Views from the canoe

Around the bend in the river

Pastel sketches based on photos 

and the pleasant memory 

of canoeing along the Bonnechere river 

on a peaceful summer's day.

Last of Winter

The Old Willow - Lemoine Point - Leslie Snider

 

Last year winter

 refused to leave us.

I took the following photo 

at Lemoine Point, Kingston.

It was early morning,

fog enveloped the trees and snow covered ground

as the morning sun warmed the air.

The pastel

  at the beginning of this post

 is an old willow wreathed in snow and fog.

It was based on photos from that same day.

Rain Shower

Bonnechere 2015 - Leslie Snider

 

 

From the moment I took this photo 

I thought the subject 

would translate well into pastel.

Pastel - Rain shower - Leslie Snider

I didn't make major changes to the composition

 but did crop the height of the trees 

and simplified their  textures.

I increased the depth 

of the quiet reflecting water

but retained the subtle balance 

between coolness of the greens 

(trees and their reflection) 

and warmth of the browns

(trunks, ground, reflections.)

 

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.

Change in the Weather - Winter 2015-16

Winter Creek -  Leslie Snider

I created this pastel celebrating the first significant snow of 2016.

(a pretty meandering stream contrasted nicely with the snowy field and bare treeline.)

It's surprising to remember that less than 2 weeks ago,

 Christmas 2015 in Ontario looked like this!

December 25, 2015 - Leslie Snider

 

The sun sets on 2015

 The setting sun and receding tide inspired this pastel.

photo Leslie Snider

 A 2014 trip 

to the Gaspe peninsula region

of eastern Canada 

was a great opportunity 

to study sunsets 

over the St. Lawrence river 

and Atlantic. 

photo Leslie Snider

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.