Usually I paint from my own reference photos gathered during our camping journeys, but today I am showing my process of creating a watercolour from photos taken by other people.

Shown above is 'Discovery Awaits', watercolour on panel (no glass) 10 x 10". This was inspired by a photo, taken by my long time friend and former co-worker Tim Thorington, of Rock Lake in Algonquin Park. Tim is an avid, accomplished photographer who shares his work with the world via Facebook, and when I saw this photo below, I knew it would translate into a fine painting.

I loved the curving shoreline that invites the viewer into the scene, the unusual cloud patterns, the warm and cool colour scheme, the rocks, the pine trees and the autumn colours in the far hills. I messaged my buddy Tim and he kindly replied with his consent for me to copy his photo and sell my painting.

Many hobby painters don't realize that all photography has an automatic copyright, meaning only the photographer has the right to sell any copies of his or her photo. Painters can copy any photo they wish to, for practice or for pleasure, but if the painter wants to sell the resulting painting (or any reproductions of that painting), international copyright law says the painter must obtain written permission from the original photographer.

As with all my paintings, before I started to paint, I made some colour tests (shown above) to help me choose which primary paint colours to use to make this scene. I decided on MaimeriBlu paints Primary Yellow, Primary Red, and Primary Blue. These three combine to make all the land and foliage colours in  the scene (see the bottom row of paint swatches), but I knew I would need to mix in a second blue to produce the soft sky and lake colours, so I included Cobalt Blue Deep.

The next step was to gather a few more reference photos, cut my Arches 300 lb bright white cold press watercolour paper about 1" larger in length and width than the finished painting, and tape it to a back board (shown below). The pine tree reference photo was my own, and another good friend supplied the canoe reference photo with permission to use it.

On the watercolour paper, I penciled in the major lines of the composition and used liquid masking fluid to temporarily waterproof a few details such as the canoe and logs on the beach. This masking preserves the white of the paper until after the sand is painted.

Then I began with the most risky part of the painting - wetting the sky area with clear water and brushing in the cloud patterns using a mixture of Cobalt Blue Deep with a bit of Primary Blue. The tricky part is matching the moisture level on the wet paper to the thickness of the paint, so the blue/gray transitions are gradual and the blue doesn't bleed too far. I was thrilled when the sky turned out so well. Then I wet the lake area and brushed in the same paint mixture, being sure to leave areas of highlight to make the water appear to glow.

I let the sky and water dry for an hour and went on to paint the first layers on the beach, rocks, and deciduous trees, (shown above) and completed the far shore by dabbing in a careful arrangement of foliage colours, using the photo as reference. These colours are slightly more muted (grayed) than the foreground foliage will be, to give the appearance of atmospheric distance.

After another half hour of drying, I deepened the colours on the beach and painted the pine tree foliage and then their trunks and branches (shown above).

The next day (shown below), I added yellow and orange areas to the deciduous tree on the right, shadows and twigs to the pine trees, shadows on the rocks, and texture to the foreground beach. I removed the masking fluid from the canoe and pieces of wood on the beach and painted them, adding shadows at the end. I decided the far shore was still too bright, so I glazed over it with a diluted neutral (grayish tan) mixture to subdue the colours slightly. Perfect.

I feel many elements of this painting turned out exactly right: the curving line of the beach that beckons the viewer into the scene, the glow of light on the water, the unusual cloud patterns that lead the eye to the sculpted pine trees, the warm and inviting colour scheme, and the canoe which adds a storytelling element. I love the  sense of place in this painting and feel like I could step into the scene. I grew up just east of Algonquin Park, and have happy memories of time spent on sandy beaches like this one, swimming, canoeing, listening to the wind in the trees and enjoying the peace of nature.

The completed painting is mounted on an archival wood panel, trimmed, varnished, and presented in a black wood floater frame. There is no glass to get in the way of enjoying the details of 'Discovery Awaits'.

Click here to see more details about this painting.

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Since I paint in a realistic style, I use photographs as references for my watercolour scenes, so I can get the details right and make viewers feel like they could walk right into my paintings.

Although I occasionally use a photo taken by another photographer (with written permission as dictated by international copyright laws), the overwhelming majority of my painting references are my own photos.

The autumn scene pictured above, 'One Shining Moment', watercolour on panel (no glass) 14 x 22" was inspired by a photo I took while visiting our friends' cottage near Haliburton, Ontario.

The view from their shore is lovely in all seasons, looking out over the lake to a series of forested hills.This lake has inspired a handful of watercolour paintings over the years, including 'Winter Interrupted' (2001) 12 x 21", shown below.

Here is another watercolour shown below, 'Jennifer's Winter Wonderland' (2007) 10 x 7".

During another visit to this lake in September 2012, I managed to catch a moment of autumn sunlight highlighting the shoreline trees in the photo below. This 'spotlighting' effect creates a dramatic focal point, emphasized by diagonal lines of the treed slopes as well as dark shadows in behind, and underscored by gentle lake ripples from a faint breeze.

Lighting makes the difference between a great photo and an ordinary one. Below is another shot taken at a different time that day. While lovely, it has no strong focal point. No single element grabs the viewer and says "Look at me! I'm magnificent!".

For the last 8 years, the sunlit photo with the strong focal point has lingered in my vast photo reference collection, too daunting to try to capture in watercolour. Finally this spring I had time to tackle a major work, so I took the plunge and developed a large watercolour based on my autumn lake photo.

As I suspected, the sheer scale of the painting and the technical difficulties of masses of tree foliage and blurred reflections would make this a very difficult and time-consuming project. But I kept my nose to the grindstone for 3 weeks, working layer by layer with lots of patience, and prevailed.

I added a tiny red canoe to the sheltered little beach to give a sense of scale to the forest and to help viewers insert their own stories and memories into this scene.

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 3-minute story:

I am very pleased with how this major work turned out. I feel like it is beckoning me to enter the scene and spend a perfect 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.

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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.

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).

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.

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.

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).

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.

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 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).

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

Shown above are the three watercolours I completed last month. They form an eclectic group, with each painting having been inspired by a different journey. The trait they share is that I have wanted to paint these subjects for a while, sometimes years, and I finally got around to it this winter.

The smallest painting, 'Frozen Two', watercolour on panel (no glass) 6 x 12" is shown above and pictures an ice falls that forms each year near Lake St. Peter, ON. I photographed the icy cliff while snowmobiling several decades ago (photo shown below) and always thought this scene would make a dramatic painting subject.

I am drawn to the contrast of dark brown rock and light blue icicles, so I enhanced this colour scheme and value contrast in the painting. I added the deer to the picture to give a sense of scale and a spark of life. Shown below is me in my studio working on this piece.

Disney's latest cinema blockbuster, Frozen II was playing in theatres during the time I was creating this watercolour. I couldn't resist the play on words when I was searching for a title for this sweet little painting.

Click here for more information about Frozen Two.

My next two pieces are from trips to the East Coast of Canada. 'Reflections of Yesterday', watercolour on panel (no glass) 12 x 16", is shown below.

In the spring of 2017, my husband and I and several friends explored New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island for two months in our travel trailers. I posted three stories showing the highlights of this fantastic trip ('Perfect Prince Edward Island', 'Camping in Beautiful Nova Scotia', and 'Top 5 Must-Have's for Travel Fun').

While exploring the quaint seaside village of Victoria in PEI, I photographed this colourful, weathered shed window from five different angles. The two views shown below are the ones I chose as painting references.

I liked the colours in the red window trim better in the left hand photo, but I preferred the reflection of the jellybean house in the right hand photo. One of the advantages of being a painter is that I can 'mix-and-match' my references.

Every inch of this painting was pure joy to create, from the cracks in the wood shingles, to the flaking red paint of the trim, to the distorted reflections in the old window glass. I am trying a new brand of watercolour paints this winter. They are made by Sennelier in France and I am very impressed with their clarity and strength of colour. The three pigments I chose (Sennelier Red, Sennelier Yellow Deep, and Phthalocyanine Blue) worked perfectly for this piece.

Click here for more information about Reflections of Yesterday.

The next new painting, 'Yesterday's Dreams', watercolour on panel (no glass) 14 x 11", is shown above. I used the same three paints to create all the colour mixtures for this scene.

Last summer, by husband and I spent three months touring the island of Newfoundland in our travel trailer. You can read about key adventures and see highlights of the trip in these posts: 'Icebergs of Newfoundland', 'Top 14 Vistas of Newfoundland', 'A Whale of a Tale in Newfoundland', and 'Seeing Caribou and Moose in Newfoundland'.

While exploring the back roads of the Bonavista peninsula in northern Newfoundland, we came across this gas pump on its concrete pad, smack in the middle of a field of grass, in the tiny settlement known as Red Cliff (photo below)

The price on the pump was 75 cents a gallon, so it probably made its last sale in the 1970’s, before the metric system was adopted in Canada. Any surrounding buildings were long gone. On the shore beyond, a row of houses and fishing sheds had succumbed to wind and rain. I could imagine a story here about the folk who lived and worked in this beautiful place. I knew this would make a fine painting subject.

The grass was finicky to paint, using many layers of masking fluid and paint to achieve the effect of individual blades of grass. The rusty gas pump was an absolute joy to portray in watercolour. I used a magnifying glass and super fine Micron pens with archival ink to do the lettering on the pump.

Click here for more information (including a close-up photo) about Yesterday's Dreams.

The final new painting to show you today is a commissioned piece titled 'Summer Constellations' watercolour on panel (no glass) 6 x 12". The client had seen an earlier painting I did of this scene, fell in love with it, but was disappointed when it was acquired by another client. The problem was solved by my painting a similar version. The first painting, 'Evening Constellations', (2018) shown below, was the same size.

For more information about Summer Constellations, click here.

That wraps up my latest creations. I hope you have enjoyed this 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 behind the art. Stay tuned to see what old friends February brings!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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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.

This fall, during ten watercolour workshops held at my Lindsay studio, at Meta4 Gallery in Port Perry, and at Colborne Street Gallery in Fenelon Falls, I had the pleasure of guiding 60 students on their painting journeys.

I pack a lot of learning into every class I teach, and enjoy working with students who are keen to absorb and put into practice all the techniques and advice I share with them while we paint together. My students produced some amazing paintings, and I learned some new things along the way too. Below is a photo of me demonstrating a 2-brush technique.

My most popular workshops teach beginners how to paint smooth beach pebbles. This is a great subject for people without much (or any) art experience, because smooth stones are very easy to draw and the colours don't have to be accurate. As with all my classes, I show how to mix colours for a painting using only the three primary pigments red, blue, and yellow. Pictured below are the graduating students from my 'Pebbles' workshops.

Another popular class subject was 'Island Reflections', taught as a 2-day beginner workshop, once in my studio and once at Colborne Street Gallery. Each student made his or her own unique interpretation based on a reference photo. Shown below is a photo of students working on their paintings in my studio, followed by the graduation photos.

'Misty Lake and Canoe' was a popular class for intermediate level students, held in my Lindsay studio and again at Meta4 Gallery. We worked from multiple reference photos so each student could compose a unique, imaginary scene. Shown below are the graduating students proudly displaying their paintings.

I taught a 'Rocky Shore' 2-day class again this year, as it was so popular last fall that I had a full waiting list. Shown below are students working on their paintings in my studio, and then the graduation photo.

I taught a three-day 'Driftwood Beach' workshop for intermediate/advanced students, that produced amazing results. We all used similar reference photos of the beach and added our own version of driftwood. This scene was a very challenging subject to paint and everyone had fun while learning new skills. Pictured below are my students working on their paintings in my studio, and the graduation photo. 

Thank you to all my students, who made a watercolour journey with me this fall. I felt like I learned some things along the way, and I think my students felt the same. It is great to spend time with keen painters.

My next watercolour workshops (1-day, 2-day, or 3-day) will run from mid October to the end of November, 2020.

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

Teaching fall watercolour classes to almost 60 students kept me very busy in November, so I was delighted to somehow fit in the completion of seven beautiful new paintings last month (pictured above).

The two larger pieces I finished were very satisfying, as they represented a considerable investment of time and expertise to complete. The first one, 'Lapping Waters', watercolour on panel (no glass) 16 x 20" is from my Lake Superior series and is shown below.

I love the glow of light on the water and wet beach, and the contrast of vivid blue water against the warm hues of the sand. This was a technically difficult painting, with each section requiring multiple layers of paint to smooth out the gentle colour gradations.

This beach is at Neys Provincial Park on the north shore near Marathon, ON. The Little Pic river flows into Lake Superior here, depositing sand and driftwood onto an extensive beach. This is a popular spot for family holidays during the summer, as the sand bottom extends several hundred feet out into the lake, making for safe swimming conditions. Here is the reference photo I worked with to make the painting.

Years ago, logs were floated down the Little Pic River each spring, gathered into booms, and towed to the pulp mill at Marathon. The driftwood in this scene serves as a reminder of the logging history of this place.

Click here to see more details about 'Lapping Waters'.

The second large painting completed last month is from my Northern Lakes series. 'Peaceful Passage', watercolour on panel (no glass) 16 x 20", is shown below.

I love creating the effect of fog and mist with watercolour. It has taken me years of practice to learn how to paint misty backgrounds effectively. I like the contrast of clear, strong colours in a dramatic foreground against a backdrop of misty, pale gray. I enjoy the sense of mystery that fog brings to a painting, as if it were inviting the viewer to create the narrative behind the scene.

This imaginary composition of islands in a northern lake was derived from a couple of my reference photos taken at Lake Muskoka and Lake Superior, and a canoe photo I obtained from a friend. Shown below are the landscape references.

Click here to see more details about Peaceful Passage.

Continuing with my Northern Lakes series is 'Hidden Secrets', watercolour on panel (no glass) 12 x 12", shown below.

I think this is one of my most successful fog scenes so far. I am captivated by the drama of the dark silhouettes of the island trees emerging from veils of fog. I love the luminosity of the mist and the soft reflections in the lake.

I obtained the reference photo for this painting from a Facebook acquaintance, who gave me permission to make a painting from her photo, which is shown below. She said the location is Loon Lake, north of Huntsville, ON.

Click here to learn more details about Hidden Secrets.

The next new piece in my Northern Lakes series is 'Just Breathe', watercolour on panel (no glass) 16 x 12", shown below.

This is another imaginary scene, but the feel of this place is so real that I want to go there. I love the way the majestic pines dominate the vertical composition and lead the viewer's eye to the canoe resting on the rocky shore. The foggy background adds contrast and mystery to the scene, and we wonder why the paddler stopped here. I like the way the autumn foliage echoes the warm hues of the canoe.

I used two reference photos of trees (shown below) to compose this painting, both from the Temagami region of northern Ontario.

Click here to see more information about Just Breathe.

The next painting 'One Last Cast', watercolour on panel (no glass) 8 x 8" was a commissioned piece for a client and is shown below.

The client wanted a painting similar to a previous piece of mine that was titled 'Last Cast', but asked if I could include the client's own boat and dog in the scene and change the colour scheme from pink to orange. The previous painting and new photo references are shown below.

The final two paintings from November were inspired by our trips to Newfoundland. The first piece 'Classic Rock', watercolour on panel (no glass) 12 x 6" is shown below.

This pebble and boulder beach is in Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland and is a scene I have painted many times. Classic rocks like these just never get old! Here are some previous versions I painted of this beautiful spot.

Click here to see more details about Classic Rock.

The second new painting inspired by Newfoundland is in my StoneGarden series and shows a Monarch butterfly resting on smooth beach pebbles. This piece is titled 'Sacred Spirits', watercolour on panel (no glass) 12 x 12" and is shown below.

When researching the title for this painting, I discovered that some people believe butterflies represent the spirit world, and sighting a Monarch butterfly means your guardian angels are guiding and protecting you.

I photographed the reference butterfly in the Insectatorium in Deer Lake, and the stones were inspired by pebble beaches in Gros Morne National Park. Both of these places are on the west coast of Newfoundland.

Click here to find out more details about Sacred Spirit.

That wraps up my November creations. I hope you have enjoyed this 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 behind the art. Stay tuned to see what old friends December brings!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.