Saturday, October 20, 2012

Another recent painting...

Vaseau Lake Reflection
Once again playing with what is happening on the surface - what is really there, what is reflected, the illusion of depth. I love the grading of saturated ultramarine to cerulean blue playing against the gold in this one. The image refers to a spot in the Okanogan where I spent a bit of time working on bird banding at one of the migration monitoring stations. There was a Sandhill crane hanging out in this body of water - fun to be working around a great bird like that!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Something delightful

I want to share this link to a site about an installation in Montreal that involves light and music - created by people, having fun together....

https://vimeo.com/40980676

It is a delightful idea - simple, eloquent and engrossing for those who participate....

We need more ideas like this!

Happy mid September....

Thursday, September 6, 2012

A new diptych


Flowing Water
40 x 50 in.

Another diptych - I do enjoy working over multiple canvases... I like how it emphasizes the continuity of the image beyond the confines of a single rectangle... This is a fairly large work - it was a challenge in the tiny space of my temporary rented studio. I am pleased with the sense of movement I finally captured here.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Another New Water Series Painting


Ripples and Reflections
30 x 40 in.

Another new painting - I am definitely getting more time in the studio now! This one gives the feel of the kayak-level view over the water. It was one of those paintings that flowed easily as I worked - no struggle. Often the paintings I feel are most successful also have that ease in their creation.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Wave Patterns


Wave Patterns III
24 x 74 in.

We have finally had some time to get out in the kayaks, and that has inspired my to work on one of my favourite themes. The patterns of waves always fascinates me, and. In this one I wanted to capture the luminosity that comes with sunny days on the water. I divided this horizontal format into a triptych (3 panels) - it helps to emphasize that this is "clipped out" from the immensity of the sea around it. Just imagine yourself sitting in a little boat, rocking in the rhythm of the waves as they flow by....

Monday, April 23, 2012

Still Water

Oil on Canvas
30 x 40 inches

This is another image exploring the effect of light on the surface against the reflection cast into the water. I love playing with that sense of solidity versus the feeling of depth. This image was inspired at one of the ponds near where I lived in Alberta. I frequently stopped by to check on the various bird families being raised on this tiny body of water (eared grebes, sora, wigeon...). Every visit offers a new visual experience for ideas to paint.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Bird as Printmaker

In this post, I offer an image made not by myself, but by a bird... A friend sent this image (thanks, Steve) which was left on his kitchen window after a Rock dove slammed into the pane of glass while escaping from a Merlin. Happily, the bird made a good recovery after being rescued by my friend (thanks again, Steve), and flew off without realizing that it had done some avian print-making. Amazing how you can make out the individual feathers, the eye, a bit of the elevated wings...

Sunday, February 12, 2012

New Home, New Work....

Well, we have settled in to our new home on Quadra Island on Canada's west coast - and I am finding new inspiration in my surroundings here! Having these beautiful rain forests all around me really draws me to paint them.... having avoided painting much landscape work in the past, I now find myself tilting in that direction. This images is from one of my favourite trails near where we live, where the light filters through the trees in a different way every day - endless fodder for paintings, I suspect!!!