Awaiting Delivery

These hay bales were very interesting to paint. Trying to make the round shapes actually look like a bale. I am always surprised when I start on a blank white canvas that a recognizable subject comes alive in a painting I love the contrast of the warm and cool colours with the flecks of red flowers peeking through.

"Awaiting Delivery"

Oil on canvas  9" x 12"

#20020219

"Another Golden Day"

This painting is based on a photo reference I took while biking along the Cambie-Solsqua Road in Sicamous, B.C. It is a beautiful and peaceful ride with a large variety of views (including trains, farms, old barns, Eagle River and hillside views). This is one of my favourite bicycle rides.

"Another Golden Day"
Oil on canvas,  16" x 20"
#20007219

Just a reminder there are only 8 days left in my painting sale (over on Feb 14) on my website. See January 30 blog post.

Rest Stop View

"Rest Stop View"
8" x 10" Oil on canvas board
#20003219

This painting is based on a photo I took at a road side pull over. I had to climb over the rock fence and down a bit to get this view. The town of Banff would be out of the picture plane on the left. I love the colours and sunny feel with the Rocky Mountains overseeing the warm view. Another painting celebrating our varied Canadian landscapes.

My art sale is only until Feb 14 so email me if you see something on my website you are interested in. https://www.karenoliversfineart.com/ 

To The Vista

"To The Vista"

Oil on board, framed  19" x 22"

#20102018

I painted this from a reference photo from one of our ladies hiking group's outings. We go on an annual hiking 3 day weekend in September and have a blast. Due to our difference in ages and abilities there are various routes each day to choose from. At the end of the day we share stories and photos as well as good food, loud laughter and wine. It is one of the "must do's" in my year.

Spring Creek Falls

"Spring Creek Falls"

11" x 14"  Oil, framed

#20012918

This oil painting is for sale in Gallery One Fifty in Sicamous, B.C. until it's seasonal closing on September 15. I painted this based on a photo of Sicamous Creek that I had taken last summer. I was inspired to paint a water scene after taking an acrylic workshop with Graham Flatt. I enjoyed transferring what I had learnt using oil instead of acrylic and am happy with the result.

Deck View

 It is quite amazing what light will do. The photo on the left was taken indoors with the lights on, the one below was taken outside, even though the sun was being filtered through smokey skies from the province's forest fires.

I started drawing this out on location but the light was so dull it was quite uninteresting. This is the view of Mara Lake from Hyde Mountain Golf Course in Sicamous, B.C. This is one of my favourite views to paint en plein air.

The finished painting at the bottom can be viewed at Gallery One-Fifty in Sicamous B.C. until Sept 15.

"Deck View"

28" x 32" Oil on wood panel, framed

#20028818

Walking In Peace

"Walking In Peace"

9" x 10" Pastel on paper

#20008818

I painted this with pastels for the 30th Annual Ribbon Fair at the Armstrong Spallumcheen Art Gallery.

 I was pleased with a second place ribbon in the pastel category. This is the first year I was able to enter one painting in each of the categories and will try to do it again next year. It is an interesting goal as I do not normally paint or draw in all the categories.

Roadside Attraction A & B

As I was driving back to Calgary from Sicamous, I finally stopped at a view point I admire every time I drive that way. The parking lot is just off the highway and is usually quite full and chaotic so I don't stop.

I painted Roadside Attraction below but felt like I was struggling with the values. I am happy with the final result but took a break and started all over again only this time with a palette knife, chunky and not detailed (left). What the camera doesn't pick up is how textural it is. They both have a different feel and look.


"Roadside Attraction 2"
16" x 20" Oil on canvas
#20114117B

"Roadside Attraction"

16" x 20" Oil on canvas

#20114117A

Smokey B.C.

"Smokey B.C."

8" x 10" en plein air oil painting on canvas board

#20007917

Surprisingly this is my favourite painting of the summer. I painted this outside and tried to capture the colours that I saw on Mara Lake, the town of Sicamous and mountains behind. The sky was heavy with smoke most of the summer from all the forest fires and this view was to familiar. I love the rawness and textural element in this one. As someone who loves colour, I was surprised how much this one pleases me.

Fire Skies

"Fire Skies"
8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel
# 20002817

I was driving back from Salmon Arm B.C. almost at Sicamous. The skies were so vividly coloured I had to pull over at the rest stop just before Sicamous and take some photos of the lake beside the highway. It was breath taking! I painted this the next day while being host at Gallery 150. I did not enhance the colours at all, it was spectacular.

Twilight On Mara Lake

"Twilight on Mara Lake"

Photo permission by Whitney Jean 

10" x 8" oil on canvas panel

 #20007717

This painting was inspired by a photo I saw on Facebook. I contacted the photographer and Whitney Jean gave me permission to paint it. I was watching and dealing with Mara Lake's potential flood and this photo really caught my attention. It showed all the beautiful colours in the night sky reflecting on Mara Lake. Painting this was a real reprieve from my pump watching "house arrest". 

Beyond The City

"Beyond The City"

Oil on canvas    16" x 20" framed
#20010617

Jean Ellithorpe (at Sicamous Brush and Palette Club) showed me a couple of beautiful acrylic paintings she had done on black gesso. I had never tried that so with a borrowed photo from Jean, some tips and suggestions, this is the end result using oil paint. I really had to change how I handled the colours working on such a dark background. Thanks Jean for the inspiration and suggestions!

Enderby Cliffs

This large painting is one of my current favourites. I painted a smaller panel "en plein air" (on location, outdoors) and loved the whole feeling and wanted to capture it in a large format. The sun was getting ready to go down and the lighting on the cliffs behind was magnificent with the brightly lit foreground. I had initially had the value of the mountain to dark and detailed and with the more muted tones and less detail it sat back instead of competing with the foreground (thanks Doug). 

"Enderby Cliffs"

20" x 24"

#20023517        Oil on panel

Heading In For Lunch

"Heading In For Lunch"

8" x 10" Oil on canvas board

#20003517
This painting was based on a photo Doug Swinton took. He is very generous with his photo references and often pulls one out that will challenge or would work in that student's style. I really enjoyed painting this one and how it turned out.

Spring Joy

"Spring Joy"

16" x 12"   Oil on canvas board

#20029417

This painting was a joy to paint. The reference photo was from my friend Sue. She may not recognize it as I altered it a lot! The feeling and idea of a fresh spring "newness" was on my mind as I painted this. Fresh beginnings for both nature and to nurture.

Country Lane and Isolated Drive

"Country Lane"

8" x 10" Oil on canvas board

#20010416A

"Isolated Drive"

8" x 10" Oil on canvas board

#20010416B

These paintings were both done with a reference photo of Doug Swinton's. I was trying to give them a different feel and changing up the trees. Once again the lesson for me was in value (that is one of the many reasons I took Doug"s class!).

1 Reference Photo, 3 Paintings

These 3 paintings were all done using the same reference taken by Doug Swinton. I was trying different values, shapes and colours to see what effects and how different I can make them. I decided to keep them all with realistic colours. I enlisted my relatives: Evan, Tammy and Darcy to come up with names for about 10 paintings that I had completed (a huge thank you). They came through and I am all caught up with the naming, it is a tougher job than you would think!

"Off Trail"

8" x 10" Oil on canvas board

##20005417A

"Fall Walk"

8" x 10" Oil on canvas board

##20005417B

"Ode To Autumn Vision"

 8" x 10" Oil on canvas board

##20005417C

Antique Reflection

"Antique Reflection"

Acrylic on board

12" x 14"

#20001417

I don't usually paint landscapes in acrylic but had attended an acrylic workshop on colour and composition and decided to try what I had learned. The colours are not realistic, very different but still "reads" correct as the values are correct. I really enjoyed working in acrylic for a change and loved that I did not have to wait long for it to dry before layering another colour on top. I loved the effect the acrylic paint worked into the reflections, so different from my oil paintings.

Valley Life

"Valley Life"

8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel

#20027317

This is a painting from a photo I took while hiking up to the Enderby cliffs of the valley and river below. I had trouble trying to lay the river flat, it kept looking like it was turning up on the sides. Doug also had to help me eliminate all the unnecessary detail in the foreground, as always I was getting to literal to my photo. I can hear him now "Big Shapes, Big Shapes"!

1 Reference, 4 Paintings

These paintings were all done in a couple classes and at home with a reference of Doug Swinton's. Again I was trying to get a different feel with different shapes and colours as well as adding or deleting elements. It is kind of fun to compare them when they are one on top of each other like this. Doug challenged me to paint them individually, not looking at the previous one.

"Rural Advantage"

8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel

#20024317A

"Country Living"

8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel

#20024317B

"Golden Fields"

8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel

#20024317C

"Bucolic View"

8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel

#20024317D