Florida Nuts, again

Florida Nuts II
10" x10" - acrylic on canvas
sold

Another close-up of coconuts on a palm tree. This palette is a little more subdued then that used in the first painting featuring this subject matter. Maybe it's the Zorn effect?

Up Close - with the Anders Zorrn limited palette

Up Close
9" x 12" - acrylic on canvas
nfs

This small painting is based on a photo of my daughter (a favourite subject) and is my submission to this week's Daily Paint Works challenge. The challenge called for a limited palette - something I always think of doing, but find difficult to follow. The palette of cadmium red, yellow ochre, white and black is based on the palette of the famous 19th Swedish painter Anders Zorn. He did a lot of portraits and nudes - and these colours allowed me to make some great natural looking flesh tones. I am quite happy with the painting, though am still not sure I like the subdued background colour. Will have to look and think about that for awhile longer.

Fetch!

Fetch
14" x 18" - acrylic on canvas
nfs

Another painting featuring our black lab Molly. Like all labradors she is very focussed and intense when it comes to ball retrieval - and I think it shows in this painting of her as she waits to hear the word 'fetch' to begin the game. 

Florida Nuts

Florida Nuts
10" x 10"- acrylic on canvas
$95

I love palm trees. I am currently in the sunshine state - enjoying some sun and relaxation, and painting, before the Christmas activities begin. Everywhere I look I see coconut palms laden with their giant nuts. This painting is based on a detail from a photo I took a few days ago.

Almost There

Almost There
12"  x 12" - acrylic on canvas
$95 

Molly is our 10 year old black labrador and this is a typical 'Molly pose' as we arrive at our cottage on Redstone Lake in Haliburton (Ontario).  She loves the cottage, and her life of freedom there. This painting is based on a photo I took last fall, hence the autumnal colours of the trees. It will be many months before we are back there, but as soon as we start to load the van she will know where we are going, and be ready.

Big Weather Day

Big Weather Day
10" x 10"  acrylic on canvas
$95

I take a lot of photos of clouds, particularly the big white puffy ones that seem to develop in a blue sky on a summer afternoon, and then serve as the backdrop for a fabulous sunset. A recent DailyPaintworks challenge was to paint a landscape in which the clouds were the subject - and this was my entry.

Come Closer

Come Closer
10" x 10"  acrylic on canvas
SOLD

Another tulip, another view. I find that photographing any painting with red and getting it to look right on the screen is a challenge. It can look a little too surreal. The actual painting is a little less vibrant than what you see here, I think, and nicer for it. 

Tulips

Tulips
10" x 10"  acrylic on canvas
SOLD

Tulips are my favorite flower, because they change over time, They also offer a variety of perspectives from which to paint them. I particularly like the view from above, looking in.

Various viewpoints makes me think of Picasso and cubism - a style in which an object's multiple viewpoints are shown at the same time. That would be an interesting challenge......maybe I will try that! 

Side View

Side View
9" x 12" - acrylic on canvas
SOLD

This is another painting based on a blind contour figure drawing (see below). I have to say that I don't really like drawing reclining figures, but I did like how this one turned out, both as a drawing and as a painting.

Thinking About It

Thinking About It
9" x 12"  acrylic on canvas
SOLD

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, about art and painting, subject matter and next steps. Some days I think that I should paint larger, or paint figures, or just paint subjects that come easily, or paint differently, and so on.

I did a series of figure drawings last winter, that I really liked. They were done in an open life class, and were essentially blind contours. In other words I looked at the model but did not look at the drawing or paper as I drew.
The resulting figures were slightly distorted and abstract.

Since then I have been trying to figure out how I can use them in a painting, or paint them, and maintain the qualities I like. After many starts that were soon whited out, I decided on a small format, and am (finally) pleased with some of the paintings. Above is the first one with the drawing below.  Your comments would be very welcome!

Another Plane Tree

Platane II
acrylic on canvas  - 30" x 36"This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

After I finished the first Platane tree painting (see below) last winter, I wanted to do another.  I started this one and it languished.......until recently. I just love these trees and the opportunity they present for colourful play.

The Not-So-Plane Tree

Traveling

It has been a busy fall, not so much with painting, but with teaching and traveling. In the latter part of September I spent twelve days traveling in British Columbia and Alberta. The scenery from Victoria to the Pacific Ocean to the interior of BC and through the Canadian Rockies and the national parks of Jasper and Banff, was truly spectacular. I now have delightful memories and over 1400 photos to remind me of what I saw, and to inspire new paintings.  Here is some of what I saw.....if you have not been west, go!

Taggs and Tucker

Taggs
12" x 12" acrylic on canvas  
SOLD

Tucker
12" x 12"  acrylic on canvas
SOLD

Aren't these guys cute? I have to say that I really like painting animals - well - some dogs, cats, sheep and cows - as long as I can paint them the way I want. These commissioned works were fun. 

Rock and Roll

Rock and Roll
acrylic on canvas - 36" x 24"
This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

The second painting in what may become a series of abstracts based on details cropped from rocky shoreline photos. The original photo featured some very large flattish rocks along the coast near Halifax, Nova Scotia (not exactly sure whether it was a park or what). I simplified and stylized the rock shapes and added a few extra round ones, and played with colour. Lots of fun!  And of course I am starting another one.....

Rocks as Inspiration

Balancing Act
acrylic on canvas - 36" x 24"
This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

I love rocky shore lines and have taken many photos of such over the years, thinking that they might be good subjects to paint - but how? Using my mac, I recently began to select details from the larger photos, cropping out about 90% of the original photo and found that I had some really interesting little abstract compositions of shapes, forms, and lines - and so have begun to paint them.

This is the first of these rock-inspired abstract paintings. I am quite pleased with how it turned out, and particularly like the combination of 3 dimensional forms and flat 2 dimensional shapes. I have another one on the easel.....so stay tuned.

Georgian Bay Rocky Shore

Georgian Bay Rocky Shore
acrylic on canvas - 36" x 24"  SOLD

I took a break from painting, in the latter part of June – and that extended into July as I settled into cottage life in Haliburton.  Looking for subject matter and surrounded by lake, sky and pine forest, I thought (as I do every summer) that I would just paint what was in front of me. Or at least nearby.

This painting is actually based on some photos I took while visiting friends John and Lynn at their cottage on Georgian Bay, last summer. The rocky shoreline is typical of the landscape there and became the subject in this work. The actual veins of colour visible in the granite inspired the exaggerated patterning and I love how they work well with the strong diagonal of the shoreline and overall perspective. I hope that you are enjoying summer somewhere!

Many Thanks!!!!

My studio show and sale took place last weekend and was, thanks to wonderful new and old friends who came out to see (and buy) what I have been painting over the last year, a great success. Here is what it looked like before the doors opened. 

  

New Work

I really have been busy painting - working on several at once - in preparation for my Studio Show this weekend.
Here is what has been on and off the easel, and now are ready for hanging.

Redstone Lake Morning

18" x 14" - acrylic on canvas  SOLD

A familiar view on our lake in the Haliburton area.

Bonnieux Pines

16" x 16" - acrylic in canvas SOLD

Though I did paint this scene 'en plein aire' last June, I wanted to try it again, and I am much more happy with this second painting. The yellows and blues really capture the colouring of Provence in the summer. 

Road Trip

20" x 24" - acrylic on canvas

This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

I love these views of the quintessential French country road lined with platane trees. I find the the shape of the foliage canopy, sky holes and negative spaces between the trees so interesting. 

Early Evening 

12" x 12" - acrylic on canvas SOLD

I love the palette in this one - much moodier than my normal colour scheme, and very suggestive of early evening in summer. I can almost hear the cicadas.

Up Close

Up Close
10" x 10"   acrylic on canvas  SOLD

My sister is on a cycling trip in Provence. I am wishing I was there, painting. Maybe next year. Until then my photos will have to suffice as inspiration.

Rising Up

Rising Up
30" x 24" - acrylic on canvas
This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

This is one of the still life paintings I mentioned the other day - in fact the canvas that I decided to re-work. I am quite happy with the painting now; I really like how loose and painterly much of it is, and how the objects merge with the background. Stay tuned for the last of the three in this little series.

My New Website

This is the Home page of my new website that I published just today. My previous website was fine, but out of date and too costly for me to have updated. I really wanted to control this aspect myself and this resulted in purchasing a series of video tutorials from Artists Websites that teach you how to create a website on Weebly. The $100 package took you through all the steps with clear instructions and the creator Leah Markham, answered my questions promptly, when I had them. All in all a good experience and I would recommend it. And the best part is I can update the site myself, whenever I want. So check it out.....patriciamacdonaldart.com 
Now, I can get back to those still life paintings that are almost done.......
 

Emergence

Emergence

30" x 24"  acrylic on canvas  $400

This still life has been on and off my easel since last December. I knew I wanted the orchids to be the focal point, but wasn't sure about the rest of the composition. Ever the optimist, I hoped ideas would emerge along the way, and began to paint. The flowers, table top area and pears were the easy bits and I was pleased with the colour, skewed perspective and the way some edges faded into the background. After some time and much thought, I worked on the left half of the canvas and pushed the idea of emerging and fading orchid shapes. However the right half of the painting was still a problem and it was at that point I put the work aside. 

During the winter I started another still life  - with flowers and objects emerging and fading - and liked a lot of it, but again became bogged down, and put it aside.  Then I re-discovered a still life with tulips I did a few years ago, and decided I would experiment with 'edges and fading shapes' in it.  

On the weekend I set up all three partially finished paintings and I was struck by the similarities among them. Each informed the other and provided the impetus and direction I needed to continue.

Time has also helped and I continued with the idea of graphic orchid shapes in the right quadrant on this one. I am very pleased with the final painting and the way the imagery emerges and fades back, appears as ghost images, and as visual surprises, within a wonky space. I hope that the viewer is engaged by all of this and if nothing else, enjoys the decorative surface. Now the other two half-finished paintings are staring at me, so it's time to get back to work.

Going Down the Road

Going Down the Road
16" x 20"  acrylic on canvas
This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

This painting is all about shape and color - and memories of Provence and the many roads - real and metaphorical - that we all travel through our lives. Have a wonderful weekend!

Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening
22" x 28" acrylic on canvas
SOLD

This 'variation on a theme' is a marsh view in the Haliburton area of Ontario (along highway 118), given a spring colour makeover. Spring seems to have finally arrived in this part of the world - the air is fresh, the sun is warm and flowers are blooming. Not sure if the ice is off of our lake just yet - but cottage time is just around the corner. Yeah!

Beach Time

Beach Time
24" x 24"  acrylic on canvas
This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

Good bye to the sunshine state - hello to the mud season in Ontario. 

A Multi-Coloured Black Sea Bass

A Multi-Coloured Black Sea Bass 
9" x 12" acrylic on canvas  SOLD

Fish make wonderful subjects to paint. Here is my version of a black sea bass. Though beautiful, I thought he needed a bit more colour. Look for fish paintings in the future.

Garlic Love

Garlic Love
12" x 9"  acrylic on canvas
This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

The last (at least for now) of a small series of paintings featuring the beautiful purple garlic from Provence.

Platanes Along the Canal

Platanes Along the Canal
9" x 11" framed, acrylic on canvas, SOLD

A little painting featuring the French platanes - plane trees - along a canal, in Provence. Below is how it looks without the frame.

Platanes Along the Canal
10" x 8"  acrylic on canvas