Gavin Workshop - the ScoutMaster

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

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

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

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

Pearly

Time for something whimsical.....

Lush June

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

MacKenzie King's Park

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

End of the Road