Small Paintings by Catherine Gillespie

Major Blog Change

2011-02-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

I have been having a technical problem with my blog for quite some time that forces me to make a few changes. The content is all the same stuff that was on my "old" blog but it has a new name, Catherine Gillespie Paints, and a new address. So if you want to see my current work please go here:

www.catherinegillespiepaints.blogspot.com

Don't forget to hit the "follow" button, and I will "follow" you too! You can also add your email address in the "subscribe" box at the top of the right hand column, and you will receive an update of my latest work as it comes hot off the easel.

Thanks,
Catherine

some of my work

Waiting Game

2011-02-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

This little West Highland White terrier demonstrates her patience as she waits for her owner at a farmers market.

6x6" Oil on cradled panel

Click here to bid

Please contact me if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Embracing Winter

2011-02-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

I gave up on being in denial about winter, so I went to a local skating rink or rather a skating trail that follows a path through woods. It was really beautiful. This young woman looked like she was born to it.

My pal Kathy Cousart introduced me to the art and teaching of Peggi Kroll Roberts, whose DVD's I have been watching. She believes that all artists can speak with their own voice if they learn and practice the fundamentals, starting with drawing skills. I was influenced by her mantra to mass in the large shapes, pay attention to the direction of the light, put the darks in first and then the rest of the values, and simplify. The fun and the joy of this art adventure is the learning and discovering of what your voice is.

5x7" Oil on gessoboard

$70 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Valentine Rose

2011-02-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

This is my contribution to the weekly Daily Paintworks Challenge. This is a great exercise not only in the painting itself, but painting subjects you would not normally tackle. I don't paint that many flowers, but this was fun.

5x7" Oil on gessoboard

Click to Bid

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Daily Painters Challenge

2011-02-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

This is a challenge which consisted of 8 - 10 minute paintings of some object (I chose an orange.) This is a very useful way for an artist to get to the basic shapes and tonal values of a subject.
You can see more of these challenges at Daily Paintworks.

Oil on 2 6x6" gessoboards

nfs

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Hay Bales

2011-02-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

Summer in King Township, horse country north of Toronto.
5x7" Oil on gessoboard
nfs
Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.
catgillespie@gmail.com

Available on Ebay

2011-02-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

Flower Lady

Shore Birds

These two paintings were listed today on Ebay.
Click on the caption to check it out!
Thanks for looking!

Flower Lady

2011-02-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

Another of my denial of winter paintings. This lady sells flowers at a popular Toronto farmers market.

6x6" Oil on gessoboard

Click here to bid

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Old Car in Florida

2011-02-02T20:48:00.000-08:00

This is the first of a new painting challenge at Daily Paintworks. I was really missing Karin Jurick's challenge, so this is great, I love having a bit of a prodding. Have to come up with a better title next time!

5x7" Oil on gessoboard

$75 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Sunflower

2011-02-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

This is the winter of my discontent - so I decided to ignore it and paint something happy. Love this flower from my friend Barb's garden. It lives on in the seeds that are in the frozen ground just waiting for the warm soil to arrive.

6x6" Oil on gessoboard

SOLD

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

So Inviting

2011-01-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

I loved this doorway in Charleston, S.C. The terra cotta flower pots, the wrought iron, the stucco and the red door was so pleasant and inviting. I could have moved right in!

8x10" Oil on gessoboard

$145 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Treed!

2011-01-24T05:54:00.001-08:00

Kerry Blue Terrier Griffin is sure she will be able to entice the squirrel out of the tree!

8x10" Oil on gessoboard

Sold

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Moody Beach

2011-01-23T20:11:00.000-08:00

I am trying to do more figures, and children present more of a challenge since their proportions are so different than adults. This is from a photo taken by my father of me as a child at Moody Beach in Maine. The photo is black and white, so I had to imagine the colors.

8x10" Oil on gessoboard

Not for Sale

Please contact me you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Ebay Offerings January

2011-01-21T06:18:00.000-08:00

These paintings will be offered in an Ebay auction starting at 7:30 Friday January 21st. Click on the captions of each painting for more info. Thanks for looking!

Jade in High Park

2011-01-19T05:38:00.000-08:00

This is my dog Jade in Toronto's largest park, High Park. I edited out the fences that prevent her from chasing squirrels!

We are having a serious winter this year!

5x7" Oil on cradled panel

Not for sale

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Dark Bay Thoroughbred

2011-01-14T05:01:00.000-08:00

I love horses, and painting them. I find people more difficult, and it is my plan to focus on figures and faces. This took me ages to do, and I must have wiped the girl off the canvas half a dozen times before I was happy with her. Since attending the Karin Jurick workshop in November, I have been working on the lovely smooth surface of Ampersand Gessoboard, and transitioning back to canvas was tricky. I got used to it again after a while, but it is very different to work on in comparison to the gessoboard. There is a give to it, and it grabs the paint in a different way, and I had to use bristle brushes instead of softer brushes. It was definitely slower.

This is from the Royal Winter Fair 2010 in Toronto.

8x8" oil on canvas

$95 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catherinegillespie.blogspot.com

catgillespie@gmail.com

Shore Birds

2011-01-06T06:41:00.000-08:00

At last, back to some painting again. My flu is more or less gone, and I have some energy.

These little shore birds I saw at Hilton Head in November were fascinating to watch. They didn't keep still for a moment!

6x6" Oil on gessoboard

$70 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Ebay Offerings

2010-12-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

I have decided to sell paintings on ebay, so here goes. I just listed these paintings so if you would like to bid or have a look at the listing, click on the painting caption.

Bright Beginning

2010-12-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

This was from a photo taken at the 2010 Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. Horse and handler were beautifully turned out (love that hat!), and they both seem so full of promise.

8x10" Oil on gessoboard
$125 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet or horse portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Cooling Off

2010-12-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

This is Marshall, one of the dogs that I walk. In the summer time (nice memories) the dogs often take a dip in the creek.

I struggled with this one, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

6x6" Oil on gessoboard

$75 plus s&h
Sold

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Another Work Day

2010-11-27T06:12:00.000-08:00

I have been a horse lover all my life, and I noticed this one earning his keep shuttling tourists around in Charleston, S.C.

5x7" Oil on gessoboard

Click here to bid
catgillespie@gmail.com

Charleston Doorway

2010-11-25T05:34:00.000-08:00

A Yellow Lab waiting in the doorway of a Charleston, S.C. shop.

6x6" Oil on Gessoboard

$75 +s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Kind Eyes

2010-11-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

I saw this dog in a park in Charleston, S.C. and couldn't resist the sweet expression on her face. A lot of fun to paint. Sometimes the stars line up, and the paint flows out of my brush without much effort at all!

6x6"
Oil on gessoboard
$75

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.
catgillespie@gmail.com

Early Morning Creekside

2010-11-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

This was a lovely morning scene outside Charleston, S.C.

5x7" Oil on gessoboard

$75 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Lone Bird

2010-11-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

This is a painting I did before I went on my Karin Jurick workshop adventure. I finished it off yesterday.

6x6" Oil on cradled panel

$70 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Afternoon in Paradise

2010-11-11T05:57:00.000-08:00

This another painting from the Karin Jurick workshop. This little guy was having a blissful stroll with his owner.

6x6"

Oil on gessoboard

$75

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Back from Hilton Head

2010-11-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

I am back from the Karin Jurick workshop in Hilton Head, S.C, but my feet have not quite touched the ground.
It was truly an inspiring and exciting experience, and I met a fine bunch of creative people in my class. There were 17 of us all together.
Karin did demos, gave us lots of sage advice and critiqued our work. We worked from photos that we took ourselves.
The painting posted here was the exception - Karin supplied a photo to us all on the first day, and this is the result. All were so different, even though we were painting the same subject.

I think every experience such as this will change how I paint. That is the nature of growth. I will take away a bunch of things that I learned and incorporate them into the artist that I already am.
I used a totally different palette of exciting colours, and I will continue to work with them, and different brushes and supports. The journey continues...

Pink Lady
8x10 Oil on gessoboard
Not for sale

Workshop travel and Little Art Show

2010-10-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

There are two upcoming events about which I am very excited.

The first is a workshop being held by artist extrordinaire Karin Jurick.This is going to be amazing. It is taking place in Hilton Head, South Carolina for five days. I am so looking forward to meeting other artists. There will be nineteen of us, and we will be working in the studio for half the day, and photographing subjects for the rest of it. We will be attending an art gallery soiree at one of Karin's representing galleries. And of course socializing, bike riding and maybe even some swimming! I am planning to add a few days and visit Savannah, Georgia, and some more artsy stuff in Charleston, S.C.

The Little Art Show is a fund raiser for the Artist's Network, a group that I belong to. They help artist's career development, have shows such as the Riverdale Artwalk and business seminars. This will be it's ninth annual silent auction, and I have donated a "little" painting. There are over 100 small art pieces starting at $80 and none over 8X10".

Crazy Mouse II - my contribution

Linden Leaves

2010-10-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

6x6" Oil on cradled panel
$70 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Carousel Horse 2

2010-10-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

Another old fashioned carousel horse seen at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto in August.

8x10" Oil on canvas
$145 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Sumac

2010-10-12T05:34:00.000-07:00

Some of the most spectacular fall colours come from sumac trees. I see them in the fields where I walk dogs, and they at their peak right now. I tried to bring some sumac leaves to my studio, but they didn't last, so I photographed some trees to paint instead.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$85 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Here is a photo of a sumac in full fall beauty.

Maple Leafs

2010-10-07T04:31:00.000-07:00

I though I would have a warmer background in this one.

6x8"

Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$85 & s+h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.
catgillespie@gmail.com

Maple Leaf 2010

2010-10-05T03:43:00.000-07:00

This is the colourful season in southern Ontario. Various leaves make wonderful little still lifes. I see these as I walk dogs in fields, and I can't resist bringing them home. Imagine 6 dogs on leashes and a handful of delicate leaves!

6x8" Oil on cotton panel
$85 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Holiday

2010-09-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

I asked Holiday's owner how he named her. He said that it was after a character in an old western TV show (I believe it was in black and white, it is that old!) called Gunsmoke. There was a character called Doc Holiday. Anyway Holiday the dog is a very sweet natured and cute girl.

6"x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$85 + s&h

Swing Tower

2010-09-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

This is another image from the 2010 Canadian National Exhibition or the "Ex". There is something kind of surreal about these people gliding through the air at twilight. I really love this time of day, and how this almost silhouette creates a graphic image.

8x16" Oil on canvas
$265+ s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Queen West Art Crawl

2010-09-22T05:28:00.000-07:00

This was my first year at the Queen West Art Crawl, a very popular Art Festival in Toronto.

I was in the weekend art show at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto. It was a beautiful weekend, and the crowds were great. Toronto is truly a city that loves the arts and culture.

I was very happy to sell a number of paintings, and got a lot of positive comments.

I met a number of artists who were all very friendly and helpful, and I hope to see them again.
I look forward to participating next year!

Crazy Mouse II

2010-09-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

I went to the midway at the "Ex" again this year, and I couldn't resist photographing the "Crazy Mouse" ride. Of course I would never actually go on this or most of the rides being a class A chicken. I did sample the cuisine of course. This year it was a corn dog (foot long which I couldn't finish), Tiny Tom's donuts and an ice cream cone. Perfection!

I really love the graphic elements of the rides and how they can be isolated against the fabulous blue of the sky, and just a bit of cloud for some texture.

8x10" Oil on canvas

Sold

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Dog Walker

2010-09-11T04:54:00.000-07:00

A dog and his person walks through a park on a sunny fall day.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$85 + S&H

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Two Small Boats

2010-08-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

Two small boats in the early morning at my friends' cottage at a Muskoka lake.

6x6" Oil on cradled panel
$70 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Red and Green

2010-08-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

Back lighting is one of my favorite light effects of the sun. I discovered it when I did a lot of photography in bygone years.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel
$85 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Spa Window

2010-08-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

I am working a bit more with figures, and I loved these two ladies looking into the window of this spa. I like their hats, and how they are positioned in the composition.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel
$85 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

At the Horse Show

2010-08-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

This dog seems happy to be at his owners side.

6x6" Oil on gessoed masonite
$70 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Gaia

2010-08-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

This is my neighbours cat, who I occasionally feed when her owners go on weekends away in the summer. She is very sweet natured, and has the most beautiful green eyes.

I am attending a Karin Jurick workshop this November, and she recommended Ampersand Gessoboards, which I used for the first time with this piece. It has a smooth surface that has enough tooth to grab the the oil paint nicely. I also like the idea of not spending time prepping masonite myself. More time to paint!

5x7" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard

$70 + S&H

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

High Park Early Fall 2

2010-08-17T05:44:00.000-07:00

This scene is in a from a Toronto park in early fall. It is easy to forget that you are in Canada's largest city while in High Park.

8x10" Oil on Raymar cotton panel $110 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Muskoka Canoe

2010-08-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

Another magical moment on a July morning at Lake Muskoka. A canoeist finishes her morning paddle.
I was really interested, as I always seem to be, in the sky.

6x12" Oil on cradled birch panel.

$149 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, or if you would like to commission a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com

Afternoon Ride

2010-08-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

Cyclist enjoy a beautiful afternoon at the bicycle trail near Lake Ontario.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$85

Two Swans

2010-07-29T04:59:00.000-07:00

Two swans feeding on Lake Ontario. Every once in a while they stretch their heads down to the lake floor, so all you can see is their bottoms in the air. So cute! They are lovely majestic animals.

6x6" Oil on cradled panel

$70
Sold

Muskoka Morning

2010-07-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is a quintessential cottage country early morning when the sun is just about to burst into the new day. It is peaceful and still, and full of promise.

6x6 Oil on cradled panel

$70
Sold

Maggie and Newman Go to the Park

2010-07-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

These are two little dogs that I walk daily. They love to ride shotgun in my car till we get to the dog park. Maggie is a West Highland White Terrier and Newman is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel
$85 + s&h

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting or if you would like info on commissioning a pet portrait.

catgillespie@gmail.com
catherinegillespie.com

Three Sailboats

2010-07-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

An early morning scene at a sailing club in on Lake Ontario. This is part of a series in which I was exploring brushstrokes and colours to depict reflections, and I continue to be fascinated with skies.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel
$85

Available at my Etsy store.

Stillness

2010-07-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

Morning is my favorite time of day. I just loved playing with these brush strokes, and the reflections in the water.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$85

Available at my Etsy store

Sailboats with Birds

2010-07-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

This was a very still morning in Toronto harbour, and birds sat on the breakwater.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$85

This painting is available at my Etsy store.

Compliments

2010-07-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

Haven't done much in the way of still life, but these orange beauties inspired me. A theme, maybe...?

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$85
Sold

Maya

2010-06-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

Maya finished.

A friend of mine, Caroline, another dog walker, walks Maya every day.
Maya often sits before me, giving me her most appealing smile, in the hopes that I will give her a cookie!
Another story about Maya to come...

6x8" Oil on Raymar panel

$85
Sold

On the Easel Today

2010-06-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

This is a sequence of photos of how I often work.In the first photo, I have divided the reference photo into a grid of 4, and then sketched in onto the panel in charcoal.

In the second photo, you can see I have sketched in the image using thinned oil paint which is a combination of burnt sienna, and ultramarine blue.
The dog has started to take shape, and I will finish the painting off later today.

Avery

2010-06-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Avery is a Springer Spaniel I see on my dog walks. She was chillin' in the creek. I'm told she has collections of things in a special spot in the basement of her people's house. You know, sticks, tennis balls, and various dog toys.

6x6" Oil on masonite
$70
Sold

Back Door Sunrise 2

2010-06-22T06:02:00.001-07:00

Another brilliant sunrise that I saw as I let Jade out into the back yard.

16x16" Oil on canvas

Queen and Dufferin

2010-06-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

This is a corner of Toronto where a lot of construction is taking place (one of the areas of Toronto where a lot of construction is going on!). The road is being straightened out, and it will be much easier to go north and south on Dufferin.

4x8" Oil on canvas
Sold

On Deck

2010-06-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

I just love the curves of horses, especially the athletic dressage horse. This is at a dressage show in Palm Beach in Florida.

6x8" Oil on cotton panel

New Web Site

2010-06-17T05:51:00.001-07:00

This is the home page of my new web site. The address is the same, the colour scheme is the same, but the host is different and it is hopefully a lot easier to use. I still have much to do in the way of tweaking to make it exactly what I want. I had been using Dreamweaver which is a very powerful web design program, but really time consuming because it is fairly complex for someone like me who wants to paint, not design websites. I found that I had to relearn the program every time I wanted to use it, so consequently I didn't do nearly enough website updating. Hopefully this new hosting service will encourage me to keep my website fresh!

Museum Piece

2010-06-17T05:49:00.000-07:00

This is an adult sized vase in the Grand Hall of Whitehall, the home of Henry Flagler which is now a museum in Palm Beach, Florida. Carrère and Hastings designed the entryway to be the largest and grandest of any room in a private home built during the Gilded Age. I visited the museum in February, and was drawn to this piece. As for the painting of this, it was challenging because of the different reflective surfaces in the room; gilding, porcelain, marble, and various light sources.

10x14" Oil on canvas

Carousel Horse

2010-06-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

I did a version of this in a different format. I love the image and the colour. It is so wonderfully old fashioned, and it is a ride I would have no trouble getting on. I really enjoyed painting the gilt frames around the mirrors - for me it required a lot of conscious layering of dark and light tones. It was quite technical.

9x12" Oil on canvas
Sold

Back Door Sunrise 3

2010-06-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

The second in a series of paintings that I did from a smaller study.

16x16" Oil on canvas

Backdoor Sunrise 1

2010-06-12T04:47:00.000-07:00

I have done a few small back door sunrise paintings. I sometimes notice (before my coffee!) the miracle happening in the sky when I am letting my dog out in the morning. I did 3 larger versions of the 6x6" paintings on 16x16" canvas. I thought I needed some larger paintings for drama at the art show I was recently in.

16x16" Oil on canvas
$450

Blue Chevy

2010-06-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

Continuation of my fascination with classic cars, and my love of skies.

10x10" Oil on canvas

Green Pontiac

2010-06-10T12:55:00.001-07:00

I did a similar painting in a horizontal format last year. I guess I was not finished with this baby yet. This time it is square and on canvas.

10x10" Oil on canvas
Sold

Post Riverdale Art Walk

2010-06-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

Me on the right and my dear friends Jim and Marilyn

Part of my display in the tent

The Riverdale Art Walk turned out to be a wonderful success. I sold quite a few of my small paintings, and got a lot of very positive comments. I was nervous as a long tale cat in a room full of rocking chairs in the days leading up to this, my first large juried show, but now that I am an old hand at it, bring on more!! I have applied to some other shows, so wish me luck!

Marshall

2010-05-27T06:32:00.001-07:00

This beautiful boy is Marshall, one of the dogs that I walk daily. He is a Visla and is one and a half years old. True to his breed he is highly energetic, very sweet natured and getting him to hold still for a nano second to photograph him was quite a feat!

The portrait was commissioned as a gift by my client.

Oil on canvas 10x12"

Riverdale Art Walk

2010-05-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting lately because I have been focusing on painting for the Riverdale Art Walk which I will be in. It takes place June 5th and 6th at Jimmie Simpson Park in east Toronto.
Click on the link below for more details:

http://www.artistsnetwork.ca/raw

If you can make it to the show, I will be in booth #29. This is a really big deal for me, it is my first large juried show!!

Columns and Palms

2010-04-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

These beautiful columns, part of an arbour, were on the grounds of the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$85

Palm Beach Traffic

2010-04-21T05:38:00.002-07:00

Another from my series of paintings from my visit to Florida in February.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel
$85

Maverick

2010-04-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

Maverick is a dog I walked for several years. I loved him madly, but boy, did he keep me on my toes!

6x6" Oil on gessoed masonite

$75

Sasha

2010-04-15T05:40:00.000-07:00

This is Sasha, a dog that I regularly walk. True to her breed(she is a Golden Retriever), she is good natured, friendly, energetic and strives to get wet, muddy and full of burrs. Goldens are very attracted to each other and play with only the briefest of introductions.

6x6" Oil on masonite

$75
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Palm Beach Stroll

2010-04-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

This was a beautiful, breezy day for a walk. The blue of the ocean here is breathtaking.

6x6" Oil on gessoed masonite

$70
Sold

I have been accepted into the Riverdale Art Walk here in Toronto. It takes place June 5 & 6. Check here for details.

Three Hens

2010-03-31T05:06:00.000-07:00

Chickens are very appealing creatures to me. I saw these at a country fair last spring, and I will take my niece again this year.

9x12" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$135

Classic Car Sunset

2010-03-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

Of all the things for me to be interested in, I never would have thought classic cars would be on the list! I attended a classic car show last summer, and I was smitten! It was such a beautiful time of day too, not long before sunset, when the shadows are long and the light is rosy. I wanted to get into this baby, and drive down Route 66.

6x6" Oil on gessoed masonite

$65

Beach Buddies

2010-03-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

A Wheaten Terrier and his person at Sunnyside Beach on Lake Ontario.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$80

Flagler Museum Flamingo

2010-03-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Florida, I went to the Flagler Museum with my friend Pam. Henry Flagler's railroads and luxury hotels established tourism and agriculture as the mainstays of Florida's economy. Flagler built the 55-room, 60,000-square-foot Gilded Age mansion, Whitehall, as a wedding present for his wife, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler. Visiting the museum was an incredible learning experience.

9x12" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

$135
Sold

Lakeshore Blvd.

2010-03-19T05:14:00.000-07:00

This is a view on Lakeshore Blvd. in Toronto. I paint a lot from photos, and I see many missed opportunities for fantastic images as I am driving around. Thank goodness for being stuck in traffic jams! This is from a photo taken a number of years ago, and this view no longer exists because of the plethora of condos being built in this area of Toronto.

6x6" Oil on gessoed masonite
$65

Back Seat

2010-03-19T05:07:00.001-07:00

I have a dog walking business, and the dogs would really love to ride shotgun! Not very practical, and a bit distracting!

6x6"Oil on gessoed masonite

$65
Sold

Horse Show Dog

2010-03-19T04:57:00.000-07:00

I was in Florida recently, and the horse show circuit is very busy there all winter. This dog looks happy to be hanging around with his person!

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel
$85

Percy

2010-02-26T05:04:00.000-08:00

This is a painting that I did for a challenge called "The Virtual Party". Check it out!

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

One of the 119 faces of Karin Jurick

2010-02-23T12:46:00.001-08:00

This is my contribution to the Thank You project orchestrated by Jill Polsby who wanted Karin Jurick to know how much the artists who have participated in her "Different Strokes by Different Folks" challenge appreciate her efforts and inspiration.
If it wasn't for Karin, I wouldn't have attempted a portrait of a human (horses, dogs and cats are familiar territory to me!). I did one for her End of the Year challenge when our photo was swapped with another artist and we painted each other. In fact, I painted lots of stuff that wouldn't have occurred to me to paint.
Thanks to Karin and Jill.

9x12" Oil on Raymar art board

Cafe Art Show

2010-02-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

I am having an art show during the month of February, so if you are in the neighbourhood, please drop by.
Here are the details:

Small works II: Oil Paintings by
Catherine Gillespie

February 1- February 28, 2010
ARTIST RECEPTION
Sunday Feb 21st 3:00 - 6:00

Rebas Cafe & Gallery
3289 Dundas St. W Toronto 416.626.7372
Tuesday-Friday 8:30-6:00
Saturday-Sunday 9:00-5:00

Muscle Car

2010-01-28T06:36:00.001-08:00

Every Saturday night here in Toronto from May to October, there is a Classic Car show. There was a lovely sky on the evening when I went to see these autos, so I was happy with the result of my photos.

Does anyone know what kind of car this is?

9x12" Oil on Raymar cotton panel
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The Zipper

2010-01-19T14:34:00.001-08:00

A couple ponders a ride with a bad rep at the Canadian National Exhibition midway in Toronto.

9 x 12" Oil on canvas
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DSFDF Portrait Challenge

2009-12-31T16:52:00.001-08:00

Submitted this to the DSFDF just under the deadline wire. I wasn't able to participate in the portrait challenge last year, so I was really pleased to be able to this year. Looks like there were 180 artists to participate this year!! Check it out:Different Strokes From Different Folks hosted by artist Karin Jurick.

New Year's resolution: to double the number of blog paintings in 2010!

All the best in 2010!

Back in the Saddle

2009-12-17T06:08:00.000-08:00

I thought that I would do piles of paintings while recovering from my fracture. No where near! Recovery meant no weight on the leg for 6 weeks, so I was on crutches. The first few weeks, I only wanted to sleep, and getting around on crutches takes an enormous amount of energy. It takes about 8 times as long to do the simplest of things - make breakfast, get dressed etc. Impossible to carry anything like a cup of coffee while on crutches!

But with the help of many wonderful people picking up the reins and helping me out, I am pretty functional again. It's 8 weeks today, and I am going to start dog walking again next week (Yikes!!). I will have some help, and will be wearing my icers. I did a trial run last weekend, and it was not too bad, and my dog Jade was overjoyed to be romping in the park again.

I did a couple of commissioned paintings, however. Here is the cat, Luna.

9x12" Oil on canvas

A Bit of a Tumble

2009-10-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

I am hoping to start painting again on the weekend.

Last week while walking dogs, I got knocked over by a couple of rambunctious young dogs (one of them I was walking). They were coming at me full tilt, and I thought that they would go around me but no, they (collectively 125 lbs.) ran straight into my left leg. I have a fractured tibia. Luckily there were lots of people around, one of them a man who is a fireman, and knows how to deal with emergencies. A couple of the other dog walkers acted as crutches for me, and I hobbled closer to the parking lot. We were still quite far from it, (of course, we were at the far end of the 25 acre field when I wiped out!), and Scott the fireman went to get my car to drive into the field to get me. He put the dogs in the back of my SUV, delivered them to their respective houses and gave them each a cookie. Then he drove me home, parked my car in the garage and called an ambulance. Caroline, another dog walker came to my place to take Scott back to his truck.

The bottom line is that I have to be off my feet for 6 weeks. I will start doing some painting over the weekend, after I have had a few more days to get used to being on crutches, and have had a chance to reorganize my studio to accommodate my leg which needs to be elevated. Hopefully I will be able to take advantage of this time to paint!
CG

Palace Motel

2009-10-13T05:17:00.001-07:00

This is from a photo that I took in the 80's before there was a lot of condo development on the Toronto waterfront. This motel looks like it's from the 30's or 40's - kind of art deco style. I could have corrected the distortion that makes the telephone wires and the sign to lean to the right, but I thought it added some interest to the composition. You wouldn't believe how I struggled with the clouds, and in fact this painting took me a lot longer than normal.

9x12" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

Golden

2009-10-06T05:22:00.001-07:00

Summer is just a memory now, but I will reach into my vacation photos as the weather becomes more inclement.

6x8" oil on Raymar cotton panel
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Contemplation

2009-10-01T18:00:00.001-07:00

A couple contemplates Lake Ontario.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

Back Door Sunrise

2009-09-29T05:56:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while, as I am letting my dog out early (6am or thereabouts), there is a miracle in progress, and I am lucky enough to witness it. Even though I live in a large city, nature is still very much in evidence. I dashed in the house to get my camera, and thankfully it the battery was charged up, and there was space on my memory card. There was no time to fiddle around, and this beautiful sky had changed within 3 or 4 minutes!

6x6" Oil on gessoed masonite
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Carousel Horse

2009-09-25T05:36:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be interesting to include the reference photo that I used, so that you could see my process, and so that I can document this for future reference. I used to be really literal about my interpretation from photos, painting every detail that was in the photo and I found the results from these paintings were sterile and had less of what I wanted to express than I would like. I have had to make a really conscious effort to eliminate distracting and unnecessary detail, adjust tonal values, and work out the composition.
I do a grid of four squares on my photos, usually. You can see the blue lines on the photo, made with a blue Stabilo pencil (an indispensible tool from my sign painting days). This way I can gauge where lines should be without looking too static, as if I was following a join the dots picture.

I tried to emphasize the horse in the foreground, tone down the lights above, and eliminate distracting detail behind the horse, while maintaining a feel of the carousel. The photo was taken at night, so the colour balance was incorrect, but I thought that I would keep that in the painting to give it a kind of old fashioned look. I would go on this ride!

6x6" Oil on gessoed masonite
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Crazy Mouse

2009-09-24T04:07:00.001-07:00

This is a midway ride at the "Ex" called the Crazy Mouse in which people zoom around tight corners and steep inclines in a tiny cylindrical car. No way would I ride on one, but I am happy to paint it.

Actually, it was one of the most difficult things I've painted lately. I liked the image, because of the graphic quality of it, the high contrast and it's clean colours. And as an ex sign painter, I thought it would be a piece of cake. But there is a lot of distortion in the letters because of the perspective, and I struggled with it for ages!

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel

Twilight at the Midway

2009-09-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

The Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto is the traditional end of summer. This was a colourful warm evening, and it was a great visit to the "Ex" complete with corn dog, french fries and Tiny Tims donuts.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel
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Hen at the Fair

2009-09-17T18:29:00.001-07:00

A little change from horses. When I took my niece to the Caledon Fair, she really enjoyed seeing all the farm animals.

6x6" Oil on gessoed masonite

Cart Class

2009-09-14T15:38:00.001-07:00

This is a percheron draft horse being driven in a cart class.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel.

Patience

2009-09-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

This lovely Clydesdale is ready to be hitched up to go in the ring. It takes hours to prepare these horses for showing, so that they and their harness look their best. I just love the draft horses.

6x6"oil on gessoed masonite

The Dock

2009-09-10T06:28:00.001-07:00

Summer is waning, but I still have a few (lots!) of summer images to paint.

6x8" Oil on Raymar cotton panel