Moving toward the Crawl

I’ve been experimenting with a new approach to landscape painting this year. I took a handful of unframed pastel paintings that hadn’t satisfied me enough to frame, and washed each one down with rubbing alcohol to bond the pastel to the sanded paper support. The result was a blurry, washy, matte finish composition which I then responded to with oil paint applied solely with palette knives. The contrast of the matte pastel base and the glossier oil intrigued me, and I incorporated various amounts of this contrast in each new work. Some paintings changed completely in composition, colour, or mood; others ended up being just ‘better’ versions of the original pastels. The finished works are a marriage of naturalism and abstraction, a new look for me. And because they are now oil (vs pastel) paintings, I’ll be framing them without glass for maximum visibility.

I’m happy with the results. Come see twenty of these experiments—all small-medium in size and price—at this year’s Art Crawl October 18-20.

Winter Complements 16 x 20 oil on paper framed $400

Morning Fresh 10 x 28.5 oil on paper framed $350

Tomorrow’s Forecast 15 x 13 oil on paper framed $350

Fall Forward

Because my career was in education, I have always experienced the autumn as the start of the new year, and this year is no exception. I’ve enjoyed a break from the studio over the summer, but now I am itching to get back to the easel. Exploring abstract designs has been fun, and I’ll no doubt do more in future, but for now I have returned to traditional realism.

Here’s one of my recent paintings, based on a snapshot taken in evening at nearby Trout Lake. I’ve retained the actual light and composition, but changed the season to late winter to capture the glow of the snow and melting ice on the lake. In subject, composition, and tone it reminds me of some of my favourite Scandinavian artists such as Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn—which pleases me!

Northern Light, oil on canvas, 36 x 24. Framed, $1200

Abstract Gallery now added

Within the Works menu, you can now find a new gallery of abstract works. Some of these are finished works available for sale; others are samples of what can be commissioned through my ART4S service of art-by-the-square-inch ($1 per square inch!). Check out the page to learn more…

Butter Wouldn’t Melt Acrylic on deep canvas 16 x 16 $256

Market Show in May

Come see new work by me and my fellow Landing Artists at our May show at the Market! That’s one of my new abstracts on the poster—I’ll have lots more and a new ‘paint-on-demand’ service to share! I’ll be on site all three days—hope to see you there.

I Get Abstracted

I’ve just returned from another six weeks in New Zealand (which we now consider our second home). While there, I did a handful of landscapes in oil, inspired by the amazing scenery of Central Otago (South Island). Here’s one:

Over the Idaburn oil on canvas 18 x 24 $950

However, my husband Frank had brought along a toolbox of fluid acrylics in luscious colours and a stack of cardstock offcuts. Watching him play, I became intrigued with the possibilities. In particular, I became interested in the potential for applying all the design elements that I have internalized for my representational work, to non-representational works. Eventually I became interested enough to start playing…

By the end of the month, I’d created twenty pieces, some small, some large. These explore the juxtaposition of a series of contrasts: shapes vs lines, geometric vs organic, transparent vs opaque, and analogous vs complementary colours. It was so much fun that my explorations are continuing. I’m sure I’ll always paint realistically, but generating these abstracts is pure fun, engaging and extending my intellect as well as my physical painting skills. And maybe they’ll be appealing to a whole different audience!

I’ll be launching this new line of work at our Landing Artists’ Spring Landing show at the Gibsons’ Public Market on the May long weekend (Friday May 17-Sunday May 19). Come tell me what you think!

Flight of the Magpie acrylic on canvas on panel 23 x 19.5 $450

No Use Crying Over It acrylic on canvas on panel 19.5 x 19.5 $400

Ready for the Blues acrylic on canvas on panel 19.5 x 19.5 $400

Crying the Blues (sample) acrylic on mountboard 8 x 8 (can be printed any size @ $1 per square inch)