Ron Morrison Watercolour Productions

2012-02-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

Reworkers

2012-02-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

I reworked this one quite a bit...

Getting Dark in the Yard

2012-01-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

...bink to explore.
Darker, grittier...more junkyardish. Broken glass, busted metal, rusty junk. Complementary darks, saved whites...watercolour playing under the conductors guidance. A sense of mystery, the unknowable, the fun of arbitrary colour...a set piece somehow alive with flapping decay...

Farm Near Tsolum

2012-01-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

I have driven past this scene thousands of times on my way into town. This is a sketch/idea for a painting.

Underpainting...

2011-12-30T13:17:00.000-08:00

I bashed this off to illustrate the technique of "underpainting". Its a complicated compo that will probably never allow for a good painting but its fun for me to try.

The notion that saved whites produce areas of effective high-light is not entirely satisfactory to me. Rather I prefer saved areas of underpainting to produce maximum glow in combination with saved pure whites. You can use three primary stains, that's the most common/popular choice, I think. Just to make things interesting I used Cobalt Turquoise, Winsor Orange and Naples Yellow, which, of course are not primestainers. Then I used a cheapo purple to block in shadow areas. If you look at the reflected light areas you can see the various combinations of under hues and final touches with these same hues. The painting glows like kryptonite (only yeller) in real life.

For the darks I used B.S. and FUB.

When you underpaint the colours look dark but they almost disappear later on as the darker colours are placed. I use a fairly limited palette and include the underpainters in the program all the way through.

Boo! Who? Chris Beck's Halloween Challenge

2011-10-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

This bit of nonsense is part of Chris Beck's Halloween Challenge.

Happy Halloween!

Chris Beck's Halloween Challenge

Down By The Bay

2011-09-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

Just playing with a big brush (no 36 round)...

Shadow Patterns

2011-07-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

A Little Practice

2011-07-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

All Grassed Up

2011-04-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

2011-04-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Wetcoast Wrecks

2011-03-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

Pastelization

2011-03-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

I used pastels (non oil) and watercolour pencils just to see what would happen....they seem to be compatible...

Bleak Day in the Dell

2011-03-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

The Wetter Look

2011-03-08T14:09:00.000-08:00

Otto Recker's Fabulous Pile

2011-03-02T10:00:00.001-08:00

Stacked and Packed

2011-02-25T07:39:00.000-08:00

Somewhere in Nanaimo...1968

2011-02-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

This is me working on an idea, first sketch...

Fernando's Watercolour Blog

2011-02-16T07:57:00.001-08:00

I am very happy to be featured on Fernando Pena's watercolor blog:

http://watercolorspainting.com/

The Big Pile...

2011-01-31T18:35:00.000-08:00

Working on the Comp...

2011-01-26T14:39:00.000-08:00

Bink for elaboration...working on the proportions til I get a viable compo...

The Windbreak

2011-01-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

Bink to expand my horizons...

The Squire of Macaroon Heights

2011-01-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

Got the pic and the title, need a story...bink to blow (up). You have to bink to blow to see the whole pic for some reason...

A Portrait of the Visual Arts in Canada

2011-01-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

I am on The Frederick's Canadian Art Blog: http://fredericks-artworks.blogspot.com/

Hanging Around...

2011-01-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

Brush Paper Water

2011-01-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

I am very happy, pleased and generally excited to be on Chris Beck's watercolor blog...go see
Brush Paper Water

2010-12-29T13:34:00.000-08:00

No One Home

2010-12-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

My Christmas "Car"d

2010-12-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

Twas the Night...

2010-12-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

* * *

2010-12-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

Piled Up

2010-12-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

Bink to explore the subatomic particulation...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

2010-12-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

In the Lee of the Barn

2010-12-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

* * *

2010-11-25T16:54:00.000-08:00

2010-11-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

* * *

2010-11-22T18:04:00.000-08:00

De-construction and Re-construction

2010-11-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

Bink to explore

* * *

2010-11-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Hi-Way Robbery

2010-11-19T06:16:00.000-08:00

Working on the Compo...

2010-11-17T07:25:00.000-08:00

Getting The Drift

2010-11-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

Under The Bare Blue Tree

2010-11-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

The Character Gets A Spot

2010-11-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

Bink to explore...

Character Study

2010-11-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

More Messy More Often

2010-11-07T05:18:00.000-08:00

Searching for the Darkness * * *

2010-11-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

The Endsville Express

2010-10-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

When we were kids, my best buddy's dad decided that he'd had enough of being broke in the winter when work died down. So, in the spirit of unregulated free enterprise, he slapped a wooden sign on the roof of his car and went into the taxi biness. Being an incurable eccentric and part time misanthrope he called his "cab" the "Endsville Express" and he took great delight in driving right by potential customers of high standing in favour of drunken bums who were headed for the one and only bar in town. The taxi would park at the bar until closing time and he would drop whoever climbed aboard off on his way home. The taxi clientele ended up stranded more often than not, sometimes at his place. This lasted a coupla weeks until the cops visited town and put the kibosh on his venture.

The "taxi" went back to civilian life and ended up in the collection of the magruder who bought it for 25 bucks in 1962. Someone took the sign and all that is left of any indication of the brief service is the door.

A Reduced Tableaux

2010-10-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

Sleep My Pretties

2010-10-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Barn Fresh II * * *

2010-10-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Bink to explore the inner reaches of my colour fixation...this is amongst my favourite paintings, exploring the possibilities of deep dark watercolour...

Darken My Doorstep

2010-10-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Light Play in Wreckville

2010-10-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

Caddy Reversed

2010-10-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

Halloween is Near * * *

2010-10-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Big Rear End

2010-09-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

This Caddy Has Run It's Course

2010-09-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Featured on Fredericks Artwork Today

2010-09-20T08:39:00.001-07:00

http://fredericks-artworks.blogspot.com/

Waiting For A Tow

2010-09-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I was thinking "Waiting For Godot", so there you go, gone. Bink to explore.

Feeling a Little Wrecked

2010-09-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

Stopping Before Ruination

2010-09-02T12:02:00.001-07:00

DeSoto Wanders No More

2010-08-31T16:49:00.000-07:00

Shady Rest Estates

2010-08-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

Under the Influence of the Ol'Alvaro

There is so much fuss about the big two in the cyber-waterworld that a person (namely me) can't help but be influenced. I like Castagnet's ideas about deep, rich colour. But I also like some of the traditional breeziness that is possible with watercolour. Who knows? This is a full sheet of Arches cold press and W/N paints. Oh and I painted this with some kind of synthetic no. 36 brush that is huge...

Once Upon A Time * * *

2010-07-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

Painting While on Drugs

2010-07-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, fine, not hallucinogenics or however you spell that, but painkillers for kidnoid stones. I woke up in the middle of the night with cultured stones in inconvenient locations and my computer also crashed at the same time. They gave me some totally useless pills at the hospital after giving me a useful shot in the...I painted this while on the good stuff.

I doodled up the ridiculous house, another logger production with Gothic Victorian influences and bushwacker finishing touches.

I was actually exploring the concept of shadows changing the shapes of objects and how this affects composition...before it all went down the drain...

Here It Is...Again

2010-07-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

Micro Barn and '56 Chev

2010-07-01T14:25:00.001-07:00

Bink, just for the fun of seeing...

Endsville Expanded

2010-06-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

I just had to blast off another version. I had a coupla hours to burn while waiting to go to work. So bink to explore the inner reaches of my micro-manias or not...

See Ya in the Funny Papers

2010-06-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

It occurs to me that I probably wanted to be a cartoonist. "See ya in the funny papers!" was a favourite parting comment in my family. Seemed like a grand objective to a child. I also "interviewed" a famous cartoonist as a kid (I was the kid). I also have loved all things automotive since childhood, especially the designs of American cars. And of course watercolour. So I guess painting dopey car pics is natural. I am after the entertainment factor. No mask, little reference material just draw and paint. I am avoiding the inevitable, which is plein air landscraping.

Crayola Bollard Fencing

2010-06-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Don't blame me, I only record the facts as I make them up. The loon who built this shack way back in the day fancied himself an artiste who specialized in using ordinary building materials to whimsical effect. So he decided to build a fence using cast iron pipe and concrete with chain connectors. He then painted the "bollards" to look like crayons and used the same colours to highlite the house. You can only see traces of colour on the house...if you squint, but there is still paint on the posts.

All Busted Up

2010-06-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Bink for an exploration of the inner workings,,,

House on Lazo Road

2010-06-01T05:56:00.000-07:00

Bink me!

Rusty Acres

2010-05-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

This is 16"x 38".... bink to grasp the microcosm.

End of the Road

2010-05-24T16:14:00.001-07:00

I think I will name my home gallery "End of the Road" watercolours...bink to explore

Do Not Disturb II

2010-05-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

Version Two

2010-05-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

I redid this compo in a more illustrative style, just for fun...

Parisienne at Rest

2010-05-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

Bustleback Holler

2010-05-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Shack in the Backlight

2010-05-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

2010-04-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

2010-04-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

2010-04-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

2010-04-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Idea Stylized and Simplified

2010-04-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Win featured me on his blog about Canadian art:
http://fredericks-artworks.blogspot.com/

The Idea Evolves

2010-04-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Lighter Brighter

2010-04-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

The Farmer Kept His Rigs

2010-03-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

Bink to blow....up!

2010-03-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

I have been working on this, glazing with ultramarine and payne's...bink me!

Going to Ground

2010-03-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

I am reworking this to get a better compo or at least get it respectable or something...bink for your own amusement .

Its About the Glow

2010-03-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

I am trying to modernize, get with the times, follow the watercolour trends...the inner workings of this painting can be explored with a bink.

Revertable Convertibles to Iron Oxide

2010-03-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

Now thats a mouthful, but I guess they are on their way to ground, wait a minute..thats a good title...bink to blow up!

This compo is an ongoing project...

2010-02-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

Grimwood

2010-02-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

Up Macauley Road

2010-02-19T14:47:00.000-08:00

2010-02-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

2010-02-10T22:26:00.000-08:00

2010-02-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Drip Dripping

2010-02-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

Splatter Me, Elmo

2010-02-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

All righty then, lets say you're working on your latest production, figuring "this is the one, this is my break through masterpiece..me, Manuel El Boffo, I'm a natural born watercolor geenyus." Well, you should know better cuz this is about the time it all starts to go wrong. Very wrong or a little wrong either way, now you have the opportunity to play, to fix, perhaps to retrieve from the clutches of doom your unsinkable confidence. Or you pitch it out and start again...I am a fixer upper, a salvager, an inveterate reclaimer...a cheapskate and stubborn. So what, you say?

Well, this is what:

Exhibit A

I would just carry on and paint on the back of this but I already have, this is on the back of a sheet of 140 arches cold. Its rubbish, so I decided to play with "splatter". Seemed like a good pic to use as an experiment/demo.

I have tried to push my darks and created an area on the left that is too dark and opaque. So splatter it is. You can use a springier bristle synthetic round or whatever. Any opaque colours will do and you can mix them with Chinese white or not.

My favourites are cobalt violet, cerulean blue and Naples yellow. The cads co-operate too. You can splatter with darks, say f'rinstance a mix of ultramarine and burntumb.

Just tap your loaded brush with your pointer finger and you are in business.
You can splatter with a big brush or a rigger into wet paint or dry. You can also flick your wrist and really let 'er fly.

Splatering is useful for colour variation wet in wet or in transition areas where you want to soften the border. It works for highlites or details. Cover the area you don't want to splatter with scrap paper and let'er rip.

This painting is still rubbish but it does show how splatter can be used. That you can splatter light over dark if you have a passage that needs lightening or detailing.