Loon Oil Painting

I have always enjoyed canoeing in the Adirondack area of upstate New York. Lake Bonaparte is an area I visit each summer. We often see loons there floating in the water. They dive under and pop up far away from where they entered. They are super fast swim-flying underneath the water surface. They are quite unique and striking to see. I painted this loon on a small slab of wood. The piece is highly textured, from the actual bark to the painted rocks. I wanted the heavy texture so that, when dry, the painting can have a tactile quality.

Tire Swing

Tonight's painting is an old barn in early autumn. A tire swing hangs from a nearby tree. When I was a kid there was a rope swing on a large tree in the front lawn of my grandfather's house. My cousins, siblings, and I spent many dizzy moments on that swing. The tree is long since gone - as is my grandfather. Siblings have moved away. Cousins are rare,y seen. The world drifts apart. But many memories remain. I suppose that's the power of the mind.

As for the painting, this one is an 11x14 stretched canvas.

Hanging wash out to dry

This is another take on the fawn I painted last week. Except this time I added a small cabin with some laundry hanging out to dry in the breeze. This is a rather large painting on a 18x24 stretched canvas. I came upon the blank canvas at a thrift store. It was an older canvas, apparently a forgotten supply from someone's hobby like mine years ago. For whatever reason it was never painted on and must have sat in the back of a closet or attic and collected dust for years. I was grateful to find it and give it some life.

Washington Monument Cherry Blossoms

I did this painting because my mom loves the cherry blossom blooms in Washington DC. It depicts a couple walking along the Tidal Basin amidst the cherry trees. The Washington Monument is in the distance, and tall enough to be reflected in the Tidal Basin. (As opposed to the reflecting pool which is located within the National Mall. I placed this painting in a nice wood frame. I try to keep an eye out for used picture frames at thrift stores and garage sales. After removing the glass, they make great display frames for paintings.

Fawn Oil Paint

Another cold morning with a wind chill of -11. A good morning to stay inside.

Today's painting is another from Wilson Bickford's PBS season 3. It won't be long before the trees start waking from their winter slumber. Before we know it spring will be in full bloom. Eventually the deer will have their fawns. This painting is of a single fawn munching on some low lying leaves. Just a nice warm scene. This was on an 11x14 stretched canvas, with the painting wrapping around the sides.

Sugar Shanty

In a couple weeks it will be Maple Weekend in Lewis County. Many of the maple producers will have open houses where people can come and learn how the process works. Making maple syrup is a very labor intensive process. Pancakes, sausage, and real maple syrup... oh my! My painting for this evening was of a simple Sugar Shanty at night. This was painted on a small cast iron skillet that I scrounged at a local thrift store. It's quite small; only 6 inches in diameter. It probably was one of those holiday cookie novelty skillets. Just the same, its heavy for the diminutive size. Someday I'll scavenge a regular size one. For now this will do. It will look nice hanging by a nail on a wall.

I was going for a cold late-winter evening scene with this painting. The warm days and cold nights are good for sap flow. A single bucket hangs on a tap in the foreground maple tree. Some dead grass is poking up through the fast-melting snow pack. Some smoke floats from the chimney. Maybe the sap will be boiled down soon.

Spring Daisies

It was -7 degree (F) this morning. Sunny, but really cold. What better morning to stay inside and wish for Spring? The oil painting below is one from Wilson Bickford's new PBS show. It is part of season 3. Wilson has been the instructor who I follow for learning new techniques. He has group classes, PBS shows, DVDs, and other stuff that can be found on YouTube. I highly recommend him if you want to explore painting in a welcome friendly atmosphere.

Today's painting had some acrylic prep that was done prior to any oils. I did this one on an 11x14 canvas panel instead of my usual stretched canvas. If you are interested, please look through the past posts in this blog. (Right side of the page lists posts by month) I've got a variety of paintings that have been done over the past year or so.