….another painting using this simple technique with watercolour pencils and black ink
Poppies in Watercolour and Ink
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Category Archives: About Me
Buckets of Colour
I love autumn. The cooler temperatures appeal to me and visually I find the colours breathtaking. I also love the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables and how people use pumpkins, peppers and squash to decorate their porches and storefronts. Here are a few of my favourite bursts of colour and some creative pots of plants in the neighbourhood and beyond.
Two Abstract Studies
…painting is good for the soul
I find painting small helps me get rid of any inhibitions I might have about the process. The process for abstract painting is varied, depending on the artist or teacher that you speak to. I find the best way to get started is to just lay down some random marks and go from there.
Here are the two studies that I worked on this morning.
One Success and One Massive Failure
….happy with the first one and not so much with the second
Painting for me is a process. I’m more of an intuitive painter. I put down a mark on the paper and go from there. Sometimes it works out well and other times it doesn’t.
Yesterday I put a heavy black stroke of black ink on my paper and I knew as soon as I did that it would overpower my subject but I continued painting anyway. After finishing the piece I showed it to my husband and he honestly told me that the black was too much. I agreed and I tried to calm it down with white paint and other marks but it didn’t help.
I’ve decided to wait a bit before doing anything with it but I will probably cut it up and use the parts that I like and collage them into another painting.
Playing With Paints Again
…it’s been too long
I cleaned off my art table yesterday. That was half the battle. Now I have no more excuses not to paint. On Hallowe’en I actually painted four individual cards for my neighbours but I forgot to photograph them. Painting is very therapeutic for me and I need to do it more often.
I’ve watched dozens of painting videos in the last four months and even though I felt inspired I just couldn’t get motivated to set up the paints. I want to enter an art show later in the month but I have to put my entries on line by November 6th. I’d better get busy. Here is my first attempt at mixed media ….mostly watercolour and ink.
I need a title for this painting. Any suggestions?
A Drive By Birthday Party
….for five year old Winnie
I wanted to post this 10 days ago but with my father’s demise the day after these photos were taken I was ……well you can imagine how my blog was not my priority.
Now that things are settling down but nowhere near normal I’m trying to find joy again in the little things, like taking photographs of autumn leaves and flowers and taking walks with friends (with masks on). I’m on the phone a lot catching up with friends because COVID makes visiting in person difficult.
This year for my granddaughter’s fifth birthday we were suppose to get together for a birthday celebration in our backyard on Thanksgiving Monday but our daughter in Hamilton (Winnie’s Mom) received a COVID alert that she had been close to someone who has the virus. Out of caution they decided not to come to Toronto.
On Wednesday they decided that a drive by birthday for Winnie would be okay if we stayed apart and wore masks. Before they arrived I put out chairs on the front lawn and placed her birthday presents next to the chairs and her cake on the wall next to the driveway.
It was different. No hugs and kisses. We stayed on the porch while Winnie opened her gifts and then she dug into a piece of cake. She loved having cake at 10:00 in the morning. The whole thing took maybe 20 minutes. Then we blew her kisses through our masks and they were off to the Toronto Zoo.
This last photo was sent to me by Winnie’s Mom. At the zoo they had these decorated hay bales and Winnie wanted to pose in front of every single one. This one was my favourite.
New Flower (October 9, 2020) – Purple and White Petunia
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Still Enjoying the Bounty from the Garden
….can’t get over the beans….they just keep producing more
I’m pretty sure that we’re done with the beans now but I see lots of cherry tomatoes still on the vines and the beans that didn’t get picked early enough are now providing a lot of seeds for next years garden. Even the pumpkin plant has a couple more small pumpkins on the vine. The three that I picked should make some nice soup and one is definitely going to Winnie when I see her this week (or at least when I see her mother).
Butterfly Surprise
…have you ever seen a tagged butterfly?
I love getting up close to bees and butterflies but when I saw this monarch I thought someone had played a cruel trick.
When I got home and took a closer look at the photo I checked out what I saw on the tag. Monarch Watch is a real thing. If you’d like to learn more about this organization check it out https://monarchwatch.org/tagging/index.html#recoveries
An Evening Walk on the Beach
…after arriving at the cottage we had a quick snack and then decided to explore the beach
Now that the days are getting shorter my daughter and I knew that we didn’t have a lot of time to walk on the beach before darkness set in. After sitting in the car for over three hours we needed to stretch our legs. We fuelled up on some tea and homemade apple cake and then headed down to the beach. We were pleasantly surprised to find the the water level had gone down somewhat since our last visit so walking on the beach was considerably easier than it was two weeks ago.
Mama Cormier 