Another Arbutus painting

 "Island Dancer" 30 x 40" acrylic

Here's the latest painting of my favourite tree in my favourite spot on the planet. Roesland on Pender Island. I love the way the arbutus tree undulates amongst all the staid upright fir trees.

Tofino Trip

 

 Last weekend we spent three days in Tofino, on Vancouver Island's glorious wild west coast. We were joined by friends and fellow artists, Rick and Diane McDiarmid, Gaye Adams and Mark Hobson. The highlight for me was visiting Mark's beautiful floating studio. It's a 15 minute boat trip away from the town of Tofino- every artist's dream of a peaceful retreat to create in.

We painted on the beach, walked dogs and took a ton of photos. I'm looking forward to starting a new beach painting in the next few days.

Weekly beginner class in Fort Langley

I have set up 6 weeks of Wednesday afternoon classes in my studio. This series will focus on basic acrylic techniques. Images provided- step by step instruction. Dates are Feb 26 to April 2nd- Wednesdays, 1:30 to 4:30. Cost is $300.00, plus tax. Currently I have 2 spots available. If you're interested, let me know.

Skies

Sea to Sky 30 x 24" acrylic

As I may have mentioned before, skies have always been my nemesis. My goal for 2014 is to conquer skies in acrylics.  I love the idea of painting something as simple as water, sand and sky, although I wouldn't describe this painting as simple.

I have tried many approaches including fast and furious, and slow and painstaking. The techniques I used for this painting would be closer to the slow approach but I found painting it quite meditative and enjoyable. I used a lot of glazing fluid and many layers of glazes in this painting. I tried not to think about technique and just let the painting dictate what it needed. I might have liked more chunky brushstrokes but that's not the way it evolved. Now I'm looking forward to the next one.

Begin Again

I like the uncluttered feeling of the sand in this painting. I painted that area very fast with a 2 inch brush to get the soft edges. Also used lots of glazing fluid to keep the paint wet a little longer. This is another of the perfect beaches on Calvert Island, north of Vancouver Island.

"Begin Again" 30 x 40" acrylic

Lighthouse Park

Lighthouse Park    24 x 36" acrylic

Painting is turning out to be the thing I feel most like doing right now. My studio feels like a sanctuary of calm and the images of the ocean are what I'm drawn to for subject matter. I took the photo reference for this one a few weeks ago. Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver has been painted many times so I hope I was able to bring something original to my rendition.

What Remains

Here's my first completed painting for 2014. It's from my favourite spot on Pender Island.  I'm dedicating it to my dad, who passed away last week after a rich and happy life of 88 years.

"What Remains"  30 x 40" acrylic