14 October 2013

struggle

I've been struggling with the city paintings lately... the downtown is less and less a part of my daily life, and the urban hustle and bustle has sharply receded as a source of inspiration.  However there are some commitments I need to keep, and so I continue for a little while yet with the urban paintings.

A new urban-themed canvas underway:

verna vogel
stitched

verna vogel
using various techniques

verna vogel
not quite there yet...
And you know, the urban paintings are still fun to make at times - just I cannot make so many of them any more.  They are becoming fewer and further between.

To deal with this feeling of boredom with the urban stuff, this week I have worked on a few small abstract paintings.  The one at top right of the photo below was made in 2000.  All the others were made this week, and are mostly unfinished.


Living now much nearer the edge of the city and at the edge of a large park, I am getting more and more excited about natural landscapes rather than manufactured, urban landscapes.  So I'm gearing up for more plein air landscape painting, stretching and preparing small canvases:


After doing a count, I realized that I have made 78 (!!!) plein air paintings since early spring of 2011: 64 in Alberta, 5 in the Kananaskis, 5 in British Columbia, 4 in Brasil.  Wow, hey.  Obviously this is becoming more than a sideline.  

So far all my landscape paintings are very small, most of them 10x10 inches, a few slightly larger.  I have a plan.  When I get to 100 small ones, I will graduate to 16x16 inches.  :)

landscape painting by verna vogel
a calm morning beside the Thompson River, BC

landscape painting by verna vogel
shifting skies near Stettler, AB

landscape painting by verna vogel
a windy day along hwy 766, AB



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