Waterfall - West Coast Trail

I've been painting with a group of artists that encourage one another to try new methods and media. This particular painting was created with a gel medium, acrylics and a palette knife. The gel medium is applied to the painted masonite board with my palette knife as if I was actually painting. Then I waited for the gel to become firm and applied the acrylics with my palette knife into the gel. It was if I was sculpting with the gel and acrylics...a process that was very exciting!
I will try this again as I found it liberating in creative expression.

Lilac Tea Art Show - A Success

A quick posting to let my readers know that the Lilac Tea Art Show held Sunday May 25, 2008 was a success. We had a good attendance and interest in the Art Show. The Lilac Tea Art Show is becoming a wonderful venue for many in our community who would not view art to come to the Library and experience fine art in a comfortable setting. It is one of our goals to raise the profile of the Library through the Lilac Tea Art Show and show case the literacy programs that are available through the Library. The Lilac Tea Art Show is also a great way to meet your neighbours and to experience 'community' at the Library and to give support to the community through the purchase of a Lilac Raffle ticket. We raised over $400 for the Library's literacy programs this summer 2008 by fundraising with the Lilac Raffle. I thank all the artists that participated and supported 'Art for Literacy' at Tyendinaga Township Public Library. I thank Leona Dombrowsky, MPP for Prince Edward - Hastings, Margaret Walsh, Reeve for Tyendinaga Township and Peter Kooistra, Mayor of Stirling ON for 'celebrating the artist' and supporting 'Art for Literacy'.

MORNING OVER THE MAZINAW - BON ECHO ON

At long last here is the finished painting...I have been very busy with the Lilac Tea Art Show and my neglect of my blogger shows.

I reworked this painting since I wanted the sky darker and the water to reflect more of the sky's colours! This painting will be exhibited at the Bon Echo Art Show this summer in July 25th - 27th. I will be camping in the park and up each morning to set up my display. If you are able to attend I would be pleased to meet you!

MAZINAW LAKE & ROCK @ BON ECHO

Mazinaw Lake & Rock
Bon Echo Provincial Park, ON
15 1/2 x 15 1/2 " acrylic
Copyright Cynthia Guthrie

Finished!!....(but I think I need to take the picture with more lighting since the colours on the left side seem pale to me.) I decided that the colouring in the painting of yesterday looked like light was just appearing in the sky. Since the view is toward the east I decided that it was the beginning of the morning sunrise hence the pinks and yellows in the sky above the rock. These colours are reflected onto the calm water surface along with the rock reflection and shadows. I'm pleased with the end result and I hope you will enjoy it too.

Bon Echo Provincial Park - Unfinished

Bon Echo Provincial Park
Acrylic 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 "
Copyright Cynthia Guthrie

I paint with a group of women whose paintings styles are very different from mine. It's a good thing to expose myself to other styles as it challenges me to try new things and become a better artist. In this painting of the rock face in Bon Echo Provincial Park I under painted the canvas with blues, whites, greens and purples. The rock face has deep vertical cuts in it and to capture that look I used a gel medium which dries clear and hard. My brush strokes are applied in a 'messy' fashion and the rock colours are conveyed through the clear gel medium. When viewed at a distance of 15 feet the effect is amazing. The rock face appears to have deep vertical cuts! Now I'm in a conundrum....do I add more paint or leave it as it is? The jury is still out. What do you think??

Native Wildflower - ' Cool Yellow Drops'

Woodland Bellworts
' Cool Yellow Drops'
Acrylic 20 x 20"
Copyright Cynthia Guthrie

This painting 20x20" was a lot of fun to create!! I used a very loose approach and broadly stroked on cerulean blue, burnt sienna, chromium oxide green, dioxazine purple and a little naples yellow. The bellworts were painted with a very cool lemon yellow, titanium white, and shadowed with dioxazine purple. Since my last posting I felt more shadowing was needed on the flowers to give them more definition and shape. This is where I added some purple.
Bellworts are also known as 'wild oats' and the plant belongs to the Lily family. They are found in woods and thickets and bloom in spring from April to June. I think they are a delicate spring flower and soon they will be blooming in my woodland garden.

A Work in Progress...

'Bellworts'
20x20" acrylic
copyright Cynthia Guthrie

Come see my studio where I paint....Bellworts are native woodland flowers and I have some growing in my woodland garden. In this art work I'm trying to capture the blades of grass against which the bellworts are dangling. Now I will rest my eyes from the image and look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow in order to decide which changes I need to make.