Skip to content

Posts from the ‘Inspiration’ Category

Jan 17

Low Tide

Low Tide - acrylic painting

Low Tide 8" x 8"

I recently did a painting similar to this one at a smaller size (see it here).  That painting was posted on Etsy, which gave rise to a message from a new client with a request to do a customized painting, as a gift for her mother.

The image reminded my client, Carrie, of the landscape where she grew up. She asked me if I would consider adding a hawk to the image, and explained the meaning behind it:

my grandma died when my mom was 5 or so. Whenever she sees a hawk, she feels like it is her mom keeping an eye on her and letting her know everything is o.k. Consequently, I now think of my mom when I see a hawk.

Knowing that this painting had a personal meaning to someone else made it extra special to work on. I hope Carrie and her mom enjoy this painting as much I enjoyed working on it.

Jan 14

1 Comment

Grainery and a Chicken

Here are a couple more small paintings – 3” x 3”.

I gave away lots of little paintings for Christmas and I can’t seem to stop doing them. They do make perfect gifts!

Find them here.

Dec 8

Cat Nap

Cat Nap Acrylic Painting

Cat Nap 3" x 3"

As I painted this little cat, I kept thinking that I need to put more animals into my artwork. When I was younger, I drew only animals – cats and horses were my favourites. Below you’ll see a glimpse into my sketchbook from 1998. That seems like such a long time ago, yet I can still remember working on these drawings. Somehow my passion for filling up sketchbooks with animals has evolved into my obsession with capturing beautiful little scenes around me. If, in 13 years, I look back on the artwork I did today, I wonder what I will think. I wonder where it will take me?

Sketches of a horse and cat

Oct 6

5 Comments

Icy Alberta Spring

The Icy Spring 11"x14"

I photographed this Alberta landscape a couple of years ago on a cold, sunny spring day. The colour of these red graineries seems to hold the promise of warmer days. I love the way the red siding contrasts with the crisp, dry field and the icy pond.

It seems that I have mainly used the three primary colours here. I could pretend that it was deliberate, but I only realized it as I was finishing up.

 

Sep 27

1 Comment

Both sides of the Road

East Side of the Road & West Side of the Road, 4" x 6"

These are two paintings of the same road on Westham Island, near Delta, BC. One is a view of east side and the other is the west. They are little (4″ x 6″) and I finished both in one day. My goal was that each one would work on it’s own, or they could be displayed together –  as sort of a diptych. I love to paint old buildings, power poles and power lines, so I had a lot of fun with these paintings.

Buy Painting

Jul 2

The Long Winter

The Long Winter 6" x 6"

Some of you may not want to look at this painting. We have been waiting a long time for summer to arrive, so you likely don’t want to be reminded of the piles of snow that melted just a couple of months ago.  I think (hope ?) that summer is finally here,  so I’m not sure what compelled me to paint this cold grey scene. I think that what really interested me was the criss-cross of power lines dividing up the sky. And on this little canvas (6″ x 6″), it was a lot of fun to do.

I’ll do something warmer next time, I promise.

Buy this painting

Jun 21

1 Comment

Bridge in Jericho Park

Bridge in Jericho Park 14" x 18"

I am starting to lose track of the number of paintings I’ve done of Jericho Park. You must be getting an idea of just how much time I spend there. I love this  little bridge  and I’ve painted it before. It is surrounded by huge trees, making it great practice for painting dappled light and shadows.

Buy this painting

May 30

7 Comments

Down by the Tracks

Down by the Tracks

This is another little picture from my hometown. It provided me with a great opportunity to practice painting snow.  If you think that snow is white, you should try painting it sometime.  I  saw endless colours there, but chose several shades of blue and beige to render it. I don’t feel 100% happy with the result, but I do love the contrast between the cool blues and the bright red rail car.

I also had lots of fun painting the Canada logo – can you tell that my other job is Graphic Design…

Buy this painting

May 15

Crockett House, Mayerthorpe

Crockett House, Mayerthorpe

This house is a landmark in Mayerthorpe, and many of my Mayerthorpe friends and family will recognize it. It is called Crockett House was built in 1935 by Leo Crockett Sr. It sits prominently on Main Street at the top of the hill, just as you approach downtown.

In this painting I was surprised by how much fun it was to paint the various colours of light and shadow that fell on the street.

You can read a bit more about the house here.

Apr 10

4 Comments

Cattails in Jericho Park

Cattails in Jericho Park 18" x 14"

This is the third painting in a series inspired by Jericho Park. The pond and surrounding cattails are a beautiful part of the park and a lot of fun to paint. I did, however, have some trouble with this painting. The problem I was having was that the cattails are quite complex (there’s a lot going on in those tangled up leaves), and the background is also quite complex (lots of high-contrast reflections on the pond). I wanted the cattails to be the main focus of this painting, but because the reflections on the water are so interesting, I think your eye travels there instead. I added some red to the dark cattails, hoping that they would pop to the front. I’m not sure if I have succeeded here, but it’s definitely given me something to think about.

Buy this painting

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »