Tag Archives: Botony

Lavender Festival

29 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by in Art, Event, Landscape, Landscape, Oil, Oil painting, Plein Air, Uncategorized

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The Lavender Festival was a two day event.  Our group was supposed to paint on location in the lavender beds on Saturday, but mother nature decided to dump torrential rains on us once again.  Will it ever end?!  I know California could really use some of this rain.  Fortunately, Sunday was a much better day.  It was a bit windy, but their were bright fluffy clouds, and beautiful sun.

Serentity Now! 9 x 12 Oil on Ampersand Gessobord $350 framed
Location image at Serenity Lavender Farms, Lavender Festival

 

Pelee Island Plein Air with Friends

27 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by in Art, Botony, Flowers, Hike, Landscape, Landscape, Nikon D90, Oil, Oil painting, Photography, Plein Air, Portrait, sunset, Uncategorized, ViewNX

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It was my first trip to Pelee Island, Canada’s most southern Post. I am so blessed to have good friends. My Plein Air group the Windsor & Essex County Plein Air Artists is chock full of wonderful people.  I could not be more grateful.  One of our members and incredible artist Vera Graham, invited the group to spend the night at her cottage.  Two of us, Kathy Hudak and I, were able to take advantage of her generous offer. 

A large backhoe barely fits in the Jiimaan hold.

A large backhoe barely fits in the Jiimaan hold.

It was an early day Monday.  We had to be at the Leamington dock by 9:00 to board the Jiimaan Ferry to the island.  It’s amazing what this vessel holds!  A huge backhoe on a trailer bed, large trucks, a garbage truck, a cherry picker lift, and many other smaller vehicles. 

 

 

Life jackets ... check Life boat ... check

Life jackets … check
Life boat … check

It was a full and heavy load.  The ferry listed on the Port side from the incredible weight of the trucks.  I’m sure she was never in any danger of capsizing, but I was very grateful for calm seas.    Just to be sure I made note of the life jackets and lifeboat locations! 

 

 

 

Bon Voyage!

Bon Voyage!

Once we’ve boarded we headed up to the deck to watch the boat leave the harbour.

The one and a half hour cruse was pleasant.  The brisk breeze was refreshing.   I could hardly contain my joyous anticipation of what the two days ahead would hold for us.

 

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OOps!  We got into a bit of trouble.  We walked down a set of stairs into a restricted area.  Well they didn’t have any signs, and the steps were not roped off!  How were we supposed to know?  The equipment was just so COOL!

OOps! Ship's hand chased us out of here, but not before I got this great photo of a huge winch. They need better signage!

OOps! Ship’s hand chased us out of here, but not before I got this great photo of a huge winch. They need better signage!

We reach the Island docks.

We reach the Island docks.

First order of business snacks! Chips, salsa and Pelee Island WINE!

Relaxing on the beach.

Relaxing on the beach.

Then off to paint.

Vera’s Refuge 8 x 10 Oil on Ampersand Gessobord $275.
Painting Vera’s Refuge on the East Beach, storm incoming

 

The rest of our 2 day painting holiday was filled with a great beach bonfire, nighttime thunder storms, hiking on the beach, hiking in the woods, sack lunch at the winery, snacks at the cottage,  and good friends.

Chairs positioned to catch the last rays of the day.

Chairs positioned to catch the last rays of the day.

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Monday’s sunset is an incredible light show.

Monday’s sunset is an incredible light show – looking west
Looking back to the North and heading home.
No trip to the cottage is complete without a good campfire. One on the beach is the best!

No trip to the cottage is complete without a good campfire. One on the beach is the best!

 

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Tuesday’s tour of the island saw that Monday night’s storms flooded much of the farmland.

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A walk through the forest at the south west end of the island.

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The southern most tip of Canada, which is the south west tip of Pelee Island.

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The harbour lights signal we are home again.

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DSC_9600A beautiful end to a wonderful 2 days.  Sunset on the north shore of Lake Erie.

Mom’s RumRill Vase, Table runner, Hydrangeas and My Abstract Watercolour

10 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in abstract, Art, Botony, Flowers, Nikon D90, Photography, Still Life, Still Life, Watercolour

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Mom's RumRill Vase, Table runner, Hydrangeas and My Abstract Watercolour by photographerpainterprintmaker

Yesterday we cleaned up the front garden. My hydrangea bush had some incredible blooms on it this year. It was a joy to bring these inside. I found a lovely spot for them in my office. The background is a section of my abstract watercolour/rice paper collage which measures 40 3/4″ x 49 3/4″.

When I was a child we had two very large lilac bushes in our backyard. Every spring I would cut lilacs from these bushes and bring them in for my mother. She would go to the china cabinet and pull out this vase to hold them. Little did I know that this piece of American pottery was anything special. It is Red Wing RumRill art deco pottery with the number 629 on the base. The crochet table runner was made by my mother.

This was one of my final BFA pieces. My classmates, I’m sure, didn’t appreciate having to hop over this painting every day in order to get to their studio’s. I had to lay it on the floor with fans drying the large pools of watercolour. This process would take hours.

I love it because it was one of those pieces that I pushed beyond the breaking point and brought back. I thought it was trash, but my professor Adele Duck made me work it to death, or should I say back to life. I think I learned more on this one failed painting than in all my other works combined. Thank you Adele!

I photographed this in natural light. It’s a bit grainy because it is a cloudy day.

Join Me Plein Air Painting In Tuscany in May 2013

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Art, Event, Moleskine, Plein Air, Sketch, Watercolour, Workshops

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Hosted by Toscana Americana Workshops

Watercolor en Plein Air in Tuscany with Artist/instructor Elizabeth G MacDonald May 8-15, 2013 Cortona, Italy

I am very excited to offer a workshop in Tuscany next spring 2013.

In this workshop I will be focusing on sketching and watercolour en Plein Air.  The day will begin with a short discussion, demo and question period.  Throughout the day, each student will receive individual instruction.  We will Alternate between quick sketches in a journal, and larger paintings. As an urban and a landscape painter I am at home painting in any environment.  The focus will be on capturing the rapidly changing light and contrasting values as the day progresses.  You will also learn how to interpret colour using a limited palette. I will teach you how to edit what you see en Plein Air to create your cherished memory of Tuscany.  As an added bonus I will show you how to use photography as a tool to plan your composition,photograph your work for the web or to make art cards from your paintings.  These keepsakes can be shared with friends and family. You will learn how to work Plein Air painting into your daily life.  I will be only demonstrating watercolour, but if you are an experienced painter who wishes to do your own thing you are more than welcome to participate at the same cost.  You may bring any mediums you like with you.  However, if you bring oils do not bring thinners, as they are prohibited from flights.  You may purchase thinners at the local art store.

This workshop is suitable for the beginner or the experienced painter.  Click these links for frequently asked questions, workshop information and registration rates.

I wish to introduce you to the joy of painting in the largest studio in the world, the great outdoors.  When I paint en Plein Air I experience nature and the world in an intimate way not experienced by the casual observer. The experience exhilarates me. I am also a photographer. When I capture nature and life through a camera lens I feel more like a voyeur, stealing a moment in time.  However, when I paint I become immersed in my surroundings with all my senses.  I am alert, and the scene becomes a part of my existence.  My heart yearns to interpret what is before me. By painting en Plein Air I go beyond copying that stolen moment in a photograph in the studio. I live the moment. I live the painting. The experience becomes a memory not soon forgotten.  When people see my work, I’d like them to experience a bit of what it was like to be there.  There is no greater joy for me then when I introduce others to painting en Plein Air.

Ciao!

Recommended supplies, partial list.

The Monoprint

18 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in Art, Botanical print, Monoprinting, Nature print

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Sync 1 of 6 DSC_1054Watercolour Botanical Mono Print - Spirea

Sync, 1 of 6 Monoprints in a series.   Spirea, Watercolour Botanical Mono Print

by Elizabeth Gaye MacDonald, for Windsor Printmaker’s Forum Spring 2012 Newsletter

So, what exactly is a monoprint? Variations of this method of printmaking can be used in a number of different processes. The broad definition of a monoprint is a print that can’t be reproduced. To make a monoprint, a printmaker applies various medium such as oil paint, etching ink, or watercolour to a flat surface. This media can be manipulated in many ways to produce the final image. The chosen surface can be hand rubbed, or put through a press to transfer the image to paper, canvas or even cloth. Monoprinting is often referred to as a painterly method of printmaking, and is an excellent introduction to printmaking for both adult and youths.

Monprinting may also be used in conjunction with an etched plate. The printmaker may first ink and wipe their plate in the traditional way. Then before running that plate though the press they can add monoprint elements to the flat raised surface areas of the plate. This results in an etching with monoprint elements. This image can not be reproduced exactly the same in successive runs of the etched plate.

There are other methods of printmaking that use monoprint techniques. but these are classed in a genre all their own, and include:

  • Nature or botanical prints – The process of inking a plant or a leaf and transferring the resulting image to paper or other surface, via a press or by hand rubbing. This process along with pressing and drying plants was used to create a record of botanical species, for future identification. Also, included under Nature prints is a print or rubbing made from feathers, or other animal parts.

  • Gyotaku – From the Japanese, gyo “fish” + taku “rubbing” While this method of printmaking is actually derived from nature it is considered a genre all its own. This traditional form of printmaking was established by Japanese fishermen to record their catch. They would apply sumi ink to the fish, and then rice paper would be placed over the fish. They would then hand rub the paper to transfer the image. This method of printmaking has become quite popular. Rubber fish poured from molds are available and are used in classrooms to teach Gyotaku to young children. This genre has also evolved into a fine art all its own. If you do an online image search with the word Gyotaku you will find incredible colourful images created from many different marine species.

Morning Glories

09 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Art, Flowers, Watercolour

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I’m not really satisfied with this one. In my opinion, it’s overworked for a watercolour. I tried to stay too close to the photo in the values. The photo of the painting itself has a bit more red in it than it should, but I could not correct the colour in photoshop. So, the post is more brown than orange as seen in this photo.

SPRING FLOWERS!

27 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in Botony, Nikon D90, Photography

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SPRING, originally uploaded by photographerpainterprintmaker.

What an incredibly mild winter we’ve had. I’ve not been out to check my garden in a few weeks, but I swear these little guys called to me. COME LOOK! We bring JOY! They sure do bring joy. It is the promise of winter’s end, and springs new life. Every year I thank God for giving us these little promises.

Mighty Lak a Rose.

23 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by in Art, Botony, Flowers, Watercolour

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by Frank Lebby Stanton

Sweetest l’il feller,
Everybody knows;
Dunno what to call him,
But he mighty lak’ a rose!

Lookin’ at his Mammy
Wid eyes so shiny blue,
Mek’ you think that heav’n
Is comin’ clost-ter you!

W’en he’s a dar a-sleepin’,
In his li’l place,
Think I see de angels
Lookin’ thro’ de lace.

When de dark is fallin’,
When de shadders creep,
Den dey comes on tiptoe
Ter kiss ‘im in his sleep.

Sweetest l’il feller,
Everybody knows;
Dunno what to call him,
But he mighty lak’ a rose!

Lookin’ at his Mammy
Wid eyes so shiny blue,
Mek’ you think that heav’n
Is comin’ clost-ter you!

I have a print of a baby boy by Bessie Pease Gutmann, entitled Mighty lak a Rose. It was inspired by this poem which was also made into a song by Ethelbert Nevin. This sweet lullaby was sung by many artists over the years, including Bing Crosby, and Petula Clark. I went looking for inspiration today, and found a beautiful photograph taken by my friend Margaret. I don’t normally work from photo’s but this rose begged me to paint it. I knew immediately what words needed to accompany the painting.

Orchid: Love, Luxury, Beauty & Strength

22 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Art, Botony, Watercolour

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Orchids, originally uploaded by photographerpainterprintmaker.

Orchids have long been one of the most cherished of flowers. They are associated with love, luxury, beauty and Strength.

My father converted a room in the house dedicated to growing them. They were not easy to grow. My dad loved orchids so much that we had a casket blanket made out of living orchids. I had to tell the shop what I wanted. I wanted to be able to take apart the blanket after the ceremony. They shook their heads in confusion, but did manage to do as I asked. Each child was given one of the orchids to take home in remembrance of him.

Dad lived with my hubby and I for the final 13 years of his life. When he passed it was as if someone blew a huge hole in my heart. Then, after 4 years in dormancy the orchid bloomed. I took it as a sign that Dad was telling me it was time to shake off the sorrow. If it were not for this orchid (which I really didn’t take very good care of) blooming, I might still in deep depression. So this plant gave me back the strength to get back into life again. I’ve never looked back.

Plein Air at the Amherstburg Navy Yard

28 Saturday May 2011

Posted by in Art, Botony, Moleskine, Nikon D90, Photography, Plein Air, Watercolour

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RodiDSC_2315, originally uploaded by photographerpainterprintmaker.

My best two female friends and I ventured out to Amherstburg this morning to paint during the Garden Tour. We were not disappointed as the gardens were in full bloom. I’ve taken to doing smaller watercolours in my Moleskine. I have fallen head over heals in love with this book. I bought two larger one’s when I was in California, but I’ve yet to take the plastic off them. We have an exciting summer planned for the Windsor & Essex County Plein Air Society in this our third summer.

Just an incredible day in Amherstburg. I wish we could have stayed longer.