Large Rock in the Water

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen board - The darks in this one sunk a bit so I varnished it. I don't always do this.

Lighthouse in a Storm

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen board - You better stay clear of these rocks.

Calm Morning

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen board - The moment of sunrise is short and is not often seen by most of us.

On the Beach

 16 x 20 inches - oil on canvas board - Here is a calm day at the beach when you can easily walk along without having to dodge the waves.

Rocky Inlet

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen panel - In Nova Scotia, the coast is not straight or even curved. It has many inlets and channels where the tide and waves whoosh in and out.

Through to the Beach

 

8 x 10 inches - oil on linen board - Here is a beach in Hawaii. You approach it through trees that cause interesting patterns of dappled light.

Wave on the Rocks

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen board - Waves are infinitely variable and interesting to paint.

Beatrix

 

10 x 8 inches - oil on linen panel - This is a sweet dog, very young and full of energy.

Returning to the Dock

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen panel - While it might be slower and, if the wind is in the wrong direction, tricky, sail is better. You don't scare the birds and you can hear the wind in the grass.

Rocky Shore on the Lake

 

16 x 20 inches - oil on canvas board - This is an early morning morning scene with calm water.

Sandy Shore on a Cloudy Day

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen board - Sometimes the most interesting scenes happen when it's overcast and threatening to rain.

Boat on a Sandy Beach

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen panel - Now we'll have to wait till the tide comes in again to launch, but that's ok we'll have a cup of tea and enjoy the breeze.

Fiord

8 x 10 inches - oil on linen board - I lived in Nova Scotia for a number of years and visited Hawaii three times. I am fond of seascapes and all scenes involving water. So I may do a series of seascapes next.

Ready for Daysailing

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen board - if you can get up early you can enjoy a coffee as you sail out to open water before the heat of the day.

Sandhill Cranes

 

90 x 40 inches - oil on stretched canvas - Here is a project that I completed last summer. because of it's size, I had to paint it on a table (the size is approximate). It was shipped rolled up in a tube and stretched when it arrived.

Boston

 

8 x 6 inches - oil on hardboard

Eagle

 

16 x 20 inches - oil on stretched canvas - Here is a bonus wildlife portrait that I decided to add.

Hawk

 

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - Here is the last of my series of wildlife portraits.

Bear with Cubs

 12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - Bears are a bit more dangerous when they have cubs. I would recommend watching them from afar .. way far.

Deer Watching

 

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - When you are in the forest you need to keep alert to possible danger around you.

Mountain Lion

 

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - This cat is around but rarely seen.

Red Fox

 

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - You can come along if you wish but I have to keep moving along.

On A Path

 

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - "I don't think this is the way." "Jason where are we?" "We should have taken the other path." "Jason you got us lost again." "....Did you hear that?"

A Moose in Winter

 

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - Of the creatures you might see in the forest, this very large one is the most formidable. They are strong swimmers, who are able to survive some of the nastiest conditions and they are not afraid of anything including you, so you best stay clear of them.

Looking for Salmon

 

12 x 16 - oil on canvas board - If you are going to catch a fish you might have to get wet.

Fishing

 12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - The secret to success is absolute calm, ready to burst suddenly into explosive fury. Learn this or starve.

Two at the Edge of the Woods

 16 x 12 inches - oil on canvas board - This one doesn't match the others in my wildlife series but it did not feel right to do it in landscape.

Catching a Few Rays

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - There is nothing like a lazy afternoon resting in the sun.
 

Deer by the River

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - This doe is careful but seems to be enjoying the fact that spring is here at last.
 

Over the Salt Marsh

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - Ok, I am now back from a trip to south east Europe which may result in future paintings. Before leaving, though, I had a desire to try to paint some larger wildlife portraits. I decided that I would try to complete at least 12, in case I want to some day to create a calendar. This is the first of a heron flying over the salt marsh.

Pub on the Corner

 8 x 8 inches - oil on hardboard - I try not to be afraid of the dark but it changes things. 

Here are some of my typical materials. I tend to use smooth boards on small paintings (8 inches or less), 8 x 10 and 9 x 12 tend to be the finer weave linen panels, the larger paintings I tend to use canvas panels, and the very large on stretched canvas. I went through a phase of walnut oil and I still use Graham's walnut medium but lately I have been using linseed based oils. For brushes, I have found that the long flats in synthetic bristles work for me but I also use a small soft round for some things. I have found that keeping my brushes in a small plastic bag with a little safflower oil keeps them from drying out and protected. Any paint left in the bristles stays soft and I can easily wipe off the oil for the next adventure.

This might be the my post for several weeks while I am traveling.  I have a series of wildlife portraits completed which I will share when I get back.

A Storm is Coming

 

12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas board - I used to avoid varnish because you have to wait 6 months for the paint to dry thoroughly. I recently discovered that this is a lot of 'hooey' because Gamvar breaths just enough to allow the paint to continue to dry. I occasionally would spray a temporary varnish to even the colours out but that stinks and it is a pain to do. This one could use it and I will varnish it soon.

Peonies in the Morning

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen board - I tend to jump around when it comes to both subjects and style. I suppose I could stick to one thing and perfect it. That might sell more and increase the popularity of my work. However, that would not be as much fun for me and I would not learn as much. So I will probably continue to do a series of a few at a time and then move on to something else. I hope you will have patience with me as I try to become a better artist. For inspiration and ideas I draw on a lifetime of experiences including travel, places I have lived, visits to family and just plain imagination. You will find subjects from Peterborough, the small town where I live along with our gardening experiences there, Stratford where we spend a lot of time particularly in the summer, from Hawaii where we have visited three times, from Rondeau Park a small bay on the north shore of Lake Erie where I spent a lot of my youth....etc. etc. You will also find portraits of pets that I have done by request mostly. Getting a portrait made of your pets is a good thing to do, because I am often asked to recreate an image of a pet that has passed. The most valuable thing you can do is to take a photo at eye level of your pet while they are with you and you will not regret the effort.

Trout Stream in Winter

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - Let's talk about painting supports. This was painted on an inexpensive yet archival canvas board because I am thrifty. I don't want to be to precious about my paintings so I go for what works for me and gives me a solid end product. I am not fond of stretched canvas except for very large paintings due to weight, and prefer a solid surface that will not flex after the paint dries. I know that I enjoy painting them and sharing them on line. Occasionally someone likes them enough to buy one which is great. So its all good. Because I am old, I have some paintings that I did more than 40 years ago that appear to be in as good shape as they were when I painted them. So I know for sure the paintings that I do now will outlast me and probably outlast anyone who buys one. Now if I get famous in 300 years after I am gone and the Louvre wants to hang one, they can pay the big bucks for a conservator to fix what is ailing with it or they can just pound sand.

 

Winter by the River

12 x 16 inches - oil on canvas board - I find it is safer to use canvas on larger paintings and linen or hardboard on smaller ones because there is less danger of the texture of the support interfering with the image. I don't know if that makes sense but it makes sense to me.
 

Cliff Revised

 

12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas board - Same cliffs but different.

Cliff with Rocks

 

12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas board - Cliffs always add some drama to a seascape.

Coastal Fog

12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas board - It's too bad that sound is not part of paintings because this is not a quiet scene.
 

Sand Dune

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen board - Fragile and beautiful, the dunes keep the beach from blowing away.

Rocks by the Coast

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen board - While it is tempting to walk out on the rocks, don't do it because a rogue wave could come and take you out.

Salt Marsh Dream

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen board - I have been to Venice but not to this particular place except in Donna Leon's novels.

After the Rain

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on linen panel - After a spring rain it is probably best to stay on the path.

Yellow House in the Woods

 

8 x 10 inches - oil on linen board - It can be a challenge to live far from the suburbs but one good thing is there is a lot of wood available for your fireplace.

House by the Sea

 

8 x 10 inches - oil on linen board - There are places along the shore where the sun doesn't come out much. I remember while living near Halifax, I would leave in fog to go to a bright day in the city and come back later to fog again.  BTW while I have been painting every day, I haven't posted for a while.  I have been trying to figure out a better way to photograph.

Valley in the Woods

8 x 10 inches - oil on linen board - Not far from where I live, there are places like this where you can walk quietly through the woods and listen to the wind through the trees.
 

Moose Country

 

9 x 12 inches - oil on canvas board - These animals are big and do not fear much. They are also good swimmers.

Fast Food

12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas board - Now that's a can of worms.
 

Crows With Deer

 

12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas board - If many of these birds is a "murder" of crows, maybe two of them would be just a minor irritation.

Gull and Goldfish

 

12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas board - These two seafarers could become good buddies unless, of course, one of them is lunch.