A New Year Painting Challenge

My sister is an accomplished Watercolourist and has a deadline to finish 10 paintings in 10 weeks. YIKES

I am a supportive sister so I decided on a Challenge to paint along with her and finish 10 of my own paintings, one a week.

The challenge starts Jan 1st, 2010.

Watch both of us while we paint.








My sister's blog
http://www.ellenseasel.blogspot.com/

and her website
http://www.ellenspalette.com/

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Summer Tananger in November??

The birds this year are really screwed up! While my brother, the birding enthusiast was up for xmas, he pushed me to look at the photos I took of a bird I hadn't identified.

It was a Summer Tananger! What was it doing in Timmins in November? Maybe doing some early xmas shopping?

I can't wait to see what stops by my front yard next.

Pam

Christmas Day on the Rivers Edge

A walk Christmas afternoon supplied me with some reference photos for painting later in the winter. It was a mild day and the horses wanted to be petted at the farm across the road.

My driveway always gives me something to photograph. The blue jays were arguing and stealing each others tree caches. Lichen growing on the trees are good things to photograph with snow on them.

And Blackie welcomed me back home from my walk. All he wanted to know was whether I had anything new to feed him. When he saw that I was just taking photos, he flew back to his parents to bask in the sun.

I hope your Christmas was a happy one. Drive safe, the weather looks bleak for Boxing Day!

Pam

NORAD tracks Santa :)

Well, it's Christmas Eve tonight and NORAD is already tracking Santa as he works his way across the world.

Official NORAD tracking site.

Have a safe and Merry Christmas!



Pam

The Christmas Bird Count

I just finished doing my 4 hour feeder watch for the Christmas Bird Count in Timmins. I have to send in the results today.

Here is my bird list that visited my house this morning.

(Now sing this to "The Twelve Days of Christmas" music :)

On the 19th of December I saw at my bird feeder:

10 Pine Grosbeaks (as seen in photo)
7 Black-capped Chickadees
5 Blue Jays
3 American Crows
3 Canada Grey Jays (Whiskey jacks)
2 Common Ravens
2 Hairy Woodpeckers (one male, one female)
2 Pigeons (sing this one like 5 Golden Rings :)
1 Downy Woodpecker (male)
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
1 Dark-eyed Junco (see photo below)
and 1 unidentified Sparrow

Merry Christmas Bird Count!



Pam

The transition to OILS.

Last night I put away my acrylic palette and set up a new palette for oil painting. I will finish all the works-in-progress with oil paints.

You might wonder why the change. Yes, oil paints may take longer to dry, they are smellier in the original formula and I have to learn to use them properly, but I love the look, the sheen, and the transparency of oils. Used properly, oil paints can look like they glow on the canvas. My acrylic paintings are starting to look flat, boring and dull. I want luster, excitement and depth in my paintings. A tall order for a beginner in the medium.

I started with "Canada Goose" a half finished painting started in acrylics.
I then added the first layer of oil paint. The shoulder and tail section of the bird haven't been touched yet.
(The photo reads a little yellow due to photographing it at night.)


I love the way the oil paint stays wet and I can mix paint right on the canvas. Acrylics dry in seconds unless you use a retarder and then they take forever to dry. Acrylics also dry 30 percent darker, which means you must guess what colour they will be when they dry. Oil paints retain there original mixing colour allowing me to mix the exact colour I want.

I already feel completely comfortable using the oils. Sometimes, something just clicks when you are creating. I think that I am going in the right direction and I will give myself an adjustment period before deciding on a complete switch over to oils.

The xmas tree goes up tonight! :) I'm getting in the christmas spirit.

Pam

Live sketching night at the Timmins Symphony.

The Timmins Symphony Orchestra, Chorus, and Conductor, invited The Porcupine Art Club to sketch live at their Christmas rehearsal.

I have 2 sketches from the evening and many photos to use as references.


I'll be trying something new in January. Although I have been using acrylics, due to the odour while painting in the house, I'll be trying Water Mixable Oils that are low odour. I like oils better than acrylics and the tranisition should be interesting.

Pam

Anyone loose a Pheasant??

Now these guys aren't supposed to be up here but one is pecking around my front lawn this morning. It's a good opportunity for photos but my windows are covered in freezing rain.

I'm sure that this pheasant escaped a local farm that is breeding them. He has wandered off for now but I'm sure the bird seed will entice him to return for something to eat.





Pam

Xmas Art Sale

My sister, Ellen Catherwood, and I had our table at the Timmins Museum 21st Annual Arts & Crafts Sale. It was held at the Shania Twain Center over the weekend.

A lot of people attended the sale, which included pottery, sewing, jewellry, artwork, chocolate and xmas decor from local artisans.

Here is what our table looked like.

Now I can get in the Christmas spirit, do my xmas shopping and get back to my regular painting schedule.

The Porcupine Art Club's "Bare Arts II" show is being hung at the Timmins Museum and will open this week to the public. I have my 2 charcoal figurative nudes hanging in the show.

It's off to shop for xmas and a new computer monitor!

Pam

Escape the Light

Another charcoal, this time a quick one.

Nude Male: Step 1
Cover the paper with charcoal and smudge out the figure bits.


Nude Male: Step 2
Finish taking out charcoal and adding until I'm happy with it.


I'm done.

Pam

Get in the Xmas Spirit

To get into the spirit of Christmas I've started listening to holiday music.

I hope you enjoy this one.




I'll post the final stages of my female nude this weekend.

Step 5: I'm finished!
"Out of the Dark" Charcoal on paper.


Step 4 Nude Woman:

I may call this "Out of the dark" or something like that. I'm getting closer to being finished.

Pam

Back to Artwork

I have a charcoal nude to finish before next Thursday, and if possible a second nude to go with it. So it's crunch time as usual. Then I can get back to painting.

Nude Woman: step 3
Using Q-Tips worked well to smudge and slightly lift the charcoal without removing it. I will pop the highlights at the end with the eraser.


Nude Woman: step 2
I'm fighting with how to lift the charcoal and not lift it completely off the paper. I'll try using cotton balls instead of a kneadable eraser.



Nude Woman: step 1

More to come tomorrow...

Pam

I'VE MOVED!

Well...it's done. I'm officially moved! I'll be sending out change of address notifications shortly.

I hooked up my computer but couldn't access it for regular activity until this morning. I'll be starting a nude drawing that will go in our "Bare Arts II" show later this month and I will finish the donation of the owl painting for the Owl Foundation. I hope to reach through boxes to get to my easel tonight. My easel is now situated beside a north window for the best light and beside the fireplace. A better view than I used to have.

Just to let you know, Blackie the crow and his family moved over a couple of days after the move but my feral cat hid in the basement for 8 days before I grabbed her and locked her upstairs. She howled and paced all night (2 nights ago) and didn't let me sleep a wink. Thank goodness she was pretty quiet last night, just coming to cuddle every hour or so. At least I got a full night of sleep.

So, it's back to normal. Maybe I can sit down and drink a cup of tea while I get used to the look of my new house. :)

Updates will come soon.

Pam

Moving Update

Please bear with me...I'm in the middle of a house move.

UPDATE:

I'm getting all the boxes ready to go and I'll be starting to haul everything over to the new house soon. The cats are getting worried and want to hide when they see my packing.

I've been feeding Blackie the crow and his family, still 3 times a day. They really look healthy and have their full waterproof feathers for the winter. It's a good thing because it has been snowing the last few days and it was 5 below this morning, Oct. 15th.

I had a Porcupine walking down my driveway yesterday, was he ever cute and fat! The fox must be roaming around again, he left another present beside the compost pile. He and the crows will have to move over 2 houses with me. At least it isn't far.

I am anxiously waiting for the keys to move, in the meantime I am doing figure drawing practice. I have to create 2 figurative nude paintings or charcoal drawings (haven't decided yet) for our Bare Arts II show at the end of November.

I'll post when I can, the move will be over by the end of the month.

Pam

Back to work on the owl.

Another deadline looms and I'll be working tonight on the owl painting.

Watch for updates...

News about Blackie the crow and his family.


I fed the crows lunch on the driveway today, and sat down to watch them with my cat. A small red-tailed hawk showed no fear and started dive bombing the crows, trying to catch one to eat. It was so small that only one of the crows tried to chase it away, the others would only duck. It would start calling from a tree before the attacks, maybe something it should re-think in it's strategy. Crows are amazingly intelligent and would clue in to the fact that it was nearby. I think the hawk has been staying close to the compost pile where there are chipmunks and squirrels.

Blackie has grown almost all of his new, waterproof, feathers and I can't tell him from the rest of the crows. Only when he is hungry and does his baby call, with flapping feathers, or walks right over to me without fear do I know it is him.

The crows still eat 3 times a day, but some are calling for mates. It's the time of year for last years babies to find a mate and then they migrate south with them. Only Blackie's parents stay for the winter with the new babies. Why should they leave when they get fed every day?

One of Blackie's brothers didn't survive the summer. The neighbour saw a dead crow and with the Re-tailed hawks around, a juvenille bald eagle, Northern Goshawks, Great Horned Owls, I'm surprised I have any crows. Survival of the fittest always applies to the animals living around my house.

I noticed the first sign of a red fox this morning. It left me a present....YUCK! It must have walked over from the golf course and checked the compost pile. The golfers must be slacking off now that there is frost in the morning. No more ham sandwiches for the foxes until next year. I wonder how many kits there are? It was a miserable summer to raise little ones.

Oh well, I guess I'll digest supper and get to work painting. Night time is always the best time to paint. :)

Pam

Another Brittany Spaniel pup.

This is Dakota, a Brittany Spaniel pup from a litter at "Sharptail Brittany's".

Step 1:

After loosely drawing in the outline, I painted the background with india ink. I work at my computer desk for these smaller works and that leaves my big easel free to work on a second painting at the same time.

Step 2:

I covered the black ink with black coloured pencil and merged the layers with odourless paint thinner. Now I am adding colour to the pup with colour pencil. The shapes will get corrected as I continue.

Step 3:

Adding a collage colour pencil marble to the picture. I just have to decide on a placement.

I think I like the second placement better. It gives the illusion that you are lying on the floor with the puppy looking past the marble.

Step 4:

A change.... I've had a request to change the marble to a ball which is more appropriate for a puppy, so here is the start.


I need to spray it with fixative and let it dry before I continue.

Step 5: Finishing with the colour pencils, I will switch media again, to watercolour this time. There is an isolation layer on the paper so the different mediums don't mix. Here is a preview of how the frame will look.

The ball will be brighter red.

Step 6:
The first coat of watercolour on the ball and a little on the pup. I want the ball to dry so I can continue.



Step 7: Working on the pup now.

I'm done, step 8:

I finished the pup, gave the background a slight texture, signed my name on the ball and varnished it.


Pam

Northern Saw-whet Owl

I have started the first of 2 painting donations for The Owl Foundation for this fall.

The photo reference is by Gary Irwin.

Step 2: EEEEK, just a week left to finish this.



Step 1:

I stretched the canvas on a 24" x 36" frame and primed it. Although this is a small owl in real life, he is 15" on the canvas.

I added a coat of dark browns, blues and reds as a base colour. That took a while to dry.

Last night I painted the outline of the Saw-whet owl and the tree stump.

This will be painted fairly quickly so it can dry and be shipped by mid-September.


Pam

Just in time.

Talk about a tight deadline...WHEW! I finished the Polar Bear painting at 2 a.m., packaged it this morning and delivered it before 9 a.m. :)

Who's Watching Who?

Now I have to start on the next deadline for The Owl Foundation donation. :)

Pam

Make Room For More Sale

It's the end of summer and all my exhibiting artwork has returned home, but where to hang it all??

It's time to have a SALE!

The prices on these specific works of art are slashed to make room for more.

Cello Player $150. CN plus shipping.
24 x 36 inches, acrylic on canvas with painted edges.


It's Too Cold $150. CN plus shipping
24 x 30 inches, acrylic on board, metal frame.


Tree Fall Bear $40. CN plus shipping
9.25 x 16 inches, Acrylic on board box with painted edges.


Hooked $60. CN plus shipping.
16 x 20 inches, (Northern Pike) Acrylic on Canvas unframed.

Please email me for more information. pameladallaire@hotmail.com

Pam

Deadline Looming

The deadline for the annual NOAA juried competition is Monday, so I have to finish the Polar Bear painting by Sunday evening.

Step 3:

It may look a little strange at the moment, but it is coming along fine. The polar bear head hasn't been added yet.

I'll continue later today.

Pam

Great Blue Heron in progress.

I needed something I could paint quickly, in a couple of days, so I grabbed the Blue Heron painting I had started a long time ago.

Step 6: Done. :)


Step 5: Just the heron to finish.


Step 4:


Step 3:


Step 2:



Pam