Friday, May 25, 2012

Sunwapta Colors























 'Sunwapta Colors', 12 x 12 inches,

I have painted a few large Sunwapta Falls but none this small. I wanted to see if I could capture the same vibrancy and spontaneity as the original painting I did  4 years ago which won the Collectors Choice award at The Calgary Stampede. Although I think both paintings are successful, they each have their own strengths . Interesting, but hard to compare different size paintings.

'Sunwapta Roars" 36 x 36 inches

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Tangle Creek Falls























acrylic 36 x 18,

Another version of Tangle Falls in Jasper National Park. 95% palette knife.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Glow Through The Brush


















'Glow Through The Brush',acrylic 18 x 24

Tons of luscious texture on this one...layers and layers. I'd work on it, let it dry, work on it more and let it dry,and continued to do that until I was satisfied. You can't really see it in the photo but up close it's really abstracted.

Below is a small 12 x 12 that I got around to finishing.


Friday, May 18, 2012

Athabasca Rapids












acrylic 12 x 24
Yet another Athabasca Falls. One more week and I'm off to see them again. They are always different every time I visit.

Athabasca Foliage























'Athabasca Folliage' acrylic 12 x 24

Another angle of Athabasca Falls. This one had pink flowers in front but I'm not much of a flower girl and the color didn't seem to fit so....artistic licence.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Athabasca Falls Through The Trees


















acrylic, 18 x 24

This is a study for a larger painting. I took this photo the last time I visited Jasper and I'm going back in a week for a few days...can't wait. I never tire of these falls,along with Sunwapta and Tangle.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Two times Two




 Four small landscapes ( 2 12 x 12  and 2 5 x 10 )

Friday, May 11, 2012

Wooded Pond












acrylic 10 x 20 inches,

Yep, painted over another old painting. I think the only shapes that survived the revamp was the left side trees and the shape of the right side bank...also, if you look closely, you can see some of the right side trees poking through the background. Some of the reasons I enjoy painting over old canvases are the surprises; the new textures, bits of old color coming through and not having to cover a white canvas.I stopped varnishing my work a long time ago. I finish my paintings with an isolation coat which allows me to paint over it if need be.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Approaching Banff













acrylic 18 x 18 inches
I pass this scene every time I go to Banff.( Cascade Mountain, near the gate). I take pictures from the car as it's moving ( my husband hates stopping before getting to his destination,lol). I really struggled with this one, trying to get the light and values just right. I think I was trying to follow my photo to closely. I usually enhance my photos ( darken the lights, lighten the darks, emphasize and /or saturate colors. ) and then I print them, but they never turnout the way I see them on my computer or let alone how it looks in nature. I thought maybe if I looked at the original photo on my computer I could find some solutions to why I was having so much trouble...but I couldn't find it. I will continue to try and fix my problems but I thought I'd post it anyway. This is one scene I will try and plein air paint.


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

A Splash With Yellow




































Mixed Medium 12 x 24 inches,

I covered my canvas with crinkled blue and purple tissue paper,  applied with soft gel under and over. It can be manipulated to achieve some nice texture. I still used my palette knife for the tree leaves and the highlights in the waterfalls, and a lot of negative painting around the trees.

Seems like I can't go a couple of weeks without doing a waterfall...but they are so fun and forgiving with all sorts of abstract possibilities. There was no reference used for this one. I uploaded a larger image file so hopefully you can see the texture from the tissue paper.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Gentle Nudge























acrylic 11 x 14 ,
The last of my Animal Impressions for awhile. Back to my landscapes.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Gentle Desire























'Gentle Desire', acrylic 18 x 18

This one came together quite nicely. I really wanted the horse to fade softly in the background...maybe I could push him back and soften the edges a little more. I brushed on gel for the background and used a palette knife for the mane. I then used a wash of transparent burnt sienna over the entire painting and continued on with the darks;adding more opaque and lighter colors as I went on.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Colour struggle














'That's what She Said', 12 x 12 acrylic and 'Sunny Stretch',acrylic 11 x 14

I have been working on these two paintings far too long! I must have changed the background colour at least five times. Yesterday they were warm today cool. Funny how my mood influences my creative decisions. Best to step back. I'm still not convinced, so I'll shelve these two for the time being.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

My Best Side







'My Best Side',acrylic 9 x 12
I just finished a commission for Mountain Galleries. The client wanted a realistic representation of  Mt Kidd and the fourth hole at the Kananaskis golf course. Commissions for me are always difficult because it is someone elses vision and passion, and in this case it was particularly challenging.The greens are so vivid on golf courses and usually not a painters best color.The gallery was quite pleased with this one.