Big Ass Watercolors

Newest Painting (July 13th)

2010-07-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

This is my newest watercolour. The scene is the Leamington Marina in Southwestern Ontario. The time is the end of the day with the hot southern sun going down and this brother and sister sharing a moment fishing. In the background is the familiar Pelee Islander ferry. It is one a a series of local scenes I am working on and plan to exhibit in our annual lakeside yard exhibit. This year it is planned for September 26th.

Online With Busacca Gallery

2010-02-02T06:16:00.000-08:00

You can now find my watercolours online at Busacca Gallery Online. This is the start of what I hope will become a terrific relationship. Mark the owner and curator at Busacca Gallery in San Francisco, has developed a great model for making quality art available to a discerning art market.

Besides my work there is a vast collection of other professional art and interesting objects. The items shown are juried, guaranteeing a level of quality at the site. If you are in San Francisco, drop by their gallery.

St. Ives in England: Superb Location

2010-01-07T08:03:00.000-08:00

I just finished this scene from St. Ives in the south of England. It happens to be my favorite location in England for painting. It inspired me very much. In this particular scene the harbour is obviously at low tide.

The two fishing boats await their return to high water. I placed the gull higher in the scene. Painting this location immediately took me back there. The image size is 28" X 40"

My 2010 Watercolor Calendar is Available!

2009-11-27T06:34:00.000-08:00

I have produced a high quality calendar and have made it available for sale over at LuLu.com. Each Month features one of my paintings and has coupled to it an motivational message. You are able to view a preview of each month. A great gift idea that inspires all year long.

Four Friends

2009-10-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

This painting was completed this week. The setting is a lake near Huntsville Ontario. Four chairs, the end of summer and fall colours flourishing. It is a contemplative scene, that drew me immediately. The watercolour is about 26" X 38".

Painting A New Watercolour

2009-09-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

Step One: The Planning and Drawing

Once I have the paper ready, I sketch out the scene and apply liquid frisket to areas that I want to stay free of paint at this stage. In this case study the three lilies and some of the leaves of the cattails are isolated in this way. This is crutial in the planning stage. To get this wrong, you can't simply go back and correct it. You'd have to start over. Everything is planning in watercolour.

Step Two: Base Colour

Once I have the paper ready, I sketch out the scene and apply liquid frisket to areas that I want to stay free of paint at this stage. In this case study the three lilies and some of the leaves of the cattails are isolated in this way. This is crutial in the planning stage. To get this wrong, you can't simply go back and correct it. You'd have to start over. Everything is planning in watercolour

Step Three: Flushing Out The Main Features

Of course these photos are a little deceiving because the painting appears to be almost done. But, the frisket is still in place. The under water areas are taking shape. The darkness of this area, is applied very wet so that the colour moves around freely. I cann also drop in some raw colour to facilitate algae etc. I also stopped short of the right to replicate the strong light washing out that area.

Step Four: Finishing

With the frisket removed I am now able to finish the lilies, add some tone to some of the over-hanging leaves and leavind some pure white (or exposed papaer) this helps with the strong light effect. I pull back some of the lily pad stem from the dark area to help with a sense of depth. It is at this stage that I also splatter different colours into the composition. I feel this loosens up the scene.

From here I crop the painting and prepare for matting.

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Living Large Outdoor Show Best Ever!

2009-08-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

Well my 3rd annual outdoor show was a great success. Traffic was steady all afternoon and in total we sold six originals and one print. One of the paintings sold was "Bold Light Lilies" pictured two posts below. All of our guests commented on the new work, creative snacks and beverages. We had two classic cars on display to distract the kids and husbands.

Our most distant guests came from Winnipeg, Manitoba. They were vacationing in the area and saw our promotional postcard at a tourism booth. Our free print draw went to a guest from London, Ontario. It was great how everybody took the time to sit and admire their favorite paintings. The day was essentially cut two hours short due to a sudden vigorous cloud burst. Thankfully the yard was full enough so that people could grab a painting and rush into the house. From past experience, the end of the day usually brings out regulars, but I think the rain made them believe that it would be cancelled at that point. Regardless, about thirty guests stayed for the barbeque and socializing.

As I said all the effort paid off and resulted in the best sales to date at a single event. We are looking forward to the 4th edition of the event next summer. My next show is a joint one in Windsor Ontario. It will be at a new gallery called, "Fresh Meet."

Maybe we'll see you there.

Putting Together An Outdoor Home Show

2009-08-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

This coming Sunday the 16th of August is our 3rd annual watercolour show that we put on in our yard. We live on 2 acres of property on the shores of Lake Erie near Windsor, Ontario - across from Detroit. It is quite an effort, but the last two years we drew about 100 guests each. It is not open to the public but to invited guests and their friends.

I put together a slick postcard and mail to our list and also use social web-media, email marketing and blogging to get the word out. My wife Rose also distributes some to tourist spots around town. (this is about as public as we get).

I had a cottager in the area call to see if they could attend. Like I'd deny them :) We advertised that $50. from each original sold goes to the local hospital fund.

Also this year we are putting in a couple of classic cars to amuse husbands who are dragged along by the art loving women in their lives. Since I have moved on to large scale watercolours, I had to construct 10 easels out of 2X4's and stain them (they look great). The last few years I used what I call tree easels which were black wooden easels that attached to trees with black bungie cords. Very nice.

We serve wine and refreshments and finger food. The paintings are arranged with seating positioned so that a patron can sit and admire the work. Last year we had one couple come from Toledo, Ohio (2 hours away) and spend the afternoon relaxing a chatting.

Once the event is over I will document here how it went with accompanying pictures. We ask friends to stick around afterwards for a barbeque and fire.

At the show we always offer a free print draw to help build our list further. My goal is to offer a draw here on this blog as well. If you'd like to see how we do the "Living Large Show" come back in a week or so and see how we did it.

Just Completed: Lily In Strong Light

2009-07-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

The image at 25" X 36.5" is very striking. As I painted this subject, I was wondering how the reed shadows were going to play out. I'm very happy with the results of my efforts. The subject appealed to me because of the strong white light and dynamic shadows. Two lilys in shadow throws the focus on the the lily up front. Putting it a little off centre helps the composition quite a bit. The painting in general has a nice graphic appeal to it. It's size is very much in your face.

I'm typically attracted to close compositions. Long shadows reel me in as well. Essentially the composition is pretty simple, but I enjoy the fresh wet serenity pictured here. I may have a few minor teaks to add, but only a few days of contemplation will determine that. When ever I complete a painting. It sits on my drawing board, as I pass by. It's complete when I feel there is nothing more I can add.

It's All About The Light

2009-05-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished this painting about an hour ago. It was painting from a photo I took of the marshland at Point Pelee national Park in Leamington Ontario. What drew me to the image, was the strong white light from the top right. The lilypads seemed to glow on the water's surface. The vegetation below the surface provided a terrific contrast to what was happening above.

The painting is 26" X 38". I chose purple as the water colour strictly for its dynamic effect. I was advised to use purple a few years ago by an artist friend of mine, Marc Gabbana. Marc is a conceptual illustrator employed in the movie industry. Marc's simple but important advice was to choose colours that don't necessarily appear in nature. For me that tidbit gave me the freedom to experiment a little. Some of my current favorite paintings employ this advice. It sure makes a more striking piece.

Why not try purple instead of blue in your next painting and see what you think. You will be pleasantly surprised by the effect.

Life Drawing

2009-04-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine recently rented out some space with a few friends with the intention of opening a creative space. It is called "Freshmeet." Besides an intimate exhibition space, they will also be offering life drawing. It is my desire to join in this activity. So expect to see some posts on the work I accomplish at these sessions.

This new endeavor will also serve as a meeting place for artists to share ideas. It is something we meant to do years ago, but now is coming to light.

"Big Ass" Good or Bad?

2009-04-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

The name of my blog has caused some consternation with friends and colleagues. Frankly most don't like it. They get the joke, but think it diminishes the quality of my work. I'm not totally convinced of that. I chose the name to stand out among other art sites. Most art sites are inspirational, soft-sell approaches. Big Ass Watercolors refers specifically to my large format watercolors. I think it's a bit of fun. Does it always have to be so serious. When I launched the blog, I mentioned it on Twitter and a follower (Coach Charisse) replied her dislike for it, but a day later commented that it was growing on her.

What do you think? Should I keep it or chuck it?

Snow Trees Complete

2009-02-14T11:45:00.001-08:00

The bottom picture is my interpretation of the photograph. My intention is never a photograhic copy, but to capture the feel of the scene I had experienced. The finished painting is 19" X 42" in size. The edges are a ripped deckle edge. In this scene no white was used. I used frisket to reveal the white of the paper.

How do you feel about this painting?

Painting Snow Trees

2009-02-13T17:42:00.000-08:00

I took this picture during a quiet snowfall about two years ago. I love the shot, but I didn't quite know how to tackle it. With the larger format, it made it a little easier to comprehend.

I started it this evening. I used liquid frisket to get all the trees in, then I liberally splattered the frisket across the width of the scene. Then mixed up two small plastic containers of Indigo. For the over all blue base, I watered down the indigo and quickly spread it across the water saturated, 300 lb. stock. As this layer was about 1/4 dry, I poured on a denser Indigo and a bit of Cadmium Red. It is on the floor drying at this moment.

When it is dry, after I put in some subtle shadows of the feature trees, carrying the image down below the horizon, I will platter some the indigo on to the scene, to loosen it up a bit.

Confidence with watercolour as a medium comes from careful planning. It also forces you to discipline yourself because, if after the frisket is removed, I am not satisfied with the results, I will have to start over and approach it again.

It is pretty rare that I take a picture of a scene and paint it right away. Some I've painted up to ten years later. For some reason each shot requires me to be "ready". I don't know where this comes from, but I'm used to it. What is it that gets you to pick up a brush and render a scene? When I'm finished with the painting, I will post it here and we can both see if my interpretation is good or not.

See you then.

Painter's block

2009-02-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just get painter's block. The blank canvas stalls me. I have decided recently to tackle a very difficult subject. It's a wintery scene I took a few years ago. It will take a good deal of planning. It looks on the surface to need a great deal of frisket, but there may be another way.

One thing about watercolour wash is that you really have to get it right the first time or you have to do it over. This is exactly what I enjoy about the media is the discipline. It must be planned out before I put brush to paper. If I get the order wrong I can't simply do a paint over like what is possible in opaque media.

All of January, I've been busy in my business (branding and graphic design) and so time to paint fell short. But this picture has been in the back of my head for the last few months. It's difficulty kept me from just jumping in.

February will see me taking a crack at it though.

My Quiet Inspiration...

2009-01-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

If there is one common theme in the subject matter that I paint, it is the tone of the subject matter - namely: "Quiet Moments". My favorite time of the day to hunt for paintings is about 6:30 am. Most people aren't up yet and the sun is just starting to rise. The shadows are long and interesting. The light is soft and soothing. Having run my own business for over 25 years now, one reason I paint is to relieve stress and the fact that I'm drawn to "quiet moments" is no surprise. I think at heart I'm a loner and enjoy my own company. I'm not shy, but my painting is a very private thing to me. I tend to paint to satisfy myself.

Having grown up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I'm drawn to maritime themes. I enjoy painting water, but I keep challenging my talents by painting different subjects. Figurative work, architecture, animals, rural, urban - what have you. I have yet to paint an abstract I'm happy with. I call my style implied realism. I don't paint high realism, but suggest it in the strokes I put to paper.

Watercolour is a challenging medium that allows you to suggest or imply details in a few strokes. I often have a viewer express their satisfaction with "detail" only to have them draw in closer and see that the detail they see, is really a product of their own mind. In reality, it is the dabs and strokes of my work, that tricks their eyes into seeing something familiar.

As a watercolourist, I am constantly trying to loosen up my style. I have a better success with nudes for some reason. They are typically looser and more spontaneous. The larger watercolours I am producing currently are very liberating.

Visit my Quiet Moments website to see what I have a passion to paint.

Bigger is Better!

2008-09-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

Recently on a trip to Lake Tahoe, California, my wife and I discovered a great little gallery in South Tahoe (Nevada) The artist's name was David Hwang. He and his wife Connie (also an accomplished artist) we very nice to us. I mentioned that I was also a watercolourist and they showed us around their gallery and studio. I immediately noticed the size of David's watercolours and mentioned the fact that I had never seen watercolour paper that big before.

David filled me in on a detail I was not aware of. Paper is available at 300 lb. on 11 yard rolls. He gave me his source and I promptly ordered a roll on my return home. My first large scale painting was 27" X 38". It is the picture shown above. What a unique challenge this size presents. First off, it become quickly apparent that my regular brushes were too small. Next I needed small cups of colour instead of my regular puddles. Painting on larger sheets of paper also places an increased challenge when it comes to consistency of wet. Starting on my left and moving across, it was interesting to see how fast paper dries.

The big overall lesson was more planning from a different perspective. In the above painting it took three passes to put in the background mountains. Everything more or less fell into place. I was quite pleased with the result of my first large watercolour.

The finishing also came at the direction of David Huang. He advised that I purchase a deckle edged ruler. With this tool, I ripped the edges of the painting along the deckle to give the final impression of painting off the edges. VERY nice. When framed and matted away from the painting it has a floating effect.

For my first big piece, I think it turned out rather well. I noticed that because of it's size and and my smallish brushes, I tend to be tighter than looser in technique.