Crowsnest

This my one and only painting I completed this weekend in Crowsnest, although I have two more which may be salvageable in the studio. This one is 24 inches x 24 inches.

Crowsnest Pass, ASA paintout.

What a awesome weekend we had! Beautiful weather ( minus the rain shower on Friday and the wind!) and good comradeship. I drove with Kathryn Manry and Jan Chalupnicek on Friday morning. We stopped at Lundbreck Falls for lunch...beautiful!

We found a nice spot to paint by the river in Blairmore but got rained out! We checked into our cabins to clean up and make our way over to the Gallery in Frank to meet up with the rest of the ASA ( Alberta Society of Artists) group

Saturday

Group photo

top:

Jan Chalupnicek, Jean Blackall, Debra Lougheed Sinclair
middle:
Peggy Arnett,Kathryn Manry,Bonnie Scott, Karen Arnett,Kathleen Turnbull, Jane Romanishko, Ingrid Vincent, Larry Cromwell

front:

Morry Katz,Bonnie,Donna Miller,Barbara Amos, Linda Wilder

Our 'homebase' was the Ski Resort which boasted beautiful windows all around and had 3 levels for indoor painting incase of bad weather. We enjoyed a healthy beakfast and selected our spots for painting. Some stayed around the resort and other found other spots in town. We met again at the resort for lunch and dinner.

Saturday Evening

Top:Barbara Amos ( trying to get our attention...she did)

Enjoying some before dinner cocktails and friendly banter.

Some images of our paintings from the day

Sunday,Crowsnest

Sunday was a beautiful day for painting and not as windy. Burmis lake just ouside of Frank in Crowsnest Pass was a real inspiration! From the top: Debra Lougheed Sinclair, Donna Millar,Kathryn Manry and Bonnie(?),Kathleen Turnbull, Bonnie Scott, Jan Chalupnicek.

O'Hara Colors

The finished painting ( for now), acrylic, palette knife, 3 ft x3 ft

New painting begining 111

Getting there, but it's time for bed. I'll finish it tomorrow, but I think you get the idea.Once I'm done I'll take a better photo.

Painting begining 11

Ok, I'm done with the mountains ( I think). I worked on the background trees, although in this photograph they just look black. But I'm not going to bother adjusting the photos until I'm finished

Starting to work on the trees in the foreground.

At this point I need to take a break and let paint dry again. Still using the palette knife.

New painting begining

I started with a 36x36 canvas and covered it with liquid red iron oxide and yellow. I quickly did a simple rough line drawing....and then I couldn't see it, lol. So I very quickly took a brush and did an even quicker sketch. I mixed a few colors with a little gel to thicken and extend my paint and brought out my large palette knife. I'm not really caring too much if I get the colors right I just want to cover my mountain.

Still using the palette knife I quickly block in my painting starting from dark to light...sometimes going back again to darks trying to vary my strokes and colors.  A little blending but not too much, I'm still not concerned about my colors. Now I have put in my lightest light, the sunlit snow.

Now I have put in my darkest dark. I take a break. Believe it or not, I have to wait for my acrylic paint to dry, lol. I will go back to my mountains and start to lighten and blend using a dry brush and try to bring out some subtle texture while trying to make my mountains recede. At This point everything has taken me about 2 hours.

A Rawson Peek

Acrylic, 36 in x36 in

I wanted to do a larger version of another painting I had done of this scene ( Rawson Lake). I'm liking the way this has turned out. Painted mostly with a palette knife and trying real hard not to get too tight.

I have two large 4 ftx 4 ft canvases in my studio yet to tackle. Maybe one large mountain scape and one equines?

Wooded Pond

Acrylic, 16 in x20 in

*UPDATE-ok, I have reworked this again and I'm quite happy with it now*

This painting has caused me nothing but grief. I have re- worked, over-worked, and changed this painting so much over the last week I'm tired of it. I will put it away and deal with in again in the future. I don't want to beat myself up...if it's not working, go on to something else that will make you feel better. I will clean my studio and get refreshed and rejuvenated.

On a brighter note this week-end certainly has gotten me out of the doldrums.I had such positive feedback from my paintings at the Leighton Centre Clothesline Sale, that I now feel ready and inspired to tackle my studio. I sold 7 of my 15 paintings as well as the 2 larger ones inside the gallery from the members show.Yea, I can buy more paint and canvas!