21 Sunday Jun 2015
Posted in Art, Landscape, Oil, Oil painting, Plein Air
Tags
Art, Canada, Landscape, Michigan, Oil painting, Ontario, Outdoor Painter, Plein Air, Summer Solstice
It’s hard to believe that summer begins today! The weather this June is more like April, wet and at times down right cold. I’ve been painting up a storm! Hmm… I wonder if that has anything to do with our weather lately?! Please enjoy my latest three paintings with their locations.
02 Tuesday Jun 2015
Posted in Art, Cold, Landscape, Oil, Oil painting, Photography, Plein Air, Windsor
Tags
Art, Birds, Canada, Cold weather, Landscape, Nikon D90, Oil painting, Photography, Plein Air
No Wake, Plein Air 9 x 12 oil on Ampersand Gessobord $350. framed SOLD in less then 24 hours!
Ok, it’s JUNE 1st! WHY do we have 15 MPH winds, and 53oF weather? Monday is painting day, and come hell or high water I go painting. Today, I dressed for winter. I wore leggings under my jeans, a sleeveless T shirt, turtleneck sweater, winter jacket, and a shop coat! I found a winter toque in the van and put that on under my straw hat. I did bring gloves and I wish I had worn them. By the end of the day my hands were so stiff I could not hold my brush. I may have looked ridiculous, but I was warm, except for my hands that is. In spite of the horrid weather it was a good day. Good friends, curious wildlife, many curious onlookers, and I did get a decent painting completed.
Artists working in their cars to keep warm. I worked off the back of my van. Too bad the wind was in my face. Horizontal flag tells the story. I had to weigh my easel down with my backpack to keep it from blowing over.
Bundled up to keep warm. Layers upon layers of clothing.
21 Thursday May 2015
Posted in Art, Landscape, Oil, Oil painting, Ojibway, Plein Air, Uncategorized
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I have too many pans in the fire!!! Here’s some of my latest work. I will try to get some more work photographed. I have so much happening I need another me. Till next time, and I hope that’s sooner than later.
Ciao!!
25 Wednesday Feb 2015
Posted in Art, Event, Landscape, Oil, Oil painting, Plein Air, Publications, Snow, Winter
Tags
Art, Canada, Canadian Transportation museum, Extreme painting, Landscape, New work, Oil painting, Plein Air, Windsor Ontario, windsor region, Windsor Star
Some of you know that I run the group Windsor & Essex County Plein Air Artists. Well, quite often I get so busy there I don’t get to keep up my own blog and website. SO, here’s a catch up!
It’s been an incredible winter! Even with the extreme cold, our group is painting in -18 C weather! YES!! Some of the places we’ve visited this winter are:
We’ve received some great press coverage. (Click on photo to go to articles.) The Windsor Star has a video clip of an interview with me.
17 Saturday Jan 2015
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South Trail Head, Ojibway. Plein Air 8 x 10 Oil on Ampersand Museum Series Gessoboard $250 (Sale pending)
Tuesday was a beautiful sunny day. Even though the temperature was -8°C or 18°F I was dressed for the weather. My paints however, were not liking the low temperatures. They were stiff and hard to get out of the tube. My pochade painting box was not co-operating and I struggled to get my panel secured. Yes, a few curse words were muttered. Then, I could hardly loosen my tripod legs. I did eventually get set up, but frustration had set in. It took me a bit to settle down, and get into the scene. Some days just don’t seem to go well. I quit early with my painting only partially complete.
Friday we got another beautiful sunny day, and the temperature was much warmer. I set out again to finish the painting. I made some changes this time out. My hubby is always bringing me home random items. He recently brought me a thermal lunch bag. Into this bag I put all my paint tubes, along with a hot water bottle. It really made a big difference in the paint. It was easier to get out of the tube and it seemed to remain workable much longer. It could also be because the weather was not quite as cold. Thankfully, I was able to complete the painting.
16 Tuesday Dec 2014
Posted in Art, Landscape, Oil, Oil painting, Plein Air
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9 x 12 Oil Painting “Home Sweet Homestead” in its final stages on location.
Home Sweet Homestead, 9 x 12 Oil on Ampersand Museum Series Gessoboard, Plein Air $350
John R Park Homestead is one my favorite places to paint. It is part of the Essex Region Conservation Authority. I paint on location here many times a year, and demonstrate plein air painting at many of their festivals. This beautifully preserved classic revival 19th century home was built 1842 on the north shore of Lake Erie.
01 Monday Dec 2014
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It seems I’m behind on a few paintings. The group went out to paint December 1st at Ojibway Park. While winter weather had not quite set in yet, it was chilly, and damp. The water in the creek at Ojibway Park had not yet frozen over. Looking across the road from the Park entrance I could see a neighboring house. This corner of the creek was almost choked with reeds, not an easy subject at all.
On the Verge of Winter, Ojibway. Plein Air 9 x 12 Oil on Ampersand Museum Series Gessoboard, Plein Air $350
Paiting the reed filled corner of the creek at Ojibway on Dec 1, 2014
28 Friday Nov 2014
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When:
December 5, 2014 @ 1:00 pm – December 19, 2014 @ 5:00 pm
Where:
ArtSpeak Gallery
1942 Wyandotte Street East
Windsor, ON N8Y 1E4
Canada
13 Monday Oct 2014
Posted in Art, Landscape, Oil, Oil painting, Plein Air
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Title: The Coming Storm” 8 x 10 Oil on Ampersand Panel.
EIGHT people came out today! WHOOT!
I got to the site about 10:10, we start at 10:00. I like to be early, but today I was late because hubby had the car. Even though he got back to the house on time, it threw out my routine. I dropped him back off to his coffee club, but I skipped picking up my coffee and Egg McMuffin and went right to the park. I was thankful to see two artists were already set up and painting, so I took off and got my brekky! I got back to the park around 10:30. I spent the next 15 or 20 precious painting minuets eating and chatting with the group, but I love them and was not concerned about the painting time because after all the weather forecast said it was supposed to clear up by noon, and they are always right! More artists arrived.
I finally set up, set out my palette and put the under painting on my board. I quickly sketched in the outline of my composition. The sky kept changing and getting darker, but it looked like the clouds were all staying to the south. Where was that promised sun anyway? My senses told me that I better treat this painting like I was in a quick draw contest and get er DONE! I used my palette knife and stuck to the paint I already had laid out on my palette. I moved very quickly with my small knife sculpting out the contours of the hill before me.
It was around noon when it started… a fine mist, then a drizzle. I got my umbrella up, and my painting managed to stay dry. I popped it into the wet canvas carrier that’s built into my pouchade box. The paint on my palette was running all over, but I managed to get it cleaned up.
EIGHT people came out today! WHOOT! We had to run for cover at noon. Seeing the dark clouds rolling in I treated this painting like a quick draw event. Now if I could only do that more often.
— at Malden Park
Here are the results! I also painted pretty thick with my palette knife. Now if I could only do that more often. — at Malden Park.
Afterwards, we all formed a caravan to the nearest McDonald’s for coffee and a great chat.
10 Friday Oct 2014
Posted in Art, Landscape, Oil, Oil painting, Plein Air
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Line Dried Linens, 8 x 10 Oil on Ampersand board
Painting Line Dried Linens
Wonderful, but breezy day yesterday out in the county. My umbrella turned inside out at least three times. Lucky it was easy to get it back, nothing broke, and my pochade box with painting did not fall over. Mind you, I had it strong armed the whole day. In spite of the winds I managed to complete this painting on site. The owner likes it, and it maybe sold as a Christmas present. I will frame it and take it back out to close the sale when it’s had a chance to dry a bit. What was really a funny co-incidence is that 30 years ago we bought our house from her son! What a small world!
Elizabeth Gaye MacDonald 