Hey GTA Boomer! "Retro Metro" is finished!

I say Boomer with total fondness as I’m part of that club. Some of the older city landmarks stir up nostalgia for me and were an inspiration for this composition.

For all those young and old, take a stroll down memory lane with me to learn a little about the nostalgic elements in this painting.

The 1050 Chum sign is still around but not in its original location. The AM radio station at one time played all the top hits until FM took over the radio waves. As a kid and teen, it was a huge deal for us to collect the 1050 Chum hit list leaflets.

The iconic SAM the Record Man’s flashing neon sign above the flagship store was a landmark along Yonge Street. Anyone and everyone who was looking for vinyl to add to their record collections could find what they were looking for at this location. The store is now gone but the sign still exists. Like its 1050 Chum sign brethren, it has been relocated. The SAM the Record Man sign now sits high above Yonge/Dundas Square.

Speakers Corner? Long before the internet and social media gave everyone and their dog a platform to voice their opinions, Speaker’s Corner gave ordinary citizens an opportunity to do just that. It sat right outside the CITY TV building at Queen and John. Many local citizens, late night partiers and more than a few celebrities dropped by to chat. It became so popular that CITY TV created a weekly show so we could all hear other people’s news and views.

The Alpine Ride at the CNE was a mainstay for many years. I have heard that it often broke down but I personally cannot recall that. I believe It was taken down once construction on the Enercare Centre (formerly the Direct Energy Centre) was begun.

Last but not least, one more painted streetcar to bring it all home. This car has been aptly named “Retro Metro” shuttling us back in time. This car #4133 now sits in the Halton Railway Museum.

I hope you enjoy my “Retro Metro” painting.

Cheers!
Ramona

Big Canvas Challenge....almost there!

Just a few more tweaks and I am done! And I will make the submission deadline.

This was an awesome learning experience. Check back tomorrow to view the finished painting on this big canvas challenge.

Big Canvas Challenge Part 2

This 3’ x 4’ canvas is the largest surface I will have worked on. The first challenge was deciding what to paint and after assessing a few strong possibilities, I’ve made my choice. After recently finishing a 4-part streetcar series, I think I have one more streetcar left in my creative reservoir before moving on to new subject matter.

So far this big canvas painting has been a big learning curve. From learning how to wire a canvas of this size to creating and transferring the individual elements to this large surface have all proven to be a new challenge. Although I’m excited about the composition/layout I have chosen, I’m undecided about my like or dislike for a canvas of this size. I will make that decision once this painting is complete.

Will keep you posted. Thanks for stopping by!

A New Challenge!

Not letting this big bad canvas intimidate me….ok….Maybe a little. 3’ x 4’. This is the biggest canvas I will have painted on. Let’s see where this journey takes me. To be continued…

And so it begins….

Don Valley Art Club's Holiday Online Show and Sale is on Now!

With more than 300 artworks from over 100 artists, there is a huge variety of mediums, themes and artistic styles.

I’m very happy to a part of this fabulous art club and will have 4 pieces in this show.

For quick online access, click on https://donvalleyartclub.com/artshowandsale/

Grab a glass or mug of your favourite beverage, sit back and browse through the collection in the comfort of your home.

Thanks and cheers to you!

AGS Fall Show Starts Tomorrow!

I’m so happy to be a part of the Art Guild of Scarborough’s Fall Online Art Show. This club has been around for over 50 years and includes many talented artists. Its my first year with this club and I am honoured to be included in this show.

The show runs from November 12 to December 18. So sit back and relax in the comfort of your home to browse and shop through the fabulous art selection on the show’s website at https://www.agsartsale.com/

About "Yonge-City Limits"

This painting, the last in my streetcar series, depicts a “Peter Witt” streetcar model in use by the TTC from the 1920’s until the 1960’s. Specific models like Car #2786 were called “Small Witts” as they were slightly scaled down from the original version.

During its heyday, I wonder how many people were transported in this very streetcar. People going about their daily lives, heading to work or school, heading out with family or friends. The skyline depicted in this painting includes a few of the older Toronto landmarks. Can you spot the Gooderham building (aka the Flatiron), the Royal York Hotel and the Distillery District?

2021 is the 100th anniversary of the TTC here in Toronto, Canada’s largest city. Combining realism and fantasy helps me to create and focus on some of Toronto’s landmarks and the iconic streetcars associated with them.

Car #2786 has been fully restored at it’s current home, the Halton Railway Museum.

Streetcar Series is Complete!

2021 is the 100th anniversary of the TTC here in Toronto, Canada’s largest city. What a great way to commemorate one of this city’s transit conveyances with a series of streetcar paintings. My painting Yonge-City Limits now joins 509 Harbourfront, 509 Union Station and Carlton Car #4000.

Combining realism and fantasy helps me to create and focus on some of Toronto’s landmarks and the iconic streetcars associated with them.

So happy to have finished this series in time for a couple of upcoming art show submission dates. I hope you enjoy these paintings.

Cheers!

3 Down...1 More to Go!

The paint is still wet! “Carlton Car #4000” has just been finished and joins “509 Harbourfront” and “509 Union Station” paintings in the series.

My depiction of the iconic streetcar in this painting is on the Danforth-Carlton route passing a well known Toronto landmark, Maple Leaf Gardens. This model of streetcar in the time period shown used street names rather than numbers to denote transit routes.

Built in 1938, streetcar #4000 was Canada’s first PCC streetcar. This model is an air-electric car wherein the brakes, doors, sanders and wipers were air operated compared to later cars that were all electric. Car #4000 was retired in 1966 and is now part of the Halton Railway Museum collection.

Check back soon for the fourth and final painting in this streetcar series.

Thanks for dropping by!

Half way there!

Just finished painting #2 of my four part series. Woohoo!

509 Union Station is now complete and complements the earlier painting 509 Harbourfront.

Why so many 509 routes? The TTC streetcar route is called 509 Harbourfront. However, most often the header on the 509 streetcar will read either Union Station or Spadina, etc. depending upon its final stop in the direction of the route it is going.

For me I liked the skyline in the background for the 509 Harbourfront route and took artistic license with the direction of the streetcar heading south away from the skyline. Of course in real life, that would never happen as the skyline faces the waterfront. Likewise for the 509 Union Station painting, one would not see the streetcar in front of Union Station as there are no streetcar tracks there.

Combining realism and fantasy helps me to create and focus on some of Toronto’s landmarks and the iconic streetcars associated with these same landmarks.

Check back soon for the next painting in this series.

Cheers!

Vacation is over...now back to work

After a lovely vacation of hiking and enjoying the outdoors in Iceland, its back to work. Well…it’s really not “work” as in that 4-letter word. Painting is an enjoyable passion so to rephrase…it’s back to my easel with a focus back to my streetcar series.

As for the vacation, I was very fortunate to have seen a lot of great scenes and sights worthy of future paintings.

Check back for my progression on my current series and future paintings.

Happy Autumn to everyone!

The start of a new series....

Today I am happy to have put the finishing touches on the first painting of a new series. “509 Harbourfront” is part of a collection of Toronto’s iconic streetcars.

2021 is the 100th anniversary of the TTC here in Canada’s largest city. What a great way to commemorate one of this city’s transit conveyances.

I’ll be working and posting my finished pieces here for your enjoyment over the coming few months and once this series is finished, these paintings will be available for purchase.

Enoy!

509 Harbourfront©

The Joy of Finishing a Painting!

Today I put the finishing touches on “Hunter’s Bay, Huntsville”! So happy about that.

The journey of my paintings vary from piece to piece. Some pieces are short in relation to time while others take the long way home, so to speak. The latter was the case with “Hunter’s Bay”.

The original idea for this painting started in 2016 while on a short hike along Hunter’s Bay within the town of Huntsville. I had taken several shots of the beautiful fall colours along the lakeshore. Although it took me several years to get back to those photos, I had not forgotten them or the beauty of the scenery that October day.

Summer has many pleasant distractions and I must admit, it was difficult to find the time to finish this piece. And now that I have finished, I am very happy with the results and happy that I am now free to embark on new paintings.

So many painting ideas - so little time! It’s a nice problem to have and for that I’m grateful!

Cheers!

Hunter’s Bay, Huntsville. 24 x 36 acrylic on canvas

And so it begins...

Ever so slightly, the leaves in southern Ontario are on the brink of changing. Give it a few more weeks and we will most likely experience a kaleidoscope of spectacular colours.

It’s a bittersweet change for me. Autumn is the most beautiful season in my opinion. It’s also the best season for one of my favourite past times – hiking. Shorter days and cooler weather also means I’ll be spending more time indoors for painting.

On the flipside, it’s goodbye to the carefree days of summer for another year. Walking out the door without having to put on extra clothing layers feels like a bit of freedom. Longer days gives me the illusion that I have so much more free time. However, I most often end up spending less time painting with so many outdoor summer distractions.

With the changing seasons, the promise of winter is just around the corner. It does have its beauty too but in all honesty, I grin and bear it for a few months. Winter does make me thankful for spring, summer and fall.

I hope you are all enjoying the summer!

Work in Progress...

For those of you wiling away some time on Facebook, maybe you will enjoy watching a short clip on my current painting in progress - Hunter's Bay, Huntsville. I will post the finished product soon. Hope you are having a great summer and thanks for watching!

Optimistic about future Art Shows post-pandemic

As our world begins to reopen, it leaves me optimistic for the future.

I have missed the live art shows. Online activity is a great tool and one that I am learning to incorporate into my art in a variety of ways. However, the live shows bring a different element to both the artist and the art aficionado. As an artist, I enjoy the interpersonal connection with the visitors to my booth. For visitors, they can see the art first hand and feel free to ask questions.

With luck and planning, I may return to a live show this fall and will update my website with the info.

Until then, happy online art surfing for us all.

The Guild Alive with Culture. My fav outdoor art festival. That was 2 years ago. This year is an no go again due to COVID. I'm optimistic that the show will be on again next year. Hope to see you at my booth in 2022.

Art - Who Inspires You?

Art can be so subjective. There is something to be said for composition skills and honing one’s technique and style yet each painting, whether expertly produced or not, resonates with some individuals and not others.

In recent art courses (online these days), I was forced to think about and specifically name my favourite artists. By this I mean which artist’s style influences my own painting style. My first thought was Van Gogh but as I thought about it I came to realize that I am more in awe of his life story. Other than his use of colour, I really don’t want to emulate his painting style.

So who makes me stand back in awe as I spot one of their paintings? Well in no particular order, these are the artists that first came to mind: Tim Packer, Tim Gagnon, Jamie Maclean, Lawren Harris, Rene Magritte, Tamara de Lempicka, Alex Colville, Kerry L. Ross and Banksy.

As an artist, it’s helpful for me to be able to name these artists that inspire me. It helps me in my own practice and I learn a little about myself along the way. As I learn and grow and experiment with different styles, who better to learn from than those who have walked the same path that is now ahead of me.

I’m always open to looking at more art and there are other artists whose work captures my full attention. My art practice evolves as I continue this journey and I’m grateful for the many artists who inspire me.

Which artists inspire you? and why?

“Simpatico”. 24x20 (2018) R. Ricken
Something different from my many landscapes.

Acknowledging Canada Day

A sombre one it is this year, I still believe we have the potential to learn, acknowledge and grow as a country. True reconciliation is acknowledging our past, both good and bad - all sides of it and incorporating this knowledge into our country's history and identity. When we know better, we can do better. I can't think of anywhere else I would want to live and I feel fortunate that I live in this country. I hope we set an example to the world on how to go forward and offer true reconciliation to the first people's of Canada. Happy Canada Day to all of us.

Image supplied by Artist unknown

Flowers are out in full bloom in the GTA

Everywhere I’ve walked in the last few weeks, many flowers are out in full bloom. It seems to me some varieties are a little early likely due to the early hot temps we’ve been experiencing.

For anyone who loves gardening and/or anyone who loves to paint the beauty around them, there are lots of floral opportunities for reference photos to take back to one’s painting studio.

Below are a few of the flower varieties I’ve come across here in the GTA. You may see one of these as a painted reproduction in the near future.

Enjoy!

My newest creation for your viewing enjoyment

Last night I finished my newest red maple painting. This has been a work in progress for a couple of weeks. This newest painting, along with “Warden Woods Maple”, is part of a series of tree tops that I will be working on over the next several months, along with a few other projects on the back burner.

During the course of creating this piece, I took the time to learn more about social media, video editing and a little about Lightroom.

In case anyone is interested, I can recommend two great online teachers. Both are artists and both offer overlapping course content yet different enough from each other that I find valuable sources of information from each of them. Tim Packer offers fine art instruction as well as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom courses through his Tim Packer Academy. Marjolyn van der Hart offers information on social media and branding specifically geared to artists through her VDH Digital Marketing courses.

I hope you enjoy this last video of my Red Maple WIP - the Finishing Touches.

Cheers!