Still Life Watercolour Demo for Grades 6,7,8

Still Life Demo 

8x10 Watercolour and Ink

At Del Van Gorder School

Student Samples of their Still Life

View from Mt.Mye Sheep Centre, Faro Yukon

Original 20x20 Acrylic on Canvas

Promise of Spring

View from Mt. Mye Sheep Centre

I did a Plein Air Demo during last year's Sheep and Crane Festival, I was not able to complete the painting because it was so windy outside that my canvas blew down the embankment and I had to run down and retrieve it!  I pulled it out of a stack of canvases and finished it today. 

Maritime Scene

In Memory of Sadie Young

4x4 inches

Original Acrylic on Canvas

My dear friend Marilyn Boyle's Mother passed away in Newfoundland a few weeks ago. She was 95 years old. I painted this little scene in her memory. I was born and raised in Nova Scotia, It brings back my youth and memories of the ocean. 

 Painted from imagination.

Sunset near Faro

 I took a series of photos last fall of sunsets. A subject that I love painting and am thinking of basing my next show on at Yukon Artists at Work in July.  I am a member of the Daily Painters. com site and when I look at the stats for how many views I receive, my sunsets win every time!  I love painting them .... they make me feel happy.

Orignal Acrylic

Sunset Near Faro

6x8 inches

Demo: Impasto Painting Northern Lights

Original Impasto Acrylic

Northern Light

8x8 inches

More Art in the Del Van Gorder School

Demonstration Using Oil Pastel and Tempera 

 for Grades 3,4,5

8x10 

Another morning session in the local school with the Grades 3,4,5 students produced these wonderful results.  My format for teaching young children is to do a very quick demo to give them the idea of what it is we are going to do/accomplish.  I do not spend a lot of time exacting details but quickly  show them so that they will approach their works with the same freedom. Spontaneity is the name of the day and I have found that youth/children never disappoint when it comes to being creative and spontaneous - they are naturals!

Heavy Bond Paper was used with a combination of oil pastel and tempura paints.  Each student was assisted in setting a a basic fall scene with trees and rocks, some had water and mountains. We literally blast in a quick pencil sketch.  I help them get started and we both draw in simple shapes.  The pastel is applied first loosely and thickly in areas, especially the fall trees and grasses and then the paint is applied on top. The pastel "resists" the paint and creates really pleasing textures and brilliant colour. 

Note to other art instructors, it is a very intense and busy time getting the initial set-up going but the results are so worth it!  See Below

Student's Works of Art 

Teaching Art in the Del Van Gorder School

Demo of a Winter Watercolour Scene

 at the local School

The Grade 6,7,8  at the local school spent from 9am to Noon doing an extended art class when I was substitute teaching at the school.   The objective was to complete a watercolour and incorporate the following skills. 

1. Make a simple pencil sketch on an 8x10 piece of watercolour paper

2. Mask in some snow areas to maintain the white of the paper

3. Do  wet on wet washes using two colours, in stages in different areas of paper (sky, water, snow, trees)

4. Work from light to dark 

5. Use some dry brush technique to add detail & emphasis (trees and bushes)

The reference used for this work was a painting I completed at another time.  

I put the original painting in the front of the room and we used it as a general guide 

but I stressed that they could create their own rendition (no need to copy)

Really take the pressure off and allows creative fun!

I love their paintings and the end product was worth all their efforts!

Reference Painting

Student's Paintings (Beautiful!)

Newest Work, It's a large painting....

I started this piece in the fall and put it aside when I stalled out about half way through.  This sometimes happens to me. I have to put it away and get some distance from it. Also I often "blast" the painting in and then comes the detailing.... ugh! Takes awhile and requires discipline when the painting is 4 feet by 4 feet. I used a lot of texture in the cliffs and the trees and rocks in this painting with impasto.  The photograph does not do it justice.  

Title:  Lapie Canyon, Yukon

Impasto, Mixed Media

48x48
SOLD

STOLEN PAINTING

11x14, Original Acrylic,

 Pelly River, Dena Cho Trail

Stolen

*If you see this painting please call Yukon Artists At Work Gallery

 in Whitehorse Yukon and report it!

1-867-393-4848

There's been a rash of thefts in Whitehorse in the last few months and the target has been works of art. Yukon Artists at Work and Arts Underground were hit and I am not sure if there have been others.  I can't say I have ever had a piece of art stolen ... I guess the thief had good taste.

Latest Commission, Aspens at Fisheye

Original Acrylic

16x20 

Sold

Impasto Aurora Borealis, Two Takes

Original Impasto Acrylic

Aurora Borealis

12x12

This is what I do when I am sick, work on paintings that I don't like to make them better.

Below is the painting before I did this.

I guess this was ok too, but I like the mood in the top one.

Watercolour Christmas Card-Making with Faro's Girls Night Out

On Wednesday Night last week Faro's Youth Group for girls made Christmas Cards. Some chose to do Northern Lights and others Sunsets. Or the Winter Moon, a Snowman or a design with waves and bubbles.  I did a short demo of northern lights and a winter moon but told the girls they could paint what they liked. I thought we would have time to make more than one card but 3 hours went by really fast.  

We used  some iridescent watercolour paint, salt in our wet washes, and some used masking fluid.

   

Original Painting of a Yukon River

Evening Light on the Magundy

Original Acrylic

6x8

Northern LIghts with Spruce & Willow

Original Impasto Acrylic with Sgraffito

Northern LIghts

6x8 

Sold

Early Morning : Blind Creek

Blind Creek Sunrise

8x10 Original Acrylic

On Canvas

This time of year when the light is low, we get some spectacular sunrises. There is this other worldly-light; it hits the snow covered trees and it stops your breath and you silently witness it. It is fleeting,  only for a few minutes and then it is gone. 

 It is -30 degrees outside today at our Magundy home.  Time to start painting and then break for a morning walk.

Impasto Painting with Complementary Colours

Title:  Winter Solstice

6x8 Acrylic on Canvas

Lots of impasto gel in this painting.  I like the effect but I need to experiment and play more with this technique. 

My son looked at it and said, "Mom, where's the fire?"  Response: "In my soul, son!"

The best times when painting is when I just creatively play with a piece and see what happens.  Love the process.

Seniors Acrylic Impasto Painting Workshop 

We chose Northern Lights as a topic and picked a simple composition of trees and skyline.

Step one was putting gesso with pigment for under colour.  

Step two draw your composition with dark marker, and apply impasto gel where you want texture. Leave the gel to dry for 24 hours.

Palette colours:  Pthalo Blue, Pthalo Green, Quinacridone Red, Burnt Umber, Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Light 

Golden Glazing Medium

This is step one and two of the painting above.

Watercolour Christmas Card

Christmas Star

Original Watercolour

This image will be one of the Christmas Cards I have for sale this year at the Church Ladies Tea in Faro Yukon on November 24, 2012

I plan to do another Christmas Image as well.

Seniors Workshop in Faro, Nov.16,17, 2012

Antique Acrylic Painting Workshop

For Faro Seniors

By Jackie Dowell Irvine

Friday November 16, 4pm to 6pm

Saturday November 17, 2pm to 5pm

Location: Faro Seniors Complex

Cost:  FREE!

                    

Come create your own work of art on canvas using impasto gel to create texture.  Learn how to build up your painting with colour in layers with a technique called glazing.  

Step-by-Step Instruction and Demonstration by the Artist is provided

This workshop is funded by the Government of Canada

New Horizons for Seniors Program

Any questions please e-mail me at irvine_770@hotmail.com

Or Leave Message @ 994-2069    Please Register by Nov.15^th