San Francisco afternoon

20 x 13.5
Oil on Board
I decided to try the challenge from Different Strokes from Different Folks. I enjoy city scenes, so this one kind of fit in. Also, it wasn't a rain picture! I usually like to experience a place or scene first hand, so it was a little difficult just going by a photo. I also tried to keep it loose and not attempt too much detail.

Toronto Cabbies

6x6 Oil on Board

Toronto cabs have such great colors. I think a person could do a whole series with these wonderful colors. Hmmm. Downtown scenes are great in that the tall buildings provide a distinct light source.

Sunshine and Coffee

6" x 6"

Oil on Board

Yes, we do have sun sometimes! After our walk, Bailey (my dog) and I stopped for coffee and two plain "timbits" for him. The sun was shining brightly. This Tim Hortons is in Dundas Ontario.

These Boots are Made for Walkin 2

8" x 10"
Oil on Foam Board
This is version no. 2 of this picture (see posting July 16 ) with the magenta ground. I can't believe our (me only?) urge to copy. I had to actually move the painting No.1 to another room so that I wouldn't refer to it. I have to admit to actually going there once. Its really pathetic. ha. I went with much stronger color than normal. My comfort zone is using cadmium red, diox violet, earth brown, cobalt blue, cadmium yellow deep, black, white. As I mentioned before, painting on this foam board allows me to loosen up. I'm not sure why. My husband says that I will need to be hypnotized to believe that canvas is foam board, and then I won't have the urge to tighten up.

Red Coat and Strappy Sandals, Toronto

6" x 6"
Oil on Board

Walking in downtown Toronto on a rainy evening.
Red is so challenging. What color are the shadows? Its a strong color, but how does one make it stand out and look lighter without using white or yellow and diluting the wonderful red. So many complications in a picture.

Minden Tims

6" x 6"
Oil on Canvas

While visiting my daughter in Minden Ontario this past weekend, I noticed this great floating Tims sign. I am fascinated with unique quirky signage and all things Tims. This sign was floating on a board in a marshy area on the edge of a lake. In an area surrounded by lakes, marsh, and the Canadian shield, I thought this quite creative. Minden Ontario is north of Toronto in "cottage country". It is called the "near north" because it isn't really north, I guess. It is north enough to have bears, wolves, moose, deer etc. and plenty of cold weather and snow in winter.

Crossing Dundas Street, Toronto Ontario

6" x 6"

Oil on Board
People crossing Dundas Street during the afternoon commute in Toronto Ontario.

I would like to thank Laurel Daniel for giving me the Bella Sinclair award for "friendship, sisterhood, caring and sharing. I will take this opportunity to pass it on to others who have been encouraging in their comments or who I respect for their contributions in making the "web world" a better place.
MaryAnne Carey, Tammy Hext, Carol Schiff Studio, Kathy Weber, Carol Marine (I don't know Carol on a "comment" basis, but in following her blog, I believe her to be one of the hardest working, positive, encouraging artists out there. The Yoda of art bloggers.) and (following Laurel Daniels lead) my sister Paula. My sister has always supported me and encouraged me to keep working and keep trying. She is a firm believer in the adage: if you believe in yourself and follow your heart, good things will happen. Thank you Paula!

These Boots are made for walkin in the Rain

10" x 8"
Oil on Foam Board

This painting had the ground in diox violet and Trans earth brown. I often like to work on this background color.
This young woman was walking down a very reflected Queen Street in Toronto.

These boots are made for walkin in the rain

Get your facts first and then you can distort them as much as you please-Mark Twain

I think these words by mark Twain can apply to writing or painting. Picasso for example. His early work shows that he knew the facts...later on he chose to distort them.

I cut a couple of 8 x 10 pieces of the "foam board" to experiment with painting the same scene on two different grounds. Results to follow.

Featured on Emptyeasel

I am positively thrilled to say that I am the featured artist on the website called EmptyEasel. This is a great website with well written and interesting articles. People have contacted me to say that they now notice elements of my paintings that they didn't see before they were pointed out in the Emptyeasel article.

Waiting to Cross Younge, Toronto

10" x 8"
Oil on Canvas Board

Often I look at an image and wonder if it will" work". Even though I think it has too many negatives, I do it anyway. I liked the paper covered windows, and the starkness of the scene, even though I knew it would be difficult to portray.
I'm always amazed to see buildings for lease right down town Toronto on Yonge Street.
These young ladies enjoy a drink while waiting for the light to change at Yonge and Gould Streets.

"Pretty in Pink"

6" x 6"
Oil on board

And now for something completely different! I decided to do a picture from James Parkers Window to the world art. I had a lot of fun, decided to "let go" and see what happens.

At One with Tims

6" x 6"
Oil on board
At the first light of day, one sole customer visits Tims.

Drizzly Yonge Street Commute, Toronto

10" x 8"
Oil on canvas

Traffic heads down Yonge Street in Toronto on a rainy day. The big tv screen above the Hard Rock Cafe is visible to the left. Toronto has very distinctive taxis, painted teal and orange.

Bay and Dundas, Toronto Ontario

8" x 10"
Oil on Canvas

Traffic at the corner of Dundas and Bay streets, passing the Canadian Tire Store. (I posted a looser version of this earlier, but wasn't satisfied with the result.)

Suits Heading Home, King St. Toronto Ontario

8" x 10"
Oil on board

The pedestrian rush hour in Toronto as everyone heads for the subway or Go train after work. when doing this painting, I tried to break it down into simple elements. The painting in the previous post needs some simplifying. As I mentioned in Janelle Goodwin's blog, I try to do a preliminary thumbnail sketch, dividing the scene into three values and then maintain the values when painting. I often get lost in the details. And then I must remind myself to "keep it simple".

Crossing Dundas Street, Toronto Ontario

17" x 16"
Oil on Foam Board

I am becoming a storm chaser. When the forecast called for lots of rain, I packed up my camera and rain gear and headed for Toronto. I love Toronto. So much activity, so many people, and just a wonderful city. Its only 50 miles away, so I should go more often.

"Wilson and James" #2

16 x 20
Oil on Foam Board

The second attempt at this subject. The composition is a bit awkward. It may need a bit more work, so maybe I'll go back to it later.

"Another Rainy Day in the Hammer"

16 x 20
Oil on Stuff

I wonder if studio painting makes us treat every painting as a potential "masterpiece" rather than as a spontaneous rendering of a subject as is done "plein air". Do we overwork them, lose the sense of the scene? As I often mention, changing to a looser more atmospheric style is my goal. I would like to use bolder more energetic brush strokes, some thicker paint and maintain the sense of time and place. But old habits die hard. I have a solution. After doing a bathroom renovation, we were left with some stiff foam shower material. I have been eyeing it as a potential painting surface. It is light, durable and waterproof and can be cut with an exacto knife. It is cheap, so I can paint larger without worry of wasting canvas. A perfect surface for doing an oil "sketch". It can't be sold, so I won't be focused on sales or "masterpieces". Just for practise, experimentation or anything else I want to do with it. It has a subtle texture, but a couple of coats of Gesso should help. This is my first "oil sketch" on the foam board.
As an example of what I don't want to keep doing is "Lighthouse Fish Market". I loved the quircky signage, and the boxes of fruits and vegetables etc, but I got too laboured in my approach, got out the pointy brushes, and went against all my goals.

8" x 8"
Oil on Gesso Board

"Saturday shopping 2"

11" x 14"
Oil on Canvas

Sometimes I look at a painting(posting May 29) and wonder how I could have thought it was finished. Especially if I leave it near the easel. I think, what the heck was I doing? How could I have thought this was done or in any way an adequate painting? Many times when I leave a painting, thinking its done, its out of fear. Fear of messing it up, fear of painting a certain subject, fear of failure. The tree in the picture was mostly branches and not much foliage yet, so I decided to leave it out rather than paint it. I guess a combination of lack of experience painting trees, and fear. The painting needed the tree. So, I put it in. A nice green one. I think it works better. Any comments would be appreciated, positive or negative. Sometimes others see what we can't.
I hear often that artists want to paint looser, more spontaneous. This is where the smaller canvases come into play. I am much more free with the paint on the 6 X 6 size than the larger ones. I am hoping to be able to transfer this freedom to a larger picture. I have to repeat this again...its that fear that gets in the way.