"Cadboro Bay" w/c sketch 4x5

Ten minutes, that's all. Painted en plein air with my new Arches w/c pad. I love this paper.

"Buskers" urban sketch 8x10.5

Dave Lang & the Insolent Rabble play at the Inner Harbour in Victoria BC. This is my URBAN SKETCH which is traditionally loose and sketchy by definition.

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"Your coffee's on the sill" w/c 6x8

An outing deserves a flask - this is at Heritage Acres on Vancouver Island where we sat for a day with our Morgan sportscar on display. It didn't sell but a tiny bird pooped on the car so at least we got a small deposit on our Morgan.

I like my watercolours juicy and loose.

"Light Rain, UK" w/c and tricks, 6x9

OK I bent the w/c using an oil effects trick with the computer...giving me the look one gets when you're skimming by a landscape and your mind retains it only for a second or three... Throwing paint around in a sketchy sorta way. Fun. The above image was enhanced - the one below is how the watercolour really looks like - lighter.

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"The Hay Wain" after Constable w/c 6x8

We visited the actual spot where John Constable painted the Hay Wain all those years ago - this is what it looks like today.

Below is the Constable painting. My watercolour sketch is a little different, no wagon, no dog but the house is still there.

He lived 1776-1837, the son of a successful mill owner. Although John Constable is so very well known he sold more art in France rather than in Britain.

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The Pie maker - w/c portrait 6x9

"The Pie Maker" Colin is my neighbour who loves old cars and bakes pies to keep occupied. He has owned a Rolls, possibly a Bentley, a Thunderbird - and I believe he was a butcher in Oak Bay before he retired. Anyway, I am giving him this watercolour sketch and he and his wife Pat seem to like it.

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"Rowboats UK" sketchy rapid watercolour 6x9

Now and then it's good to switch off one's neat side and to let the big brush just do its own thing, like in this rapid watercolour.

I felt liberated, not being slavish to perfection. Maybe I'm just a sloppy ol' Joe at heart. Anyways, I had much fun doing this.

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Hightide Macauley Point - oil 6x8

An artist's secret weapon - the sketchbook. I used my b&w sketch to paint an oil version in colour:

Hightide- Macauley Point, oil 6x8 using thick juicy impasto.

Edward Seago used to sketch in b&w then paint a scene in colour later, in his studio. He didn't always do this, but this way of working is well documented. It's a refreshing way of tackling a landscape, using the colours of one's mind.

Another "secret" - this time my own. Yes I lay the paint down but it is hardly ever left alone, I bother it ruthlessly until it brushes into shape, and if I see a "happy accident" appearing only then do I leave it alone. This way I work back and forth over the entire canvas - re-stating, re-working until a section looks spontaneous (which it isn't), I am a paint botherer.

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"Field of Green" oil 8x10

A trip out to the country brings soothing expanse, the world is conscious of green - food, politics, you name it. As an artist I relate to this pastoral scene and my oils covered the canvas willingly. A field of Green. Press the image for a bigger view

Urban Sketching "1900 Store"

This is from a little while ago when I was sketching en plein air and wasn't even aware of the Urban Sketching movement. All I know is that this informal and personal way of recording something gives me relief from the burden of having to produce something which SELLS.

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Urban Sketch "Victoria Harbour from the Bay Centre"

Watercolour and Pen 10 x 12 inches.

From the restaurant window at the the top of the Bay Centre in Government Street, Victoria BC. The harbour is a busy place with boats, float planes and kayakers. Urban sketching is the new Plein Air and I'm loving it - quick and enjoyable.

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"Spirit Island 2" oil on canvas laid on ply

My friends Robin and Margaret in Tasmania are the new collectors who own this recent painting. It's about 15 x 18 inches. Press the image for a bigger view.

"Fluffy Love" watercolor and acrylic with pen 5x7

Love, a fine art rendering of two birds in love. I chose to paint them in watercolor then added pen and acrylic, much of my approach is instinctive, the painting kind of suggests what it needs as I go along. There's a conscious and a subconscious mix at play here.

"Sunny Abbey, Bath" oil on canvas laid down on Baltic ply 8x10

Just around the corner from the ancient Roman baths in Bath is the Abbey.

Tom Thomson TV documentary - December 7th, 2015

Tonight on the Knowledge network they showed a moving documentary on Tom Thomson. Like many, I have always admired his work, and as you'll see by the attached ticket, I visited the AGO in 2013 where I sketched this famous "Dead Pine" while standing in front of the original Thomson (we weren't allowed to use paint to copy something, only pencil). 'Sad that Tom died in 1917 at the age of 39, his death a mystery although the consensus is that he drowned in Canoe Lake. Here is the Thomson original in the AGO:

What WOULD he have painted if only he had lived longer.....

"In Blue in Bath" 6x8 oil

In June 2015 we visited the Roman Baths in Bath when this young lass obligingly stood in front of the building like so many other tourists.

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"Teenage Tusker, pastel, watercolour

I began with watercolour and over this I used soft pastel and a Conté pencil.

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"Lion, Lioness" watercolour on Arches 5x7

Pen and pencil hatching over watercolour paint. This adds an element of art to the otherwise photographic rendering of the male and female lions.

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Ron goes ABSTRACT!

Watercolour crayons (yes really, a product by Mungyo) plus Conté pencil and Sharpie. This way up reveals the female figure. Turn the image upside down to see the faces. I'm not really an abstract painter - I got this design from the wallpaper in my bathroom!

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"Thatch" watercolour

Loose and juicy watercolour.

This is Chipping Campden, the pin-point centre of England in my view - halfway between the Cotswolds and Birmingham. Press the image for a bigger view

"lioness Stalking" acrylic 6x8

Here in the true African bush every animal needs to be alert, even the predator such as this lioness. Mr.Lion may be the king but mostly it's the mrs. who provides the meal.

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"Coco" parrot watercolour 5x7

"Coco" is part of my Bird Series. She is a Red-Lored Amazon parrot and is so intelligent.

"Seagull Landing" Bird Series - Fine Art charcoal drawing 5x7 available

My Bird Series is building, here is my Seagull Landing put simply but with strength of line, heightened with white pastel. Go to my Fine Art America site for purchase details.

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"Owl" Bird Series charcoal & white 5x7

As part of my Bird Series I drew this owl in charcoal, based on a newspaper photo by Bruce Stotesbury.

"Crystal Cove Beach" oil 11x14

On the way to Tofino we stopped at Crystal Cove. It was a dull day so I put in a drop of colour here and there.

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OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO SHARED THE TRAGEDY OF THE WHALE WATCHING BOAT CAPSIZING OFF TOFINO ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 25th, 2015. WE WERE THERE JUST DAYS BEFORE.

"Nefertiti" most watched art on my blog

To my many FB FRIENDS - here's flying a kite - if you want this 8x10 oil on ply, no frame, go to www.Paypal.com and send $250 to me at PayPal.Me/artistRonWilson it's secure and if you are not yet a PayPal subscriber it only takes a few minutes, and boy, is it handy to collect or to send money.

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"Lighthouse, San Juan Island" - Washington State

'Disappointed that a sale fell through this week but so far 224 other folks are looking at this pastel on Fine Art America (see the link, right). This lighthouse is iconic on the island, and I love the strong verticals and horizontals of the scene. Of course, I love pastels too....

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"Harley in pencil" 7x10

Harley-Davidson is in the news again but it's so iconic, I know that the collector value will keep on going up. Anyhow this actual drawing of mine is available as a print on Fine Art America - different sizes at different prices... Follow the link on my blog.

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Bird Series "Quail" 5x7 available now as orig. or print

Quail charcoal on grey Canson paper. I love these little guys, they're so "grounded" and are real family folk to boot.

This is part of my Bird Series portfolio I'm building, I should have quite a number of sketchy birds for you to peruse now.

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"Crystal Cove Beach" vine charcoal 5x8

This Charcoal is so soft and subtle the real is actually better than the scan - like an original vs a print. Anyhow, this sketch is for a pastel I have in mind. A notan helps me to retain the value range. On the road to Tofino BC. We spoke to some surfer dudes who explained the various types of waves they enjoy.

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My brother-in-law -- pastel 7 x 11

My brother-in-law and my sister invited us to join them on a tour of Europe earlier this year. What fun. We saw a lot, Lindsay knew a lot, having been a tour guide in his youth. Sometimes he knew even more than the local guides who showed us around this time. Thanks you guys.

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My Bird Series - Fine Art charcoal rendering of a hummingbird in flight. 5x7

"Hummingbird" my Bird Series - besides this orignal which is available (contact me for the price), OR, Fine Art America makes prints of my popular paintings and sells them at a reasonable price. Check it out at Ron Wilson on Fine Art America.com

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"patchwork UK" oil on stretched canvas 16x20

From the hilltop of the White Horse of Westbury one can see for miles. I love the design that the successive farmers made over the years.

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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