Another Good Winter Painting Day

Today was another good day to be painting outdoors. It was just below 0 degrees with some wind; perhaps upwards of 30kmh. I had thought that it was going to be too windy but after being out for the morning, decided it was pleasant enough for painting.

I decided to park my car on an access road on West Taylor which butts right into Assiniboine Forest. My plein-air gear fits nicely into an Oakley backpack that I had bought just for this purpose. It was a short walk across Shaftesbury into the forest. I decided to not go far down the path as occasionally people will treat the forest as an off leash dog park which is not good for setting up an easel. I tried this last winter and found my tripod/easel seemed to be a magnet for dogs. I found a spot just off the path that didn't have a lot of snow on it and set myself up. I had a nice view of a larger tree with bands of grasses and clumps of grass poking up through the snow.

I had a 1/2 inch canvas which didn't work well on my new STRADA easel. It was really designed to hold boards rather than stretched canvas. Fortunately, I had a few clamps in my bag which I used to secure the canvas. I started with a very turpy wash of color; a little too wet as I had trouble trying to put more paint down. I did like the texture it created in places however. This was a little bit larger canvas which I was glad I had taken. It is difficult to work on too small a piece especially when you're trying to manhandle brushes with big mitts on.

There weren't a lot of people out in the forest today but one runner stopped to talk to me. She said she does do some painting outdoors; but not in the winter time. She does take her paints out on the water in her canoe. I should have asked her if she was interested in going out sometime since she probably lives in my neighborhood or not too far away.

I was happy with this quick painting. I think I will try and do just a bit more work on it in my studio. The grasses seem to need some more definition.

Assiniboine Forest - the view I selected to paint

A closeup of my STRADA box and painting

The painting as it stands after painting outdoors

Winter Painting

Winter Painting - January 20 and 23rd

We have had a much better winter in Winnipeg so far as compared to last winter. Through the xmas season and just the last few days, the weather has been unseasonably warm; hovering around 0 degrees.

I was scheduled to paint indoors today with a friend but due to a cancellation, I found myself wondering whether I should take advantage of the +4 degree temperature outside. I didn't have a car available so I decided to take my plein-air gear out in the backyard. I have a large berm in my backyard to shield us against the noise of the main CN line which runs right behind our house and yard. It gives  a great vantage point for the developing shopping, condo and restaurants going up behind our house.

In addition to the weather being great, I also have some new equipment. I have been painting using a Judson's pochade box which I enjoy using. To streamline the weight and size of my box, I ordered a new STRADA box in December. I had used it indoors 3 or 4 times but until this week, hadn't taken it out in the "field". The first session outdoors was at Assiniboine Park on Tuesday morning.
Today's session felt much more comfortable than the previous session on Tuesday. I believe that's due to the difference in temperature. It was at least 5 degrees warmer and above 0 which meant I could take my mitts off once and awhile to do things like the setup of my tripod/easel.  My toes still became cold today but still not as cold as the Tuesday session. I have not yet tried to stand on a mat; I've heard that that helps keep your feet warm.

Condo Construction - Friday morning




 

Today's subject was very appealing to me. It was of the condo development which is underway. You can see the condo off to the right with the green Hydro boxes in front. One of the cranes is suggested in the distance. I liked the bands of snow and grass which were in front of the condo construction. The sky looks a bit dark but this probably has a lot to do with the fact that I was painting on a very dark support; one of my many painted with Venetian red.  I had very few colors on my palette; white, transparent red oxide, burnt umber, ultramarine blue, and cad yellow.


Setup at Assiniboine Park - Tuesday afternoon

Assiniboine Park Duck Pond - Tuesday afternoon

A good view of my STRADA easel - Tuesday afternoon