Fishing Buddies and More!!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

FISHING BUDDIES 3 X 4 Available

Fishing Buddies is the second in my heron series and one I have wanted to do for some time.  Several years ago Steve and I were camped at Deep Bay on Vancouver Island and treated to a lovely fishing expedition in low tide with the herons.  I waded around the water with my camera getting as many shots as I could. Thank goodness for my zoom lens!!  I have had those pictures peculating in my mind ever since and it is nice to get them out there.

"The More" is my new newsletter.   I have been sending out a letter for years and trying all kinds of different formats but there are always problems:  pictures get lost or scrambled; too many pictures; too many links; email security kicks them out and on and on.  I decided to give Mail Chimp (an internet email service) a try.  So last week I was watched their tutorials and learned their lingo and WOW, was I pleased with the results.  I was able to put together my news with several of my latest pictures and links to other things and it turned out great!  (Well I thought so anyway)  Take a look at it and see what you think.  If you wish to sign up to receive my newsletter there is even a link at the bottom of the page.  If you are interested and want more information about using Mail Chimp just drop me a line. 
Link to my latest (and I think greatest) newsletter.   http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5f5e61f3908b05a4102276e84&id=0ae9695d77

The Great Blue Heron

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY
Spring is here and I am yearning for summer and plein air painting.  I usually work on miniatures then and I think working on them now in my studio brings those days alive for me. Here is the first in a little heron series I am doing.  My challenge is to paint several with this subject in different ways, all in miniature of course.

The Great Blue Heron 4 x 3

The herons are back in town in great numbers and nesting everywhere.  This beauty was out on the sand near Tsawwassen; a great place by the way to see them.  There is a very large heronry, I mean large, over 400 nests at the east end of the causeway out to the ferry dock (Hwy 17).  If you look in the large firs on the bank on the south side you will see them.  In a few weeks those giant trees will be white from the all the excrement from the nests and the air will be filled with all the baby talk!!  It is really something to see.  Right now there is one eagle’s nest in the middle, apparently he drives away other eagles and protects the heronry but  they pay a price for that protection.  One eagle in hand is better than many in flight!

PS. If you want more info to find the heronry just drop me a line. You will be able to see them clearly but you will  need a zoom to see them well in their nests.  Of course when the tide is out they are everywhere looking for food.



Framing Watercolour Without Glass

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

TULIPS IN THE SPRING  4.5 x 6.5  Available

Tulips and daffodils just seem to be spring to me.   Bringing them home from the grocery store is always fun and we wait with anticipation as they open and then watch in amazement as they do their wonderful contortions while they mature and eventually fade.  Eight days is our record.  (Some may say we pushed it and really they were done sooner but . . )
I used this little arrangement as you know to run some experiments in techniques and I thought I would use the last one for the finish.  As I mentioned earlier, I am looking at framing watercolour without glass.   I have mounted my tulips on a wood cradle and then applied fixative, spray varnish and finally painted on several more coats of varnish.  It is definitely protected and ready to roll.  The big difference seems to be in the colours, they are now deeper, richer and somewhat brighter.  The cradle is kind of an interesting format to use as a substrate; one could also use a board and then mount the picture in any canvas frame.  My only concern is that my tulips will not be taken seriously in this format.   I am not finished with this and will try some of the other types of framing without glass.  Does anyone have a preference for this type of framing?

SINGLED OUT IS A WINNER!!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Singled Out - 4.5 x 6.5 Available

   Very exciting news, I just got notification that Singled Out has been awarded an Award of Excellence at the Blossom Juried Show which is on now at the Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery on Granville Island in Vancouver, BC.
   This little piece came about after our trip to Hawaii this winter.  It is nice to go away and enjoy some warm weather but when you get home you are totally ready for spring!  I was definitely feeling that way and went hunting through my files for flowers to paint.  These little tulips really caught my eye; they just seemed to give me that warm, spring feel. 
  As you can see I started with pouring watecolours onto my paper and just letting things go.  Then I tried to ignore the colour and place my drawing onto the page.  (I find that by trying to place a flower by a certain colour just doesn’t work.)  Once I start to develop each of the flowers with paint,  the undercoating provides happy little surprises that seem to work into the petals.  The results are this wonderful combination of colour that never could have been painted in any other way.  I hope "Singled Out" gives you those feelings of spring as well on this sunny Easter Day. The show runs until April 15, so check it out when you are in the area. 

EARLY MORNING HUNT - Short Eared Owl

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

EARLY MORNING HUNT  12 x 16 Available

My owl is finished and ready to show. This little short eared owl has been a very interesting project for me.  The background is a mixture of layers on top of some light washes as I wanted it not too busy but still give the feeling of depth and open fields.  I wanted that warm glow of the early sun on everything and of course my love of detail comes through in the foreground.  Let me just say I didn't do all those feathers in one go!!

I am thinking of varnishing this little guy and framing him without glass.  I have a few samples underway and I will post them over the next few days.  If you have experience or thoughts on watercolours framed without glass I would love to hear them.