Make a difference

While walking down Spring Garden Road In Halifax yesterday, I was approached by a young man named Ryan MacDonald offering information about Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders Canada (MSF). 
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was established in 1971 by a small group of French doctors who had worked in Biafra. Upon their return, they were determined to find a way to respond rapidly and effectively to public health emergencies, with complete independence from political, economic and religious influences.

Today, MSF is one of the world's leading independent international medical relief organizations, working in close to 65 countries worldwide and with operational centres and national offices in 19 countries.

     I am  grateful that medical care is available to me and am well aware that this is not the case in much of the world. I heartily support the work that MSF does world wide and was reminded that one person can make a difference and I have the means to generate financial support. 
     Here's the plan: I am designating one painting this year for Médecins Sans Frontières. When this painting sells, which could be next week or next year, I will make a donation of 100% of the unframed price of $250.00. The painting will be matted and ready for framing.
This is the painting I have chosen.

Barn on Parker Mt. Rd.(watercolour, 7.5 x 10.5 inches) $250.00

To purchase this painting contact me at lwilliamsstudio@gmail.com. or visit me at the Annapolis Farmer's and Traders Market each Saturday morning from the May long week end until Thanks Giving.

For more information on Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders Canada (MSF),  visit their web site at http://www.msf.ca/about-msf/

We can each make a difference.

A Blast from the Past

While staying at my sister's house I have had a new look at some of my old paintings. The ones I have selected to show here were painted early in my career (from 1994 to 1996). My techniques have changed. These were painted in lots of thin glazes with many layers and much lifting and adjusting. Though my drawing and composition have improved  over the years I am still pleased with these early works. There are one or two of my very earliest attempts also displayed at my sister's house but I think I will keep them just between family.
All of the following paintings were photographed under glass and you can see some reflections on the images.

Five Red Apples (3 x 9 inches)

Red and Green Apples (5 x 7 inches)

Oranges and Apples (3 x 5 inches)

The Gate (9 x 12 inches)

Paradise Post Office (7 x 5 inches)

More ink, less wash

Here are some further experimentations with ink. Helen said that she was advised to include some areas of solid black in her ink drawings. I am taking a page from her book - literally. Helen illustrated a book on B & Bs in Atlantic Canada, Comforts of home by Anne Fawcett with illustrations by Helen Brigham Opie (1994).

Granville B&B (7 x 10.5 inches)

On Granville Road (7 x 10.5 inches)

More washes

As promised last time, I have done more ink and wash. These are done in the same manner as "Dancing on the Shore" These three are the start to a series of illustrations for a poem/song written by my friend Kate. More on this latter.

South Shore Beach

Sand Dunes

Ink and Wash

Helen's Tilley Hat 1
(2.5 x 2.5 inches)

The pilot pen used to draw this little study is one of my favourite drawing tools and I wanted to see how it would behave with a wash of watercolour. The scribble on the left shows the amount of pigment that would be spread with just water. I like the fact that the ink lines can be softened a little and that the colour can be muted or kept bright depending on wether or not you cover the lines with your wet brush.

Helen's Tilley Hat 2
(3 x 3 inches)

This second study was drawn with a waterproof Staedtler pigment liner. There is no bleeding of the lines but this pen does not feel as responsive as the first one. A good pen nonetheless and I use it a great deal.

Dancing on the Shore (Ink and Wash, 6 x 12 inches)

I like the light airy feel of this illustration and I am going to try some more of these.

By the way, all of these ink and wash drawings have been done on Canson's Drawing Bristol. It takes the ink beautifully but allows only the most direct application of paint. 

The Green Man

The Green Man (Charcoal, 14 x 17 inches)

Search the hidden corners of English, French, or German Gothic churches, and you'll often find the Green Man. It's a composite of face and foliage--an image that appears in dozens of forms. Often a face of the Green Man (or Green Woman) is a mask made entirely of leaves; other times the face may be surrounded or transformed by leaves and vines.

Typically Green Man figures are carved in stone or wood; they also may be crafted in stained glass or inked in the style of illuminated manuscripts. Over 2000 Green Man images have been identified in England alone. They can be found on any surface that's open to ornamentation: capitals, corbels, choir stalls, fonts, screens, or roof bosses.

The Green Man is often perceived as an ancient Celtic symbol. In Celtic mythology, he is a god of spring and summer. He disappears and returns year after year, century after century, enacting themes of death and resurrection, the ebb and flow of life and creativity. 

The Green Man has been suppressed and reinvented throughout history. He was banned during the Reformation, but appeared on 17th century memorials and is found on 18th century Scottish gravestones. In the Victorian era, The Green Man was used as an architectural motif from Ireland in the west to Russia in the east. At this time he played a major role in church restorations and as a decorative motif on street architecture. The 20th Century Green Man stands as a modern ecological symbol as well as a model of godhood and nurturance within the male. (excerpt from the Kentucky educational television site)

It may be a little early for the god of spring to make an appearance but the days are getting longer and we are passed the halfway mark to spring. My friend Helen says that the tradition in Maine is that "by Groundhog Day you've used half the wood and half the hay."

Charcoal

Apples in a Crystal Bowl
(powdered charcoal, 9 x 12 inches)

My daily drawings brought me back to exploring charcoal. This drawing was done entirely with  powdered charcoal and working into it with cue tips, paper towel and a kneaded eraser. The process felt very much like painting rather than drawing. the darkest darks were applied by dipping a paper towel in the powder and then touching it to the drawing.



I looked in one of my drawing books and found a photograph of this subject. (Stan Smith, Complete Drawing & Sketching Course, Reader's Digest, 2001)
I applied an overall wash of charcoal to work into. This time I used vine charcoal to define the darks.

Overcoat (Charcoal, 17 x 14 inches)

Today I blocked in the main shapes on the shelf and then worked back and forth pulling out the lights with an eraser and adding the darks with vine charcoal.

On the Mantel (Charcoal, 8 x 12 inches)