Windswept

I created this painting during the first snow fall in Southern Alberta which was at the beginning of this month(October). To everyone's dismay, we had a record snow fall in over two days. The image for this painting came out of my head as I wanted to show that the autumn leaves were still on the trees and were just beginning to fall when the snow hit. And within a week or so however, the snow melted and disappeared completely.  It will be back!  

Quietude

Have you ever felt a quiet calmness envelope you as you stand alone in a silent spot gazing at a serene landscape? I have had that opportunity many times before and this place was no exception. Although it's a cool winter scene, I was taken in by the old red storage shed set against the darker muted colours of the sky, trees and snow. The location is just west of Okotoks and in a farmers field, so I had to hurry to take the shot as I knew I was trespassing on private land. But for the few minutes that I was there, I knew it would make for a nice painting.

Paul's Place

I was visiting my friend Paul who lives in Salmon Arm, BC. towards the end of summer last year.  His property is very beautiful. It's surrounded by mountains and his home is nested close to Shuswap Lake. I like everything about this painting, especially the large trees in the foreground and the two big rocks. It was a joy to paint for me and kept me busy at it for close to 2 weeks as it's fairly large. 

Enjoy~ 

Sunflower Radiance

I was at the Revelstoke Art Gallery in BC recently, to see a show of painted works by local artists when I noticed large stalks of Sunflowers growing at the entrance of the gallery. Set against the red bricked building, they looked showy and imposing. Their size and brilliance was compounded by the morning sunlight. I had wished that I could have painted them right there but it wasn't appropriate so out came my camera to takes a few shots and this painting followed. 

Having fun with my Artograph Lightpad

I recently bought this Artograph Lightpad from my art supply store. After reading about them, I decided to try it out and see how much I like it. I am enjoying how easy it is to do transfers by tracing from drawings or photographs. The bright light stays cool and makes it easy to see all the details of your work clearly. I think it would be a useful tool for tracing out drawings for children to use for coloring, and even patterns if you like to sew. I'm using my colored pencils here. Such a useful tool!