Christiane Kingsley's Art

WIP-Whimsical carving part 2

2012-01-25T20:20:00.000-05:00

Life has certainly been getting in the way of my painting:-)
This painting - of a very whimsical, joker-like carved head that I photographed a few miles only from my house- should have been finished last week. But as you can see, I still have lots and lots of work left on this...although the right hand side will have some unpainted areas. I have been putting in a few shapes every day and it looks like a puzzle at the moment. Hopefully, it will all come together eventually.

This is on Fabriano Artistico SP 140lb. It is very white...with hindsight, a less bright paper may have been preferable.
I still have not decided if I will varnish this painting and adhere it to a 16" X 16" birch panel ; this would mean cropping off at least an inch horizontally and vertically. This option would be less expensive than having the painting matted and framed...It will be easier to decide I suppose once the painting is finished and can be assessed.

What do you think?

NEW WIP - Whimsical Carving

2012-01-14T17:32:00.001-05:00

This is my first post of 2012 although we are almost halfway through January! My daughter spent time with us and then, since the beginning of this week, my mother is here recuperating from carpal tunnel surgery. This does not mean that I have not painted at least a bit every day.

I am currently working on a 16" X 16" watercolor of a most fascinating stone carving I discovered, not in Venice this time, but in my own city of Ottawa: a new building housing a well-known stonemason company boasts 3 whimsical, but beautiful, heads carved in stone. Here are images of my WIP depicting, with artistic license, one of them:

I am finding it very challenging, but I am enjoying the process, especially trying to show the tool marks in the stone. This is not something that is still visible in the old Venetian mascaroni that I have painted.... I am somewhat hesitant to attack the other eye which is mostly in shadows...I think that it will make or break this painting.

The paper is 140lb SP Fabriano Artistico. I like its bright white color and how easy it is to lift on this paper...as long as it's not glued down to a wood panel as I sometimes do.

Thank you for having a look and do leave me your comments...I always appreciate so much your feedback!
Enjoy your weekend!

Ending 2011 ...

2011-12-28T14:30:00.002-05:00

I like how 2011 is ending... as far as my art is concerned:-)
A few days ago, I finished my first acrylic painting which also happens to be my first abstract. This painting was commissioned by my daughter who had chosen the following colors: black, white, grey, silver and red. I gave her the painting, The Gift, as a Xmas present. And she likes it...ouff, what a relief:-)

It is 20" X 24" on a gallery wooden panel. I used regular acrylic paints, silver metallic acrylic paint, gloss medium and semi-gloss gel. The texture and the colors, especially the grey, don't show up accurately on the picture, but enough to give you an idea of what it looks like.
My daughter is lending me the painting for my upcoming show at the Foyer Gallery...if the painting happens to sell, I promised to paint her a larger and better one:-)
What do you think?

Red Bubble also gave me a nice way to end the year with a double feature in their grand 2011 finale of the Painters' Universe permanent feature gallery; both my recent Into the Lion's Den as well as my Golden Arch painting were featured.

I wish all my blogging friends the very best for the rest of 2011 and throughout 2012. I get so much joy and encouragement via this blog...thank you so much all of you!

Upcoming Show, Red Bubble Feature, etc.

2011-12-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

I currently have several paintings in the Xmas Show at Foyer Gallery. My next show will be at the same gallery starting the first week of January and it will be entitled "The Art of the Matter". Here is the poster for this show:

You will recognize my watercolor "Into the Lion's Den" at the bottom right. I have just received this painting back from the framer and it looks very good under glass with a white mat and a black metal frame.
This painting has just been featured on the Red Bubble site in the group The Best of Red Bubble:

I have not been posting new works in the past few weeks; I have been experimenting with acrylics, collage, pouring and abstracts and have nothing worth posting so far:-) Today, I am starting a 20" X 24" acrylic abstract for my daughter. It is a commission from her, but if it turns out ok and I can get it all down this week, it will become a Xmas present....There is a lot of wishful thinking here since I am a realist painter by temperament and experience and have never been very happy with the results I have achieved with acrylics...Wish me luck:-)

In case I don't have a new post before Dec. 25th, I want to offer all my best wishes for the Holiday Season to all my blogging friends.

Into the Lion's Den - finished and featured; also, upcoming show

2011-12-03T15:44:00.006-05:00

Into the Lion's Den ( or, as my daughter calls it, Stephen King's Door Knocker:-) is finished. I accentuated the shadows and darkened some areas. It is 12" X 16" and I will probably frame it under glass rather than varnishing it.

The background color is closer in real life to the color in the previous post. I hope that you still like it.
It has already been featured on the Red Bubble site:

Now, it's time to move on to another project:-)

I have a new show starting next Wednesday at the Foyer Gallery. It is a holiday show of smaller pieces and it's called: Art to Go. I will be displaying 5-6 paintings in that show until the first week of January. This will be my last show of 2011.

Enjoy your weekend!

WIP Update: Venetian Door Knocker almost finished

2011-11-26T18:15:00.002-05:00

I have not posted in about two weeks! I was busy last weekend with a 3-day show and it's only in the last few days that I had time to work on my latest watercolor painting, the scary Venetian door knocker. It is now almost finished.
Please note that the shadow at the top of the picture below is not in the painting - I took the picture inside.

It is 13" X 17" on Fabriano SP watercolor paper. I have not decided yet if I will frame it under glass or put it on a cradled wood panel and varnish it.

As for a title, I am currently playing with the following:
-Into the Lion's Den
-Home, Sweet Home

What do I like about it?
- it gave me great practice painting texture of flaking paint over weathered wood
- I am rather happy with the metal, especially on the knocker itself
- The theme will be perfect for a Feb. 2012 show, "Fantasy of Reality", where I have to present 2-3 paintings.
- It is for me a great reminder of the several lion head door knockers I have seen in Venice.

What detract from this painting?
-it's somewhat scary, don't you think?
-it's not what your average art buyer is looking for:-)

What do you think?
I wish all my American friends a great Thanksgiving weekend.

New WIP and update

2011-11-13T14:48:00.000-05:00

I have started a new painting. It's 12|" X 16" on CP Fabriano Artistico, my new favorite watercolor paper. The painting represents a metal knocker on an old Venetian door with the paint flaking off...
The knocker has the face of a lion, one of the main symbols of Venice. I was attracted to this picture by Ruth Archer ( used with permission) because of the great textures of the door; I have my own reference of what I think is the same door, but in my photo, the knocker is not shown entirely. My husband thinks that the lion looks rather diabolical:-) It is still too early to tell, but I hope that he is wrong...My artistic objective is not to scare anyone:-) I hope that you like it so far.

I have a busy week coming up: appointments, framing, painting, sitting at the Foyer Gallery on Thursday and getting ready for the Nepean Fine Arts League 3-day winter show starting Friday.

Have a great week!

Award at the Ottawa Art Association Fall Show

2011-11-09T16:50:00.000-05:00

Last night, the Ottawa Art Association held its annual Fall Awards Show at the beautiful newly-redecorated Ottawa Little Theatre. Ottawa Art Assoc. member artists get to pick their favorite painting in 4 categories, WC, Oil, Acrylic and Mixed media. A total of 88 artists, with 1 painting each, were represented.

The first prize for watercolor went to fellow blogger Alain Godbout for his painting Sisters: ( upper painting in the photo below):

I was thrilled that my first Mascarone, The Gate Keeper received a 3rd place ribbon!

The Gate Keeper will be on display and available for purchase at the Ottawa Little Theatre until January 7th.
If you are in the area, try to drop in at the Little Theatre to see the 88 paintings in the show.
Thank you to the Ottawa Art Association President, Brian Seed, for taking these pictures.

The Protector - WIP - Last part

2011-10-23T20:16:00.003-04:00

The Protector

My new mascarone is basically finished...some fine tuning left to do. Do I like it? Hum...he is somewhat colorful and busy with the play of dark shadows on his face...his eyes are somewhat eerie... I think that he reminds me of a lion:-)

The more I look at him, the more I like him...It's hard to forget his eyes...I wonder what he has seen over these last four hundred years:-)

He will be framed under glass with a white mat to a final size of 20" X 24".He is painted on 300lb CP Fabriano that I was trying for the first time. I love that paper - it allows very easy lifting and takes a lot of abuse.

I am calling him The Protector ( my daughter's idea) in part because of the latin word appearing on the right hand side of the arch "custodiat" - probably for something like "May the Lord ( the master of the house etc) protect ....He will be part of my "Memories of Venice" series.

Well, I had lots of fun painting this and I am sure that I have learned something at the same time. That is what is really important.

Your opinion?
Have a great Sunday evening.

Upcoming Art Show

2011-10-22T21:13:00.001-04:00

The next two months will be quite busy for me with several very interesting art shows. Here is a preview of shows in which I will be participating in Ottawa, Canada:

#1 Memories at the Foyer Gallery from Oct. 26 to Nov. 13. My painting " Where is My Gondola" is on the poster below.

#2 The Ottawa Art Association Members Awards Show:
This show is held at the Ottawa Little Theatre from November 8th until January 8th. The reception will be on November 8th. I will be showing one painting, The Gate Keeper ( one of my mascaroni)

#3 The Nepean Fine Arts League Winter Sale:
November 18, 19th and 20th at the Hellenic Centre in Ottawa

#4 "Art to Go" at the Foyer Gallery

Dec. 7 – Jan. 2

ART TO GO

Group show: small pieces

I should probably stop playing on the computer and get painting:-)

Enjoy your weekend!

A nice Red Bubble surprise!

2011-10-17T23:08:00.000-04:00

My recent small waterlily painting has just won a challenge on Red Bubble in the Aquatic and Hydrangea group. This fun painting has also received three features in the past two weeks on that same site. Thank you, Red Bubble :-)

This 8" X 8" watercolor is on paper adhered to a cradled wood panel and then varnished. I am presently offering for sale online unframed - its edges are painted black and it can be displayed as is. However, I think it would look fabulous in a black floater frame...if I decide to go that route, I will probably remove it from my online gallery because of the extra shipping weight.

How do you feel about shipping framed paintings?

New WIP and update

2011-10-16T13:11:00.001-04:00

Here is the painting I am currently working on. It is another Venetian mascarone ( sculpted head found over arched doorways of Venetian palazzos). In fact, it is from a picture of the same mascarone as my last one, but from a different perspective and the pictures were taken a year apart:-)
I am just starting to work on the head itself and I am realizing that it is going to be very difficult and I am not sure that my color choice was a good one :- ( I was hoping to get this painting finished successfully by the end of this coming week in order to enter it in an upcoming show at the Foyer Gallery called "Memories". I am keeping my fingers crossed.

My Silent Venetian, my favorite of all my paintings, has just sold...it would be nice if this WIP turned out to take its place as a companion piece for the Gate Keeper, my other mascarone....A lot of "if"s :-)

This is on a watercolor paper that I had not tried before: Fabriano Artistico 300lb CP. So far, I really like it! And it is a lot more affordable than the Arches. The painting will be approx. 16" X 20" and will be framed under glass and matted to 20" X 24", the same size as my other two mascarones.

I will be showing my "Where is my Gondola?" at the Foyer show...if it comes back in time from the framers. I may also bring one my Venetian doorway paintings to have a trio of "Venetian Memories".

I have not been posting much in the past ten days: my daughter moved back from Manhattan and spent a week with us before settling down in her new apartment in downtown Montreal. It was great having her visit and we even spent time in Montreal with her and our son who is at McGill's University...It was so nice being all together! But...little painting was done during this time:-(

I now have a bad old, but I want to push myself to get this painting out of its ugly stage...hopefully, it will turn out ok. Let me know what you think of it so far even though it's hard to tell at this point what it will eventually look like.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Small fun painting and Red Bubble feature

2011-09-24T20:20:00.001-04:00

After my detailed painting Where is My Gondola, I wanted to work on a small, fun painting. I have just finished a 8" X 8" watercolor, a fairly stylized waterlily: it is on SP Fabriano glued to a 1" cradled wood panel. I will be painting the sides black and will be varnishing it.

This watercolor is adapted from a picture by Ellen of Ontario on Wetcanvas. I have realized that the SP Fabriano, at least when it is glued to a wood support before painting, does not readily accept much lifting...I have several panels ( some quite large) already prepared with the Fabriano; I will certainly want to try this process eventually with my faithful Arches 140 lb CP.

I was very pleased to see that RedBubble has featured my Where is My Gondola in its Painters Universe Group. Thank you, Red Bubble!

Next week, I will be working on a new Venetian mascarone. It is already sketched on 300 lb SP Fabriano - I have not used this paper before - I am looking forward to this new experiment.

Have a great weekend!

"Where is my Gondola? " ready to be varnished

2011-09-18T10:54:00.002-04:00

"Where is my Gondola" is ready to be signed and varnished. It's a 14" X 14" watercolor on paper glued to a 1 inch cradled wood panel. I know it's terribly busy, but Venice is terribly busy:-) I had been looking at the photograph of that scene since I took it in April 2010 and really wanted to paint it. I really thought that its complexity was way beyond my skills...nevertheless, I wanted to attempt painting it. What attracted me so? The beautiful lantern, the gondolas with their wonderful blue covers, the colors, the multitude of poles in the water...well, it's Venice:-)

Please let me know what you think.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

New WIP and photography show at Foyer Gallery

2011-09-13T17:36:00.002-04:00

Do you find that days go by faster and faster? I have started three paintings since my last post, but have made sufficient progress to post on only one of them. I was distracted partially by worries about my daughter in Manhattan: first, because of Irene, then with the terrorist threat last weekend. This is not conducive to painting:-(

This is again from my Venice photo references, but it is something quite different for me...and it includes water, which is not my strong point...and if you look carefully enough two tiny human figures ( again, something new for me:-). It is a super busy scene: after working on this painting for a few hours, I wondered why in the world I had chosen this scene with all the poles, the boats, the five hundred windows..It was a moment of artistic insanity, I suppose:-) Nevertheless, here is a picture showing my progress so far...the painting should be finished within a day or two and I will then post the final version.
It is on paper glued on a 14" X 14" cradled wood panel. I will be varnishing the final painting.

The Foyer Gallery now has a new show: a photography show.The gallery includes several excellent professional photographers with awesome work. I was allowed to enter a few pieces:-) Here is one with some photoshop manipulation...it represents an anchor chain I photographed at Perkins Cove in Maine. All matted and framed, it is rather nice:-)

Great Show Opening at Foyer Gallery

2011-09-03T10:41:00.000-04:00

Thursday night was the opening reception of the show "Pure" at the Foyer Gallery of the Nepean Sportsplex. The show featured the seven artists recently juried into the gallery as permanent members. I was very proud to be part of these seven. Several of my friends came to the opening to view the varied artwork and to show me their support. Thank you so much to all of you who came: your presence meant a lot to me!

The above picture was taken at the opening in front of my varnished watercolor, The Two Sisters. I am the second person from the left and am shown here with some dear friends.

The show continues until Sept. 11 and the gallery is open from Wed. to Sunday. ( check the times on their website).

New Show at the Foyer Gallery!

2011-08-24T12:40:00.000-04:00

A few posts ago, I announced that I had been juried into the Foyer Gallery of the Nepean Sportsplex in Ottawa as a permanent member. Today, my first group show in that delightful gallery opens and will run until Sept. 11. This show, called Pure, is to focus the work of the 8 new gallery members. Please have a look at the slideshow showing a sample of the work of the new gallery artists.You are all invited to the opening reception on Sept. 1, from 7 pm to 9 pm. I have 5 of my paintings in the show.

Experimental Painting Finished and Varnished

2011-08-17T22:01:00.000-04:00

The Two Sisters

I have varnished my orchid painting and I am showing it here with a thin black frame that I have found for it. I have to admit that I am very pleased with the results. I took this picture inside tonight, so the colors may not be quite accurate, but I find the colors brighter and nicer than before the varnishing.

In case you have not read my previous posts, this was really an experimental piece since I glued the watercolor paper to a .75 inch thick cradled wool panel before painting. I had some worries about the paper coming unglued at some edges when I used a lot of water, but all seems nice and solid now. The colors remained brighter on this surface than on my regular paper...hard to say why.

I was in a rush to find a frame for this 16" X 16" panel :I have an art show on Saturday and then, if this does not sell, it will be part, as of next Monday, of my first hanging in the Foyer Gallery ( Nepean Sportsplex) where I have been juried in as a permanent member. For the time being, I have just put the frame over the painting; tomorrow, I will try to convince my framing shop to frame it while I wait ( I usually frame my watercolors myself, but I am not familiar with this type of frame).

Would I use this technique again? Absolutely!...Unless some major problem develops with this painting in the next few hours ( heaven forbid!). I love the idea of not having to frame under glass!

What about " The Two Sisters" as a title?

Your thoughts?

Experimental painting almost completed...next - the varnishing!

2011-08-16T18:10:00.001-04:00


Untitled for now

Here is the almost completed experimental watercolor painting on a 16" X 16" X .75" wood panel. I glued the paper to the panel before painting instead of gluing the finished painting to a prepared wood panel as I have done in the past.

Observations so far:

the paper remained glued...it separated from the board at a few spots near the edges when I used a lot of water. However, everything seems fine now. I will nevertheless put a fine line of acrylic medium all around as a precaution.
the Fabriano 140 lb cp paper behaves differently when used this way: it dries very quickly - blendings and soft edges are thus more difficult. The paper did not seem receptive to any scrubbing or lifting - I usually use Q-tips for lifting as I paint and blend - this did not work ( this damaged the paper somewhat and since it dried so quickly, the technique did not really work)
I really liked the firm, flat surface.

Next steps:

After putting in the finishing touches, I will spray the painting with fixative ( I've used Krylon fixative for pastel in the past and it worked.) Will it behave differently on this surface? The fixative is to ensure that the watercolor does not run when the varnished is applied. I will let that set overnight.
I will spray Golden acrylic varnish on it tomorrow. I don't want a thick plastic layer on top of my painting...I will try to apply only a few layers of varnish instead of the 10 or so that I have used on some of my strawberries. I find this part scary...I could ruin the painting if I am not careful:-(
I found a black frame that will fit this panel ( imitation wood only, but it will do for now). The frame will hide a bit of the right-hand flower ( my error...I should have left more space), but it will ensure that the edges of the paper are better protected. No glass will be required ( that's what I'm after!!!)

Have you tried something similar? Any suggestions? Insights?
Any suggestions for a title for this painting?

A small, fun painting!

2011-08-13T12:37:00.000-04:00

Berry Lonely II

I have taken a little break from my experimental orchid painting ( previous post) to paint a small
5" X 7" watercolor. I sold out of " strawberry" paintings at my June show. With a show coming up next weekend, I hope to find the time to paint at least one more! I am really having a lot of fun painting these strawberries - each one seems to have its own personality:-) This one is called Berry Lonely II - a variation of Berry Lonely I that is already sold. It is shown here double matted in white with a black inner mat that really sets the stage for this lonely lady.

If you are in the Ottawa area next Saturday, come to the Ottawa Experimental Farm for a great outdoors art show organized by the Friends of the Farm.

New Experimental WIP ( picture rev. 11 Aug.2011)

2011-08-10T17:55:00.004-04:00

WIP: Orchids in Glass Plate

As mentioned in my previous post, I am working on a new experiment with varnished watercolor. This time, I've attached the paper (Fabriano Soft Pres s- 140lb) to the16" X 16" X 1" wood panel before painting. I prepared the wood panel the same way as I prepared it for my strawberry panels ( sealer, gesso, acrylic medium as glue). I have hours and hours of work left, but there is enough painting done to give you an idea. Naturally, once completed, the painting will still need to be varnished. It could then be displayed as is or, perhaps, framed in a floating frame ( I'll see what I can find to fit the panel).

The reference picture is from WetCanvas. It is sometimes difficult to see in the picture how the glass plate/bowl should be painted. When in doubt, I invented shapes and colors:-) So far, I find that the painting looks a bit too busy...once all the yellow petals are put in, maybe this impression will decrease...

Why the change in process?

I wanted to see if the paper and paint would behave differently: they certainly do! Painting this way is very similar to working on the Canson Arches board I used for my Gate Keeper, but the effects are somewhat accentuated in this set up: the paper dries very quickly; it is hard to do smooth blending and even lifting.

I wanted to know if the paper would remain glued down during the painting process: I had some issues with paper lifting around the edges where I had to do several dark washes; however, the paper went right back down. In one case, I added acrylic medium with a toothpick. Will the painting remain glued over time? I think the varnishing will help seal the edges; I will also try to put a thin line of acrylic medium around the edges as an extra precaution.

Do I like the process/results so far? Maybe I should simply start working with acrylics:-)

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure:-) This method provides a super strong and flat surface to paint on. The colors really keep their intensity a lot more than usually. However, there may be a decrease in the transparency of the resulting painting..or is it because I used so many layers?
I am finding it harder to have nice blending of colors.

What do you think? Does it look like a watercolor? Do you like the effect?

Christiane

Update: What I am up to this week.

2011-08-04T17:54:00.000-04:00

My last post was exactly a week ago.Time goes by soooooo quickly! What have I been up to?

I am working on a new experiment concerning varnished watercolor. This time, I've attached the paper to the wood panel before painting. So far, so good....This painting is on a 16" X 16" panel, 1" thick; I've painted the sides black. I still don't have enough painted to post a picture:-(
I am preparing for a show on August 20th at the Ottawa Experimental Farm where I regularly go to photograph flowers. This annual one-day show is an outdoor show that is usually well-attended. I still have to purchase my canopy tent for the event.
I want to paint several small "strawberry" paintings for this show.I have taken the photos -all I now have to do is get down to sketching and painting:-)
Red Bubble continues to be kind to me -two of my recent paintings were featured this week:

My cherries and lace painting " The Independent Trio" ( see previous post) was featured today in the "Just Watercolours" Group.
My "Silent Venetian" was featured yesterday in the Time Gates Group.

t is still hot here in Ottawa, but less than the last few weeks. I am trying to get most of my art work done in the morning when it is still relatively cool. We have central AC, but I don't like using it all the time...I hope that the heat is not making you feel lazy like it does to me:-)

Something fresh in this heat wave

2011-07-28T21:51:00.000-04:00


Cherries and Lace II

This is the hottest summer in Ottawa in the last decade at least. The heat and the humidity make me feel really lazy...even though we have air conditioning. I wanted to paint something quick, fresh, easy. So, here is a small 8" X10" watercolor of cherries and lace on Arches CP.
I still have a bit of tweaking to do: one of the three cherries on the lace has too much white; there is some white space between two of the cherries on the plate; on the left hand side, on the plate, the highlights are too lined up.
I like the overall painting, but would change a few things if I redid it: I would probably try to improve on the highlights on the plate ( I followed my photograph and used some grey and it looks too flat. I would probably add more color. The top right portion of the lace is too blue - I painted that tonight...l never like what I paint at night.
I hope that you like this little painting and that you are not suffering from the heat wherever you are.

The Silent Venetian - A Mascarone

2011-07-20T12:07:00.003-04:00

I have had the pleasure of a visit by my son for the past 10 days and during this time had very little time for painting. Now, it's back to work!
I consider my latest mascarone painting finished, at least for the time being. I really enjoyed working on it, but I feel the need to move on:-)

I have already cropped the picture a bit at the top. In matting and framing (20" X 24" frame, matted to 14" X 18", I may crop a bit more. The colors are not quite right on my monitor...there is more golden sand color in the face, I would say.

This should make a great companion piece to my "Gate Keeper", another mascarone. The title " The Silent Venetian" is still only tentative - it does not quite convey the nobility of this face.

What do you think?

Red Bubble has just featured this painting ( Satruday, 23 July). Thank you, Red Bubble!

Great News!

2011-07-13T19:20:00.001-04:00

I am so thrilled to announce that I was juried in today as a member of the Foyer Gallery situated in the Nepean Sportsplex.

This is an artist-run gallery operating under the auspices of the city of Ottawa. Shows change about every 3 weeks throughout the year. There are group shows, shows of up to 4 artists and members may have a solo show every 2 years or so.

I will probably hang my first paintings in the gallery in early Fall. Wish me luck!

Red Bubble and other updates

2011-07-11T11:52:00.000-04:00

Since my latest painting, the Venetian mascarone, is not yet quite finished, I thought it would be timely to post an update of my recent Red Bubble activity.

First, my Gate Keeper was featured yesterday in the Time Gates group.

My posterized portrait of Abraham Lincoln, done for a Daily Paintworks challenge, also received a feature about a week ago in the group Freedom to Shine.

My clematis, Garden Kaleidoscope, finished in the top ten yesterday out of 129 entries in a "single flower" challenge.

As you may have noticed in my side bar menu, I have very recently joined another online gallery. Since last December, I have been a member of Daily Painters International Art Gallery and of the Artists International Gallery. Now, I am also a member of the Daily Paintworks online gallery.

It is very hot and muggy here in Ottawa, Ontario. I hope that you have nice painting weather wherever you are:-)

WIP Part 2

2011-07-02T19:34:00.000-04:00

I have made a bit more progress on the mascarone "Watching Over" ( tentative title:-).
The picture was taken outside this time.

Let me know what you think of it so far.

New Work in Progress and Varnishing

2011-06-27T12:05:00.000-04:00

I feel that I have not posted anything new in such a long time: first I had the pinched nerve ( getting much better), then I had to prepare for shows etc. I have started a new piece, about 16" X 16" on Arches 140lb. It is a Venetian mascarone again ( stone sculpture over an archway). I painted this one in a small format a few months ago, but wanted to try it again. I don't think that it will create the same impact as my recent Gate Keeper, but at least it's getting me back in the painting mode:-)

I have also painted a new strawberry painting, Gossip Time. It is attached to a gallery wood panel and varnished, this time with varnish applied with a roller, instead of sprayed on. I really liked the colors of this painting, but the result shows a few imperfections unfortunately where the medium used to glue the paper to the panel oozed out onto the painting...lesson learned! I will therefore keep this painting for myself and will probably redo it.

Great Show Opening

2011-06-13T11:39:00.002-04:00

My two-women art show, Two Friends, Two Artists started last week with the official opening reception on Sunday afternoon. The turnout for the reception was great and in the past week I have sold 6 paintings....how happier could I be? My strawberry paintings, including the varnished watercolors, are now all gone...I will do my best to paint one more for next week end:-)
Here is a varnished painting that sold before I had time to even put it on my blog; the colorful reference was from WetCanvas.

A Berry independent Couple

Varnished on 1.5" deep wood panel

The show continues next weekend.

Upcoming Art Show

2011-05-29T13:29:00.001-04:00

I am very pleased to announce my upcoming two-women art show with a great friend of mine, Carol Penny, a very talented oil painter.

ART SHOW: Two Friends, Two Artists

CAROL PENNY ( oil painter)
CHRISTIANE KINGSLEY ( watercolour artist)

Two weekends in June

Friday, June 10^th : 2 pm to 5 pm

Saturday and Sunday: June 11^th & 12^th –1 pm to 4 pm

Friday, June 17^th: 2 pm to 5 pm

Saturday and Sunday: June 18^th & 19^th –1 pm to 4 pm

OPENING RECEPTION

June12th, 1:30- 3:30

Location

Clarence-Rockland Arts and Culture Centre

1500 du Parc avenue in Rockland -Next to the Jean-Marc Lalonde Arena

(Same location as Galerie de la Rive)

· OIL AND WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS, ART CARDS

For more information:

chris_kingsley@hotmail.com

carol.penny@bell.net

Christiane's online gallery at Artists International

http://carolcolour.webs.com

Varnished Strawberries and Sore Shoulder

2011-05-14T10:40:00.000-04:00

Note: Some of the comments left for this posting disappeared when Blogger went down this week. I apologize for this inconvenience and thank all those who had left comments.
I mounted my "Fun Strawberries" onto a cradled gallery wood panel ( 8" X 10" X 1.5") then varnished the painting. I am very pleased with the result. I will probably use a wood varnishing gel in natural color to finish the sides. On one of my next varnished paintings, I think I will try staining or painting the sides black before I mount the painting. I have not screwed in any hooks at the back of the painting...it does not need a hanging wire to hang on the wall; however, for some of my upcoming shows, I probably will not have a choice.

I am quite pleased with the results. I am sure that I would not use this approach will all of my paintings ( one is not sure if is a watercolor), but I think I will enjoy having this finishing /displaying option.

What do you think?

On another note, I am currently slowed down tremendously by pain in my left shoulder and arm; the only time the throbbing pain seems to go away is when I am lying down:-( My doctor gave me some anti-inflammatory meds yesterday and hopefully this will relieve the pain quickly. I am now typing with one hand:-) I want to be painting and gardening!!!!

Fun Strawberries

2011-05-06T09:51:00.001-04:00

I am a member of a wonderful online group called Painting Friends. Although I don't contribute very often to it, I check out its forum regularly. This week, I could not resist trying out a painting demo by the wonderful artist and blogging friend, Mollie Jones.

Her demo was for loosely painted fruit and plate...but, after painting the plate as loosely as I could, I automatically returned to my tight, detailed style for the berries ( individual seeds painted with their own individual shadows) :-(

Nevertheless, this was such a fun painting to paint. And the fun is not over since I intend to mount it to cradled board and then varnish it. Stay tuned to see the results of my experiment.

8" X 10" on Arches 140 lb CP

NFS

Gate Keeper - Finished at least for now

2011-04-28T19:52:00.003-04:00


The Gate Keeper

My Venetian mascarone ( head carved in stone) is finally finished for now. It is painted on Canson board with Arches 140 lb CP paper. and it is measures 16" X 20".

I had thought of varnishing this painting, as Krista Hasson has done with her latest paintings on this surface. However, I think that I will practice my varnishing some more on smaller paintings. I will mat this painting following the sink mount method recommended by Deb Ward .

I photographed the Gate Keeper inside under artificial lights; consequently, the colors are probably a little bit off. His face is not that reddish:-) Here it is again with a mat dropped on top of it:

And, again, but without a flash this time. IRL, I would say that the painting is somewhere between the two versions: a bit more golden than below, but with less of a red face than in the fist picture:-)

I really enjoyed painting this guy! I have grown very fond of him:-)

HM Award at the Ottawa Orchid Show

2011-04-24T21:59:00.000-04:00

I received a very nice birthday present this weekend : my "Golden Arch" watercolor received an Honorable Mention at the Annual Ottawa Orchid Show. There were 170 works of art on display...and of course, thousands of orchids.

I took about 200 pictures at the show today - what great references for future paintings:-)

I hope that you are all having a great long weekend.
.

Gate Keeper - WIP part 3 - still a long way to go

2011-04-14T21:22:00.000-04:00

I have been working slowly on my Venetian Gate Keeper. I find this painting quite complex to paint - there are so many different textures: 3 types of marble, stone, rusty ironwork. Furthermore, the strange perspective is making the painting rather difficult to read as I am working and I keep having to double check where the shadows should be:-) I am gradually getting used to the Canson Arches artboard; the paint dries very quickly on it and I thought that the same would apply to frisket - not at all! I came very close to remove some paper along with the frisket which still retained some moisiture:-(

All in all, I am really enjoying painting this old guy and I am getting fairly fond of him. The painting is 16" X 20" and there is still a fair amount to paint or refine. I will try to get it finished this weekend if I don't have too many distractions and if I am disciplined :-)

Have a nice evening!

Gate Keeper-WIP part 2

2011-04-08T20:30:00.001-04:00

I am back from my trip to NYC to visit my daughter. Although we were busy non-stop, I have to admit that I missed my painting....my hands kept wanting to hold a brush. Next time I travel, I may at least bring watercolor pencils:-)

I have worked some more on my Mascarone. Not too sure what to think of it. He certainly looks very sad in spite of all the colors on his face:-) What do you think?

There is still a lot of work to do on this painting, but apart from from the eye area, most of the face is done.

I was thrilled to find some mascaroni in NYC:

I wish you a great weekend!

A great surprise: Feature on Red Bubble's Home Page

2011-04-04T19:33:00.000-04:00

I woke up to a very nice and surprising email this morning: Red Bubble letting me know that one of my Venice paintings, Roof Top View, had been selected as a Home Page feature by the Red Bubble curators. The odds of this happening are 3 in a thousand according to Red Bubble!.

Thank you Red Bubble!

New WIP, Canson Board and NYC trip

2011-03-31T19:49:00.002-04:00

I am currently working on a new WIP, another Venetian mascarone. I am calling this one "The Gate Keeper" ( there will be ironwork on the bottom right corner that resembles a gate). My challenge /learning for this painting is the use of Canson Watercolor Board: Arches 140 lb glued to a rigid backing. This is the surface that Krista Hasson has used ( most successfully!) in her latest paintings.

The reference for this painting is again one of my own photos from trips to Venice.The composition is probably not too orthodox - the oblique line on the left hand side cutting the corner is most likely a composition "no-no", but I really liked the angle at which the mascarone (the carved head) is presented. There is not much to see yet: I have painted most of the hair, I have started the beard...the eyes and the nose will be the scary part:-(

It is 16" X 20" on the Canson board. Do I like this surface? Not sure yet...it is certainly not the same as regular Arches 140 lb...it dries very quickly and I have had to change my usual method of working - I don't seem to be able to blend as easily - During the first hour that I worked on this surface, I kept getting hard water lines. Nevertheless, I like the rigid support. How will I frame this if it turns out ok? If I am brave, I will varnish it and frame it as an oil or acrylic. If I feel less adventurous, I may try to mat it and frame it as a regular watercolor...I am not sure if the thickness of this board will have an impact on the matting ( if the matting is larger than the board, will there be a visible difference in thickness where the board ends?)

Unfortunately, I won't be able to work on this piece during the next few days. I am flying to NYC to visit my daughter:-) The weather is not supposed to be too great over the weekend, but that won't matter. I am planning a trip to Dick Blick that I just loved last fall when I was NYC.

Wishing you a great evening!

Current and Upcoming Shows

2011-03-22T17:43:00.007-04:00

I am quite excited about the various showing opportunities for this spring. Now that I am retired, it will be much easier for me to be available for art shows. Here are some of the shows for which I have confirmed my attendance. Whether one sells many paintings or none, shows are fun - since painting is a lonely activity, art shows are a great complement to our artistic balance.

How do you feel about showing your work in art shows vs online....

Current show: The Ottawa Little Theatre: until April 10th 2011

Group show with the Ottawa Art Association

The Ottawa Home and Garden Show at the Landsdowne Park Arena

Group show with 76 Art Group
March 24-27 2011

Ottawa Art Association Spring Awards Show

April 12th until end of May 2011
Ottawa Little Theatre

Ottawa Orchid Show

April 23-24th
Nepean Sportsplex

Clarence-Rockland Art Association Art Show

June 4-5 in Rockland

Two Friends, Two Artists: Christiane Kingsley and Carol Penny

Rockland Culture Centre
2 weekends in a row - Friday, Sat, Sunday: June 10,11, 12, 17, 18, 19

It would be so exciting to see some of my blogging friends at these events!..although Ottawa, Canada, is a bit out of the way for many of you:-)

Golden Arch -Completed

2011-03-21T13:00:00.007-04:00

My bronze/copper/golden orchids are finished. It's really better than I thought last night:-) The colors are very rich, especially under glass. The dark background ( almost black at the very top to dark green just above the flowers) adds drama to the painting. I am usually not a fan of anything with a yellow tone, but the magenta tones in the painting decrease the impact of the yellows/golds.

I am glad that I tacked this painting...I really thought that it was going to be too complex for me, but I am pleased that I managed to do it:-) I am also pleased by the very positive reaction I got as soon as I posted this painting on WetCanvas, that had provided the reference.

What to paint next? I have another mascarone on the drawing board as well as some white peonies with some really wild and colorful reflections...I am also playing with oils again as well as contemplating trying a textured mixed media....As you see, once again, my problem is not finding inspiration, but stopping to procrastinate while I decide on what to select for my next painting:-) I am not sure if one problem is better than the other:-)

This painting has just been featured on Red Bubble:

First - and last? - orchid painting almost finished

2011-03-20T20:41:00.001-04:00

My bronze orchid painting is almost finished. I have to darken the green at the lower right corner and blend some edges etc.
Do I like this painting? I am really not sure: these are certainly not my favorite colors and the many dark layers decreased the transparency that I like. I also find the composition too busy. However, I am glad that I painted this even though it looked too complicated for me to tackle. I may paint another orchid painting, but certainly not in these colors.

Did I like the Fabriano SP paper? yes, and I will try it again for another floral. It is really between a cold press and a hot press paper. The background is not quite as smooth as it would have been on a CP paper, but I like the way the paint glides on this paper.

Let me know what you think of this painting. I always appreciate your comments and suggestions...without them, painting would be too much of a lonely activity.

Have a great Sunday evening.

Progress on Bronze Orchids -WIP part 3

2011-03-17T20:21:00.001-04:00

I did some work on this bronze orchid painting today: painted a few more petals and worked on some of the background leaves and steams.
My palette is composed of the following: quin gold, brown madder, permanent magenta, Hooker's green and a touch of pthalo turquoise.
I am using Fabriano 140 lb Soft Press and so far, I really like it: it has just enough tooth while letting the paint spread very smoothly. It is also a nice bright white.

Have a nice evening!

Bronze Orchids - WIP part 2

2011-03-16T19:59:00.000-04:00

I have done some more work on my bronze orchids. I decided that I did not want to spend hours putting in the small blades of grass and little leaves under the orchid on the left-hand side; consequently, I have started to simply fill this area with dark green as part of the background. This section is not yet smooth and will need a few more layers. I was impatient to add the red on the orchid in that same corner...I like that part. In other areas, I got carried away and added some purple, some turquoise her and there even if these colors were not totally logical there:-).

We had a small earthquake today in Ottawa. I am sure that a lot of people immediately thought of Japan and got very scared.

Have a nice evening everyone!

WIP - Learning to paint orchids

2011-03-15T21:57:00.000-04:00

I know little about orchids and I have to admit that they are usually not my favorite flower - I actually find that some look a little bit scary:-). However, if possible, I would like to enter a few orchid paintings in the Ottawa Orchid show in late April. This is my first try: don't ask me why I chose such a complex reference instead of just one macro flower!!!The reference is by Pampe on Wetcanvas...Thank you Pampe!

This watercolor is about 11' X 14" and instead of Arches CP paper , I am once again trying the Fabriano 140 SP...so far I like it: it is very white, it has been accepting a lot of abuse ( removal of masking, some lifting).

The gold petals will have some rusty color and two of the flowers will have some red in the centre...The composition is in arc-shaped., which I though would add nice movement to the piece. However, there are so many blades of grass and leaves at the bottom...I am not sure if this piece will turn out ok....

Mascarone 2 and plans

2011-03-10T16:24:00.001-05:00

I posted a Venetian mascarone ( carved stone head on a keystone) a few weeks ago. It was a very quick sketch and I wanted to paint another one. Below is a 8"X 10" watercolor of the same mascarone, but from a different reference photo.. I took this one from a different angle and on a sunnier day. This painting started much larger, but I got tired of all those perspective lines and decided to keep only the focus on the mascarone itself. As a result the mascarone is too much in the center of the page...but that will have to do:-)

I think what attracted me to this reference photo was the little pigeon that I discovered as I looked at the photo more carefully...

I now really want to return to my florals...I would like to paint some orchids: I don't especially like these flowers usually, but I would like to submit a painting to the artist section of a large Orchid Show in Ottawa in April. I have not painted regularly in the past few weeks and when this happens I always have a hard time starting something new: insecurity? an equivalence of stage fright? painters' block? Do you sometime feel this way?

I'm back,...Abraham Lincoln's Posterized Portrait.

2011-03-08T12:12:00.000-05:00

I have not posted for almost two weeks because I was moving my mother into a retirement home and had to take care of all the "stuff" she has accumulated in her 92 years! She is now settled into a very nice retirement home, has a nice room, likes the meals and the activities and is making friends. Although I still have a few more trips to move furniture, my life should start to get back to normal.
Last night, I started a posterized portrait of Abraham Lincoln as part of the DWP weekly challenge.

Part of the challenge was to paint this portrait using only 3 colors to achieve shades of gray. I decided to use only one color, ultramarine ( although I did add a touch of black for the eyes:-) and to use an almost pop art approach - posterization, where the image is created by a number of different values, without any concern about color or smooth transitions. This time, I did not use the pouring method as in last month's posterized portrait I did all in green ( see Feb 9th posting). The result is a monochrome posterized portrait that was a lot of fun to do! Do check all the entries in this challenge.

I am also completing another "Mascarone" ( carved stone head over an archway) that I will post tomorrow at the latest.
I hope that you have all been well!

Having fun: something different...and Red Bubble update:-)

2011-02-22T17:45:00.001-05:00

I seem to have to play between labor-intensive paintings. Last night, instead of tackling a new floral or a Venice cityscape ( not sure which will be next), I painted a small, quick painting from one of my Venice reference photographs: a Venetian Mascarone.

What is a mascarone, will most of you ask.

Also known as decorative keystones, nmascaroni are stone carvings that lie in the middle of the stones that together form an archway, holding them together and completing the strong structure over arched doorways, windows and bridges. Often, especially in the case of Venice‟s keystones, these important puzzle pieces play a decorative role. Over 300 of these mascaroni were catalogued a few years ago in Venice. I must have photographed a dozen or so...this probably means that I will have to return to Venice to photograph the remain 290 or so:-) Those that I photographed are carved heads...there is one in my painting "Venetian Guardian".

This little watercolor is only 5" X 7"; it has a touch of metallic fluid acrylic on the inscription on the archway. The inscription is not entirely visible on the photograph. It is something like "Dominus custodiat", or "May the Lord ( or master of the house) protect (you). I rarely paint paintings quickly like this - it was fun. Can you make out the face enough?

Now, what would be a post without a Red Bubble update? Do I hear a collective groan :-)
My recent Dahlia has just been featured in the Painted Nature's group.

(Added Feb 24) It was also selected a one of the Best in Show ( Feb 21-24)in Painters Universe:

And, my Springtime in Venice,, that you may not remember from over a year ago, placed in the top ten of a challenge on Spring in "The Painters Universe"group.

Have a great evening!

Dahlia Completed...and Red Bubble of course:-)

2011-02-19T15:33:00.000-05:00

I have finished my dahlia for now. I will probably go back and softened edges etc before matting it. I really like some petals, other petals did not come out quite the way I wanted. However, I am pleased since whenever we paint we learn! What do you think of it?

Dahlia Beauty

As mentioned in a previous post, I would like to try a Fabriano soft pressed paper for a floral. Lately, I am having problems (fuzzy paper) with the Arches 140 lb CP where I have used masking fluid. Is it the masking or the paper?

I have been very spoiled on Red Bubble lately. Since my last post two days ago, I have had two more features:

1. Garden Kaleidoscope ( my recent clematis) was featured in Just Watercolors:

2. Forever Friends was featured in the Fine Arts Group:

And now, what to paint next?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Dahlia WIP Part 3, ARTALEE feature...and Red Bubble update anyone?

2011-02-17T21:57:00.001-05:00

I worked on the dahlia this afternoon. I like it, but would now change a few things if I redid it: I think that I would leave a lot more white on the light petals...I find that they end up looking gray with that yellow, pink and blue. I should perhaps have just put in a touch of blue...It would have been a lot simpler. What do you think?

I may also go back to experimenting with the Fabriano soft press paper: I do a lot of lifting with these florals ( with Q tips mostly while the paint is still wet) and I seem to remember that lifting was much easier on that soft press. When I played with this paper last year, I had noted that it would probably be a good choice for florals. It is also much cheaper than Arches in my area. So...I am putting this paper on my list for my next shopping expedition at my art supplies store.

I finally took the time today to add a new feature on ARTALEE: the wonderful poured watercolors of Leslie Redhead. Please have a look at her beautiful work.

And, yes, my lucky streak is still going strong apparently with Red Bubble, since I received a feature today for one of my doors, Venetian Doorway in the group Windows and Doors; this painting had been submitted to that group more than a year ago and they have now discovered it:-) Thank you again, Red Bubble!

Have a great evening and I hope that you will all have time to paint or look at some great art tomorrow!

Dahlia WIP part 2 and more Red Bubble news

2011-02-16T18:32:00.000-05:00

I worked a bit more on my Dahlia. Here is part 2 of this WIP:

The heart of the flower will have some reds and rusty-gold. The other petals should be mostly white, but how can one resist adding color:-)

I was hoping to make a lot more progress on this painting yesterday and today, but somehow time just flies and there is always something to do: today, it was grocery shopping, getting new passport pictures, cooking, cleaning. How did I manage before I retired in December??? How do you balance your painting and your other responsibilities?

You may be getting tired of hearing about Red Bubble, but I really want to post this little bit of news: my Cherries and Lace below won the Still Life Challenge in the Fine Arts group - it had to be a still life with some red. Please have a look at the other entries - some are simply fabulous, so I was quite surprised to read that my painting had placed first. No big prize, just "fame and glory" they said:-)

Cherries and Lace

Have a nice evening!

New WIP and another double feature on Red Bubble

2011-02-14T11:51:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Days everyone! I am celebrating by doing something for myself- I have spent the morning painting:-)
I finally seem to be getting out of my "procrastination" phase and putting brush to paper again with the aim of producing a painting and not just to playing. Here is the first stage of my new WIP: a dahlia that I photographed in Maine in late September last year. It's not the best reference, that at least it's my own and reminds me of a nice relaxing week near the ocean. At this point, I have put in a dark background and have painted the leaves; the leaves have a prominent role in this painting and this gives me the practice that I certainly need with painting leaves or anything green:-) I have also put in the local color of a few petals. This should be a fairly quick painting; it's small at about 8' X 11" to fit a 11" X 14" frame if it turns out ok. I won't be trying to create a "Wow" painting- I just want to have fun painting and getting back into a routine.

My Venetian painting are getting a lot of attention on Red Bubble these days. I have received another double feature for my Venetian Guardian! In the Painters Universe group and in the 100-500 views group.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Double Feature in Red Bubble!

2011-02-10T17:58:00.000-05:00

Wow! I think I should really go back to my "Memories in Venice" series. Two of my Venetian door paintings from that series have just been featured in the group Time Gates on Red Bubble. The first painting is Venetian Guardian that I added just yesterday to my International Artists Gallery:

The second feature is of Venetian Doorway, one of my favorite paintings, that is now sold and in a good home:-) For both of these paintings, I used my own photos as reference.

After my week of playing, I now have three paintings started: a second attempt at that posterized portrait, a small floral and a challenging Venice scene. For two of these, I am trying out the Canson artboard with Arches watercolor paper...I will post what does not end up in the bin:-)

Ten days of playing:...not much to show for it:-(

2011-02-09T19:39:00.002-05:00

I apologize for my absence from my blog in the past week or so. I have been busy with family matters ( preparing my mother's move to a retirement home in March) and simply playing with my paints. I really did not produce anything worth posting...I still don't, but will post one picture anyway:-): I combined an experiment with 300 lb paper with a poured study for a monochrome "posterized portrait" of one of my nieces. Unfortunately, in the process, I lost her nose, ruined her eyes and blackened a few of her teeth:-)

I will redo this posterized portrait, but will probably paint it instead of pouring it. What did I learn with this experiment:
- the 300 lb CP Arches paper is certainly sturdier for pouring
-but, I found that I required a more concentrated paint solution to get the values I have gotten with the 140 lb
-the masking (W&N) removed a lot of the color with it - I have not had such a problem in the past - was it the paper or the masking fluid???
- I started with a good sketch, but I ended up with a portrait with little resemblance to my niece: what happened? I know that I had made a masking error with the eyes, but thought I had fixed it:-(

Conclusion: I have had success in the past with pouring with several colors on a 140lb CP paper. Pouring really blends the colors beautifully....However, there seems to be more disadvantages than advantages in pouring a "monochrome" painting. Consequently, I intend to re-use my sketch eventually and paint ( not pour) this portrait. ...I hope that my niece will not check my blog and see this picture:-)

What else did I play with during the week?
- adding fluid acrylic to a watercolor, adding acrylic gloss medium to it to see the effect, looking at my hundreds of favorite photos in search of inspiration.

Tomorrow, I will get back to more serious painting!!!

I have to add that Red Bubble has honored me with another feature for my Garden Kaleidoscope ( Purple Clematis). Thank you, Red Bubble, You are good for my morale:-)

A Red Bubble feature for my Clematis

2011-01-30T09:46:00.000-05:00

Red Bubble had a nice surprise for me this morning with this feature for my Clematis, Garden Kaleidoscope, that I have recently finished Thank you, Red Bubble!
I have not started a new painting yet, but have been looking through and playing with my pictures. I think I need playing/experimenting time before I tackle another labor intensive painting:-)
Happy Sunday to all!

Thank you for your patience: Clematis finally finished!!!

2011-01-27T15:12:00.004-05:00

The Clematis painting is finally finished!!! I almost tore it up ten times before it got done. But, I like it!

I want to thank you all for your great patience and encouragement during this painting which gave me tons of worries:-)

I even framed it ( temporarily) even though I will still go back to it in the next few days for the finishing touches. Framed it looks very much the way I saw it in my head. The only part that is totally different is the top dark portion in the middle - that was supposed to be a green leaf....but it looked horrible, so I glazed all kinds of layers of purple on top.

And now, I promise that my next painting will be a nice, easy one:-)

Clematis Update - Wip Part 5

2011-01-26T12:47:00.000-05:00

Since have not had a chance to be at home very much during daylight hours in the past two days and I hate painting at night, I have not yet finished this Clematis. It is slow going...not sure if it is worth all this effort:-( It is not turning out the way I had seen it in my mind.

The picture was taken inside, near a window, on this very, very gray afternoon...so the colors are undoubtedly a bit off.

As always, I love to hear your comments. Positive or negative, they keep me going!

Clematis WIP 4 and Red Bubble Feature

2011-01-23T15:28:00.001-05:00

Here is the 4th update of my clematis watercolor. It is coming along slowly, especially since I did not have a chance to paint at all yesterday. I have touched up the center of the flower and have put in darks at the bottom of the center. (The picture was taken inside.) So far so good, I think. Do you agree?

I was quite pleased to learn that my Pink Peony had won a feature on Red Bubble in the group "Peony Perfection" which focuses more on photography than painting.

I hope that you are nice and warm...here in Ottawa it was -25 Celsius (minus 13 F) this morning and it will be -32Celsius overnight ( minus 26 F.). Brr...that's a bit chilly :-)

Clematis Update- WIP Part 3

2011-01-19T18:03:00.001-05:00

I have worked some more on my Clematis. This picture was taken inside, but have adjusted the picture at least on my monitor.
About 2/3 of the colorful petals are done - the rest will be mostly mauves and purples with highlights. I will put some dark green in the upper right background. Opera would be the best color for some of the pinks, but I don't trust it since it is such a fugitive color.

Somehow, I feel very tentative about this painting...What do you think of it so far?

Clematis update WIP - Part 2

2011-01-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

Here is what I have done so far on the clematis.I am not finding it an easy painting so far. I am having trouble getting the color effects I am after.

I took this picture inside near one of my windows ( reason for the shadows) - it is very sunny here in Ottawa today, but we are freezing - it was -25Celsius this morning ( minus 13 degrees F.) and it is now about minus 17 C. Brr.....Can you believe that the forecast for tomorrow is rain!

Still lots and lots of work.I won't be getting much more done today since I have to drive my daughter to the airport this afternoon: she was home for part of the weekend since her office in NYC is closed today for a holiday.

New work started - Clematis WIP Part 1

2011-01-15T15:26:00.000-05:00

I have started a new watercolor floral: a clematis. My reference photo is from WetCanvas, but I have cropped it and intend to modify the colors significantly. It will be fairly small, 11" X 14" on Arches 140 lb CP paper.

I have started with the heart of the flower and not the background as I usually do: I was really scared of those filaments criss-crossing and did not want to waste my time painting the entire painting first to find out that the center was a failure. At this point, the heart of the flower is almost done - will come back later to fine tune everything - I think that it is ok enough for me to continue with the painting. I hope that you agree.

The darks spots that you see are areas masked to preserve some highlights.

Have a great week-end. We are having our first real snow storm of the year - it is very pretty, but the roads look very slippery.

Red Bubble Feature, final version and thank you!

2011-01-10T16:19:00.000-05:00

Wow! The Red Bubble people are so supportive. Within minutes of posting my latest version of my Fuschias ( Garden Ballerinas), my painting was featured in one of the most respected groups of Red Bubble: Just Watercolours

Here is the final version of this painting: I followed your suggestion and toned down some of the highlights in order to focus more on the left bud. I also darkened the two horizontal stems that distracted me and painted them dark reddish brown, as suggested by Rhonda.

Thank you all for your fresh eyes, support and friendship!

Fuschias -Completed for now

2011-01-07T12:46:00.001-05:00

I have completed my Fuschias painting at least for the time being. As I am looking at the photo that I have taken, I see the need for some adjustments: for example, the horizontal stems at the center top portion are too light and are distracting.

What do I like about this painting or what did I enjoy about the process:
- I like the addition of the colors in the leaves.
-I really enjoyed working one petal at a time
-I enjoyed applying glazes on the petals - I am becoming more comfortable doing this.

What do I still find difficult:
- leaves and greens are not my strength

What do I want to work on:
- putting in a very dark and solid background is probably the easy way out
. I want to work on dark backgrounds that show more of a glow around the main subject

Remaining questions:
- is this painting too busy?
- are the highlights too distracting?
- are the colors clean enough especially in the large leaves? Should I have tried to apply more sections in one dark brushstroke rather than with so much layering?

I am looking forward to reading your thoughts about this.
I will eventually post for purchase it in my Artist International Gallery

First 2011 Post and Update 3 Fuschia WIP

2011-01-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

Amazing...we are already getting used to saying "2011" instead of 2010, but Y2K seems almost like yesterday. How time goes by quickly! Another good reason to plan our activities for the new year...if we don't know where we want to be in 12 months, how could we ever get there? In the next week or so, I will sit down and set my goals and priorities for the coming months.

I already have two resolutions concerning my artistic activities:

1. regain the risk-taking attitude I had when I first started to paint in watercolors.

Rhonda and Mollie commented on my last post and suggested that I use more colors. This made me realize that lately my work has not shown the bold use of colors that could often be found in my early works...Have I become too cautious and am not taking enough risks with color? After all, it's only paper and each painting should be a chance to push our own limits a bit more...
2. learn something totally new.

I have signed up for an online class called "Texture Town" which deals with creating textures in acrylics. I have purchased some of the supplies and have watched most of the videos, but I have not yet started any of the exercises. I intend to start in about two weeks and hopefully I will have something to show on my blog soon after.

Meanwhile, I have worked some more on my Fuschia WIP and, as per resolution # 1, have added more colors especially in the leaves area - mostly violets and some blues as well as almost invisible hints of pink ( yes, I am still being careful). Does this improve the painting? I am not sure at all...is it now too busy? I think that up close it is more interesting....what do you think?

Please note that there are still some unpainted areas at the top. The next WIP should show the finished painting.

Happy New Year and Fuschia WIP update 2

2010-12-31T11:13:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all my blogging friends! May 2011 be full of joy, good health, great friendships and super painting! Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. I appreciate them more than you could imagine.

To finish the year, I am posting an update of my Fuschias' work in progress. I like the little bit of work done on the flowers where I have practiced my glazing, but am not too happy with the leaves that I have probably overworked. What do you think?

I will work some more on this today if I can to be able to start the New Year with a new painting.

All my best to all of you.

Nice way to end the year!

2010-12-30T10:28:00.000-05:00

What a surprise this morning when I received a message from Red Bubble to let me know that my watercolor, Peony and Friends had just been featured in the group Painters Universe as Best in Show for Dec 30th 2010.

I hope to post an update of my current floral later on today....

May 2011 be full of joy and health for all of you and your family.

New WIp- Fuschias and update on retirement

2010-12-20T11:46:00.002-05:00

I have started a new floral: Fuschias, this time. It is approx. 8.5"X 10.5 on Arches 140lb CP. I have cut a full sheet this time instead of using the watercolor pad - as mentioned in my previous WIP, I do notice a difference between the two paper formats...The loose sheet format is more forgiving and I find that it has a smoother texture...strange, since they are supposed to be the same. Perhaps the watercolor pad I have had some defect...
.
Here is the first progress photo: I have painted a dark background, a few of the leaves and am trying out the pinks in the left-hand side. Some of the highlight are being preserved by liquid masking. I am also trying to be patient and to use light layers of glazing on the petals.

As reference, I am using part of a beautiful photo made available to artists on WetCanvas.

Now, where is all that free time I was expecting from my recent retirement? My retirement started officially on Dec 1 and since Dec 3, I have had to deal with a family emergency concerning an elderly relative - she was hospitalized and now I am doing all I can to find her some supported living facility...and keeping her in the hospital when the only thing she wants is to leave:-) I supposed that I should tell myself that if I were still working I would have the same responsibility, but no time to deal with it...Sigh....

I hope that you will follow this WIP - no guarantee how it will turn out, but, successful or not, I will treat this as another learning experience.

Have a great day and I hope that in this week before Xmas life and weather are being good to you!

Hydrangea update

2010-12-10T16:07:00.001-05:00

My hydrangea painting is basically finished. I may tweak a few things before signing it. I prefer the right-hand side and wonder if I should not crop the painting this way, into a much smaller and square format:

Let me know what you prefer.

What have I learned from this painting?

-from the left to the right, I painted with a much lighter touch with clearer pigments to obtain a much better luminosity.

-my intuitive assessment of the level of wetness of this particular paper improved during the painting process.

What do I like about this painting:

- the lower right-hand side was so much fun to paint and I like the hint of warm gold against the cool pinks and mauves.

- the highlights and the whites

What insights can I transfer to my next painting initiative?

-you really can't get into much trouble if you add thin layers at a time and if you are patient enough to let each one of these layers dry properly before the next ( I often get too impatient:-)

Hydrangea WIP-Part 2 and Artalee Feature

2010-12-06T13:30:00.002-05:00

I have worked some more on the hydrangea although I did not get as much done as I had planned during the last few days : I am celebrating my first week of retirement with a really bad head cold:-)
The hydrangea is certainly more complex than I thought. You really have to focus on each little petal...at one point, I think I was painting mini Xmas poinsettias instead of hydrangea petals:-)
I am using Arches CP 140 lb as usual, but from a pad rather than from a single sheet - I am finding that the paper is not reacting quite like I am used to: it bruises very easily and does not allow much scrubbing to lift the lights...For my next painting, I will certainly return to the single sheets cut down to the proper size.
So, without further ado, here is Part 2 of this WIP. The photo was taken insides and it is very overcast hre today again. I rarely say this, but I think this painting looks better in real life than on this picture.

There is still a fair amount of work to do on this painting.Let me know what you think.

Please visit the Artalee site where I have just featured another of my favorite artists and bloggers, Mollie Jones.!

Celebrating a New Beginning! WIP - Hydrangea _Part I

2010-12-01T14:04:00.000-05:00

Today is a most special day for me: it is the first day, officially, of my retirement and it is, officially, the first day of my new beginning as a full-time watercolor painter! To celebrate, I worked on a new painting, branches of hydrangea ( instead of working on my Venetian Pool Party started over a week ago). Here is part I of this WIP - hopefully the firstWIP of many for the month of December.

So far, I have only put in the dark background, the leaves, the stems and I have started on the darkest background petals. Overall, the flower clusters will be mostly light pink with a touch of mauve. The challenge will probably be to keep a unified look to the painting. It has been raining here all day and I took the picture indoors with a flash; consequently, the colors are probably a bit off.

As always, I love to hear from all of you!

Top Ten Challenge Winners

2010-11-27T17:50:00.000-05:00

I was so pleased to find out a few minutes ago that my latest painting, Love that Lace, has just been voted in the top ten of over 80 entries in the Red Bubble Impressionism Cafe challenge for watercolor still life paintings.

Exciting News!

2010-11-21T09:11:00.001-05:00

I am very excited to announce that I have been accepted in the Daily Painters International Art Gallery !
As many of you know, I am retiring on Nov 30th and want to devote my time to painting. I am very result-oriented and need goals: this new venture will ensure that I produce regularly and will keep me super motivated!

. Wish me luck in my new adventure:-)

Sunday Report and Venice Fountain WIP part 1

2010-11-14T18:55:00.001-05:00

Only 2.5 weeks before I retire and can become a full-time artist! Wow! I don't think that I quite realize it yet.

Of course, this has been another busy week with little time for actual painting; however, I did frame my "Love that Lace" and I took advantage of the free weekend trial at ArtistNetworkTV to watch at least 6 art videos on watercolor and acrylic.

This afternoon, I finally sat down in front of my latest sketch: Venetian Pool Party or Venice Fountain. I really want to paint this quickly, spontaneously, rather than going for a labor-intensive realistic look...just to see what I can do quickly:-)Don't expect a masterpiece:-

)Here is the result of this first session:
Have a great Sunday evening!

Love That Lace ; new sketch etc.

2010-11-07T19:21:00.000-05:00

I have finished my Love that Lace watercolor and I am rather pleased with it.

For purchase information, click here.

It is approximately 7.5" X10.5 and I am matting it to fit a 12" X15" frame.

It has such a cheerful look - it reminds me of sunny Sunday afternoons! There is almost a 3-D effect caused by the warm oak wood peeking through the gorgeous lace.

I am looking for a better title. Any suggestions?

What to paint next? I really like one of my pictures of the Fish Market in Venice showing pigeons having a pool party in a bucket under one of those old Venetian fountains. There is a nice play of light and shadows and the rusty fountain is begging to be painted with lots of textures. Here is a small sketch I have just finished - it may be a study for a larger painting to be painted evenutally. This is my first time drawing/painting birds - I may be doing my usual trick of creating new species:-)

Yesterday, I added a new feature on ARTALEE: this time, of my fellow Canadian artist, Jeanette Jobson. I focused on her very unique gyotaku project. Do visit her most interesting blog.

Have a great Sunday evening!

Love that lace wip 4

2010-10-31T19:21:00.006-04:00

I have started the stems, although I still have a bit of work on the cherry tomatoes... Since I never know how much painting time I will get during the week ( at least until Dec 1st :-) I decided to post my Sunday night update. The picture was taken inside and the color is not quite true.

Do you think that they look more like cherry tomatoes now?

Have a great week!

Love that Lace WIP part 3

2010-10-30T19:56:00.000-04:00

I took a deep breath, crossed my fingers, and added some red to my current work in progress:-) The cherry tomatoes look a bit like cherries....everything I paint lately looks like cherries!
I have a lot more work to do on the tomatoes themselves, but hope to start the stems tomorrow. I'd love to read your comments.

Meanwhile, this week, my Southern Belle is continuing its lucky streak on Red Bubbles and was featured again.

I still have difficulty believing that as of Dec. 1st, I will no longer be working full time and for the first time in my life will have time to do what I love...painting, of course:-)

Happy Saturday night to all.

Love that Lace WIP -part 2 and news

2010-10-25T19:33:00.000-04:00

I have worked a bit more on the lace portion of this painting. I think I am trying to postpone the moment when I have to put some red paint on those tomatoes:-)

However, I soon will have a lot more time for painting....Here is my big news: I announced at work today that I was going to resign and retire as of 30th November... On Dec 1st, I can become a full-time watercolor artist:-)

Southern Belle - In top ten in Impressionism Cafe Group Challenge

2010-10-24T13:53:00.002-04:00

My "Southern Belle" watercolor has just placed in the top ten in the Impressionism Cafe Group challenge on Red Bubble. Check out the 22 great entries.


Southern Belle - original watercolor by Christiane Kingsley - SOLD

Lace WIP, Artalee and Red Bubble

2010-10-18T20:38:00.000-04:00

I am back from a beautiful short trip to NYC to visit my daughter.

I have been neglecting my painting lately with my two recent holidays. I have also been spending a lot of my energy thinking about my life at work: my organization is going through a reorganization, and I am trying to decide if I will resign from my full-time job and retire in December. These thoughts are not conducive to creativity:-)

To get my brushes wet again, I have started a new painting with fruit and lace. The approach is a lot less realistic than my previous lace work. It will eventually represent 6 small cherry tomatoes from my garden on another beautiful lace piece that I have borrowed from my mother. I have tried to increase the effect of shadows across the battenburg lace and those created by the tomatoes: I am not sure that it will work, but it's a nice way to get back into painting after the short hiatus.

On another note, my strawberry painting, "Let's Talk"was featured this week on Red Bubble:

Last, but not least, I have just added a new feature on ARTALEE: this one is about our blogging friend Deb Ward who, among other artistic achievements, is a true master at painting lace! I hope that Deb will approve of the paintings that I have selected for the post about her beautiful work.

As always, I am looking forward to your comments.

Update

2010-10-08T17:53:00.003-04:00

In Canada, this is Thanksgiving weekend. I will be flying to NYC to spend a few days with our daughter who is on a one-year assignment there. I am bringing a small painting to work on...but , I'm not sure how much I will get done. However, admiring Kathy Wirth gorgeous posterized portraits of her grandchildren, reminded me that about three years ago I had done my first ( and only) posterized portrait: it is of my daughter ( she is much better looking IRL) and was done in poured monochrome watercolors. It would be fun to try this again.

I am slowly working down my blog roll to feature my great blogging friends and fellow artists on the Artalee site. Today, I invite you to have a look at the beautiful whimsical world of Ross Lynem: I think that one of his paintings would cheer me up any day!

Update: Maine, Red Bubble and Artalee

2010-10-02T13:38:00.000-04:00

We returned home last night from a most relaxing week of vacation in Ogunquit, Maine. The weather did not cooperate very much: we had only one sunny day and came back in a downpour. Nevertheless, I had a great time: walking on the beach...in the fog, eating sea food and taking pictures. I find that the sound of the ocean is music for the soul and it simply washes away all tension. The only downside of our week is that somehow I did not paint very much and my laptop was too slow for any blogging.

I was pleased to find out that my watercolor "Southern Belle" had placed 3rd in a challenge on Red Bubble. This painting is already sold and I recently posted a new version of it which I probably prefer, although the background is less dramatic.

In "Southern Belle II", I really like the plum highlights in the dark background and the more detailed painting of the petals and the stem. This painting is currently hanging in a group show at the Ottawa Little Theatre.

My slow laptop did not allow me during the week to post any new features on ARTALEE. This morning, I was so happy to return to my regular computer! I have just posted a feature of a watermedia artist we all know and love, Sandy Maudlin. I hope that I have done justice to Sandy's versatility and talent.

Follow the Leader...Finished for now

2010-09-27T19:45:00.002-04:00

I am spending a restful week in Maine, right on the ocean. Unfortunately, it has rained all day today and we are expecting more of the same tomorrow. Nevertheless, I am enjoying my vacation away from work.
I spent a few minutes this afternoon finishing my Cherry/Crab Apples painting. It probably needs a few more finishin touches, but I will call it finished for now at least.
The picture was taken inside with my small camera - the colors may be quite off on your monitor.

If we have a sunny day before we go back home, I will try to get pictures of waves ans seagulls to share.

Discover Krista Hasson on ARTALEE

2010-09-25T10:17:00.000-04:00

For my second feature as curator of ARTALEE, I have chosen a fellow Canadian artist blogger, Krista Hasson, whose work I find simply breathtaking. I have posted a few of my favorites by Krista so that those who don't already know her will have a idea of the range of her talent. I hope that you will go and have at the post then go see what Krista is painting now.

Exciting News!

2010-09-19T19:51:00.000-04:00

I am very excited to announce that I have just become a curator of an new curated online gallery: ARTALEE started by Micah Condon, founder of the well-known DailyPainters website. The objective of the gallery is to bring to the visitors a wide range of the best artists on the internet. ARTALEE will not be selling any artwork, simply featuring work of artists that the curator-artists really like.

Mt responsibility will be to help users discover interesting artists and to help promote the work of these artists. What fun this is going to be! As a bonus, I will get to promote my own art at the same time. For each featured artist, I will posting up to 6 pictures of their artwork with a link to their website along with a brief description of what strikes me about their work. I can see this only as positive publicity...we artists sure need all the marketing help we can get.

I will try to feature a few different artists every week.I spend a lot of time reading artists' blogs, those on my blog roll and those on my blogger friends' blog roll. This seems as the logical place for me to start. If you really don't want me to post pictures and links to your blog on ARTALEE, please email me at chris_kingsley@hotmail.com

For my first post, I have chosen the work of Fabio Cembranelli, a watercolor painter from Brazil who creates magic with his paintbrush.

Yikes!,,,No more cherries! Work in Progress

2010-09-18T15:38:00.006-04:00

I was all set to base my entire future as an artist on paintings of lace and cherries....to discover that cherries have a short season! Last week, there was not a single cherry to be found in Canada's capital...believe me, I searched everywhere:-) My next step was to search for something that was not a cherry, but looked a bit like a cherry...at least from quite a distance. I ended up buying and taking pictures of ...humble crab apples! After all, they are a fruit, they are small, shaped a bit like cherries....

The work in progress below shows my feeble attempt at painting crab apples. You will see that these look like a hybrid...I think that I could not decide if I was painting cherries or apples :-(Consequently, theses little guys are probably much overworked. The lace part is only partially done, but I wanted your opinion before spending more time on this watercolor.

The picture was taken inside, so the colors may not be not entirely true.

Cherries and Lace I

2010-09-06T12:47:00.005-04:00

Here is my first small painting of cherries and lace from the numerous photographs I took last week. I painted it yesterday and I kept it very simple: no background, a small portion of lace only with a bit of my hardwood flooring peaking through. It is about 8" X11" and matted at 12" X 15"; it could also be cropped for a square look of 8 X8", cutting out the white on either side of the lace.

For purchase information, please click here.

I enjoyed painting this and will definitely paint some more complex one with the same elements.

What do you think?

Sunday Report

2010-08-29T22:53:00.002-04:00

This has been another week with very little painting and a lot of work. Next weekend is a long weekend, and I certainly intend to spend many hours painting. I will use my next few evening to get several projects on the go.

I have been painting only in my head, these days. However, at least, one of my Venice paintings, Only in Venice, has just been featured on Red Bubble, in the Works on Paper group. This reminds me that I have neglected my "Memories of Venice" series lately.

This morning, I went to the beautiful Experimental Farm Ornamental Gardens to take some pictures as future references for paintings. Which one to choose for the coming projects? What about this hollyhock picture?

I also took some pictures of cherries on the linen lace piece I showed a few weeks ago - I have not shot the perfect reference yet, but I think that I am getting closer to what I want.

Hopefully, I will have more than photographs, plans and previously shown paintings to post by next weekend.

I wish you all a great week.

Almost too busy to paint!

2010-08-22T21:37:00.001-04:00

This past week, I was extremely busy in my full-time job and had little energy left to paint. I did try to paint a few minutes every night, but with my eyes closing with fatigue...not the best conditions for a painter:-) I am posting the artistic results of this low energy week.

The first photo is of the probably finished strawberry trio: Forever Friends, three optimistic berries who don't realize that they will soon find themselves in a real jam :-)

This watercolor painting is on a white background and will be sold matted in white ( with a black core showing at the beveled edge) to 5"X 7" to fit a 8"X10" frame. It is a great companion piece for the other berry paintings shown in previous posts.

Click her to purchase with Paypal or credit card

The next painting will be on my list of "to redo". I like parts of it, but I don't find it "crisp and clean" enough , It is from a picture offered free of copyright to artists by Billie Crain on the Paint my Photo site. It is 7.5 X 9.5" approx. and would fit an 11"X 14" frame.

I also bought myself a few new toys: oil paints, brushes and medium. I don't think that I will ever find a painting medium that I like more than watercolors, but why not give oils a try. Who knows?

Have a great week and I hope that we will all have the time and the energy to create beautiful art:-)

Two recent features on Red Bubble

2010-08-14T22:52:00.002-04:00

I have had two new features on the Red Bubble site lately:
My Laundry Day in Venice watercolor (above) has just been featured in, what else, the Wash Day Group. This is the 4th Red Bubble feature for this painting that also ranked in the top ten in one of that site's artists challenges.

My two strawberries in Let's Talk were recently featured in the Fruit and Veg Shop group.

It's always fun to check the Red Bubble site and find out that one of my paintings has been highlighted. This always sends me right back to my brushes - an instant motivator!
Have a great Saturday evening.

Work in progress - Forever Friends

2010-08-10T19:42:00.000-04:00

The heat wave that won't go away is making me lazy and I have not painted as much as I should have. nevertheless, I want to show you what I am working on: ANOTHER small strawberry painting. After painting one lonely strawberry, two seriously-talking strawberries, I am now depicting three optimistic strawberries - "Forever Friends". This is only a WIP at this stage since I still have a lot of work to do it...the green leaves and the shadows should improve its impact; however, I have been working at night again, and that's never when I do my best work:-(

I want to start adding a bit more complexity to these berry paintings. Here is a picture of part of a linen lace placemat that I would like to use next time - although I may have photographed the wrong side of it:-). What do you think?

"Let's talk!": New strawberry painting

2010-08-01T16:07:00.007-04:00

As I mentioned below, I sold a strawberry watercolor at last weekend's art show. People liked them because they look so realistic with all their seeds and highlights.Today I finished one of the strawberry watercolor paintings I had started, but not finished for that show.

This one is called "Let's talk!" since these two strawberries really seem to be having a serious "tête-à-tête".
It is on Arches 140lb CP watercolor paper. The background is left white in order to focus on the strawberries and their shadows. It is matted in white with interior dimensions of approximately 4.5" X 6.5" and will fit a 8"X10" frame. The mat can be all white, or, if I find another, with a black core line showing at the beveled edge as with my single berry below.

I am really having a lot of fun painting these strawberries -each one seems to have its own character:-)
I have another sketch ready, with three strawberries this time -an increment of one with each new watercolor.

$50 US, matted, unframed. Free shipping in North America

This is a great companion piece to the watercolor below, "Berry Lonely", which is also on Arches 140 lb CP watercolor paper and painted with Windsor and Newton professional grade watercolor paint.It is on a white background ( although the background looks pinkish on my monitor) and is also matted in white ( with black core showing at the beveled edge of the mat) with interior dimensions of approximately 4.5" X 6.5" and will fit a 8"X10" frame.

$49 Canadian, matted, unframed. Free shipping in North America

I am looking forward to reading your comments on the new berry...my next painting will probably be a floral so that you don't all get sick and tired of looking at strawberries.
If you have any questions, email me at chris_kingsley@hotmail.com
Have a great Sunday.

A beautiful gift

2010-07-30T17:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I received a most stunning gift in the mail: "Gardenia", an original watercolor painting by Vicki Green that I won through one of Vicki's regular give aways. You can see a picture of that painting in my post of July 16th. You really have to touch this painting to fully appreciate it: Vicki has attached it to a gallery wrap canvas and then varnished it. This finishing means that the watercolor does not need to be framed under glass!This painting is already proudly displayed on one of my walls, beside a wonderful painting I won in Rhonda Carpenter's giveaway a few months ago. I have started quite the collection:-)

An added treat treat yesterday in the beautifully-wrapped parcel was the note card below, Ocean Swim, from an original watercolor painting by Vicki.

Thank you, Vicki. I will treasure these.

Weekend Art Show

2010-07-25T21:11:00.000-04:00

I spent the weekend showing my work at a local art show organized by the Clarence-Rockland Art Association, a one-year old art association made up of mostly oil painters. The turn-out was composed in great part of friends of the artists, not very many paintings sold, but the weekend was very enjoyable.
I gave out a fair number of business cards, sold several note cards and one of my two " Berry Lonely" strawberry paintings.

Here are a few pictures:

On the first picture, you can see two "Berry Lonely" paintings; the one at the top, the smallest berry, is the one that sold.

The second picture provides a view of most of the wall space I had. The paintings are fairly crowded, but I was pleased with the overall effect.

The show was well-organized: artists were provided with the grids and a table. This meant that all I had to bring was the paintings.
Here you see some of my note cards, printed from my pictures of my original watercolors.

My next showing is in September, where I will show only 1 painting in a group show by the Ottawa Art Association that will take place at the Ottawa Littlle Theatre and will run for about a month. One of my friends is preparing an Open House in early October for a group of 4 artists - this should be a lot of fun. In November, I will most likely enter one painting in the Ottawa Art Association Annual Fall Awards Show. I intend to keep an eye on all Call for Submissions for at least one interesting Xmas Show.
Meanwhile, I want to focus on improving the "purchase" section of my blog for internet sales.

Do internet sales work for you? What strategies do you use? Is joining a group site ( the best known probably being the Daily Painters and difficult to join at this point) the best way to go? I think these topics could start a very interesting discussion. I am looking forward to reading your insights on the topic....

Enjoy your Sunday evening.

Double Feature for "Berry Lonely"

2010-07-18T12:14:00.000-04:00

Obviously, my lucky streak that saw me winningVicki Green's beautiful giveaway is continuing. My recent strawberry painting, that I have entitled in a corny way "Berry Lonely Without You", has had a double feature on the Australian gallery site "Red Bubble": in Art up Close and in Realist Traditional Art.

In spite of all my good intentions to paint several more of these strawberries in the last week, I have not finished any new one so far; I have spent the entire weekend cutting mats and foam core, installing hanging wire and framing for my show next weekend. I have about a dozen paintings ready to go and another half-dozen in various stages of framing. Maybe tonight I will treat myself to a good painting session:-)

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

I am so excited...

2010-07-16T18:37:00.002-04:00

I am so thrilled! I have just won Vicki Green's July giveaway! It is a stunning, gorgeous painting entitled "Gardenia".

It is a 5x7 inch watercolor that is mounted on a 9x12 gallery wrap canvas and then varnished. Wow!

Thank you so much, Vicki! I will certainly cherish this beautiful piece.

Here is Vicki's blog. Don't miss her next generous giveaway!

Strawberry, anyone?

2010-07-10T17:35:00.002-04:00

Today, I painted this small 5" X 7" watercolor painting in preparation for my show in two weeks. I would like to paint a few more on the same theme: the next one with two strawberries, then one with three etc.
The picture was taken inside with a flash unfortunately.

I always love to read your comments and suggestions.

Peony and Friends: Winner of Red Bubble Challenge

2010-07-03T07:22:00.001-04:00

I am quite excited that my painting "Peony and Friends" has just won the "Say it with Flowers" challenge on Red Bubble and will become the avatar for the Art up Close group! I also become their fourth featured member .
.

Peony and Friends

Approx. 8” X11”
Arches CP watercolor paper

Available for purchase

Have a great holiday weekend!

Magnolia II for Canada Day

2010-07-01T22:06:00.000-04:00

I have a four-day weekend because of Canada Day. It was so enjoyable to spend the day painting. After the small details of the strawberry and the maze of the peony petals, I wanted something easy and relaxing. I painted a variation of my "Southern Belle" magnolia painting ( see earlier post below). This is a smaller size than my initial version and is less dramatic...but I think that in general it is better painted. Or at least should be once I have smoothed some areas and some edges.

Arches 140 CP watercolor paper with W&N paints.
7.5" X 9.5"
The background is almost black with plum highlights.

Small video workshop study and question

2010-06-27T10:11:00.000-04:00

I am completing a small strawberry study from Jacqueline Gnott's video " My Favorite Things". Jacqueline makes one take a real close-up look at a strawberry. Wow. I had never noticed all those small details before. Fascinating! Here is my humble 5" x7" rendition of Jacqueline's fruit:

My husband laughed yesterday afternoon as he found me in the kitchen taking pictures of almost every strawberry in the basket he had purchased earlier. I was looking for strawberries with stems...but there was none!!!

I will be in a two-day show at the end of July. Apparently last year not a single painting sold at that show:-( I think I should have small paintings of this size either framed or just matted to offer some less expensive art. What do you think?

Most artists at that upcoming show work in oil or acrylic. I believe that there will be only one other watercolor artist. I found that surprising. That brought me to reflect on what medium is used on the various daily painters sites. Most daily works are in oils; acrylic is next. Watercolor is fairly rare. Why is that?
Do people hesitate to buy online a painting that is either not yet framed or is framed in glass that could break in transit? Is it that watercolor is not popular or is perceive of lesser value than oil or acrylic paintings?

I would really like to hear your opinion on this topic.

Have a great Sunday.

Pink Peony - Finished- To crop or not to crop

2010-06-26T12:44:00.001-04:00

As I was painting my Pink Peony I extended the background past what I intended to paint. I can now leave it at 11" X 14" framed larger, or crop it to fit a 11X14 frame at about 8 X 11.
In the larger version, the peony does not have a stem and may look as if it is floating; however, I like the larger frame size and the background looks less crowded. However, some have already commented that the larger background detracts from the flower....Decisions, decisions! Any advice? Below is the larger format .

Peony WIP part 4- Almost completed

2010-06-23T20:35:00.003-04:00

There was an earthquake in Ottawa, Canada, today. My office building had to be evacuated and I finally went home around 3 pm...thus getting a bit of unexpected painting time. I worked on the petals of my peony. Unfortunately I worked after the natural sunlight was gone...I often make color choice errors with my artificial light. Once I had painted all the petals, I realized that all my petal colors were cool colors; so I quickly tried to add little hints of warmth here and there.|That probably was not very wise,,, Here is what the painting looks like photographed inside with a flash. I can't wait for tomorrow morning to see what it "really" looks like in daylight. I still have quite a few finishing touches to add and a few imperfections to fix ( white streaks in the background because of smeared miskit, white that need softer edges etc).

Let me know what you think.