September at the Lake - part 02

A Week at the Lake 

 began with rain and fog ...

not good for outdoor sketching 

but great for photos.
A great blue heron 

entertained me

 by hunting just outside my window

 and when the sun came out 

reflections in the water

 provided interesting compositions.

September at the Lake

Three sketches 

from our most recent trip 

to the lake.

Experimenting with pastel pencils

as they are more portable 

and not as fragile as soft pastels.

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

 

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

The Battle for Supremacy

After the calm control of my last post

I decide to let loose with this pastel sketch

based on the autumn activity

 in my garden. 

As the weather turns frosty 

the virginia creeper turns bright red.

This sets up a colourful contrast 

with the vivid greens of the wild grape. 

Both have run rampant along my fenceline

engaging in a violent battle for supremacy....

who will win????

VC vs GV - Leslie Snider

A little about my process....

Usually I begin with black and white sketches 

to establish composition and colour values.

Here I was more spontaneous

allowing my reaction to the emerging shapes

 and colour relationships to dictate the composition. 

Finally the colour palette,

the majority Richeson pastels.

 

Across the Fields

Two new pastel sketches -
This first, a celebration of fading autumn colour.

Across the Autumn Fields

This second sketch from earlier in the month- 
Another view across the fields.
Here I'm tuning into the more subtle variations of marsh grasses.

Across the Autumn Fields

 

Sharbot Lake Photo Trip

A quick weekend away 

and some opportunities 

to stock up on fresh ideas.

Our destination 

Sharbot Lake Provincial Park 

in Ontario. 

Day one -rain,rain, rain...

Our original reservations 

at another park cancelled

closed due to flooding.

Not an auspicious start....

but we did find a wonderful site...

with great vistas of the lake.

 

The site itself had a resident, nesting kingfisher. 

Can you see him/her tucked in along the branch?

 

Early next morning the weather cleared...

and brought early morning mists....

 

a beautiful sunrise...

with pristine surfaces...

perfect for a paddle.

As the sun rose

I toured the park and discovered  

several vistas

worthy of painting.

Isn't this park going to be even more glorious in the fall!

Three Seasons of Spring

Easter this year is bright but muted in colour 

as the frost comes out of the ground 

and there is mud everywhere!

 Snow runoff leaves pools of water

 in low lying areas.

Wet Glade -  pastel -  Leslie Snider

April showers will soon 

bring out a blizzard of lively greens.

Spring Glade -  pastel -  Leslie Snider

Another few weeks 

and those greens will mature 

and strengthen in colour.

The light will be stronger 

and pierce the undergrowth 

more sharply. 

Summer Glade -  pastel -  Leslie Snider

 

February Challenge

As part of a (Wet Canvas)challenge, 

I've been thinking about combining warm and cool colours

 within my painting.

Lemoine Point _Leslie Snider

In this previous example

 the colour scheme is analogous.

You will find all the colours used along one side of the wheel.

Red tint (pink), Blue (turquoise blue tint), purple (black purple tone).

 

In this example 

(heavily influenced by Tom Thomson)😇

I've been more adventurous with colour 

and chosen a wider range of colours 

as well as the purer form of colour.

(Colour choices marked with stars on the wheel.)

Leslie Snider - pastel

It was a fun challenge and introduced ideas worth exploring😄

Summer Skies

Two approaches to the same sky.

 

In this first

 I used the purity of pastel

to capture the contrasts 

of wispy clouds

 and the sparkling water of a summer day

on  Presqui'le Bay

This second is a charcoal sketch of the same sky.

The moody grays 

and more aggressive strokes 

contribute to a completely different feeling.

 

 

Spring Sketches

Two contrasting views of the woods in spring.

Into the Woods Leslie Snider

This first pastel was inspired by a bright sunny day

 and light dancing through the trees 

as we followed a trail into the woods. 

Spring Rains  Leslie Snider

 

 

 

And here an overcast day 

softens the light  against the emerging greens  

and pools of spring rain along the pathway.

 

Summer Textures - Watercolour/ Mixed Media

As July becomes August 

the intense summer light has peaked.

Around the edges of tree tops and bushes

 the lush foliage is beginning to

 to fade and curl back .

Hints of rich autumn colour contrast 

with the spare branches of old growth trees.

 

Old Growth Forest at it's peak

 

Woodland studies

 

Watercolour studies

Sunlit Marsh

The first snow fall of the season 

has given a powdery dusting

 to the view from my studio window 

so the warmth of autumn 

is a tempting distraction.

This small pastel 

was based on some photos 

I took last fall 

of an impending storm.

Although ominous clouds 

threaten in the distance ahead,

strong sunlight from behind me

 highlighted the golden grasses 

spreading out across 

the windswept foreground.

If you look closely you will see these grasses 

are phragmites, an invasive species 

taking over Ontario marshlands.

In my sketch they have become cattails, 

a similar but less innocuous plant.

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

Summer Days

This photo was taken on a  Presquile Provincial Park walk.

 Behind the viewer is a pretty meadow, 

low lying often with standing water and young trees,

a favourite of wildlife, sometimes deer... often plentiful birdlife.

In front of the viewer is a canopy of trees 

leading to a cool area of old growth forest, 

a welcome respite on a hot summer day.

In my interpretation 

the spindly trees of the foreground 

have become more substantial and lush.

This allowed me to create soft foreground masses

that act as a contrast 

to the dark but inviting entrance 

into the woods.

Leslie1460@gmail.com

Wild life - The One That Got Away

If you have followed this blog 

you know how much I rely on my camera. 

Photos don't replace working out doors 

but are an invaluable resource 

 complementing outdoor sketches, 

painting and notes.

The previous examples 
are from my collection 
when I happened to be at the right time 
and place ........

to capture that fleeting moment 

that passes so quickly.

I'm not always so lucky ...

This pastel celebrates the moment
 after focusing, composing, steadying the camera
you discover the subject has fled the scene!

Revisiting a favourite painting location

Backlit Cedar Ridge in Pastel on Canson

Although I take hundreds of photos 

there are certain subjects 

which keep drawing me back.

Here is a re-visit to that group of old cedars 

(near the marsh) at Presqu'ile Provincial Park.