Opus Outdoor Challenge

I had a wonderful day, my first of this season plein painting (outdoors, on location) during an annual painting challenge put on by Opus Art Stores. My sister Shannon and I signed up, were given an 8"x10" canvas board and a map of the large painting area. There were over 300 registrants. After a season of indoor studio painting it was very different to have all these distractions - Shannon and I conversing, people having a look at what we were doing and the beautiful scene of Okanagan Lake with so many vistas to choose from. I painted in oil and Shannon painted abstracts in water colour. There were a lot of artists around so it was fun to check on their progress as well. I painted 2 views then we moved out of the lake wind and I started painting a couple on a bench. They left soon after I started and were replaced by others. The painting has one lady's shorts and a different one's shirt etc. We ran out of time so I did not get it finished but was able to get an idea of their body positioning.
What I did miss was a picture of Shannon and I together!

Painting #1 with Kelowna Bridge in the background

Painting #2 with sailboats in the enjoying the wind

Painting #3 unfinished but captured body positioning

Elaine's View

 "Elaine's View"

Oil on gallery wrapped canvas painted on all edges  10" x 48"

#20024215 A Gift

This painting was based on a photo my cousin Elaine posted on Facebook. The photo was taken from her deck of the Kelowna bridge and the dancing colours in the sky and on Okanagan Lake. It was an absolutely stunning photo.

I have been in Kelowna looking after my Mom after her back surgery and painted this a little bit at a time while she slept. It was a pleasure to have the photo view while I was pretty much confined to the house. "Elaine's View" was still wet when I gifted it to her. This was an odd sized canvas for me but perfect for this painting.

"Stormy Okanagan Lake" - Encaustic painting #2

"Stormy Okanagan Lake"

12" x 16" Encaustic painting on board

click on painting to see a larger view

This is the second painting I did in the FCA Encaustic workshop with Ken Bourassa. I grew up in Kelowna B.C. and boating was a family pastime. The Okanagan Lake can become stormy very quickly and the waves get very large which made for a lot of fun playing in the water, but down right scary in the boat. We would try to get near the shore quickly as the waves would come over the front of the boat and up the windshield. The hills are very dry in the summer and I always loved the "dry & wet" contrast of that beautiful area.