In London, I spent my first day decompressing and sketching in the garden.
from Blogger http://splynch.blogspot.com/2019/06/harlesden-garden.html
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Harlesden Garden
Window Sketches
I am a big fan and follower of the urban sketchers group, but I am too much of a wuss to spend much time at it myself through the Ontario winter. I have to make do with these views through my windows.
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| I love freesias |
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| The dog inserted herself into this one. |
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| Fountain pen and wash |
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| Snowy day in February |
from Blogger http://splynch.blogspot.com/2019/05/window-sketches.html
Interiors
When it is too cold to paint outside we have to make do with what we have.
from Blogger http://splynch.blogspot.com/2019/04/interiors.html
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Still Life
Artist Steven Reddy is a member of the Urban Sketchers group and also teaches a couple of online courses through Bluprint (aka Craftsy).
I find his technique interesting but have never had the courage to adopt his quirky, almost cartoonish style. However, I do find that there is something liberating about using these direct pen contour lines, with little or no preliminary drawing. Perspective isn’t always accurate and shapes are sometimes a bit skewed, but the finished result makes for a strong, illustrative drawing.
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There is always the Cat
Her name is Marigold and her purpose in life is to torment the dog.
She is also an escape artist. She has made a (cat sized) hole in the top of the screen door (twice) and she escaped into the ceiling at the vet’s office. It took them an hour to get her back down. When she wants to come inside she climbs up to the 2nd floor bathroom window. She has to scale several roofs to get there and she can’t come in that way, but she yells at whoever is in there to let them know that they need to come down to open the door.
from Blogger http://splynch.blogspot.com/2019/04/there-is-always-cat.html
Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie
I haven’t been doing as much painting recently, but still drawing and sketching.
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often it is the dog who gets to star. I really should make an effort to
do some action sketches. Letting the sleeping dog lie is all very well
but they get a bit repetitive.
from Blogger http://splynch.blogspot.com/2019/04/letting-sleeping-dogs-lie.html
A Path not Taken
12”X12″ Oil on canvas
This is the last of the 12x12s I have painted over the past few weeks, and it will also be submitted to the NAC show.
Although this one also started out as a real place it became somewhat mystical as I was painting it and I decided that it would go well with my two commuting pictures.
Commuting to work every day through the countryside and farmland is a big improvement over highway and city driving (except in the winter when the roads are the last to be cleared), but there is still no time to stop and explore those other paths that look so much more interesting.
I plan to go back to my postcard sized format for a while and doing lots of drawing , some of which I may post here.
from Blogger http://splynch.blogspot.com/2019/03/a-path-not-taken.html
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Morning Commute
12”X12” Oil on canvas
It’s about 7:30 am, somewhere between St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake, late Summer.
This is one that I think I will submit to the Small Feats show at NAC on April 6. All 12×12 paintings will be offered for $200 with some or all proceeds going to the Niagara Artists Centre
from Blogger http://splynch.blogspot.com/2019/03/morning-commute.html
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Evening Commute
12″X12″ Oil on canvas
I seem to have spent my entire adult life living west of my place of work. This means that for about three months of the year I am driving into the sun in the mornings or the evenings (or both).
Driving from Niagara-on-the-Lake to St. Catharines requires crossing the Welland Canal. There are several lift bridges as well as a high-level “Skyway”. This is the Lakeshore Rd. bridge, by Lock 1. The date would be somewhere in early November.
I think I will submit this one to the “Small Feats” NAC fundraiser.
from Blogger http://splynch.blogspot.com/2019/03/evening-commute.html
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Snow Trees
12″X12″ Oil on canvas
Niagara is still full of fruit farms, although they are fast being replaced by vineyards.
I can’t remember what sort of trees these were. In the winter they all bear the same fruit.