Making Changes

Gulls at the Shore, 24x48, acrylic

Well this is the third time that I have posted this image. Each time I have made some changes, it drove me crazy. I am now happy with it and I think I have created a better focal point by adding the gulls at the water's edge. The palette is somewhat subdued and I think it adds a little bit more interest and life to the painting. I like the soft reflective shoreline against the harder edges of the rocks.

Different Palette

Autumn Splendour, 36"x36", acrylic

I find that I get very comfortable with my usual colour palette. I can readily reach for safe mixes that will do the job. With this one I wanted to try something different. It was great fun to play with the beautiful warm colours. I ended up glazing over the upper part of the hillside with white to create more atmosperic perspective and to cool it down. I think that sometimes I get caught up in the result and I don't take time to enjoy just putting the paint on the canvas, and playing a little. I just took this piece out to the Birthplace of BC gallery in Fort Langley. I will be out there on Aug 1 and 2 (Sun and Mon) painting in the gardens with other gallery artists.

Playing with the light

Dancing Light, 12x16, acrylic

The whole reason for painting this image was to try and capture the light bouncing like diamonds on the water. I first used a warm yellow orange colour and built up to the light. I was trying to get a bit of a glow. I also used my finger to smudge some edges to get a reflective quality in the water. I kept the blues quite strong to help with the feeling of a bright day.  We like to rent a boat  and explore the islands around Howe Sound it gives a very different perspective being on the water.

Light and Shade

Dappled Light, 30x36, acrylic

I really do enjoy painting trees. In this one the light was very strong in contrast to the shadows. I wanted an overall warm feeling, so I didn't make the shadows too cool. Overall I am quite pleased with the effect.

Another Big Sky

Golden Sky, 36x36, acrylic

I am enjoying these sweeping sky paintings. The colours are also wonderful to play with in big broad strokes. The main challenge is to establish a feeling of perspective. Keeping the edges soft is also a challenge in acrylics.

Painting Big

Power and Glory, 36x48", acrylic

I really enjoy painting a large canvas. I find it very freeing to use big and bold brush strokes. I seem to be more expressive on a larger scale. Last year we travelled to Powell River, B.C. and saw some beautiful sunsets. That was the inspiration for this piece. On my first attempt I had the water much too busy, it seemed to compete with the sky. I calmed it down and I am happier with the peaceful feel of the painting. I always like to try and draw the viewer in, so it was important to have a sense of perspective in the sky and the water. I think I will do some more of these.

After the Show

Mountain Valley, 30x40", acrylic

Well the fundraiser was a bit of a dissapointment. No sales to report. It is a lot of work for just a two and a half hour event. The good thing is I now have some new paintings. This is one of them. What first drew me to this image was the lovely blues in the mountains and middle distance. It gave me a chance to play the warm foreground colours off against those blues. The challenge was the bare trees in the foreground. I wanted to keep them loose and not paint every bare branch. I am trying to make more creative brushstrokes, dragging and pulling and using the brush on the side. I think trial and error is the best way to learn. I almost always use flats.

Preparing for a Show

Lionsgate from Stanley Park, 24x30, acrylic

Finally I am getting around to a new post. I have been preparing for a show on Saturday evening. It is a fundraiser for our local hospital foundation. Last year it was a wonderful event. My preference is to paint larger canvases and now I am concerned about logistics, always something to worry about! Thank goodness my husband will be helping me set up. I find the frames are so easily damaged. Yesterday I took pictures of the paintings and today I will get them in frames and make up title cards etc. My problem seems to be that I want to keep fiddling with them, just one more stroke here or there. I prefer to live with a finished work for a while until I feel really good about it. This piece I wanted to really make use of the warm underpainting and let it come through, I am pleased with the overall warm feel of it.

Artistic License

Helliwell Park, Hornby, 22x28, acrylic

I painted this one last summer. Hornby Island is one of the gulf islands near Vancouver. The coastline of this park is very distinctive with windblown grasses and cliffs. I took some license in playing up the colours, and simplifying the shapes. Overall I was pleased and felt that it captured the feel of the place.

Making Changes

Pacific Shores, 24x48, acrylic

Well it didn't take me long to realize I was not happy with the last painting I posted. When I saw it in print it was just not right. I thought it seemed quite blah! So here is what I have done with it. Maybe it will get changed again I am still not very excited with it. I think I need to take a break and look at it later with a fresh eye. I often have a vision and get quite excited about it and then that seems to wane somewhere in the execution of the piece. It is so important to keep an eye on the larger picture and value pattern and not get caught up in endless little details that will not help.

Challenging yourself

Pacific Shores, 24x48, acrylic

I usually feel daunted at the prospect of painting large areas of rocks. Yet I am drawn to this kind of subject matter. The power of the ocean crashing against the shoreline rocks. So I try to challenge myself, and take on a big project, to try and grapple with my insecurities. I am of course never really satisfied with the results. I like to paint in a somewhat loose way, so I try to work on simplifyling the shapes and creating the feel of the subject. I am having trouble I think with a clear light and shadow pattern. Oh well, another challenge for the next time.

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!

65 Red Roses

One Red Rose, 8x10, acrylic

I was asked to participate in a fundraiser for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis organization. 65 artists from the Federation of Canadian Artists were asked to paint an 8x10 image of a single rose. These will all be combined into a large mural and presented to the Cystic Fibrosis group at a gala evening next Saturday. The mural will then be auctioned off as a fundraiser. I am very happy to be part of this great event. So this is my contribution.

Leading the eye in

Country Lane, 30x36", acrylic

I really enjoy pulling the viewer into a composition. Lanes, trails, pathways are always very appealing, we want to naturally follow them along. I try to hold the viewer visually in the picture, but also emotionally. To have them wonder what is around that corner or at the end of that pathway. To feel themselves in the scene exploring. I have been trying to control edges more lately. I find working in acrylics that I tend to get very hard edged. This one I kept the background trees as soft as I could and I am quite pleased.

Spring is Here

Burst of Blossom, 30x36", acrylic

I have not had much time to paint this week. Spring is definitely here in Vancouver so I thought I would post this image from a few years ago. It has always been one of my favourite paintings. I wanted to capture the feel of the blossoms bursting out. I had fun pushing the pinks and yellows. Today I have time to paint and I am really looking forward to it. I have been thinking about making my landscapes a little more contemporary. Maybe bolder colours and patterns, maybe more surface texture. I like to try new things it keeps me on my toes.

New Work

Creekside, 30x30", acrylic

I live in an area that is basically surrounded by dykes. This is a little creek that runs close to a path that is a very popular dyke walk. I wanted to express the wild overgrown feel surrounding this subject. I also like to try and capture a sense of movement, maybe the wind is catching the grasses and leaves. The blue of the water seemed to be  a nice complement to the oranges. Let me know what you think.

New Work

Feeling Blue, 30"x30", acrylic

I just took this one out to the http://www.birthplaceofbcgallery.com/ . The windblown trees and the shapes of rocks and waves are always an inspiration to me. I grew up by the seaside in England and I think my heart is close to the ocean. I love the smell and sounds of the waves and gulls. I like to say that I don't need to be in it or on it but I like to be by the water. I don't often put people in my work. I like to look at a painting and imagine that I have discovered it, a quiet place for me to explore.

New Painting

Walk through the Rainforest, 36x36", acrylic

I wanted to paint something loose and strong. I started this one by just making some gestural marks with a paper towel dipped in paint. I felt that it gave the painting a more energetic start that I really enjoyed. I wanted to maintain that energy throughout. I tried not to refine everything too much. When I look at nature I like the overgrown rugged nature of it. We have walked these boardwalk trails through the rainforest around Tofino for many years. Lots of climbing stairs and then finally going down toward the beach. It is such a magical place.

New Painting

View to Howe Sound, 24"x30", acrylic

This is another reworking of an older piece. I am much happier with this. It has a lot of paint on the canvas and I like the textural feel as the paint builds up. Making a clear value difference between the foreground, middle and background helps to create a sense of depth and pulls the viewer in. I wanted to capture the silvery light on the water, from one of the many viewpoints looking over Howe Sound.

New Work

Shannon Falls, 36"x24", acrylic

I have been struggling along on this one for a few days and I am still not sure if I am happy with it. I have had a photo for awhile that I have wanted to paint, mainly because of the white shape of the falls. However the rest of the image is very dark. When my husband was at the falls during the Olympics he took another shot, this time the background was completely in mist and very light in value. I liked the contrast but neither image really gave me enough information. I am liking the direction of this better than my first attempt which had the rocks a darker value. The foreground was not clearly separated from the middle and background and I lost the depth that I feel it needs.  This one seems to give it more atmospheric perspective. I will post an update if I work on it some more. It is hard sometimes to know when to stop fiddling. I really prefer a somewhat spontaneous painterly look. When I start reaching for smaller brushes and getting into too much detail I am usually in trouble. I will often say at a class if you are in trouble pick up a larger brush.