Painting with Feeling

Tofino Morning, 18x36, acrylic

I really think it is important to have a feel for what it is you are painting. To know your subject and have a sense of it. We have been visiting Tofino for about 30 years. It is on the west side of Vancouver Island and has a wonderful wild and natural feel to it. The beaches are vast and wild and the Pacific Ocean pounds against the rugged shoreline. It is a favorite subject matter of mine. As I am painting I feel myself there amongst the rocks and windblown trees at the shore. I have a sense of what it is that I am trying to convey. It is such a humbling thing to try to capture the power of nature in a painting. It is certainly a challenge for me!