it like a plein air painting, painting more freehand and loosely over the original painting. I'm still deciding if I like it or not.

Promise Of Spring

12 x 12 oil on panel

I'm not a great photographer, but I love to take photos. And its even better when I capture  scenes that tell a story. In this scene a young woman looks at the window display as she walks past The Hudson's Bay Store windows on Bay Street. The weather was cool and rainy, but the window displayed spring blossoms and warm weather...a promise of spring.

Shopping on Yonge, April Rain

16 x 20 oil on canvas

 I've mentioned before that Yonge Street is a challenge to paint because of the colour scheme, but I keep going back. I like this busy melange of signs, people, and traffic. Also, I must like the challenge.

This painting is a repaint of one that I wasn't happy with. Sometimes I wonder if there is any advantage of doing a repaint since it takes almost more work than starting fresh. Just a slight change in colour temperature requires that the whole scene be changed. I've been leaving transparent oxide red out of my palette. It seems to have too much of an effect on colour temperature and almost appears like "mud" if I'm not careful. I make my greys with a mix of alizarin, ultramarine blue, touch of ivory black, titanium white and cad yellow deep.

Toronto Spring

12 x 20 oil on panel

This scene is from the same neighborhood as the previous post. It is near College Street, south of the University. As I mentioned, there are interesting paint applications and lots of unique architecture in this area.

 

Spring Flowers, Toronto

8 x 8 oil on panel

I'm jumping ahead a bit, anticipating early spring flowers. I thought this scene would be easy to do, but the cascading flowers proved to be fairly difficult. Often, its about what to leave out, not what to put in. Too much detail takes away from the shape of the flowers as they hang down.

I love this area of Toronto south of the University. There are interesting old homes in various states of disrepair, brightly painted and often overgrown. Chestnut trees line some of the streets. I happened to be there last year in early spring with a soft light coming through the clouds. I believe this area is called Grange Park.

Heading Home, 510 Spadina Streetcar

12 x 12 oil on canvas

Young people head home on the 510 Spadina Streetcar on a rainy day. I'm always intrigued by the CN Tower and how it shows up randomly in so many photos.

Early Morning Light, Bronte Harbour

24 x 30 oil on panel

I haven't done the One Of A Kind Spring Show in awhile, so with a few spaces left, I decided to jump in. They always do a contest, and this year's theme is "Water". So of course I thought "Sailboats". I took this photo last year at Bronte Harbour in the early morning light. We own a small sailboat and so I often take pictures of marinas and harbours.I'm not sure if understanding all of the mechanics of a sailboat makes it easier or more difficult to paint. I spend a lot of time trying to get it "right". 

The dark hulled boat second to the left is called "Lady Jane".

Crossing In The Rain, Dundas Square

12 x 12 Oil on Canvas

I am drawn to scenes of Young Street in Toronto and keep going back to them even though I find them very challenging. I like the variety of colours and activity, but finding harmony in all of this proves to be quite difficult. (Harmony defined as the colour of the light that acts as a common denominator to visually unite everything it illuminates.)

Beck Taxis are everywhere, and I like the spark of colour they create, but often they contrast with the other colours in the scene.

Here, a young woman crosses Young Street at Dundas Square. The Guitar from The Hard Rock Care is in the background.

 

Rainy Day at St. Lawrence Market

12 x 12 oil on canvas

I think I'm done with winter and snow. Its still -20 C, but my thoughts are green with misty warm rain, and flowers.

A young woman goes shopping at St. Lawrence market on a rainy Saturday.

Toronto Traffic in Red and Gold

24 x 24 oil on board

I did this in an 8 x 8 and really liked the abstract effect and wanted to try it on a larger scale. I think I still like it, and it definitely has more punch in this size.

Gates at Osgood Hall, Queen Street

12 x 12 oil on panel

When I like an image, I want to jump in and paint it on a large canvas right away. I'm glad I did the smaller version first. Painting the intricacies of the gates and fence proved to be very difficult. I try to do a painting from start to finish while the paint is wet, and work wet into wet rather than letting it dry in between. This allows for lots of blending, but makes it difficult to add any fine details.Here, I mostly suggested the detail with a more impressionist style.

These wonderful gates and fence have been in front of Osgood Hall since 1868. Osgood Hall is home to the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Lights at Old City Hall, Toronto

12 x 36 Oil on canvas

We never know what might inspire us. Looking through Pinterest I saw a photo of New York on a snowy day featuring a beautiful light standard with buildings in the background. Unfortunately, I don't know who the photographer was but I loved the way the photo looked. While taking photos during a very snowy day, I took this image of the light standards at Toronto's Old City Hall. I had a 12 x 36 canvas in the studio, and decided it would be a suitable size for this image. I don't normally paint this size, but a suggestion from artist Mary Karavos inspired me to paint something in a different size. Mary does beautiful collages using imported papers. Check out her work here.
The light in the background on top of the Canada Life Building is a weather beacon, in use since the 1950's.

After The Snow, Adelaide Street, Toronto

24 x 24 oil on panel

I like the "glistening affect" that happens after a snowfall when the streets are cleared and the clear air and blue sky reflect on all surfaces.

This scene is late afternoon on Adelaide Street West when the sun is beginning to recede.

Snow in Chinatown, Dundas Street

24 x 24 oil on canvas

This picture is pretty much the weather we had yesterday with blowing snow and not so great driving conditions. Anyone who lives in an area that gets snow, knows that snow doesn't stay white for long. It turns into a brown salty slushy mess. 

This scene is in Toronto's Chinatown, along Dundas Street.

Toronto Financial District, Summer

32 x 40 oil on canvas

This painting proved to be very dificult, mostly due to working out the temperature and colours of the sidewalk and road. I also kept thinking that there should have been more dark value to balance it out. 

This scene is from Bay Street in the Financial District of Toronto, the Deloitte Building on the left.

 

Urban Forest in Winter, Queen Street

24 x 30 oil on board

I love trees and I especially love urban trees and how they affect our surroundings. Trees are difficult subjects to paint when trying to portray the "big picture" as opposed to painting  a picture of a tree. Almost all of the detail is lost and blurred.

This was very difficult to paint, but I loved the small forest of trees at the corner of Queen and University where the beautiful wrought iron fence passes in front of the Law Society Building. It was pretty much a snowstorm when I took this reference photo which created a subtle light everywhere.

I never know when to stop, so decided to leave it alone for a bit.