Change of Pace

As this Ontario winter drags on

 I return to one of my favourite subjects.

Taking a break from pastels 

to work in watercolour.

These two aging trees 

caught my eye last fall 

as they struggled for survival 

amidst a mass of youthful greenery.

A certain amount of symbolism there I suspect!

Beach Scene

Having enjoyed working

with the blues

 of the previous post 

I decided to try my hand 

at a more subdued water scene.

This may be a  less dramatic

composition and colour scheme

 but portraying the light 

flickering across the water 

was an interesting challenge.

I altered 

the arrangement of foreground rocks

in order to emphasize 

the diagonal sweep of  waves.

The source of light (sun) 

is not seen 

but implied 

by a brightness in the cloudy sky.

Two Studies

This first pastel

(Sheffield Conservation area )

was the result of an early autumn trip.

It was a joy to work on 

and although the photographed pastel

 is slightly darker than the original 

I think it does capture a certain

freshness.

 This second study 

 an old bridge(Bonnechere P.P.) 

is less successful. 

I struggled with the composition 

and the result is a bit awkward.

It was my first attempt at this subject matter 

so perhaps next time

 I can achieve a more natural effect!

 

A Little Nostalgia

Change of Pace

As I struggle to find my way 

with landscape painting,

 it's time for something 

more in my comfort zone

drawing...

here specifically life drawing

Header Art

I've been asked about the art piece

 used in my header

and although it is displayed in the sidebar 

it doesn't seem to enlarge enough to be easily read....

so here's a repost!

 The mysteries of flight may be symbolized by the story of Icarus 

whose wings of wax and feathers 

melted as he flew too close to the sun 

sending him crashing into the sea. 

But the secrets of flight were hidden 

not up in the air 

but under the ground as fossil evidence.

The concepts of balance and symmetry

 have long fascinated artists. 

The dinosaur archaeopteryx

possessed asymmetrical feathers, 

the leading edge being narrower 

and more streamlined.

This enabled the wings 

to slice through the air permitting 

at least rudimentary flight.

(Source of info National Geographic  - Dinosaurs Take Wings - 1998).

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.