I think this will work...

I have been fiddling around with Photoshop all afternoon trying to figure out what to add in the foreground of this painting. I chose a few ref photos of foliage that I liked and I cut and superimposed sections that I thought would look suitable (such as this log and ferns) on an image of the painting (work in progress) until I came up with a pleasing composition.

The rest of the painting I am still debating but I won't reveal my thoughts just yet. You'll have to wait and see what comes to life on the canvas...

Deer Painting work in progress

Pretty much completed the coat except for the legs. The background is darker than real life, most likely due to the fact that this photo was taken indoors. I prefer to take my photos under mid day sunlight but today was really windy and raining.

Onaping Falls Art show...another award!

I was so very pleased that my pastel painting "Meeting at Sugarbush" has received The People's Choice Award at the 2009 Cavalcade of Colors/Onaping Falls Art Show in Dowling last weekend.

Slowly but surely...

In this step I'm almost done adding the colors to the deer's coat. I've had to add several colors in layers to hide the dark suede and to achieve the desired colors (we don't always have the exact color match). Let's just hope all those layers of pastel stay on the suede!

I will most likely be spraying the finished piece with a fixative to prevent dust from falling off and smudging the painting. This will darken the colors a bit and will help tone down the painting.

Deer Painting-Update

I'm so pleased that the backdrop greenery is just about complete. It was way easier than I first anticipated. Phew! I will be going back to the background a bit later and tone down some of the brightness on a few leafy areas to the left of the painting (I still find it a bit too bright).

Creating the deer's coat with the light shadows/reflections is proving to be quite interesting. I am currently using about 6 or 7 different colors of pastel to get the right intensities.

Pastel painting of deer update

I'm surprised at how fast this painting is progressing!! I'm actually enjoying painting all the leaves. Perhaps it is because of all the practice I got in doing the squirrel painting...or maybe because I find it so much easier to work on a dark suede or velour (such as this very dark emerald green) as the starting base color for the background.

White Tail Deer Painting (pastel)

(photo above a bit bright)

The worst has yet to come, I fear, as I have not yet started to work on the messy plants in the foreground and below the deer's feet. So much greenery in this piece (even the suede board is green) but working on the deer's beautiful face was a refreshing change of color.

I just can't help it...

Aww, I just felt like working on something other than the cow moose painting so it is now hiden behind protective foam core until I get inspired to work on it again. And so this is the newest composition I have come up with. I have yet to find a title for the piece but I have an idea what I want, just can't find the words!!


After browsing through about a hundred or so deer photos I felt this was to be the one I get to paint. I love the fact that the deer seems attentive to something beyond the canvas, leaving it to the viewer to determine what it is that could be alerting her so. I also liked the backdrop and the lighting but I anticipate that I will get bored of green pastel!!

2009/2010 NOAA travelling exhibition

I am very pleased to anounce that both my paintings (Into the Light-Arabian Horse and Beakful of Bugs-Red-Winged Blackbird) submitted to the Northern Ontario Artist Association have been accepted into the annual juried travelling exhibition. The painting "Into the Light-Arabian Horse" has also received an honorable mention award. Both paintings will be exhibited at 11 galleries accross Northern Ontario and will return back home September 2010.

Busy summer and now cow moose

Now that summer finally arrived in our neck of the woods, we've been camping and fishing to our heart's content. I took several opportunities to photograph many subjects; some of which I anticipate drawing or painting in the future.


After putting this painting on the back burner for a few months, I've taken up the courage to work on it again. I was not pleased with the background and shrubbery and so re-worked on those areas. Here's what I've done so far:
I still have a bit of work left to do on one of the cows...I've vowed not to start another painting until I finish this one so I better get cracking!!