Tea House and Pond

Teahouse and Pond
Watercolor on paper
8"x10"
Chris Breier © 2016

This painting is from the same trip that I mentioned in my previous post about the watercolor titled "Porch". This was the first painting that I worked when we arrived at Sonnenberg Gardens. After viewing the Japanese Tea House from a variety of angles I felt the best view was from on top of a hill in front of the pond. I set my tripod and paintbox on the hill, and it was a precarious situation. The ground was uneven and there were tree roots to contend with. If I wasn't careful I could knock my tripod and painting into the pond! I also had a bug trying to bite my leg within the first five minutes of setting up.

Porch

Porch
Watercolor on paper
5" x 7"
Chris Breier © 2016

This past summer I took a road trip to Canandaigua, New York with my brother. We ate lunch by the lake and then visited Sonnenberg Gardens. It was hot and I was feeling tired. We were exploring the gardens when I spotted a set of rocking chairs on the porch and headed straight for them. After rocking in the chair for awhile I noticed there was a patio set around the corner that looked even more comfortable.

"We should do a painting here!" I said to my brother as I plopped down in the comfy padded chair and pulled out my drawing supplies. Yes, I admit it, the motivation for this painting was to sit down and enjoy cool breeze in the shade. While we were painting, a volunteer was playing the piano in the living room inside the mansion, she played a number of classical pieces such as Beethoven's Für Elise.

DeLorean with the gullwing doors open.

When we were picking up dinner at a local Wegmans, I noticed there was a car show in the parking lot. I spotted a DeLorean and I stopped by to take a look. I took a few pictures but I didn't get a chance to talk to the owner, I think the trilogy "Back to the Future" creates a lot of attention for him. People were probably asking him about flux capacitors or how many jigawatts he needed to get back home!

The original painting is for sale.

The engine compartment of a DeLorean

Main Street Canandaigua

Main Street Canandaigua
Watercolor
8”x10”
Chris Breier © 2015

The original painting is for sale. It was the thin slivers of alternating shadows and sunlight that first caught my attention when I was walking down Main Street in Canandaigua NY. The buildings in this area are historic and they contain a lot of interesting shops. As I was walking I noticed painting in the window of an art gallery and spent a few moments contemplating how the artist painted it.

This painting was challenging because there was a lot of detail in the original scene. I placed most of the emphasis on the sidewalk and the shops on the right. I was tempted to add more detail to the cars but I realized that would be a mistake because they would compete with the rest of the painting.

Piano and Rocker

Piano and Rocker
Acrylic on archival paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2015

The original painting is available.
When I was working on this painting it made me think about how music and art are similar. They both require solitude, years of practice, and an area that’s dedicated to the work. Studios and workshops are inspiring to visit.

The curtain diffused the sunlight coming into the in the room and I enjoyed painting the soft lighting. I noticed that there are examples of reflected color in this painting, the color of the floor is reflected onto the piano legs and the lower part of the walls. The rug had an intricate pattern but I roughed in the basic shapes and kept it simple. If you know what kind of piano this is, feel free to leave it in the comments.

Sonnenberg Gardens, The Belvedere

Sonnenberg Gardens, The Belvedere
Acrylic on paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2013

The original painting is available.
This painting is from a series of paintings that I completed awhile ago of various locations at Sonnenberg Gardens. The Belvedere Pavilion is where wedding ceremonies and photo shoots take place. The view is of from underneath the pavilion, looking out into the gardens.

I started this painting with a solid layer magenta, some of which is visible in the final painting. In this series I experimented with painting without drawing first, although that means that I worked out the drawing with the paintbrush instead of a pencil.

Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens
Acrylic on paper
8”x10”
Chris Breier © 2014

Bid in the auction, starts at $120

The Japanese Gardens (at Sonnenberg Gardens) features a tea house, a koi pond and a Bronze sculpture of the Buddha. All of them are depicted in this painting but the Buddha sculpture can be difficult to find. Can you find it?

(Hint: only the crossed legs of the Buddha are visible in the painting).

An Afternoon at Canandaigua Lake

"An Afternoon at Canandaigua Lake"
Ink on watercolor paper
5”X7”

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I have painted the historic boathouses on Canandaigua Lake before but I thought I would try working in black and white this time. I enjoy drawing in ink because it allows me to exaggerate the tonal ranges more than I can with color. I left the white of the paper for the plastic chairs and I used this as an effective counterpoint to the pure black shadows of the boathouses on the right. 

There's a time lapse video of the entire drawing process below (click read more). You’ll notice that I start drawing directly and ink and don’t bother with sketching it out in pencil. I don’t worry about making mistakes because I just draw right over them. These corrections can make the drawing more interesting because of the additional lines but sometimes the the mistakes are covered up by the subsequent washes of ink. 

 

Boathouses (SOLD)

These boathouses were built in the 1850’s and are a historic part of Canandaigua. This painting is almost like two paintings in one because the bottom half is a mirror image of the top half, although it’s wavy and distorted. Architecture is usually more difficult to paint than nature images because the proportions and shapes have to be accurate. Add a reflection beneath the architecture and then you’ve got yourself a challenging painting!