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

Still Life in Acrylic - The Sifter

The Sifter   Acrylic  11 x 14  SOLD

Available at the Sidney Fine Art Show

I have a collection of vintage goods along the tops of my cupboards in the kitchen. Some of the items are from my family and some were collected from various places over time. I've been eyeing the sifter for some time and decided one morning to create a still life with it. I remember as a child watching my mother bake and she always used a sifter for the flour. So this is a memory of baking day, way back when. This painting entitled 'The Sifter' is showing this upcoming weekend at, The Sidney Fine Art Show, October 17, 18, and 19, at the Mary Winspear Center, in Sydney BC. This is a regional juried show and an annual arts highlight of Southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. I'm really happy and honoured to have two pieces in the show. I'll post the second one later this week.

I've been painting mostly in acrylics for the last few months, as I'm teaching a painting class in acrylics. Over the summer I took a workshop with a fantastic artist, Janice Robertson,and learned how to properly use Glazing Fluid. This medium has opened up a whole new world of possibilities in acrylics for me. I glazed the pears and some of the shadows on the tea towel, but most of all I glazed the heck out of the sifter! I love how I was able to create such soft edged reflections in the metal. It's my new favourite medium!

Still Life in Acrylic - The Sifter

Wine Art

Merlot Moment    Acrylic   30 x 40    $1350

I was needing some new large format paintings as anchor pieces for my outdoor shows this summer, and this is one of them. I'm really pleased with the outcome, but I went through many challenges in order to complete this one. The original vase was cut porcelain  made by a well know Canadian ceramic artist (whose name I unfortunately forget) and I absolutely love it. It's beauty just didn't transfer onto canvas well, so I painted it out and changed the vase to glass. I think it adds a lot more to the interest and cohesiveness of the painting, with the stems drawing on all the colours in the palette. I was also able to practice my new acrylic painting skills of glazing with glazing fluid, which I learned at Janice Robertson's workshop at the Metchosin Summer School of the Arts. Janice was a great instructor, being very generous with her knowledge, very attentive with her students, respectful and encouraging, not to mention lots of fun! Thank you Janice! I'm enjoying knowing how to properly use glazing fluid.

Wine Art

Ba-da-Bing!   Acrylic   10 x 10   $225

If you live in Victoria or are visiting this upcoming weekend, come on down to the TD Art Gallery Paint-In! This Saturday July 19, from 11am - 4:30 pm, 180 artists will be bringing their studios to Moss St., between Fort St and Dallas Rd. An expected 35,000 art enthusiasts will be turning up again this year to take in art in all it's forms! I will be near Fort St. and the Art Gallery. Don't miss the biggest art event of the year! Drop by and say hi, I'd love to see you!

This fun little painting is hot, hot, hot with summer colours!