Tropical Rain Forest Toucan - Step Two

To suggest thick rainforest vegetation, I paint the background with a solid application of very dark green acrylic paint.  All of the foreground and middle ground objects are now wisible in stark relief.  The dark green will make the brighter colours pop out.

I start to add colour to the Toucan.  There is a subtle pattern in the heavy bill and I wash this in with a mixture of red and burnt sienna.  A bit of blue establishes the local colour around the eye.  A very light, warm wash of acrylic gives the white 'bib' on the bird's throat some form.

Tropical Rain Forest Toucan - Step One

This is an illustration that I created primarily for art licensing.  I started by working out a pencil drawing using various pieces of reference material from my scrap file.  Once the drawing was worked out to my satisfaction, I transferred it to illustration board.

I then used a kneaded eraser to remove most of the pencil from the illustration board, leaving only faint lines to guide me.  Next, I painted in the black areas using acrylic paint.

Holly Hocks

My wife and I used to own a farm on Lake Simcoe, in Ontario, Canada.  For many years, this was the view from my art studio.  The north window faced this barn wall and pasture, where I planted holly hocks, which we enjoyed every summer.  

I enjoy looking at paintings that I have done in the past, that show places and things that may no longer exist as they once were.  It brings back fond memories in a way that only a painting can.  Not only does it record the way it looked, but also the way it made me feel.

This painting measures 16 inches high by 20 inches wide.  Friends of ours purchased it at one of my art shows a few years ago and they seem to enjoy it too.  Prints are available here.

The Stone Arch

I grew up on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, in the Thousand Islands region of Ontario.  One of the places that I loved to explore in those days was Boldt's Castle, near Alexandria Bay, New York.  It is located on an island just off the main shipping channel of the river.

The stone arch that I have painted here was to be the formal entrance to the castle for launches delivering guests from larger yachts anchored in deep water.  A drawbridge within the opening was to provide a prominade on the embankment of the Swan Pond.  Alas, tragedy struck and Mrs. Boldt passed away.   Her husband, Geroge Boldt, was grief stricken and all work on the castle ceased and the entire project was never completed.

This painting measures 9.5 inches high by 13.5 inches wide.  It is painted in alkyd on stretched canvas.  Prints are available at Richard De Wolfe Fine Art.

Traditional Figure Painting

Here is something I came across on Robert Genn's Twice Weekly Newsletter.  It was inspiring to me to learn of an artist who is determined to maintain tried and true, traditional methods of figure painting.  Jacob Collins is a New York artist and art teacher.  His self-proclaimed goal is to be "an old-fashioned painter".  Jacob works from life, be it nudes, still life or figures, in his dark but strategically lit studio.  He carefully draws his subjects by the time honoured method of draw, correct, refine, until he has captured the nature and character of his model.  Some may liken Jacob to a modern-day Rembrandt who stands out in contrast to many of the current avant-garde artists who surround us.  The following video attests to the skills of a modern-day master.  Enjoy!

Metropolitan Museum of Art

It is sad that so few people take the time to visit an art gallery when they travel.  Whether it is a private, personal gallery of one artist's works, or a large collective institution, art galleries hold a wealth of beauty and culture.   When I travel, one of the first things I look for is the art that may be available there.  I do this for several reasons.  One is to see what other artists are doing or have done in the past.  Another is to learn some viewpoint or technique that I might apply to my own creative process.  The most important, though, is to revel in the beauty and creativity that art reveals to me.

I have visited New York City several times, but have not had the time or opportunity to visit one of the greatest art museums in the world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I am determined to rectify this just as soon as I can return to New York City once more.

Did you know that 'The Met' contains the most comprehensive collection of American art in the world?  It also has the largest collection of Degas works in the world.  In fact, the museum holds the most impressive collection of Impressionism and Post Impressionist art in North America.  Finally, it is a truly global collection of art, the most impressive collection in the western world.

Here is an episode of Great Museums Television that will give you an insight into what a marvel this museum really is.

                                    

A Love Affair With Art

Have you ever found yourself 'falling in love' with a piece of art?  It turns out that you are not alone.  Professor Semir Zeki of the University College of London, England, has demonstrated that artwork stimulates the same areas of the brain that are involved when we fall in love.

Maybe this is why so many artists continue to draw, paint, sculpt, etc., even if the returns are less than a living wage.  I believe most artists can never turn away from the creative path and be happy in life.  It is comforting to know that many viewers and collectors may be equally moved as a result of artistic endeavours around them.

In our fast paced world of instant gratification and endless technological wonders, it sometimes seems like art is being cast off and ignored.  Why create by hand images and objects that a machine or computer can reproduce  almost instantly?  Consider this.  Maybe we still need and crave the human touch.......the touch of love.