The Good and The Bad

Well, January has come to an end as well as my 'Maui Project'. I have painting fifteen Hawaiian canvases...some good and others not so much, but I will share them all with you.

Good Bye Hawaii

This acrylic 24 x 48....any title suggestions?

 My last Maui wave ( for now ), as I move on to my western winter mountain scenes. I must prepare for upcoming events and replenish my gallery stock.. I have a few commissions for Mountain Galleries as well as a solo show and an Artist in Residence in May. I've also neglected Leighton Center and the FCA Calgary chapter, which I'd like to make up for this year. Stampede is also in early July. It is time to focus. Good bye Hawaii, I will surely miss you as I brace for a harsh Canadian Winter.

Upsurge

acrylic 16 x 48 inches.
Another Maui wave painting. I'm really starting to enjoy this process and feel there is so much more to discover and learn with painting theses waves. Keeping them away from "too cute" or too "postcardy' is the challenge. Because of my glazing...I'm have trouble photographing my painting...there seems to a greenish tint which is not quite accurate.

Hawaiian Waves

I've given myself until the end of January to work on my Hawaiian paintings. It's hard, though, not being there anymore. I'm working from my photos, and remembering all the sights and sounds while pretending I'm still there.

 Here is this mornings effort. I'm trying very hard not to make them too postcardy and incorporate a little mystery and drama. I am including my original reference photo and my enhanced version. My canvas size was not long enough, but I made due. Acrylic 18 x 36 inches

Aloha

Hello from Hawaii,

I just thought I'd share one of my Hawaiian paintings and wish you all a happy New Year.
Acrylic 20 x 60 inches

Hawaii Wave Study

I'm starting to get excited about my Hawaii trip and had to try and paint a little guy. Acrylic 10x 20 inches. My first tropical wave in acrylics...ever! I'm looking forward to doing more studies. Although I liked the original photo, I cropped it so I could get up-close and personal in order to observe.

Merry Christmas

acrylic ' Mountain Omen', 24 x 24 and 'Athabasca Flow', 20 x 28

 Here are a couple painting I have been working on in between traveling and company. Time to shift my focus now. I will be making another trip to Hawaii in a few weeks and I can't stop thinking about warm weather, plein air and ocean paintings. Winter mountain scenes will be on a short hiatus, as I wrap my head around a new color palette.

Merry Christmas to you and your families and a happy New Year too!

Stampede Art Auction

Acrylic 24 x 30.
  Now that I'm feeling better and my Christmas shopping/painting done, I will spend these next two weeks thinking about Stampede. Yep, it's not until July, but entries have to in early. I enjoy participating in the Art Auction but have a hard time deciding what to paint. I will most likely paint 3or 4 , choose one and send the others to the gallery. Last year a close up mountain scene was chosen. Previous years have seen, Elbow Falls, Lake Louise, Tangle Falls and Sunwapta Falls. But there is no guarantee whatever I submit will be accepted. I have been very lucky and feel privileged to have had one or two chosen each year I have applied, considering they receive hundreds of entrants. And last year I was very grateful and honored to have received the 'Artist Choice' award for my entry.

My waterfalls seem quite popular , so the last couple of days I've been working on a couple Athabasca Falls. But I won't decide what to submit until the last minute.
I have painted many versions of this, some very colorful and others more muted, some cool, others warm. This one, although still using vibrant color, I also incorporated variations of greys.  Also below is a small study loosely based on Elbow Falls 16 x 16.

In The Foothills

acrylic 8 x 16 inches
Traveling from Leighton Art Center, I get to see some amazing views, and every time is different. I never tire of that road trip. So if you ever get the chance and have a free day, I encourage you to visit Leighton Center in the Calgary foothills, or just go for a drive through the hills.You can see the city center in the distance and the play of light and shadows in the fields and rolling hills. I love visiting all the cows, horses, sheep, and bison also...but that is for another day. These are two tiny studies of my views returning from the Center. I have also include one of my reference photos and how I enhanced it.

More Little Ones

 I was hoping to have a lot more of these little ones completed, but with company, traveling and now the flu bug, I'm a little under the weather and very behind. Trying very hard not to get too caught up in detail because when I do, these little guys can take as much time as the larger versions. 2 12 x 12's and 16 x8.

View From Lac Des Arc

acrylic 36 x 60 inches.
Another painting of a mountain I don't know the name of. I tried to download Google earth but was unsuccessful. You can first see it looking towards lac Des Arcs and all the way to Canmore. Again I will include a couple of my photos. If anyone knows the name of this mountain, please let me know, I would greatly appreciate it.

Little 12 x 12's

Working on a few small canvases to give to the gallery before Christmas. These three are 12 x 12 inches. Also, I found a few unfinished canvas as I was cleaning my studio. Some were from demos and some were paintings I need to fix or rework. I really need to reorganize and spring clean so I can get a fresh start in the new year.

Lake Louise Rising

 acrylic 36 x 60 inches.
 I knew I wanted to paint a large lake Louise, I just didn't know which season. I had some wonderful summer sunrise references and it was so calm and peaceful when I was there. A present being gently and slowly unwrapped  as the warmth unveiled itself. But I felt there wasn't enough happening in the shadows. The winter had plenty of cool color, crisp ice and contrasting snow but lacked warmth. So, I combined them both. Hope you like it.

View From Vermillion Lakes

View From vermillion Lakes, large acrylic 36 x 60 inches.
Many times while in Banff, I would venture out before dawn to Vermillion lakes to catch the iconic sunrise behind Mt Rundle...along with several professional and amateur photographers. I don`t profess to be a great photographer and I don`t even use a tripod, I just need to document what I see and feel. On this particular day, with all eyes on Rundle, I looked over my shoulder to the right and saw this mountain. Does anyone know its name? 

Rocky Mountain Brim

Rocky Mountain Brim, acrylic 24 x 36 inches.
Below are my photo references. The original photo and the enhanced one.

Toward The Prize and using photos that are not yours.

Stacey Peterson wrote a great article, a must read, ( her blog) on why you should use your own photos, and for the most part I totally agree with her.When I first started painting, I admit, I was guilty of using other peoples photos, but I did write for permission. As I grew as an artist, I also became a photographer, marketer, hiker and explorer, amongst other things. I spend more time outside than I ever did before, and have become a better painter for it. Everything I 'see' I evaluate as a painting... looking for light, shadows, shapes, mood and atmosphere. I love to experience the sights and sounds and I do believe it adds passion to my work. But I'm not young anymore and cannot do all the hiking, and climbing, etc., that I would like to. I prefer to use my own photos, but on occasion I will use someone else's. I steer away from professional photographers who make a living doing their work, and I like to make a lot of changes. A friend of mine, is an avid hiker and is more than happy to let me use his photos. He goes to places I will only dream of, and when I paint one of his photos, I imagine myself there and what it would feel like. I try to insert as much passion and excitement into the canvas as if I was actually there.

So on that note, I'd like to thank Andrew for letting use his photo for this painting. Toward Borgeau Lake and Harvey Pass in Banff National Park.