Snow shadow

small acrylic 12 x12 inches.
The last of my winter shadow paintings.

Winter At The Priddis Greens

acrylic 18 x 24
Another scene from the Priddis Greens Golf course and area.

Afternoon in Priddis

acrylic 20 x 26.

A gorgeous afternoon near Priddis ( off  22x toward Bragg Creek) at the private golf course. How nice, even in the winter that they clear all the cart paths around the course. I took some wonderful reference photos and it was so peaceful. I'll have to go back in the summer and check it out. It surely will be busier and I may need permission ( maybe I can rent a cart).

This painting came together quickly as I painted over an old painting full of texture, and loosely brushed in my darks and lights ( no drawing). As I proceeded, I tried to be careful not to overwork it.I'm not sure you can see from the photo, but it has a nice freshness to it. I may tweak it here and there but it's pretty much finished.

Yikes! I only have a couple of more old canvases to paint over. ( And these ones are only a year or two old). I guess I'll have to add the texture myself, before and during, relying on my trusty palette knife.

My reference photo.

The Banks Of Elbow

acrylic, 18 x 36

This is referenced from one of the photos I took while out with the family to Elbow Falls near Bragg Creek. A perfect day with sunshine and melting snow along the banks. I pumped up the color quite a bit and I'm really liking it. It came together quickly.

Below is the original photo and then cropped and slightly photoshoped.

Winter Shadows

acrylic 20 x 30,
I really love shadows in the snow and with all this beautiful sunny warm weather it's perfect to venture out with camera in hand. Tomorrow is another nice day, so I must get out before all the snow melts!

A Misty Tangle

Acrylic, 24 x 24
This is loosely based on a different angle of Tangle Falls, Jasper National Park. I have more waterfalls to do but I'm going to take a break.

 I was out to Elbow Falls and area on Saturday ...the weather was fabulous and I loved all the shadows from the trees in the snow. Min Ma ( he doesn't have a website but he you can google him) has done a lot of paintings depicting trees and shadows and I just have to try my hand at it.

Glow From The Top

acrylic 12 x12
I was quite pleased with the looseness of this one. Totally done with a palette knife except for a little dry brushing at the very end  ( mainly on the trees to blend and soften the edges ) . This little bit of dry brushing also brings out the texture.

A Splash With Red

Acrylic, 16 x 12 inches

The photo reference had a lot of branches and broken tree trunks crossing the water with no foliage. I found it a little too busy and I must admit I find doing these kind of branches and trees difficult, especially  with a palette knife, so decided on one tree with a plash of color. I think it works quite well.

Tangled Mist

acrylic , 4 ft x 5 ft

Just a few details to work out and live with it for awhile, but I thought I'd show my process. This is Tangle falls in Jasper National Park, just past the Columbia Ice fields from highway 93 on the way to Jasper. I think this is the area they want to commercialize...make a walkway and charge people to see it...such a shame.

Falling Behind

acrylic 36 x 24 inches

I painted over another older painting I had done in early 2009.( see below) It had such luscious texture. I can't remember offhand the original waterfalls the first painting was referenced from but I've changed it so much you wouldn't recognize it anyway.  It didn't photograph very well though.

below is a close up detail showing the texture..please full view by clicking on it.

Gentle Cascade

acrylic 15 x 30 inches

The second in my series of waterfalls...slowly working my way to larger canvases. I'm deviating so much from my reference photos that I need to come up with some inventive titles.

Falling Through

acrylic 12 x 24 inches

This painting came together quite nicely...and quick too! ( 2 hours ). After watching some of Johannes Vloothuis free online tutorials on waterfall painting, I decided I would do another waterfall series. Somehow I don't tire of waterfalls and my gallery loves them, so it's a win win situation for me.

This was referenced from two photo's but not using them a a crutch. Speaking of Johannes, a while back I watched many of his tutorials on painting landscapes from photographs...I learned a lot of useful tips and information. He is sponsored by wet canvas and is still offering free live online workshops.
You can also purchase his taped courses online at a nominal cost. I really recommend him to all skill levels as there is always something to learn or be refreshed. Johannes's website

Garden Sculptures

For a little fun and something different,I took a 'garden sculpture' workshop from my talented friend Jane Romanishko. Instant gratification to take a finished piece home in one day! Paverpol is a new product (five years in Canada) invented 10 years ago in the Netherlands and the possibilities are endless! Checkout Paverpol website. Its was nice to meet other artists ( mostly painters) and a fun day was had by all...can't wait to do another one.

Winters Gift

acrylic 12 x12 inches
I wish I could say this just fell off my paintbrush it was so easy! As small as it is, it took me longer to paint this as it does for a 36x 36...to bad I couldn't charge the same price . I'm not sure I'll ever figure out why. Is it being in the 'zone'?

Field of Daises

acrylic 16 x 20 inches

I am submitting a few painting to the Federation Of Canadian Artists ( Calgary Chapter), and one of the paintings had to be in keeping with the "Spring" theme. I have painted similar daisies before and found them to be quite challenging...they still are. I tried to keep the texture and define the petals and stems without becoming too tight and detailed

Hmmm, which to choose?

acrylic, 11 x 14 inches,

I pass this scene often on my way to Leighton Centre.It's off of 266 ave when the snow is melting on the side of the road. I am only allowed to submit 3 paintings for the Juried Members Show ( all of which may or may not be accepted). I have already decided on 2 but can't decide between this one and the following.

acrylic 18 x24 inches

This is Barbara Leighton's parrot, Rojo. I thought I'd try something a little different and I'm not too sure it works, but maybe it's because I'm not used to it. It has a lot of texture from tissue paper and gel. The challenge was to tone down the green in the bird and to give a mystical  mood. ( originally I had a photo transfer of Barbara's ghost like face coming through the bird cage but it was way too creepy, lol. 

Anyway, I'm already submitting 2 landscapes so I'm leaning towards  Rojo. What do you think?

Winter Gold

 

acrylic 20 x 20

Just a few details to finish...but I'm really liking the feel of this one. I think I have captured the light quite well.

Grotto canyon Trail

acrylic, 20 x 20 inches.

I'm back in the studio after a family trip to Edmonton and coming back with a cold, which I nursed for 3 days. I still have a nasty cough, but the paints beckon..I have deadlines and commitments to meet. As well as my gallery, FCA, and Leighton Centre, I have also have set a goal for myself of 10 paintings a month.Not such a hard task now, but it will be when I start my larger canvases.

This painting is referenced from the Grotto Canyon Trail near Canmore Alberta.

Chill By The Creek

Acrylic 20 x 30,
This one still needs some work, but I like to see what it look like when I load it on the computer. Somehow , many of the mistakes seem to jump right out this way...and I see a few I need to fix. Again this one is turning out quite different from what I had imagined. This was referenced from Policeman's Creek in Canmore.

Leighton From The Side

acrylic 16 x 20,

Another version of Leighton Art Centre. Not sure I'm quite done with this one. It didn't turn out exactly as I had envisioned or planned to paint it. Funny how that works sometimes...you just have to go with the flow and see where it leads you. Many happy accidents and pleasant surprises happen this way. It didn't photograph very well, though, it does look much better in real life.

Behind Leighton Centre

acrylic, 36 x 24

This is one of my entries into the Leighton Centre Juried Members Show. Before the deep freeze hit us , I took advantage of some mild weather to take some photos out at the Centre. I wasn't quite sure how to approach this painting so I decided to paint over an old canvas first...my drawing was going to off a little,as the trees were all in different positions. I'm pleasantly surprised with the outcome and may not need to do another one. Below is my original photo, adjusted photo and the old canvas.

On The Prowl

acrylic, 36 x 24
The last of my bears for while ...I think. More landscapes and paintings for the Leighton Center Members show. ( I'm working on some different concepts and techniques...should be fun ). It's a relief I don't have to worry about Stampede this year, as I didn't apply...much to busy to worry about that show.

The Companion

acrylic 20 x 16

I haven't painted a street/urban scene in well over two years! It was extremely difficult for me to start this painting. A friend of mine bought one of my paintings a long time ago and asked for a 'companion' piece to go with it. At the time, I was doing landscapes and was just starting my relationship with Mountain Galleries, so I kept putting it off. Months went by, and he gently reminded me about his 'companion'. I still put it off, as I was so busy and not painting like that anymore. I promised him I would do it in the summer, then the fall, before Christmas and then the new year. Poor guy, lol.

 It got to the point I was afraid to paint it as I wasn't sure how much my style had changed. I have worked hard trying to loosen up and didn't want to go back and be so tight. But I actually had fun painting this...it's a lot warmer than the first painting and I like that.  I really hope he likes it...'cause it may be a long time before I do another.

Just Chill'n

acrylic, 24 x 36

I'm really enjoying the challenge of these polar bears and the colors in the white of the fur. I'm not a big fan of animals in captivity, but if it wasn't for zoo's I'd probably never get to experience of these majestic animals. Two more polar bears to come, and on to more landscapes.

The Stalker

A couple of more black bears. The top one 'The Salker' is 36 x 36 and the as of yet unnamed bottom one id 11 x14 inches. Polar Bears next!