Fresh and Organic

Saturday Market   SOLD

11 x 14

oil on canvas

There is no better way to eat than fresh and organic right from the garden and full of nutrients.  It's been a fabulous summer and I am sad to see the days of the Saturday Market in downtown Penticton come to a close till next year.  I will miss these brightly coloured stalls but was able to get a chance to take my paints and join a few other plein air painters and capture some scenes.  This vendor is Food of the Sun from nearby Cawston, BC.

Sunset on the Dock

Day 7 On the Dock

6 x 6 

acrylic on canvas

One evening in the fall I arrived on the dock to pick up my husband and the sun setting right behind the bow of the ship produced the most amazing colors and fabulous shadows - hard to duplicate.

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. 

Something different

Looking out to Sea NFS
8 x 8
oil on doorskin

My first portrait magically evolved yesterday over top of piece of board that I had been using as a practice area for testing colors. It felt very much like when one finally decides to commit and plunge into a freezing sea, very scary and yet exhilarating at the same time! Done quickly and loosely it was a lot of fun, many of the test colors left to show through. Haven't been painting much lately as I've been spending far too much time floating away the hot summer days on the lake. Today we are suffering from the smoke of over 400 hundred forest fires burning in this province and we can't even see the sun so I'm back to the easel for a while.

rain, rain, go away

in progress
10 x 8
oil on board

We live in a desert though you wouldn't know with all the greenery carpeting the hills and it's raining relentlessly so I'm working on an image that I caught at a local market last year back when it was sunny. This fellow was under a tent and I had to crop his head for the composition but I really just wanted to catch his enthusiasm with his feet kicking up to the music. Funny how little things make a difference. Had he been just standing no matter how lively the music I would have walked by. I love painting people in motion and will eventually work on dance if I can get some good resource photos.

Olympic Withdrawal

Vancouver Reflections
30 x 40
oil on canvas

Long after the Olympics are over I am still suffering withdrawal, cold and fatigue forgotten, regrets on not spending more time downtown, wishing it was an annual event here and yes I would do it all over again. I know I said I wouldn't but I have said that about Ironman too and here I am signed up to do it again in August. So with two weeks away from the easel I could feel a painting coming on and it was going to be a big one. Another Vancouver scene. The last two days spent painting and I thought it was done but as is often the case as soon as I get it on the computer I can see all kinds of touch ups needed. The challenge in this one besides the people and reflections was the varying nature of Vancouver's downtown buildings with rounded sides and odd shapes and positions. I tried to worry not so much about perspective but more about getting some interesting patterns with the hope that in the end it reads okay.

Paralympics Experience

Lantern Forest Walk
24 x 18
oil on wrapped canvas

Heading back downtown for my Paralympic volunteer duties I couldn't help but feel nostalgic for the crazy three weeks when Vancouver was one giant party. The painting above is a scene on Granville Street where a bamboo forest was built decorated with lanterns designed by children and lit by LED lights. People loved to stomp on the platforms making it sound like a rain forest and with the sunlight filtering through it certainly felt like a magical place. There is still a festive feel to the downtown but not on such a big scale. Most venues are closed and mine had it's final day with the Paralympic Opening Ceremonies. After spending four hours checking tickets outside I was able to get in to thaw out and see a little of the show. There was a different feel to this event, a little less formal but just as much energy and excitement and it was great to see so many youth involved whether it was with a choir or a dance group. So now I am home and will try to paint a few more Vancouver scenes while they are still fresh in my mind.

Olympic Volunteer Experience

Vancouver Benches
24 x 18
oil on wrapped canvas

I have lived in Vancouver most of my life and have never seen anything like the last three weeks of Olympic partying. I commuted most days downtown to my volunteer job at BC Place where the opening, closing and medal ceremonies were held and before long was starting to go early and stay late just to experience the amazing energy of the friendly crowds and the crazy fun entertainment. My volunteer experience itself was brutal and one of the hardest things I've had to do in my life. The first ten hour day started with an unexpected all day posting outside in inadequate clothing and I was left feeling dismayed and humiliated when I found out I was not allowed into the very venue at which I was working. I was given a half cup of chili and that was it for food for the entire ten hour shift. By the time I arrived home I'd been standing on cold concrete in winter weather for twelve hours, couldn't get warm and it took several hours to fall into a fitful sleep. Most of my shifts were like this so I began to pack extra clothes and my own food and I had to sleep and rest on most my time off. I was yelled at on a daily basis, an easy mark in my 'blue jacket' for those frustrated with the Olympics and the inconveniences they were experiencing or for those who found the venues difficult to get around. I was often posted as an Access Control or at the security checks where I had to deal with angry work force, arrogant media or impatient ticket holders. I suffered from the rain and cold all the while working alongside paid security people who were given winter clothes and shelter under a heated tent. One night the security team kept bringing me in under the heater as they could see I was turning blue. I got sick of course, lost six pounds and am still trying to recover. Were there any good moments, something that made it all worthwhile? Well I wouldn't go that far but I did get to see the opening and closing ceremonies, met my favorite singer Sarah McLachlan, made some good friends and had some pretty funny moments that still make me laugh. Would I do it all again? Not a chance. I am so happy to be home and painting again!

Going Big

All Aboard SOLD
18 x 24
oil on wrapped canvas

Well I've decided to plunge right into a big piece and after 3 days of working on it and starting to pick at little details I decided it was time to step back, take a photo and get it on the blog. The advantage of doing this is now I can see some things that were missed - like the name of the train station! Oh well - that can be put in anytime. The biggest challenge for me on this project was avoiding making the figures look pasted on. I think I still have some work to do in this regard but for now I need to step away.

Summer Fun Remembered on Cold Fall Days

Bus Boys
9 x 12
oil on wrapped canvas

I've been waiting to paint this one and since the cool autumn days have arrived it's time to remember a little of the summer past. These boys were hollering and yahooing from the bus as they were transported back from their tubing trip down the lazy several kilometer long canal that runs the length of our little city from the lake on our north end to the lake on our south end. The trip takes about 4 hours unless you jump out half way and it's amazing to see the hundreds of floaties going by, many with their supplies of refreshments tied up alongside on their own rafts. There are running and biking trails that follow the route and it's a great way to spend an afternoon. I tried to stay loose on this putting down a thin transparent ultramarine blue wash over a dried acrylic orange base. While the wash was wet I worked in the colors. The boys were not easy to paint in having some body parts outside the bus and some in but I enjoyed the challenge.

Character Study

Sneaking a Peak
6 x 6
oil on doorskin

I caught this scene in Poland last year and was attempting to portray the secret glance this young man stole whilst sitting with his girl. I found the 6 x 6 format too small to get the hand that was hiding his eyes and the girls legs need to be a touch longer but had to quit before it was finished as my alla prima approach was foiled by a two day distraction. My lesson learned - draw carefully and allow time to finish in one day. I'm really enjoying painting figures and may get brave and move on to portraits.

Lazy hazy summer days

Waiting for the Parade
8 x 8
oil on wrapped canvas

I saw this scene at our local market and loved the way the pooch sat patiently on the bench. The personalities seemed to come out in each of the figures as I painted them and no matter how I tried to change the dog owner I couldn't seem to make him happier...Maybe he'd rather be walking. It's so much fun to go to the markets to see the parade of dogs and to buy local organic produce. I love summer and it so close to being over I can almost smell the fall air. I'm swimming almost daily in the lake for fear it will be the last one.

Smokey Days

Collioure Creameries
10 x 10
oil on wrapped canvas

We are having a bad summer here with the forest fires and one of my challenges is wiping the ash off my paintings when I get up in the morning along with the usual dog hair or two! This is another scene from the Mediterranean which gave me a chance to use lots of bright pure color and to also try to loosen up as it would otherwise take forever with all the detail in the scene. Am starting to get a feel for how I want to paint - loose, what I want to paint - people, and what support is going to work best for me. This was done on a wrapped canvas which means it doesn't have to be framed since I have painted right over the sides, it's a 10 x 10 which is the smallest size I think I want to paint on and the under painting was done in a mid value orange acrylic rather than black which I found kept my paintings too dark.

The Man

Waiting
6 x 6
oil on doorskin

The days are hot now that summer is here and more of my spare time is spent outdoors swimming, cycling or running with not much time left to paint. I am getting out with my camera to the markets and after our trip to France I have a years worth of resource photos but I'm having trouble getting something on the canvas. I find quite often turning to an assignment helps keep me at it so checked in on Karin Jurick's latest posting. This DSFDF Challenge at first seemed daunting but I'm finding it to be increasingly easier to take the subject and focus on value and color, my two favorite components and so then the play began. I think this will be one of the last small paintings I do as I find the 6 x 6 format just a little too restricting and I haven't figured out how to frame them so they stand out well.

Getting Unstuck

Coffee Break
20 x 16
oil on canvas

This was one big project for me and having happily and with ease finished three quarters of it I found I was totally stuck the foreground which should have been relatively easy. No chance to hide or cover up as it is right there in your face. I even put it up on Gimp and created layers so I could change hue, value, intensity in order to resolve the issue. Although my Gimp painting looked okay no way could I transfer that to the real thing. Finally in desperation I threw some different combinations down and there we have the final product - for now anyway. Time to put this one away.

A good way to live

Seaside Cafe
6 x 6
oil on doorskin

Though I'm really a nester and a homebody I can see how travel influences your life and one of the things I've come home with is the appreciation of the slower and more relaxing French lifestyle. Long lunches, afternoon siesta's where the stores are closed and in the evening a glass of wine in a cafe overlooking the sea. This was a scene in Collioure on the Mediterranean where we were relaxing after our week long cycling trip.

Back to the Easel

Afloat
6 x 6
oil on doorskin

Am finally back to painting after being away for almost a month and it was very scary picking up the brushes again and having to reintroduce myself to my paints. A perfect start was the latest DSFDF subject by Karin Jurick which didn't inspire me a bit since I've now got hundreds of resource photos from our latest trip to France. Couldn't help putting a Mediterranean look to this scene. As usual once I started painting the fun began and I realized it doesn't really matter what the subject is. More importantly it is about color, value, line, intensity, shapes, composition and playing with all of these! I got so carried away and put so much paint down it wasn't sticking and I decided it was time to put this one aside and move on but I did really enjoy it - thanks again Karin for the challenge.

Multitasking - efficiency or procrastination?

Entertain Me
10 x 10
oil on canvas

This morning I found I was continually brushing my fingers on the painting messing up the foreground so finally I decided I'd have to go down to the garage, find a piece of wood and build a support to rest my hand on. On the way I came across some some towels bound for the laundry so I picked them up and headed for the laundry room. Of course I had to pass thru the kitchen to get there and I realized I hadn't had breakfast yet so I put scones in the oven to heat up and while I waited I surveyed the stack of last nights dishes. I caved in and filled the sink to wash them up, ate my breakfast and then tried to remember why I was downstairs - oh yah - the stick! This is the way my day goes and why I'm not very productive...
However I did get the painting done to the point of it being time to put it aside for a while. This is a scene from my hometown market which started up last weekend. Finally summer is here!

Hard faces or Faces are hard

Sweet Retreat
6 x 6
oil on doorskin

I'm having a tough time painting faces and I think it's because too much change in value, hue, intensity and the edges become hard. I'm feeling badly about the women looking a little on the tough side. These ladies were having a little time out while shopping the winding streets of a small town in France. People there carry a strange assortment of bags to haul home the groceries as they are way ahead of us in being 'green' and will not offer plastic bags at the grocery stores. I found my backpack worked well but the woman in pink leans towards economy opting for an orange garbage bag.

Looking forward to summer markets

Little Shopper
6 x 6
oil on doorskin

This was a scene near the Community Cafe that I didn't realize I had captured on my camera till I zoomed in and played with contrasts and saturation using Gimp (similar to Photoshop but free). I didn't spend long on this study especially when I found one of my dogs hairs permanently embedded on the board! But it was enough to give me a sense of the fun that can be had this summer when I have a chance to go to the market and the beach and collect resource photos! If only the weather would improve - we are still seeing snow.