When I See Clouds, I Think 'Painting'

I had a lovely day painting 'en plein air'.  I love painting outside although I don't find it to be easy. I paint slowly so a sky can change multiple times as I paint. But that's okay. My painting ends up being my impression of a period of time.

I was absolutely charmed by the sweet ladybug (above) who landed on my paint palette and then proceeded to crawl towards its colour family. :)

When I went outside, I said "Ooooo, look at that sky!" My sister said to me "You look at that sky and think 'painting'. I look at that sky and think 'rain'!"  In the end, it didn't rain. It was a beautiful cloudy afternoon.

Dock Cousins (and Mabel)

I have lost count of the beautiful Bookhou bags we own, but this one is perfect for transporting my watercolour pads, palette and paint brushes.

Muskoka afternoon sky

Dock dog: A tired but happy Meeko

Painting of a Pathway

Here's the most recent painting that I have been working on. It's of a pathway I walk on quite regularly with my dog Meeko. It is based on one of the photos I took last week. There were impossibly wispy cloud formations that day. It felt like a bit of a jigsaw puzzle trying to convey them with paint.

The good news is that my family immediately recognized the subject of my painting.  They knew exactly where it was.

Here's another view:

Here are the paintings from the past week grouped together. I don't usually sign them until I know definitely that they are finished. As you can see, I'm still thinking. So is Mr. Wise Owl.

I'm finding it a little more difficult than I imagined to post pictures of my paintings in my blog.  It feels a bit like when I've taken painting classes in the past and we all had to put our pictures up at the front of the room for a class critique, except in this case I'm never really sure who my classmates are. :)  I have butterflies in my stomach each time.

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I really want to thank all who have discovered my blog. I appreciate you coming here. Thanks especially to those who have taken the time to write a comment. It's been just over a month since I started my blog and it's been good for me in so many ways.

Skies and Snakes Alive!

Today, I owe thanks to fellow bloggers and artists Geninne and her friend Margie (both have beautiful blogs, so do have a look) for my inspiration. When I 'walked to work' this morning, I got a certain distance from the house and then ran back for my camera. The sky was absolutely amazing! Maybe it's because I've been painting clouds this week that I'm more in tune with my atmospheric surroundings. Or maybe it's because I'm adopting the eyes-wide-open way in which both Geninne and Margie view and record their worlds. Both of them encourage their readers to go outdoors and soak in the details of nature around them. Today's walk brought me some stunning skyscapes.  (Oh, my painting hand is itching.)

I also got some lovely shots of wildflowers, seed pods, chestnuts and berries.

Other photos might have been lovelier if they were in focus. I didn't include them. (Dear self: please remember to bring your reading glasses next time so you can actually see what is on the LCD screen of your camera.)

We are very lucky to live in a picturesque suburban neighbourhood but both Geninne and Margie I think would make the point that there is beauty in every backyard and neighbourhood.

My morning walk also brought me some unexpected sights. Yes, indeed. Can you spell S-N-A-K-E? Eeeeek! I am not fond of snakes. That is a polite way of saying that I hate them. In the end, it seemed as frightened of Meeko and me as I was of it. It slid off the path and then remained stationary--perhaps hoping that we would pass by quickly. Meeko was unfazed. Brave? I'm not even sure that he noticed it. I was still shuddering when we were well past it. I even shuddered when I was looking at the photo on my computer. I'm shuddering again right now.

And it was an interesting role reversal for Meeko. Usually he's the one tugging me to allow him to stop and sniff.

Today, I was the one tugging him and asking him to stop as I saw scene after beautiful scene that deserved to be photographed in my very own neighbourhood.

Joni and Leonard and Light

As I continued working on my Muskoka morning sunrise painting today, I had my beloved iPod Touch playing.  I think it may be wrong to love an object as much as I love that sweet rectangular music box. There are some days when Shuffle can send you the weirdest, most disconcerting choices (let's say, for instance, the chorus of Hawksley Workman's Addicted as you are driving your daughter somewhere) and others when it can be in absolutely perfect sync with what you are doing. Today was one of those perfect sync days.

As I painted the clouds and the rays of morning sunlight breaking through them, two songs played in succession--first Joni Mitchell's Cotton Avenue:

 A red sun came rolling down a grey sky 
And the frogs and dogs and night birds then 
Started up singing sweet country lullaby... 

And then this one:

The birds they sang 
at the break of day 
Start again 
I heard them say 
Don't dwell on what 
has passed away 
or what is yet to be...

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack, a crack in everything 
That's how the light gets in.
 (from Anthem by Leonard Cohen)

Oh Leonard, your lyrics and sense of timing are beautiful.

See a video of Leonard Cohen singing Anthem here.

Another Painting in Progress

Today I painted another scene from my cottage vacation. It is a morning scene. We had very changeable weather when we were away. This particular morning, the clouds were dark and low. I was sitting on the dock thinking that it might not be the nicest day when all of a sudden rays of sunlight broke through the clouds near the horizon. A very pretty moment.

I have always loved clouds and enjoy painting them although they can be challenging.  It can be difficult to convey drama, contrast and softness all at once.

I also worked on my Inuksuk painting today.  It wasn't quite finished after all.  I added little more detail in the trees and clouds.  I'll post the final version in the days ahead.