My most recent work has taken a few months to complete. It is an oil on canvas,
24"x36". It has been done as a commissioned work, bringing fond memories of times
spent gathering the sap in the sugarbush. Here are a few photos showing the progress...
This first photo shows how I started working from the right side to the left. At first I wasn't sure
what I wanted for the background, so that part was added as I went along. Some of the elements were taken from a painting done many years ago called A Canadian Tradition. The client wanted something similar, but different.
Here you can see I have been at work on the horses which really are the focal point of the painting, and the old tank used for collecting the sap. Getting the harness right is always a challenge.
Here it is in the final stage. I have developed the background as a distant treed hill with intermediate trees in the middle ground and some close up trees with sap buckets. It has an overall soft sunlight which I like very much, that gives it a peaceful mood.
Here's a close up of the two horses. Their colours mimic the amber and golden syrup colours.
The horse in the back was younger and 'learning the ropes' from the younger one.