Winters Last Hurrah

16 x 20 oil on canvas

This is pretty much the weather we have been having for the last week. Snowy, windy, messy, and cold. I know spring is here...I saw a turkey vulture and a robin today. Turkey vultures don't make their way up here until it is warm. I think this guy is a little early.

This scene is at the corner of University and Queen street showing the typical cab colors and the iconic toronto streetcar.

Spring Rain, Dundas and Spadina, Toronto

14 x 18 oil on canvas

Spring is just around the corner, but with the snow and cold weather we've been having, it doesn't seem possible. This scene is from last year, when we actually had green leaves and a nice soft rain.

This scene is at Spadina and Dundas Streets.

Nocturne reworked

I knew that I couldn't leave the picture alone. The waste bin front centre really bothered me, not because I have anything against a waste bin, but the large round shape didn't work with the compostion. I replaced it with some newspaper boxes and a bike that I like somewhat better...still not sure. I also darkened the buildings in the background. The temperature was wrong in the original and it didn't recede into the background. 
I think its time to get away from it and see what I think later.
Night scenes are a lot more difficult that I thought. The background is worked completely differently with so many darks. There is no receding into the distance with a nice mix of greys and things are blurred even more.

Nocturne No. 3

24 x 24 oil on board

Sometimes the hardest decision in a painting is finding a grey mix that is suitable for the overall background of the picture which will hopefully add to the harmony of the piece. Being a night time scene, I didn't want something too warm, so I decided on a mix of terra rosa, ultramarine blue, with a touch of ivory black. Keeping a limited palette, I hoped to mix most of the colors with adding cadmium red, yellow ochre and white. I added a couple of touches of viridian. Night scenes will be a whole new learning experience.

The local critics (husband) decided that I should remove the litter bin from the painting. I really don't mind it, but perhaps I could put in newspaper boxes instead.
 

Thanks to John Tavares for the photo reference for this painting.

Nocturn #2

12 x 12 oil on board

The lights at the corner of King Street and John are illuminated on the wet streets in Hamilton Ontario. I used the Zorn palette for this painting with just a touch of blue for the lights in the far background. The building on the left is home to a Tim Hortons restaurant.

Nocturn

8 x 10 oil on canvas

I have been absent from posting these past few weeks. I have been busy painting some larger pieces (3' x 4') for a gallery. Painting larger is definitely more challenging. There is a lot more paint, mistakes are bigger and finding space to put such a large canvas is difficult. I did enjoy it and will be doing some more larger ones.

As pretty as the snow is, we are all starting to get a little tired of it. Even so, when I woke up to such a pretty sight down the street, I decided to do a little study. I'm looking forward to trying more nocturns in the near future.

Left Over Paint

"Jessah" 11 x 13 Oil on board

Its a good thing my daughter doesn't read my blog because this painting doesn't totally resemble her. Sometimes when I finish a large painting, I want to try something looser with the left over paint on my palette. I used some ultramarin blue, terra rosa, yellow ochre, and white. I put a photo on my computer monitor and I tried to keep it quick and loose while painting, starting with paint mixed with thinner and adding some thicker as I went along.

My daughter loves hats and I don't know where she finds all of the interesting ones that she wears. This photo was taken when she was tree planting in the mountains and had her hair in dreads.

Queen and McCaul Snow

24 x 24 oil on board

As artists, we can be so sensitive. (At least I know that I am) I can have a very bad painting day, and decide right then and there that I am giving up painting. I decide that any "job" is better than this. Sounds ridiculous but it happens. I had spent the whole day on this picture, but I had it all wrong. Instead of focusing on the "big picture", the blocks of values, the abstract qualities, I started painting details right away.  That is a sure way to get it "wrong". I was so frustrated with the result, I had a knife out ready to scrape away the surface. At that moment, my son came into the studio. I asked him if the painting was awful and he said, "no, I kind of like it". So because of his comment, I took another look, got out the big brush and painted out all of the silly details. It wasn't until I got the values ok that I went in and put in some details and highlights.
 (Are we that needy for confirmation, that any little positive remark will set us on the right track?)

The painting still isn't a "masterpiece". It is somewhat too monochrome and the composition is a little weak I think. But its ok and I'm glad the knife didn't destroy it during my moments of frustration.

Do you often not follow your "own rules"?

Speaking of positive remarks, I would like to mention a couple of bloggers who are always generous and constructive with remarks. Head on over to their blogs and check them out.

Barbara paints wonderfully bright uplifting paintings.

http://www.barbaramuirpaints.com/ 

Jan paints exciting evocative depictions in oil and encaustic of the Niagara vinyards and surrounding area. she also teaches.

http://janyates.blogspot.ca/

Jan Yates "Salvage 1"

Snowy Day Shopping at The Bay, Toronto

18 x 24 oil on board

Generally I don't like scenes that have too many colors. This scene had a variety of colors that I thought would be difficult to work with and still create some harmony in the painting. I did a value study using a mix of transparent oxide red and ultramarine blue in a loose wash and let it dry overnight. I then did the final painting using transparent oxide red, ultramarine blue, cadmium red, yellow ochre, titanium white. 

Sometimes I like the value study and am tempted to leave it as a finished painting.

This scene is of the Hudson's Bay store in downtown Toronto on a snowy day. The lovely white snow that had covered everything had been cleared and piled onto sidewalks and streets leaving reflections and a salty mushy mix to walk in.

Snow on Huron Street, Toronto

12 x 12 Oil on board

I loved the strong angles and abstract design in this scene. Sometimes there are items in a scene that we don't recognize and we can choose to leave them out or include them. I liked how the parking garage entrance added to the layers leading back to the CN tower and high rises in the background. Most people won't recognize this structure as a parking garage but I thought it worthy of inclusion.

This is Huron Street, looking toward Queen Street.

Spadina Streetcars in January

 12 x 12 Oil on Canvas

Two Streetcars meet on Spadina Avenue in Toronto on a cold blustery day in January.

For this painting, I used a mix of terra rosa and ultramarine blue and it provided a nice mix of grays for the muted colours that dominated the scene. I also added cadmium red, yellow ochre and titanium white.

To start the painting, I did a fairyl accurate value study using terra rosa and ultramarine blue, applied thinly mixed with mineral spirits.

Chinatown Snow

12 x 12 oil on board

It was a wonderfully snowy day in Toronto when I decided to take  pictures. It was also cold and windy. After snow plows and salters had been around a few times, it was all a soupy mess of melted snow, salt, and dirt. No matter, I found some great scenes. Even on a day like this, the city is a hub of activity with people braving the weather to food shop or find some boxing day specials.

I loved how Chinatown still had umbrellas up and all kinds of food to buy. A cold but visual feast.

This scene is on Spadina near Dundas.

Happy New Year!

New Year's goal: Find coffee

I would like to thank everyone for their kind and insightful comments throughout 2012 and may you all have a healthy happy New Year!

Winter Sun, Queen and Bay, Toronto

24 x 30 Oil on board

Early evening sun creates shadows and reflections on a winter day in Toronto at the corner of Bay and Queen Street West.

If anyone is in the Toronto area November 22 to Dec 2, come by the One of A Kind Show, Booth K11 and say hi. I would be very pleased to see you there.

Streetcar Blues, Bay and King Street, Toronto

24 x 24 oil on cradled hardboard

In preparation for the One of A Kind Show, I have been working a lot...to the point of getting somewhat exhausted. But in spite of the exhaustion, I like the momentum. I have a new philosophy when it comes to painting. You are either painting or not. You are not checking your files for new ideas, talking on the phone, looking at blogs or websites....you are painting....and there is no in between. (Besides going to make a coffee). For me, part of the procrastination was fear of going on to the next section, or fear of making a mistake, and just basic lack of confidence. Stress has been making me go beyond the fear, and making me keep going. And I now know that to move forward, and to produce requires that one paint....and just paint and keep going even when you are tired or afraid.

I'm running out of ideas for titles of paintings and Streetcar Blues just jumped into my head. A fitting name even though there is NO blue in the painting. Just a mix of viridian and black.

Bay Street Drizzle

8x10 oil on board

I have been focused on creating harmony in my paintings and so have been experimenting with limited palettes. The buildings on bay street in Toronto in this early evening commute seemed to be variations of violets and blues. I chose a mix of ultramarine blue and terra rosa (a color I rarely use but really enjoyed in this picture) for the main color scheme and added yellow ochre and cadmium red for highlights. (as well as ivory black and titanium white that I almost  always use.)

This painting is a study for a larger painting. Hopefully I can do the larger one maintaining the looseness. On larger paintings I tend to tighten up which is really annoying.

After the Snow, Yonge and Dundas

24 x 24 oil on cradled board

After a snow storm, we often get a crisp clear light. Although it may look warm, it is a very cold day and pedestrians rush to their destinations, hunkered down inside winter clothing. The early evening light peaks through buildings, creating random reflections.

This scene was taken last year at the corner of Yonge Street and Dundas after one of our major snow storms. Snow banks dominate the sides of roads and sidewalks.

St. Lawrence Market Rain

12 x 12 oil on board

St. Lawrence Market is a wonderful place to shop in downtown Toronto. I was there on a busy rainy Saturday. Beautiful planters dominated the scene, and Beck taxis showed up in every photo I took. I was tempted to leave out the taxi in this scene, but it just didn't seem right. This scene shows Front Street with the market in the foreground, and the Flat Iron Building in the back ground.

Sun after Snow, Toronto

24 x 24 oil on board

There is no snow here, and there won't be for awhile. Sometimes we get the first snowfall in November, but normally it doesn't stay on the ground until December. This is another incomplete painting that I wanted to work on. It was a simple composition, but I thought it had potential with the dramatic early evening light after a previous snow fall.

Gooderham Building, Toronto

24 x 30 oil on board

The Gooderham building in Toronto (also referred to as the Flat Iron Building) is very difficult to portray. It is a beautiful elegant building, but it is tall and narrow. Even in good photos, the building always looks like it is falling over. I tried to maintain the strength of the flare at the bottom of the building, so that it is anchored to the ground, but I know I may have to work on the top and maybe accentuate the bottome more. Atmosphere was just as important for me as was the portrayal of the building. Capturing it on a hazy rainy day helped a lot. And of course, I love the rain.