Owner: artEzan URL:http://artezan.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 06:19:56 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: The blog of a watercolor artist, with lots of paintings, sketches and musing about art and life in general. Some articles related to art or art materials and whatever I feel like writing about when I feel like writing I guess. Site statistics:Click here
Fruit of being snowed in ACEO 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Well the snow has let up, and that means that I had to go out and shovel the drive way. The damage was 2 feet of snow that had to be moved! My back in killing me.Between doing that and giving the kids something to do on a snowed in day, I managed to make a new ACEO and place it along with a few others on eBay. Here is the latest one:Click on the image to go to the auction please :)
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No Plein Air Today! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I tried. I really really tried to find a spot and to be inspired, but this Saturday was a scratch. The sun had a lazy day - almost didn't show up! Which basically made everything look drab and colourless (see the photo taken today). And to make things worse, the snow banks - plowed to the side of the road after last Wednesday's heavy snow storm - were so high, it was impossible to see anything from the comfort of the car. And hay! I wasn't going out there!So sorry folks. I hope the sun will come back next weekend. I just can't paint without shadows!!
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Daddy's Headphones 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Yasmine loves to play on my computer. I suspect that's because she can hear the music and the sound effects better on the headphones than from the tiny speakers that come with her mom's laptop. She also likes being the subject of my sketches.I did this one using Daler Rowney Sepia watercolour and Faber Castell black brush tip pen.
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, Headphones
Dry Brushes 2007-03-06 01:42:00 For the last two weeks I have not been able to work on a larger painting at all. Perhaps it is that I am going through a stressful period, or perhaps it is that my art is going through a change and need to absorb it. I am not sure which is more the reason. Both are true. What I have been doing though is a few ACEOs.I first started painting ATC and ACEOs about a year ago. Back then, I joined a group where "artists" exchanged these small works among each other. It sounded like fun and the cards 3.5" x 2.5" were a riot to paint. The fun soon turned to disillusion when I realized that while I was making serious art on my cards, others were just slapping on colour and posting their cards for exchange. I quit the group a short time after that. A year later, I am really enjoying making these cards again. Now though, I am posting them on eBay as a way to develop a bit of publicity and to get to know a few art patrons. It is much more satisfying to see your art going to people who choose it fro
More ACEOs 2007-03-12 18:49:00 I am enjoying making these ACEOs
a lot lately. I still can't bring myself to work on any large format piece, but these seem to be less stressful for me at this stage.It is actually easier to paint larger, but the stress that I am under presently keeps me from the time commitment for larger paintings. Hopefully that will change very soon, but for now enjoy these:All of these are on eBay now, so grab one if you like it.
Sensory Deprivation 2007-03-14 18:45:00 Sensory
deprivation is not my idea for forced sketching, but waiting for the ballet class to finish in a minimalist waiting area is just that. These boots were the most colourful thing in the room!
Mina the cat 2007-03-14 18:27:00 Mina, one of our 2 cats, has a chronic sinus problem. The poor thing has a stuffed nose 5 days a week. That keeps her rather lethargic and sleepy all the time. A mix of the Alpha cat (she established herself as the boss over Blossom - the other cat - early on) and the needy child, She is a cuddly ball of fur and a jealous protector of her food bowl.
And now for some nostalgia 2007-03-15 20:04:00 I don't know what happened today, but I am feeling very nostalgic to high school days. I have been meaning to scan these images for a long time. I only have single copies of the photos and I have no way of duplicating them if they are ever damaged so scanning should preserve them somewhat.Back in 1975, a band was born in the middle of the civil war in Beirut, Lebanon at the International College High School. The name of the band was The Pink Panthers. Third one from the left is me! The lead guitarist in front of me was Ralph Shami, the pianist was Pierre Kerbage (far left) and the drummer behind me was Emile Bustani . The name the base guitarist (far right) escapes me. If you know him, please remind me of his name.I played rhythm guitar and sang. We played popular songs from the 70's but mostly kept to the cool stuff (CCR, Doors, etc...)By 1978, we were so popular, that the school was getting worried about the independence that we had. They hired an old hack to run the "music club" a
Companions 2007-03-16 20:29:00 I haven't posted a painting in some time. So here is one that I just finished. Still on the small side (7"x5") but it is progress to get back to the larger format.
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Another Altoids Watercolour Box 2007-03-17 22:09:00 The good folks at the Altoids
company keep throwing challenging new boxes my way and I keep taking the bate! The last was this fabulous looking sour chewing gum box. It measures 8.5cm x 3.7cm x 2cm and is about half the size of the regular Altoids box. It also sports a lovely curved top that should serve well in holding water and colour mixes. (You can see my old, well worn, regular Altoids box on the right for comparison)The smaller size was a real challenge. At these dimensions the box would not hold more than four standard half pans. Four pans would not really make a useful palette for me, so I looked for quarter pans. I know they used to sell those but I just can't find them anymore (If you know where I can find some please let me know). I finally decided to try using the FIMO clay that you can bake to a hard solid shape. I placed the clay in the metal box, smoothed it and used a round flat felt pen end to press 10 holes in the clay. I then smoothed those and placed the whole thi
Pink Panther's Update 2007-03-20 03:28:00 Events sometime have a way of falling in place in a surrealistic way. After I posted my nostalgia entry about our band a few days ago, and within the day, I was reconnected with Pierre Kerbage our gifted keyboard player. It seems he was living in Austin Texas all this time. The kicker is that I lived in Austin for 7 years and we never connected there!!Now for nearly 32 years, we have not seen or heard from each other whatsoever. Over the years, I had tried hard to find my closest friend in High school, our lead guitarist Ralph Shami (AKA Chami) but without luck. My latest attempt, a few years back was an email I sent to an R. Shami who bluntly told me he was not the guy and warned me not to spam him!Today while Pierre and I were on the phone chatting for the first time in 30 some years, we Googled Ralph and for some reason Pierre tried Chami instead of Shami. We found an email address, sent a ping and.... YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We found him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Dr. Chami, a former p Read more:Panther
, Update
, Pink Panther
Red Barn 2007-03-22 16:55:00 Yes, this one is as busy as it looks. Actually I so enjoyed doing this painting that I am not sure if I won't be doing more and more busy paintings like this one. I know some of you may be wincing right about now, but I feel it is full of movement and activity, exactly like this soooo early spring thaw that is happening in Ontario today.This is a combination of Watercolour and watercolour filled pen. I used my new and lovable Ackerman pen with Sepia watercolour in it. Yes I went crazy. Yes I enjoyed the heck out of it. Yes no one may like it. Sometimes you have to paint with no audience in mind; for the love of the process and for personal edification. Am I explaining too much? Do I sound defencive? Why are you looking at me like that? What what?
Meadowvale Park 2007-03-23 22:25:00 It was a glorious spring day today. The sun was bright and the air was just warm enough to be outdoors. Rima, my wife, made the kids a bag of bread and nuts each to feed the birds and squirrels, I took my paints and off we all went to the nearby Meadowvale park.The ice was paper thin on the lake, barely enough for the seagulls to stand on. Mom took the kids for a walk and bird feeding (Thank you Rima) and I was left with my paints for a while to do what damage I could to a clean white sheet of watercolour paper.Knowing that I would be using my new found technique of watercolour in a pen drawing over my watercolour painting, I did not fuss too much with this one in Plein air. I did what I needed to, and just in time for the kids to come back and want to join me in the "colouring" fun. NOT!Back at home, the kids were watching Fairy Topia or something, and I put my finishing touches on this one using my Ackerman pen with Sepia watercolours in it. Many have asked about the Ackerman pen, I
New Watercolour Group 2007-03-24 19:28:00 Recently a group of watercolour artists got together to start a new group dedicated to - what else - watercolours. The yahoo group, an email forum with an additional website to showcase the group's work, was envisioned as a departure from the many forums that are out there in yahoo and Google land, in that it is juried and limited to a small number of artists. The group has just added 15 new spots for juried new memberships. Here is the text of the invitation"Fine Art Watercolour Group
is a juried group for watercolour artists. We welcome all new applicants. To become a member, please apply going to our website and click the subscription button. In your application notes, please include a URL to your work either on a website or Blog. After a peer review of your work, we will advise you of the status of your application.The Group's Mission:Most artists feel the need to share their work and experience with fellow artists. This need for fellowship is not new. Most art movements started
Daylight Saving 2007-03-27 16:17:00 Now that we tricked ourselves and got more evening light, I can walk outside the ballet school and do some sketching en plein air. Here is one I did yesterday from the comfort of my car.Speaking of time. Here is a magnificent poem by W.H. Auden that I just love: Time will say nothing but I told you so,Time only knows the price we have to pay;If I could tell you I would let you know. If we should weep when clowns put on their show,If we should stumble when musicians play,Time will say nothing but I told you so. There are no fortunes to be told, although,Because I love you more than I can say,If I could tell you I would let you know. The winds must come from somewhere when they blow,There must be reasons why the leaves decay;Time will say nothing but I told you so. Perhaps the roses really want to grow,The vision seriously intends to stay;If I could tell you I would let you know. Suppose the lions all get up and go,And all the brooks and soldiers run away?Will time say nothing but I tol Read more:Daylight
, Saving
, Daylight Saving
Marazine 2007-03-26 20:05:00 I am pleased to introduce you, my dear readers, to a new blog that I hope will soon become your second favorite (after this one of course). Marazine is my wife Rima's wonderful art and art thought blog. Marazine started as an eJournal from Rima's site Maraya Galleries and developed recently into this colourful blog that promises to keep you coming for more ideas and thought provoking posts.Please welcome Marazine into the blog world with a visit. You will be hooked I promise you.
A Poetry Contest 2007-03-26 19:02:00 I am not sure this is going to generate the enthusiasm that I hope it will, but it is worth a try. So here is the idea. Below you will find a mixture of words. You can use any/all of these words repeat them if you wish but do not add any words that don't show up below. Use all these to make a poem about spring.The person who posts the best poem will receive this actual original ACEO as a symbolic award for his/her poetic skills. The / Direction / Naked / Silence / Reminder / Hope / Of / Serve / Anyone / Else / It / Simple / Extended / Apparent / At / Time / Limbs / Should / Fingers / Was / Are / Window / No / WithPlease finish the poem by Sunday April 1st. and post it as a comment below.PS: A Question was asked if you could use different forms of the word (i.e. Silence, Silent, Silently) The answer is yes you can. I hope this helps.
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, Contest
Poetry Contest Results 2007-04-01 22:10:00 Well folks, the time has come for me to make a decision on the best poem submitted in the contest. This was really hard. All of the entries were well done and I enjoyed reading them very much. I wish I could declare all of you winners and move on, but that would not be fair either. First let us review the entries:The fingers of limbsdirect the hopeful at Time'sextended windows.Debi Cates------------------------------------------------'Tis the time of hopethe time of reminding someoneof silent windowsof naked limbsapparently, hope serves no oneAnonymous------------------------------------------------The fingers of time Silence The simple naked hope Of limbs Extended In the direction Of anyone,Extended At no one Rima Barrage----------------------------------------------------At the window, the silence ofnaked limbs, fingers extendedwith no apparent directionreminds anyone, simply: Time serves hope, elsehope serves time. Jon---------------------------------------------------Naked limbs Read more:Poetry
, Contest
Spring? 2007-04-04 19:46:00 It always happens. The April snow storm that is. So why do we always believe that just because all the snow has melted and we had a few days of rain showers and mild temperature, things are going to be different? Or is it as Jon said:At the window, the silence ofnaked limbs, fingers extendedwith no apparent directionreminds anyone, simply:Time serves hope, elsehope serves time.I don't know. All I know is that the weather man has predicted a few days of snow showers coming up, and I for one think it's enough already! I mean really, the buds are swollen and the grass is starting to turn green, do we need another snow storm? Can we vote on that?
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The Gymnast 2007-04-07 16:34:00 A very dear friend of ours asked me to do a small painting for a fund raiser to benefit a local gymnastics program. I have been having a hard time painting lately, but something about a purposeful exercise (excuse the pun) made me jump at the chance to do something different. here is the result:I wanted the image of the gymnast to be expressive, but loose and effortless. Have you ever seen those fairies on the balance beam? They are so graceful! As a father though, I always worry when I see them plunge in a riding pose on the beam. That has got to hurt no?
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Home Made Watercolour Bijou Box 2007-04-06 18:09:00 For the watercolour sketchers, The Winsor an Newton Bijou Box has got to be on top of their wish lists. It is a beautifully compact and solid enamelled box that measures 79mm x 60mm x 16mm (or approximately 3" x 2.5" x 3/4"). I have always wanted to have one of these, but since I own two larger Winsor and Newton boxes and have made my own Altoids watercolour boxes before, I could not justify the cost of the Winsor and Newton Bijou Box.This size box is excellent for carrying around in a pocket for sketching when you are out in the everyday world. It is the size of a Blackberry, and when coupled with a small size pocket sketchbook and a waterbrush, can turn into an instant pocket studio.I love my Altoids box. It has been my companion for a while now, but over time it has become loose and clunky and with spring around the corner, it was time to retire it. I had been constantly on the look out for a metal box that approximates the dimensions of the Bijou Box. Call it an ideal, or just the Read more:Home Made
Black Cows 2007-04-09 17:43:00 Sunday was one of those Blaa days with snow and rain and wind and just an all around better- stay-indoor day. I looked through my reference photos and sat down to paint this 1/4 sheet in the evening. I am still struggling with the artificial lights screwing the colours in the evening, but I think this one came out alright. I like it! I wish I had moved the middle cow a bit to the right, but I like it anyway.
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Farm House on 9th & Derry 2007-04-14 20:31:00 It was a glorious morning. Sunny and relatively mild this Saturday. I went out early and this time I knew exactly what I wanted to paint. No wasting time driving around looking for a spot.I had seen this farm house hundreds of times driving back and forth on 9th line (a few blocks from my house). I had seen it in morning light and afternoon light and resolved to paint it in early morning to catch the shadows. Farm House
On 9th & Derry
9" x 5.31"- Order Original (US$75.00) Order number 140407_OThis was my first true plein-air of 2007. I left the comfort of the car, walked for a while to find the right angle and set down my gear. I put a plastic bag on the wet grass, and settled down for a quick painting. It was/is still a bit nippy, so I knew I had no more than 30 minutes to do this one.True to all my plein-air painting experiences, I was greeted by an eager little dog with a chatty owner, but I did not let that bother me. I greeted the dog and engaged the owner in a review of the d
Another Plein-air on 9th and Derry 2007-04-22 02:21:00 We had another gorgeous day today, and yes, I was out early in the morning to do some work en plein-air. I went back to the farm house on 9th and Derry
Rd. I wanted to capture it from another angle. The morning air was warm and comfortable so I decided that I was going to take my time on this one.I did a rough sketch and then once I had the composition right, I settled down to do the painting. 1 1/2 hrs later, it was time for breakfast and I was satisfied with what I had done on location. The rest of the details could be done at home. I took some reference pictures, packed up and headed back home. But the day was just beginning.Farm House On 9th & Derry Revisited 10.0" x 7.0"-Order Original (US$75.00) Order number 210407_OOrder GicleeThis day was too nice to be spent indoors, so we packed our lunch, paints and paper for everyone, and headed off to a nature reserve about 15 minutes from our home. Up here, nature has still not had it's morning coffee so to speak. It is still drab an Read more:Plein
BHS Sketch 2007-04-26 18:28:00 Painting from reference photos may look easy, but the practice has so many traps. The trick is to find a way to use the photo, but end up with an original work that does not "copy" the reference photo. Not an easy thing to do. There is a flatness that happens with painting from photos, that one does not face when working from live observation.Now here is the problem: I wanted to do a painting of my old school in Brummana. I was not going to fly there to do it, and I didn't have enough angle shots of the administration building to combine and build my own view. I had one image and I had to go with it.The result? This is a little sketch (6 1/2"x6 3/4"). It's not exactly what I had in mind, but as a study it will do. It got muddy a bit as I was testing the colours, but I think in a full scale painting, I now know what I need to do. I hope this post will be read by fellow BHS(ers) and that someone will send me more photos of the Admin building and I can do a better job at a real painting
Plein-air Weekend Report 2007-05-06 23:59:00 I am getting into the habit of going out on my Plein
-air sojourns and coming back before everyone at home is up for breakfast. This way I get to catch the early morning light, face less traffic and onlookers and still get to spend the weekend with the family.This weekend was so gorgeous, it was time for a double-header.I went out on Saturday and did "Steeles and Heritage Rd." The morning mist was just lifting as I set my gear up. The actual scene was not very inspiring, but the spot that I found to sit in was a very good one and I had to compromise. The light was the key to this painting.I hope I caught the sun as it struck the near trees and filled them with light. On the way back I found a great spot and took a mental note of it.This morning I woke up very early and since I did not want to putter around and wake everyone, I decided to head out to the spot I had found on the way back on Saturday on Steeles and 9th line, and make it a productive morning. Again the scene was not very in Read more:Weekend
Back Again 2007-06-02 19:15:00 It has been three weeks since I last posted to this blog, and what three weeks they have been. I started a new and very exciting career and have been on an adrenaline rush ever since. That has taken me from my favorite pass-time as I adjusted to the work and the travel. Today, I felt the urge to paint again, but could not get up early to go on a plein-air hunt as I usually do on weekends. I flew in from Vancouver the night before and was still trying deal with the jet-lag. So I just did this little 9x9 figure. It is not really good, but I enjoyed putting the colours together again and seeing what they decide to form!
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Minimimumumum 2007-07-02 13:52:00 A friend at the Fine Arts Watercolour Group Challenged the members to produce minimalist landscapes for this month. I love the idea. Especially since I always have a tendency to fall away from that and in to more representational mode. Something about minimalist or impressionist landscapes makes me deeply content when I paint or view them. It is this sense of filling in the gaps; of completing the painting in your mind, that makes it yours as a viewer that make the paintings more precious. They are not complete without the viewer's participation.
Sketching Vancouver 2007-07-07 12:49:00 I spent the week in Vancouver
on business, but my evenings were free except for catching up on business emails. The walk along the sea wall is breath taking there and the northern part of Vancouver with the mountains as its back-drop were just asking to be sketched. I did these two very quickly (sorry no masterpieces here). These were simple impressions of what I saw nothing more.You will notice that the first one has a better composition and overall feel. That is because the second one was done after a 1hr walk and I was so tired and longing for a shower and some sushi! Never go to Vancouver without checking the sushi places. Most are very very good.
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ACEOs on Ebay 2007-07-15 09:40:00 I put these six ACEOs
on ebay today. It has been a long time since I posted anything there and I am not sure how the market is now adays. Ebay buyers are a rowdy bunch. You never know what is going to catch their eyes and what the latest craze is.Anyway, give these a look and let me know what you think. Some are old, others are new, but all are done with care :-)
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