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.

Benefits of birding

Day 28 Sunset on the strait

6 x 6 

Acrylic on canvas

Some people like to meditate or take yoga to find some peace and connection with themselves.  I like to go birding as it also gives me a huge connection to the world around me.  It also provides me with some amazing vistas at times of the day when I would otherwise be shopping or prepping dinner.  This scene was captured whilst out in Boundary Bay at sunset watching the owls find their dinner.  

Details and simplifying

Day 25 Marina

6 x 6

Acrylic on canvas

Well there is a lot going on in this marina.   A lot of information and that requires some simplification and weeding out  - kind of like life...

One week to go and will I make it - not so sure right now but doing my best.  Good luck to everyone!

Abstract Nature of Marine Industry

Day 8 Ship's Bow

6 x 6 

Acrylic on Canvas

Most marine painters seem to choose a photographic approach to painting boats and ships used in the marine industry.  I'm fascinated by the multitude of abstract designs everywhere one looks.  This was a fairly simple block in of shapes providing ample opportunity to play with warm and cool colors and should have been fun and easy but I found it very challenging feeling my way through the whole painting process.

Marine Theme

Day 6 Marine  SOLD

6 x 6

acrylic on canvas

I'm switching gears for the next few days and going with some marine paintings.  My husband is great at carrying his camera and snapping a few pics while coming from and going to work and I sometimes get a few when I drive for him.  This is from one of his photos and I loved the abstract design.  The piling in the foreground has a sign on it and though it's inclusion may not read well I'm drawn to the bright yellow so in it goes.

A New Year Challenge

Lake Como in progress

18 x 36

oil on canvas

Leslie Saeta has generously started a New Year 30 Day Challenge and much as I tried to come up with excuses not to join it I finally realized this is probably just what I need.  Check it out.  I think there may be still time to join up!

The Lake Como painting above was a larger piece that I started before Christmas and isn't finished yet but I think I'll hang it for a while and maybe the issues areas will resolve themselves, ha ha.  If they haven't by the end of January I'll work on it later in the spring.  My how life gets busy...

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.

Social side to painting out

Lower Town lakeside sketch

9 x 12

oil on canvas paper

One of the things I find about painting at home is the isolation that I feel from the world.  I may put on a radio talk show for background conversation but it doesn't help with the fact that most of the time it is a solitary activity.   A nice change is to take it outside and into the public.  It's amazing to see how many people walking by can take some enjoyment from watching the process and many have expressed interest in having a go at it themselves.  If you live in the central or southern Okanagan there is a group that meets Tuesday and Thursday for paint out sessions.  Check the Plein Air BC website for more info.  

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.

More plein air studies

Ladner Fish Boat

8 x 10

plein air study

There is something I find very satisfying about spending the first few hours of the day out in the landscape painting the scene in front of me.   Again in the comfort of my car as this was a dreary cold wet morning.  

Going Green

Ladner Harbour Boats

11 x 14

oil on canvas

My paintings reflect my life in some ways - constantly moving between the desert and the coast.  So here we are back on the coast in the little fishing village of Ladner.  I ventured out in my car on a cool winter morning, parked in the marina parking lot facing these boats and set up my paint box (pictured below) right on my lap never leaving the warmth and privacy of the vehicle.  It was so lovely and relaxing, listening to music and painting away - almost a timeless feel.   I used my plein air paper sketch as a guide for this larger canvas piece along with some photo reference, my usual process these days.

And this is my paint box, a summer project starting with a basic box, adding a hinged palette lined with glass and two hinged side pieces for holding brushes or medium and a piece of paper towel for wiping excess paint.  Paint tubes and brushes store underneath and two panels can store in the lid.  I can paint with the box on my lap or attach it to a tripod.  I'm 'going green' by using a glass palette which can be scraped with a blade and excess paint piled in a corner to use as an undercoat for the next painting and by pinning down a small square of paper towel which can hold an astounding amount more paint than a crumpled up piece in one's hand.  I  usually work with one brush rubbing off excess paint when changing colors and making sure I load up enough new paint on the brush to gently drop in the color without the old color seeping through.  This means no solvents necessary and again fewer paper towels.  Of course this works for now while painting small, we'll see when I start painting big outside!   

Shatford Show

Early Morning Calm

10 x 8

in progress

This painting does not reflect my life at the moment but rather how each day begins.  I try to start the morning with either a plein air outing or some cycling but before long manage to get swamped with technology and administration, yesterday being a new cell phone and taxes, today exploring website options and postcard designs.   Later I will visit our local art show at the Shatford Centre where I had my first success at being juried in.  In my excitement I forgot on my last post to thank Peggy Stel,  Picture This custom Framing in Penticton, who also had work juried in and did a great job framing my piece.  Hopefully the show will be online soon but in the meantime check out the winner of best in show, Shannon ford whose wonderful work can be seen at her website here.