1148 After the Storm, McGill Student Ghetto, egg tempera, 8x19

Sold-Ottawa

This is the McGill student ghetto after a snow storm.  I don't remember which street though. Everyone's digging out.  

1147 Le Plateau House, egg tempera 8x10

sold-LA USA

1146 Le Plateau Kids, 8x10, egg tempera

Sold-Ontario

I lost count of how many glazes it took to get the right effect for this painting. It might be as much as 30 or 40.

Remember those good old days of childhood. I was once one of these kids. Sigh.

1145 Marche Campus, 8x10, Egg tempera

1144 Safe Crossing, Mile End Scene, 8x10, egg tempera

Sold-Toronto

Okay, I confess, I painted a similar scene a couple of years ago in oils. It was a really sweet painting too and now lives in France with a lovely kindergarten teacher. (Sigh)

I decided to revisit this scene using egg tempera because I really enjoy the process and the results are worth the effort. The painting has an enamel like finish, silky smooth and the colours have amazing depth.

1143 Heading Home, McGill Ghetto Scene, 8x10 Egg tempera

sold-Medicine Hat

I love how this painting turned out. I always loved that red house. And the young family trudging through the snow is typical on a nice winter day.
I also love using egg tempera. I almost can't stop painting. I turned in at 4am last night.  I love the control I have over the paint. Especially with small details. Egg tempera dried almost instantly.
This painting actually started this past summer when I had Windsor Plywood cut a few sheets of baltic birch into 8x10s.  Then I spent a month sanding, sealing, gessoeing, and scraping.  I just totally love those panels. Smooth as silk and sooo inviting. Really worth the effort.
I haven't sealed or varnished this work yet. I'm not sure if I will seal it with shellac and then varnish. Or if I'll do olifa....varnished with linseed oil medium.  Or if I'll just burnish the surface to a slight sheen.  

1142 McGill University Front Gates, 8x10, egg tempera

sold

1141 Le Plateau Mont Royal, 8x10, oil on board

sold-Ottawa

This in one of my favourite views.  So charming.

I did this painting in oil on baltic birch 1/8th inch plywood. (Sealed and gessoed by me this summer on my back lawn under the supervision of Teena my tabby.) In case you're curious, here's the palette I used for this painting: Raw sienna, burnt sienna, raw umber, naples yellow, indian yellow, ultramarine, cerulean blue, cadmium red light, cadmium yellow light, pthalo green, flake white, and mars black.
For such an earthy grey painting it sure took a lot of colours. Most of the non earthtone colours were for the really saturated accents like the school signs (Pthalo green and cad yellow).  Okay I used black. (I'm allowed to because it's my painting and I hate rules).  Most of the "blacks" are done with a mixture of ultramarine blue and raw umber....but I couldn't resist getting the mars black out for the final touches...mostly defining some of the foreground shapes. I chose mars black over other blacks such as ivory because mars black drys faster. Same reason I chose lead white over titanium.

1140 Skating, Outremont Park, 8x10, egg tempera

sold-Toronto

1139 Av Du Musee, 8x10, egg tempera

sold-Quebec

This was done in egg tempera. I love this medium for it's archival stability, quick drying and easy corrections.  The paint also handles beautifully....doesn't tend to run into the colour beside it and has an initial gesso like surface. The colours dry much lighter than they go on and dry very matte, but they become brilliant and saturated with a coat of shellac.

1138 McGill Ghetto, Lorne Ave, 8x10, oil on board

sold-Ottawa