Darlene Young Canadian Artist: April 2010

Alfreco in Banfield Park, 8x10 oil on canvas

Why is it so difficult to choose a subject. I arrived late and really had difficulty deciding on a subject. Then finally I picked a spot where I wasn't blocking anyone's view and away I went.

Wild Camus (and Bertha's Tree),acrylic, 6x8

This little tree is surrounded by a wild flower meadow. Under the tree is a plaque marking the grave of Bertha aged 5years and other smallpox victims of the Steamship Prince Alfred, en-route from SanFransisco in 1874.

It is a lovely spot. Currently the meadow is in bloom with camus, bluebells, and white daffodils. These will be replaced continually with other wild flowers as the season progresses. The sun is shining today and the birds are singing with joy.

Towards Dallas Road, acrylic on canvas, 8x8

There are so many gorgeous scenes in Victoria that I spend too much time trying to pick the best spot.

Blue Bells 2

It was quite a rainy morning so I wore a big clear plastic poncho and sat in the driest spot I could find. I painted this spot before in acrylic but I wanted to do it in oils to see if there would be a difference. Well, if I didn't know any better I wouldn't be able to tell which is oild or acrylics/. And the palette is the same.

So I think I will use acrylics when I'm walking and have less to carry and not get covered with paint. As oils take so long to dry I tend to get the paint all over everything in the handling of the painting. But I will use oils on Fridays when I paint with the Al Frescoes and will be using my car to transport.

So many paintings so little time.

Alfresco Jerry Painting

sold

I did this little 6x6 oil on wood panel this morning with the Al Frescoes. It was cold and threatening rain, and there was a bit of whimpering but no one left early. I like to paint figures where ever possible and the al frescoes is a perfect opportunity for that as at least some of the artists will sit still for a few minutes to allow for a painting.

I like the freshness of this little painting.

Holland Point, "Improved"

This is the same painting after I "improved" it.
Note to self: Don't touch a plein air painting after you leave the site.

Hollant Point Scene(original)

This is the painting I did today as it was when I left Holland Point. But I broke my own rule about not touching a painting once I leave the site. S0 I decided to, sigh, improve it my warming up the top of the sky with warmer blue and put the path all the way across, defined the tree trunks more, and made the broom more yellow.
I liked it more before I improved it.

Sechelt-Shore 2

I did this scene a few years ago in soft pastel. I have a small sized digital image of it but the original was left behind in the Kootenays. So I decided to paint it again in oils. I like the overall composition but don't care for the brush strokes. Also the pastel painting was done on a steel gray ground and the oil painting was done on a burnt sienna ground. Hmmmn. Maybe I'll try it again but with a steel gray ground.

Driftwood

It was a cold, windy, gray day here in Victoria. I put a yellow oxide wash on the canvas instead of burnt sienna. I like it.

Bluebells

It was a rainy morning and the only dry spot was beneath a bough on this path. No matter, I have been inspired to paint this spot for a few days and today was good. This is just under the bough on Dallas Road where the path splits on the incline.

Holland Point 3

I struggled with this painting today. It looks flat and overworked. As the weather improves I am less hurried with my plein airs and this results in a loss of spontaneity in my work. Tomorrow I will begin placing a 1.5 hour limit on my painting time. I have also wanted to paint a certain bluebell patch I saw yesterday but opted instead to paint the seascapes for the upcoming lighthouse shows.

Painting is like dieting. When you have a craving for something nothing else satisfies.

The Pond

This is a scene of the little yachtsman pond on Dallas Road. It's such a nice shady spot with lots of ducks and lots of miniature boats that people bring to play with. This red sail boat is actually wind propelled. The sails are manipulated by remote control.

I find the painting itself (a little 8x10 acrylic) a bit noisy. It is rather abstract. But does it work?

Comments welcome.........

Boys and Girls Club Metchosin

Today I did these two on a paint out with the Al Frescoes. The Al Frescoes are a group of painters whose only affiliation is that they paint plein air. They meet every Friday morning somewhere around Victoria and paint. It is such a nice change to paint with a group of other artists from time to time. It's amazing the different interpretations. Though almost no one picks the same exact scene.

The first painting is a little 8x10 acrylic of the old orchard in blossom with Al Frescoes underneath.

The second is an 8x8 oil of the forest. The daffodils are in bloom. The humming birds are buzzing. I live in paradise.

Courtney Street Church

Downtown Victoria is in in full bloom with cherry blossoms.

This is one of the many gorgeous old churches in the city.

Bastian Square Scenes

And Low Tide at Holland Point

Boat Race

When I got to Holland Point there was a sail boat race happening. I think I caught the feeling of the day. Just enough wind and sunshine to fill the sails and make them shine.

Ogden Point

Looks like the weather is changing. Sun is shiningf an birds are singing again.

Cattle Point

I did today at Cattle Point. Better weather today than last week. It was cold and windy but sunny.

Clover Point

I did this little painting today at Clover Point.

Sooke

I painted this yesterday. It was at a rocky shore in East Sooke Park. A grey whale had been washed up for a couple of days. Apparently killed by Orcas (you could seem a pod of Orcas in a hunt not far from where we were). People were still coming to see the dead whale even though the sun was setting. It had the air of a pilgrimage.

Darlene Young Canadian Artist