Nichol's Locks

                                            10x10 acrylic on canvas panel

This scene was painted at Long Island Locks in Ottawa. It was also one of the few sunny days I've experienced for outdoor painting. It was hard not to chase the sun and to stick to painting quickly.

Strawberry Pickers

6 x 6 acrylic on canvas

This outdoor scene was captured at our local berry farm.

"BLUES MAN"

                                                      9x12 acrylic on canvas  SOLD

This subject was for the latest Different Strokes challenge. When I saw the photograph I thought the fellow looked a bit tired, as if taking a break. The idea "a blues man" popped into my head so I chose to paint in shades of blue adding just a splash of orange and red for contrast. I also tried to be much more loose in my brush work.

"The Piggery"

                                                                6x6 acrylic  SOLD

Finally a successful day for outdoor painting! This charming little building was begging to be painted. What a challenge though! One minute the sun was shining the next dark clouds cast shadows. The wind whipped up and sent this panel flying several times and I even persevered through a rain shower. I'm pleased with the results and can only hope our next outdoor session has a more consistent clime in which to work.

"Summer Still Life"

                                           12 x 16 acrylic on canvas SOLD

Another subject selected for the Different Strokes from Different Folks Challenge. Summer is here!

"Heartland"

                                                     6 x 10 acrylic on canvas  SOLD

My submission for the current Different Strokes from Different Strokes challenge. We were to invent the color for this challenge as the original photo was desaturated. I live in the heart of farmland and this view is pretty familiar. It was fun to create the colors - an excellent exercise. I did some tweaking of the buildings so they wouldn't be smack dab in the center of the painting.

Plein Air Artists 2

5 x 7 acrylic on panel

Here's my second artist captured in a shady garden. I am learning green is a challenging color - there are so many varying shades, cool and warm.

Plein Air Artists 1

                                           5 x 7 acrylic on panel SOLD

This is my first in a series of outdoor scenes capturing some of my fellow artists at work. I haven't done a lot of painting with people in them and decided it was high time to tackle the subject. Working on the paintings of the sculptures has definitely helped my confidence.

"Hitting all the Reds!" - SOLD

12 x 6 acrylic on canvas paper

This is my submission for Karin Jurick's Different Strokes from Different Folks challenge.
This was a hard challenge for me. The subject was totally not something I would choose to paint but I hate to walk away from a challenge. I like to try all kinds of things and painting this street scene was an opportunity to step outside of my preferences; to grow a little more.

Diana Bathing

I enjoyed painting The Companion of Diana so much I decided to try another statue. This one is by Allegrain. This was also a challenge but having done the DSFDF challenge I found this painting much easier to tackle.

12 x 6 acrylic on canvas

"The Rope Swing"

                                                        18 x 26 acrylic on canvas  SOLD

The lake holds a special place in my heart. This sweet spot is no exception. I captured this on a paddle around the lake last year. It was high noon, the sun was brilliant, and as we paddled into this secluded spot the colors morphed magically: from blazing white light to blue and purple shadows. It only lasted a few seconds, until my eyes adjusted but I had to capture that initial moment. This is one of my favorite paintings.

A Companion for Diana

12 x 6 acrylic on canvas

Here's the acrylic version of Diana - finally finished. Indeed, a big challenge for me. The torn paper approach was a very helpful exercise.

Diana's Companion

Mixed media on paper

This was done for the Different Strokes from Different Folks challenge. The subject was the actual statue of Diana and her Companion. It was a huge challenge for me! I tried painting, sketching, and decided at the last minute to do something I had been wanting to try all along...create an interpretation using torn paper. (much like "newsman" from a previous post). There's something very satisfying about making a mess with paper, glue and paint!