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The Top of Tiffany

27/5/2013

Some days I paint better than others but I have discovered that every day is a good day to paint. Today I painted at Tiffany Falls with half a dozen other artists. It was 21 C and a clear blue sky except we were in the gorge so the sky colour didn't matter. It did however mean that there were fantastic highlights in the valley. The down side is that the patterns changed in a matter of minutes. When we arrived the sun was gleaming off the falling water and wet stone but by the time we left the whole gorge was in shadow.

This painting is oil on canvas board 14" X 11" and since it is my first attempt at water using oil paint I am happy with it.

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Hopewell Rocks

23/5/2013

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I have painted a fair bit in the last week but nothing that I care to share. I am discovering that painting with oils is much different when it is 28 degrees than when it is 5. I am also not acclimatized to the heat so I am struggling to focus mentally too.

This was painted in Geunnadi Kalinine's class at the Dundas Valley School of Art. He showed me how he does rocks and I tried to emulate him. I am happy with this but it is nowhere near as good as the ones that he painted. It is oil on an 11" X 14" birch board and painted from a photograph that I took at Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick. I wanted to capture the massive size of the jagged rocks with the one huge round rock in the foreground.

I need to get better lighting for my photographs. This looks much better in real life.

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It was a very dull grey evening

15/5/2013

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It was very dull and grey last night but the farm that we were painting at is inspirational so I had a good time painting this. I think that my oil painting skills are advancing much faster than watercolour ever did but I am painting more so that likely has a lot to do with it.

This is oil on birch board 11" X 14".

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Paint, Paint, Paint

8/5/2013

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I am getting lots of painting in these days. I am getting out at least three times a week so I should be improving. It seems the more I paint the harder I try and the more frustrating it gets when things don't work the way I want them to. I am learning a lot about scraping and wiping paint off my board.

This was painted Monday afternoon. It is an old wild apple tree just before the blossoms start to form. It was suggested that I carry the mid ground green all the way over to the left side of the painting and looking at it here I think that I have to agree.

It was an exercise in dry brush and scumbling techniques and I am happy with the result.

I hope to head back to the same location next week to catch the tree in full bloom.

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The Top of Tiffany

Hopewell Rocks

It was a very dull grey evening

Paint, Paint, Paint

More blog posts by John Christie