Earthbound Artist

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New Works: Magical Islands

25 March, 2020 2 comments Leave a comment

Watercolours by Karen Richardson

Northern lakes are the places in nature that heal the stress of my busy life, calm my mind, and restore my equilibrium. I love them beyond measure and cannot imagine a life that does not offer frequent immersion in these glorious landscapes throughout the year.

I pour my authentic soul into each and every painting I create of remarkable natural places. My hope is that you, the viewer, find a soothing resonance within your own true self when you gaze upon my artwork.

Every winter I enjoy several months of dedicated studio time. This post tells the creation stories of my latest northern lake paintings, all of which are small in size but abundant in optimism and joy.


A Piece of Heaven by Karen Richardson

Shown above is A Piece of Heaven, watercolour on panel (no glass) 6 x 12".

This piece was inspired by two photos taken years ago. I forget the locations but I think they were somewhere in Ontario. One was an early autumn photo and the other was was taken in summer, but they joined together to make an interesting composition (shown below).

Photo by Karen Richardson

I particularly liked the tiny sailboat near the island, and the faint reflections of the dark trees on choppy water. I decided to make my painting a later autumn scene. How lovely it would be to spend a breezy day sailing between the islands of this glorious place.

Click here for more details about A Piece of Heaven.

 

Shown above is Out of the Blue, watercolour on panel (no glass) 12 x 9". This piece is entirely from my imagination, based on years of visiting beautiful northern lakes and absorbing their peace and serenity.

I painted the sky and water first, building up a half dozen layers over the course of a week to get the depth of colour I needed. When that was fully dry I penciled in the island and two canoeists, then painted them. They are enjoying a peaceful paddle around the island, before the sun dissolves the early morning mist.

Click here for more details about Out of the Blue.

 


 

Shown above is Autumn Dream, watercolour on panel (no glass) 6 x 12". It is another piece painted entirely from my imagination. Originally it was a square 12 x 12" work in progress, but I overworked the reflections and decided to crop them out of the painting. I think this stretched format makes a stronger statement.

I especially love the clear autumn colours and variety of trees on the island, and the misty shores in the background. I included a canoe in the scene to add to the story. Someone is exploring this wee island. Maybe they camped here last night and are preparing for another glorious day on the lake.

Click here to see more details about Autumn Dream.

 

Autumn Adventure, watercolour by Karen Richardson

Shown above is Autumn Adventure, watercolour on panel (no glass) 8 x 8". I took the reference photo (pictured below) a few years ago on an ATV excursion in the Haliburton region of central Ontario.

Photo by Karen Richardson

It was easy to translate this photo into a square format. I changed the overcast day into a sunny one in my painting. I included the overhanging leaves to enhance the sense of shelter and protection. The viewer is exploring on a fine autumn day, peeking out from a tree-covered shoreline to discover this wee gem of an island. Let's hop in a kayak or canoe and paddle over there.

Click here for more details about Autumn Adventure.

 

Shown above is When All is Calm, watercolour on panel (no glass) 6 x 12". This scene was inspired by two photos I took somewhere in Ontario years ago (shown below).

Photos by Karen Richardson

I employed considerable artistic license when creating this painting. It captures a moment of serene calm - that rare early autumn day when the lake is like glass. We all could use some of this peace and solace these days.

Click here for more details about When All is Calm.

 

Shown above is The Golden Hour, watercolour on panel (no glass) 10 x 10". This is one of those paintings that started off as one thing and morphed into something completely different. It was like the painting knew what it wanted to be and nudged my brush strokes in that direction.

The original idea was inspired by two saltwater sunset photos (shown below) that I took near Twillingate when we visited Newfoundland last summer. I liked the golden tones in the first photo and planned to add the moored sailboat from the second photo. The story would involve sailors anchored for the night in a sheltered bay.

Photo of Hillgrade NL sunset by Karen Richardson   Photo Twillingate NL sunset by Karen Richardson

I decided on a square format and started painting the sky and its reflection. It took many layers over the course of a week to build up rich colour and contrast between the glow of the sun and the shadows surrounding it. Shown below are 3 stages of this layering process.

The Golden Hour watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson   The Golden Hour watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson   The Golden Hour watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

The resulting bronze colour scheme was not the original coppery hue from the photo reference, and the highlights were more globular than streaky, but I really liked the soft, soothing mood that was emerging. I looked through my photo archives for a new water scene reference and found the perfect one (shown below).

Photo by Karen Richardson

I took this early morning photo decades ago at the old Richardson family cottage on Big Cedar Lake in central Ontario. I used the iconic raft and far shore as references to complete my painting and the story became a quiet moment in cottage country.

Click here for more details about The Golden Hour.

I hope you have enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at my latest creations, and a glimpse into how I translate photos from my travels into unique artistic expressions. My hope is that my artwork will welcome viewers like old friends, and draw them into the narrative deeply embedded in each painting.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to see more painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions

The Making of 'Whispering Waters'

25 January, 2020 4 comments Leave a comment

Shown above is 'Whispering Waters' watercolour on panel (no glass), one in a series depicting islands in northern lakes. Everything in this 24 x 18" painting is inspired by my imagination assisted by general reference photos from trips throughout northern Ontario, except for the green cedar-strip canoe, which is shown below in a close-up photo of the painting.

Detail of Whispering Waters watercolour by Karen Richardson

This 16-foot canoe was made by First Nations (Huron) in Wendake, Quebec for Simpsons-Sears. My husband bought it in their store in 1963 and we still own this fine craft. I painted it from life.

Detail of Whispering Waters watercolour by Karen Richardson

Shown above is a close-up photo of the island in the painting. I am thrilled with the mist in the background, which contrasts perfectly with the dark hues of the island and adds a sense of mystery to the scene. The complex reflections were very challenging but turned out even better than I had hoped.

The photo sequence below shows the painting in stages as I created this scene.

Whispering Waters watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 1 (above) I drew the outline of island, canoe and rocks in pencil on 300-lb cold press bright white Arches watercolour paper. Then I masked the edges of the rocky point of land with masking tape, wet the rest of the paper with clear water, and painted on several mixtures of Prussian Blue, Cobalt Blue Deep and Primary Blue. I used sweeping horizontal strokes with a large brush, to simulate gentle ripples in the water. I used the same blue mixtures for the sky.

Whispering Waters watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 2 (above) I added two more layers of blue to the water to get the deep colour I wanted, with a full day of drying in between layers, to minimize lifting of older layers when the new layers were applied. Then I removed the masking tape and painted the first layer of greens on the island trees.

Whispering Waters watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 3 (above) I painted more layers onto the island trees and created their reflections, making sure to place them in the lighter sections of the ripples. All colours in this painting were mixed from the three blues mentioned previously, plus Permanent Yellow Lemon and Primary Red. These paints are all made by Maimeri in Italy and I love the rich, clean colours of these artist quality paints.

Whispering Waters watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 4 (above) I mixed a neutral gray from three primary colours and painted the far shore on dry paper, adding clear water along the lower edge to look like fog. Once the paper was dry, I painted the straight blue reflection of the sky at the water level of the island. After that dried, I painted the rocks on the island.

Whispering Waters watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 5 (above) Using masking fluid, I protected the gunwales of the canoe and the paddle on shore. Then I painted three separate layers to create the foreground point. The first was a grisaille (grayish) layer to set up the shadows while I could still see my pencil lines clearly. When that was dry, I wet the whole shore area and painted on several brownish mixtures and sprinkled on salt to create texture in the wash. When that dried I removed the salt and intensified the shadows.

Whispering Waters watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 6 (above) I painted the canoe exterior and interior, removed the masking, and painted the gunwales and paddle.

Whispering Waters watercolour by Karen Richardson

Step 7 (above) I darkened the shadows throughout the painting to finish 'Whispering Waters' 24 x 18".

Mounting and Framing: Once the paint was fully dry, I mounted the watercolour paper to an archival wood panel, then varnished to provide protection from UV fading, then mounted the panel in a black wood floater frame (shown above).

I am very pleased with how this major work turned out. I feel like it is beckoning me to step into the scene, pick up the paddles, launch the canoe, and spend the day exploring the mysteries of this beautiful northern lake. I hope you feel the same pull to become part of this magical place.

For more details about this painting, click here.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter to see more of her painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.

The Making of 'Bring a Paddle'

27 June, 2019 1 comment Leave a comment

Bring a Paddle by Karen Richardson

Bring a Paddle (12 x 12", shown above) was inspired by my travels to countless northern lakes over the years, including Georgian Bay, the Thousand Islands, and the Temagami region. My husband and I have a canoe and kayaks and enjoy exploring peaceful lakes on these watercraft.

Where we live in Ontario, we see gorgeous fall colours in our abundant forests, including the splendid reds of our sugar maples. I decided on a fall-themed painting, featuring the rich dark blue of our autumn lakes, contrasted with lush foliage colours punctuated by iconic white pines.

I used numerous reference photos of northern lakes, islands, and canoes to compose this imaginary scene. Shown below are some of the photos, a concept sketch for the island, and the initial pencil drawing on watercolour paper.

Reference photos for Bring a Paddle by Karen Richardson

This is the canoe reference photo I selected (below), taken by my friend Averill and used with her permission. I changed the green canoe to red to coordinate with the red maple trees in the painting.

Photo of canoes by Averill Ambrose 

After completing the painting, I was particularly pleased with the water ripples and reflections, as they are difficult to achieve, especially when combining multiple references and working on wet paper.

Bring a Paddle by Karen Richardson

Fortunately I had the foresight to take photos of each stage of this challenging painting as I worked. From these work-in-progress photos, I assembled a short time lapse video, so you can see the flow of this piece to its completion.

Click on the image below to view the 100-second story:

 

I posted in-progress photos of this painting on Facebook and had an offer to purchase before the painting was finished. The Montreal buyer said "I keep missing opportunities to get the ones I love. The last one left before I could... Bring a Paddle already has my heart even if not done yet... As soon as I saw it I knew I couldn't live without [it]... I see great things all the time [on Facebook] but yours speak to me."

I love to hear comments such as this. My goal is to make the world a happier place... one painting at a time. I think I scored a big hit with this one.

For more details about this painting, click here.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter to see more of her painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.

Northern Lakes in Springtime

04 June, 2019 3 comments Leave a comment

Northern Lake near Sudbury Ontario. Photo by Karen Richardson 

If you have been following my posts and new paintings this year, you will have heard of my new Northern Lakes series, which focuses on rock-filled shorelines studded with sculpted pine trees, and calm blue water.

Pictured above is Daoust Lake, which is beside a private campground south of Sudbury, Ontario. Places like this restore my energy and connect me with my roots. I grew up in a rural village near Algonquin Park in northeastern Ontario and my high school campus overlooked the Ottawa River. The scenery of the Canadian shield has become the epicenter of my artistic inspiration for the past year.

Lake Superior at Gros Cap. Photo by Karen Richardson

With this theme in mind, it should come as no surprise that my first major RV camping trip this spring was a 4,000-km journey across the north shore of Lake Superior (shown above, at Gros Cap) to Lake of the Woods and back. This post includes some of my best scenery shots from our trip.

Chippewa Falls. Photo by Karen Richardson

As we made our way along the Trans-Canada highway, I took the photo above of Chippewa Falls. Spring runoff had water roaring through here to Batchawana Bay on Lake Superior. Water levels were higher than normal in most places we visited, due to wet spring weather this year.

Lake of the Woods. Photo by Karen Richardson

My husband and I often visit Lake of the Woods because his sister lives there. Shown above is one of the beautiful views from her home. Although this scene is in northwestern Ontario near the Manitoba border, the landscape reminds me of the Kawarthas (in central Ontario where we live now) and the upper Ottawa Valley (where I grew up).

Nipigon viewing tower. Photo by Karen Richardson

On our return journey, we stopped to explore the town of Nipigon, which has a new campground at the marina and a new 5-stories-tall viewing platform near the Trans-Canada highway. The photo above shows my husband John taking in the panoramic views from the top of the platform. Shown below is the view of Nipigon Bay near the mouth of the Nipigon River, which is Lake Superior's largest tributary.

Nipigon Bay on Lake Superior. Photo by Karen Richardson

The view in the opposite direction shows the beautiful new bridge over the Nipigon River (below). This is the one place in Canada where there is only one highway connecting eastern and western Canada.

Nipigon River bridge. Photo by Karen Richardson

Once again, we stopped at Marathon so I could take more photographs at Pebble Beach. This is a magical place that can look very different from day to day, depending on the weather. The water is perfectly clear, even on windy days, and the rocks are smooth and colourful. The photo below shows some grapefruit-sized underwater stones on a calm weather day.

Pebble Beach at Maration on Lake Superior. Photo by Karen Richardson

Our two-week spring trip was over all too soon. Some day I will visit Lake Superior in the fall, when the landscape is adorned in autumn splendour (and no black flies!).

Do you have favourite spots to recommend on Lake Superior? If you have suggestions or comments to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to see more painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.

The Making of 'Summer Retreat'

04 June, 2019 1 comment Leave a comment

Summer Retreat by Karen Richardson 

In my artistic practice, usually each painting I make is inspired by a different photograph. But every now and then I photograph a scene that captivates my imagination so strongly that I want to develop more than one painted interpretation.

Such was the case with a chance photo I took in the Georgian Bay region on one of our many excursions there. The photo showed a tiny cabin perched on a rocky island, with some gorgeous pine trees nestled around it.

I decided to use the photo for demonstration purposes in two watercolour classes I taught in 2016, where I showed students how to invent an imaginary scene using the two reference photos shown below.

Refuge' (16 x 12") and 'Island in the Storm' (11 x 14"), shown below, were my two demonstration paintings.

Refuge by Karen Richardson  Island in the Storm by Karen Richardson

The image of a wee abode perched on a rocky isle continued to haunt my imagination, even after the paintings were completed and found their forever homes. I wondered what the island would look like under clear blue skies and in a large format. 'Summer Retreat' was the result.

Fortunately I had the foresight to take photos of each stage of this challenging painting as I worked. From these work-in-progress photos, I assembled a short time lapse video, so you can see the flow of this piece to its completion.

Click on the image below to view the 2-minute story:

For more information about this painting, click here.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to see more painting tips, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming exhibitions.

The Making of 'Summer Memories'

24 May, 2019 0 comments Leave a comment

Summer Memories by Karen Richardson

Summer Memories (watercolour 18 x 24", shown above) is part of a series of paintings focusing on reflections in calm northern lakes. I love the clarity of light in this scene, where a swimming raft floats in the perfect calm of a new day, lily pads rest serenely on the surface, and the clear water reveals ancient stones near the shore. Looking at this peaceful place, the viewer remembers lakeside memories just like this.

Summer Memories, watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 1 (above)

This painting began with a graded wash of blue paint, darker at top and bottom, to represent the clear blue sky and its reflection in the foreground water. When that was dry I drew a pencil outline of all objects in the scene, using several photos as reference.

 

Summer Memories, watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 2 (above)

I masked off the waterlily leaves and some thin lines on the water near the horizon with masking fluid. When dry, I added several more layers of blue to the top and bottom of the scene, making sure to keep the horizon area white. This gives the effect of glowing light.

 

Summer Memories, watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 3 (above)

The next day, after the blue paint layers were fully dry, I added shadows around and within the underwater stones.

 

Summer Memories, watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 4 (above)

Once the stones were fully dry, I removed the masking fluid from the waterlily leaves and painted them.

 

Summer Memories, watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 5 (above)

I began to paint the grisaille layer on the far shore and reflections. This gray paint locks in the shadow details of the pencil drawing while I can still see it clearly. There will be more colour layers added later.

 

Summer Memories, watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 6 (above)

Once the grisaille layer was fully dry, I started blocking in several different green sections on the far shore and reflections. This variety of colour will make the trees look more natural.

 

Summer Memories, watercolour in progress by Karen Richardson

Step 7 (above)

After adding a third layer of colour to the far shore and reflections, I painted the raft and its reflection, which took several layers to achieve the depth of colour needed for the shadowed parts. Then I removed the thin horizonal lines of masking fluid near the far shore and painted them pale blue. This simulates the effect of a slight breeze in the distance.

 

Summer Memories, watercolour by Karen Richardson 

Once the paint was fully dry, I mounted the watercolour paper to an archival wood panel, then varnished to provide protection from UV fading, then mounted the panel in a black wood floater frame to complete 'Summer Memories', watercolour 18 x 24".

For more details about this painting, click here.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter to see more of her painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.

March New Works and Their Stories

21 April, 2019 2 comments Leave a comment

Misty Memories, watercolour by Karen Richardson

March was another productive month in my studio, as I continued to create new work in my northern lakes series. I am preparing for my Spring Open Studio (which is on the last weekend in April every year) and I need to replenish my commercial galleries for the upcoming tourist season.

Shown above is Misty Memories, watercolour on panel (no glass) 12 x 16", a scene inspired by the raft at my husband's family's cottage in the Kawartha Lakes region. Over the years, I photographed this raft in many atmospheric conditions - calm, wind, sunshine, storm, sunrise, evening, fog, and so on. This scene evokes the memory of a tranquil morning moment, looking out at the quiet lake cloaked in mist, anticipating another special day at the cottage. A gentle breeze has started to ripple the water, beginning to reveal a glimpse of pine trees on the far side of the bay. Click here for more details about Misty Memories.

 

 Mystical Morning, watercolour by Karen Richardson

Pictured above is Mystical Morning, watercolour on panel (no glass) 12 x 16". This is the fourth and largest version I painted of this scene, which depicts a red canoe pulled up onto the rocky shore, nestled under two glorious white pines on the point. Wisps of mist rise from the lake to reveal the forest on the far shore. A new voyage of exploration is about to begin. Click here for more details about Mystical Morning.

 

Drifter's Dream, watercolour by Karen Richardson

The painting above is titled Drifter's Dream, watercolour (no glass) 12 x 12". I deliberately left the bottom half of this composition without wildlife, boats, canoes, rafts, or any other evidence of human presence. I want viewers to experience the restorative peace of this quiet lake and let their imaginations decide what is hidden beneath the enveloping fog. Click here for more details about Drifter's Dream.

 

Last Cast, watercolour by Karen Richardson

Shown above is Last Cast, watercolour on panel (no glass) 8 x 8". I created this simple scene as I was experimenting with different colour combinations for lake mist. I thought this rose/violet/gray combination was lovely and the scene is very calming. Click here for more details about Last Cast.

 

Sun, Sand and Sea, watercolour by Karen Richardson

 

Back in 2006 I painted Sun, Sand and Sea, watercolour 5 x 14" shown above, and it sold later that year. I always thought this charming scene would look great as a larger painting.


This winter, I finally made time to create the new version, titled You Can't Catch Me, watercolour on panel (no glass) 12 x 24", shown below. I used more dramatic colour contrasts in the new work. Click here for more details about this piece. 

You Can't Catch Me, watercolour by Karen Richardson

You Can't Catch Me sold before I finished it. A collector of my work saw the painting in progress in my studio and loved the scene because it reminded her of a beach in England where she visited with friends regularly.

After she took the completed painting home, she emailed me to say “It’s hung! And am I ever pleased. It’s hung at such a height, I feel as though I could walk right into it. It will take me back to England every time I see it, which is all day, every day.”

And that is how I make the world a happier place... One painting at a time.

Which painting is your favourite? If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to see more painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.