Happy New Year!

December 31, 2016

It's been a great year in my art life, with lots of new ventures, new collectors, new students and, of course, lots of wonderful times in the studio both alone and with students. I am most grateful to the many people who have supported and participated in my successes.

I am not one to make New Year's "resolutions" but I do believe in working with conscious intent toward artistic goals. So, in the coming year, my goal is to create a series of large works celebrating the sea, sky, and mountains of my west coast home. Every day brings a new and beautiful view out my front windows, and my travels in the province and beyond inspire me with grand motifs as well. A recent reprint of a Robert Genn newsletter item urging artists to aspire to grandeur motivated me to begin thinking about this, and after a year of concentrating on the small and domestic in my "Beach Bits" series, I am ready to lift my eyes to the bigger picture.

I'll be traveling in New Zealand for several months this year, which will also no doubt provide plenty of resources for grand vistas. I look forward to responding to these in a variety of media: pastel, acrylic and oil. In fact, my most recent work is a large oil (30 x 60) completed in December. The first grand view!

Merry and Bright; oil on deep canvas 30 x 60; $1500 — *Merry and Bright;* oil on deep canvas 30 x 60; $1500

Aaand...sixty paintings DONE!

October 17, 2016

Just in time for the Art Crawl (see previous posting) I finished the last six of my series of sixty "Beach Bits" paintings. While I set out to complete sixty of these as a recognition of my having turned sixty this year, I suspect there may be more yet to come. I am still enjoying each and every one, and continuing to learn from the process. Here they are...

Testing the Waters pastel 8 x 8 framed $195

Daring the Tide pastel 8 x 8 framed $195

By the Deep Blue Sea pastel 8 x 8 framed $195

Standing His Ground pastel 8 x 8 framed $195

What have I learned?

to plan the counterpoint of values in the composition (dark against light, light against dark) before beginning to paint
to consider the effect of colour choice, using equal value complements (blue/orange; red/green; yellow/violet) for maximum glow
to PLAN everything first, so that the first coat of pastel is correct and can remain--multiple coats result in muddiness and a loss of the sparkling clarity I was seeking in these works
to vary the placement of figures within the confines of the composition--sometimes very near the top, bottom, side or even "dead" centre can be the right place, depending upon the stance and attitude of the figure(s)
to sometimes work on new colours of paper--for these works, I discovered that a dark navy blue paper created a nice texture and contrast with the bright/light beach colours

I will continue to do commissions of "kids on the beach" in this style. Here are three I recently completed:

The Young Naturalist Collection P. Allen

I'm considering a new series of children on the slopes--skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, building snowmen--I guess a few photo trips to Dakota Ridge (the closest place that has snow in the winter) will be needed. Or perhaps I'll try to arrange a photo shoot at a local dance school and pay homage to Degas with a series of pastels of young children practicing their ballet postures. Inspiration galore!

Acceptance into AIRS

September 21, 2016

I am thrilled to report that my painting Summer Lessons has been accepted into the Annual International Representational Show, a global competition. The show will open at the Federation Gallery on Vancouver's Granville Island on Oct 4, continuing through Oct 23. Drop by and see the show when you are in the city! UPDATE: This piece has now sold--thank you, new collector!

Summer Lessons pastel 8 x 8 framed $195; prints available

Family Ties

September 21, 2016

Using the same process as my "beach bits" paintings, but a rectangular format, I recently completed two renditions of our youngest grandson, one with our son, and one with our daughter-in-law. It's always hard to do paintings of ones you know so well, but I was after a feeling rather than a portrait--and I think I caught the atmosphere I was after.

Earlier this year, I experimented with a very splashy abstract acrylic background with a pastel of my granddaughter painted more realistically on top. I was after the idea of rain, but wanted to suggest playfulness and joy rather than dreariness. It's a happy result.

More Beach Bits!

September 11, 2016

I turned sixty this past May, and had been musing about trying to complete a series of sixty paintings on the same theme within this year. As I continued to paint my small "Beach Bits" paintings of kids on the beach, and as I observed how well they were received during my August show, the answer became obvious...do sixty paintings of kids on the beach!

So, I'm at 48 paintings so far...and still enjoying every one. I'm learning so much about handling challenging lighting situations (figures against glittering seas and glaring sands) and overcoming the limitations of photographs taken in these conditions (often too dark and with excess contrast), as well as further honing my understanding of anatomy and skin tones.

I've also decided to make a number of giclee prints on canvas (12 x 12 x 1) of these images for the upcoming Art Crawl--drop by and see! In the meantime, check the "Figures" category under the "Works" tab to see the growing collection.