Whitewater Region

Ottawa River, Whitewater Region, acrylic, 12" x 16"



Blog 27



July is the month I take time off from teaching. It is my month to recharge my batteries. This past week, our family spent a at cottage in the Whitewater region, right on the Ottawa River. I usually do not find the time to paint during our summer stay because we always have company. However, like last year, I did a couple of sketches.


The only two paintings I ever did during our summer vacation were an acrylic painting of my kids in front of my in-laws' cottage, a painting my parents-in-law had asked for, as well as an oil painting of my daughter and her friend at a dance recital. I got excited about painting the two girls when I watched them practicing their dance moves in the cottage. Even in the summer, I always bring a small set of painting equipment and reference photos with me in case of bad weather. That time, I had a photo at hand which I had taken earlier that year backstage during the year-end recital.


In general, I prefer to paint outside when I am at the cottage. The beautiful scenery has always something to offer and inspired me to many paintings, no matter the season.


In the spring and fall, I usually spend a couple of days with some of my painting buddies in the area. All of my oil colour paintings were done on location, mostly in the company of my friends. My acrylic paintings were painted with the help of reference photos.


In winter, it is often impossible to set up the equipment on the spots I like – either because of deep snow, ice, or chilly wind. While I have tried to paint outside in temperatures around -20 degree Celsius, I do not do it anymore because I just do not enjoy myself. It is just too hard to stay warm.



Following are photos of my landscape paintings from the Whitewater region:


Spring:



River Panorama, acrylic, 8" x 10"



Presqu'ile, oil, 10" x 8"



Just a Touch of Red, oil, 8" x 10"



Ottawa River, oil, 10" x 8" 



Ottawa Rapids, oil, 8" x 10"



Spring Greens, oil, 10" x 8"



The Buseater, oil, 8" x 10"



Fall:




The Orange Tree, oil, 10" x 8"



Fall at Whitewater Village, acrylic, 20" x 24"



Path Along The River, oil, 8" x 10"



The Red Tree, acrylic, 8" x 10"



Broom Creek, acrylic, 14" x 11"



Winter:



Breaking The Ice, acrylic, 14" x 18"



Presqu'ile Point, acrylic, 20" x 24"


Next week, I will take you to a place closer to home, the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, one of my favourite spots for an outing. Do you have some favourite areas you like to visit regularly? What attracts you to the destinations?