Day 2 of 30

Forest Trails  SOLD

12 x 12

Acrylic on Doorskin

Just to add to the challenge off I went to the studio today without my glasses.  Loving my new brush though which gives a looser watercolour look to the brush strokes.

Oh What to Paint

Apricot Tree

9 x 12

oil on canvas

On one of our plein air group paint outs I was having trouble settling down and choosing a scene to paint.  Suddenly spotted this tree below us and onto the canvas it flowed.  Enjoyed this one very much. 

Year of the Horse

Running Wild  SOLD

14 x 23

Acrylic on Doorskin

We see this herd every now and then up in the hills to the west usually when we are out running the trails.  My first painting done when I was a small child was of a riding stable with horses being walked and tack being cleaned and since then I have had a love for anything horsey.  I think this is a good year to focus on them.

Whistler in September

Whistler 

11 x 14

oil on canvas board

Last September I took a workshop in Whistler through the Federation of Canadian Artists.  It was a fantastic week with not only 4 instructors but many professional artists participating in some of the activities.  The weather overall was excellent but for the day I was scheduled to go up the mountain.  Windy and cloudy I was only able to catch momentary glimpses of the surrounding mountain peaks but  here is a scene I caught where the clouds opened up for about 15 minutes allowing me to get a study done and to be able to paint the above week from my photos and study.

Day 27 of 30

Up in the Bluffs

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

High above Skaha Lake and above the famous climbing bluffs is one of my favourite areas to trail run.  Some new growth amongst remnants of a long ago forest fire but the meadows still provide vistas of the mountains beyond and sometimes the lake below.

Day 18 of 30

Mountain Lake

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

A  beautiful BC lake, enjoyed painting this one.  

Trail Running

The Mice 1

20 x 16

oil on canvas panel

There are no words that can fully describe the joys of trail running.  And the painting opportunities are endless but...  Chances are that I'll never get my painting gear up into these woods and frankly I wouldn't go on my own so my trail running group is having to suffer for a while with my taking photos every now and then with my cell phone.  So back at the studio or my kitchen to be more precise I am not baking goodies but painting The Mice, an endless network of trails, great for mountain biking, running or just hiking.

Benefits of Birding

Spring up at Anarchist Mountain

12 x 16

oil on wrapped canvas

There are few things I enjoy more than to get out into the bush with the family for a birding expedition. Exploring up old logging roads absorbing the sights and sounds and relishing in the signs of spring.  It is also a great opportunity to collect resource material for those days when the weather doesn't allow me to get outside and paint.  Oh and some day I'll pull all of those bird photos out and paint my favourites. 

What a Day

Camouflage

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas

The day started off with me and my trail running group tackling very snowy conditions in the hills above Okanagan Lake,  a great workout, beautiful as always and in good company.  Then my husband and I decided to try our luck searching out owls lower down by the lake.  I thought we were once again skunked when glancing to my left I found myself staring at a long eared owl equally surprised and staring right back.  He was only a few feet away at eye level so I got a fabulous photo and came home to paint him for todays daily painting.  We also came across a northern pygmy owl so close I could reach out and touch him but he was sleeping and kept his head tucked away so not a great photo.   An afternoon painting and now a movie.  Life is good sometimes. 

Snowed In

Day 4 The Meadow

6 x 6

acrylic on canvas

No plein air today - it's snowing so hard it's there is nothing much else to be seen!  This little scene is painted from a photo taken two days ago from my cell phone while up the mountain skiing.  A fellow skier was gliding by and remarked that they ( the cell phone) shouldn't be allowed.  Little did he know that I wasn't taking a call but getting a great resource photo.  But as I found out a few weeks ago while participating in a search and rescue mission the cell phone can be an essential tool out there and I won't go out again without one. 

The Ranch

Day 3 Winter Horses

6 x 6

acrylic on canvas

On my way up the mountain yesterday I passed herds of cattle out in the snow feeding on hay bales and coming up to the ranch I managed to get a quick shot of the horses out having their lunch as well.  I can see this 30 day challenge is going to require some organizational skills and time management.  I'm getting a little more behind each day and still find far too much time is wasted fiddling with details and taking and correcting bad photos.  This is all good though as I should most certainly improve in those areas if nothing else! 

Photographing really the challenge?

Day 2 Winter

6 x 6

acrylic on canvas

So this sketch was a joy to do - felt free and fun and although from a photo it has I think it successfully portrays my feelings of a gorgeous sunny day high in the alpines.  A day like I had today up Nickleplate with my skate skiis on.

The problem was trying to photograph the painting outside with the pesky wind blowing it away whilst my camera was talking back to me.  Image too dark! Oh, forgot to remove the lense cap.  Red dot flashing and REC as well.  Had to go inside and dig out my manual.  Hmm - seems I was trying to take a video...I used to be pretty good with technology but I struggle to get the exposure and the white balance right.  Details aside I'm happy with the design and composition.

Winter colors

Day 1 winter study

6 x 6

acrylic on canvas

Today is the start of Leslie Saeta's 30 day challenge ( see sidebar at right ) and though it is the beginning of a new year I am still sidetracked with the leftovers of a what has been a really good Christmas Holiday so todays painting is a quick plein air study.  My theme for the week is snow as we have an abundant supply these days.  I'm cheating a bit with the plein air part as I'm sitting in the warmth and comfort of my car.  If the wind stops blowing maybe I'll get out for a real taste of outdoor winter painting.

Whistler in September

Ladner Marsh

24 x 20

oil on canvas

I am so excited to be able to spend a week in Whistler next year having lived there years ago and rarely getting a chance to go back for visits.  The best part though is that I will be attending a workshop put on by the Federation of Canadian Artists and led by some really great painters.  Check out the website for details.

The above scene is a marshy nature reserve and is right across the street from our "city" home.  A great place to go birding or just for a walk to watch the sun go down.

Sorry France, I've fallen in love with Italy!

White Lake Trails

16 x 12

oil on canvas

I ran this trail yesterday, 13 kilometres of jaw dropping beauty and the above painting will be in a show at Leir House in Penticton starting Saturday.  As for Italy we had three weeks there in September travelling mostly by bicycle on my beloved Orbea Diva.  Injuries from my crash in June didn't hold me back much and I managed to climb many of the famous Giro d'Italia climbs including the Stelvio, Mortirolo and the Gavia.  We had three days in the Italian Alps and then three days in the Dolomites followed by a week and a half on the Adriatic coast.  After riding extensively in France through the Alps and the Pyrenees I have to say this was the best trip yet.  If you like cycling and want to read more there are two write ups of our trip on the Granfondoplus.com website, go to the travel section or search for Hillier Italy.  And if you live in the Okanagan come by and see the show, details on the poster below.  

A big bump in the road

White Lake Trail 

8 x 10

acrylic on canvas paper

Unfortunate and unavoidable I hit a big bump in the road namely a fellow cyclist whilst we were on a big ride in Washington State 2 weeks ago.  With numerous injuries I'm laid up for a few weeks and had planned to paint as a diversion but find I'm somewhat limited in mobility and energy so am painting from photos and back to acrylics as they are easier to manage.  The above painting is of one of my favourite places to bird or trail run.  It sounds like my trail running group had a good one there last week.

Success!

Reifel Bird Reserve

8 x 10 study

Acrylic

On Saturday Opus Art Supplies challenged all artists to come out and join an outdoor painting challenge.   Before 10 am we were to pick up our canvas, on the large size at 16 x 20, and then paint within a defined area around Opus including some downtown and the waterfront nearby and then hand in the painting by 3 pm, awards at 5 pm.  Setting the mood for the day and first up was a fun interview and photos from a Kelowna Capital News team making me feel like a celebrity and before the photo shoot was over I had spotted exactly what I wanted to paint.    Planting my gear right by the waterfront pathway ensured a steady procession of artists, walkers, joggers and cyclists many making friendly comments as they passed by.  The most satisfying were the excited shrieks from the children as they discovered another painter!  Although the time limit of five hours sounded like there would be lots of time for lunch breaks and socializing the challenges of changing light, sun on the canvas and other peculiarities of outdoor painting had me at the easel for the entire time with only a five minute break for a cookie.  The whole project went sideways for about two hours with brief flutterings of despair till things finally went back on track.  Tantalizingly close to being finished but out of time I had to wrap it up and literally run back to make the cutoff.  The painting has some unresolved areas but I felt many aspects went well and I guess the judges felt the same way as the painting was awarded 1st place! 
The above sketch was done a couple of weeks ago near our home on the coast, the pond usually full of birds but they were shy while I sat there and painted.

Winter Snowshoe

Okanagan Park 

24 x 24

Acrylic on oak doorskin

Take what might be an otherwise drab winter day and turn it into something!  Snowshoeing, wieners roasted over a fire, a little shot of a warming liqueur and some ideas for a painting.

Winter Playground

Nickelplate series in progress

24 x 24

acrylic on doorskin

A new year and some changes!  Here is the first of some some acrylic paintings done on doorskin, a thin veneer of wood meant for building doors but giving a nice natural wood grain texture perfect for my woodsy series of winter paintings.  The acrylic is a medium I painted in many years ago and I find less of an issue when painting in confined spaces as the oil even though I use very little solvent still bothers my nose!  We spend many winter days skate skiing and snowshoeing up in the Nickelplate area above the Okanagan Valley and am so happy to finally start painting some of the gorgeous scenery.