3 little paintings

  I have been on a roll with 12 x 16" paintings lately. Must be the dull weather that's causing me to want to do bright colour. It's fun to take a reference photo with just green trees and play around with alternative colour possibilities. I have always struggled a bit with small paintings- I feel more comfortable on a larger scale but it feels like these little guys are teaching me something. Texture and movement are what I'm learning more about. Also, on a small painting you have to simplify- those editing decisions are challenging, but necessary, to make a stronger painting.

Winter Pine

"Winter Pine" 24 x 30" acrylic

I have been away from the blog for quite some time. Our life is filled with real estate stress right now as we are selling our current house, and have purchased a new house. We're only moving a few blocks away but have downsized on the garden space by buying a large townhouse. Plenty of studio space for Alan and me, but very little upkeep. We are excited to start a new chapter of our lives but right now there are a lot of distractions.

Painting has been a lovely distraction so I have managed to produce a few new pieces. I painted the tree in this new piece once before in oils. My plan was to start it in acrylics and finish in oils, but I ended up seeing it through in acrylics. Instead of blending the sky, I used chippy brushstrokes to make the subtle transitions. The painting will go to the Adele Campbell Gallery in Whistler for their annual "Spirit of Winter" show.

I have a couple of events coming up soon. This weekend, we are in White Rock for the annual International Artist's Day festival. It's held at the White Rock community centre and goes Friday night and all day Saturday and Sunday. I will be doing an artists talk on "What Jurors Look for"on Saturday from 11:30 to 12:00.

I also have my last workshop of the year happening at the Steveston Hotel in Richmond on November 1st and 2nd. It's intermediate level acrylics and details are on the Federation of Canadian Artists website- www.artists.ca, under "education". Contact me if you have any questions.

Blue Wave

I had a good day in the studio today. Finished two paintings that I've been working on for a while. This painting was done from a photo that I overlooked for 2 years. I took a notion to paint nothing but waves and sky, and searched through my reference photos to find this one. I really like the simplicity of the image- I find it very peaceful. Which I can use right now as we just put our house on the market. Living with real estate stress now!

Into the Woods

I love to paint the forest. This spot was quite magical with a carpet of moss everywhere and light slanting through. I took the photo on a drive up to Whistler. The painting will be one of my 2 new pieces for the Peninsula Gallery in Sidney. Alan and I will be painting in the gallery on Sunday after noon- Sept 7th. Please come and see us if you're in the area.

Gulf Island Sunset

This is the dock near my Mom's home on Pender Island. I raced down at the end of the day to capture the reference photos for this painting. Don't have a title for it yet but it's a 30 x 40" acrylic.

Whistler Workshop

I had a wonderful time last weekend teaching a workshop in Whistler for these lovely people. Thanks  to all for making it such a fun experience!

Here's our little gang at the Western art show at the Calgary Stampede. Alan and Rick McDiarmid shared a booth, and Diane and I went along as support staff. It was 10 long days and a unique experience to say the least. Best parts for me were getting to know the other artists and viewing some the of incredible diversity of artistic talent represented there. I came home feeling inspired and anxious to get going in the studio. I took a day to drive through the Kananaskis region of Alberta, so am working on a piece based on pictures I took that day. The mountain scenery was spectacular.