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This week's focus – based on traditional Quebec scenes

1/26/2015

A.Y. Jackson, On the Road to Baie St-Paul

Lawren Harris

In winter I look for stimulating subjects to resent in class, and we have covered many over the years. To be honest, if it appeals to me I assume it will appeal to my students:)

When you go to ski village centers where there are art stores (like Sutton or Mont Tremblant, for example) you will often find therein lovely, colourful village scenes. These paintings arise from a tradition set in the early 1900s. Group of seven artists Lawren Harris and A.Y. Jackson were among the painters who developed this almost graphic style of painting. Modern painters take the colourization even further.

Early Quebec Painter, Clarence Gagnon, circa 1926

To encourage a colourist approach I will suggest creating the drawing in conté, 'fixing' the drawing using acrylic medium, and then removing the original from view and making your own colour choices. I will also encourage adapting parts from several examples I have printed out, or just build your own happy winter village. Can't wait to see what everyone accomplishes - always amazing!

Below are a screen grab of Googled images for Quebec winter village scenes. Looks like we will have some fun! Click on the image to see a larger view.

My rough sketch and wash in - acrylic and conte.

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January is for the birds!

1/23/2015

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After a very gratifyingly busy Christmas (both family and a large design project), I admit to feeling a little unprepared for my first classes this week. Mostly because I did not have much opportunity to paint...

I was looking out the window, though, one very cold morning, watching the chickadees and blue jays at the feeder and wondering how they survive these -20 something temperatures, and so happily! Chirping about, taking turns at filling up. That's it, I thought, let's take a re-look at painting our little bird paintings on a black background. We have done it before, it is fun and relaxing - a nice way to ease ourselves back in to painting.

And fun it was. The process is to draw in white pencil on the small (4x4 and 6x6) black-gessoed mdf boards prepared by husband Tom. The background is painted next, painting only the negative shapes and leaving the bird and major branches in black. This is exciting and really establishes the 'design'. Next, the branches are developed, and then the bird, Thinner paint applications work well to create shadowed areas, with stronger or built-up applications of paint for the brighter areas. Most students were able to create 2 paintings on Wednesday evening. Owls, as you can see, were a popular choice!

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Encourage & Explore

This week's focus – based on traditional Quebec scenes

January is for the birds!

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