Current exhibition

The Willowdale Group of Artists is holding and exhibition at the North York Civic Centre with approximately 90 paintings in a variety of mediums. The show closes on Friday November 13.
More information about this art group can be found at www.willowdaleartists.com.

One of my paintings on view there is landscape inspired by "cottage country" Ontario.

                                                                        Haliburton Still

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How limited Can a Palette Be?

How limited?? 

A palette can be limited to one colour as in the Haliburton painting below, which utilizes black is diluted with water to produce a range of values.

Haliburton Inlet

This can be exciting, but also can be ultimately boring for those of us that love colour. In the last series of paintings, I used two basic colours plus white. I did add a tiny amount of hansa yellow in one or two paintings. I  want to show, in a very crude fashion what can be achieved by limiting the palette to quinacridone burnt orange, anthraquinone blue and zinc white. The base colours are the top two on the left column. I have done nine paintings utilizing basically these two colours.

Another basic palette could include: - Alizarin crimson, - Ultramarine Blue - Cadmium yellow light
- White OR for watercolour: - Raw Sienna,  - Burnt Sienna - Ultramarine blue


There is much to be gained by limiting your  palette:
- economy by purchasing less paint
- colour harmony in the painting
- less chance of creating "mud"
- encourages more attention to values
- easier to pack.

Of course with all limited palettes, at the end of a painting it can add excitement to introduce a small touch of unexpected contrasting colour as a bit of visual eye candy eg. a bright orange leaf in a predominantly cool painting.

Anders Zorn 1860 - 1920 was a Swedish artist. He is best known for his portraits, domestic scenes and nudes in outdoor settings.

Of interest, however, is his reputation for using a palette limited to to only four colours - yellow ochre, cadmium red medium, ivory black and white. A much better representation than mine, of the myriad of colour produced by a few colours is the Zorn palette below.

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Art Walk

The Yonge Lawrence Art Walk is continuing till November 4. Local businesses highlight original artwork in window displays and in-store. They do a wonderful job of working with the artists to create an exciting annual event. Look for "official participants display cards" and VOTE online for the "People's Choice Award" for best Art Display. Come "walk the ARTWALK" and check out original artwork by local artists in a variety of media.  Visit www.yongelawrencevillage-bia.com/  for details.
This year, I will be located in the window of Papermarche at 3429 Yonge Street. http://www.papermarche.com/ with two paintings which bring back wistfull memories of "cottage country" in the summer.

Northern Lake

Haliburton Still

                                                                 


                                                      

Time for more art.

I am still on an interstellar trip! One more effort on that theme and another abstract.  This is a series I feel that I can continue with at some point, until I am "spaced out" - a good starting title for the next one.

Galaxy

I am back for now to acrylic. I paint in watercolour or acrylic depending on the subject, the mood of the painting, or my mood at the moment.  (There is no clue to my mood in the medium, just so you know)
I just got back from Haliburton and am reminded again about the beauty of cottage country and the inspiration it provides. I photographed an old cottage which I have painted before for a friend, and now see other beautiful possibilities as it settles even more into the surrounding landscape like a grand dame. I have done about five landscapes from that area, and realize one could go on forever, as many artists do.
It is difficult to focus on one area of interest, when there are so  many fascinating subjects. Speaking of fascinating subjects, I am starting on my "nuns." Yes - sisters of the cloth. I did say I had trouble focusing, but so little time, and so many great potential ideas for paintings. My sisterly ideas came seeing some wonderfully human moments involving nuns from Rome and Quebec City.

Thought for the day: "Abstract art is a product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered."   Al Capp

Please comment - I have very thick skin!