Summer Greens

Summer Greens  - Leslie Snider

A pastel sketch enjoying the pure,bright greens of early summer!

Colour Palette for Summer Greens

Spring

Nothing says spring 

like the newly minted blossoms 

of forsythia, cherry, and apple! 

Spring 2017 - Leslie Snider

Forsythia 2017 - Leslie Snider

 5 by7in. pastels 

Last Summer

Snow storm yesterday 

with treacherous driving conditions

 (a disadvantage of country living

 the roads don't get the attention of townies)

so I missed a concert to which I was quite looking forward. 

To cheer myself up, 

here are two pics of summer fields.

You'll notice fog in the distance as they are morning studies.

I love that time of day 

as the sun begins to warms the ground, 

 colours are more vibrant than full midday.

Field and Fog - Leslie Snider

Field and Fog - Leslie Snider

November Rain

Today  is the aftermath of an early snowstorm. 

But just a few days ago I took this photo...

New weather had first brought winds 
that yanked the leaves from the trees
...then calming rains 
left drops clinging to branches.
 It inspired this pastel...

 
 

Autumn's Encore

Japanese Maple 2016- Leslie Snider

Tucked away in the corner of my garden

this pastel illustrates autumn's last flash of brilliance.

If you think this must be an exaggeration 

have a look at my source photos. 

Remnants of the Past

Remnant of the Canadian Shield - Leslie Snider

Many walking trails radiate from Kingston.

These sections of the K&P trail 

feature a couple of interesting

 geological features.

The first peaks out across grassy fields

 and is an ancient remnant of the Canadian Shield. 

Limestone Outcrop - Leslie Snider

This second pastel sketch 

features one of many limestone outcrops.

More info here:

 

Working From Photos

What to keep and what to leave behind.

That is the question!

I take lots of photos 

often with little idea in mind 

as to what might transpire.

 I look for interesting contrasts in light and shade, 

or colour, or textures.

Here, there is more detail than I can comfortably use

so I begin with identifying what appeals to me.

Those dark shadows in the dense undergrowth 

created an interesting movement across the picture plane 

The strong verticals from the tree trunks act as a balance.

The colour contrasts of oranges and vivid greens was also appealing.

I simplified and brightened the foliage.

So not an exact rendition but one I hope has a lively personality!

Light and Shade

My last post/sketches explored 

the effect of filtered sunlight

on the dense greens of the forest floor.

This pastel sketch is a study 

of an old stand of pines 

bathed in noon day summer sun. 

More successful, I think as the stronger contrasts

allow for a more interesting composition.

Winter Trees

Hanging On  - Pastel - Leslie Snider

 

 

 

A winter walk in Lemoine Point, Kingston looks like this,

The leaves of a young maple stubbornly refusing to drop.

The moody scene inspired my pastel.

Summer Skies

A Change in the Weather

 

 Skies are of particular interest

 this time of year 

as the days are short .....

 

so I'm up before the dawn 

watching the sunrise

 and later catching the sunset in late afternoon.

However, these pastels

were inspired 

by a some summer walk across open fields. 

You can see from  the original sketch 

I tried to capture the wide expanse of fluffy clouds 

darkening and becoming more ominous 

in the distance.

 

The Simple Leaf as a Subject

There has been a lot of rain 

this spring and early summer

keeping the foliage lush and green.

There were some interesting compositions in the spring.

Here I enjoyed the textural contrast 

between the crispness of last years' maple leaves 

and the delicate freshness of the new growth.

By midsummer that early vigour 

is already giving way to decay.

We are all familiar of the glories of autumn.

Before the frost and blanketing winter snow

I love trees as a subject

 but have overlooked 

the infinite variety of leaves.

There's a saying, "You can't see the forest for the trees."

meaning you can't see the big picture for the minutia. 

But maybe you could  also say the opposite, 

"Sometimes  I can't see the the leaves for the trees."

Calm Waters and preparatory sketches

Calm Waters

This week my dogs had their annual visit to the vet.....

not very exciting you say...

until one of them managed to bite the vet.

She (the vet) got flowers and a sorry note...

Me...well....I'm still recovering.

Below are a few pastel studies in preparation for the final piece.

Willows in Summer

You can see that I introduced 

warm red browns and purple blues 

to complement as well as create variety

to the yellows and greens 

of sunlight and foliage. 

( my photo taken at Presquile Provincial Park.)

Pansies in watercolor.....surely spring is on it's way????

Another piece from the past....

masses of blooms looking towards the light.....

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine -

 and shadows will fall behind you."
Walt Whitman

Woodland studies

 

Watercolour studies

Positive / Negative Space

This poor old bush struggling for survival, 

at first appeared to be a rather uninspiring subject. 

However after some cropping 

and further thought 

I started to see an idea emerge.....

the interplay of positive /negative use of space.

In the top half of the sketch 

I used the traditional 

light (leaves) against dark (background).

While on the bottom half 

the shadowy darks play against the light reflections.

I worked on a midtone pastel paper 

with watercolour pencils and crayons 

to enhance the contrast.

Although as I review this post
I think perhaps the cropped photo 
is more successful than the sketch.
In the photo the bright greens 
allow the top to be slightly more dominant 
giving the eye a place to rest 
whereas in the sketch
both halves are equally strong
making it somewhat unsettling.

Such is life!

Filtered Light

It has been a beautiful autumn season 

and I remain fascinated 
(as are my walking companions)

by the effects of sunlight
(in this case morning light)

 filtering through the trees on our morning walks.

This is a theme I've experimented with previously.
My first  example is from 2013,
 a grove of old cedar trees.

But a recent morning walk 
inspired the use of more colour 

to describe  the shimmering effect  

of light behind a stand of pine trees.

Both are works in pastel.

This scene was discovered 

on the K &P trail section from
 Burbrook Road to Unity Road.

The numerous choices along the K&P trail, 
follow an abandoned rail bed 
which means the terrain is pleasantly flat
but varied in habitat.

https://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/recreation/parks-trails/k-p

Highly recommended if you are in the Kingston area!

Sheffield Conservation Area

This 9" by 12" pastel 

was created in August 

from sketches / photos

taken at the Sheffield Conservation Area.

(just north of Napanee)

An interesting habitat

featuring granite outcroppings and picturesque views.

This smaller pastel was done earlier in the year 

and features the water view as you peak through the trees from the trail.

For more info follow the link below.

http://ontarioconservationareas.ca/component/mtree/conservation-authorities-of-ontario/quinte/sheffield-conservation-area

Bonnechere sketchbook

After working with pastels 

for several weeks 

I felt the need for a change 

and pulled out 

my watercolours.

The photo was taken last summer in Bonnechere Provincial Park.

 I had tackled this subject in pastel 

but  hadn't been able to capture 

the interesting contrasts between the reddish tree,

the yellow green grasses on the left 

and the dark reflection on the far right.

This is my quick sketch

 trying to capture the contrasts 

as well as the light bouncing of the surfaces.

Some of that energy appears to be lost 

 but that is deceiving

 as the photo of the finished watercolour

doesn't reflect

some of the more subtle

 play of colour 

seen in the original.