Illumination

Commission November 2025

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 19:48:08 GMT

Commission: Up to the Heavens

It's an honour to do commissions for collectors.

I've decided to use Facebook and Instagram less as there is more AI and unreliable content there. Instead I've decided to use my email list and blog.

This painting was a bit of a challenge in that the colours were not the same as the supplied reference photo. I had to rely on my instincts to get the brightness of the trees right.

One of the reference photos was of the trees with the bright sun shining on the tops of the trees in the morning. This was a present for the wife.

My collectors were happy with the result. I was happy with the final painting as well. This painting was completed in November of 2025.

Final image size was 40 x 24"

Link to instagram video

My Plein Air Painting Adventure

barb@colourpix.ca (Barbara Pearn) — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:39:55 GMT

Plein Air Painting

Summer 2022

In the summer of 2022 my plans for Plein Air painting were ambitious.

The reality did not live up to my plans. One of the plein air experiences was not satisfactory.

Light conditions, were not ideal. I was in the shade on a bright day and could hardly see what I was painting. I could have moved into the light but I don't want to expose my sensitive skin to the bright sun light.

My tripod was not very sturdy and I didn't have the proper equipment to hold my palette or brushes. I just wasn't well prepared.

Next time I will do better.

How long does it take?

barb@colourpix.ca (Barbara Pearn) — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 19:48:44 GMT

Steps to a finished painting

How long does it take you to do a painting?

I hear this question a lot when I'm at art shows. It's a common question and I would ask the same thing of artists.

Every painting is different. But each one has a similar start. I'm going to outline the entire process.

Step 1.

Drive around and take a lot of photographs at different times of day and in different seasons. Often I take photographs of the same barn or the same scene. I look for interesting shadows and lighting. Every day gives me a different result. Sometimes I take a picture that looks magical to me and I'm sure that it would make a great painting. Other times I take an awful photograph and make it look much better. Sometimes you are lucky and are there at the right moment when the sun hits a cloud just perfectly.

Step 2.

Go through your reference photos. I spend a looking for one of my photographs that inspires me, then I set up a document for the correct size of painting that I'm going to do and crop the image to fit the space. I often agonize over this process, changing my mind often. I print out the photos I like.

Step 3.

Get your art surfaces ready. I like working on wood panels. I seal them with 2 coats of GAC 100, prime them with 2 coats of white gesso. After that I apply a coat or two of burnt sienna or raw sienna and sand if necessary in between. I don't need my paint surfaces to be totally smooth because I normally use thick paint.

Step 4.

Paint the painting. Sometimes a painting just doesn't work out the way I want and something about it doesn't work for me. I look at it to see if I can identify the problem. It can often be one little thing that is wrong. Sometimes I don't know and it makes me question my ability. Often the painting goes well and it's finished. Since I work in oil, the painting takes a week or so to dry.

Step 5.

Take photographs of the final painting. It can be hard to find a good place to take photos. Glare is an issue. I have identified a couple of places in my home that work well for taking photographs to post on my website after trying many locations. I upload the photos to my computer, crop and save in various formats to use on web and print materials.

Step 6.

Add cropped painting photos to your website and social media. First of course you must have a website, and social accounts.

Step 7.

Sign up for events where you can interact with the public to sell your work. This for me is a great way to sell my work. All this is part of creating the painting and marketing it. How does one add all that up to a certain amount of time per painting? I don't know. It's not just about painting.

Summary

To sum it all up, I don't normally count the hours it takes to do a painting. Larger paintings are harder to do and are more unpredictable as to how long they take to actually paint. Small paintings 6x6" take about 3 or 4 hours and that depends on how well the painting is going. I'm not sure if people are asking me how long it takes me to paint, to find out my prices are set by the time it took me to do. I set my prices based on the size of the painting.

The better artist you are, the less time the painting should take. Good artists charge more for their paintings. My expectations are that I will get better as an artist as I gain experience and my prices will increase.

Getting ready for Plein Air painting

barb@colourpix.ca (Barbara Pearn) — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 18:16:15 GMT

Finding and making the gear

I've been watching videos about how to make pochade boxes. These are little boxes that have your paint, palette and paint surface in when you go out on the land and paint. Buying these boxes is expensive. I just need something basic. I'm not sure that I will enjoy painting outdoors. Most of the paintings I have done outside were not good enough to keep. If somehow I become passionate about painting outdoors, then I can invest in something better.

Painting outdoors from real life is hard. I can't imagine how Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven travelled by canoe in the north with their paint, food, tents, etc to paint in all sorts of weather. Not only do you have to carry all your heavy materials, but you have to deal with changing light, wind, bugs and weather while you're painting. Let's not forget about dealing with self-doubt.

I watched a video where a gentleman made his own pochade box without hinges or clasps or anything fancy. He used velcro to hold it closed. I got an idea to simplify it further. I only need one part of it, and that is the tray. I have a small easel which can hold my panels. I can use a tray to put my palette on and mix my paint.

More about this subject in a later post.

Art for Ukraine

barb@colourpix.ca (Barbara Pearn) — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 17:23:56 GMT

My Art for Ukraine, humanitarian aid, Canadian Red Cross fundraiser

Watching the news about Ukraine, since the invasion started, has been heartbreaking. I watched many mothers with small children and the elderly trying to get out of Ukraine with multiple bags and in some cases pets. I've watched videos of young people having to leave their homes and possessions behind. They tearfully explained what it was like for them to have to leave. I wanted to do something to help. I knew that the Canadian government would match all donations up to 10 million dollars until March 18. I decided to donate 50% from all my art sales through my art store until March 14.

Happily I can report that I was able to donate a total of $750 to the Canadian Red Cross.

How does The Canadian Red Cross use the money? Here is a list that I got from the Red Cross: rescue and first aid, family reunification and mental support, safe passage for civilians, health equipment, relief items, care for displaced people, humanitarian specialists and protection of civilians.

Thank you art buyers, without you this would not have been possible. I wish that it wasn't necessary.

What will this blog be about?

barb@colourpix.ca (Barbara Pearn) — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 18:37:38 GMT

The basics

Often people are curious about artists and how they do their work. This blog gives me a chance to share my work and a bit about how I create it.

I had a blog in the past and when I painted new work, I would write a blog post about it. Normally the posts were quite short and to the point. I used Blogger. At the time lots of artists used blogger to share their work. The posts are still available online .

I plan to post images of my work in progress and the final result as a way to explain a bit about my process to others and what we do as artists.

The image above is 36x12" landscape oil painting of a field of sunflowers.

Tools of the trade

Normally when I paint small or medium paintings, I use gallery-depth birch panels. For larger paintings I use stretched canvas. The medium I work in is water mixable oil paint. I prefer it because it is workable for a day or two and dries faster than regular oil paint and has a texture. I find water mixable oils easy to use and clean up. I often use flat and small round brushes that are fairly stiff, similar to hog's hair.

I seal my birch panels with 2 coats of GAC 100. I then prime them with gesso and paint them with either burnt sienna or raw sienna. I don't like to paint on a white surface, because I like to let some of the base colour show through. I find the burnt sienna or raw sienna adds a warm tone to the final painting.