A Magical Place

Longbeach, Tofino, 30x30, acrylic

Another painting of one of my favourite places.  The area around Tofino and Ucluelet on the west side of Vancouver Island is just magical. The beaches are long and full of sunbleached driftwood,  the trees are windblown and wild. The rocks are rugged and waves pound the shore. Wonderful trails lead through the rainforest down to the beach. I never seem to tire of it, even after visiting for over 30 years. It feels like the edge of the world and I feel like an explorer. I particularly liked the tree shapes in this piece and the natural opening through the rocks pulls the viewer through and asks you to explore with me.

New Gallery Space.

Standing Tall, 40x30, acrylic

One of the galleries that I am in, the Jenkins Showler, is opening up a brand new space in Morgan Crossing, South Surrey, B.C. I have seen the new space and I think it will be beautiful, the location also seems to be very good. It is always exciting to be part of something new, this is a new piece for them. They hope to have things up and running by early May.

Texture and Colour

Sentinal, 30x24, acrylic

I have been wanting to add more texture and interest to my paintings. I want to enjoy the actual physical quality of the paint and layer and glaze to create more interest in the surface. In this one I toned the canvas with a strong bronzy colour and then built it up using some translucent, opaque and transparent layers. I let a lot of the original colour come through in the rocks. I also built up texture with gel medium. I find that I am excited to try something similar in the next piece, I need to really play around and practice this kind of thing.

I am still here

Distant Shores, 30x40, acrylic

I thought I had better get a post up before everyone starts to think I have quit painting. I seem to have been very distracted lately and also working on some experimental stuff. I would like to get more depth and interest in the paint layers, so I will post anything worthwhile soon. This is a new one, the inspiration came from a hike along the Wild Pacific Trail out of Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. Such powerful stunning wild scenery, a painting could never do it justice. I love to work with a complementary palette, this one being blues and oranges. Unfortunately I just noticed there is some shadowing from the photo in the upper right , oh well you get the idea.

Update

On the Rocks, 40x30, acrylic

Well I couldn't leave the last one alone so I thought I would post the updated version. I am happier with this one. My main aim is to capture a sense of the place and to try to convey the rugged beauty of it. I try to keep in mind the importance of interesting shapes and to keep them as simple as possible. I find it exciting to anticipate the next painting and all the possibilities. This painting on a textured ground was interesting I may play around with it some more.

Struggling

On the Rocks, 40x30, acrylic

I have really struggled with this piece, and  I am still not sure about it. First try I thought I had tightened everything up, it didn't have any panache. I went back in with a bigger brush and loosened up the trees and sky. I added texture to the rocks with gel medium, and dry brushed over it. It made for an interesting ground to paint over. I will leave it for awhile and try to come back to it with a fresh eye later. It amazes me how often I can look at a piece I was quite happy with and see all kinds of things I want to change.

Changes

Mountain Ridge, Whistler, 30x30, acrylic

I gave this one a hard look because I was taking it to the  Rendezvous gallery last week. I decided it needed a bit of a rework. I posted it before but I felt that I needed to redesign the area around the central trees. I took some of them out and tried to open it up a bit so that the eye could move around more easily. There is always so much to consider in creating a painting. I must take the time to lay a good foundation and do those value sketches, I am always in such a hurry to start a new piece and then I end up going back to fix things. Wouldn't it be nice if each piece just flowed off the brush with no need for revisions.

Trees

Twist and Shout, 30x30, acrylic

I just love to paint trees, they have such wonderful character. These are arbutus trees, they have great colour, rusts, mauves, oranges, ochres and greys, and their trunks and branches twist and turn all over the place. The bark peels back and reveals even more colour beneath. I enjoy stylizing the shapes and colours. This piece was inspired by a trip to Hornby Island a couple of years ago.

Acrylic

Shallow Waters, 24x48, acrylic
In my last post, I had a comment that asked why I didn't paint in oils. When I first started to paint I used oils, it is a beautiful medium. I then worked for years in watercolour, another wonderful medium, each had its own unique qualities. I enjoy acrylics, I am able to glaze and work the paint in layers without long drying times. I can work transparently or in impasto I find it very versatile. I am constantly learning different ways of applying the paint and I enjoy the process. This piece is new, I started on a white canvas and underpainted each area as I went along. I also used round brushes instead of the flats I usually use, fun to mix it up and see the results.

Edges

Sunlit Shore, 22x28, acrylic

I find that working in acrylics I tend to get a lot of hard edges. I am trying different brushes and strokes to help me with softer edges, especially with my tree shapes. This piece is actually a rework of a much older painting that I felt was not working. I am much happier with this one. I tried not to overwork the trees and to leave them with an airy feeling. I find I like to mix it up once in awhile and I try to apply the paint in a new way. I also played with some texture by patting gel medium on the canvas where the rocks would be.

Titles

Shoreline Reflections, Schooner Cove, 36x48, acrylic

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Does anyone else have the same problem with titles that I do. It is something I never look forward to. Much of my subject matter comes from the same source, and I find it such a struggle to come up with creative titles

I prefer to use something descriptive and not too flowery. I read once that if you don't have some idea for the title at the start then you probably shouldn't paint the piece. Maybe there is some truth in that, you need to understand the focus of the piece and be able to express that in a few simple words. Easier said than done I have found.

Happy New Year!

Shades of Blue, 36x48, acrylic

I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to look at my postings and leave a comment or two. It has been such fun to blog with you all. Here's to a new year with wonderful painting possibilities. One of my resolutions is to try some plein air, when it gets warmer of course! I still don't have anything new to post. This piece is one I really enjoyed doing. The subject is something I love and I had fun with the shapes. I often like to stylize a piece it allows for so much creativity. There is nothing worse than being slavishly tied to a subject. To express yourself with brushwork and colour and shape is what makes the work original. The goal for me is to capture the feel and atmosphere of the place, and to capture some of the joy I felt in being there.

Merry Christmas

Fraser Riverbank, 16x20, acrylic

I hope that everyone had a good Christmas. We enjoyed a wonderful family day, but  I am enjoying the quiet of today and I finally picked up a brush for the first time in two weeks. It feels good to get back to my easel, I am working on a commission and hope to have it finished by the end of the week. This piece is from a walk along the Fort to Fort trail in Fort Langley, a beautiful spot on the Fraser River near Vancouver.

Older pieces

Autumn Glow, 12x16, acrylic

I have fallen behind in my painting lately, such a busy time of year. I am going to post some older pieces just so you know I am still around. I liked the somewhat graphic quality of these tree trunks and branches, and the lovely warm fall colours, and of course I can't resist a trail.

Another Trail

Forest Greens, 15x30, acrylic

As I have mentioned before I enjoy painting these long horizontals. I wanted to try a subject that has a strong vertical pull ie: the tree trunks. I think it creates a bit of a tension.  The hits of warmth help to off set all of the greens, and the trail pulls you in. I seem to have had a lot of interruptions lately and I haven't done as much painting as I would like, therefore not enough posts. I hope to get in the swing at least by the new year.

Mountains

Mountain Vista, 24x36,  acrylic

I remember when we first moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1968 from a seaside town in England. We took a drive into the Rockies and were just mesmerized by the mountains, they were breathtaking. Forty two years later I still feel that way. This piece was inspired by a trip to Whistler. I stylized the shapes and colours and tried to capture some of their majesty.

Verticals

Shoreline Magic, 24x12, acrylic

Some subects just call for a certain format. This one I felt needed to be a vertical. I enjoy the long narrow shape, whether horizontal or vertical, it seems to make for an interesting composition. In this one I wanted to put the highlight on the bubbling surf at the shore. At first I thought that I would make the background island more indistinct but I couldn't seem to help myself and added more detail. Overall I am pleased. It seemed to capture the feel that I was after.

Rework

Island View, Hornby, 30x40, acrylic

I brought this piece home from a gallery and decided to rework it. I love that I can do that, acrylics are so versatile.  I completely redid the sky and made a few changes to the foreground. Usually if I am not pleased with an older piece I am tempted to just repaint the whole thing, so I consciously try to take my time and really think it through. Maybe I won't need to change as much as I thought. I can look at an area and think it needs to be darker, but maybe the area next to it just needs to be lighter. It is all relative. The real frustration is when you know it needs something but you just don't know what.

A Favourite Place

Beach at Savary Island, 18x24, acrylic

This is an older piece, but it is one of my favourites. I like the atmosperic misty feel in the background. Savary Island is near Powell River on the Sunshine Coast, it is a beautiful spot and this one takes me back there.

Another Trail

Forest Trail, Tofino, 30x30

Well I just can't resist these trails. They are so full of character and atmosphere. The trees are so old and the branches hang down and reach out creating wonderful patterns. I always find the values to be a real challenge in this type of scene. I tend to try and simplify it by making the foreground dark and the background light. It is easy to get carried away with lots of little highlights dancing all over the place but that can fragment the whole image and take away the strength of it. I also painted this with quite a limited palette. Ultra blue, cad yell light, aliz crimson, brt sienna, yellow ochre, thalo green and titanium white.