Day 3

Frozen Creek

12 x 12

Acrylic on Doorskin

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.

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 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 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 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.

Paint what you know or where you go?

Pismo Sand Dunes

12 x 9

Acrylic 

We have spent several months in the last year or so down in Arizona and California and though there is an amazing diversity of landscape I'm often hesitant to paint something unfamiliar to me.  Maybe it's a little more challenging to paint the unknown.  However growing up on the east coast and west coast I am definitely drawn to the sea and the harsh shorelines.  This is a little study done of the wind whipped trees and shrubs and the struggle to survive above the tideline.  In the evening we would sit up in the dunes to watch the sun set over the Pacific, a perfect end to a beautiful day of beach walking, bird watching and exploring the landscape.

Smoke in the Valley

The Pond

12 x 16

Oil on Canvas

One day in August I and a student from Vancouver went in search of a scene that wasn't obscured by smoke from the nearby forest fires.  Vistas were obviously out but fortunately there was a pond near our parking spot with a little dock and that was all we needed to have a wonderful morning of painting, birds singing and people strolling by taking a peak at our work.  It turned out to be one of my favorite outings in the summer.

Zion by Bike

Zion South

16 x 12

oil on canvas paper

Recently returned from a trip south and just had to paint my experience in Zion National Park.  As of April 1 it is closed to cars and the only way in are bus shuttle, cycling or by foot.  We decided to cycle with some friends and what a spectacular ride it was up the canyon.  Much more peaceful than our visit a few weeks previously when the route was crowded with vehicles parked or trying to squeeze by each other.  The colors here are very intense and the lighting very mystical.

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 30 of 30

Inuksuk

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

The finale and none too soon.  Although there are great benefits to the discipline of painting daily there can be many drawbacks and some sort of balance must be found.  Having said that I truly enjoyed this final day of painting in the company of my much missed artist friends sharing stories and creations all the while working on this last piece, an inuksuk found at the top of McIntyre Bluff over looking the town of Oliver.

Day 29 of 30

Storm over Vaseau sketch

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

One of the things I like the most about the Okanagan is the volatile weather and the dramatic skies.  Many times I have pulled over and jumped out of the car with my camera to get some reference material to paint from. 

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 26 of 30

Desert Colors

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

The golden hour adds magic to the already beautiful colors in the desert just north of Joshua Tree, California.