Summer Skies 01

As October colour gives way

 to November's

gray and gloomy skies, 

I'm looking back to summer

for a series

 based my on my earlier 

sky photos and sketches.

This first was an August morning 

that started overcast and moody.

But as the sun warmed the air

 over the lake

dramatic clouds 

gave way to a brilliant sun. 

Loughborough Lake

I used Uart sanded paper

as I wanted to build up 

 layers of subtle colour 

 and cloudy textures....

not very visible in the photo!

Revisiting the Gaspe

Sparkling Sunset - 2018  - Leslie Snider

In 2016

 I posted a pastel 

from a trip to the Gaspe.

The colours and shapes 

have haunted me ever since. 

Gaspe Sunset - 2016 - Leslie Snider

Above is a variation 

on the theme of rocks,

 water and light.

The joy of playing with

colour and light

 is very tempting

Gaspe - Leslie Snider Photography

.....

but perhaps the photo says it all! 

Monthly Challenge

Something different this week

working from someone elses's photo.

This is an interesting challenge...

it might take you out of you comfort zone

but I also find it easier to be objective.

Don's view of Lake Ontario

A secondary challenge 

comes from the medium itself.

Paints such as acrylics 

are very consistent in smoothness

whereas pastel can very widely.

Although I work with a variety of brands

I find the darks and deep blues 

to be quite gritty and hard.

It's much more difficult 

to get those luscious textures 

one usually associates with pastel.

Don's photo of Lake Ontario

 

 

Lush Summer 2017

Lush Summer pastel Leslie Snider

Lots of recent rain means

 everything is lush and green.

As a landscape painter

 I often use greens

 that are muted

 and subordinate 

to the main features of a picture.

This photo taken along my dog walking trail

captured my imagination 

with it's lively colour and light.

In adapting it for  pastel,

 I chose strong blue greens

rather than the warm yellow greens

 of the photo.

I cropped the photo

 to zoom in on

 a more manageable composition.

With such a complex amount of detail

I did a quick thumbnail

to isolate the main features.

I liked the tree shapes 

which act as an honour guard along the path.

The verticals draw your eye down

 to the wispy wild flox. 

The touches of warm mauve and red

  help break up the masses of green.

As always it is the light

filtering through the undergrowth.

 which gives most character to this picture.

 

Winter 2017

This has been an unusual winter weather wise, 

but that is what we are told to expect 

with the effects of global warming.

So rain, sleet, snow and fog are the norm, 

often within a 24 hour period. 

Here, a pastel of Lemoine Point in Kingston 

on a foggy morning.

Snow and ice coat the ground 

while the air is warm and moisture laden.

A great day for an artist!

Lemoine Point 2017 Leslie Snider

And sometimes a photo says it all!

Two from the same location.

Lemoine Point 2016 Leslie Snider

Lemoine Point 2017 Leslie Snider

 

Spring Photo Trip 2016

Each year we get away 

to a favourite camping location to relax

 and restock my photo album.

Each year is different and each year offers a few surprises . 

But there are a few rules to making the trip a success.

 

No.1  - Get up early and catch to morning sun!

No. 2  - If you're quiet and observant the wild life come to you!

 No. 3  - Often working on a theme is helpful.

This year  I concentrated on looking at trees with Character!

No. 4  Look for unusual ways to see your subject.

No. 5  Be spontaneous.

 No. 6 Have fun and make up the rules as you go along!

Autumn Photography Trip 2015

Day one of our September camping/photo trip 

began with dull skies and heavy rain.

Although there were some interesting photo opportunities. 

Day two began much more promisingly. 

Plus some lively visitors...

In following days pristine, calm  waters 

and brilliant, sunny skies....

provided great opportunities 

for some unusual photo ops.

 

In this shot (above)

 the ducks break the glassy surface

creating a disorienting effect  

where sky and water

 appear to be flipped.

 

 

 

 This canoeist just couldn't resist checking his phone.

 

 

 

 

More typically peace and quiet 

reigned supreme

as these campsites sites have no power.

This photo could have come from a 1950's Calendar but didn't.

It was the amazing view from our campsite.

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."

Shoreline - After the storm

My calm waters post 

 was based on some shoreline photos 

taken on a calm, sunny day,

These photos were taken 

at the same location 

but as a storm moved out.

Although the sun is beginning to appear 

low lying, moody clouds hung over the water.

The turbulence caused by some strong winds

 muddied the water and deepened the tones.

After the Storm - pastel

Last Leaves of Autumn

A fanciful celebration (in pastel)

of the last splash of autumn colour.

Still here!!

I've been away from the art studio 

for a couple of months

travelling and ....well .....

generally enjoying myself!

Although I haven't taken the time

 to do much sketching

 I has been taking lots and lots

 of photos 

which should prove to be very useful 

during the cold winter months.

In the meantime 

here a few examples 

that don't need any artistic intervention....

the photo says it all! 

 

Spring Birches in Pastel

One idea often leads to another.

 My recent post of the back lit cedar grove

was an experiment in dark against light.

 This grove of young trees in early spring
was an opportunity to concentrate on light against dark.

Here the soft light filtering through the trees emphasizes 

the shadowing growth under and behind the light coloured
 birches.

This was the photo source. 

I liked the interesting patterns
 of delicate trunks and spring greens.

In the photo below 

I've high-lighted the patterns I wanted to use.

The vertical tree trunks create a gentle rhythm 

across the page

and that is echoed 

by the line of dark shadows.

Patterns in nature

I'm less interested in a literal rendering of the scene

but am attempting to capture a certain quality.

The photo of my pastel slightly distorts the colors, 

the overall effect less harsh in the red/ green contrast.