North Poles
North Poles 3″ x 3″
I don’t usually name these small paintings, but it’s 8 days until Christmas and I couldn’t resist.
Posts from the ‘Inspiration’ Category
Dec 16
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Nov 26
3 x 3 x 3
3″ x 3″ paintings
Once again I am working on these little 3 inch paintings, perfect for gift giving. I really enjoy them because they are quick and give me a break from my larger “serious” paintings. They remind me that painting should be fun. They also work as little studies for large paintings later on. I’ll be focusing on these until Christmas.
Here comes fall (but not yet).
Stanley Park Maple 24″x18″
I may be painting fall, but I’m not done with summer yet. We are off to Summerland next week, to enjoy the last part of August. Looking forward to a change of scenery.
May 14
Discoveries
Morning Shadows 24″ x 18″
This painting takes me back to a cool fall morning when my son and I went for an early walk. He was looking for snails and frogs, and I was looking for painting inspiration. I came home with lots of ideas and (thankfully) he left the wildlife in the park.
Mar 15
Scary Sky
Sky – Study 1 8″ x 10″
Last week a friend and I were chatting about the importance of experimenting with our art and technique. Of course it’s much easier to keep painting things that have worked in the past – which is what I tend do do. So I decided that maybe it was time to leave my comfort zone.
There are a lot of things I don’t know how to paint but I usually just dive in, with varying results. But I am intimidated by painting skies. I avoid them whenever possible. They make me freeze up and I don’t know how to do them. So this is the first of a couple of sky paintings. I hope I learn something.
Dec 6
A season behind
Under the Oak Tree
18″ x 24″
I know it’s cold and grey and almost winter, but I am just now getting excited about all of my fall photos and painting ideas. Here is the first one, a bit bigger than I usually paint.
I expect to be getting into winter paintings by the time spring rolls around.
Oct 6
Change of Scenery
We spent a week in the Okanagan this summer. Our routine involved lots of swimming (unavoidable with kids) and lots of wineries – we just went for the scenery. Okay, maybe we tasted a little bit. The landscape included lots of farms, fields, fences, old buildings and ideas!
Oct 4
Connecting
For me, the act of painting is rewarding in itself and I need no additional incentive. I can happily lock myself away and spend hours working alone. However I have found an additional, unexpected reward that comes from painting. It gives me the opportunity to connect with interesting and talented people who I wouldn’t otherwise meet. It’s exciting when someone likes a painting enough to let me know, and even better if they decide to take one home.
Speaking of talented people, I recently delivered a painting to Jennifer Hill. We connected online a while back, after she saw some of my paintings in a coffee shop. It was great to finally meet her. I am now a regular visitor to her blog, foodess.com. If you want to find delicious recipes and amazing photos you have to take a look (and prepare to get hungry).
International
International 18 x 14
This tractor reminds me of the one that my grandad used to give me rides on when I was a kid. I’m not sure if his was an International – I think it might have been a Case. For you mechanical types out there, please don’t look too closely at the inner workings. I’ve only approximated the bits and pieces of the motor. I was not going for accuracy as much as for capturing the character of this well-used machine.
This painting will be included in my upcoming show at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre (The Cultch) at 1895 Venables Street. The opening is on September 5, 6pm-8pm. Please stop by if you are in the neighbourhood.
Summer slow down
Wisteria & Shadows 18″x14″
It has been a while since I have posted any new work. That is because there hasn’t been any. I have been thinking and planning and dreaming about what I would like to paint, but I don’t seem to find time to do it. I really cannot complain though because my free time has been spent with my family, hanging out at the beach, park or pool. Anyone who lives in Vancouver knows that when the sun comes out you have to soak it up. It could unexpectedly transform into grey drizzle at any moment.
The down side is that I do lose my painting momentum. This painting took so long to complete, that I lost my enthusiasm half way through. I am happy to be moving on to something else and have decided to do some tiny paintings – that I can actually finish. I was in such a hurry to be done with the painting above, that I didn’t even sign it. Oops!
