RED-TAILED HAWK, PART 1

While painting in the field during my last trip, I was trying to be aware of the local wildlife while I worked listening for bird song and keeping an eye out for any flyovers. I did manage to see a number of new species for me this time but also enjoyed re-acquainting myself with those birds on the West coast that I am not so familiar with. Disappointing was that most of the thrushes had stopped singing and were rather thin on the ground. Apart from the odd Kestrel and a few Bald Eagles, most of the raptors I saw were Red-tailed Hawks. Which got me thinking that I hadn't painted any birds recently so when things were running smoothly back in the studio again, I started on this portrait. Here I have washed in a background colour of Raw Sienna, Yellow Ochre and Sepia on smooth Arches w/c paper. When dry, I made a careful drawing of the bird then started modeling form using light washes of Burnt Sienna and Cobalt Blue. The darker areas were dropped in using washes of Sepia.

CLOUDS AND MIST AT MAPLE RIDGE

This small study was completed while spending a rainy day outside. This trip had a number of such days and while heavy rain kept me indoors, I was outside the rest of the time. Studies such as these are useful particularly in getting a better idea about ideas and for deciding exactly what I want to say. Here the distant mountains were partially obscured by low-lying clouds bringing focus to the mid-ground trees so the hardest edges were formed here. I have some ideas for a larger paintings of this scene and time will tell how these work out. As in the previous painting, the size is 6" X 8".

MORNING MIST AT LOWER HAMILTON

It seems like ages since I last updated my blog. That's probably because it has been - ages I mean. Now that I am back from my latest Canada trip, I have finally established a regular presence in my studio again. This will I'm sure lead to more regular postings. During the trip and since my return, I have been busy completing studies and also working on new paintings inspired by some of the things I have seen. Morning mist at Lower Hamilton was from a walk taken on the first morning after my arrival. The slightly cooler weather brought many such misty mornings and was a delight to me as I travelled around recording what I saw. This scene has led to a series of paintings, more of which I will share later on. The colors and light that particular morning were amazing as the sun rose through the mist which slowly thickened as I stood observing and painting. So much so that these trees shown in this study almost completely disappeared. This oil is 6" X 8".

LATE AFTERNOON II - PITT MEADOWS

I'm back in Canada again staying in the Maple Ridge area south of Vancouver. This time I brought along my plein air set-up so I can work with oils in the field. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to finish the larger landscape shown in my previous blog before I left but will get back to it when I return. In the meantime, I have posted this recently completed painting which is similar to an earlier work. This one like so many of my other paintings, is destined to become a series of work from the Pitt Meadows area. I have sent this one to the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa OK, for their annual Art in Miniature show. It's a 9" X 12", in oil on canvas.

LATE JULY EVENING - PART 2

After evaluating the sky, I feel that I should add some of the darker tones at this point so that I can better judge the overall tonal value and see how that is developing as it these deeper tones that are integral to the painting. I first do some more work to the mid-ground using various shades of bluish-purple then start on the riverbanks. Here I mix different amounts of permanent green, yellow ochre and raw umber then indicate grasses and some of the smaller bushes before putting in the two trees on the left and part of the one on the extreme right. So far there is a good sense of depth and I feel that the work is coming along fine but I also realise that I will probably have to spend some time later on with subtle glazes to bring out the correct tones. I don't want to go too dark at the beginning then have to repaint some areas to make them lighter later on.

LATE JULY EVENING - PART 1

After finishing the study of Late July Eve, I decided to do a larger version. Since I wanted to slightly change the format, I chose a canvas that has a more typical landscape look - in this case 24" X 36". I then proceed to draw out the image using thinned raw umber oil concentrating on getting a good balance between the sky, water and landscape. With this done, I sat the canvas on the floor of my studio and looked at it over the period of a few days planning and dreaming how I would go about the painting process. When I was ready, I started on the sky working wet-into wet and blending most of the colors on the canvas. I particularly wanted a softer effect in the upper sky with the lower clouds being more hard-edged. The study was helpful here and I referred to it often during this part of the painting. I added a little more warm red/orange to the lower sky than in the study then put in the distant ridge using a slightly deeper purple than what I had used in the sky. On reflection I was happy with the painting so far but realised that there would be a few slight alterations which I would address later on. Next, I work on the distant landscape and start to detail the mid-ground.

LATE JULY EVE - STUDY

Another small study that I finished off this morning. I must admit that I struggled a bit with this one. I wanted something more from it than just another painting of something that I saw. So there was quite a bit of careful consideration while I was painting and some adjustment of tones and colors. Consequently the surface of the painting is a bit messy (for me anyway) but at least I got there in the end. For me, the finished painting has something of an uneasy feel to it. Almost as if this was a site of an awful catastrophe. I'm not sure why I feel that way, perhaps it's because of the darker tones (and hence feeling) of the work. Whatever the reason, I still plan on doing a larger version of it but may change the composition slightly, I'll see. The size of this oil is 8" X 10 1/2".

I have been meaning to mention a new gallery that is representing me in New York. Open Gallery is situated in the lovely town of Northport and currently have a number of my paintings seen on this blog. So if you are in the area, please stop by and introduce yourself - the owners, Ian and Han Soon Murdock would be delighted to meet you. Address is: Open Gallery, 66 Main street, Northport Village, NY 11768. Tel: (631) 754-0501. www.northportopengallery.com.