Looking up through trees – 5
Next one in the series! The large tree in this painting is a hemlock. The under painting was transparent red medium with some cad orange.
Here is Tom’s haiku!
Sturdy standing trunk
Straight and tall unbending now
Sways in winter storms
image (c) 2017 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2017 TJ Radcliffe
Looking up through trees 4
The next in the series with a lovely haiku from Tom! (The under painting for this one was transparent red medium.)
Tousled heads held high
Reaching up into blue sky
Breathing ocean air
image (c) 2017 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2017 TJ Radcliffe
Looking up through trees -3
Number three in the series, this one has a magenta under painting. The particular tree is an enormous western red cedar with a twisted trunk I saw in Stanley Park. I like how it starts to melt into the sky.
Here is Tom’s haiku written for this one!
Braided branching trunk
Twisting high into the sky
Shadows down below
image (c) 2017 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2017 TJ Radcliffe
Looking up through trees – 2
Next in the series! I am enjoying these. 🙂
Here is Tom’s delightful haiku for this painting!
Sunlight shimmering
Dark green spaces simmering
Forest scent of life
image (c) 2017 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2017 TJ Radcliffe
Looking up through trees – 1
I have started a series of small (6″x6″) paintings of trees with the idea that they will fit together into a grid of 9 paintings and give a complete sense of looking upward in the forest. I do love trees and spending time enjoying the trees on the West coast has inspired me even more. I am also trying out using various colours for underpainting for this series running from magenta through the various red tones to orange. It’s an experiment for me! You’ll be able to tell the underpainting colour from the signature which I do with a tool that removes the top layer of paint.
Once all the pieces are done, I will put them together and likely add some finishing touches to make sure everything works together. This allows me to do a larger piece in bite-sized segments!
No poems for these until the series is complete.
UPDATE: There may be poems for these! …and here is the haiku written for this first one. Thanks Tom!!
Green jigsaw puzzle
Forest fitting together
Corner piece of sky
Image (c) 2017 Hilary Farmer
Poem (c) 2017 TJ Radcliffe
Lavender field of Provence
I have actually never traveled in Provence but images like this make it pretty appealing! Soon I hope. 🙂 The photo that was used as inspiration, was made available to those taking the online course I mentioned previously. I am quite pleased with how the painting came out as I continue to explore the alla prima way of producing oil paintings on one session with a wet into wet method. What a pleasure to have such a vibrant subject as an excuse to use all those juicy colours! …Although who needs an excuse 😉
Tom wrote a playful poem to go with this painting. Once again the poet’s eye catches the essence of the painting and also brings his own perspective.
Amidst the stems of grass and flower
ants and insects in their bowers
languish lazily
Up the stems and down the leaves
over trousers, into sleeves
they wander mazily
In the distance far from home
where they never ever roam
clouds drift hazily
Keeping to their small locale
Where the flowers bob and bow
blooming crazily!
image (c) 2017 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2017 Tom Radcliffe
English Bay
We were walking along the shore in Kitsilano a week or so ago and were treated to a spectacular sky with the sun starting to set and gaps in the clouds allowing light to stream through. I didn’t take a picture at that time but the image stuck in my head so that when I went back more recently I took some photos with the idea of combining photos and memory into a painting. As a result this small (6″x6″) painting is a somewhat imaginary landscape which is English Bay but not from an exact viewpoint. I plan to return to this – there are so many ways it could be painted!
Tom wrote a lovely poem for this painting which catches the mood and essence of the piece in just a few words.
Sky of promise
Touching quiet sea
Held within the ragged arms of land
Blazing moments
Reaching out to me
Falling from the air into my hand
image (c) 2017 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2017 Tom Radcliffe
