Back in Action

Steam Train  SOLD

16 x 16

Acrylic on wrapped canvas

After a month or so of life careening off the rails I am back on track with my latest project, a steam train which is a local summer tourist attraction.  There are many events in the valley these days celebrating anything to do with the railways and the steam powered engines.  My connection to the rail is a journey made as a child across Canada to the east coast by train, ten years spent living next to the tracks and then a journey back to the west coast again.  I've always had a fondness for this form of transportation.

The Farm

8 x 16

Acrylic on canvas

Well spring is on it's way and our plein air group had it's first paint out of the new year.  The location chosen was my favourite valley in the Okanagan between St. Andrews, Willowbrook and Twin Lakes.  It's also a favourite for birders and from now through the summer full of many species of birds but especially meadowlarks and bluebirds.  I did this painting the following day from a photograph as I had taken the wrong bag of assorted paints with me and only had some odd colors to work with.

Day 30 of 30

Whites

8 x 8

Acrylic

This is another subject I have painted before but I wanted to do it a little bigger and practise again with the whites. This is my little cheater of the 30 in 30 painted ahead of time as we are off to ski for a day or two.  It's been a great month with much accomplished and learned along the way.  Thank you very much to Leslie Saeta putting on this challenge.

Day 29 of 30

Sunset on the Dock

8 x 8

Acrylic

I have painted this previously but am drawn to the shapes and contrasts.

Day 28 of 30

Paris Transport

8 x 8

Acrylic

There always seems to be at least one bicycle parked outside every cafe in Paris, even in the rain.

Day 27 of 30

Bachelor Button

8 x 8

Acrylic

Designs in nature can be so astounding.  Which is more stunning, the beautiful long blue petals, the little magenta florets or the receptacle?

Day 26 of 30

Abandoned

8 x 8

Acrylic

We found this old girl out in the bush almost 40 years ago.  I've always wanted to paint her.

Day 25 of 30

Bikes and Umbrellas

8 x 8

Acrylic

France has so embraced the bicycle that you will find them everywhere including window boxes, this one funny enough with an umbrella for protection.

Day 24 of 30

Sunflowers

8 x 8

Acrylic

Flowers to brighten up a grey and dam day in the middle of winter.

Day 23 of 30

Whistler Glacier

8 x 8

Acrylic

Can you imagine a more beautiful back drop for a plein air painting demo by a well known American artist?  While I was waiting for her to set up I took a few pics for future reference.

Day 22 of 30

Alstroemeria

8 x 8

Acrylic

My favorite flowers I'm not sure why but oddly enough I was more drawn to the vase which is clear glass and has no color.

Day 21 of 30

California Bighorn Sheep

8 x 8

Acrylic

This poor girl needs work both on canvas and in real life.  She had chunks of fur missing and what looked like dozens of tics gorging away.  She was standing beside my car and giving me a bit of an indirect stare.

Day 20 of 30

Surf Mobile

8 x 8

Acrylic

I saw this little cutie in downtown Lahaina during the Maui Plein Air Festival a couple of years ago.  It was of course the subject of some great paintings.   

Day 19 of 30

Yellow Boat study

8 x 8

Acrylic

Another boat from Collioure, largely unfinished as I put a two hour max on the project to keep it fresh and spontaneous.  I may work on some of these at a later date. 

Day 18 of 30

Cafe study

8 x 8

Acrylic

This is a scene in the old town area of Nice where the streets are narrow and full of shops and cafes.  I could spend days wandering through the passages checking out all the wonderful food and products.

Day 17 of 30

Boats at Collioure

8 x 8

Acrylic

The colors of the Mediterranean are so intense and saturated, fun to paint but hard to get that kind of light translated using pigment and paper.  Next time maybe darker with the darks.

Day 16 of 30

Rainy Day in Milan

8 x 8

Acrylic

During our few days in Milan we noticed that almost everyone carried an umbrella and if you didn't carry one you were sure to have two or three umbrella salesmen chasing you down each block.  One afternoon we sought shelter from the rain at a cafe and watched the traffic go by including many cyclists carrying umbrellas.  It's ironic that living part time in the wet west coast Vancouver weather I have rarely owned and almost never carried an umbrella and have never ever seen anyone cycling with one, in fact it would probably be frowned on here.  Europeans ride a little differently though and with great skill.  

Day 15 of 30

Snag

8 x 8

Acrylic

Up in the hills during our trail runs we are always coming across beautiful old snags standing tall and looking majestic despite the inevitable decline.  

Day 14 of 30

Gordes

8 x 8

Acrylic

We decided one day to go explore the famous hilltop village of Gordes and not only did we pick the most spectacular approach giving us the most amazing views but we also lucked out on getting a parking spot right up in the village.  I was almost in a frenzy with my camera collecting many resource photos.  This view shows just the beginning of the layers of buildings climbing up the mountain side. 

Day 13 of 30

Steveston Nocturne

8 x 8

Acrylic

Thought I'd try a night scene.  This is a beautiful fishing village and one of my favourite places to go for a sunset.  

Day 12 of 30

Lafare Vineyards

8 x 8

Acrylic

Another scene in beautiful Provence but this could also be in the Okanagan, British Columbia.  How lucky I am to be able to visit one and live in the other.

Day 11 of 30

Boat Abstract

8 x 8

Acrylic

A fun little departure from my usual attempts at realism this time I just had fun with shapes and colors.

Day 10 of 30

Lean-To

8 x 8

Acrylic

One day last summer my plein air group were painting trees in a local park and as I wandered around looking for something to catch my eye I came across this scene.  A beautiful little pasture on the other side of the park, something I would never have discovered without the motivation and companionship that being a member of a group of like minded individuals brings.  I always look forward to the outings whether they are fruitful or not.  Next time I paint this I'll include the horses that were grazing there.

Day 9 of 30

Dunes of Pismo

8 x 8 

Acrylic

This was a fun little piece to paint.  There is so much color in the dunes and scrub but a lot of grey as well, evidence of a harsh shore life.

Day 8 of 30

Moro Bay

8 x 8

Acrylic

On our trip south in the fall we discovered a gem of a place called Moro Bay.  It is a very magical diverse area with so much to offer, beaches, wildlife, birds, marshes, parks, fishing village, artsy community and a good climate.  I could easily live here and definitely want to go back to do some more exploring.  Enjoyed painting this in the good company of my plein air painting pals indoors as the weather here is not so good as Moro Bay.

Day 7 of 30

Storefront

8 x 8

Acrylic

A funky little storefront in the cute little town of Hedley, BC.  

Day 6 of 30

Above Lafare

8 x 8

Acrylic

Just beyond those hills is the village of Gigondas home of some very famous and delicious wines.  We climbed high above Lafare for some of the best views in the Provence region of France, a painting in every direction.

Day 5 of 30

Quail Study

8 x 8

Acrylic

A favourite subject and so pretty, the California Quail are plentiful in the Okanagan. 

Day 4 of 30

Horses on Pismo study

8 x 8

Acrylic

Very rough and unfinished but meant only to be a study.  Guess I chose a difficult subject for a 2 hour practice session but I really enjoyed the process.  In the fall we explored the coast of Oregon and California and I immediately fell in love with both Pismo Beach and Moro Bay.  There is just something about the freedom to have ones dog or horse on the beach as well as bikes, cars, you name it.  I even had a semi truck drive by me one day.  So long as everyone behaves of course.  These riders were out enjoying the last rays of the sun on a beautiful day.

Day 3 of 30

Orchid Study

8 x 8

Acrylic

Well I learned two new things with today's subject - I am no better at painting orchids than trying to keep them alive and I'll finally put this idea out my project book and secondly trying to blend in acrylics is frustrating and I need to save this kind of application for oils.  It would have been better just to layer.  But this is one of the benefits of the challenge is to take projects off the back burner and either work on them or move on.

Day 2 of 30

Fig Study

8 x 8

Acrylic

Today's project involved again a process of determining values and choosing color temperatures, very basic methods and yet so elusive sometimes.  My subject was the fig tree outside the door to our room at the incredible Le Grand Jardin in Lafare, France where we spent much of July. 

Day 1 of 30

Hay Bale study

8 x 8

Acrylic

Day 1 of the January 30 in 30 and I chose a simple study of a hale bale using a black and white notan approach followed by some coloring.  A good way to start the year.  See the sidebar for info on the challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta.