Marina's Painting a Day

Bird of Paradise

2012-02-10T20:13:00.001-05:00

We have a bouquet of Birds of Paradise on the table outside, so of course, I had to paint one.

By the Stump

2012-02-10T20:08:00.002-05:00

Today we all painted on the veranda, whatever was in front of us. The one side is filled with lush vegetation and interesting blooms that peek through.

In the Rain

2012-02-10T20:04:00.002-05:00

Yesterday it rained and rained - hard - of course - it is the rainforest afterall. The banana tree in our yard stood out because it was closeby - everything else was blurred by the rain and humidity.

Jungle Path

2012-02-10T19:53:00.002-05:00

Late Wednesday afternoon, I carried my equipment down to the stream, set up my easel on a patch of gravel and looked back up the way I had come. Daylight was minimal, mosquitoes started to bite, and howler monkeys COULD be nearby, so I painted as fast as possible. It was an exhilirating experience to be one with the jungle like this.

Vista

2012-02-07T23:35:00.002-05:00

This one lone tree standing over the rest called for my attention. The air is humid so the background is lost in mist. It is very peaceful here.

Arenal Volcano

2012-02-06T16:33:00.002-05:00

We have a perfect view of the volcano, but it is mostly shrouded in clouds. Now and then, the clouds move and we get to see the peaks, which are steaming and puffing. Everyone here has a personal feeling towards the mountain, and now we do too.

Queen of the Night

2012-02-06T16:30:00.002-05:00

Gave these gorgeous delicate and oh so fragrant flowers another attempt - they are tricky and acrylic makes it even trickier. But I am learning. It was a joy to be with this flower as it danced and swayed in the breeze.

Across the Road

2012-02-05T13:07:00.003-05:00

The building is wonky, both in my painting and in real life. I am undecided if this works ok in a painting or not - whether it would be better to adjust the structure....

Naranjas

2012-02-04T18:43:00.002-05:00

This painting actually has more green in it, but the photograph is a bit off. I am starting to get a feel for acrylics and am happy to have them here because of the humidity. The girls were getting oranges for morning juice from the tree beside our casa - of course they had one of the local men up in the tree while they stood at the bottom with a basket. It was a painting in itself.

Costa Rica

2012-02-03T09:50:00.002-05:00

I am in the rain forest in Costa Rica, next to the volcano Arenal. It is of course humid and warm, so I brought acrylics, thinking that this is the best medium for here. Must be true because that is what is in the galleries.
This is my first attempt at acrylics - ever, and is very different from oil and watercolour. So here goes...

Reminiscing Autumn

2012-01-19T13:27:00.002-05:00

In October I managed to get some photos as the sun was setting over the last of the red sumac at Shaw Woods near Eganville. Need some critiques on this painting - not sure about it yet.
On another note, I have signed up to attend the Plein Air Convention outside of Las Vegas in April. There will be a lot of good speakers, painters, and even some plein air painting of the red rocks for all participants. Better get painting....

The Present

2012-01-10T22:58:00.002-05:00

My dear friend Heidi brought me a birthday gift, and the wrapping was so beautiful that I had to paint it before opening. It will be opened on the weekend when she is here again. In the meantime, it is being enjoyed as is.

Friends

2012-01-10T22:54:00.002-05:00

These shiny red pomengranates were asking to be painted, with a pear to set them off, and a dark background for drama. It is the mood of the day....

Mandarin & Ground Cherries

2012-01-02T18:39:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!
A tad late all around but things sometimes happen different than planned, so may the new year be absolutely magical.
I wanted to paint this little grouping before Christmas and poof, things went differently. Instead it waited and didn't whither, so it must have been slightly enchanted. Therefore I honoured it as my first painting of the year.

Nutcracker

2011-12-14T01:39:00.002-05:00

Fierce little nutcracker......looks like he is on a mission. Victoria and I painted nutcrackers today, listening to the music since we are going to see The Nutcracker performance in Toronto this weekend.

Third....

2011-12-12T21:57:00.002-05:00

I have until Dec 23 to submit....so there is time for a few more impressions of the subject matter. I keep wanting to paint the scene completely different, but they all look the same to me, proving again - wherever you go, there you are!

Second Attempt

2011-12-12T21:56:00.000-05:00

Next version.....

First attempt

2011-12-12T21:54:00.001-05:00

I am participating in the online workshop from The Complete Artist, originating out of New Zealand. This is my first painting.....

Evening Sky

2011-12-05T20:55:00.002-05:00

Now that the weather is getting grey and cold, I am resorting to photos taken throughout the summer and fall. This is behind our house, in my favourite cornfield. Mary and I gleefully got together to paint this scene this afternoon.

Last Glow

2011-12-04T20:56:00.002-05:00

The cornfield behind us at sunset, shortly before the last rows were cut. Now the field is ploughed with a thin layer of snow on it.
I am getting a glare when photographing and therefore losing a lot of definition. Hope to have a solution soon.

DPW Painting Challenge - Lawren Harris inspiration

2011-11-29T21:39:00.003-05:00

Today, Mary and I decided to do this week's DPW Challenge, which to paint something in the style of an artist we admire. Since the challenge is based in the US, we decided to give some Canadian input and picked the Group of Seven's Lawren Harris, whose work we both love and admire. His work has such clean simplicity, his colours are so joyful. I often go to the AGO in Toronto to visit the Group of Seven collection and have copied one of his Arctic scenes for learning purposes. This scene is from my summer visit to Tofino, Vancouver Island.

Smooth Sailing

2011-11-28T21:57:00.001-05:00

Decided to do a larger painting of a sketch from this fall.

NZ On Line Workshop

2011-11-24T21:39:00.003-05:00

Since I have been away, I did not have the time to participate on the workshop #3 of the NZ online workshop, but I did do the painting after the fact. I had a desire to play with phthalo colours, so there is some intensity here.

Indian Summer

2011-11-21T13:44:00.002-05:00

When I came home, there was so much to do and catch up on, but it was Indian Summer - the last of the warm days. Mary and I went out for a plein air sketch by the river. We had great ideas of doing a second one but that was dashed by the early sinking sun and therefore cold fingers and stiff paint. Ahhhh, the joys of northern plein air!

Touch of Magic

2011-11-21T13:42:00.001-05:00

This was my last quick little painting that I did at the end of the workshop. As I painted, a little deer came out of the dark thicket, walked around and disappeared again. There is always something magical here in the south!

At the Point

2011-11-18T20:31:00.000-05:00

Just came back from a workshop with Ian Roberts in South Carolina. We did a lot of powerful exercises to increase our skill at temperature....plus always hue, value and intensity.....hard work!
Most days were nice and sunny but the one day that we went out to paint a scene was cold and windy. I aimed to be out of the wind and climbed up to the edge of the forest. The scene from there was rather favourable...I could see the water.

River Edge

2011-10-27T18:21:00.002-04:00

Mary and I went out scouting. There is a sublime beauty after all the leaves are down and the weather changes. We designed in conversation, took photos and went home to paint in the warmth by the fire.....just like cats!

Saturday I leave for a warmer climate - it is the yearly get-together workshop with Ian Roberts in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. This year, Sue and I are going on a road trip instead of flying. We want to visit museums in Washington and Philadelphia.

Final Yellows

2011-10-27T18:19:00.000-04:00

Quick field study of the last of the colours - brrrr it's cold now.

From the cranberry patch

2011-10-24T20:34:00.002-04:00

Cranberries grow very close to the ground, so picking becomes an interesting exercise. When I looked up, this is what I saw in front of me.

Little Red Leader

2011-10-24T18:04:00.002-04:00

Last Sail of the Season

2011-10-24T18:00:00.001-04:00

About a week ago I went wild cranberry picking with some friends. It was a windy but gorgeous fall day. I took many photos and am now painting some studies from them.

The Bluff

2011-10-20T17:54:00.000-04:00

for the challenge with Richard Robinson from New Zealand....

Petawawa Point

2011-10-14T22:25:00.002-04:00

We finished off on the mighty Ottawa River. The wonderful weather was shifting and we got one more painting experience in before we parted.

Combermere Forest

2011-10-14T22:23:00.000-04:00

Edge of Cornfield

2011-10-14T22:11:00.000-04:00

Fall Forest

2011-10-14T22:09:00.001-04:00

In the last few days, went out with some friends painting. I am still enjoying the cad orange/ultramarine blue/white combo and will stick with it for now.

Outdoor Study

2011-10-04T19:21:00.002-04:00

It has been a busy week, and today an overfilled day but the weather was too beautiful to miss so I parked the easel on the driveway and did a quick orange/blue/white study....which is teaching me some great things. I think that my most enjoyable subjects right now are trees, paths/roads and the three colour scheme.

Single Pear

2011-09-29T20:00:00.002-04:00

Mary and I wanted to paint outside today but the skies started to thunder and rain. So we worked on a pear out on the porch! I am enjoying my limited palette and all the learning that comes with it.

Black River

2011-09-28T19:31:00.000-04:00

Last week Mary and I went to the Black River in Quebec to paint. We parked ourselves with our easels on the little bridge and painted. I was not completely content with the result, so a few days later, I gave it another quick try on painting paper. I wanted to reduce the scene to more simple shapes.

Smith's Field

2011-09-27T23:48:00.002-04:00

Today I went to the field behind our house to paint the tree line while the cornfield was still standing. It is a pleasure to paint with just orange, blue and white because it helps me focus on values and temperature.

Shaw Woods

2011-09-27T23:19:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a gorgeous warm day and I went out to the Shaw Woods, 120 acres of old growth forest, to see if the sumac had changed colour yet. I found a patch that was half way there, with the sun slanting in on the front trees and a nice dark backdrop of forest. I really zoomed into the scene for the light effect, but might paint this again with a wider angle....maybe when the sumac is fully red....

Linda's Vision

2011-09-14T20:02:00.003-04:00

Went outside to paint a value study for this week's DPW Value Challenge. Instead of black and white, I used ultramarine blue and cadmium orange (and white) for this week's DPW Value Challenge. We were to simplify a scene using only 4 values, but I got a bit carried away and have far more than that. The blue and orange helped me with the added aspect of warm/cool relationships. I think I will go out more often with this very limited palette.

Poppies & Tea

2011-09-13T17:49:00.001-04:00

This was painted for one of the DPW Challenges - My Mug.

NZ On Line Workshop

2011-09-12T11:43:00.003-04:00

This is my entry to the Richard Robinson Workshop. I wanted to give it a try, see how it goes, since I like Richard's teaching videos. The tree was a bit awkward, it has so many little branches and yet so much sky peeking through - it was hard not to get it all muddy. Richard posted the photograph, a little bit of New Zealand - guess they are coming into spring now.

Farndale

2011-09-07T22:23:00.002-04:00

Out again with Mary. We are eager to take advantage of these lovely days.

Leaning Pine

2011-09-06T18:43:00.002-04:00

Painted by the little Muskrat River today with Mary. It was intermittent cloudy and sunny, so the scene kept changing. The huge pine tree was leaning, soon to fall.

Watching the Children

2011-09-01T19:14:00.002-04:00

There is a lone sunflower in the garden, surrounded by echinacea and black-eyed susies. Sometimes I need to try new ways of expression, and this one was inspired by the paintings of Brian Rutenberg.

Turkey Lane

2011-08-31T21:04:00.003-04:00

Mary and I went out to paint today, into the corn field behind my house. A wild turkey crossed the path, and then while we painted, a whole flock came out of the corn row.
I was all enthused to paint another rectangle challenge, but quickly got into the painting and completely forgot. A weak sun was shining through some fine clouds, so everything looked soft and gentle.

DPW Painting Challenge

2011-08-30T20:03:00.003-04:00

Mary posted the Rectangle Challenge this week. We were out on the porch painting my flowers when I did this one. It is an excellent exercise - takes discipline and focus. http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenge/BCE72D70-B1A7-44ea-884E-5882A1B9355E

Low Ceiling

2011-08-27T16:57:00.001-04:00

Seastar

2011-08-25T13:38:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I have to express jubilant passion and painting something large and unusual, like this big seastar at Chesterman's Beach in Tofino. I was told that it was not a starfish but a seastar....sounds good to me. These fascinating colourful flower-like creatures come out of the sea for a peek during low tide, and then disappear again.

Jennings Road

2011-08-24T19:26:00.004-04:00

Finally no bugs or heat....so Mary and I went out to paint along the Ottawa River. We wanted to find a simple composition - horizontals, verticals, not just green etc. It was overcast and a bit cool but wonderful to be out, and to be painting together again.

Lawn Ornaments

2011-08-22T10:58:00.002-04:00

Outside of The Empress Hotel in Victoria BC, flagging the sidewalk are these two weeping sequoia trees, that look like afghan dogs. I just had to paint them - in cerulean and orange - to stay with the surreal effect.

Snow Capped

2011-08-18T09:27:00.003-04:00

It is wonderful to paint mountains - shapes and values are big and definite. This is from crossing Vancouver Island from the east side to the west.

Beacon Hill Peacocks

2011-08-16T22:43:00.004-04:00

I have been away, to Vancouver Island. Although there was no opportunity to paint, I did take a lot of photos. There were just so many subjects, so many interesting shapes to paint. These birds were running free in Beacon Hill Park in Victoria.

Road Trip

2011-07-11T19:33:00.001-04:00

On our way home from Hudson Valley NY.

Ian Roberts Workshop in Meaford, Ontario

2011-07-10T21:32:00.001-04:00

Everything came together in this one....standing in the shade helps.

Ian's Workshop

2011-07-10T21:30:00.003-04:00

The Pond - Ian was amazing, again. He teaches such strong basics and pushes us to really see. He goes out of his way to find perfect locations, like this pond on private property. The owner was delighted, as were her dogs. There was a lot of green....

Ian Roberts Workshop

2011-07-10T21:25:00.003-04:00

We were outside from 8:00 am until about 7:00 pm with a break at lunch. The sun was hot, the days were gorgeous and our brains were working overtime in order to get it all - shadows were too warm or too dark, colours were too saturated or too dull..or too light/dark, edges needed to be released, where is the focal point? what are we looking at? what are we saying? how does it read? And shapes.....keep it simple! It looks so easy.....

Ian Roberts Workshop

2011-07-10T21:22:00.003-04:00

Just back from a week long intensive workshop with Ian Roberts in the beautiful GREEN Georgian Bay area in Ontario. We started off with exercises that need repeating....this one is seeing shapes, so we painted only rectangles.

Gavin Workshop - the ScoutMaster

2011-06-30T09:15:00.003-04:00

Last painting of this fabulous workshop - we used a lot of turp to draw and "coax" the figure out, so the paint is a bit light and faded looking, especially in the photo. All of the paintings are unfinished....the point was to get it down quickly without fussing, then go onto the next painting. Ellen was great for explaining things, demonstrating and then making sure that we experience it. She was full of sayings and analogies that were so funny but also hit the mark and were therefore easy to remember.

Now we are back from the US, and lucky me, am leaving on Sunday for an Ian Roberts workshop in Meaford Ontario. This is really getting into the groove.....

Second Day at Workshop

2011-06-27T20:05:00.003-04:00

Today Ellen started with a demo and then we painted....and so much was learned. My painting did not photograph well, and I think I attempted too big a project with a horse AND a figure which became a portrait. I see that the hand is still off....but it was a very good day.

Equine Workshop with Ellen Gavin in Hudson Valley NY

2011-06-26T20:14:00.003-04:00

Francesca and I are enjoying a wonderful workshop of painting horses and dogs with Ellen Gavin who is an excellent instructor. She is teaching us to be loose while staying true to powerful basics. We have to paint fast, not finish but go on to the next and the next.... Although it is about horses and dogs, it is really just about shapes, values, edges etc etc.

The Greenville Arms Inn is a wonderful place for a workshop. We are enjoying the good life!

Doodle

2011-06-09T15:53:00.004-04:00

Right now, I am enjoying painting roosters for a change of pace. Last fall, I got some photos of prize winning roosters at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. This guy has a flat comb - don't know the name of the breed, but he had attitude.

Himself

2011-06-09T09:15:00.002-04:00

Pearly

2011-06-07T15:27:00.002-04:00

Time for something whimsical.....

Lush June

2011-06-06T22:27:00.006-04:00

What I didn't paint are the bugs....water and deep forest = lots of mosquitoes.

MacKenzie King's Park

2011-06-03T10:48:00.001-04:00

This was painted from a sketch while in Chelsea and Wakefield Quebec, in early May.

End of the Road

2011-06-03T10:46:00.001-04:00

Up the Road

2011-05-16T19:34:00.002-04:00

It was sunny but cold and windy last week when I went out to paint with friends, so I did several thumbnail sketches and painted when I came home.

Early May

2011-05-16T19:11:00.000-04:00

Wishing

2011-05-07T08:37:00.002-04:00

so hopeful for spring to burst.......

Another Challenge

2011-05-02T18:40:00.002-04:00

this week's daily painter's challenge - a self portrait....

Lily

2011-05-02T13:30:00.000-04:00

Challenge - Chicken

2011-04-13T18:49:00.001-04:00

The latest challenge from the Daily Painters.

Spring Run-off

2011-04-12T22:10:00.004-04:00

Finally we got to go plein air painting again and it was perfect - gurgling water, sunshine and fresh air, friendly landowners who invited us for return visits.....I think I was hopeful and painted the land more green that what it is.

Challenge part 2

2011-04-05T23:10:00.000-04:00

Challenge

2011-04-05T15:45:00.002-04:00

My entry to the Daily Painter's Challenge.

O'Grady's Cow

2011-03-29T08:12:00.001-04:00

It was time to paint a cow, and being a beige cow (not too far from white) gave me lots and lots of greys to worth with.

The Color of White Challenge

2011-03-23T21:24:00.005-04:00

The sun was shining, we were going to go out and paint some spring snow....but there was a nasty bite in the wind....so we decided to stay indoors and finally do the Color of White Challenge from the Daily Painters. I simplified the profusion of flowers in the cloth (paper napkins) to just colours and values, and the white bowl was anything but white.....

Experimenting

2011-03-19T11:37:00.004-04:00

Finally, after a long winter, we painted outside again. This little forest is actually a sugar maple bush and the shack is beside us. The fire was going, the syrup cooking and it was a wonderful way to get back into plein air. I plan to go back and paint the pails, or the shack.......

I tried two views, one on site, one at home...one has an light orange ground, the other quin magenta. I am still working on going stroke by stroke....it takes a lot of focus!

Ceramic Bunny

2011-03-03T09:16:00.002-05:00

This is my submission to the DPW challenge for this week - doing a small painting one stroke at a time, mixing a new colour with each stroke. Ohhhh is that a test...but an excellent exercise!

Castello di Montegufoni

2011-02-26T20:36:00.006-05:00

Lately I am painting from my photographs. It makes me appreciate plein air, but also the comforts of the studio. My sister Francesca and niece Vanessa joined me today. I have been wanting to paint this doorway in a dreamy location in Tuscany, where life stood still for a while.

Zipped

2011-02-22T09:30:00.002-05:00

A Zippo lighter was the piece featured in the DPW Challenge this week, and it was to be painted with only ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and white. This is my submission.

Juicy Fruit

2011-02-20T16:32:00.002-05:00

This time I took fruit up a notch - in size. I found it very different painting fruit large .... big strokes, big areas of colour to cover and yet try not to lose the value shifts.....

Red Pine Plantation

2011-02-17T16:35:00.003-05:00

A few weekends ago, several of us went for a walk on the family farm of yesterday. The red pine plantations are 50+ old now. I enjoyed the way the sun slanted through them and lit up the little balsam trees. When painting, I was paying attention to the shift in values with each tree, and giving them some texture and individuality.

Hibiscus

2011-02-09T06:53:00.002-05:00

Flowers bring such joy, especially in the thick of winter. This hibiscus is bravely blooming on my windowsill, and since a bloom usually lasts only two days, I had to honour it.....and paint it.

Green Apple

2011-02-08T21:09:00.002-05:00

Another 10 minute challenge - with a timer, and the apple did get rotated for different angles. I am impressed with how much improvement there is with each try.... I really start to "see", to the point of wondering what in the world I was seeing with the first square.

The Challenge

2011-02-07T21:58:00.002-05:00

Carol Marine double dog dared everyone to do this ten minute per square challenge. Having attending Carol's awesome workshop this summer, Mary and I knew this was a good exercise, so today we did it, and what a learning curve that was.....and so much fun too! I think that I need to do a lot more of these.....soon....like tomorrow.

Amaryllis

2011-02-03T19:08:00.002-05:00

Again a flower is blooming in front of me and being in the depth of a northern winter, it was just too desireable to paint it. For once, a subject that works in this 8 x 8 square format that has been waiting to be used. The petals are verigated and that made it rather difficult to get values right...which was a real test in the best of places.

In the Spotlight 2

2011-01-31T21:35:00.003-05:00

Am fascinated by the contrast lately....the black cloth is velvet and very rich, the apple so shiny and bright. There is still a bit of glare in the photograph, no matter which angle I positioned it in. Maybe that will improve once it is dry.

Hot Sumac

2011-01-30T22:30:00.002-05:00

I have been playing with the idea of painting our fall sumac bushes, and did several small sketches. This one was the impromtu extra that just seemed oh so happy!

Early Spring

2011-01-30T17:16:00.004-05:00

Reworked a painting from about a year ago....wanted the reflections in the water to come more alive.

In the Spotlight

2011-01-28T22:55:00.005-05:00

Today I wanted to try a really dark background. It is strong....and quite dramatic! I rather like it.

We Three

2011-01-25T00:11:00.002-05:00

There is much to be said about doing several quick studies of the same subject......to a timer. It just brings out the best and the worst, and hopefully lots of improvement. This was my third go ..... What else do you do when it is -30 C.?

Potted Plant

2011-01-23T10:06:00.002-05:00

Mary and I are back on track with our painting time together. We were doing several quick studies of this plant. It always amazes me how much can fit on a 6x6 canvas.

From my Children

2011-01-13T23:34:00.002-05:00

My children sent me this bouquet, for my birthday, the day my youngest flew to Australia. I wanted to savour it longer, so decided to paint it - life size. The one gerber daisy to the right could have been placed a bit higher to balance the three out, but otherwise I am happy with it. The process was very satisfying. And so this is how I start the new year with painting!

Another World

2010-12-23T10:50:00.004-05:00

This painting has taken days to manifest - but it is finally born! I seem to be attracted to elements of magic and enchantment, even being a bit surreal. This is the garden in Kiawah Island, and it felt very much like another world there.

The Barn

2010-12-17T23:28:00.003-05:00

Painted this from a photograph that I took in November. I love the late fall colours - oranges and purples with that unusual splash of intense green. It is all buried under a foot of snow now. Enjoyed the painting process in this one.

Snow Apples

2010-12-13T18:30:00.002-05:00

Finally I got to painting again......I have been busy but also in a reflective state post workshop. Where am I going with painting, what do I really want to paint, what makes me happy........
So while I muse, I painted the frozen apples outside our window.......