Colorful progress....

Right now, this certainly doesn't look like much of anything! So far, I've been doing a lot of fine, detail work- mostly in the lighter colors. I have a feeling that this painting will look quite disjointed until it's just about completed. It is a lot of fun to do this detail work, at least for me,

anyway. I concentrate on the shapes, and not the subject matter. Clearly, I'm not a motorcycle expert, which may, in the long run, help me in the painting process. As artists, we're trained to paint what we see, not what we THINK we see.

I'm hoping I can get this done soon. I have so much wonderful reference material that I cannot wait to get to. Photos of beautiful gardens, plus photos I took in Quebec City that I can't wait to get to. What a beautiful place it is, and I can't wait to capture it in paintings. Guess I need more hours in the day......who doesn't, actually!!

Slow progress...

Slow progress it is!! Fine detail work certainly takes it's time!
I haven't been able to paint as much lately, with how busy I have been. We've had many home projects going, my son has moved into a house with his girlfriend, all the late summer chores, etc. Seems like we've been swamped lately. The motorcycle paintings also take a long time to really develop. It seems like I will paint for weeks before I really feel like I'm making progress. Here I'm starting with the light colors before I begin punching in the deep tones. This motorcycle will look different from my other ones with the colors I'm using, too. This bike was done in bright colors, and at the show it had some colored lights on it as well. It should prove to be unusual when it's done! With the outdoor work and other projects concluding, I'm hoping to be able to work more steadily on painting.
Back to work!

A new motorcycle...

It's time to begin a new motorcycle painting, one that I have been thinking of doing for a long time. It's hard to see the drawing, but if you click on it, it will enlarge and become easier to see. I've begun putting a little color on, just some light washes for now.

This motorcyle was at a motorcycle show in Toronto a couple of years ago. I loved the colors and the incredible detail on the bike.

This will no doubt take me a very long time to do! I love detail work, and only someone that loves detail work would take on this project!

The drawing has already taken me several hours. Unlike a floral portrait, mechanical objects need to be precisely rendered in order to look correctly done when completed. Hence the long time spent on the drawing.

A perfect painting to begin as summer winds down. (Even though it's 86 degrees outside)!

Garden visitor.....

Imagine my surprise to spot this while tending to my vegetables! I'm NOT a fan of the insect world! He or she is perched amongst my irises in my perennial garden bordering my vegetable garden.
Yikes!! After I regained my composure, I couldn't resist getting some photos. I believe its a "black and yellow Argiope." It's been there for a while now- storms and rains haven't dislodged him/her from it's spot. I couldn't resist tossing a few Japanese Beetles into the web, and boy, it was interesting to see how quickly the spider went after them. Maybe my garden could use a few more of these guys, as we have an over abundance of Japanese Beetles this year!
I'll have to try to do a little painting of my garden companion someday. Funny, I was terrified of the spider at first, now I'm calling it my companion! Guess anything that helps rid the world of Japanese Beetles can't be all bad!!

Garden walk continues....

This gorgeous display was growing not far from the hollyhock garden. What was so striking about this garden was the bold use of color. In front of an old red brick house, the garden spilled forth with deep purples and blues of such striking intensity it would take your breath away. Wisely interspersed were white and yellow highlights, which served to intensify the deep richness of the purples and blues. I'm looking forward to doing some paintings of this garden....can there be more hours to the day?? I'd better have plenty of Windsor Violet- such a bold pure violet that will be perfect to capture these beauties.

new beginnings...

This photo is from a hollyhock garden near me- these grow at a house on a main road leading into our little village here. I have to force myself to concentrate on the road when I pass by these beauties! On a previous blog I talked about getting some of my own and how I was excitedly waiting for mine to bloom. They've bloomed.......and they're the double pink, not the single blossoms shown here. The quest continues!! If anyone knows where I can get some seeds to grow ones of my own, please let me know!
It's a fun time for me now- outdoor shows over, summer winding down. I have a wealth of reference material to paint from. I'll be starting a new motorcycle painting soon. The time and concentration involved is enormous. I think I'll work on some flower paintings simultaneously. It's often recommended to not work on one painting at a time, especially when they're heavily detailed. Maybe I should title the hollyhock in the photo "Beauty and the Beast" since there's a Japanese Beetle on the flower. I hate those things! But boy, do they love my roses!

Lewiston rewind...

I thought I'd include this photo from the Lewiston outdoor show because it shows something rare and unusual.......sun! This was taken shortly after set-up on Saturday. As the day progressed we watched the clouds roll in. By mid afternoon, the sky blackened, and when the lightning started in, we, along with many others, packed up quickly and left. Metal tents, watercolors, outside...not a good combo! Sunday was what the word "soggy" was invented for! We got the paintings in early in the morning when it was dry (what does dry mean....I've forgotten!!) From then on it poured, misted, drizzled, deluged...any other synonyms apply. People still came out. Some with umbrellas, some in ponchos, some oblivious, whatever.
I was very honored to win first place, and not for a motorcycle painting. My painting of Yorkville, Toronto, called "Sunny City Morning" won. I only entered that one because the rules said we could enter 2, and that one has a white mat, which for some reason, is a jurying necessity. If I had any computer skill at all I would post a photo of that painting, but since I'm fairly "software unskilled" I'll have to refer anyone to my website to see it. Maybe the fact it depicts sunlight on a city street helped!! Sunlight....what's that again!!
The weatherman says we have 1/2 a day of sun today, so I'm off to hang up my tent panels to dry. I think I should have planted rice and celery in my garden. Hey....there's a thought!!