My Bird Series - Guinea Fowl modern 5x7 inches

My children are selling my Bird Series, here's one such. Ask me at kyknoord@outlook.com

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"Cousin Roger" charcoal 11 x 14

We looked up some distant cousins while we were in London a few months ago. Roger is one of them, drawn with in charcoal highlighted with a white pastel pencil.
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"An English Kitchen" (Yellow Pots) 12 x 24

My eye caught these cast iron yellow enamel pots in the kitchen of our B&B on our last morning in London a couple months ago and I got permission from the owner to paint them. I was going to call them dinosaur pots (why, I don't know) but settled for an English kitchen. Artist Bob Osborne says they are French le Creuset cooking pots and that they last forever.
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"Sunbeams under the Sea and ship's wheel" acrylic 36" x 48"

Looking for a home, my painting, my wheel and my float. Together or separate.

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"Young bird" charcoal sketch

Still exercising to keep my hands active, I did this charcoal sketch using vine charcoal and a white pencil on grey paper.

Chicken portrait oil on canvas original available for sale - oil 5x7

>This resting fowl (Rooster Resting?) has proved very popular among my family so I am posting on my blog,

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Getting back into painting again

Recovering from a back injury I have been getting back (!) into painting again by producing these smallies, mostly 3x4 inches.

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if one or more interest you email me ronjbw@gmail.com

Painting again

Happy that I am starting to paint again after a couple months' lay-off due to a soreness of my hands. This is a little 3" x 4" miniature done in a very rough style. It is the West Mitten, part of the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park from a photograph...although my rendering is crude, it suits the limited movement of my crampy hands which are slowly getting better..

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Email me if you want it, I'll slip it in an envelope for you. ronjbw@gmail.com

Stonehenge

Sore back notwithstanding, I limped around the stones a month ago. Fascinating, and to think it was erected about 4500 years ago - nobody really knows how or why.

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Gicleé of "The Gatehouse Store" orders being taken

Pelindaba Farm the lavender grower on San Juan Island is making a gicleé available of my painting. Let me know if you want one. ronjbw@gmail.com

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"Markt Strasse, Spandau, Berlin" plein air sketch

June in Berlin, Spandau district. I had the sore back but managed to draw this conté sketch en plein air.

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"Yewtree Farm" watercolour sketch

Many artists who travel to other countries really try to get some painting done, but life gets in the way. Nonetheless I managed this little watercolour sketch in England.

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"Macauley Point Path" 9 x 12

Who said "simplicity is the measure of sophistication?" Was it Leonardo da Vinci or Robbie Koenig?

Under a muted Canadian sky we came to Macauley Point on Vancouver Island this morning. I had left my tripod in the car, so a half stump in the field served the purpose, removing me a few yards from where I really wanted to be, hey ho, Sargent used to plonk himself anywhere and still paint a good 'un. I aimed for simplicity this morning, not looking for the REAL but for the TRUTH. Press the image for a bigger view.

"Proud Leo" acrylic sketch 8x10

I was born in Africa and wildlife is dear to my heart. Proud Leo is my mane man, and a lion is fun to sketch. We call these flowers red hot pokers, albeit out of focus here.

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"Lady Lowtide" acrylic 8x10

'Tis a Peep Show - every 12 hours, sweet Lady Lowtide lifts her frothy hem to reveal the discreet delights of her undersea treasures to this artist. Yes it's Mount Doug Beach revisited.

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"William the Goat" oil 11x14

Wow - while I was painting en plein air out at Metchosin, a billy goat hopped onto the roof of this shack! How good is that? One of my fellow artists said that the goat's name must be William.....

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"Mt.Doug Beach Contré Jour" acrylic 9x12

Slash, slop, swipe - frenzied application brought forth calm agitation on this acrylic painting done en plein air this morning.

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"Gyro Beach" prep sketch

I gave a talk at the AGM of the Oak Bay Art Club on painting en plein air, and I've been scoping likely spots here in Victoria BC for the actual paint-out which will follow the talk May 4th.

Here's Gyro Park Beach....Press the image for a bigger view.

Clover Point - "Olympic Mountains, Windlines & Rocks"

Clover Point in Victoria BC. Original oil (painted en plein air) canvas mounted on board...10" x 12" $200 email me ronjbw@gmail.com

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"Rhino and Calf" watercolour

Throwback Thursday. Nothing seems to prevent the poachers from their grisly task. I painted this wayyy back when I lived in South Africa and was actually charged by a rhino once, no harm though.

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"Ferry Tale" oil 8x10

Passengers on the Washington State Ferries look at the passing scenes between the islands here in the Pacific Northwest, or, if they are regulars and have seen it all, they may pass the time by reading.
I keep this painting very near to me so that I can study every single day. Each time I learn something.
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"Finnerty Gardens Hole" oil 9x12

The 'hole' is the center of interest and it was the first thing that stopped me when looking for a scene in the Finnerty Gardens of UVic this morning. Heavily overcast. Believe me - heavily.....I used lot of paint and got the big areas done first, with a big brush. I cannot tell you how much this helps to nail a plein air painting in a short time.

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Devastation of Rhinos in South Afrca

Last night CBC presented a video report on the endangered Rhinos in South Africa, a rhino being slaughtered every 8 hours in the Kruger National Park. The horn can fetch up to $100,000.00

 Recently in Victoria BC an ancient rhino horn went on auction legally and sold for fourteen thousand dollars. Here's my monochrome of a rhino emerging from the bush in South Africa where I was born. Horns that pre-date the ban apart, I too am saddened by the reported incidents of current poaching there. Voice of America reports that poison is being used to protect the rhinos - Game farm owners have been hiring armed security guards to patrol their reserves, which can be a dangerous job. Now, they are trying a new tactic: they poison the rhinos' horns or ship the animals to a "safe House" at $40, 000 a time.

"Rhino Emerging" by Ron Wilson (oil painting framed 6 x 8). Click the image for a bigger picture. Your COMMENT is encouraged.

"Lavender Farm Harvest" oil 9x12

See the video how I finished this already DONE painting.....the wonder of painting. Press the image for a bigger view.

"Barn & Crops" oil 9x12

Yes it's a bit tight for a Wilson. I had to use a knife and a ga-zillion brushes to get this effect, and I don't mind telling you that it took me MONTHS of painting - not your flash-Harry stuff! But I'm quite pleased with it - it reflects the peri-urban life just outside of the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island. Click the image for a bigger view. Comments and offers to me at kyknoord@outlook.com

"Cattle Point Morn" oil 11x14 plein air

Plein air painting is wonderful. At Cattle Point on Vancouver Island this week the sky was grey and warm. I studied the changes over an hour and used juicy thick paint to capture the scene as I saw it...interpretation is truth when you're painting. Click the image for a bigger view.

Minis on easels

Minis on easels. I have been giving these smallies to friends and family - then I thought that others may want to purchase these babies for gifts and the like. Write kyknoord@outlook.com

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"Albert Head Lagoon" oil 11x14

"Albert Head Lagoon" oil

This is my very quick Conté sketch - so quick that I couldn't wait to start painting. The sketch is my secret weapon, it helps me determine my compo.

Fellow artist Frank Mitchell teased me at the Show 'n Tell, "it looks like the Hobbit's house," he said. That's because I simplified the building - one wall, one window, whereas it was a lot complicated than that. To me it's impact - a house on the edge of the lagoon.

I could have added the swans and the ducks but I let the home be the star this time. The scene is in Metchosin some 20km from my Victoria condo on Vancouver Island. The willows are just starting to leaf.....

Click it for a bigger view. Comments encouraged kyknoord@outlook.com

"Mount Baker from Cattle Point 2" oil 6x8

After a week of overcast skies the sun shone brightly today, so we went down to my favourite plein air spot, Cattle Point where the view of Mt.Baker was spectacular - pure alabaster.

45-minutes and this 6x8 oil was done! Your response to kyknoord@outlook.com please folks!

Vancouver Island.

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"Craigdarroch Castle" 11x14 acrylic

I painted there this morning -- instead I used the evening colours because they're more dramatic than plain daylight - artist's choice. SOLD through the Internet to Nikki and Gordon, friends in the UK.

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"Teenage Tusker" oil 6x6

I love painting wildlife. Even though this elephant is beyond his baby years he still has the cuteness of proportion.

It's a small painting but it can be seen in a larger form if you click on the image.

A method used by Edward Seago

"The Road to Costco" oil by Ron Wilson.
My artist buddy Mike Leavy lent me the new Seago book by James Russell. Edward Seago liked to paint "on the spot" as he called it. Not only that, he could paint from memory too. Sometimes he made very brief sketches.

I followed this Seago method - while Colleen was driving I memorized a bend in the road to Costco and made a brief sketch at home:

Then without the scene in front of me and no photo reference I painted this oil (much like Seago would have done in the 6o's and 7o's). Fun. It gives the artist a lot of freedom to create and express - and we got some shopping in at the two-hundred dollar store too!

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"Gillian" portrait 11x14

So fresh that there's shine-back on Gillian's hat. She sat so very well for the Goward House Portrait Painters today.

I was happy with the brush work and the colours even though the likeness turned out a wee bit cartoonish for my taste. Often a painting paints itself - I knew it was turning out like this but I didn't seem to have much control - just shows that a lot of painting gets done using the hidden recesses of the brain. It's not a bad painting, it's brushy and the paint is applied like colour tiles --- I'm sort of pleased with it.

"Red Barn" oil 8x10

How I start a Plein Air painting

When you arrive at the paint-out you are faced with a wide shot. Although we live in a 360-degree world, our intake is roughly 45-degrees, the average TV camera sees only 7-degrees of this world. Mentally you start choosing your own angle of visual acceptance:

You choose your own degree of "narrowness" according to your experience and taste.

You

are

not

a camera

nor a reporter of fact - no, you adjust your rendering of the scene so that it has a center of interest and some color surprise. You rule.

Start with a large brush, paint the main shapes of the scene - in this case simply paint the sky, the trees and the water. You're almost done in a matter of a few minutes this way. Change to smaller brushes, add the farm buildings and the yellow trees, include some water reeds...in other words, add TEXTURE to the large shapes.

Narrow your scene with your eyes (just zoom in mentally)

Now paint what works, change color if you like, delete clutter (water reeds), make that grey barn "saleable red," add a window, a doorway. That's YOUR center of interest.

This 8x10 took about an hour to paint. It's not what you paint, it's HOW you paint. The HOW leads to your own unique STYLE. Your brush work and color choices determine how tasteful and experienced you are as an artist. The HOW is what you should aim for. The WHY, the WHEN, and the WHERE are subordinate to your HOW.

That's how I do plein air, yet it's like golf or tennis - occasionally you play well but you CAN have an off day. Donna worree, then come back another day. Every new start teaches the artist something. Its the only game in town.

Three Bike Quiz

Name these three bikes. No prizes, only my praise for being right!

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"Gentle rain on Government House" oil 8x10

See more art at www.alfrescoes.com

And while you're here - press the collage for a bigger view

Goward House Portrait Painters "Stacee" acrylic

Stacee sat for the Portrait painters today. I chose acrylics cos' I need to challenge myself to paint in a medium that isn't my strongest suit. You heard me say before that working in another medium visits kindly on one's home medium.

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From the past - San Juan Island Ferry Landing

When the Earth was young I painted this ferry landing in Friday Harbor, Washington State. I came across this blast from the past while skimming through my old watercolors today. I am surprised how good it is (said the artist, bragging).

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"Two Miniatures" acrylic 3 x 4.5 inches

Two minis in acrylic, "Canoe Hawaii" and "Island Cove" really quite small. Available, email me at kyknoord@outlook = offers greater than fifty dollars each. I'll advise you by email when you win.

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"Three Fish" herring - acrylic 6x6

Carol Marine crops, and now so do I. We all know that these are three fish on a plate, we don't have to see the entire objects.

I like thick impasto although it's not to everyone's taste. I find that most current artists also like juicy brush work.

Email me kyknoord@outlook.com if you like or want this one, it'll fit into a CD mailer.

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"Banfield Boat 2" acrylic 9x12, plein air

The weather gave us a grand window today as we worked on our paintings at Banfield Park. The sun came and went then came again. No problem, the main thing is that we were working outside, meeting Nature with appreciation and gusto.

You know you can email me if you like or want this one. kyknoord@outlook.com I want people to possess my work.

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"Tall Saguaro" acrylic 3 x 8 inches

I'm an errant boy for deserts - the Namib, Kalahari, Osoyoos, Mohave - I've been to them and more, 'have even slept in the sand with scorpions about...they're not so bad if you keep your distance but watch out for Kangaroo mice, they seek warmth at night and can invade your sleeping bag.

Anyhow we avoided rattlers in the Mohave, and we loved the stately saguaro cactus. What an icon for Westerners.

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