"Red Berries Roadside" oil 6 x 8 inches

A riot of color along the rural roadside of San Juan Island, Washington State.


Lately my Facebook friends have been sending me encouraging messages about my loose brushwork, so this new painting approach is in response to your encouragement. Thanks you guys.

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Your COMMENT will help me. Thanks, Ron

Chinese Gate of Harmonious Interest - oil 16 x 20

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I wore five layers of clothing so I kept warmish - several people came up and spoke. Barbara Hay even took some flattering photos of me. Here's one:

At the Opus Paint-out Challenge in Victoria, April 21, 2012.

"Red Boat and Mt.Baker" Acrylic 6x8

This vessel was a common sight in the waters of the Oak Bay Marina, opposite the Glen Lyon School property. It stands in the shallows because of its twin keels. I was drawn by the reflections in the water and the majestic Mount Baker in the background.
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"Clover Point" oil 6 x 8 and "Ross Bay Beach" 8 x 10

A plein air painting done in a little over an hour this morning, leaving me time to try another study (see below).

Keith Hiscock gave me superb advice as to how to tackle the sand, at the bottom of my painting.

He said to add a little texture 'cos the sea above is pretty strokey, and texture on the beach ties the brush treatment in harmoniously. I tried it, and he's right.

You know by now you can see bigger images by just clicking on them.

Your COMMENTS are invited.

The Turban" oil 12 x 12

Captain Bill introduced today's sitter, Kulbir, a Sikh who had also worked with him on BC Ferries.
Click on't image for a bigger view. Drop me a COMMENT (see below) if you will....

"The Boat Pond" Acrylic 8 x 10

When it's full sun I get to saturate the canvas with colour, especially if it's contre jour on that day. The boat pond in Victoria BC is where shorebound sailors can exercise their seamanship from a municipal bench.
Our master stretched his legs out, creating a interesting shadow below.

"The Yellow House" oil 11x14 Banfield Park

Today I chose a complicated scene way out of my comfort zone - trees, roads, buildings, etc. (photograph above) and reduced it to a two-hour oil sketch en plein air.

It was a wee bit stressful but I did it.  Sometimes it's good to step outside of the comfort zone and to tackle a subject that one wouldn't normally paint.

I liked the repetition of the windows and pickets - two, two, four, four....and the pavement of course.

As exercise it's worth it. I don't think it's the greatest painting since sliced cheese, yet it taught me a lot. 

This building is on the Craigflower Road above Banfield Park in Western Victoria BC.

"Sheep May safely Graze" acrylic 8x10

Lambs abound at this time o' year -- daffodils bloom and new-born lambs stick by Ma.
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"Diane" 10 x 14 oil portrait

Midway through my painting did I see a badge on Diane's jacket that she is a recipient of a new heart, an operation she had in 2004. The badge invited questions. What a great idea.
Anyway, I was in the company of at least a dozen portrait painters at Goward House today and I chose to do a profile.

"Hot Heart" (chillies) 6 x 8 oils

These red chillies have a curl at the top of their stems, so in composing my arrangement I twirled them around until I saw that they made a heart shape. Voila.
The image is clickable should you want to see a bigger picture. As usual your COMMENT is invited (see below).

"Sailor on Watch" acrylic 6 x 8

Having been in the merchant navy myself, I love sea dogs. Rest easy.
This guy will look after your stuff...

"Tennis Player" iPad2 digital rendering 6 x 8

Drawing with a finger on a tablet is becoming the must-do art thingee these days. Here's my iPad2 rendering with an ArtRage app.

Technology apart, I'm still moving within the bracket (whether in oils, acrylics, w/c or pencil), still striving to nail a personal style, a recognizable signature....
You can click the image to see a bigger picture.

COMMENTS encouraged...is there a Wilson style?

"Nicolle" conte pencil

You can click on the image to see a larger picture - it's Nicolle at today's session of the Goward House Portrait Painters -- I chose Conte pencil 'cos these sessions are a wonderful way of experimenting with different media without offending the sitter. I mentioned the deal in an earlier post - you sit and then you get to take home the portrait that you like best.

"Maria the Second" oil 8 x 10

We never see ourselves in profile, but others do - if the likeness is reasonable our friends and family may just recognise us.
Anyway, our sitter at the Goward House Portrait Painters Group was Maria, our second Maria. (Scroll down to see my first Maria).
I like contre jour 'against the light' lighting even though I was running the risk of her not recognizing herself by me choosing her side view.
The purpose of the group is to stretch and practise - and I found the benefits of these exercises visit upon all my other media - drawing, still life, wildlife (!) and landscapes. Accuracy and interpretation is what I aim for.
The painting time was just over an hour. Click on it to see a larger view. Add a COMMENT which is great feedback, good or not good...

"wicker waits for thee..." acrylic 6 x 8

As the seasons turn, the garden waits for us to sit a while. Busy bees need a breeze out in the open - if only for a couple minutes or so. I liked the contrast between the turning leaves and the new Spring grass. Maybe I'll take time to go and sit and ponder over the positive points of life...

"The Cookhouse Theatre, Maui" oil 6x8

A flourish of color at the Cookhouse Theatre on Maui - I think I responded to the old-style building with its corrugated roof and top vent for the Hawaiian heat. Great stuff.
Click on't for a bigger view and your COMMENT (link immediately below) will guide this emerging artist, thanks!
Ronnie

"Mount Baker in the winter" oil sketch 6x8

It's TINY - only 6 x 8 inches and it took me 39 minutes to sketch in in oils. Why so quick? Well, there was a chilly little wind a-blowin' at Willows Beach in Victoria BC this morning.
Click on it for a bigger view and leave a COMMENT (below) to guide this emerging artist...

"David" 11x14 oil

Danish-born Canadian David sat for the group of Goward House Portrait Painters today and charmed us all with his gracious persona...

Benefactor, inventor, and art collector.

"Green Bottle" 11 x 14 acrylic on plywood

I bought this bottle from a thrift store for three dollars (empty) because I like the way that light filters through the glass. All I had to do was to add the two brass goblets to complete the composition.

"Blue Ford" acrylics 11 x 14

The funky Blue Ford is the third in my series of old cars. I believe it is a 1934 model but you Fordies can put me right....
Most car paintings are tight and photographic but I wanted a loose, brushy look.
I learnt to spread my colours so that there are little spots placed here and there, adding I think to the harmony.
As you know by now, you can click on the image to see a bigger picture - also drop me a comment should you have a thought about this piece...see the COMMENT option below.

"Marjorie" acrylic 11 x 14

Marjorie sat for the Goward House Painters today. She had a rainbow-coloured cardigan on and I should have included it but I was using my acrylic paints instead of my customary oils today so I concentrated on her features -- I challenged myself 'cos acrylic paint is new to me and I battle a bit.
Anyway, Marjorie liked it 'cos I excluded a wrinkle or two - when she told me this I offered to paint some IN - she laughed.

"1938 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Coupe" acrylic 11 x 14

Ahhh -- what a super duper car - made a year before I was born. Go figure. In fact my dad had one of these and I remember the humungous Dickie Seat at the back.
I used acrylic paint because it's so vivid and clean. This painting could have been painted in a photo-realism way but I like to see that there is an ARTIST behind the style...
Click on't to see a bigger version, and leave your COMMENT for me?
Thanks
Ron

"Vintage Truck - Heritage Acres" acrylics 11 x 14

I like the clean look of acrylic paint - this old truck languishes in a shed at Heritage Acres in Saanich, Victoria BC, a place which serves as a museum for farm equipment mostly.

The vehicle MAY be restored, I'm not sure, but at least it has been saved from the crusher.

I decided on happy colours instead of brown rust - who knows, there may be hope for the vintage vehicle.

If you know the make and year of the truck please COMMENT and I'll post the details.

Friday Fish" oil 8 x 10

If it's Friday it must be fish. On a technical note I used my conventional oil paints today, not my water-soluble oils. It felt good. Just like the days of my youth.
Conventional oils have that honest-to-goodness feel and swishability (my word). I think I'll keep 'em in my paint drawer for forays like this into the future. By now I know that YOU know you can click on the image to see a bigger view. As always I'll value your COMMENT. (See below).
Thanks,
Ron

"Maria - portrait no.3" oil 8 x 10

Maria was our sitter again at the Goward House Portrait Painters group - this time I felt the likeness was better. Scroll down a few pics to see my first attempts.

"Oranges and Blues" 8 x 10 oil

Juicy orange wedges complement the ultra blue of Dunny's mug. In this painting I used a loaded brush "paint like a millionaire" someone once said. Thick and juicy - click on it for a bigger view. Add a COMMENT below if you like.

"Dancing Iris" oil on canvas 8 x 10

We came across this iris in the grounds of Government House in Victoria. Spring is on the way...
My approach was to use expressive and somewhat large brush strokes loaded with paint - very little correction.
Hey, I'm almost pleased with the end result - but then artists are always (quite rightly) self-critical...

"Pearly Onion" 8 x 10 oil

I love the way the light digs deep into the common onion and the veggie seems to have an internal glow like a pearl. A nice challenge which we got to eat afterwards...a double whammy.
As for the painting execution, I could have gone on and on making the work even more realistic but this way of painting is my HOME STYLE, and I respect it.
Sooo...
Your COMMENT (below) is appreciated.
Oh yes, and click on the image to get a bigger view.
Cheers
Ronnie

"Nicolle" oil 8 x 10

Nicolle, one of our artists, took a turn in the sitter's seat at the Goward House Portrait Painters group today.

Apart from the technical need to get a likeness, we also try to reach for some feeling or emotion in the work -  who knows when a painting has feeling - it's inanimate, but I think I know what they mean - a sense of pleasantness and beauty.

Anyway, your COMMENTS (see below) are welcome.

Brass Rubbing 6 x 8 demo by Pat Hindmarch-Watson

At a meeting of artists in Oak Bay this week, Pat Hindmarch-Watson demonstrated the fine old art of brass rubbing and invited several of us to try our hand - this is my rubbing. Pat kept a friendly and helpful eye over my attempt and I'm delighted by the result. Thanks Pat.  We used a special black paper imported from England and rubbed over a genuine brass using  a wax crayon made with brass powder it seems. What fun.  Isn't art wonderful? So different from working with a brush - here's my 6 x 8 oil sketch completed the same day entitled "The Fire Hydrant."

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"Ann" portrait sketch oil 8 x 10

If you're an artist and the sitter you've engaged doesn't appear for this week's session of the Goward House Portrait Painters then it's understood that YOU have to sit instead!

This happened to Ann this week.

Usually at these sessions Ann works with her iPad2 creating portraits in her own unique style. Go to Facebook and search "Goward House Portrait Painters" and check out her digital art, amongst the dozen or so pencil- and brush-wielding artists.

"Mt.Doug from Mt.Tolmie" oils - colour note, 11 x 14

A sunny but cold and windy morn atop Mount Tolmie facing Mount Douglas --
I may decide to paint a large painting here in my studio later but I need this plein air colour note to remind me of the yellow moss, the green grass and the slate-grey rock.
(I don't wish to be reminded of that chilly breeze...) brrrrr

"Nicolas" iPad2 drawing

'Still with the steep learning curve of "painting" with my finger on my iPad2 screen - this is Nicolas who sat for us at the Goward House Portrait Painters today.
I selected the "chalk" setting with the soft edge and had a ball choosing outrageous colors. This took about two hours and I was zonked afterwards - it was exhausting (I must be an artist)....
Click on the image to see a bigger version.
Thanks, your COMMENT will be helpful.

"Mount Tolmie" oil 11 x 14 plein air

Today I perched on the side of Mount Tolmie in Victoria BC and painted the suburb below. One-and-a-quarter hours in quite good weather. I was drawn by the leafless Garry Oak silhouetted against the shadow side of the rock.
One thing about painting versus photography is that I was able to put ME into the work - I mean HOW I personally felt about the scene - the strength, the light, the exhuberance.

Here is a pic I took after I had finished:

All in all, a good day to be painting outside.

Yes, the original IS for sale. Email me for details.

You know you can click on the images to see a bigger view.

Here's an iPad2 drawing I did of my plein air painting:

Cheers

Ron

"Ron Wilson" acrylic profile by Jim McFarland

My buddy Jim McFarland painted this profile of me while we're on location in Saanich. (He was tempted to put a little stick tree on "my canvas" but thought better of it) - it would have been hilarious!

"Just a face" iPad2 sketch

Amazing. I sketched this face on our new iPad2 - just a face, it was too snowy for this South Afrcan born artist to go driving all the way to the Goward House Portrait Painters session so I stayed at home and experimented with the iPad. I made up the face - it's no one in particular.  Technology today is ammaaazzing doll! Click the image to see a bigger picture.

"Maria" portrait at Goward House

My first portrait on  an iPad2 -- the finger painting takes a bit of learning, I feel like a caveman already. Our sitter today is Maria:



My thanks to Ann Wheatcroft for 'pointing out' the controls to me. It is a steep learning curve. Exhausted after the effiort, I retreated to my good 'ol oil paints and I did a small 6 x 8 monochrome oil of Maria:

Maybe I'll give it another go again at Goward House some time. But what a lotta fun.

"The Legislature" in pencil 9 x 12

I am planning an oil of this scene at some time in the winter so this morning I went down to the "Ledge" (as it's known by the locals in Victoria BC) and did this quick pencil study just to do a bit of prep work.

Bruce Stotesbury of the Times-Colonist was taking photographs at the Legislature in Victoria BC and he took this front page pic of Frank Mitchell and myself in action at the paint-out.

Thanks Bruce.

Ron



"Farm Shed - Saanich" oil 12 x 16

A studio painting of the shed at the edge of the property,  Hunt Valley Farm. The winding path and the thick leafy trees caught my attention, apart from the shed of course...
Yes, I simplified the scene somewhat - (artists are good at shifting trees around) but the painting IS true to the spirit of this farm.
I like colour, so I've used a variety of yellows and greens, subdued into submission!

NOTE: Click on any image to see a bigger picture...

"He-who-sees-far" oil 11 x 14

Portraits have been much on my mind and on my canvas lately - this chief in his ceremonial headdress was my Christmas day and Boxing Day project. I painted this using only WARM colours, mostly burnt sienna, raw sienna, orange, raw umber and white.  I learnt a lot from it.

"Sea Stacks" oil 20 x 24

We came across these amazing rocks off the Oregon coast - a search on the Internet revealed that sea stacks are formed through a process of eruption and erosion. Anyway, I like the greening of them all, like banners in the wind. I had fun with the impressionist pebbles on a realistic beach. Click the image to see the big picture.