New painting

I started a new painting, a couple of weeks ago, of the view on my drive home. The two apartment towers in Leaside at sunset look really cool. The style I've painted it in is more abstract than how I normally paint, but I like it and it feels authentic to me, if that makes sense. I've left it for a bit because of what is going on with my father. I was thinking of doing a number of views in this style. Including the view along O'Connor on I drive toward the Trillium building. My idea was to do a series of buildings that are meaningful to me in terms of my day-to-day activities.

My pretty daughter...

Another unfinished painting...this one is of my daughter at our cottage against a backdrop of beautiful fall leaf colours. I've promised myself that I will finish this one this year for sure! (It looks a little smudged 'cause I've moved it around so often...should probably clean it up first.)

found my sketch book!!!

It was in my closet! Why? Who knows...I was probably cleaning and wanted to put it somewhere where I wouldn't forget...and forgot about it! Well, I'm happy and will be back to getting through the EDM list.

My baby boy....

This is a portrait of my youngest son when he was about 5-6 years old, sitting on a lawn chair by the lake at our cottage. He's 17 now but remains my "baby"...and he still has the same wonderful smile.

This is the first portrait I've ever painted. I started painting it in acrylics but found it to difficult to do the details in the face, so I finished it with water-based oil paints. It was a pleasure working in this medium because it was like working with oil-based paints, only without the smell and clean-up.

...lost my sketchbook

I can't find my sketchbook, so I had to reprint the EDM list. I noticed something I hadn't before, EDM #67 - Draw something Mom. I'm posting this drawing of my mother when she was around 20 or so. I drew this soon after her death and since I've been thinking alot about her lately (well, I always think about her...but more lately), I thought I'd share my drawing here.

I hope I find my skechbook soon...looking at this now, I see I need to taper her cheeks a bit...

...so I'm back...

Life's gotten in the way, as it always does, and I let it. But, today I took hold and finished a painting I started last year. Initially, I was focused on doing a simple still life. Apples on a draped satin fabric. I used a reference photo my son had for a project when he was in high school. It looked simple enough. Not so, when I got to working the draping...then the painting became all about learning to paint draped fabric. Once I got it to look just like I wanted, I couldn't even think about finishing the apples...until today! I'm finished... and I think it looks good. What a great feeling. So, now I've gone downstairs and pulled out four other paintings I started last year and plan on finishing those in the near future.

long time...

Just bought a professional artist easel from someone on Craigslist. It's great...well used, but still great...plus about 30-40 canvases, all for about $100. I'm really glad, I've wanted this easel for some time but didn't want to pay the full $250 for a new one. As for painting, I working on "finishing" this year. I have about 6 paintings in process and all very near completion, but I just left them. So my goal is to finish these before starting a new one.