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Friday 1 January 2016

2015 Review - Part 2


 Blog 1

Happy New Year to all of you! May the new year be full of opportunities and happiness. While I am enjoying time with my family - and you hopefully too - I would like to share with you the second part of my advent calendar. The first 12 paintings were published in last Friday's blog.


Day 13:
My oil painting "Parc des Amoureux" was done during the Plein Air Ensemble trip to Val David, Quebec in April 2015. It was not only a popular spot for our group of painters but also for some locals smoking pot. While I was painting undisturbed at an isolated spot, my friend Janis had to pack it in after a while because she could not stand the smell anymore.


Day 14:

I painted my 5" x 7" oil painting "Pink Roses" on cradled wood. The painting was started on the painting trip to Kamouraska in September 2014. I was almost finished when the wind and the chilly humid air forced me to packed in my gear because I was so cold and my fingers got stiff. It was an easy painting to finish because I only had to do some touch-ups.




Day 15:

"Rock Solid" is a 14" x 11" oil painting I started last fall in Kamouraska. It is a painting of "our" monadnock. Our KAM7 group has painted this location many times. When we scouted the surroundings of Kamouraska for painting spots for the first time, we came across this monadnock at the end of a small street. Over the years, the owners of this private monadnock build a house on top of the rocks. However, during the first years, this beautiful place was the hot spot for gay couples. We had to safe the only male member of our group once from an admirer, which is definitely a story we will not forget.


Day 16:

I created my 12" x 16" acrylic painting "Blushing Sunset"last year during the painting demonstration at the Arteast table during Baz'Art. I only used painting knives. Sunsets are one of my favourite subjects, and I just love the intense colours of this one.


Day 17:
My 8" x 8" acrylic painting "Orange Lilies" also started out as a demonstration for my students. I had planned to paint the flowers for months but when December came, I was not ready for the cold. I wanted to hold on to the memories of summer just a little bit longer. The vibrant colours of the flowers definitely bring summer back into every house.

The painting is part of Arteast's Holiday Mix at the St. Laurent Complex, 525 Coté St, Ottawa, ON K1K 0Z8. The exhibition of small paintings runs until January 15, 2016.


Day 18:
I started my 8" x 10" oil painting "Along the St. Laurent River"
on September 9, 2014 during the trip to Kamouraska. In the afternoon, Janis and I had driven to Rivière-Ouelle and painted from the “Pointe aux Orignaux” the view towards Kamouraska.


Day 19:
I painted "Spring Greens", an 10" x 8" oil painting at the shore of the Ottawa River in the Whitewater region at the beginning of May. After I had spent the morning near the chutes, I was very happy with this quite spot for the afternoon.







 Day 20:
"The Little Chapel at Lac Beauchamp" is a 10" x 8" painting from the Plein Air Ensemble Painting trip to Val-David in April. It had taken Janis and I a long time to find a view over a lake that was not completely obscured by big mansions.The little chapel seemed to be part of a Christian camp. Luckily, I was almost finished with my painting when Janis, who painted further down the road, came to let me know that big machinery was approaching quickly to grate the road. I had to hurry to stow everything back in the car before they reached me.


Day 21:
I love my studies of apples. This 6" x 6" acrylic painting "An Apple A Day VI" was a demonstration at a student's house. It was a challenge to get the right colours because the space I was working in hardly had any light. However, my experience of mixing colours really helped me out with this painting.



Day 22:
This is one of my favourite paintings of this year: Star Tree (Swamp at Opeongo Resort, Lake Clear, Eganville) is an 11” x 14” oil painting which I worked on for one full day. After a great abstract sketch the painting went from bad to worse until I was finally able to pull it back together. This painting will stay in my private collection as a reminder of the great trip.


Day 23:
My 14" x 11" oil painting "Winter at Petrie Island" was a painting that got forgotten in my studio. I started it in March 2012 but was not too happy with the foreground. I finally picked it up again at the beginning of this year. At the end I just took some of the red branches in the front out and made the ochre of the grass a little brighter.






Day 24:
“Winter Glow” is a 36” x 24” acrylic knife painting which I created with a reference photo I took last winter at sunset. I just love the brilliant sky.


I hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane. Next week, I will start a brand new series of blogs. 

If you know someone who might also like to read my blog, please share it. Thank you in advance for helping me to reach a bigger audience.

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