The Rocks at Ucluelet

The Rocks at Ucluelet
48" x 48" - acrylic on canvas
SOLD

Last September we did a 12-day road trip that started on Vancouver Island and finished with a drive through the Canadian Rockies. If you have traveled in this part of Canada you know how visually stunning the landscape is, ‘out west’. Breath taking and spectacular are words that come to mind. Before seeing and being surrounded by snow capped mountains I did wonder about the appeal of painting them – but now I get it!

I have sifted through my 1400+ photos of mountains, lakes, trees, river valleys, a glacier, and coastal views, and have selected a number of images that I hope will be starting points for lots of future paintings. There is nothing like new reference material, to get one re-inspired and squish out the paint and get down to business.

This painting is based on one of those photos, a view of the very dramatic, rocky coastline on the  Wild Pacific Trail at Ucluelet, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. My interpretation is less craggy than what exists, but I am pleased with the sense of scale and mood of isolation suggested by the light and colour.

Big Macks

Big Macks

20" x 24" acrylic on canvas

This is for sale - contact me for price if interested.

My husband has turned into quite a successful fisherman lately - and this means that we have been eating fresh fish, including flounder, whiting, back drum, sheepshead, redfish and Spanish mackerel, almost every day.  Yum!

I always take pictures of the catch - and in my quest to paint different subjects, differently (and get unstuck) - I painted these 2 mackerels based on the photo below.  It's interesting to see how similar they look (well of course they do as they are the same species!) but they actually look different too, and I don't think it's just the way they are posed in the photo.

Did I get stuck or feel stalled while painting this? Yes, at one point I did, and that's when I got out my pastels and started drawing on top of the acrylic paint, fixed that, and then continued painting. Several years ago I often added (soft) pastel marks/lines on top of many of my acrylic paintings, at different points in the process of  painting - liking the graphic natures of the lines and the way it stopped me from making things precious, and forcing a little boldness. As for the colour and palette I chose - these guys were good looking - and deserved a fitting colourful tribute. 

Getting Stuck, and Unstuck.

I have been painting almost every day this month, and usually for hours at a time, yet I have posted very little. I have at least a half a dozen paintings in various states of completion - left for a variety of reasons. The subject matter is not new, but a continuation of familiar themes - water reflections, palm trees, the landscape and still life. In each case I started with lots of enthusiasm, solid compositional ideas, a sense of what I wanted to do, and a willingness to respond to whatever happened on the canvas. The going was good until it was not. When I reached a point that I thought some out-of-sight-thinking time was necessary I would put the canvas aside, and start another. When I did return to them I tended to over-paint and lose what I had. Some of these paintings have been wiped out and some remain a challenge for another day. All very frustrating to say the least.

How to get unstuck and back in a good painting groove? Trying something different often helps and so a week  ago I went to an open life studio session and spent 3 hours drawing the model. And here is what I came home with - essentially blind contour figure drawings using marker on acrylic paper (18" x 24"). I did them on the acrylic paper so that if inspired later at home I could paint them. But how......another creative challenge for another day!

Colour Story

Colour Story

24" x 24"  - acrylic on canvas

I know this looks rather neon, even florescent - and magenta pink and lime green are the dominant hues - but in reality it is not quite as insanely red as what you see here. I find that reds are very hard to reproduce accurately. But having said that - it is a colourful painting - and hopefully a good visual tonic for a cold and colourless winter day. 

I painted this same view (based on an extremely boring photo I snapped in Haliburton - see below) a year ago, and really wanted to try it again, but larger. The palette is essentially the same as before - but the brushstrokes are  much looser.  

Wherever you are I hope your day is full of colour - cheers!

Finishing the Outdoor Mosaic Floor

I did, finally, finish (grouting) the outdoor mosaic floor in front of the Florida house, and it looks wonderful! See for yourself......

It was part of a larger landscaping and home improvement plan, which is ongoing - but here is the way the entry area now looks......

Eventually the plants will fill in and hide the mulch, and the pathway still needs work, and so it continues......

Mosaic done, almost

Yes, I did complete the floor mosiac outside my front door - except for the grouting - which my husband tells me will be challenging because of the uneven tile surfaces and varying spaces between and around the small tile pieces.   But that's ok - I will just take my time, and eventually it will be done. I have to say that it looks fabulous at this point. When the gardens are completely finished (soon) I will post the before and after photos too. Cheers!

Miss Emmy Lou

Miss Emmy Lou

12" x 12" acrylic on canvas

sold

Some friends asked me to paint a portrait of their spaniel which I was happy to do as she is a sweet little dog with very attractive markings that I thought would be fun to work with. I took lots of pictures of her, selected one and began to paint, using a palette that featured purple, magenta and some pthalo blue, on a red ground. The painting looked good initially, but I overworked it and lost the resemblance and finally decided that I needed a different pose. So I took more pictures - however Miss Emmy Lou was not thrilled with another photo shoot - turning her head away every time I snapped the shutter, or sticking out her tongue - and I eventually went back to the first group of photos and found one that looked fine. My husband suggested I stick with her natural colouring, for a change, and I thought why not, though I did give her a few pink hair streaks on the ears. This one came together quickly and successfully. Now I can get back to finishing the mosaic floor.