Plein Air Ensemble Fall Painting Trip 2019 - Part 2

Blog 31

I hope you enjoyed the first part of my travelogue of the Plein Air Ensemble painting trip to Lake Clear. This time, I write about the second and third day of the trip.


Saturday, October 5, 2019

Mirror Mirror..., acrylic, 7" x 5"

When we woke up the lake was cloaked in fog. Overnight, we had the first frost. After the fog lifted, a beautiful blue sky and sunshine appeared. There was not a single cloud in sight, but it was windy and even colder than on the previous day. We found the perfect marsh on Rosien Road. However, by lunchtime, we were all frozen.

We decided to go for a ride to Balaclava, where we admired the beautiful mill that is slowly falling apart. As there was no secure place to set up our easels, we continued to the Fourth Chute in Eganville. On the way, we stopped to take photos of three beautiful horses, a cute donkey, and several Highland cattle that were grazing together on one meadow. At the Fourth Chute, we did not stop for a long time, as it was clear that the beautiful sunshine was attracting a large number of visitors, which is not very appealing when you want to paint on location.

unfinished, acrylic, 8" x 10"

Instead, we returned to Buelow Road, where we finally painted Big Rock. It was still very windy, but in the sunshine, temperatures rose to 15 degrees. We had so much fun that we did not mind that we were late for Happy Hour, even though we missed part of the beautiful music of the multi-talented musicians of the group. A hearty vegetable pasta dish with salad, followed by ice cream gave us energy for the evening’s Jeopardy art game. One of the three groups won with a lead of more than 3000 points, winning half of the maximal points.

I still had enough energy to update the travelogue before continuing with my felted apple blossoms. What a great life of creativity!


Sunday, October 6, 2019

Sleeping Dragon, watercolour, 9" x 12"

The forecast showed a high probability of rain. The sky was dark grey when we woke up. Janis, Hélène and I stayed close to the cottage and decided to paint the dramatic sky and Lake Clear until the start of the rain. I picked up my watercolours for a quick sketch instead of bothering to get out all my painting equipment. However, the sky turned bluer and bluer. It did not take long until the sun came out. This changed the colours of the whole landscape, but it was so wonderful to soak up the sun.

Big Rock, acrylic, 8" x 10"

I went back to the cottage to get my acrylic paints and created another painting of Big Rock - this time from the other side. It was past 1 pm when the sky got very dark again. We had our lunch break and waited for the rain, but it stayed dry. Therefore, we headed out once again to Rosien Road. We stopped to take pictures of an abandoned barn before driving further up the road. We continued to Fire Tower Road, which became so rough that we decided to turn around.

unfinished, acrylic, 8" x 10"

Finally, Hélène and Janis painted a dirt road that was framed by beautifully coloured trees, and I set up in front of a big dark rock. We had assumed that it was a quiet road but many cars, an ATV and even a group of hikers passed us. It was almost 4:30 pm when the rain finally started. At first, I did not even notice it because I was so immersed in my painting. Back at the cottage, Hélène and I still spent some more time painting. As I had not thrown out my palette, when I packed everything into my bag, the folded paper showed a beautiful design. I liked it so much that I printed it onto one of my watercolour papers. It’s a beautiful abstract painting.

Fall Trees, acylic, 7" x 5"

At the beginning of the trip, the organizers gave everyone either a 5” x 7” paper or canvas board to create a “Memory Painting”, a painting that was to be created strictly from memory. I painted a couple of trees in colourful fall foliage and was so absorbed in the process that I missed Happy Hour and hardly made it to the restaurant in time for the turkey dinner and pumpkin pie.

This evening was caricature night, and it was a lot of fun. With permanent markers, we took turns to create a portrait of the person facing us. Despite all the laughter, most of us had a hard time to stay awake until 9 pm. The fresh air and the constant focus on the subject in front of us, while we are capturing the view, are as exhilarating as they are tiring.

Next week, I will publish the last part of the travelogue before going back to a bi-weekly blog schedule.

The Fascination of Water Scenes

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

Blog 28

As this blog falls within my holiday season at the cottage, I decided to write about the fascination water has for most of us. I am not talking about the water coming from the sky, even though I love the rhythmic patter of the rain drops on the roof and windows and the fresh air that usually follows a good rainfall. I love looking for rainbows when rain and sun meet. However, this spring, we have seen so much rain that my excitement is at a low whenever I see dark clouds moving in.

What comes to my mind when I think about water is a white sand beach with the blue waves slightly dancing in and out. This image makes me feel happy, calm, and peaceful. I can feel the warm sun on my skin and smell the salt in the air. It reminds me of holidays and a break in the daily routine. This is a place to relax and re-energize.

However, it is not only the calm water that fascinates me. Every year, when our group of painters goes to Kamouraska for a week of painting, we are excited and inspired by the ever changing scenery. The changing tides make areas visible that were hidden moments ago and the other way around. The sun, wind, and clouds change the colour and the temperament of the water and its surroundings. Water is mesmerizing and challenging to paint because sometimes the changes happen in a blink of an eye.

Why is it that water captivates us? It must be more than just the beauty of the scenery. Maybe, it is because it resembles life where everything is quickly changing, and where dark clouds and turmoil are sooner or later followed by a phase of beauty and peacefulness. Maybe, we feel drawn to it because it is so important in making life possible. Our body consists of more than half of water. We need water to survive. We use it to create energy (both mental and physical) and to clean ourselves and our possessions. Water helps to create income. Not only the tourist industry depends on water but also the recreational sector, transportation, and the fishing industry.

I think the attraction of water lies in its ability to make us feel something, either peacefulness and joy or the force of the water threatening our lives. Both positive and negative emotions are easily visualized. I am sure most of the victims of the recent flood agree, even though the water threatened their possessions, once the flood receded, the beautiful sunsets and the sun rays dancing on the water surface made being close to the water just irresistible.

Here are some of my favourite water scenes:

Left from top:

L'île du Gros Pèlerins, St.-André-du-Kamouraska, Oil, 11" x 14"

Peacefulness, Acrylic, 16" x 20" 

Rocky Shore, Oil, 8” x 10”

Middle from top: 

Wolkenspiel - Cloud Formations, Acrylic, 11" x 14" 

Catching The Fall Colours, Oil, 8" x 10"  

Right from top:

Ste. Lucie Swamp, Oil, 11" x 14" 

Along the St. Laurent River, Oil, 8" x 10" 

Fall Splendor, Acrylic, 18" x 24"

How do you feel about water? Do you love it or fear it? Does it remind you of happy times? I would love to hear from you. You can just leave a comment or reach out to me at kpeters@DomingoInformatics.ca or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KerstinPetersPaintings/

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