Nature's sentinel

Oil on canvas 14x11". For purchase info : marioantinozzi@yahoo.com

Tutti Frutti

Oil on canvas 14x18". For purchase info : marioantinozzi@yahoo.com

For sale ?

I remember when I started painting twenty years ago , I
wasn't expecting my work to evolve as it has today .The
reason that I started painting was to encourage my mother
to paint .She had been painting for several years but needed
someone to motivate her to continue on painting.I had bought
my painting kit a few years before and was waiting for
retirment to start painting .I was off from work because I
had a hernia at that time and needed to rest.I had time to
spare and I thought , why not try to paint . I said to my
mom ¨If you continue on painting , I will paint with you
and we will do an exhibition of our work , a year from now.
I was saying that to motivate her and didn't think possible
for me to paint at all then . I finally realized that I liked
painting and it was easy for me to paint .The next year , we
managed to offer an exhibition of both our work and it was a
success .We invited our friends to come and my boss came along
too . She liked what I did and came to see me . There was a
painting I did of an old barn and a winding road .On the barn
you could read ¨For sale ¨.The property was for sale and I
thought that that was a good name for a painting so I called it
¨For sale¨. My boss was interested in a painting but I felt that
she was embarassed and wanted to tell me something . I asked her
what was the problem .She looked around and said ¨Is this the only
painting that is for sale ? She thought that it was the only painting
I had for sale and didn't realize it was the name I had given to
this painting. We found this amusing and laught about it .

Coffee break

I try to get out and paint , most of the time,
but when I don't feel like painting ,I go into
cafés and draw people . I find that drawing
for me is a good challenge , especially drawing
people. When you draw a tree or a house , there
is no problem because the tree or house won't
move . People come to buy their coffee , they
sit down for a while and they're on their way .You
have to be quick and draw the basic shape or form
and if you have time , you can alway define your
drawing .It's observation all the time .You also
have the fear factor. People are uncomfortable with
the thought of having someone drawing them without
their conscent .I remember , once I was in a café
and decided that I was going to draw one of those
fancy coffee machines , the ones that makes the latté
and the cappuccino coffees .I didn't feel like drawing
people that day . I set out to draw and I saw a woman
close to where I was . After fifteen minutes time ,I
notice that the lady was observing me and made me
realise that she was uncomfortable and thought that I
was drawing her portrait.I showed her what I was draw-
ing and she was very releaved knowing that it wasn't
her that I was drawing . I know of another artist who
had a simular experience as me but he was drawing a
person and when that person saw her portrait , she
demanded to recieve half the profits on the sale of
this portrait .You really have to be discrete when
drawing someone and if you can ask the person for her
or his permission to draw . This is a watercolour that
I did from a drawing done at a local coffee shop .

For purchase info : marioantinozzi@yahoo.com

This scene of the parlement in Ottawa has been painted by
lots of artists , but for me , it was a must to paint . This is
one of two paintings I did of the Rideau canal. This painting
was made in late spring and the other one in summer .

For purchase info : marioantinozzi@yahoo.com

This is a sketch that I did near the entrance of the Globensky
Manor in St-Eustache , Quebec . I liked the different elements
of this sketch ; the wrought iron fence , the old stone wall , the
tree and the flower pots .

Rainbow bridge

What an honor for me to have been part of the International
Plein Air Painters in Niagara Falls . Every year in September
is held the Plein Air paint out . Painters from everywhere are
invited to paint during this weekend . It's quite a challenge to
paint the falls . If you look aroung , you are bound to find some-
thing to paint . I chose this landscape because I could see the
bridge in the background but mainly because of the beautiful
flower arrangement that was there . I didn't have to add any
elements to this painting . Everything was is place for a great
painting . Rainbow Bridge is a 9x12" oil pochade on board .

For purchase info : marioantinozzi@yahoo.com

Vermont in autumn

This old house in Vermont grabed my attention for its imposing
stature . The trees in the background contrasted with the pale
color of the house . The colour of trees in Vermont during autumn
season is very beautiful to see . Vermont in autumn is an oil on board
12x12" painting . For purchase info : marioantinozzi@yahoo.com

Near the riverbank

Near the riverbank is a 6x8" oil pochade that I did not far from
the trail . You can see the canoes floating near the quay . What
I really liked was the trees in the forground . I think that they
add character to this painting .

For purchase info : marioantinozzi@yahoo.com

At the market

This 16 x20" oil on canvas painting has been painted at the Marché
Jean Talon market in Montreal , Quebec. It took two sessions to
complete this painting . It can be quite challenging to paint in an
open market . People go about doing their routine shopping and
some people enjoy seeing artists paint but some people ignore us
completely or are disturbed by our presence. The market is a
wonderful place to work because there is always someone or some-
thing on the move and it is constently changing .

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Grenville in winter

There is a bridge on the Quebec and Ontario border that connects
to the city of Hawkesbury , Ontario on the otherside. I've often tra-
veled to Hawkesbury in search of subjects to paint .I could see ,while
crossing the bridge on my wayback home, a village and a church that
is near the riverbank .One day , curiosity attracted me to this little
village called¨Grenville sur la rouge ¨. Rode past the church and rea-
lised that there was not much to see . There stood this old church
and across the street there was a lock and another street that
bordered each side of the river . The river was frozen and you could
feel the cold in the air . It was a very beautiful january day, the sun
was shining bright . By the time I installed my painting kit , my
hands were frozen and I could not open my paint tubes . Luckily my
car wasn't far away for me to warm my hands . The problem with
painting in winter is that you need your hands to paint so it is very
difficult to paint with gloves on . Anyway , it took a while to get
started but I was happy with the result . The snow on the ground
made it a bit difficult because the sun reflected on the snow and I
had to tone it down a bit to harmonise the color scheme of the
painting. It was a near -20° C that day and I was happy but tired
of my journey . Grenville in winter is a 9x12" oil painting on board.

For purchase info : marioantinozzi@yahoo.com

At the Falls

There is a place in the lower Laurentiens called Rivière du Nord and
it is a beautiful spot where you can walk and ski during winter time .
The trails are several kilometers long and borders the river . There is
a bridge that connects the east and west borders . I have made a lot
of my paintings there . This place is bigger than the Parc des Mille Îles
and there is more areas to paint .When I set out to paint ¨At the falls¨,
I walked quite a while before finding the right spot to paint . I worked
my way through vegetation to get a better view . I started painting
although a bit uncomfortable . The next morning , I was invited to a
paint out and I showed , to a friend , the painting I did earlier at the
falls and she told me to watch out , that a friend of hers painted at
Rivière du nord and she got poison ivy . The next morning I woke up
with rash all over my body . Yes , I had also caught poison ivy but
for me , it was still worth while , ¨At the falls ¨is a great painting .
¨At the Falls ¨ 20x24" oil on canvas .

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Out in the woods

There is a nature reserve close to my home in boisbriand , Quebec
where I sometimes go and paint . It's a small trail but so filled with
wildlife , trees of all sort . There are beautiful viewpoints of the river
and interesting areas to paint . This reserve's riverbank is on the
other side of the Parc des Mille Îles . I remember seeing a family of
albinos squirels playing about . 8x6" oil pochade tree study .

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Trail leading to the river

Trail leading to the river is a 8x6" oil pochade that I made while in the
Parc des Mille Îles in Ste-Rose , Quebec , Canada .You can rent canoes
and kayaks and have a picnic on the premises . There is a small trail
leading to the riverbank . For purchase info : marioantinozzi@yahoo.com