Left Behind

The other day one of the wild turkeys that visit our yard left a gift behind. Now, turkeys often leave things behind and most of the time we do not appreciate the 'gift' and we have to watch were we walk - lol. But this time I was pleased.

There was a perfect tail feather on the lawn. Turkeys often leave the odd wing feather but the large tail feathers are not as common. Anyway, I picked it up but just couldn't throw it away. So, I painted on it!

Hummingbird and Morning Glory

I was so pleased that I went searching through my stash of feathers and found a few more that were large enough to paint.

Valley scene

Raccoon

I am hoping that these will sell well at the Saturday Afternoon Summer Art Market tomorrow. And, I am hoping that more feathers get left behind when the turkeys visit.

Lucky Demonstrations

Once again I was very lucky with my demonstrations for my students this week and completed a few paintings that worked very well.

#1010 - Yellow-rumped Warbler #2 - 5 x 7 watercolour

Ed wanted to work on a piece that had more detail and to have a more realistic painting. This piece involved using finer brushes and a nib pen for the smallest lines. Because of the detail Ed didn't get his painting finished during the class but he was doing a super job. I hope he brings his painting next time and I hope he will let me take a photo.

#1011 - A Quiet Place - 5 x 7 watercolour

"A Quiet Place" was a very lucky painting. A few weeks ago my student, Heather, and I worked on a scene from the Creston Valley. Heather had problems with a few elements of her piece so I grabbed a discarded piece of paper to show her how to make some corrections. The trees on the hill in the middle ground were painted first to demonstrate how to blend them together and set them down on the hill. Then, I quickly painted some evergreens to one side so I could show her how to lift the dark colour to make bushes in front of the trees. While she was making these adjustments on her painting, I just sort of doodled in the rest of the scene. I really liked the finished painting which is why I say it was lucky.

#1006 - Erickson Orchards - 7 x 10 watercolour

This is my painting of the valley scene that Heather and I were working on and you can see the locations that involved the demonstrations. Again, I hope to be able to get photos of her painting at her next lesson.

Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment.

30/30 January Challenge #4

Another cold day but the air is crisp and clear; it would be a great day to get some good winter photos if, of course, I took good photos and wanted to go out in the cold - lol.

I did the basic drawing for my fourth piece early this morning then started on the painting at Art Club.

#982 - Beyond the Walls - 5 x 7 watercolour

I finished the painting this afternoon and I have to say that the bricks got a little boring. However, I like the concept of this piece; that beyond the walls, whether physical or mental, lies a wonderful world.

Now I just have to add my link to Leslie's 30/30 page - don't forget to check it out!

Painting for the Public

When I start a painting I don't usually think about if it will sell; I paint for the enjoyment. There are however a few scenes that I paint because they are popular with the tourists and with people who used to live in the area.

Clouds on the Mountains #2

Most of those scenes are similar to this one; a view of the Creston Valley looking west across the flats as viewed from Hwy 3A.

Birds over Erickson

I have done a few scenes of the east side of the valley but they don't seem to have the same impact as the west side paintings.

Kootenay Lake Sunset #2

Another popular scene is my version of sunset on Kootenay Lake. These are based on my daughter's photo of Garland Bay.

Over the years I have done 17 paintings of the west side of the valley, 14 paintings of sunset on the lake and 5 paintings of the east side of the valley. I am happy to say that most of them have sold.

I have used photos of a number of my original paintings to make cards which also sell very well, especially to the tourists during the summer. I have painted a number of other valley scenes but, judging by card sales, they don't have the same appeal.

I rarely paint the same thing twice because I like variety too much but when I paint the valley I always end up with pictures that are subtly different.

It is a joy to live in such a beautiful area and as long as scenes like this keep selling I will keep painting them because it is fun and profitable too - always a bonus!

DAY 27 - The East Side

Today I chose three elements that can be found on the east side of the Creston Valley.

The East Side

I decided to use color again to see if I could keep the composition limited to the three elements; the mountains, some orchards and the grain elevators. It turned out pretty subtle which the valley isn't. In the spring, the valley is blooming with flowering trees and in the summer it is vibrant with many shades of green.

"The East Side" is a 7 x 10 watercolor on Masa rice paper.

BTW - The elevators are not in use and may not last many more years: it is a shame that it is too expensive to preserve these signs of the past.

See more art at - http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.ca/ and then go and vote at - http://paintamasterpiece.blogspot.ca/ -

DAY 26 - Just the Elements

I think today's painting does a better job of depicting just a few elements of the scene I wanted to portray.

Mountains & Flats

The Creston Valley has a number of elements that are easily identifiable. To the east there are mountains, orchards and vineyards: to the west there are mountains, the wetlands and the Flats. And, almost everywhere you look there are trees; fir, larch, cedar, aspen and poplar to name a few.

'Mountains & Flats' shows the west view without the detail that one of my regular paintings would show. I think it more in keeping with the Oriental style. I just used black and gray as a reminder to keep my focus. The painting is a 7 x 8 watercolor on rice paper.

The Flats are the flood plain for the Kootenay River as it goes into Kootenay Lake. Many years ago, before the dykes and dams were built, the valley floor would be flooded every spring and people would have to come to town by boat. The Flats are now rich farm land except for the parts reserved for the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area.

Here are the links again for you to check out the other art and to vote for your favorites - http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.ca/  and http://paintamasterpiece.blogspot.ca/

DAY 25 - Overwhelmed

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. Between this challenge, a challenge on Facebook to share 3 paintings a day, opening a Pinterest account, starting my bedding plants AND do all the normal household things that have to be done, I wonder how I will get to everything. It took over an hour this morning just to go through my emails, and my google+ and Facebook notifications. Oh well, some things will be finished in a week!

Valley Grapes

I managed to put this piece together last night while I was getting dinner ready. It is, once again, a mixture of Oriental style and my normal style. I used a mystery paper which offers a bit more blending capabilities than rice paper but not the same control as watercolor paper. All in all an interesting experiment.

'Valley Grapes' is a 7.5 x 9 unframed watercolor based on one of my photos taken at a local vineyard.

Check out the art at - http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.ca/ and then go and vote at - http://paintamasterpiece.blogspot.ca/.

Enjoy the art and have a great Sunday! - I am going to play with my flower sprouts!

DAY 24 - On My Own

Today I decided to take what I have learned about Oriental style painting and see if I could apply it to a local scene.

Kootenay Lake

This scene is based on one of my photos of Kootenay Lake: a place that used to be called Cummings Resort but now has a strange name that I don't remember.

I am not very happy with this painting as the style is a bit too much like my regular pieces. It doesn't have that vignette quality that I see in the Oriental style. My analysis of the landscapes in my copy books suggests that only a few elements of a scene are painted and they are not usually connected.

I have a few other photos that I will work from in the next few days but this piece will be going in the NFS file!

Remember to stop by -http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.ca/ to see the work from the other artists in the challenge and then go to Sea Dean's blog to vote on your favourites - http://paintamasterpiece.blogspot.ca/

If you would like to see more of my art check out my Facebook Art page at - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mellowood-Studio-and-Art-Gallery/120412094734638?ref=hl

Join me on Google+ at - https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ValvanderPoel/posts

and I have finally opened an account on Pinterest although there is not much to see yet  - http://www.pinterest.com/val1057/boards/

What to display

I have spend part of today figuring out what art to display at the Artistic Visions Summer Art Market. It is a difficult job. I want to show  a variety of my work but I have to consider that a number of the people visiting the market will be tourists - tourists with limited space and possibly limited funds. That seems to indicate art that travels well like watercolors matted and bagged. On the other hand, people like to be able to take their purchase home and just hang it on the wall. I guess a combination is my best bet.

Now to subject matter!

Under the Skimmerhorn

Of course I want a number of local scenes. I have heard that tourists like to take home sights from their holidays and valley residents might like to have a familiar picture for their homes. That's two potential buyer types.

In Storage

Next I think should be nostalgia. Art that might evoke memories or dreams of a different time - some might say simpler but I like indoor plumbing. Nostalgia can include simple flowers like Columbine and Daisies or a scene that reminds one of camping trips in the mountains or at the lake. H'mm I have to think what I have that fits.

Which Way Up?

Finally, I think I will aim for fun. Bright, bold and colorful - paintings (and wall-hangings) that make people smile or just feel cheerful because of the colors. Thanks to the mixed media course I took with local artist Win Dinn, I have a number of pieces that fit this category.





Now that I have my guidelines figured out I can start my selection and hope there is room for everything I pick. Maybe, if lots of art sells I will be able to to display everything over the summer - wouldn't that be a miracle!