studio

ALONE BY THE SEA original oil painting by Terrill Welch

/ Terrill Welch / 14 Comments

Don’t even ask what I was supposed to be doing this Friday because whatever it was it isn’t done. Instead, I worked on this new 20 x 20 inch oil on canvas painting that is of East Point on Saturna Island and one of Canada’s newest national parks. I took some artistic license and made the building slightly taller than it is in real live. Other than that the scene would be most recognizable to anyone who had walked out to the end of the point during a low tide and then looked back towards land.

This painting is in answer to a request by an admirer of my paintings. She asked if I could paint something with bright colours and maybe more contrast. We exchanged several posts as I remarked on how my subject – the southwest coast of Canada, is often quiet and the contrasts subtle. But I accepted her request as a challenge and asked that she leave it with me. I have been wanting to paint this particular scene for a while and I thought it would be a perfect with its deep shadows under the bank and in the crevices of the sandstone. It was a good painting problem and I greatly enjoyed saying one of artist Gabriel Boray pieces of painting advice over and over as I worked – exaggerate,  exaggerate exaggerate! This led to a whole other internal dialogue about my propensity to understate. So when all the tensions, struggles and musings had finished playing themselves out on the canvas this is what I am left with. Oh I might play a little with it yet but mostly I think it is ready to be set aside to rest. Enjoy!

UPDATE June 10, 2012: I played with the painting more than just a little based on the following feedback from colleague and artist Lena Levin –

In your painting, the building looks a bit like a child drawing. I think it fits, in a way, — in that it kind of conveys your feeling of it sticking out, as though a man has been childishly modifying the nature, which looks mature and much more solid and eternal.

But just in case this look wasn’t intentional and you want to change it, it is due mainly to distortion of perspective (horizontals of the building don’t converge on the horizon line) and, as far as I can see from the photo, the lack of variation in the red of the roof (also probably the fact that two planes of the building are of the same value, as though it’s flat).

I did want the building to enhance that feeling of temporary tension between human habitation and the landscape. However, I also wanted the building to be somewhat believable. So I went back in this morning and made some minor adjustments which then led to a few other changes leaving us with what I hope is now the final painting. The building now looks much more like the actual building on this historic site. My thanks goes out to the Lena for her critical observation.

I also had a nice surprise this week. One of my small paintings “Morning” sold at the Green House Bar and Grill. I hadn’t even had a chance to show it to you yet.  However, I am going to do a separate post showing just the small paintings and will include it with these.

SPROUT: When was the last time you were glad your Friday went sideways?

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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Midday in Navy Channel oil painting by Terrill Welch

/ Terrill Welch / 13 Comments

The day was bright with shifting clouds. I was asked by a student if I would paint something in our private lesson so she could see how one might start and then work a painting through to completion. A visual and tactile learner I felt compelled to honour her request. So we worked through the usual coaching process for her to choose what she was going to paint and her learning goals. Once she was underway I set up by the open door and began to work on this piece. We broke up the session with conversation and observation of the development of each painting which were of different subject matter. I punctuated our conversation with the need to honour and develop ones own painting fingerprint even while learning technique and painting processes. Time drifted at warp speed and this small 5 x 7 inch painting study emerged from the afternoon.

I am pleased with the piece. The questions asked by the student in this interchange influenced steps that I took in its creation. For this I am thankful and appreciative because as a teacher we are also forever a student.

 

SPROUT: What is your best experience of sharing a creative “how to” where you learned something in a new way? 

 

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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Hanging at the Bennett Bay Bistro

/ Terrill Welch / 10 Comments

No it is not a murder mystery. It is paintings – my large oil paintings on canvas are now hanging at the new *Bennett Bay Bistro* at the Mayne Resort on Mayne Island.

Summers are usually my busy time but you may ask – doing what? Well,during the summers our small island doubles in size with visitors and part-time residents and weekenders. This means getting my home studio ready for visitors and also put up new shows of my work in venues on the island.

The latest request came from Colleen Wadsworth, the owner of the  Bennett Bay Bistro at the Mayne Resort. When she asked if I would be willing to hang some of my paintings on her huge wall in the Bistro I had to swallow hard not to drool before I said a simple “of course, what did you have in mind?” Colleen took this photograph just after we got the four largest paintings up.

It was most fun and a pleasure to see the work display together like this. I afraid, my small studio does not afford such a luxurious viewing of these paintings. Here is one of the smaller paintings which most of you will be familiar with hanging on the far wall in a space by itself.

But dear readers, I also want give you a glimpse of the view if you look the other way from these paintings.

Isn’t this lovely? Even on an overcast day like today it is inspiring. How about we go out on the deck for a minute?

All this is served up with a fresh, fresh tasty small Bistro menu that will grow as the number of customers grow during the summer. I will try to get back to capture Colleen serving up some of these sumptuous offerings soon.

An admirer on G+ recently said “I will not be there. I live in Denmark. I hope you will share your work on G+” I replied yes and that I could even do better than this. All of these paintings are available for viewing and purchase in the *Artsy Home online Gallery* and arrangements can be made to ship them to you wherever you are. Now how is that for service?

Tomorrow, I will share with you the new show of 14 small paintings and photographs that are now showing at the Green House Restaurant. So see you then!

SPROUT: What is filling your days with vibrancy and simple abundance?

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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STORM COMING THROUGH original painting by Terrill Welch

/ Terrill Welch / 14 Comments

Winds howl as the rain slaps driving mist across the landscape. It takes fortitude, girt and a bit of foolishness to be out on a day like this. With shoulders hunched I yell against the beastly day with no effect. The sounds are carried away, across the water, through the trees – gone, like the day that will end in nothing more than a short, perpetual early dawn. Such is a winter storm in January off the southwest coast of Canada.

I’m not ready to make this painting available for purchase just yet. The painting and I are still discussing its current state of completion. If you want to know more about how this conversation is going you can read my account of the dialogue HERE on one of my  G+ posts.  When we have reached a mutually agreeable conclusion,  the painting  will be posted at the Artsy Home online Gallery with my other paintings that are currently available.

This a 24 x 36 inch oil on canvas and is my second attempt to capture one of these storms on canvas. Here is the first smaller study I did of just a section of this scene

(available for purchase HERE) 

Pssst! May is just about upon us and you know what happens to me between May and September – even October right? I am less frequently online and in front of the computer. It is just the way it is. I wish you the best for the summer and will post as the opportunity presents itself. May you be digging your toes in the sand, tossing your hair in the breeze and enjoying the few short months of fine weather.

Good morning and the best of Wednesday to you!

SPROUT: If you could do any creative project you wanted this summer what and where would it be? 

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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RAINY DAY OUT ON THE POINT original oil painting by Terrill Welch

/ Terrill Welch / 8 Comments

Sometimes the light reflected through a rainy day has the sweet bitter melancholy which reflects a sense of inner peace like no other day. The bright colours of wet rocks balanced the soft hues of the day with the houses and gentle seaside cityscape in the background reminding us we are part of this view.

This is a painting of Cattle Point in Victoria British Columbia, Canada

A 16 x 20 inch oil on gessobord with a 2 inch wood cradle. No framing required. The painting is available at the Artsy Home online gallery at http://www.artsyhome.com/product/rainy-day-out-on-the-point and a couple of detail images are included for closure viewing.

SPROUT: Where were you the last time you realized that you were part of the view?

P.S. The related links provide easy access to other posts related to the process for this painting.

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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A distant detail of painting in progress

/ Terrill Welch / 10 Comments

It is Tuesday and my larger painting of  “Rainy Day by the Sea” has been “resting” since last Thursday. The long Easter weekend has come to an end and I have a long list of petty tasks to do. But first one must paint don’t you think?

Here is a 3 x 5 inch distant detail from the 16 x 20 inch painting I am working on. It was never intended to be viewed with such up-close scrutiny but I like doing this sometimes. The marks of paint only lightly suggest their subjects leaving lots of room for our imaginations.

SPROUT: What do you see or think you see in these fleeting strokes of paint?

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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Looking Over My Shoulder in the Studio

/ Terrill Welch / 12 Comments

There isn’t too much to see yet but I thought you might like to peer over my shoulder this morning and see what is happening. I have started on the larger 16 x 20 inch gessobord  following yesterday’s study.

I do not expect to end up with many process shots for this painting just because of how absorbed I become when working on it. There is no ground or underpainting as I felt this would interfere with the flat heavily filtered light on this rainy day. Also, unlike most of my paintings I have built up areas near the top more than usual before getting the whole painting roughed in. I may regret this meddling in my own approach but it felt right and the paint was the right consistency for working when I applied it last night so I didn’t interrupt my intuition.

The blank areas are the rocks in the foreground which have a much deeper value than the repeating of the same colours in the background. The dabs you see there are what I call “markers” for future reference and to guide my work in the background. Once the whole painting is rough in, this one is going to require repeated building of paint to get to the end result I am seeking. This is what the study was mostly about yesterday.

SEED: Alfred Sisley ((October 30, 1839 – January 29, 1899) and English Impressionist Painter born in Paris to English parents may be of help with this particular painting. Though he has been overshadowed by Monet his work is really quite stunning and much more attuned the the same sensibilities as Camille Pissarro – who I feel more akin to than Monet even though I am sometimes called the Monet of Mayne Island. If you look at the link I provided you will see many paintings where he has created depth and interest with little value change on a gray or winter day. This is what I am after – depth with only subtle difference in values in the picture plane. This is not a new exercise but with this scene it is a complex study of light, time and spacial relationships. We shall see what happens!

Today I must also go out on a photo shoot for a client. So the work on this painting will need to happen in the next couple of hours and then we will be into Easter weekend. All the best of the holiday weekend to you and may you enjoy a renewed sense of resilience with the arrival of spring.

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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RAINY DAY BY THE SEA oil on canvas study by Terrill Welch

/ Terrill Welch / 21 Comments

Do you remember my recent photograph of “In the Rain at Cattle Point Victoria B.C.“? Well, I have been musing about painting it.

I don’t often do a study before tackling a larger painting but I was painting and repainting a particular idea over and over in my head so I knew there were painting challenges I was having trouble working out. So this morning, I decided to do this greeting card size palette knife study on a 5 x 7 inch gallery wrapped 1.5 deep canvas.

(to purchase contact me via email:  $150.00 – once it dries 😉

One of my aims is always to let paint be paint when I am working on a canvas. Nothing helps with this more than a palette knife. I have the most gorgeous, small and springy knife that was a gift from my parents when I was fourteen years old. I have a newer one but it just doesn’t have the same flexibility and the same balance as my first. Kinda like a good saddle, once you find one that fits you and your horse, or this case me and my canvas, a person doesn’t desire another.

I didn’t work out all of my painting challenges but I did find an answer to some and enough so to continue on to a larger canvas.

And none of you caught me in my error yesterday but the Studio Spring Sale Event doesn’t end until tonight. Sorry about that. Me and dates often have a rather fluid relationship 🙂 I have it corrected now.

SPROUT: What is your creative “study” practice in preparation for larger works?

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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Spring Studio Sale – Art is not ART until it is SOLD

/ Terrill Welch / 12 Comments

Today five original oil paintings have returned to my studio from the venue where they were being shown. This event reminds me of a quote that was supposedly said by one artist to another…

“Art isn’t art until it’s sold. Until then it’s an obsession and a storage problem.” ~Anonymous

I am not sure I necessary agree. Art in my mind has little to do with sales – though those are always appreciated. However, I do believe that a spring cleaning sale is in order or else we may have to move out just to make room for my paintings.

With this in mind, the following FIVE 18 X 24 inch oil on archival quality gallery wrapped cotton canvas with roughly finished edges have been reduced from $1,200 to $900 plus shipping for the next week beginning today, Wednesday March 28, 2012 until Wednesday April 4, 2012 midnight P.D.T.

These paintings are all available for immediate purchase in the Artsy Home online gallery and include:

WINTER SUN

CLICK –> BUY to reach the “Buy it Now” button on the right at Artsy Home.

OWL’S VIEW

CLICK –> BUY to reach the “Buy it Now” button on the right at Artsy Home.

CABIN ON SHORE

CLICK –> BUY to reach the “Buy it Now” button on the right at Artsy Home.

EAST POINT CLIFFS

CLICK –> BUY to reach the “Buy it Now” button on the right at Artsy Home.

FAR SHORE

CLICK –> BUY to reach the “Buy it Now” button on the right at Artsy Home.

 

If you already own one or more of my original paintings or if you purchase more than one of these paintings I will give you an additional $100 collectors discount on each painting purchased.

Paintings are SOLD with my usual Artist’s Satisfaction Guarantee:

Unharmed and safe return of the purchased painting to the Artist, at the cost of the buyer, within 30 days of receiving the purchase will result in a full refund of the purchase price by artist Terrill Welch.

If you have any further questions or would like to make your purchase arrangements directly with me please email me at tawelch@shaw.ca

In addition, with each purchase I will include a signed copy of PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs, volume one.

Of course, if the paintings do not sell, they will be returned to new increase over the original price at the close of this sale and will be shown in another venue beginning in May. Yes, you read correctly – the price of all of my work is going up on May 1, 2012.

So this is rare an opportunity indeed. But no harm will be done if the paintings remain in my gallery collection awhile longer. After all, most of the work is less than two years old. In the past eighteen months, there have been eighteen paintings finding new homes across the globe. It is all good and makes this artist smile.

I look forward to wrapping your painting for you and putting it in the mail.

Please share with others that you think might be interested.

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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ROMANCING SUMMER BY THE SEA original oil painting by Terrill Welch

/ Terrill Welch / 11 Comments

Some paintings seem to guide the brush from the first stroke of the underpainting. The canvas, the brush and the artist move across the surface as if choreographed by a grand mistress of creativity.

Such was the case for this 30 x 30 inch oil on canvas painting ROMANCING SUMMER BY THE SEA. With a simple palette choice…

the painting slid onto the canvas and was simply there!

Oh it still needed to be built up and refined and brought to life but there was no question about the form, structure, tone or composition. Did this painting come out of some illusive muse? Possibly but it was highly influenced by several known influences. The first being my experience on Saturna Island last summer in August which provided the reference image and essence of a particularly spectacular summer morning on East Point. Secondly, I was reading THE SWAN THIEVES by Elizabeth Kostova which had been recommended to me by Patricia from Patricia’s Wisdom. If you have read the book you will know how deeply the sea, romance and painting are part of its gift to the reader. Finally, just before beginning this painting I was in an art gallery in Sidney B.C. and admiring an artist hand-embellished reproduction of “Evening thoughts” by Italian artist Pino Daeni. I have seen even an original Pino painting several times and reproductions many times. But this time I was admiring how he might accomplish that sensual mystery in his work. Then I asked myself, could I possibly capture this in a landscape, particularly one I loved and already could sense its sensual presence. Well, what do you think? Can I?

  (ROMANCING SUMMER BY THE SEA is available for purchase HERE) 

Of course my figure does not have flowing dresses. She is a strong muscular modern woman with little to give her gender away until you see her smile that touches her lightly around her eyes. But this won’t happen today. Today, we admire her enjoying the summer morning mist in August by the sea. There are also two detailed images of both the figure and the reflections on the water posted along with the painting at the “HERE” link above.

SPROUT: What has recently wooed your creativity? 

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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