#13 30 in 30 2 Little Gems

I've had little bits of painting opportunity in the last two days so I am posting these two little ones that I did on Mon. The first one I did in the small horizontal format to see whether I liked it better than the square format and the second one I did just because I enjoy the scene and wanted to play with the thick clouds.

Toasty and Warm

8x6   Oil on Paper   NFS

I painted this a week ago but couldn't post it as it's a birthday surprise but now I hear the cat's out of the bag  so it's all OK! It was somehow even more fun to paint because of the surprise. 

Taking a Spin

6x8   Oil on Paper

All of these skaters and many more were on the ice, the challenge was deciding which shapes to include. I really admire that even the tentative skaters are willing to go out on this vast sheet of ice with no walls to grab  onto if the need arose!

Silver Skate Festival Sleigh Ride

6x8    Oil on Paper

The sleigh ride is one of many things to do at the Festival besides just putting on your skates and going for a spin. This festival is held in Hawrelak Park, a beautiful park in the River Valley. The City of Edmonton does a great job hosting festivals all year but when it really counts is in the winter to get families out enjoying the weather!

Silver Skate Festival Teepee

6x8   Oil on Paper

We're heading back to Edmonton today, I found some pictures from our Silver Skate Festival a couple of years ago that offer the opportunity to paint lots of figures in gesture.  It was a really cold day as you can see from the sky but that never matters, lots of folks were out with their families. 

I'm not naturally drawn to winter sports but fortunately my boys are so it's gets me out to enjoy the day!

Veronica and Her Babes

6x8   Oil on Paper

"All right you two, get back in the right direction!" Just like kids they only need one other to make mischief with. 

One of my goals in doing this project was to get comfortable with using thicker paint with is happening a little more each day. 

Barn at the U.

5x7   Oil on Canvas    $200 framed

I took my paint box with me one Saturday morning  when I went over to the market on the University grounds and this little scene caught my eye.  I love this farm at the U. because you're in the middle of the city but you could easily be out in the country. Also the Green and Gold Garden donate all the proceedings from the market to a Women's Shelter in Rwanda. It was fun doing this one with a palette knife. It's a great tool for plein air as the cleanup is quick and you can use big juicy strokes.
This painting will be in the Alberta Oil Painters Fall Show at the Dow Centre through October.

Fredricksburg Poppies

5x7 Oil on Canvas $75.00

This was the spectacular view I came upon as I turned a corner outside of Fredricksburg. The entire field was just a scarlet blaze. The ditches were filled with either bluebonnets or strawflowers. Hard to keep your eyes on the road! Thank goodness there is a pullout at most every driveway so people can pick up their mail from the boxes.

Our plan was originally to do a circle drive from San Antonio through the Hill Country to Austin where we were heading for a few nights after the conference. As best laid plans go, they often need adjustment. Turned out I was on my own for the day. Would it be worth the drive by myself? It would mean driving there and back to San Antonio by dinner time. It was well worth the drive, I'm so glad I went. Actually I went about 30 miles beyond Fredricksburg to see the fields of wild flowers I'd heard about.

Hopkins Path

5x7 Oil on Canvas unframed
$100.00 including shipping
These small studies start my painting day. I wrote in January
about Doug Swinton encouraging us to do them as often as
possible for the learning and fun. The idea is to make our
photographs as useful as possible by reducing the scene to the
it's iconic shapes.The exercise of painting these studies as often
as possible is so invigorating.
This scene is the path at Hopkins Landing where people walk
their dogs and take in the beauty of the place.
If you are interested in purchasing any of these small landscapes,
please contact me.

Barriere Farm Touchups

5x7 Oil on canvas unframed $100.00 shipping included

I thought I would repost this little painting because it was

sitting on my desk and a couple of things bugged me. One
is that the green field on the hillside was "coming forward"
as it was the same colour and value as the flat field. The
other was the barn roof. To stay true to the exercise of
quick studies, I could only let myself change it if I promised
to do it with only a few strokes. I like both the changes.
The bit of blue in the field seems to push it back and I like
the roof brighter. What do you think?

Fraser River Near Clearwater

2010 © Tracey Mardon 5x7 Oil on Canvas

This is a little study of a scene near Clearwater, B.C.
It is one of my favorite chunks of the drive to the
West Coast from Edmonton every summer, the colours
are always wonderful, whatever the weather. My Panasonic
Lumix has an aerial photo option that I find really useful
for taking photos while zooming along at 110km, in the
passenger seat of course! They are often amazingly clear and
even when they aren't, they evoke a memory of the scene that
is sometimes just as helpful.

Paradise Village Yacht Club

8x10 Oil on Linen Board
$250.00 Framed
I felt compelled to paint this scene from a watercolour sketch that I'd done in Mexico a few years ago. I wonder if there is any connection to the wickedly cold days we've been getting again. It makes me want to go back SOON!

Brian Ryder Exercises

This is one of the paintings I did over the holiday. It is one of the exercises from Brian Ryder's DVD which I received for Christmas. The scenery in this DVD is spectacular, especially for a prairie girl who grew up on the coast. I will post others as I go along.

This New Year seems like a time of gratitude and enjoying all that we have. Opportunity to paint, good friends, so much! We've had such cold weather but beautiful sunshine to paint with.

Please check out the link of one of my very good painting friends, Cindy Revell. I love her work!!!

DeBoville Dykes

Oil on Canvas framed


9x12


$285.00


This Dyke is a favorite walk for my sister, her country in the city so to speak. Recently the bears were foraging before winter so they won out. The colours in the grasses were what drew me to paint it.

Neaves Bridge

Oil on gallery canvas
11x14 unframed
$250.00
This scene was painted from a photo my Mom took on one of her walks. The Neaves Bridge spans the Allouette River. It was the colours and the absolute calm that appealed to me.

Hidden Away

Oil on Board
8X10 framed
$250.00
This painting was done in a field in West Edmonton which will soon be the location of a transit site. I love to paint outside; the light and camraderie. It was a warm, peaceful, August morning. I hope I captured that.