Today's Paper SOLD

16 x 12

oil on canvas board

With this project I tried to use just a few colors and focus on the composition. Discovered how difficult it is to draw a bicycle that not only involves circles turned into ellipses but as well the effects of a vanishing point on the ellipses! Will try this one again and this time on doorskin as I find it way more enjoyable to use and less absorbant than cheap canvas on some sort of cardboard.

Victorian

7 x 5

oil on doorskin

I am really enjoying Karin Jurick's bi-weekly challenge. This is painted using as reference her photo posted to the blog 'Differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com'. I enjoyed the shapes and added some color but still had difficulty making it look painterly. Again not a subject I would choose but the fun started about halfway thru and I found i enjoyed painting it.

Reading Break
6 x 6
oil on doorskin

A good friend of mine came to visit in the summer and gave me a firm lecture on my having taken enough years to get organised and motivated and I was to start painting, no more excuses. She then went out to sit among the sunflowers and read so I captured the moment on film and vowed to paint it. This is the first of some quick studies.

Different Strokes Challenge

6 x6

oil on door skin

This was my first attempt at the Different Strokes From Different Folks blog biweekly challenge and I have to say this isn't a subject I would normally think of painting but I really started to enjoy it once I looked for simple color patterns. I was definitely pushed on this one and am looking forward to future challenges.

Poppies

6 x 6

oil on door skin

So I started was I thought would be an easy project - what could be easier than flowers. My first mistake was approaching it like a paint by number filling in the individual areas with appropriate color and my second mistake was using smaller brushes for a smaller support. When I finally got frustrated over how long it was taking and I picked up bigger brushes and started applying largers strokes of luscious color then the fun began. Alas it was time to wrap it up and some day I'll try this one again hopefully with much more abandon and looseness.

Rice Buyer

6 x 6

oil on door skin

I am now venturing out of my comfort zone not that there is one yet but painting people has been a rather daunting concept for me. I found the small format difficult to get the expression that I want but as these are daily excercises I have decided to wrap this one up and move on.

Rice Merchant

6 x 6

oil on doorskin

My rice merchant was captured on film many years ago while travelling in Asia and I'm so excited to finally be able to sit and paint him. The rice is collected from the terraces and spread on the mats so the grains can be collected and sold.

Kits House

12 x 16

oil on doorskin

This is the house we lived in for many years in Kitsilano and a subject I am using for trying different techniques while searching for my own style.

Doldrums

12 x 16

oil on doorskin

On my way to work one day I passed this sorry looking fish boat up on drums - very colorful drums and I knew I had to paint it. This was many years ago but it is the start of my effort to create one larger painting a week along with a small painting a day.