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.

Skies

Sunset Glow, Tofino, 16x20, acrylic

I have lately been very attracted to painting different skies. I have done some larger pieces that were almost exclusively sky and I enjoy being able to interpret the wonderful colours and shapes on the canvas. Skies can offer such a wide range of possibilities in a painting, everyone a little bit different. The colours can range from the most beautiful silvery greys to vibrant oranges and reds, great stuff for a painter. The sky being the source of light in a landscape will always set the tone of the piece. This sunset set the stage for this one, I wanted the sky to be the main character, but I also wanted the crashing waves to play a supportive part so I kept them a little more subdued.

Patterns

Whistler Ridge, 30x30, acrylic

I was attracted to this subject because of the patterns of snow on the ridge. The light and dark patterns were also a great opportunity to play with. The trees were a very dark band across the middle ground, so I opened it up a bit to create a path of light from foreground to background. Greens of course are always a challenge, I tried to add warm and cool greens to add interest. I am overall quite pleased but I may still tinker a little bit.

Something Different

Riverside, 11x14, acrylic

This one is a little bit different for me. I painted it a while ago and it has become one of my favorites. I think that I like the somewhat graphic design of the trees against the silvery sky and water. We live close to a river and dykes, this came from walking along the trails by the river.

On the Road

Road Trip, 36x48, acrylic

I have often found that some of the best subject matter is seen as we fly by in the car. We were on our way to Sunpeaks near Kamloops last thanksgiving. Fall was in the air and the colours were turning the hillsides many beautiful shades. As I have said before I like to pull the viewer into a scene using trails etc, so I thought maybe a road would work. It is the first time I have done this, maybe more will follow. It is a large piece and I kept the palette quite subdued, mostly blues and orange with some cad red and yellow. I first had too much colour at the sides, I greyed that down to pull the attention into the painting. I took this one to the Rendezvous Gallery in Vancouver. Unfortunately this image has washed out the blues in background, but at least it gives you the idea.

Complementary Colours

Amphitrite Point Lighthouse, 22x28, acrylics

This is a painting of a lighthouse in Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The terrain is very rugged and the ocean is wild. I used a complementary palette of colour on the rocks, yellow gold and purples to make it sing as much as I could. I also like to use warm and cool of the same colours when I can, for example the blues in the sky and water. I keep hoping that I will be able to mindlessly create good work, but I realize more and more that I have to have my thinking cap on at all times. This piece is available at the Rendezvous Gallery, Vancouver.

Square Canvas

Shoreline Blues, 30x30, acrylic

Lately I have really been enjoying painting on a square canvas. It seems like an odd format for a landscape painter, but I find it very appealing. I also like the finished look of a square painting when it is framed. Maybe it is the challenge of breaking up the symmetry of the four equal sides. This is a very simple composition, similar to others I have done. I stylized the shapes in the sky and sand to add interest and played with a variety of blues and greys.

Show Night

We had a great time at the opening last night. This is a picture of me with my husband and daughter. It was a very good turnout and lots of interesting people to chat with, and people were really interested in the art, which is always so nice. I met some new fellow artists and I felt very proud to have my work hanging with theirs. Thanks to Anne and George for all of their hardwork in putting on the show.

Don't Give Up

Sea Shore Sparkle, 12x16, acrylic

This painting is an example of not giving up. I started out with the idea of doing something high key, that is no real darks. I also had trees and beach and water etc. Well I didn't care for that so I then added a full value range but that wasn't working either. I kept feeling that I just couldn't settle. At this point I thought about just putting it aside but I didn't want to give up on it. I decided to open up the composition and have a more open sweeping feeling to the water and horizon. I  pushed the blues which I love to do and now I am pleased. Making changes and building up the paint can even add another dimension.

For the Show

Wind and Sea, 18x24, acrylic

This piece will also be in my upcoming group show. The opening will be on Sat Oct 2 at the Jenkins Showler Gallery, 7pm - 10pm. I wanted to capture the feeling of the wind at the seashore so I stylized the shapes and tried to create some movement in the sky. I find more and more I want to be expressive and paint less of just a rendering of the subject.

More Trees

Falling Leaves, 12x16, acrylic

Fall is in the air and of course I am attracted to the wonderful colours of the turning leaves. This one came from a photo I took last year. I put in the bright colours of the main tree on a white canvas and then the challenge was to create a background that would stay back and not compete. I wanted the whole piece to have some jazzy strokes of colour, overall I am pleased. I constantly feel that I could push things further, more paint, more colour, more interesting shapes. I feel energized and motivated because there is so much left to explore.

Another for the Show

Against the Wind, 22x28, acrylic

This is another piece for the show at Jenkins Showler gallery. I like to add character to the trees and elements in the painting. So I push the shapes and colours, I think it makes for a more dramatic piece. I have heard from the Birthplace of BC Gallery that the CBC was there in Fort Langley with a news team to interview artist Al Colton for a news story. His show will be opening next week at the gallery. The item will be on the Monday evening news. He has trained and worked with some of the group of seven and does wonderful Canadiana type of work.

Show coming up

Blue Beyond, 36x36, acrylic

I will be part of a group show at the Jenkins Showler gallery. It is their 20th anniversary, so certainly worthy of a celebration. The opening is on Oct 2 and I hope that some of you can make it. This is one of my new pieces. I always love seeing the ocean through the trees as you get closer to the end of the trail. I was going to really push the colour but I wanted a tranquil feeling so I kept it fairly soft. I also decided not to make the foliage on the trees too heavy and dark. I am overall pleased with the result.

More Colour

Twists and Turns, 30x40, acrylic

I wanted to try a painting with a lot of saturated colour. The arbutus trees seemed to be a great subject. They have wonderful character and colour. I had a lot a fun just putting on the paint. I am usually concerned with creating sublety and with this one I didn't worry about that. It was quite freeing and fun.

Trails

Rainforest Trail, Tofino, 30x30, acrylic

I just love to paint a trail. It is such a natural way to lead the viewer into the painting. I want them to wonder what is around that corner beyond the trees. I want them to smell the forest and the ocean beyond. There are some wonderful trails around Tofino and the Pacific rim on Vancouver Island. The vegetation is very lush with salal and ferns. The forest is quite shady but as you get closer to the beach the light starts to dance around, and you can hear the waves crashing. I used some brush strokes that almost scrubbed the paint on for some of the foliage, it worked quite well. This much green is always a challenge. This image seems to have a lot of light reflecting off the canvas, sorry about that.

Patterns and Shapes

Quiet Shores, 12"x24", acrylic

I like to paint this type of format especially as a horizontal. I find it especially suits a landscape. It works well if you want to capture the feel of a sweeping vista. This is another scene from the Tofino area on the west coast of Vancouver Island. I enjoy using a stylized approach, it allows me to have fun with patterns in the sky and rocks etc, and be more expressive with the colours. More and more I seem to be pushing the patterns and rhythms of shapes.

Trip to Port Renfrew

China Beach, 36x36, acrylic

We had a great couple of days in the Port Renfrew area of Vancouver Island. Although I did slip on the rocks and fell and broke my camera, I was too excited with the scenery to watch my step. This painting is from an area called China Beach, it is a bit of a hike down but it is well worth it. It is wild and fabulous like so many of the beaches on the west side of the Island. This day the light was just bouncing around on the waves and the misty fog was wafting in. The biggest challenge was the water. I may still play around with it.

Back from Holiday

Misty Shores, 22x28, acrylic

I just got back from a trip to Vancouver Island. We explored around the Port Renfrew area. There are some wonderful rugged beaches and trails to check out. I got some good subject matter and I look forward to posting some new images. We have been having a heat wave here, and it is very hot in my studio. I find I tend to wilt in the heat and I am not very productive. I hope to get it in gear later in the week. This is a painting that I did a few years ago. It is very much like the area that we were just in. I have always liked this piece. I think it is important to try and capture the atmosphere of a place, I did a number of glazes on this and it helped to give it that misty quality.

Painting in the Garden

Leafy Canopy, 24x36, acrylic

Well I am finally getting around to a new post. I was busy over the weekend. The Birthplace of BC gallery has an annual anniversary celebration. Many of the artists paint outside in the gardens around the gallery. It is a fun event and always draws a good crowd. I worked on this one and overall I was quite pleased with it. I brought it home to add the finishing touches. The inspiration for this came from a trip to my brothers in Sooke on Vancouver Island. We explored some nice little beaches along the way.