"The Underlings" Watercolor on Arches CP paper. 18 X 22

I had this idea to paint white crows with a mainly blue background and this is what I ended up with. It just began to take on a life of it's own with little people underneath the surface there.
I quite enjoyed drawing this one and found it to be a brand new direction once done. I've now plans to do larger pieces along the same theme using acrylics or mixed media. Or maybe even a canvas! That would be a new beginning as well! I've done some oil painting in the past but not for a long time now. It is quite exciting to step out of the old comfort zone and i have to say the studio is now a happier place. We had an opening tonight at the gallery and although folks are still there mingling i had to escape to the nearest MacDonalds with a Rolo McFlurry and my lap top.
The smoosching part of this business is hard for me. Wish it were not so but i'd rather make the paintings and let them speak for themselves. God bless you all and i pray you have a peaceful and blessed evening. I think i may head home now. Goodnight!

"The Blooms go Shopping"

This was done on the backside of a ruined watercolor painting i had. The figures are done in watercolor and the rest of it is acrylic.
I had been wanting to do a mixed media piece for a while now and this is my initial attempt. Once i got used to the fact you cannot fling acrylics around like watercolor i was on my way! My good jeans are now sporting a multicolored patch or two and also my jacket and part of the floor where i work. Despite those wee blunders it was fun to do and i now look forward to the next piece using various mediums. The colors did not reproduce so well with this image and i am not so sure why that happened. It is actually quite bright. I've also waxed it so i do not have to frame it under glass using instead a linen matt with deeper frame. It is about 12" X 18" on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed paper with watercolor, ink and acrylic.

"Rose Town"

A fellow commissioned this piece for his wife for her birthday. I actually finished it with a week to spare! Yahoo! It was based on a previous painting which she liked but was not large enough. This is 16" X 44" unframed done on Arches 300lb. cold pressed paper. When i took it to the framers a lady was in the shop and liked it enough to order one for herself! Now it's back to the drawing board as they say. The next one will be different of course. I am also playing around with some abstract work which is so refreshing for me having spent a lot of time these days on very organized and structured pieces. I'm also looking forward to working with acrylics and experimenting with different framing techniques. It is such fun being an artist and i am thankful each day for the gift of being able to do this. I have a supportive wife and family which makes it all happen. Life is good, God is gooder.  Blessings everyone!

"Van Isle"

This could be a maritime coastal village somewhere down the road from "Peggy's Cove". A place where fisherman gather and chat about the days catch over a pint or two. Watercolor on 300lb. Arches CP paper.
22" X 30"

"After School"

I've been inspired lately by so many fine Quebec artists it is hard to remember them all. I do spend far too much time on the internet though scouring art galleries and artists web sites. I find it encouraging as well as inspiring seeing what everyone is up to. Recently i've toured England
(via the computer of course) and the wonderful art work one can find there. It is all just so lovely.
This piece was a departure for me in a way. I wanted it to be less labor intensive than the others i do and somehow a little looser. So this is as loose as i could get. Hopefully i can loosen up even more as this was just such a delight to pull off. I'm trying to be braver with my shadows and find they really do make a painting come to life.
Happy day to all!

"Baptiste Valley"

I had a spare bit of paper beside another painting i was working on and doodled my way to "Baptiste Valley"! I often have two, maybe three on the go at any time so there is something else to do while i wait for paint to dry or ideas to come. There are more pleasant surprises this way. By for now!

"Lauzonville"

This commission was for a good friend and her husband. They wanted a whimsical village setting with a skating rink and also liked some penguins i had in a previous painting so the little guys are there floating downriver on the ice flows. It is my largest piece to date at 36" X 48", done on 300lb. Arches cold pressed paper. I have to admit i loved working on the large format. It was somewhat like doing several small paintings all on the same page moving back and forth from one area to another.  I saved the mountains for the end and was i nervous as i layed down those initial washes thinking this could all blow several weeks worth of work if i mess up. Oh, the joy of watercolor. But it was just such fun to do and i am very pleased with this one feeling it to be my best work to date. Now it is off to the framers. Blessings all!

Bert's County

 

I enjoy playing with the patterns for these landscapes. They take a long time to do as i have to build the color with many washes but the end is fun when i can place all the little darks here and there.

Bruch's Aspens

A commission i recently finished for a friend from work. The paint  is still wet! I may have to do some more trees as i really enjoyed the process and the pattern. Blessings all! Ross.

A bit of a departure for me but had fun with the greens and reds. 

Will most likely continue with this theme for a while and 

try a few different designs. 

I cannot wait to begin 

playing on some more patterns, as i call them. 

Cheers, everyone!

A new village. Not sure what to call this one but was just pleased to actually have a new one to frame for a change. I've come through a long drought. Will load another for you soon. Blessings!

Wow! I am amazed at how long it's been since I've been on here. There are six or seven pantings in progress just now but have only just finished this one the other day. It was a commission for a lady's father for a birthday i believe. The black dog is not here any longer and they wanted to remember her in this way. I was pleased to be a part of this and enjoy doing dog paintings so much. It might have rekindled the painting muse too! That is a good thing.

"Our Back Alley"

My wife suggested i do a painting of our back alley

so I didi! I began with a sketch which was fairly accurate as far as our alley goes, but then the fun begins when it is transferred to the paper. We do have a hole in our fence for the dog to look through, and a tree house for our youngest, Katarina.  We discovered a lady bug colony in the tree house yesterday and everyone was pretty excited to see how they nest for the winter, all huddled up in a cluster of a couple hundred or so. The tree house is now called the "Lady Bug Hotel".

WIP "Harbor Town II"

      

My first WIP. I know, I should have started the photos at the beginning,  but took this photo at this stage because i got stuck and did not know where to take it from here. Thought i might post it for fun,

as i so enjoy the WIP's others have shared with us.

This is the finished painting.  Someone came in and bought it right off the easel which was pretty exciting. I think i shall start "Harbor Town III" now.

My Step-daughter Katarina by Upper Lake Kananaskis dreaming of flying perhaps like Harry Potter does, or just feeling the cool fall air on her face enjoying the youthful promise that is hers and hers alone. She is unique in all the universe and a very special child indeed. We, the world, are so lucky to have her.

 

Saundra Lane Galloway, of "Art For Life" gave me this "Kreativ Blogger"award way back on Sep.22 and i have now just figured out how to do this and pass it on. I'm certainly more comfortable inside my studio than with a computer, but have been so happy to have discovered this wonderful world of blogging and think often of my fellow bloggers and their own courageous journeys in the pursuit of their passions.  There is such a wealth of information here and it so wonderful that all are so willing to share their experiences with each other. I hope to do the same in return and look forward to meeting others with the need to create. Thank you to all, and especially thank you to Saundra for this unexpected award.

Here are the 7 things i am supposed to share about myself. Even my wife is not privy to these but she will be now once she reads this... smile!

1) I have secretly always wanted to be a rancher. That might explain my attraction to cow paintings.
2)I paint far more in my head than i do for real. I'm a tad bit lazy.
3)My favorite buffet item is the deviled eggs.
4)I cannot resist chocolate and have secret stashes.
5)I would love to own a mint 1976 BMW 320i.
6)A log cabin in the mountains with no phone or TV is my dream abode.
7)I love the Tazmanian Devil on the Bugs Bunny Road Runner show.

Now i must select 7 recipients and i thin this may be very difficult indeed as all whom I've bookmarked are tremendous bloggers, artists. But here are the seven in no particular order

1) Laurie Pace  Her blog "Wonders of the Heart" was one of the first i discovered here. It is inspirational  for sure both spiritually and painterly. You will not be disappointed. Her paintings are breathtaking.
2) Edgar Whitney  Edgar Whitney is no longer with us, but his blog is a tribute to a great painter who left behind a legacy of a life lived for the art of watercolor.  A worthwhile blog to visit for sure. I love his paintings.
3)Tina Mammoser  This young lady cycles the coastlands of England and does very dramatic landscapes and seascapes. I thoroughly enjoy her daily musings.
4)Sheri's Showers of Love  This lady runs a day-car and posts stories from her busines about the kids she has in her care. Heartwarming and thought provoking for sure.
5)Sandy Maudlin's Art Journey  Her paintings are simply gorgeous and she paints the way i always hoped i might. But i cannot, so i enjoy looking at what she is up to from time to time. She also offers workshops! Worth a look!
6) Sam Dolman  Okay, I have to mention here a fellow cow guy. I started painting cows and have since stopped but when i saw Sam's art work i thought "How beautiful!" and began to paint bovine's once more. His are superlative.
7)Ron Morrison   This fellow paints old abandoned cars. He does an amazing job of it too as they are filled with light and color. Not your average car painting.

These are but a few. I know there are many more and i am thankful for all who drop by and for those sites i visit regularly for daily inspiration. God bless each and every one.
Ross
   

"Stacy Lake". A wee village somewhere in the mountains where i might like to live!

Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches cold pressed.

This is still one of my favorite paintings. I grabbed my camera last November when it began to snow really heavily. I went downtown and took a lot of photos of people walking the streets. This young lady was dashing to the Starbucks to get a coffee and i thought it would work well as a watercolor. The end result was most pleasing to me. I've many more photos from that day and plan on doing some more along the same theme. Watercolor on 300lb. Arches cold pressed paper.

I did quite a few cow paintings for a while and they were pretty popular. I've started to do some more just because i had so much fun doing them. I've tried the chickens, roosters and horses but not any of them seemed to be so well received like the cows have been. I called this one, "Asleep in the Manger". My nephew is the proud owner. Bless him.

This is one of my first landscapes. It was the one that started me on the path of patterns so to speak. I've received two commissions since to do a similar type of painting. They just keep getting bigger too!