New Acrylic Explorations by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Nest", 8x10" acrylic on clayboard
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In April I was thrilled to study with Linda Kemp, a wonderful artist from Ontario. She is a very accomplished artist who's primary medium is watercolour (she's the master of negative painting!) and now is working in acrylic in a similar way, but with the addition on opaque paint. I have never used Ampersand's clayboard before and found it an interesting but expensive surface.

"Koi Pond", 15 x 15" acrylic on canvas mounted on 16x16" gallery wrap canvas
$625
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This one is built out of many, many layers of opaque and transparent paint. I like the movement in it as well as the irridescent glaze on the underwater fish.

"Leaf Patterns", 14 x 14" acrylic on gallery wrap canvas
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Another one with multiple layers and glazing, this time on a canvas that I had textured with varying thickness and splatters of gesso, in order to add some surface interest to the painting. I really enjoyed the play of transparent with the opaque areas and the depth that this technique brings.

"Summer Evening", 14 x 14" acrylic on gallery wrap canvas
$595, painted around edges so no frame required
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This is the last painting of this series. After making a very involved and visually textured surface, I began to see some tree shapes in the washes. I went with that idea and painted the sky and water, leaving the trees. Got to love negative painting, especially when it turns out so positively great!!

Enjoy!
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Bow Lake Artist Residency plein air paintings by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Surveying Paradise", 12x16" plein air oil on Arches oil paper mounted on board
$695 Beautifully FRAMED
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I am way behind in posting so I thought I would put all the paintings together that I did while at an Artists Residency at Numtijah Lodge at Bow Lake. Bow Lake is a truly magical place and the lodge has quite a lovely ambiance. I shared this residency with my plein air painting buddy, the talented Patti Dyment -check out her lovely work!!

"Fireweed at Bow Lake", 12 x 12" plein air oil on board
$575 Beautifully FRAMED
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The fireweed really put on a show this year and made a lovely forground for Crowfoot Glacier.

"Threatening Rain", 9x12" plein air oil on board
$495 Beautifully FRAMED
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We took a short drive from Bow Lake one evening and caught the late sun on some peaks. It was threatening rain, as it did all weekend, but it seems we were blessed as it was raining all around us, but never on us!

"Back Country", 12x9" plein air oil on multimedia artboard mounted on panel
$495 Beautifully FRAMED
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This was my last painting for the residency. The sky was overcast and sprinkles came and went. This is not really in the 'back country' as it is at the side of the lake, but the title seemed appropriate. So many wonderful jewels in the Canadian Rockies for hikers to come upon.

Enjoy!
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"Lily Pond -Le Vieux Couvent", oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Lily Pond -Le Vieux Couvent", 12 x 12" oil on mounted Arches oil paper
$575 beautifully framed

This is the last painting I did at the cottage this summer from my photos of France. The lily pond was so full of colour and joy. I hope you can feel the excitement!
Or maybe that is just me being excited because tomorrow my eldest son is getting married to a super wonderful woman, so I am getting a new daughter!! After the wedding we are taking all of her Japanese family to Canmore and Banff for a little sightseeing, and then on Tuesday I am off for 4 days of plein air painting at gorgeous Lake O'Hara -one of the prettiest places to paint in the Rockies, and a personal favorite.
Stay tuned for paintings from the Purcell mountains, Bow Lake, Mount Assiniboine and Lake O'Hara.
Enjoy!
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"Need A Ride?" oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Need A Ride?", 12 x 12" studio oil painting on gessoed Arches oil paper
$300 unframed (please note: Price only in effect until painting is framed)
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Dreama recently published her take on this scene that we shared at the lavender farm, but honestly I had done this before I saw hers! Good thing too, as I might have been swayed to make mine more like hers :) I think we were all struck by the beauty of this, so it wouldn't surprise me to see it painted by everyone on the trip!
Enjoy!
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"Sunflowers -French Light" oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Sunflowers -French Light", 12 x 12" oil on Arches oil paper
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Another painting I did from a photo I took in France. I bought these beauties as my contribution to our picnic lunch one day. They were amongst a riot of bouquets at the market, and I just knew that the others would be bringing food. The vase was an antique white with blue flowers, but the bounced light was amazing.

Enjoy!
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"God's Palette", oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"God's Palette", 12 x 12" oil painting on Arches oil paper
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This is a 'studio' painting that I did while at our cottage in Ontario this July. We get the most amazing sunsets there, a wonderful ending to beautiful sun filled days.

I thought I should comment on the supports I have been painting on while travelling. I have 2 that I love: one is Multimedia Artboard and the other is Arches Oil Paper. I gesso both of them as I find them too absorbant on their own. The Artboard is brittle, it as it is easy to crack off a corner if you aren't careful. I tape both of the supports to a hardboard of the same size. If the painting works out, then I mount them onto sealed hardboard with soft gel medium and weight them with books until dry. Perfectly archival, they are wonderfully light supports for travel when weight is an issue. Plus the cost is way lower than any other support, so there is no pressure to creative expression.

Enjoy!
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"Just Around The Corner", French plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Just Around The Corner", 12x12" plein air oil
$300 unframed (Please note: listed price is only good until the painting is mounted and framed
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This is the final painting that I did inFrance. As the title implies, it was the first spot we saw as we left Castres on a circle tour that took us through the hilly countryside. I am not sure what kind of trees are in the back of the foreground, but they were very different from the trees on the distant hillside. They were the colour of olive trees, but a different shape -maybe a Russian Olive??

I really enjoyed painting in France, but am glad to be home now to the familiar. I have some paintings to post that I did at the cottage in Ontario and from my artist in residency at Bow Lake, but those will have to wait until I am home for a bit. We just came back from a 5 day trip to Purcell Mountain Lodge where I was able to do 5 plein air paintings, and tomorrow we are off to helicopter in to Mt. Assiniboine for 4 days of painting. Unfortunately the forecast is for rain for most of our stay, but I am praying that that will change!

Enjoy!

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"Ferrieres,France", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Ferrieres,France", 12 x 12" plein air oil painting on panel
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Brenda and I found an amazing place to stay between Albi and Carcassone, places we were hoping to visit, called Castres. I chose it because of its location, but when we drove in we were amazed. Apparently it is called the Venice of the Tarn, because the Agout river runs right through the middle of town, and beautiful bridges have been placed, so that it looks quite like a street in Venice. Our wonderful little hotel was right on the canal, and everything was within walking distance.
One day we decided to do a road trip in the area and came upon this wonderful little hamlet called Vabre in Ferrieres, and I was enchanted by the view. The little creek was there, but the bridge was not, it was in a cute little town near Frayssinet, so I decided to include it here to replace a rather unpleasant grading -Ah the benefits of being an artist!!
Enjoy!
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"Frayssinet", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Frayssinet", 12 x 12 plein air oil painting
$300 unframed (Please note: listed price is only good until the painting is mounted and framed
Click here to purchase

This is the last plein air painting I did while in Fraysinnet during the Dreama Tolle Perry artist retreat. This house was just a few blocks away from Le Vieux Couvent where the workshop was held. I was attracted to the light and what it did to the amazing rose bushes growing against the building.
It was sad to leave everyone at the end, but I knew that there were more adventures in France ahead. Many of us are still keeping in touch, which is really nice. I came away with a TON of photos to try in my studio this winter. I don't know if I will ever give up plein air painting, but I hope to learn to do as good a job in the studio. This will also allow me to work larger, which has been a goal for many years.
Enjoy!
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"Across The Valley -Frayssinet", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Across The Valley-Frayssinet", 9x12" plein air oil on multimedia artboard
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On my recent France workshop with the wonderful Dreama Tolle Perry, we spent a lot of days touring tiny medevil villages getting reference material to use in the studio. However, on our first day to stay home at Le Vieux Couvent, a bunch of us went out in search of a wonderful place to paint en plein air. We came across this view and it was unanimous -we HAD to paint this! I was able to use Dreama's technique of a wet underpainting, and found it went surprisingly well.

Enjoy!
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