Think Spring!

I know it is only New Years Eve, but hey!  I'm ready for spring, how about you?  We have been very spoiled here in Southern Ontario for the last few years.......virtually no winter weather to speak of.  Things have started off a bit different this year, however!  Two snow storms in the past week have delivered almost one and a half feet of snow, just in time for Christmas and New Years!  Now you know why spring is already looking rather attractive to me, right?

To help promote the idea (or maybe just the illusion) of an early spring this year, I thought I would post my latest painting (finished yesterday in fact) to warm the cockles of your hearts.........

'Garden Angel'  11"X14" Oil on panel

The Garden Angel is a cement figurine that we have in our bird bath in the back garden.  I have always loved this piece of sculpture and have wanted to paint it for some time.  Prompted by my early longing for the warmth of spring, I decided now was the perfect time to tackle the project.  I used a palette comprised of sap green, ultramarine blue, burnt umber, indian red, cadmium yellow medium, lamp black and titanium white.  I completed the painting in oils after doing a quick underpainting using a deep green acrylic to block in the dark areas first.  I use a combination of regular oils and alkyd oils (especially alkyd titanium white to speed drying), along with Liquin and turps as mediums.  I have a feeling that this new painting will be as close as I get to spring for some time yet.......

 HAPPY NEW YEAR one and all!

Vignettes

Every picture does not have to be a full blown painting.  Sometimes a simple little drawing is a nice change from complicated compositions, colour schemes and well thought out story lines.  At times, just a centre of interest on a blank background can be enough to make a very satisfying picture.

"Downey Duo" Acrylic on Paper  3.5" X 6"  

These little paintings might be done as colour sketches for a painting idea or maybe to try out a different style or technique.  Other times they may be 'just for fun'!

"Little Filly" India Ink on board 6" X 6"

I used to do a lot of pen and ink drawings as commercial illustrations.  It is a lot of fun and I think it would be nice to do them more often.  This little sketch was done as a study of a new foal that one of our mares delivered some years ago.  It can be challenging to try to create the illusion of light and shade, tone and texture using only a simple black line on a white background but the results can be very rewarding and fresh.

Creating small, simple pictures like this is a great exercise that doesn't have to take a long time to complete.  It is a great way to capture an impression or likeness of something or someone when time is short or ideas are coming fast and furious!  For an art lover on a tight budget, it could represent an opportunity to own a piece of original art, sometimes for less than the cost of a print.

I Remember When

The weather has been very nice here in Southern Ontario for the past month.  I have really enjoyed it but of course it took me away from the computer and my blog.  During that time I managed to get some plein air painting done.  I love to be outdoors on warm, sunny autumn days, and this year the opportunities to do so were terrific.  Hurricane Sandy was supposed to hit us pretty hard after it came ashore in New York and New Jersey, but fortunately for folks in Southern Ontario, it had pretty well blown itself out by the time it got here.  We sure felt bad for the shoreline residents of those US states who were devistated by the storm.  Many of them lost everything, including the land where their homes once sat.  It makes you realize just how lucky you are and that you should appreciate everything and everyone you have in your life.

I was also busy with my art exhibit in Kingston, Ontario during the month of October.  My opening at the beginning of the month was a great success, with a good turnout and lots of interest.  I sold a number of paintings and obtained a few commissions to keep me busy too.

I Remember When 12 X 16 Alkyd on panel  Sold

This is a plein air painting that I did a number of years ago.  The location is a very narrow country road in Eldon Township, well to the north and somewhat east of the city of Toronto, Ontario.  The land was still being worked, but the house and barns had been abandoned long ago.  Places like this are full of mystery and I always wonder what interesting stories they could tell of days gone by and lives lived before my time.

I sold this painting in my recent art show, so it has gone to a new owner and a new home.  I hope the new owner can find as much enjoyment in it as I did when I painted it on that now distant autumn day.

Autumn Colour

This is a wonderful time of year in southern Ontario.  The deciduous trees are transformed from faded green of late summer to a palette of reds, yellows, browns and gold.  Set against the deep green of red pine and spruce, colours 'pop' and the landscape takes on a new and awesome look.   With visual stimulation such as this,  landscape painting is the number one priority for me.  I love to get out on a warm sunny day in fall and either spend a few hours making quick oil sketches or just moving around, recording everything I can with my digital camera.  These images often result in larger works back in the studio.  When the cold winter winds blow heavy through rattling, frozen tree branches, creating a rich autumn landscape painting in a warm studio is high on my list of 'things to do'.

 "A Bend in the Road" available for sale at: http://tinyurl.com/9eey8zl

This little painting measures 6 X 8 inches.  It was done a little earlier in the season when the leaves were just starting to change.  I think if I eventually do this in a large painting, I might add a figure in the distance.  What would you do?

"Dry Marsh"  available for sale at: http://tinyurl.com/9z2uf92

This is another small painting I did this fall.  'Dry Marsh' measures 6 X 9 inches.  I like the depth of field in this one and the distant blue trees against the golden grasses of the marsh.  This type of landscape is common in this area.

Autumn Art Show

'Outlook'   12 inches X 16 inches        $150.00

It is show time!  I am finally having another art show in Kingston, Ontario, after three years of procrastination.  The show will take place at Kingston Central Library, 130 Johnson Street, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.  This will be a solo exhibition of some of my smaller works.  Most of the paintings will be new.  I plan on hanging at least 20 pieces for the show.  The show will open with a 'meet the artist' event on Tuesday, October 2nd., from 6:00pm until 9:00pm.  The event is free and everyone is welcome.  Light refreshments will be served.

After the opening, the show will continue to hang until October 28th.  Since the paintings are smaller in size, so are the prices and I think I will have something to fit everyone's budget this time around.  I hope to see you there!

The painting shown here is a plein air piece that I painted a few years ago.  It was about this time of year, when the trees have just started to take on autumn colours.  I don't get out to paint on location as often as I would like, but I always enjoy the experience when I do.  You really appreciate the feeling of a place when you sit (or stand) quietly in one spot for a few hours just taking it all in.

Harvesting Hay in Summer

Heading for the Loft 24X36 alkyd on canvas

I know it has been a long time since my last post!  As John Lennon (not the first) once said, 'life is what happens when you are busy making other plans'.  Many things have been keeping me busy lately, not the least of which was bringing in the hay crop to feed our horses through the long cold winter to come.

In the 'good old days' hay was forked up onto an open wagon, then pulled by a team of horses to the barn or hay crib, where it was picked up in large clumps by an articulating claw hook that transferred it by pullies and ropes into the barn loft where it was dumped.  We don't do it that way anymore, but it is still a lot of work, even with tractors and hay elevators to drop the square bales of hay into the hayloft of our barn.

The painting "Heading for the Loft" is a commission that I did a few years ago.  That is me driving the team of clydesdale horses pulling a well loaded hay wagon along a dirt road.  The sheep dogs in the picture belong to a friend of mine who also owns a farm.  The painting is sold but prints are available at: www.rdewolfe.com.

Surtex Licensing Show 2012

I do a lot of artwork for licensed products.  There is a huge demand for artistic images created to decorate or embellish many types of products that people buy and enjoy every day.  My work often appears on such things as puzzles, calanders, greeting cards, ornaments, stationary products, gift packaging, mugs and many more.  The work is often light hearted in nature and can be a lot of fun to create!

My agent, Lance Klass, of Porterfield's Fine Art Licensing will be at the Surtex Art Licensing Show at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, New York on May 20, 21 and 22nd., 2012.  Show hours are from 9am to 6pm daily.  Registration for this show is required.  If you are in the art licensing business, drop by and Lance will be happy to show you my artwork as well as the great work of all the Porterfield's artists.

On Stoney Batter Road Finished

At this stage I have blocked everything in and I can judge the final look of the painting.  If I am unhappy with how things are going, it is easy to make changes at this point.  If you have an area in a painting that you have spent a great deal of time on trying to make it 'just right', it can be heart breaking and difficult to bring yourself to make necessary changes.  It is usually better to leave 'finished work' until last!

It is nice to get to this stage and begin adding detail and subtilties to the painting.  I like alkyd because it dries quickly but not so quickly that you have difficulty blending one colour into another.  Working from back to front, I add more mist coming through the distant trees.  Next, a little more detail in the middle ground.  The last thing I do at this point is add colour and light on the birch tree in the foreground.

Now I turn my attention to the split-rail fence, adding colour and light to define the weathered surfaces.  The fence makes a great lead-in for the viewer's eye.  The composition is designed to stop the eye at the birch tree, move up the trunk and follow the limb near the top of the picture to the trees in the middle ground.  The gentle slope of the rough fields brings the viewer's eye back to the birch tree and weathered fence.

The final step involves adding a little more colour to the foliage of the trees in the middle ground, more definition to the leaves and branches of the birch tree, the fence and the foreground grasses.  The whole painting is completed in a little over an hour.

On Stoney Batter Road

This is start of one of my small works.  It is painted on a canvas panel that measures 6 inches high by 8 inches wide.  The round white buttons in the photos are push pins which I have used to secure this small canvas to a larger board that I have sitting on my easel.  The title of this piece is On Stoney Batter Road. I will use this oil sketch as a study for a larger painting that I plan to complete in the future.

In the first image I have primed my canvas with a mixture of gesso, cadmium red and burnt sienna acrylic paint to give me a warm ground that is not too dark.  It dries quickly and I can proceed with alkyd paint right away.  I use a combination of burnt sienna and black alkyd to lay in the rail fence and birch tree in the foreground, then the receding layers of forest behind.  I also start blocking in a basic sky colour.

I continue to block in the sky, allowing the warm background to show through.  Painting from back to front, I block in the hazy trees in the distance.  The trees in the middle ground come next, just quickly blocked in with more intense greens.  The conifer trees behind the foreground birch are suggested and a grassy shadow along the base of the fence completes my initial working plan.

The picture is progressing quickly as I block in golden colours made up of cadmium yellow deep, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, titanium white and olive green in the grassy areas throughout the painting.  I use olive green and sap green and titanium white to begin defining the trees in the background and middleground.

Madawaska Sunset

18 X 24     Madawaska Sunset    $950.00

We used to own a cottage that we built ourselves near Algonquin Park in Ontario. It was tucked away on a beautiful, quiet bay below the fast water at Bell’s Rapids on the Madawaska River. This was the view in front of our chalet. In the winter, the quiet was almost deafening, only broken by the soft and distant sound of the rapids and an occasional raucous ‘cawing’ of a raven. It was a wonderful place that I think of often.

Hinterland Beach

$150.00      Hinterland Beach      12 X 16

I originally painted this plein air piece quite a few years ago.  Recently, I came across it in a stack of canvases leaning against the wall in my studio.   I have always liked the simplicity of the painting and it struck me that it really has a spiritual quality.   The serenity of the tree raising bare limbs to the wilderness sky and the light breaking on the calm waters suggest this theme to me.  Probably the colour that most often dominates in my paintings is blue and I have a great afinity for water.  This picture has it all!   I decided to touch it up a little and offer it for sale once more.  If you are interested in acquiring it for your collection, go here.

Portrait Commission

I completed this portrait about one week ago.  I don't do a lot of portraits, but occasionally it is fun to take one on and stretch my capabilities....hopefully at least!  This one was a commission for a previous collector of my art.  The painting measures 11 inches wide by 14 inches high.  I painted it on a canvas panel and mounted it in a simple, antique style dark walnut coloured frame that really suited the subject of older folks.  This was actually a portrait of the collector's parents who passed away some years ago, so my patron was delighted to have this painting done as a keepsake and family heirloom for future generations.  If you have a photo that you would like me to use to create a special work of art, please contact me and we can discuss the possibilites.

Canola Fields

6 X 8                 Canola                     $50.00  

I love the contrast of the brilliant yellow of canola in full bloom against the soft, blue-greens of other farm crops.  The landscape is suddenly transformed and artists such as van goph come immediately to mind.  The winter has reached mid-point here in southern Ontario, and I look forward to the summer to come when I can once again enjoy vistas such as this to explore and paint.

This little painting measures 9 inches by 12 inches.  It is painted in alkyd oil on a canvas panel.  If you would like to purchase this painting, please click here. 

12 Day Carnival Mediterranean Cruise

It was quite a shock to witness the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off of the west coast of Italy at Giglio Island on Friday, January 13th, 2012.    It makes me think that 'but for the Grace of God, there go I'.  Just three months ago, my wife and I had the trip of a lifetime on Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Magic, that took us on a 12 day trip, primarily centered around Italy.  At that time we were also visitors to the port of Civitavecchia, where the Costa Concordia had departed before it's sudden demise at Giglio Island.

 Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

Fortunately, our cruise left us with nothing but fond memories and high respect for the level of professionalism of the staff and crew aboard ship.   My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the passengers of the stricken Costa Concordia, who are still missing, together with the families that are awaiting their safe return.

Jones's Creek

I painted this little picture about a week ago.  I worked from photos that I took several years ago while driving around the countryside north east of Kingston Ontario.  The location is a place called Jones's Falls.  I liked the look of the winding river as it flows through the granite outcroppings of the Canadian Shield.  The trees in the middle and foreground  frame the animated water flowing toward the viewer, while the distant blue trees in the background give the painting a sense of depth.

I don't know what kind of flowers grow in the marsh along the river, but they make a wonderful counterpoint to the deep green of the trees that make up a large portion of the picture.  The whole thing makes me long for summer, which is still about six months away!

This painting measures just 8 inches high by 10 inches wide.  It is painted on a canvas panel support using alkyd oil, my medium of choice.  You can find the painting for sale at www.dailypaintworks .com or www.rdewolfe.com, along with a wide selection of other paintings I have created.

The Art of Richard De Wolfe: Sailing

The Art of Richard De Wolfe: Sailing: Sailing It is early January in Canada. This winter has been the warmest I have ever experienced here. We still have no snow and the groun...

Sailing

Sailing

It is early January in Canada.  This winter has been the warmest I have ever experienced here.  We still have no snow and the ground has only just become frozen.  The last two days were very cold and it has quickly reminded me how much I miss warm summer weather and boating.  It would be nice to just sail away to a tropical island.....

This small sailboat is actually one that I viewed from the upper decks of a cruise ship as we slowly entered the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy in October.  The painting is just 6 inches by 8 inches, painted in oil on a canvas panel.  I am offering it by auction at dailypaintworks.com.

I Saw the Light

I Saw the Light

Here it is, Day 2 and I have another small painting to post!  This one also measures 5 inches high by 7 inches wide.  It is painted in oil on canvas panel.  Painting at this size is not as easy as it may look.  You have to be spontaneous but accurate with your brush stokes on a support that is not much larger than your hand.  I am having fun though!

This painting is for sale by auction at Daily Paintworks.com.  If you would like to bid click here.

I love to paint pictures with water in them.  This spot is near my former home just south of Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada.  The sky was rather tepid so I decided to create some drama by painting a defined cloud base with a strong sunrise over the horizon.  I was pleased with the result.....did it work for you?  Post your comments, I would love to hear from you!

North Shore

North Shore  SOLD

This little painting represents a new direction for me.  It is very small, measuring 5 inches high by 7 inches wide.  I have become interested in the 'Daily Painting' movement that promotes painting a picture every day (or as close to that goal as possible).  It sounds rather daunting to me!  In the coming days I will post more of these small paintings as I create them, along with a few older pieces that fit the genre reasonably well.  You will find these paintings for sale  at Daily Paint Works.  I hope to add a new one every day or so and I hope you will check them out there and return often.  Please don't be shy, leave me a comment on what you think of this little painting and whether you think small daily paintings are a good idea.