OK Robert....now I want to see those sketches you are doing of the musicians!  What a great idea.

The baseball players were tough...I had maybe 3-4 seconds to choose a pose - as they kept moving - I really want to go to another baseball game (with a good seat) and do it again ...basketball & soccer might be fun too...I did some fishermen unloading fish off a boat ...I like these action types of sketching challenges because they are so demanding and make me pay attention.

Hi Robert, Like your work, it is bold and colorful.

About my Venice painting, it is a pastel yes and the size is 35 x 40 cm.

Robert, thanks for the great comments! Very kind.

I will enjoy seeing more from you too.

Hi Robert

Thanks for your comments.  You are most encouraging and I,m glad you liked my work .Pity we are so far apart as it would be great to go painting together.  I dont have any secrets in putting on the light touches . In pastel you dont have to wait till the end like in oils...  all I know is that the light not only changes the tone of things but also the colour I love making little  discoveries along the path on which we we are all traveling

I like the way you paint full of sincerity and feeling

.Best regards and thanks again

Thanks Robert, we both delighted in Nika Zakharov’s pastels, she has Wolf Kahn’s striking colour boldness I can now see in your work the other qualities that you admire in hers. I’ve enjoyed looking at artists here on plein air, like most gallery visits you can’t unfortunately digest every ‘chocolate in the box’ at once, but just stop at the one’s that interest. Looking back at yours I was most surprised, I never mean to patronise just share some insights to fellow artists work. Your post here prompted me to return and there is magnificent painting there I missed at first, reminiscent of the Canadian masters Tom Thompson and the Group of Seven; A. Y. Jackson, F. H . Varley, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H MacDonald, those guys, they produced magnificent plein air work, a whole new breed of painting. As their cherished book ‘Northern lights’ reads “their painting evoking immediate emotional response, spiritual mental associations of peace, strength and high boundless aspirations”. Don’t know how these guys achieved their work, being an Aussie I can’t imagine painting out doors in sub zero temperatures, ya gotta admire their dedication on many levels. You have their similar powerful language, beautiful understated colour and broad rich treatment. Your work would not seem out of place with their group – great painting – ‘Trail Creek Red’, the Mill Creek / and the Yellowstone Park / Geyser Paintings – wonderful things ;)

When thinking plein air I often forget the Russian masters and the Canadians. ‘The Seven’ were Goliaths of Canadian art establishing through their plein air work a permanent vision that helped create not just masterpieces of landscape painting, if that wasn’t enough, but our whole idea of Canada. There’s the finished painting, a sale, the pleasure of the doing, many things including many ideals in our response to an artist – in this case amongst many, work that makes us realise the importance of harnessing our energy to preserve the land. Most of the Canadian group had simple palettes. Jackson told students “think big, be generous, don’t fiddle, enlarge yourselves”. For interest his restricted palette consisted of flake white, vermilion, rose madder, darker madder for the darker reds, chrome orange, chrome yellow, yellow ochre, viridian green, permanent blue, cerulean blue and lamp black. Cheers Robert and Nika, hope we cross paths again soon ;)