Visual Arts

Soft light

/ Terrill Welch / 8 Comments

Today heavy clouds filter the sun into a perpetual dawn. With rain tapping the roof now and again, I sleep late. No harm done – at least none that I have noticed. I remember our walk yesterday afternoon with its scattered clouds and soft light.

Walking a coastal trail…

Often looking towards the view but not going out to admire. We are smoked in. It seems as if someone is burning brush.

It is so pleasant under the trees. The air is heavy and still as we walk quietly through the soft light.

(image may be purchased here.)

 

Sprout question: How are you embracing what the day has to offer?

 

© 2011 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

 

A Week Painting

/ Terrill Welch / 37 Comments

Following my intentions on a sunny Monday morning, I have my inspiration image set up and I am ready to squeeze out a few colours.

But the shadows! Gurrr!

I usually can move a smaller canvas around to avoid such things. This large 36 X 48 inch canvas has no room to move in my small studio space. Well, nothing to do but get started. I will see if I can work with it at least to get the underpainting done.

There is something absolutely exhilarating about putting those first strokes of paint on a canvas. The fact that this is a $72.00 canvas only has me swallow hard twice and mutter “be BOLD!” I work away fighting the shadows every step of the way until I have the painting roughed in.

This is about as much as I can do between holding a portable light that has a yellow glare and the shadows. I have come to the end of what I can do in the studio with natural light.

Note the bottom right hand corner and how heavily it is in shadowed. Not good I tell you. It is not good. What to do? I sleep on it – for two sleeps while the underpainting sets up.

It is cool outside on Wednesday but above freezing. I decide to move outdoors to the covered deck overlooking the valley.

It is a lovely place to work. No shadows here.

But it is rather cool and the water miscible oil paints are stiffer than I would like. I decide to keep working.

Here you can see the results from working in the studio with the heavy shadow on the bottom right hand corner. But it is only paint and fixable. I am now starting to lose my light. Where did the day go?

I am pleased. There are lots of problems still to resolve – like my cold fingers. But it is a good start.

Thursday I wake to heavy rains. I wait hoping it will brighten up. At 10:30 am I go upstairs to the studio thinking I will write instead of paint. But you see, the brushes and paint and painting are right there. I start dabbing away. Pretty soon I have the painting hauled back out on the deck. Four hours later I stop.

It is not finished but needs to rest for awhile. I will work on another painting next week and look at it out of the corner of my eye – with satisfaction.

Sprout question: What is encouraging you to smile with satisfaction?

Oh! We have a party invitation for Monday January 10, 2011 over on Leanne Dyck’s Blog at http://sweatercursed.blogspot.com Leanne is throwing a virtual bash to celebrate the e-book publication of her thriller The Sweater Curse. Please drop over leave a comment, share your favourite party food or punch recipe and a link to a great tune. Congratulations Leanne!

© 2011 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

Beginning the Big One

/ Terrill Welch / 26 Comments

Yes it is time. My intention for this first week of January 2011 is to complete the under-painting on my 3 X 4 foot canvas. It will be the largest oil painting on canvas I have ever done. I have painted wall murals before but that is a completely different artistic expression than a large canvas. What they have in common is the need for lot of paint.  I think I have enough. The second challenge is how to set up the canvas so I can work on it. I am thinking that these two chairs should work if I can move things around in my small studio to accommodate them.

I will tie the cross-bar support to the chair with gardening twist tie to keep the canvas in place.

Then I will make the final decision on the image I want to paint. This remains unknown for the moment.

Before I wander off to get to work on this new project I thought you might like to see the first light on shore for 2011.

(image may be purchased here.)

I look forward to checking in with you on Friday and reporting on my results.

Sprout question: What creative problems are you resolving this week?

© 2011 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

Dramatic Seas

/ Terrill Welch / 15 Comments

What I am about to share with you is from last evening’s meanderings. Can someone please choose a perfect piece of well-known classical music for me?  It needs to start softly as the light gives way to early evening.

(image may be purchased here.)

Then the notes should rise slowly but with confidence.

Building with sweeping sounds as we begin to embrace the clouds over Vancouver…

Going quiet as we come close to the mountains catching the sinking rays of the sun.

Now large sounds that make your heart pound with anticipation! Symbols crash!

(image may be purchased here.)

Building, building until you think you are going to burst….

(image may be purchased here.)

All sounds coming at once… the same notes dun, dun, dun… then releasing you to the Salish Sea.

(image may be purchased here.)

Sprout question: What is drama has your attention today?

© 2010 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

Winter Waves

/ Terrill Welch / 14 Comments

Leaving Vancouver B.C. to catch a ferry back to Mayne Island on Boxing Day there was a slice of early morning sun coming through the heavy rain clouds. I was early. I took a left at Tsawwassen and headed for Boundary Bay Regional Park. This park is a seaside wetland sanctuary for birds and bush bunnies like me passing through on their trek home.

To day the wind and sea were both high as waves rolled up and sometimes over the sandy beach.

The scene was dramatic. The contrasting colours between sea and sky were unusual. The light changed fast as it rose above the sea towards the cloud bank. If I had painted it, the viewer would have had a hard time believing its authenticity.

Even with a photograph… you might think “she did it with Photoshop! You can do anything with Photoshop.”

But I didn’t. I just happen to be at the right place at the right time with camera in hand.

 

Sprout question: When is life grander than your imagination?

 

© 2010 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

 

One Year Ago Today

/ Terrill Welch / 16 Comments


One year ago today I posted the first Creative Potager post – A Gown Remembered: Beginning.  With one quick comment and my reply and eleven views it was a quiet beginning.

Today is post 205 and it starts the day with 26,600 views while building on 3,440 comments. It is a good solid beginning. Thank you everyone for your part in making this a great Creative Potager year.

Going forward, we will see a shift in posting in order accommodate my intentions for the 2011 year. Creative Potager will have a Monday morning post that will include my intention for the week. Friday morning will conclude the week with a report on the results of the intention set at the beginning of the week. With these book-end-posts there will be occasional but not predictable post in between. Each post will continue to have a Sprout Question for your musing and comment.

My intention for 2011: I will be focusing more on oil painting en plein air than photography. The purpose of my work remains the same – to ground the viewer to their physical earthly environment – in nature. Zen impressionism. Quiet abundance. Joy.

This painting “Winter Sun” and a few of my other 2010 oil paintings are for sale go to ART of DAY, at the ART of DAY store. More of my work will become available at this location in the near feature.

With an intention to be painting more and also to be painting outdoors I hope you can see why there is a shift in this years posting structure. The nice thing about blogging, if something doesn’t work we can wake up in the morning and change it. This new schedule will begin on Monday, January 3, 2011. You can expect to see Creative Potager posts today through to Friday, December 31, 2010.

Sprout question: What intentions are you setting for 2011?

© 2010 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

Related Articles

Art of Day 2010 Holiday Show and Sale

/ Terrill Welch / 7 Comments

Creative Potager interrupts its holiday to bring you news about the inclusion of my painting “Rising” in a fantastic online international show and sale.

UPDATE January 30, 2011: This painting has been SOLD to a buyer in Switzerland.

James Day is the brilliant brain behind the development of ART of DAY blog and online gallery store. He invited 20 Featured Artists and included 20 Artworks for inclusion in the ART of DAY 2010 Holiday Show and Sale. There are artworks from a wide range of disciplines from all over the world coming together in this one online location.  Please drop in and to view this outstanding collection.

To view more work by Terrill Welch:

To view more of my oil paintings for sale at ART of DAY, go directly to the ART of DAY store. Also, three oil paintings were recently profiled on Creative Potager and can be accessed through separate links on the post “Wrap up of three paintings over three days.”

My photography can be viewed and purchased at my redbubble storefront.

My full artist biography has a sampling of my work displayed as well.

Thank you for your support, encouragement and purchase of my paintings, photographs, and calendars.

Sprout question: What brilliant creative idea are you working on?

Now back to holidays!

Please note: Creative Potager will be on holidays beginning Saturday, December 11, 2010 and will return on its one year anniversary Monday, December 27, 2010.

© 2010 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

Wrap up of three paintings over three days

/ Terrill Welch / 13 Comments

Welcome to Monday morning at Creative Potager. Shall we start with a little sandstone, sea and blue sky before getting into the three paintings over three days wrap up? I thought you might be like that.

(view full resolution – available for purchase here.)

This photograph is the first of several I will introduce this week from our walk on Saturday in the beautiful clear blue of the winter sun.

The special sale event for three paintings over three days has been amazing. Guess why? Because of you! All the views, the comments, the emails, the tweets, and the writings on my FB wall have left me full of gratitude with a powerful desire to take my work forward. What a wonderful way to bring a close to my work in 2010. Thank you. Thank you each and every one of you for being part of my creative journey in such a profound way.

Now for the details because today is the last day….

The sale price of $950.00 Canadian for each of these paintings regularly $1,200 Canadian each will end at midnight PST tonight, Monday December 6, 2010.

The first painting East Point Cliffs is still available at the time of this posting.

The second painting Owl’s View is still available at the time of this posting.

The third painting Far Shore is still available at the time of this posting.

 

 

 

TO BUY THIS PAINTING: Critical information for Buyers including the price is posted on a separate page HERE.

And some more great news that I am extremely excited about – my work as been accepted into the new ART of DAY online gallery. James Day is a sculpture and great supporter of artists. His artist features on the ART of DAY wordpress blog are widely read and appreciated. You may remember his feature of my work  “Impressionist Painting of Nature by Terrill Welch” in October of this year. Well, I now have five paintings of various sizes listed in the ART of  DAY online store. Please feel free to drop by and browse.

Sprout question: What do you do when you are feeling absolutely full of gratitude?

© 2010 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

Related Articles

Third original Terrill Welch oil painting in sale Far Shore

/ Terrill Welch / 17 Comments

Far Shore captures the west coast mist as it tumbles over tree-covered Galiano Island jutting from the sea in Active Pass.

Deep green winter reflections wrestle with rolling fog dressing and undressing the forest. Glimpses of naked trees are quickly covered only to appear again further on. Never quite able to grasp the wholeness and the detail at the same time, the viewer’s eye dances across the canvas.

A slice of the painting resting at easel-angle shows a sliver of the deep green unframed canvas sides.

 

This detail holds the movement and mystery of the larger painting.

 

Creative Potager post “more painting” shows a couple of images of Far Shore in progress.

TO BUY THIS PAINTING: Critical information for Buyers including the price is posted on a separate page HERE.

Far Shore is the third of three original oil paintings on sale over three days. After each of the three paintings become available they will remain on sale until sold or midnight PST Monday December 6, 2010, whichever comes first.

The first painting East Point Cliffs is still available at the time of this posting.

The second painting Owl’s View is still available at the time of this posting.

 

Please share this post with others who may be interested. Thank you for coming by and support of my work.

 

Sprout question: Can you tell us about your most inspiring experience in the fog?

 

© 2010 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

 

First Terrill Welch Original Oil Painting in Sale East Point Cliffs

/ Terrill Welch / 22 Comments

This painting is a shape-shifter through time. More than any other painting that I have painted East Point Cliffs absorbs the light and transforms with the time of day. Bright and lush on a sunny day …

Quiet and peaceful on a cloudy day…

East Point Cliffs looks as if there is a full moon shining when it is near dusk. It is rightly the first painting of my online sale as it was the first painting in oils I had done in thirty years of working in watercolours. Oil was the first medium I used when I started painting and selling my work at the age of fourteen. It is ever-so-wonderful to return to a slightly modified water miscible oil paint.

With the oil painting’s deep edges roughly textured, it awaits your personal touch in choosing of a frame to fit your chosen location or it can be left as is, reminding the viewer that it is canvas and paint that has become art.

A close up reveals the layered impressionist strokes on canvas.

East Point Cliffs is inspired from a trip in February to Saturna Island British Columbia, Canada. The deep blue of the sea and the sandstone cliffs were mesmerizing. An early post provides more about the process of painting East Point Cliffs.

TO BUY THIS PAINTING: Critical information for Buyers including the price is posted on a separate page HERE.

East Point Cliffs is the first of three original oil paintings going on sale over the next three days.. The second will go up on Saturday and the third on Sunday. After each of the three paintings become available they will remain on sale until sold or midnight PST Monday December 6, 2010, whichever comes first.

Please share this post with others who may be interested. Thank you for your interest and support of my work.

Sprout question: If you were mesmerized by East Point Cliffs where would it take you?

© 2010 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