philosophersblog

Cypress Lake - Completed!

2011-05-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

I'm satisfied with the overall tangled effect of these paintings, the study of the fractal-like nature of cedar leaves and look forward to experimenting more.

The painting second from your right has a few coats of Liquitex High Gloss Varnish over the water area at the bottom.

On to the next painting...a wintery root wall in Killarney Provincial Park.

Cypress Lake Series

2011-01-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

Today, I worked on the second and final paintings.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Philosophers-Walk-Visual-Art-of-Danielle-Gardner/186015654757263

Artist In Residence - Killarney Provincial Park

2010-07-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to enlarge.

I was honoured by being the first official Artist In Residence of Killarney Provincial Park. During my stay, I taught two weeks of drawing and painting both privately and organized lessons. I painted seven paintings towards my Woods project. Painting en plein air was exhilarating, exhausting and completely worth it! I was able to understand my subject matter and the artists who have worked before me. I met like minded individuals who I taught and they created unique works of art of their own. Painting with Jim Morlock was a plus and it was great to collaborate with him. Both staff and campers felt that the days teaching and creating were a successful in teaching about the idea of art for art's sake. The time provided me with the studio of the outdoors for which I have an even greater respect. Through the support of the Friends of Killarney Provincial Park, and the Friends of Killarney Park committee this past year, my idea of the warm up hut A.K.A. the Friends Cabin being moved from the middle of the parking lot to the picnic area overlooking First Beach became a reality. During our stay, hard work took place building an enormous deck outside of the moved structure which will be the center of the Friends' activities in the future. Murray O'Brian and other volunteers made the structure useful for the program to house supplies and hold art activities on open studio and artist studio days. Friends and campers signed up for the art activities and enjoyed learning about art for art's sake. Special thanks to my husband Bill and daughter Maryn for their support and patience while I worked sometimes 7 hour days without a break. They also provided their skills in assisting me. Bill helped with stretcher building and him and Trish Wilson helped with prepping 7 of 12 linen stretchers before we left.

The paintings depicted here are in order that they were painted.

Painting 1

Staff Short Cut - Sold

Painted with Jim Morlock and Gerry and Elizabeth Daminato / Bone.

Jim helped choose the complex composition and stayed from 8 - 10am. A nice couple stayed until 12. I painted until 4:30 and finished it. Gorgeous root system. It was funny when the staff who used the short cut to get to the beach as I was painting.

Painting 2

La Cloche Finish Line

Painted another piece beside the sign of the La Cloche Exit. The trees from last year look interesting with this piece. I was able to achieve a lot of depth and texture in the rocks. It was nice to work close to the site for the day.

Painting 3

H54 AY Jackson Lake

I hiked in the stretcher on an interior trip and began painting at the side of the site in front of the part of the lake that flow out eventually into George Lake. I forgot my white paint! I used yellows, golds and skin tone as my light colours and mixing colours. This gave a morning glow to the painting. The only part of the painting that white was added to was to achieve a better sky colour after I got back. Painted from 1 - 8pm.

Painting 4

Site 87 George Lake - Sold

Painted a sketch the night before to see which spot to paint. Chose a selection on Betty Batty's site and leaned the stretcher onto a tree. I was wedged in between a tree and a large rock. Betty fed me throughout the day. Worked from 8 - 5pm and taught two private lessons in the morning.

Visited by Dave Moase and his nephew Brandon. Fraser and his wife came by to visit Betty and we all had a nice chat. Most of my time was spent referencing the tree the painting was leaning against as it was the same red wood pine I was depicting. I studied and mimicked the texture of the bark.

Painting 5

OSA Last Bend

Painting 6

Killarney Lake - First Bend

Painted OSA and Killarney from prints at The Friends Cabin after a wonderful interior trip. Worked more hours on Killarney over the course of three days for a signature piece to represent the park and the program and my stay there. It is a very distinctive rock that people will know as it is the first bend after the portage. Killarney Lake is a tropical green colour and you can see to the bottom of it. OSA is an impossible ultramarine colour that appears silver and phalo blue when the sky is dark. Lots of visitors and comments by passers by.

Painting 7

Site 4 George Lake

Paddled out the stretcher on an interior trip. Next to no under-painting, wet in wet. There were some dry time issues but it was raining so I had to move quickly. I painted the white quartz mountains from about 1-5pm. Touched up the sky and the tree bark and a little of the green on the pines when I got back to the campground. Visited by interior staff. Great painting session with pleasing results.

Cypress Lake Plan

2009-09-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

The next in the series will be worked from photos from Cypress Lake, Bruce Penninsula, taken last fall. I have chosen five cropped images for this wall.

Paintings 6, 7 and 8

2009-09-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Three weeks up in Killarney Provincial Park. Painting with families and teaching the artist's hike was great.

It was challenging to paint these en plen air paintings without the use of photos. It made me work harder because the painting had to be finished at the end of the day.

The last painting, the one on the far right, had to be reworked as a result of a three hour thunder storm. It blew over when the paint was still tacky and I had to rework it. I like it better now that it has this history of a natural occurrence to it. After all, we all have a life span and so does artwork.

Paintings 3, 4 and 5

2009-05-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Almost finished the five paintings.

Painting 3:

Although I like how all of these paintings work individually and as a quilt-like grouping, I think my favourite in terms of realism, style and depth. My focus was on how I could use colour blocking and layering and texture to improve the perception of depth. The background was Golden's Prussian Blue and slowly built up to the strokes of white, similar to Lawren Harris "Snow II" 1915. This one reflects as I used a Iridescent Pearl (Fine) Golden paint in the bark. It reminds me a little of Gustav Klimt's use of gold to enhance his paintings.

Painting 4 and 5 - The trees were painted at the same time so that the bark and feeling would repeat. Similar use of shadows.

Painting 4:

In 4, I used Prussian Blue as the undercoat and Dioxazine Purple for 5.

Painting 5:

Painting 5 is still quite dark and incomplete.

After the fifth one is finished, I'm going to build a stretcher that is the same size as three of them side by side to insert after the first two. Originally I was thinking it would be another 3x4' but I think that the width of three panels is wide enough. I like the idea of continuing with similar trees to 4 and 5 to bring it all together.

Below, I have included a digital sketch of what the pieces will look like including the photo I will most likely use for the centerpiece. The frames will be wooden and not overlap the paintings. They will be stained either a natural colour or blue.

dreaming of the wilderness.

Danielle

Tree Observation 2 ~ Sleeping Tree

2009-04-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

Blanket of snow
A sleeping tree
Prussian Blue and complementary Quinacridone Gold
Feeling of safety and comfort in stillness
crisp breath
little coloured window jewel

painting wet in wet and white dry brush

Each 4' tall 7" wide

Painting Trees

2009-02-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

Tree Observation 1

Less is more? More is more.... I'm working on the layering of the first of the five tree paintings. I think I have to go back and gradate the back into white again as the trees are getting lost. I love the calm feeling from them and the fact that the painting appears like a keyhole window. It will be great with a natural stained wooden frame. I missed the physical act of painting. I'll have to buy some bee's wax to test out dripping over the surface. This creates a texture like natural lichens. I saw it used in a show in Toronto.