Darlene Young Canadian Artist

1234 Rue de la Gauchetiere, Montreal Chinatown

1233 Full Moon over Montreal, 8x10 egg tempera

Why is there always a lonely cat watching out the windows in Montreal. This is the view from an upper window of La Musee des Beaux Arts on a full moon night.

1232 Montreal Street Scene, Mile End, 8x10, egg tempera

bid $100 starting bid.

1231 The Red Roof, Quebec, 8x10, egg tempera

1230 Ballerinas, miniature 4x4", egg tempera

1229 Le Plateau, Montreal, 8x10, egg tempera

1228 Le Plateau Mont Royal, 8x10, egg tempera

1227 Fixing the Boat, egg tempera, 8x10

I worked all week on this piece. I felt like putting it aside to be completed "some day". Well I love the way it turned out. I love the theme and composition. It wasn't until I saw my pics of it that I started to like it. I'm so glad I persevered. I think I'll fell a little sad when it sells.

1226 Water Nymphs 2.5x3.5 egg tempera

I did this little limited stroke painting today from my memory and imagination. I like the way it turned out.

1225 Shabbat, Outremont Scene, 8x10

sold

1224 Perce Laundry Day, 8x10, egg tempera

I overhauled this painting. It needed some shadows and directional lighting. I like it more now. Bet that laundry smells amazing. The fragrance of sunshine!

1224 Perce Rock, Laundry Day, 8x10, egg tempera

I know it's very naive but I worked and worked on this piece. It was from my imagination and I struggled with the light direction. I normally paint from life or a reference but not my imagination. I like the narrative anyways.

1223 Mile End Shabbat, Miniature 4x4

sold

Here's a little study I did for a painting I'm working on. This is one a miniature 4x4 canvas panel.

They changed the blogger interface. The new one doesn't seem to work at all. I had to revert back temporarily to the old interface just to make this post work.

Sometimes they change things just to change things and it makes it dysfunctional. Sigh.

1222 Cohorts, Montreal Street Scene, 4x4

sold

I'm testing out a new medium and did this quick study in a gem sized format.

Cafe Interior, 24x36 oil Work in Progress

This is one I started last year. Thinking it needs a narrative. Still working on it.

1221 Le Quatre-vingt Nord, 8x10, egg tempera

Heading home. Remember those good old days.

Sorry about the glare. I sealed the painting with glossy shellac and I couldn't eliminate the glare with my set up.

1220 Mile End Rainy Day, 8x10, egg tempera

Sold-Montreal

1219 Fire Ice and Friendship, 8x10, egg tempera

I painted this scene in a larger format about 20 years ago. I have had so much interest in it lately that I decided to paint an egg tempera version of it in a portable size. I plan to paint a larger version in oil....some day.

1218 Quebec Church, 8x10, egg tempera

This is the first painting made using my newly gessoed batch of panels. I'm sure other artists understand how thrilling it it to have a beautiful batch of freshly crafted panels. This is a one of many charming Canadian churches. I guess churches and train tracks are becoming history here in Canada. Sigh.

Prepping Panels

I'm still preparing my panels. Today I put about 8 coats of gesso on about 40 paintings in the shed and still have some on the table to do with my current batch of traditional primer. They need to dry at least two days before I can go on the the next step. I also have a pile of sealed panels waiting to be primed once I clear the table and shed.

44 panels drying

21 panels ready for gesso

86 waiting their turn

Prepping Panels

This is a miniature painting 4"x4".
I've been working on my painting panels. Today I sealed them with rabbit skin glue. I was going to do them all in the shed but there are too many so some are drying indoors.

1214 White Peony, 6x6, oil on cradled panel

1213 Peonies, 8x10 oil on wood panel

I've been completing paintings that I started and set aside a ways back. This one I painted in a grisaille last year and only just now added color.
There's some that I started many years ago and forgot about completely.

The thing is that I"m getting low on panels so I've been going through old paintings considering painting over them.

Anyway, I just had 151 panels cut from some 1/4inch baltic birch plywood. I spent a few days sanding it smooth (My shoulder is now paining me). As soon as the weather gets nice I'll seal them and put a few layers of traditional gesso on the front. This process takes several days but the finished product results in the most exquisite painting surface. Silky smooth and perfect for applying egg tempera. Here's what 151 baltic birch panels looks like:

I will seal all sides with warm Rabbit Skin Glue and then apply a traditional gesso that i make with rabbit skin glue and calcium carbonate (Marble dust). Then I sand it smooth with wet ultra fine sand paper or I scrape it with a blade. The result is amazing. There is no painting panel I could buy at any price that compares with the quality of the ones I make the traditional way. After I finish the painting and write the date, title, and conservation information on the back I I seal it with shellac to keep atmospheric moisture from causing warping over the years.

151 panels should last me about a year. Plus I do the odd large painting on stretched canvas.