Skyscape Paintings: The conclusion of a painting journey.

Bliss (an ocean story), (24x30) acrylic on canvas

As I continue my journey of painting skyscapes I think this is an important one to document.  As with most of these skyscapes, I started off quite intuitively by adding colour, knowing only that it would be a sky.

As it turned out, it became quite a laborious adventure, with layer, upon layer of colours and textures until I reached a point where this stormy sky transformed into something quite joyous.  And it seems very much in keeping with how I was feeling emotionally about my recent situation.

I had moved from a turbulent and uncertain time into a place where I could breathe again and know that everything would somehow be okay.

Prairie Weather (30x40) acrylic on canvas

So it's interesting to me to see the changes in a very similiar composition if you compare 'Wetlands' (a few posts prior) with it's utterly stormy sky and dark moody marsh, to this one 'Prairie Weather'.

Both have huge skies and far reaching landscapes, but the lighter and brighter colours and the shape and direction of the clouds, lend to a more uplifting scene.  You can tell the weather is changing... 

 Clouds Drift By... (30x40) acrylic on canvas

And so we come to this lovely piece 'Clouds Drift By...' where clearly the storm is over, we are out of the marsh, and there is water within reach just over these hills.

By the time I painted this piece, I wasn't sure if I had another skyscape in me.  My new situation had so transformed my life that I was pretty much at peace.

close up showing birds out over the water

But there will always be another sky to paint.  I love painting skies.  They can be so wonderfully expressive and take you to places you never thought you'd go.  As a painter I think it's interesting to stand back and examine a body of work in order to understand one's motivation.

Some people run, some people journal, some people paint!

I hope you've enjoyed these four articles about skyscape painting as much as I have.  Thanks for listening.

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Nocturnal Painting, Ocean Painting with Full Moon

Ocean Moon, 24x24, acrylic on canvas

This is the 5th painting in my new skyscape series, 'Ocean Moon', painted purely on impulse with only the thought that I wanted to paint with shades of purple and that it was a skyscape.

I had no idea it was even going to be a water painting. Sometimes I find it more rewarding to surprise myself.  Feeling the pull of a colour, or group of colours, is how I came to paint in the first place, so I trust that instinct.

This painting journey took me far out into the middle of the ocean, into the velvety darkness where the intensity of these rich colours felt very deep and healing.  And in the midst of it all, a moment of clarity, as indicated by the moon.

This painting has been sold.  To see available paintings,

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Large Prairie Paintings - Abstract Prairie Wetlands Paintings

Prairie Wetlands, 30x30, acrylic on canvas

This large prairie painting was the third in my new skyscape series.  Emotionally I was still finding my way, still surprised by the joy I felt, and coming to accept this feeling of being set free as my new normal.

I think this is well expressed here in this piece by the nature of the clouds.  They seem joyous to me, full and uplifted as they drift happily over the prairie landscape.  And although I have painted many a stretch of open land, this one was different from any other before it, whereby there was water, and a marshy effect, as it meandered toward the horizon.

I was exciting by this new discovery, absolutely loved the way the cool of the blue mixed with the raw earthiness of the darker browns and greens; absolutely loved the way it seemed to go on forever.  There was a vastness here, space to breathe.

Wetlands, 30x30, acrylic on canvas

Next came this stormy piece simply titled 'Wetlands'.  Like most of these skyscape paintings it was purely spontaneous.  I started in one spot and just built around it until a full image appeared.  And again I played with this idea of water on land, and marsh.  So I brought in new colours, brighter fieldier colours of rust and gold grasses.

The feeling of vastness here again was just what I needed.  There could be no obstacle like mountains in the distance.  The flat, flat never ending horizon was just perfect.  And although it's a stormy piece, there is again a joyousness in this display of nature, in shaking things up.

The second painting is still available.  

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Panoramic Ocean Paintings - A Journey Begins...

Ocean Song, 18x36 inches, acrylic on canvas

This panoramic ocean painting was the first in my recent series of skyscapes.  It marked a change in my life that was long overdue.  I have always been one to seek out situations in my life that were suitable to me.  I never allowed a false sense of security or financial concerns to dictate my actions.

However, that being said, in the past few years I had allowed myself to stay in an unhappy work situation because I felt trapped by a mortgage and life in a small town.  At the end of the summer my unhappy work situation changed from just unhappy, to a situation where I found it impossible to continue.  So I left.

And a window flung open.  Within a day of making my decision to leave, I found another job, one more suitable to me, that would allow me to destress.  The weight on my chest that had been pressing down on me was suddenly released, and the skyscapes began...

In the weeks that followed I painted one huge sky after another, whether over land or water.  I expressed my new found freedom in paint.

I think the extreme blues in this piece are particularily important to the piece as blue is a very healing colour and what better way to allow oneself to mend than by the sea?

close-up detail

      
Next came, 'Out on the Ocean', a little more turbulent.  It seemed to reflect my inner process whereby I was decompressing from the oppresive situation I had been in.

Out on the Ocean, 12x36 acrylic on canvas

At one point I was standing in the kitchen talking to my husband when I just had to remark on a strange feeling I'd been having.  It was happiness!  It bubbled up inside me like I had never experienced it before.  All these remarkable changes were taking place inside me, and until they did, I never knew just how oppresive that job experience had been, or what it had been doing to my quality of life.

I am so grateful that I had the nerve to change my life.  I work less hours and for less pay, but the joy and peace of mind I get in return has no monetary value.  I have more time to paint, and though the job is more physically demanding, I am somehow less exhausted.

I hope you enjoy seeing the work and don't mind coming on this journey with me as I continue to explore the inspiration for my skyscapes.  Be well...

Both of these paintings have now sold.  To see available paintings, 

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Hill Country Landscape Paintings - Part Two of the 'Wavy Lines Project'

Mountain Pass, 30x30 inches, acrylic on canvas

Where we left off with the Hill Country abstract paintings, I had just changed colour palettes from warm to cool.  With the arrival of this particular landscape painting, however, came a more earthy palette and loads and loads of texture.  

Until now, all of my Hill Country series paintings had been painted with a brush.  But I wanted more.  I wanted to expand the idea of what I was doing and bring in more texture by using a palette knife.  'Mountain Pass' was a huge experiment.  And I had such an amazing time painting it!

Part of why I do, what I do, is to forge new ground, to try new things.  I never know how something will turn out.  If I did, I probably wouldn't do it.  That's what I love about painting.

 

 

Here are a few close-ups to show the detail and the water element.  With knifework, all manner of combining colours is available to a painter by creating layers.  The trick is to get the colour to go where you want it to.  That takes some practise.

Overland, 18x36 inches, acrylic on canvas

Next on our journey is 'Overland'.  The dark lines that had all but disappeared in 'Mountain Pass' are back, yet the knifework continues.  Once I had some experience with this style using the palette knife, I knew where I wanted to go with it.

I kept a palette of earthtones, but balanced it with a cool blue sky.  There are no visible lines in this sky, but the knifework translates my idea very well.

Here's a close-up to show the detail.

Hill Country Harvest, 18x36 inches, acrylic on canvas

 Now with 'Hill Country Harvest' we had come full circle, but brought with it all that I'd learned from the previous two paintings.  This is how it goes, this is how I work when it comes to my creative process.

So I returned to a smoother canvas, so smooth there is almost no texture at all, a choice in design to emphasize the long, sweeping strokes I had achieved in some of the earlier Hill Country work.  Yet, now that I had some experience combining cool colours with warm colours, I took my earthtone palette and made it even warmer, so warm you'd think it was harvest time in the prairies.  Yes!  Then I gave it some cool mountains and a cool sky and we have 'Hill Country Harvest'.

Here's a close-up to show you some of the detail.

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Hill Country Abstract Paintings - The 'Wavy Lines Project'

Over Hill and Dale, 12x24, acrylic on canvas

This was the first painting. At that time, I had no idea it would become a project, or even if, Over Hill and Dale, would be successful.  

Early one Sunday morning I had an idea for a piece.  I had been messing around with a new style of landscape art for about a year or so and thought perhaps I would try to incorporate what I'd learned into what I was currently doing with abstracts.

To my surprise I actually liked it.  Really liked it.  So I listed it in my shop with great enthusiasm.

Hill Country, 18x36, acrylic on canvas

Next time I thought I would go a little bigger with, Hill Country, dark lines almost diminished, but tons of movement and colour gradations, which I found exciting, along with a water element.  It sold within a few days of listing it in my shop.  Happy day!

Having had two successes now, I promptly put it aside for lack of a better reason than there were too many other styles I wanted to explore, and not enough hours in the day to explore them, until...

Hill Country Pasture, 12x24, acrylic on canvas

I was compelled once again to try this style and painted, Hill Country Pasture.  Having been away from it for a while, Hill Country Pasture, brought with it some new ideas:  mountains, a swirlier sky, actual pasture land up there in the hills, and once again the dark lines appeared.  It sold within an hour.

Now that I was incorporating SO many elements I loved:  colour gradation, blending, fluid lines, colour, my goodness, purple and lime green together under a sky that changed from pale green to different shades of blue.  Yes, you guessed it.  What I love most about painting is getting to explore colour relationships.

So, now I just had to do more.

Hill Country Sky, 18x36, acrylic on canvas

So then I painted, Hill Country Sky.  I just love this one.  Not only does it have all of the above elements that I crave to work with in a painting, but now it has the MOON!

Feeling completely unstoppable, I painted the following three pieces in one day.

Hill Country Dusk, 10x20, acrylic on canvas

More mountains...

The Whispering Wind, 8x24, acrylic on canvas

And a triptych.

Stay tuned to see what comes next...  

So far, all of these painting have sold, except for 'Winter Field' (above).
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Abstract Paintings of Water - A Progression in Three Parts

Deep Sea Gazing, 24x30, acrylic on canvas

Here are three abstract paintings of water I want to show you because there is a progression here I thought was interesting.  In each piece the paint is applied in a very similar fashion and they are of a similar composition.  

Deep Sea Gazing was the first, and was a truly inspired piece.

Sunset Ocean, 12x24 inches, acrylic on canvas

Using what I learned from painting Deep Sea Gazing, came Ocean Sunset, a little more daring with the orange in the sunset and a little less of the deep water effect.  I loved it so much I continued my painting journey with Pond.

Pond, 24x24 inches, acrylic on canvas

Here I took what I learned from the first two paintings and applied it to this piece.  Feeling bold, I used much darker, denser colours in the water to suggest something actually on the water, lily pads, which are now creating shadows in the water I achieved by using my deep water effect.   

Not wanting all of my paintings to look too similar, I changed the sunset to something lighter, a bit of yellow instead of deep orange, with some land in the distance, making this a pond and not an ocean.

All three of these paintings have now been sold.  To see available paintings,
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Distressed Abstract Painting Diptych (Painting Set) in Red

In Working Order

acrylic on canvas, 14x22 inches

(two panels 11x14 each)

This multi-layered distressed abstract painting done in a diptych style is a bit of a departure for me.  One day I set two canvases side by side on my easel and every once in a while, when I felt like painting, I set to work on them.  After many incarnations I arrived here at this point, where every square inch is loaded with colour and texture.  

 The result is a little industrial, a little weathered and worn, like a metal sign that has rusted and chipped over time.  It can be hung horizontally or vertically, depending on what you see in it and the space for which it's intended.

I only wish I knew how I did it.  With a piece like this it's impossible to retrace the steps.  But this is the FUN part about creating art, to allow oneself to explore and let what happens happen until you get something you really like and cannot add another stroke.

I have it hanging this way on the wall of my studio for inspiration.

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Paintings on Sale in my shop this Week

Over the Mountain, 12x36 inches, acrylic on canvas  SOLD

Beyond the Field, 12x12 inches, SOLD

 A Moonlit Night, 12x24 SOLD

Midnight Rain, 30x30 inches SOLD 

Some Like it Hot, 24x30 inches, acrylic on canvas SOLD

**All sale paintings have now sold**

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Free Shipping This Weekend on All Original Paintings!

EXTENDED ONE MORE DAY - FREE SHIPPING on all orders $300 and over, United States and Canada only.  I almost never offer free shipping, so take advantage of this special, now until the end of day on MONDAY, June 3nd, 2013.  You can purchase one painting for $300 or more, or choose several paintings to make $300 or more - a great deal either way.  Sorry not available for custom orders.

To see what paintings are available, please visit my Etsy shop:

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UPDATE - thank you to everyone who participated in my free shipping weekend!

More special offers to come throughout the summer months, so stay tuned.

Rothko Inspired Painting in Blue and Gold - Field

Field

24x24, acrylic on canvas

This Rothko inspired painting in blue and gold reminds me of a 1970's photograph, maybe even a Polaroid snapshot.  I was going for those washed out 70's tones in a colour palette that reminds me of road trips with my family.

So many of those road trips involved the vast Canadian landscape of endless fields, and not just prairie fields.  Many a day was spent roaming northern Ontario or Nova Scotia through farm fields scored with dirt roads.  I'm sure I had a photo album full of them.

One by one they surface from memory onto the canvas, each in their own abstract way.  Enjoy!

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Yellow and Gray Abstract Painting - Crack of Dawn - Impasto

Crack of Dawn

18x36, acrylic on canvas

This yellow and gray abstract painting 'Crack of Dawn' was created in one of those moments when I was deeply inspired and just had to run with my idea.  There was no hesitation as to how I would start and no preconcieved notion about how it would turn out, lest the surge of creative energy dissipate as quickly as it came.  And I think it's safe to say that this is a unique piece.

We don't always know where the journey will take us, that's the fun of it.  And I certainly enjoyed this one.  Sometimes in art it's good to take a risk and try something we've never tried before.  I often work with thick paint, but never THIS thick.  And it seemed every stroke was the right one.  There is so much energy in this piece, to me, it looks like it's leaping from he canvas.  Truly a conversation piece!

(close up detail of knife work)

 

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Red and White Abstract Painting - Blush 30x30

Blush

30x30, acrylic on canvas

This red and white abstract painting was done in a new technique I have been experimenting with.  It's done wet on wet with very thick layers of colour.  

The only drawback to painting in this style with acrylics is that they dry incredibly fast.  So when painting, I have to work very quickly to get the paint onto the canvas so that it can be very carefully blended to just the right effect.  One wrong move can ruin the entire piece.  

But the result of diligent, uninterrupted work, can result in a wonderful painting full of contrast and subtleties.  The deep colours retain their richness and what seems like white (especially as a photo on the internet) is actually full of pale shades of lavender and rose from mixing the two original pigments:  deep sky blue, and rich berry.

It's a painting that must be seen in person to be fully enjoyed.

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Ocean Painting Sunset Painting Acrylic Painting - Red Sunset

Red Sunset

30x30 inches, acrylic on canvas

This is a highly textured ocean sunset painting done in acrylics called Red Sunset.  

I have been missing the ocean lately, and because I live in the mountains, don't even remember the last time I saw a real live sunset.  So when painting one, I rely on memory, each stroke a memory of a beautiful sunset from some wonderful evening in my life.

I have been experimenting again with different abstract styles of painting, and this painting went through many incarnations before it became what you see today.  I was just having so much fun reliving this wonderful scene that I didn't want it to end, resulting in some really wonderful layers and colour combinations, and when I look at the horizon the sea and sky seem to go on forever.

To me that's the joy of painting, to get lost in my own imagination, my own world, where sunsets like this can happen every day!

This painting has been sold.  To see available paintings,

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Abstract Expressionist Painting in Blue and Red - Anticipation

Anticipation

24x36 inches, acrylic on canvas

This abstract expressionist painting in blue and red is a highly emotionally charged piece.  I started it in the middle and worked my way out layering colour on top of colour, usually wet on wet, which makes things tricky and interesting all at the same time.

I seemed to be in just the right mood for this kind of work when I did it.  Every stroke seemed to be the right one.  In the end it's a piece that commands attention and would be best in a room that needs a focal point, or at the very least, a little bit of colour.

This painting has been sold.  To see available paintings, 

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Abstract Gray and White Painting - Interferance

Interferance

24x36 inches, acrylic on canvas

This abstract gray and white painting was a custom order by a family member, so is of course not for sale.  But I was quite pleased with the outcome and wanted to show what is possible to achieve in terms of interest and suggestability using only a limited palette.  

The original piece was only 12x16 inches and I wasn't sure if it would sucessfully translate into a larger piece.  But now that I've done it, I am eager to explore this possibility more.  Making it larger only meant more room to play and to create something with a multitude of subtle diversities.

The original piece is still for sale in my shop.  For details

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Abstract Plains Painting - The Great Plains

The Great Plains

18x36 inches, acrylic on canvas

This abstract great plains painting has some of the colours I absolutely love the most, rusty reds and oranges with rich, dark untertones.  Painting is such a joy to me and mostly because I get to play with colour.  Then there is the mystery of composition which sometimes just develops along the way.

The colour combination in this one shows a field deep into autumn, on an overcast day, with only a weak sun coming through the wall of cloud, but yet, there is something more.  Something looms on the horizon, just left of centre.  What is it?  This is the mystery of composition.

This painting has been sold.  To see available paintings,

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Abstract Prairie Painting in Green - Summer Field

Summer Field

12x16 inches, acrylic on canvas

I just love the colour of this abstract prairie painting.  It is actually many, many layers of green, each one a little lighter than the layer before it.  Each time I painted it I like it more and more, until it was just the perfect shade of green. 

Fields remind me so much of home, of perfect summer days, and warm summer evenings, with their mysteries of insects and wild flowers.

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Abstract Prairie Painting - High Plains

High Plains

30x40 inches, acrylic on canvas

This abstract prairie painting called 'High Plains' is another in a continuing series of prairie paintings.  It all started with a painting called 'Harvest' and has progressed from there.  There is something about great expanses of land that I absolutely love.  I love plains and desert, tundra and fields.  

Each time I do a painting in this series I do it differently.  I love to try new things and to push my own boundaries to see what I can create.  This piece has lots of red undertones giving it nice depth and details in the many layers.

This painting has sold.  To see available paintings,

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Abstract Desert Landscape Painting - Cloud Gazing

Cloud Gazing

acrylic on canvas, 24x48 inches

This piece was originally painted as a commission for a lovely couple I met.  Upon completion of the piece, not only did they love it, but wanted me to paint it again for them, only much much larger.  I was absolutely thrilled at the opportunity and painted on the largest canvas I have ever painted on.  Their finished piece was 36x60 inches!

This paintings has now sold.  To see available paintings, 

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Abstract Birch Tree Forest Painting - Ghost Wood V

Ghost Wood V

 18x36 inches, acrylic on canvas

This abstract birch tree forest painting is number 5 in my ghost wood series.  My favourite thing, each time I embark on a new version of my original composition, is to choose my colour palette.  This time I chose a palette of blues, mixing them only with a little Payne's Gray, white, and green/gold.

In this painting I particularily like to look through the trees to the forest beyond.  I feel like I can see light filtering through the dense brush and the subtle sway of the trees.  

This painting has been sold.  To see available paintings,

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Ocean Sunset Painting - Evening Tide

Evening Tide

24x36 inches, acrylic on canvas

This is a rather impressionistic abstract ocean sunset painting done in my signature style involving many, many layers of colour.  It's this journey in painting, where small bits of colour are applied to eventually make up the whole, that I find so fascinating.  

Though I had worked on this piece for many hours, and stared at it intensely while doing so, I was not able to see the larger emerging patterns clearly enough to appreciate them until I took the painting outside to photograph.  

Then, when viewed from a distance, the painting came into focus.  Like the pieces of a kaleidoscope clicking into place, every dot and dab of paint suddenly had its place.

This painting has been sold.  To see available paintings, 

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