White Magnolia 2 ~Acrylic

Here is the second White Magnolia that I painted. The leaves are slightly greener than the first Magnolia post as it depended on the photo I was using. I really love Magnolias and painting them is fun. I like how this one looks as well. The two paintings in their beautiful matching frames make a lovely set.  Enjoy!

White Magnolia ~ Acrylic

I will be participating in an art show entitled, "Everything We're Into", that will be held for the month of June at the Calgary Public Library,central downtown branch. Myself and seven other artist's will display some of our works of art for public viewing. The art will be displayed on a large gallery wall on the main floor and will showcase various mediums and subjects submitted by the artist's. My entry into the show is this White Magnolia that I recently painted and is one of two that I'm currently working on. For those of you living in and around Calgary and happen to be in the downtown area, hope you can drop by the library and see the gallery wall display.     

Emily's Garden ~ 10 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas

A few years ago, I visited the Emily Carr House in Victoria, British Columbia. Emily was a famous Canadian Artist and Writer. Her home stands as a museum and as one enters the property, you first notice the impressive yellow Victorian house and then the grounds itself, which has lovely flower beds all around. While I was there, I took the opportunity to take photos of some of the flower beds. Among them was this fenced area off to the side of the house. It caught my eye because it was late summer, the beds were in full bloom, with some being overgrown with an abundance of foliage. Along with the house, this became my main attraction, allowing me to wander off and contemplate. 

French Cafe 16 x 20 Acrylic on Canvas

And now for something completely different,..That is for me!

I've been watching some online painting courses lately from well known and prominent artists and painting a French Cafe was one of the courses being presented. Since I didn't have an image of my own to use, I didn't want to use the same image as the instructor, so I looked one up on the net. I found this one, which is a real cafe somewhere in France. I couldn't resist painting such a lovely place. I was immediately drawn to paint it mostly for it's bold colours and pleasing composition. It required a lot of colour mixing and much looser brush strokes, which was something I'm not so use to doing most of the time. Because I hadn't painted buildings before or a street scene for that matter, it was a good experience to give it a try. Painting lessons on the Internet can be interesting and worth trying out for the experience of learning something new from the comfort of home. I'm pleased how the painting looks, it reminds me of a page out of a children's story book, you know the one's. Enjoy!

Street Retreat ~ 10 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas

I envy those gardeners who can turn their front yards into wonderful little garden oasis, that makes you stop to take a look. The planted flowers that grow highest are the show stoppers on the street. They stimulate the senses and add that certain curb appeal that makes you want to take their picture. I must have spring fever on my mind because I can already visualize how my own garden will look like this summer. I can't wait for winter to end and will it ever, I hope so, soon!  Enjoy.

Forever Lasting ~ wedding bouquet & rings 16 x 20 Acrylic on Canvas

Late last year, I had been asked to do a painting for a couple who wanted to have something to remind them of their special day. I was given several photos of everything seen here in this painting to work with and because I learned that the couple favored a more vintage appearance, I worked to paint this piece in an old world Renaissance style. As I was painting this piece casually over a span of a few months, it became more apparent to me of it's symbolic message. The flowers in the bouquet are the bride and groom's favorites, the boutonniere worn on the groom's jacket lapel is shown in the background, both ring's entwined in a love embrace and even the table cloth for me is not a table cloth but part of the bride's wedding dress flowing underneath. All of it symbolic of a special day that once was.