delicious

 I think if I ever run out of things to paint, I should make a still life each morning of the ingredients for dinner.  

I know it's still beginner, but I'm really pleased with this one.  

Vincent Van Gogh - my almond master copy

Almond blossoms are the first flower of spring here - or, more often winter.  They can open any time after Christmas and make me so happy!  

Some of my favourite paintings are of almond blossoms by Van Gogh.  From his letters, we know he painted them in a hurry and often painted several in a day.  He was just that excited about these flowers.  A sign of renewal and vivification after the darkness of winter.  

Part of my own revitalization is painting.  It's helping me recover from injury and other issues that stopped me doing the one thing I did best - yarn.  And one of the ways to get better at painting is to make a Master Copy.  A master copy of my favourite painting would be lovely to hang on the wall.  

Spoilers: it's not going on the wall, but there's at least two chickens.  

But it's not a style I normally paint in, as I'm leaning heavily towards realism and paintings that are done in layers.    So it's a good exercise for me to paint this way as it's basically the opposite of my normal.  

The almond has a special meaning for me.  I have one lonely almond tree who finally made the first nut last summer.  I'm often out there on cold days with a paint brush to pollinate it as the insects aren't always keen to come out to play in winter.  

From the little I've learned of Vincent, and reading translations of some of his letters, arriving at Arles and seeing the unexpected snow covering the almond orchards (groves?) in full bloom was a spiritual expierence.  I fell that moment is a huge turning point in his work.  It's from there that what he paints is recognizably Vincent Van Gogh.  Before that, it feels like he was stumbling around with the paint brush, following other people's styles and ideas.  But here, Vincent becomes truly Vincent.

Even if he looses himself later, he has a moment of clarity that most of us miss out on during our journey through this world.  That's the part of his story that I love most.

 This is my first video in a long time.  It's a master copy of Van Gogh's Almonds in a glass.  If you want to see more painting videos, please come over to youtube and give it a like.  If it does well, maybe I'll come back to making videos.  

So far it isn't doing well.  The first few hours of going live make it a close contestant for worst video of my channel - The worst being my first video.  That was also paint related. 

I know, it didn't turn out as well as it could have.  But that's why I paint.  To learn and get better.  Van Gogh is harder than he looks.

and more greasy/oily chickens.

 These ones were one hour chickens.  

Still a lot to learn, but they are chicken shaped.  

2 hour chickens

 Oil painting is hard.  It's not like anything else I ever tried.

And yet, there is something there that is worth exploring.

Also, the metric system sucks.  Again.  10x10 - and I checked several times that this was inches.  And yet, when it arrived, the listing had been changed to cm and the beautiful canvases are tiny!  

I've got about two hours each morning while the coffee(s) steeps into my soul and the day can begin.  This is a good time to do some art.  So I set a timer to try to paint one of these little 4" squares in under two hours.

When I read painting forums, especially reddit, I like to keep track of the problems that stop beginners from becoming amateurs.  One of the big ones is, getting lost in the details and not focusing on the larger, more important shapes.  I figure this exercise and these alla prima (all in one go) paintings will be a good way to get through this.  They are small enough to toss on the fire if I mess up and later, the ones that survive, will be used for a varnishing experiment and possibly later coasters.  

Although a secret part of me thinks, wouldn't it be lovely if people wanted mini paintings for their wall and then I could have more money to buy more paint?  But I lost yarn to the stress of other's expectations and I don't want painting to go that way.  So I paint for me.  Not for sale.

ps, her name is gardener.  Because I spend most of the summer trying to keep her out of the garden.  

oil begins

After much reading, I discovered that solvents and stink when oil painting is a myth.  Solvent is 100% optional and all we really need is the paint.  The paint is just pigment and oil - flaxseed oil like the stuff we eat, only with more filtering and fewer additives.  

One can even use oil for most of the brush cleaning.  Although soap and water help for long term storage.

 

So I thought why not spend a summer (because it was summer when this happened) morning in the garden playing with pretty colours.  

Well... not bad for a first unguided painting.  There is a lot more work to do on it once this layer dries.  Also, I need to learn more about composition.  But still, it turned out kind of cute.  

Because my last chicken painting turned out so... um...

 I decided to do some more practice with Beam Paints watercolours because the colour is just so intense.  I know I showed this in the review a little while back, but it's worth revisiting.

I'm starting to get the hang of it, but still, I'm constantly intrigued by how the paint wants to participate with the process.  Each colour has a different personality.  Some like to granulate, others scream and chase away anyone who gets too near.  Getting the hang of how to combine not just the colours but the personalities is a big part of what I love about these paints.  

shoe thoughts

 Van Gogh did about a dozen shoe paintings in his 10 years of um, painting.  And I think that's kind of neat.

When Van Gogh was alive, peasant shoes would often have wooden soles and a whole different style of making them.  But they were still recognizably shoes.  And as the shoes are worn, they take on the characteristics of the wearer.

I usually mange to make a shoe last about 5 years of hard work on the farm.  This pair failed to protect me from a rusty nail that was hidden in the mud, so it's on the way to the trash.  But first, I took some photos and I wondered how hard it would be to paint it.  So I start with a drawing.  

And yes, the chicken is necessary.  

gonna try and paint cathy (it didn't go well)

 

I like Beam Paints a lot so I'm going to try these.  I begin by applying masking fluid for the parts I want to remain white.

Washy backgrounds are looking good.  Now, can I paint the chicken.

First layer, wet in wet to get the foundations down.  

A bit darker - remembering that watercolour values are more to do with saturation than blackness or whiteness.

Although this is getting away from me a bit.  

Let's add some details.

Um... yeh.  That didn't turn out how I expected.  Interesting and it is chicken shaped, but not Cathy.  I need to practice with the Beam Paints more because they are quite a bit more vibrant than I am used to.  

Cathy

 Cathy is one of our longest living hens, or was, I suppose.  She has a funny personality.  An introvert hen, who didn't like to spend any more time with other chickens than necessary but still had her favourite five that she stuck close to at night.  Each evening she would come to the door of the human house and peck at it until we came out and she would walk us to the hen house, chattering away about her day.  

This is charcoal and coloured charcoal (whatever that is) on toned paper.  

hobbit Mill

 

I take extreme pleasure in these tiny sketches.  I don't know why, but I feel like I can go into more detail and take my time more just because it's small.  

Although, I think I liked it better at the half way point.  Perspective  is hard.  

getting bigger

 peep peep

homework

 Finally, I'm starting drawing class.  It turns out all I can draw now is chickens. 

The homework was supposed to be basic shapes, but that got dull really fast. So I bought an onion.  

Lady in charcoal

 I really like how this one turned out.

apparently, I wear jewelry now

 I've been interested in adornments.  Things we wear or do to our bodies that really aren't needed but somehow are.  Like a shiny sparkle of metal or colourful fingernails.  

I stopped wearing even a wrist watch when I found out that it could easily get caught on a ram and as the ram weighs almost four times my weight, and we are now both attached to the wrist watch... um... health and safety.

Eventually I found out I could wear a pocket watch and this would easily come unattached from me, if something got attached to it.  

Looking around lately, I wondered what else could I wear.  Brooches.

Here's my starting collection.  It's not much, but I love it.  

spring has sprung, the grass is ris...

 This one is my favourite so far.  In the background, I'm using the leftover ink that I spilled when I couldn't get the stupid lid off the ink bottle.

A bit of nature journaling

 

Okay, so the thing is about spring.  Lots of fruit trees are in flower.  And for once, I wanted to figure out how they are different.  So I started a bit of nature journaling.

These next few are in Kuratake Gansai Tambi Japanese style watercolours

better photos of the charcoal chickens

 

peeps

 peep peep

so cute!

oil pastels and spring

 Some more oil pastel flowers.  

I'm fond of how bright and colourful these are, especially after working in watercolours for a year or so.  

not sure this chicken worked out - alpha

 

Head hen Alpha is a tricky one to draw.  She always  looks so stern.  

Petrichor

 

The idea is maybe I can take my art with me when I am waiting for an appointment or something.  

This kind of comb is a bit tricky as it doesn't really look like the popular opinion of a chicken.  

Canadian Art Supplies and Canadian made paints

Wondering where to buy Canadian Made art supplies?  Here are some ideas.

For those of you in the future, I am writing this on the 4th of March, 2025.  And I hope so much that this a date that has zero meaning to future readers as nothing long lasting happened here.  I hope.

For those of you in the present day, I want to share some of my favourite Canadian art supplies.  

Watercolours:

Beam Paints handmade watercolours

(my review)

They have the whole affirmative action, First Nations owned, female lead, eco-friendly, etc stuff if that's your cuppa tea.  They are also handmade in Ontario.  

What really matters is they make the best watercolour paints I've ever tried.  

HannahLouMyers handmade watercolour paint 

(my review)

Handmade watercolours made in or near Vancouver, BC, these are amazing paints to work with.  The dot cards are generous and an excellent place to start if you are new to handmade watercolours.

Oil Paints

Kama Pigments Oil Paints

I haven't bought from these yet, so I don't know how good they are.  I'm hoping to save up and put in an order this summer.

The big advantages seem to be Canadian Made (Quebec?), handmade/hand processed, and a long history of making and selling paints for almost thirty years.  They are also exceptionally affordable for professional grade paints - which my research suggests they are.

They are made with walnut oil which makes them a likely substitute for my current favourite paint M. Graham (made in Oregon, alas).

The things that hold me back from buying these right away is the lack of lightfastness information and lack of reviews in English (and google not willing to share french language sites with me despite having a translation option).  If you do try these, please let me know how it goes.

Other

I want to give a shout out for some locally owned art supply shops on the Left Coast.  They often carry Canadian made art supplies.

Opus Art Supplies

Monks Office also has a lot of fine art supplies worth checking out.

And for my lovely friends south of the 49th, I highly recommend American made M Graham for both watercolours and oils.  Take care and remember, this little trade tiff between politicians won't damage our friendship.  But it is kind of a neat excuse to get to know what's available locally which, in the end, is pretty cool.  

(no affiliate links here, alas, I just like this stuff)

Fig in charcoal

 Practicing chicken drawing.  Today in charcoal.  

Beam Paints - handmade watercolour paints review

Here's a little review I posted elsewhere. 

This review is for: Beam Paints

I give this paint 10 out of 10 acorns.

Because it's not only lovely to work with, but matches well with permaculture values.  

Where to begin sharing how much I love these handmade watercolour paints?

That they are handmade is a good start.  That these are made using local (to them) ingredients whenever possible and with the pride of someone who loves what they do - the people who make these paints obviously put a lot of love and care into what they do.  We can see this with the packaging.

And the extent they go to to keep plastic away from the paints.  Beeswax soaked cloth wrap each paint-stone (their word for 'half pan' or the equivalent of 5ml of fresh paint) and a little label shares the information about each colour.

The colours!  

This is just the sample I got so far.  They have a lot of colours to choose from.   At the time of making that chart, only burnt sienna hadn't got a lightfastness rating back from the lab.  All the others rate excellent (which I think is astm 1 and 2)

I want to complain a bit because the colours!  They are so strong compared to mass manufactured watercolour paint, it takes so much getting used to.  It's been the most difficult part of learning to use these paints.  Their Mix Six are especially vibrent.

That said, some of their earth colours, like the burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and white here, tend to be a bit tough to activate if we haven't painted with them for a while.  They like to have a bit of water on them the day before painting to wake up.  

Each colour has a different personality.  Unlike massmanufactured paints, where there are efforts to keep the paint fairly consistant, Beam Paints scream individuality.  One can feel the minerals and pigments participating in the painting and I think most people who are used to watercolours stumble at this point.  They are used to paints that are mild, along for the ride.  Beam Paints aren't like that.  They want to help make the best painting ever, if we let them.

So I do what I always do with new paints - a limited palette study.

These paints are:

Mars Red

Timberwolf

Fall Poplar Yellow

Boreal Green

(later on, I use a touch of limestone white - oh, it looks like this is changing the name to trillium white)

Can it paint a chicken?

Can you see some of the personality of the paints?  The granulation of the sky and the way the blue paint fades to red (no red added).  Some of the paints lift and change, some are more opaque than most watercolour is used to.  There's a lot of learning to do here.  It's not my best chicken ever.

The same colours, but a bit of white.  Each painting is just under 3" on the long side.

Beam Paints also sells lovely wooden palettes from reclaimed wood from local sustainable forestry practices or something.  I suspect maple syrup is involved, but I have this sweet delusion that all trees in Ontario, Canada are for making maple syrup.  (they are, right?)

But, you know, spending money on a bit of wood takes money away from paint.  So I asked a family member to make me something from the old apple tree branch that blew down a few years back.

I love it!  

The next limited palette I try is a variation on the Zorn palette (I say zorn because it's easier to spell than ... asks duckduckgo how to spell it... apelles)

I'm using

Turtle Belly (red)

Harvest Wheat (yellow ochre)

Mars Black

The white is from the white of the paper.

But can IT paint a chicken?

pretty  

I had a lot of practice with this one doing a Holiday Advent calendar kind of painting thing.  I added the sparkly blue colour Winter Nights for some of the paintings, but tried to keep it just those three paints as much as possible.

More recently I've been trying to get used to the more vibrant colours of their staple palette and how they work with my current favourites.  It's tricky with how bright these colours are compared to commercial paints.  But I feel I can get there with enough chickens.

On the whole, these are awesome paints if one's painting style can give them freedom to be themselves.  They are a bit colourful for an absolute beginner, but then again, that might be just what one needs to learn to paint.  

Depending on the colour, the paint stones last almost double the length of time it takes me to use up a halfpan of mass -manufactured paint like Winsor and Newton.  With shipping and the way the world works, Beam Paints cost about the same or less as the mid brands like Winsor and Newton locally, so it ends up being excellent value for my dollar.  

I would highly recommend these paints for anyone who cares about their crafting footprint, who, like me lives in Canada where art supplies imported from other countries are way over priced, or people who like pretty colours.  

Beam Paints handmade watercolours

Daffy

 Oil pastels

and

gansai tambi watercolours

I like them both.  

more oil pastels and the betrayal of the metric system

 Some more oil pastel practice.  

It's the metric system that did it.  I ordered a few hundred 10x10 pieces of paper thinking that an american website would sell in inches.  Only to find out that it was cm.  

But good practice.  Although I think the match box would look better if it didn't have such wonky sides.  

There's something fun about playing with such bright colours.

Caution!

 This little chicken turned out way brighter than I expected.  It's painted in Beam Watercolours and it shows the big problem I have with those paints - they are so vibrant!  

I need to spend some time with these paints and get the hang of how to tone them down.