Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day!

The Canada Flag was designed by George F.G. Stanley and was proclaimed the new flag of Canada by Queen Elizabeth II on January 28, 1965 and was inaugurated on February 15, 1965.

The Royal Union Flag, which is also the flag of the United Kingdom, was used as the official flag of Canada until 1965

Gold Fish Pastel Painting

Fire Tail

6" x 11.5" pastel on suede board

Luminous 

11" x 12" pastel on suede board

Print Sale - Lost in the Music

Print Sale - Lost in the Music

Sending out a special thank you to the collector from Beavercreek, Ohio  who purchased a print of Lost in the Music

Prints available at Fine Art America

Here Comes The Sun Little Darlin

It was a chilly early morning as we waited for the sun to rise up over the mountain but what a glorious sight as the sun reached out to tickle the tulip tops.  If this painting looks familiar to some of you it's because I painted a very small 5" x 7" study of it a few years ago.  In the second picture below you can see the painting hanging and the small framed study.

To see progress shots please check out my Works In Progress 

Here Comes The Sun Little Darlin....

30" x 36"  Acrylic 

Mermaid Graffiti or Art - What would you call it?

Have you ever wondered if there really were mermaids?  Well I have and I think I have seen proof not only that they exist but that they are ARTISTS!  Grab a bottle of water, your camera, and some sun block as it is hot today, and I will take you on a journey to Starfish Rock.
Starfish Rock is just outside of Gibsons Landing the first time I saw it my friend and I were out on a quest to find some good shots of arbutus trees, this time as well as the last time we are just going to wing the directions so I hope you aren't scared of getting lost.
It's a curvy coastal road lots of ups and downs and hairpin curves with some wonderful places to pull over and admire the view. After a good half hour or so of driving under a canopy of trees we come to a small quaint residential area with a dead end street, this is where we get out and there she is Starfish Rock!

In my fanciful imaginings I would like to think that mermaids come out when no one is around and use the large coastal rocks as their canvas moving along the coast leaving their masterpieces hidden until the tide goes out or perhaps it a rogue band of mermaid graffiti artists defacing the coastal rocks with little chance of being caught.

Mermaid Graffiti or Art what would you call it?

Disclaimer:  Although the rock painted with starfish is real the name Starfish Rock is a fictional name.  

Starfish Rock

24" x 24" Acrylic on canvas.

Misty Moors - Acrylic Painting

Come step into my painting, after the hot weather we have been having it's a nice change to walk in a cool mist.
Better wear your wellies and bring an umbrella as there is a heavy mist cloaking the path today.  But we won't let a little wet stop us now will we?

Now just hang on a sec as I get this old barbed wire fence opened.  There was a time I would have just climbed through it but i'm not quite as agile as I used to be now that i'm a woman of a certain age.   And please be careful where you step as the little snails packing their homes upon their backs love to come out during these damp days.

If you look to the right you will see that the lavender is beginning to bloom, I can never resist picking a piece and rubbing it between my fingers releasing the soothing aroma of lavender, can you?  As we meander along the path we will pass yellow yarrow, blooming heather in soft mauve's and blues, also some soft blue wild flags/irises.  These smaller irises aren't quite as large as the showy domestic variety but their delicate beauty suits this natural landscape.

Watch out for the black berry brambles, those sneaky vines like to reach out and snag at your clothing.  It won't be long now before we will be gorging on sweet juicy berries.  I like to pick extra to put in the freezer so that in the middle of winter I can pull some out and take a quick step back into summer with this delicious recipe for Black Berry Scones

Well it's time to get back to slinging paint, thank you for stepping into my painting with me!  Next week we will be going back to the ocean with a visit to Starfish Rock

Misty Moors

24" X 24" acrylic on canvas

Purple Haze - Boundary Bay - Acrylic Painting

After weeks of painting water reflections I decided to move inland painting this soft and calming pastoral scene.  The reference photo was shot last summer on a day trip to Boundary Bay.  It was one of those days when you know that once the sun breaks through it's going to be a bright hot day but for now the light is softly diffused giving the country side a softness not seen under the bright sun.

Boundary Bay Bird Sanctuary

24" x 20" Acrylic on canvas

Early Summer Morning - Acrylic Painting

There is a quietness on the docks in the early summer morning, that space of time before the world wakes up and the business of the day begins.   The boats gently rock, casting out their reflections on the calm waters, the shrieks of distant sea gulls fill the air, and a lone heron stands in the shallow waters fishing for breakfast.  Early summer mornings are truly the best time of the day.

Early Summer Morning

Abstract Reflections V1

16" x 16" Acrylic on canvas

Duck Trails - Acrylic Painting

It's late afternoon on a warm September day, as the sun sets, a duck glides through the placid pond creating abstract patterns upon the waters.

The following passage by Annie Dillard - Pilgrim at Tinker Creek speaks to the child in me, growing up as a tom boy much of my time was spent mucking around slow moving creeks and ponds.

"In summer's low water, flags and bulrushes grow along a series of shallow pools cooled by the lazy current. Water striders patrol the surface film, crayfish hump along the silt bottom eating filth, frogs shout and glare, and shiners and a small bream hide among roots from the sulky green heron's eye."
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

Duck Trails

Abstract Reflections V

12" x 12" acrylic on canvas

The Coy Koi - Abstract Reflections IV

What a great day, I was finally able to devote most of today to painting. It's been a busy couple of weeks for me, what with work and Realtor showings of my house, leaving me with just little snatches of painting time.


Today I finished The Coy Koi this painting is No. IV in my series of Abstract Reflections.  I went a little larger on this painting using a 24" x 24" canvas, I really wanted the the koi to pop and didn't feel the smaller canvas would give it the impact that the larger one does.

The Coy Koi

Abstract Reflections IV

24" x 24" acrylic on canvas 

The Backstory

This is how it looked in the beginning.  I very loosely drew the Koi  in with a large round brush and filled it in with cadmium red medium.  At this point i'm not to concerned about getting the exact color I just want to get some local color down to use as guidelines.  I quickly brushed on some green on one side and paynes gray on the other, added some random spots on the fish and ta da it's done.  Ready for the next step.