On our latest trip to the AGO in Toronto, my son Frederic asked if I could reproduce his favourite painting of the Canadian Group of Seven, Lawren Harris. I thought this was a wonderful opportunity for great learning and have been working on it since Ian's workshop - what a way to immerse into shapes! It is nearly finished, still some tweeks, and here is what I have discovered:
1. First drew in the shapes freehand, it looked perfect, and yet I have managed to get my own sizing in there, which only shows up at the very end - like today! Some good grid work next time. Which brings to mind,
2. How close can I manage to reproduce anyway? Even repeating my own paintings is never quite the same. Besides my drawing errors, there are variables that I don't know like...
3. what blue did he use for the sky? At the gallery, I did not think it was ultramarine. I checked and rechecked colours, of course from books and reprints which aren't fully reliable. I first painted the sky in phthalo blue, let it dry, then decided it must be cobalt blue, painted over only to get closer to the mountains and realized, it can't be cobalt. Maybe he had used several blues...? And to keep colour harmony, it would have to be one that mixes the lovely lilac for the shadows, so not phthalo.....so....
4. wouldn't it be awesome to paint in front of the original, to see it live, even if behind plate glass. I think copying masterpieces were a strong learning method in the past.
5. And then there is the overwhelming feeling of walking in someone's footsteps. I actually felt honoured to be copying Lawren Harris' work, and mused on what he was thinking, what inspired him, what he was translating onto canvas, how he did his brushstrokes etc. I found the whole experience very inspiring and exhilirating.
Of interest, the original is large and imposing and last sold for $2.2 million. The owner Ken Thomson bequethed it and his whole massive art collection to the Art Gallery of Ontario.
This petunia flower stem broke off during planting and was rescued. Flowers are a difficult subject, one that I return to time and again for the learning. It takes a lot of squinting to see the many variations of value in one blossom! 
The garage beside the old store - the ground in front looks wet, might be that I am blending again. Will go back and put in some solid strokes.
This used to be a busy little general store close to the lake. The now grown children remember the many trips for ice cream cones. It is closed now, the owners retired. It sits and waits. I wanted to paint it with simple strokes, not too much fussing.
The cottage shed - old and a bit leaky but still filled with summer treasures. I was aiming to simplify but my challenge became values as the light changed. Finally it came reasonably together and at the end, I added the blue stroke to enliven the inside of the shed.
At the lake today, with the family therefore a bit distracted while painting. It was one of those leisurely days of summer. I wanted to paint strokes, shapes and not over noodle everything....in other words, stay simple. Then I decided to experiment with a shift in hues in the sky, after reading that chapter in Carlson's book. But I am guilty of "blending" those shifts - again. I have to go back to the rectangle exercise.
On our latest trip to the AGO in Toronto, my son Frederic asked if I could reproduce his favourite painting of the Canadian Group of Seven, Lawren Harris. I thought this was a wonderful opportunity for great learning and have been working on it since Ian's workshop - what a way to immerse into shapes! It is nearly finished, still some tweeks, and here is what I have discovered:
What do they call this - a vignette? Maybe it would be better if the whole background were painted in....
Coming home from Ottawa today, along the Laurentian foothills on the Quebec side, I was looking for simple shapes to do a quick study tonight. I just have to keep up the momentum from the workshop, and the only way is to paint. 
Today was so hot, the water was beautiful. I am still working on simplifying and painting shapes. My brain pathways are very sneaky - they quickly go to curves and roundedness. So much for small rectangles.
