Artist in Residence

Painting at the Parkside Hotel

I recently had the pleasure of being the Artist in Residence at the Parkside Hotel in Victoria BC, Canada. I painted each day in the most beautiful studio ever, the lobby of the hotel, with floor to ceiling (three floors) windows, Koi ponds with a bridge and exotic tropical gardens and waterfalls. How lucky was I? 

I'm best known for my still life work, so although that is what I'm painting in the photo, I mostly painted west coast scenes,which was a lovely change of pace. I had a large gallery space just adjacent to where I was painting, which unfortunately didn't photograph well, so I don't have photos of that. Painting still life pieces from life requires choosing the objects and setting the scene with a single light source, as well as a lot a close observation and working on depicting form, volume, the drama of light and shadow - the reality. Painting land and seascapes allowed more freedom of creativity, combining photo reference, changing colours and basically having a whole of fun! Below is one of the paintings I completed. It was a combination of photos adding the water flowing down the sand to the shoreline, and I also played with colour and enhanced the reflections. I was pretty happy with the result.

Coastal Reflections  Acrylic  12 x 12

Artist in Residence

Oak Bay Artists Spring Studio Tour

Tour Brochure and Map available HERE.

Enjoy an afternoon walking, biking or riding the lovely streets of Oak Bay, as you visit the studios of Oak Bay Artists. I have developed a new studio which will be open to visitors. My Camino de Santiago series entitled "One Million Steps" is growing, (see below) and some new still life paintings also await. If you're in the area I hope you can drop by and say hi!

On 'The Way'   Oil   12 x 16

Oak Bay Artists Spring Studio Tour

Daybreak on the Camino

Daybreak  Oil  12 x 16

I'm so excited and honoured to announce that my painting Daybreak was awarded First Place on Thursday evening at the Federation of Canadian Artists Juried Spring Exhibition Opening, at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. There are so many lovely paintings by some of Victoria's favourite local artists in the show. The exhibition continues through to March 31st so if you are in the area, do try to drop by and enjoy the art. 

This painting was inspired by an early morning start on the Camino de Santiago last May. We had stayed overnight in an ancient stone Abbey, and I was SO COLD the entire time. We left early and as a make up for the night before, the sunrise was magnificent, providing many opportunities for inspired paintings. 

Daybreak on the Camino

Hot off the Easel!

Daybreak  Oil  12 x 16

Green Tea & Oranges/Suzanne   Oil  16 x 16

I'm pleased to announce that these two paintings were accepted into the Federation of Canadian Artists Juried Spring Exhibition 2019 at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 

March 3 - 31.  Our Opening Reception will be on March 7th, 6:00 - 8:30pm. The artists will be attendance, along with live guitar jazz and refreshments. Entrance to the Massey Gallery is free of charge by checking in with the front desk on arrival. If you live in the area I hope you can drop by!  The exhibition poster is below.

Hot off the Easel!

Spring Art Exhibition

Federation of Canadian Artists

Juried Spring Exhibition 2019

Everyone Welcome! The Federation of Canadian Artists in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, are hosting our Juried Spring Exhibition and Sale at the AGGV, in the Massey Hall. This show featuring emerging through to professional local artists, will be exhibiting the highest quality paintings. Our Exhibition Opening is Thursday March 7, from 6:00 - 8:30pm, with artists in attendance, live jazz, and refreshments. We look forward to welcoming you there!

The Exhibition continues March 3 - 31 with Gallery hours listed below:

Tues-Wed, Fri-Sat 10am-5pm, Thurs 10am-9pm, Sun 12pm-5pm, and Monday Closed

Check in at the front desk to visit Massey Gallery at no charge.

Spring Art Exhibition

Asian Themed Still Life

Eastern Elegance II  18 x 24  Oil

I love the Asian aesthetic and have painted many paintings with Asian inspired objects. Living on the west coast there is a lot of Asian influence and it's easy to find beautiful props in thrift shops or consignment stores. 

This was the first painting I did in my new studio inside my house, which I was still busy trying to figure out. I now have great lighting in the room, so I can easily paint at night time if I want to. The bulbs I purchased are Satco LED A19, 15.5W, and 5000K which provides full spectrum light. I can easily see the colours on my palette as well as on my canvas. Because I paint from life and try to have only one light source, I set up my still life in a black shadow box, with a spot light trained on the set up. I then taped some wide sheets of Aluminium foil attached to each other as one, from the ceiling, blocking the room lighting from hitting the still life set up. The shiny side is turned away from me, which is working, but I may change this to a dark fabric. I also have black out fabric curtains to avoid sunlight coming in when painting a still life, as I have a south facing studio. It's heaven to not have to set up and break down all the time, and to have all my reference books, magazines, props and painting materials all in one place!! What is the best thing in your studio that you're really happy with? 

Asian Themed Still Life

Old Stone and Cats

Siesta  Acrylic   SOLD

Here's another painting inspired by my walk across the north of Spain, on the Camino de Santiago de Compostella. I loved the old stone buildings that had stood for hundreds of years and been repaired many times with plaster. I also loved the hundreds of cats along the route, draped in the sunshine snoozing.

I really enjoyed painting this one. What was interesting, was that capturing the feel of the old stone required painting in the stones and then taking a palette knife and covering over some of them. Like stone repair with plaster. Sounds weird, but that's what really made the effect of old stone.

Old Stone and Cats

Painting Memories

Follow      Acrylic    24 x 28

Now that I'm back from my marathon travel, and in the studio frequently, I'm really enjoying painting my memories from this time away. Follow, is a scene from the very last day of our walk to Santiago de Compostella. I turned to the right and there was this wonderful old building full of personality and history, and this well trodden path disappearing around the corner. As I was completing the painting, I decided to add something that thrilled me on every encounter. Sheep!! I called this painting Follow because at first it was the road I wanted to follow, but now it's also the sheep. Plus sheep always follow each other!

Painting Memories

Painting After a Pause

Harvest

I must say that retirement is so great, and that being able to devote my time to painting is really fulfilling. I'm just getting into a regular schedule and still have to fit in my fitness workouts, but it will all come together. 

After not painting for several months due to my extended trip and the preparation for it beforehand, it was interesting getting back in the painting saddle. On my return, I had only a few weeks before starting up my teaching schedule for the fall, so I began painting in acrylics, as that is the medium I'm teaching in. I was surprised at how many painting techniques that I would normally readily employ, came back slowly. Things like softening edges. I had to go back and do it after the fact. I have now completed my first two sets of classes and my first demonstration of the season, and I've moved on to oils. It feels great to be painting with that rich buttery oil paint that scrapes off so nicely! And I did scape off....twice! 

But regardless of the challenges, it's just so enriching to be able to spend my days creating. And the thing we all love about painting is the lifelong learning. It literally never stops, and that's why we never stop. Happy painting everyone!

Painting After a Pause

Back at the Easel

Tractor Lines    12 x 24    Acrylic

It's been a long time since posted. The exciting new is that I retired from my full time design job and I can now concentrate on all the things I really love doing, which of course includes painting! To kick off my retirement I went on a long travel through Spain, Portugal and France. My travels started with a girlfriend, walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostella, an 800k path starting in St. Jean Pied de Port, France, crossing northern Spain and ending in Santiago. It was an incredible journey on many levels. The daily visual splendor and the many new international friends, made this a journey to cherish forever. The above painting came from a gorgeous early morning, walking through fields where the tractors had been busy mark making. These tractor lines, enhanced by the early morning sun and shadows was breathtaking. I just had to paint it!

Back at the Easel

Painting the Drama of Light and Shadow

I recently taught a painting class called "Painting the Drama of Light and Shadow". A study of the time honoured method of Chiaroscuro. They were a terrific group of ladies, with a lot of talent! They were also hard workers who pushed themselves onto the next painting with enthusiasm. Here is a great group shot on the last night with a variety of different images. Some are complete and some are still in progress, but all are looking might fine!

Rita is working on her value underpainting, which is almost complete and she will be ready to start adding colour.

Catriona is painting liliacs, and learning to give the impression of clusters of flowers through value and texture.

Anita is enhancing her pears, which really glowed, through the application of multiple layers of transparent colour. They were good enough to eat!

I always enjoy teaching at Monterey Centre in Oak Bay and plan to be back next Fall with a fuller roster of classes. I hope to see there!

Painting the Drama of Light and Shadow

Oak Bay Artists Fall Studio Tour

Strawberries and Cream  Oil  8 x 10

Autumn Glow  Oil  8 x 8

Take Me Home  Oil  24 x 30

Welcome to my Studio! If you are in the Victoria BC, Canada area, my studio will be open Saturday, November 4th and Sunday, November 5th, from 12:00 noon to 4:30 pm both days. A studio tour is an excellent way to get to know the artist behind the art that you love. It`s an opportunity to learn about the artists inspiration and process, as well as some little stories about the painting (there are always little stories). There are many fine artists in the Oak Bay Artists Fall Studio Tour, exhibiting paintings, ceramics, fabric art, sculpture, wood craft, paper casting, and art cards. So gather your friends or family, and walk, bike or drive the studio tour! For an online Tour Map: www.oakbayartists.com

Oak Bay Artists Fall Studio Tour