Golfers Haven

 This is one of my favourite views at Hyde Mountain Golf Course in Sicamous B.C. It has been so hot that I wanted to get out and paint before the heat of the day. I was set up by 6:45a.m. and happily painted. The sky was pink and hazy from forest fires around the province. I had to quit as the pink had disappeared and all the colours were changing especially in the shadows. Loved the happy sounds of the golfers getting ready for their tee off time.

"Golfers Haven"

8" x 10" En plein air oil painting

#20005818

Family Huddle

This was painted en plein air in Sicamous B.C. standing at the edge of my brother and sister-in-law's home. They have so many flowers and interesting objects in their yard to choose from. So many people walking by told me how much they enjoyed "my" yard on their walks. Yes I did fess up to it not being mine. One fellow stopped his car to tell me his wife was painting as well on her back deck so I dropped by when I was done and met a new art friend,
how great is that!




"Family Huddle"
10" x 8" Oil on 1 1/2" deep canvas
#20031718

Mara Lake Calm

"Mara Lake Calm"

8" x 10"  Oil on 1 1/2" deep canvas

#200028718

Oh what a glorious morning! I finally organized myself to get out early and do some en plein air painting. This is one of my favourite viewpoints, amazingly the well organized town dump is at my back! The sky was hazy and colours were soft from forest fires in the province. It felt so good to be out feeding my visual eye and soul. The sounds of birds, the scent of the cedar trees, early morning temperatures and happy walkers interested in what I was doing and my progress all added to my delight. 

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

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.

EVB&P outing for en plein air

 "Hot Blossoms"
8" x 10"   En plein air oil on canvas board
#20003917A

"Hide and Seek"
8" x 10" En plein air oil on canvas board
#2003917B

I painted these two on a beautiful and hot day with the Eagle Valley Brush and Palette Club in/from Jean Ellithorpe's beautiful yard. Jean had chairs and small seating areas all around her stunning property. Artists were working in ink, pencil, water colour and oil and the variety of subjects and styles were very interesting. Although she thought her flowers were past their prime, there were plenty of varieties for everyone to draw or paint. Ornaments in the garden were beautiful, entertaining and a few had me chuckling. The ducks were having their fun in the lake and I loved trying to paint them while they bobbed up and down.

Rock Garden Beauty

"Rock Garden Beauty"

Oil on canvas panel     8" x 10"

#20013617

This is my first en plein air painting of the season. I found this little rock garden at the side of Main Street Park. It was the first morning I joined Eagle Valley Arts Council (EVAC) and because it was an overcast cool morning Kim and I were the only ones there. It felt great to be painting outdoors and was nice to have company while I painted and Kim sketched.

Memories Of The Moment - first solo show

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               I am so excited that I am having my first solo show in the Armstrong Spallumcheen Museum and Art Gallery. My work is in the "Freeze" gallery and Return To The Source is in the gallery beside mine. Carolyn and I drove to the opening reception and were surprised by my sister Shannon (from Kelowna) and her friend Bernie. The show has 25 of my plein air paintings (outdoors, painted on location) and runs until November 5. If you are in the area please stop by, the gallery is open 10a.m. until 4p.m. Some of my location photos are below.

Alberta Culture Days

I enjoyed an extended morning/early afternoon at the Leighton Centre outside of Calgary. It was Alberta Culture Days and I had a chance to learn about leather tooling & painting, pottery and made a felting lady bug!

I set my easel up in front of the Leighton Centre to enjoy painting a very small part of a very large view. They had painting demo's going on inside the Leighton Centre and I enjoyed hearing the sounds of talking without hearing actual words. One of the demo/activies was put on by Isabel Porto (Perceptual Drawing on a clear skin put on the windows). People looked out the window and drew what they could see by basically tracing the outline. It was very cool to try, watch and look at when done. The fun part for me is when I went inside, I could see myself drawn by a number of people at different heights. You can see me painting in my blue coat.

Photos courtesy of Isabel Porto (thanks!), drawings courtesy of a lot of people enjoying themselves at the Leighton Centre, Alberta Culture Days.

Leighton View, Alberta Culture Days

10" x 8" plein air

#20104016

DeWitt Barn

DeWitt Barn

8" x 10" plein air oil on canvas panel

#20007916  $150 framed

I was told this barn either belongs or did belong to the DeWitt family of the Sicamous B.C. area. I painted it while standing on the Cambie Solsqua bridge, placing my easel as close to the edge as possible. The locals traveled across the bridge slowly and a few stopped out of interest which added delight to my experience. 

Bulrushes and Across From Raven Trail

I painted both these paintings on the Waterfront Raven Trail which is a boardwalk that runs along a bird sanctuary in Salmon Arm, B.C. It is a marvelous and restful place with a lot of trees shading the board walk and all kinds of birds to see and listen to. The birds were to fleeting to paint in so I focused on the bulrushes in the first painting and the trailers in sharp contrast to nature in the second. I went home feeling my soul had been fed and rested.

"Bulrushes"

plein air oil painting on canvas panel

8" x 10"   $80 unframed

#20005916

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"Across From Raven Trail"

Plein Air Oil Painting 8" x 10"

#20005916A  $125 framed

A Special Place

"A Special Place Within Our Hearts Is Always Kept For You"

Oil en plein air painting on board

12" x 16"   $240 framed

#20003916

I have been trying to do plein air painting (outside, on location) around Sicamous and Salmon Arm this summer. This is a lovely bench left for all to rest and enjoy watching the boats go by in the channel at the end of Main Street in Sicamous. The title of this painting is from the plaque on the back of the bench. There were few dog walkers and people out for a stroll in the early morning so it was very peaceful and inviting.

Rainy Day On The Lake

 June was really rainy in Sicamous B.C. and so the outdoor painting was not colour filled. I stood under the deck tarp at Hyde Mountain Golf Course trying to stay dry while painting the heavy clouds.

"Rainy Day On The Lake"

en plein air oil on canvas board

8" x 10 "  $80 unframed

#20029816

The painting below is of another very blustery and raining morning. I made use of Hyde Mountain Golf Course deck once again.

"Grey and Raining"

Plein Air Oil on canvas panel

10" x 8"  $80 unframed

#20029816A

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Morning Flow

This is a larger painting than I normally do plein air but with all the colours in the water and parts of the wet sand bar showing I felt the larger format necessary. I went to the back of "Joe Schmucks" restaurant and campground to have a look and there was no one camping in one spot so I quietly set up my easel and immersed myself in the view. It was challenging to paint such a large size with the light changing so quickly in the early morning.

"Morning Flow"

Plein air oil on board

16" x 20"   $420 framed

#20028816

Flowers Galore

This plein air floral painting was of flowers in the front yard of my brother and sister-in-law's Sicamous home. They have a very full and vibrant yard so it was hard to focus on one thing. I set my easel up under one of their trees on the boulevard and happily painted away. I was a bit of entertainment for the people walking by and it was interesting to hear their comments about my painting as it was progressing and the yard as they walked behind me. The purple confused some people as I chose to use that colour for the shadow area on the white flowers.

"Flowers Galore"

Plein Air Oil Painting  10" x 8 "

#20023816  $80 unframed

Morning View of Mara Lake

Carolyn came with me up to Hyde Mountain Golf Course to plein air paint for the first time. It was an overcast rainy morning so we huddled under the canopy on the deck and painted away. We were just finishing up as the lunch patrons were arriving to enjoy a delicious lunch on the deck.

"Morning View Of Mara Lake"

Plein Air Oil Painting on canvas panel 12" x 16"

#20022816   $200 unframed

After The Ceremony

I was given some flowers and decided to put them on the deck and do a "plein air still life". I think I made up that category but it worked for me. I loved concentrating on the flowers while listening to the lake waves roll in. A large umbrella provided the shade I needed.

"After The Ceremony"

14" x 11" Oil on canvas

#20021816  $150 unframed

Docked at Old Town Bay

This is the fantastic view from the deck at Shuswap Villas of the Old Town Bay and Eagle River mouth below. The colours had changed dramatically from the time I started (overcast) to when I finished (sunny). I am hoping to go back and paint it again in a larger format. The houseboats on the shore pulled out shortly after I painted them in.

"Docked At Old Town Bay" View from Shuswap Villas

8" x 10" plein air oil on canvas panel

#20004816  $80 unframed

Plein Air Painting on another rainy day

Yesterday was a rainy day so I decided to stay close to home and went up to Hyde Mountain Golf Course and look for a non-lake view. I loved the colours in the mountain so painted from the edge of the parking lot.

Hyde Mountain Golf Course View from parking lot

10" x 8" plein air oil on canvas panel

The rain came pouring down so I packed up and decided to do some errands and have a look at the Sicamous Public Beach. With rain coming in from the far right, the beach was nearly deserted. I had the joy of happy sounds from a couple of families enjoying the beach to themselves. I painted my favourite tree that is still in high lake water (behind the floating dock). 

View from Sicamous Public Beach

8" x 10" plein air oil on canvas panel