Day 5

Apex Downhill

12 x 12

Acrylic on Doorskin

Another winter scene for a very snowy January.

Day 4

Nickleplate Vista

12 x 12

Acrylic on Doorskin

Paused for a pic during my skate ski yesterday and couldn't wait to paint this scene today!

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.

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 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.

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. 

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.

Paint out day at Skaha Lake

Gray Day in the Falls SOLD

12 x 16

oil on canvas board

June 1st was a paint out day organized by Glenn Clark and the Penticton Art Gallery and all local artists were invited to join in with the only rule being that Skaha Lake had to be in the painting.  This is an annual fundraiser for the local gallery so the artist is expected to donate the painting or one chosen by the gallery.  I decided to join a few artists that I know and really enjoyed the challenge of picking a scene to paint, dealing with the weather and of course enjoying the many conversations with curious onlookers.  The view that I chose was looking east across the lake at Okanagan Falls.  Those hills in the background are my favourite for trail running.

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. 

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.