Judy’s Ranunculus

Judy was ever so patient with this multi-layer pour and the result is gorgeous! This will be beautiful for our spring show in Dawson Creek.

Second Christmas Gift from the Studio

This one is another summertime memory captured by Carolyn, this time a sleepy sunshine moment on the drive home from a great adventure. This pair of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels is tired, comfortable and content after a day of mountain exploration. What a good day. This was a gift for their owner, of course.

Sunny Girl

Here’s a sunny smile for your Friday, wherever you are 🙂

This is Carolyn’s portrait sketch.  She’s quite pleased with the freehand pattern on the dress.  Now the goal is to be able to paint faces with equal freedom!

Quick Sketches

Carolyn was checking to see if her lucky easel works for drawing too.  Not bad!  The head was done upside down, and I did fix all five legs on the figure.  That’s the lucky easel!  Plein air work is so much easier with good equipment.

A First Oil Painting

Carolyn decided to study portrait painting in a more changeable medium that watercolour… so out came Judy’s box of oils from her pre-watercolour era. Other than trying a landscape at a course last year, this is Carolyn’s first crack at oil painting, and supplies for an impatient artist are a bit limited these days. Unfortunately the problems with the sketch weren’t fully addressed. The nose might be smaller and the ear bigger, but the lower half of the face is too short. Still, it was a great exercise in seeing shapes and colours. It is unfinished (obviously, that nostril needs addressing) so stay tuned… maybe it will be a masterpiece eventually.

Unfinished Portrait

Every good artist has at least one “Unfinished” 🙂 Here’s one of Carolyn’s. Needs some work. Judy says the nose is too big (good) and the ear is also too small (sigh).

Watercolour, Please Forgive!

If you avoid watercolour because you’ve heard it’s unforgiving, check out Carolyn’s great big mistake!  This is a portrait of a local mayor, set to be entered in a contest.  Carolyn has been working on it in black and white to focus on contrasts, occasionally checking a colour picture for the eyes, the shirt, the crests… unfortunately, in the b&w photo, it seemed obvious that the silk collar that the silver (um) ornaments (?) are on is just a blacker black than the jacket.  So Carolyn layered that part, in all its detail, with about three glazes of deepest black.  Then she checked the colour photo.  Oh no!  It’s supposed to be blue!!!  Well, even the darkest watercolour paint is forgiving to a certain extent.  On the right you see a half scrubbed version; on the right it the restored, blue version.  Whew!  Almost an April Fool!

Grade Sixes Draw Eyes

This will be an interesting display!  Our first class of Grade Sixes in Artists at School have finished their drawing lesson.  Looking good!

Roosters at the Lodge

Wow, the Lodge Ladies were really impressive last week!  They all drew and painted a wonderful rooster.  It seems they were quite familiar with the farmyard troublemaker and captured some real attitude.

Baby Boy

A baby boy, born to cousins, made his appearance in mid-November.  Carolyn painted the young fellow and what he got up to in the first hours of his life.  Happy New Baby to his family!