Ewe'll Thread Softly

Love sheep! 'Ewe'll Thread Softly', acrylic 24 x 36 inches.
 I really wanted to capture the softness with the white even though there are many layers of darker colors. These textural animals don't photograph very well...they look much better in person. You'll have to go to The Calgary Stampede Western Art Show and visit my booth to see it. :)

A special thank you to Carolynn of  Look Back Photography for the use of her sheep photos. Please take a look.

I also did a larger version of my favorite cows. 24 x 36 inches

Bear Down

'Bear Down', acrylic 36 x 18

Another in my animal series.

Polar Bear

'Polarizing', acrylic 36 x 18 inches.

A study for a larger painting. I will be showing this guy at the FCA Calgary chapter on Saturday, May 3rd. This is a one day juried show at the Haysbro Community Center with over 40 local artists showcasing a few of their quality works. So if you are around, 10-4pm, I will be there most of the day, so stop by and say hello.

I would like to thank Tina Nicole for graciously giving me permission to use her awesome photo.
her website

More bears and animals on the way...preparing for Stampede.

Whistler Paintings

What a wonderful time I had in Whistler. A very satisfying, exhausting but productive week. Many thanks to the staff at Mountain Galleries, Liz, Ben and Sharon who took very good care of me and put together an awesome reception. A special thank you to Wendy Wacko for driving all the way from Jasper just to deliver more of my work!

My husband and I love Whistler. From our hotel window we could see the pools, outdoor lounge, mini golf and the ski hills. Lounging in the pool as the snow skiers ski by....love it. We are going back in September ( I'll be doing an artist demo ) and I plan on going zip lining!

Each time I do these demos, I gain a little more confidence and I'm becoming more comfortable painting and talking in front of people. I'm a fast painter normally but in these situations I tend to paint even faster. Two reasons I think. One, I know it's more enjoyable for the people to see the painting emerge quickly as they don't have the time to wait around. Two, during the beginning and 'ugly' stages of my work, I get a little nervous and want to assure  people that it really will look better, as I hurry it along. I managed 10 paintings during the week, usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I did a couple I was familiar with , but by the end of the week I was stepping out of my comfort zone and experiment a little. 4 x 18x36, 3 x 24x24, 2 x 36x24 and one 36x36

Luminated Creek

I really liked the light in 'Flicker on Echo', a larger 24 x 48 painting I did for my show and which has since sold. I didn't have a lot of time to live with the painting, and I really wanted to explore it some more. I did this small 20 x 20 study of the same scene and hope it will translate well into a large (48 x 48) square format.  This one, and my previous three, I have submitted to the FCA Calgary branch show in May.

I'm off to Whistler to paint for a week, and then I'll be taking a small break before concentrating on the Stampede art show in July.

More Greys

Nothing against my bright splashes of reds and yellows, but I really wanted to play with some subtle colors and greys. 'Foliage On The Creek', acrylic 15 x 30 inches. I'm including a couple of closeups below if you'd like to click on them.

Waterfall Studies

'Deep Within', 24 x 18
















'Cascading Rhythm', 30 x 15


Sometimes, after working so hard towards a show, and the exhibition is over, I get in a little bit of a funk. I don't feel like painting, I have no motivation, and not knowing what direction I want to go in, I have tons of self doubt. Sometimes looking through my reference material helps. This time it didn't. But what did help was spending time looking at my favorite artists work, ( Tibor Nagy and Richard Schmid to name a few ) and reading a timely blog from Stacey Peterson .
 I decided to go to my studio and paint what I love best...yep, more waterfalls. They give me more freedom to explore without having to rely on a specific place. Without using any one reference ( I used several as jumping off points ), I concentrated on shapes and value. This time I wanted to try and have more of my brushed under painting show through, and less palette knife. I'm a much better frame of mind now.

Magic Moments and Whistler Artist In Residence

It was a great opening and I'd like to thank Mountain Galleries, Aimee, John and Katlin for all their hard work and putting together an awesome display.  I even managed to sell 8 paintings, so thank-you to all who came out on Saturday!

I didn't realize, however, that it would be a one day exhibition, so my apologies to all those who plan to come out to see the show, as many paintings were taken down ( sold ones), and others moved, but there are still many on display for the rest of the week.

Now on to my next venture! I'm excited to be Mountain Galleries, (Whistler location), next Artist in Residence. I will be painting in the lobby the week of April 14-19th inclusive. So if you are around, stop by and see me.

Exploring Dreams

A few little ones I rushed to finish for my show. Again, experimenting with tar gel. 'Exploring Dreams', 12 x 36 inches, came together quite nicely considering the vertical format. No fussing resulted in some interesting marks. A little more abstracted to give more interest, and allow the viewer to figure it out. 'Muddled Calm and 'Entanglement',two little 12 x 12's

Tar Gel Texture

'Wooded Blaze' and 'Winter Sparkle'.

Tar Gel is a medium I've been experimenting a bit with lately. These two 12 x 24's have texture applied with this gel. I dip it in the container with a palette knife and let it drip onto the canvas. My knife is about 6 inches from the canvas and I can somewhat control the length and thickness of the lines; but for the most part it a surprise. It's clear, and once it's dry I apply paint and then wipe it off to reveal the lines. You can see more of it in 'Wooded Blaze' (I've download a slighter larger image so you can click on it to see the texture better), whereas 'Winter Sparkle' is more subtle'.

Glow After The Storm

'Glow After The Storm', acrylic 36 x 60 inches, based on a smaller study and referenced from the Rundle stretch of mountains between Canmore and Banff.

 I decided to keep posting my paintings instead of holding back for the show. Working on my blog has become an enjoyable routine and allows me to keep track of what I'm doing ( a sort of painting diary ). Also, seeing the paintings in person is a much different and more enjoyable experience than seeing them online. The scale, texture and colors, to name a few, will be surprise enough for most people when viewing them live.

Getting Ready For Show Time

My studio wall is getting a little full...almost time to deliver to  Mountain Galleries and make room for new ones. I just finished signing, painting the edges and putting the isolation coat on these. I want to paint a few more for the show ( April 5th ), but I feel ready and ahead of schedule, which is good as I need to take 4 or 5 days off and head to Edmonton for some family time. I'm toying with the idea of not posting the rest and keep them a surprise for the show...good or bad idea?

Couple of little ones I just finished up, 12 x 12 and 12 x 24, although they didn't photograph very well.

Calgary Foothills

Here are a couple paintings referenced from photos I took while exploring the gorgeous foothills near Calgary. 'Luminous woods', 36 x 18 and 'Fallen For You', 20 x 30. I wanted to brighten up and think Spring....I can't have all winter scenes for my show in April.

Flicker On Echo Creek

It was such a sunny day on Fenland Trail, Banff. I loved the way the sun hit the snow and the branches of the bushes. I don't think I will ever tire of painting this little creek. acrylic 24 x 48. I reversed the photo so I could have my focal area more on the right.

Jasper Blast

Jasper Blast, acrylic 20 x 20, is twofold. This was referenced from a photo I took while on the highway between Banff and Jasper. The road condition was not good and we got another 'blast' of Winter. However, while in Jasper we definitely had a 'blast'; great company, awesome food, danced the night away and even managed to paint. I know it's almost Spring and I'm working on paintings for my solo show but I really wanted to paint this while it was fresh in my mind. I am so glad Winter is almost gone brrrrr. My original photo and enhanced photo below.

Jasper

I had a wonderful weekend in jasper apart from the treacherous highway conditions. Traveling with three other artist companions, we made the correct decision to take the bus from Banff to Jasper. The weather made for some interesting photo ops. We enjoyed some painting time in Mountain Gallery owner Wendy Wacko's studio and I managed to complete a 36 x 48 canvas she wanted me to paint. It was from her photo of Cameron Falls, which I have never seen. painting someone else's photo can be tricky if you don't feel the passion. But in this case I love painting waterfalls and just imagine myself there. ( it's not the best photo though )

We also took time to enjoy the Jasper Rotary Clubs' Formal Masquerade Ball. It was nice to let loose and enjoy each others company.

Cascading Above

'Cascading Above', acrylic 40 x 20 inches.
 I played a lot with the colors/values of the bushes before settling on this one. I also used Photoshop to change/lighten/darken etc. the colors to see how it would look. More red, less red, more green less yellow, brighter, duller etc. I'm not very proficient at using this tool, which is really too bad, as I think it could be a lot more useful. Maybe taking a course down the road is in store for me.

Winter Glow On Echo

'Winter Glow On Echo', large acrylic 48 x 60 inches.
 I finally finished this one, it took way too long for my liking and I got way to finicky. But it does give a good interpretation to what I saw and experienced that day. It is based on my walk through Fenland trail along Echo Creek in Banff during my residency. I have painted quite few of this creek but it was magic that day. I'm looking forward to spring and summer to maybe do some plein air painting along that short trail.

A Couple Small Ones

I've been trying to finish a couple of small ones. I don't think I'm done with them yet. Something doesn't feel quite right and I can't pin point it. I keep putting them away and then bringing them out and adding more layers. Hard to see all the texture from the photos. 16 x 20 and a tiny 8 x 16. I'll just live with them for awhile and hopefully it'll come to me.

Update; I made a few adjustments, thanks to my friend Robert for his observations.

Calgary Stampede Art Show

 I am so excited and pleased to announce that I have been accepted into The Calgary Stampede Art Show Studios ( July 3-13th). I will have a 10 day booth to showcase my best and recent western work. I will also have work  in the July 10 Art Auction and participating in this years Quick Draw. ( where I must complete a painting within an hour).

Along with my landscapes I will be featuring my bears, cows, and sheep etc. I have a lot of work ahead of me. Many, many years ago when I first walked around the Western Showcase, it was always a dream of mine, that someday I too would have a booth to show my work.