Trees-Canadian Rockies

You may have heard the phrase "You can't see the forest for the trees".

I love trees, they give us oxygen, nourishment, life. As we approach the Christmas season and the end of another year, I reflect back on my past year on this blog. Thanks to all of you who have followed my work, to those who have purchased my art, to my brother who helped me start my blog and most important to my son and partner in life (spouse) who have constantly supported me. And a special thank you to my Uncle Frankie who is battling Cancer, and is a supporter of so many people and causes. You are all the trees in my forest that have helped me grow, learn and create anew.

I look forward to presenting you with my new work in 2011.

The best to you and yours this Holiday Season,

Bob Krysak

Wide Open Spaces-Rocky Mountains

I live in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, and at times travel to the city for a variety of reasons.....supplies, airport, to visit friends.

I am always anxious to come home, for in front of me as I drive is the prairie flowing to the foothills and reaching up to the Rocky Mountains......Wide Open Spaces.

Wide Open Spaces

22" x 30" $500

Indian Paintbrush-Canadian Rockies

When you hike in the mountains in the summer you see flowers....sometimes acres of them! At the end of July I was fortunate enough to be hiking in the alpine and was surrounded by thousands of Indian Paintbrush, one of my favourite alpine flowers. How do you paint a thousand flowers?...........I decided to paint one.

Indian Paintbrush on Watercolour Canvas

24" x 18"

$350

Rundle Snowfall-Canadian Rockies

It was the last day of summer yesterday in the mountains, with 15cms. of snow on the ground. New snow gives great definition to the surrounding landscape, as does painting in Sepia.

Rundle Snowfall

9 1/2" x 7" $150 Sold

Houndstooth-Bugaboos

I just finished renovating the spare room in our home and have converted it into a full working studio. Thru the process, I realized it is the basics that make things work. My journey with art began with pencil sketches and has evolved into watercolour paintings. Here is a quick sketch I did of Houndstooth while I was in the Bugaboos. It's back to basics...pencil and paper.

Houndstooth/Marmolata-Bugaboos

It's always rewarding painting outside, away from the studio. The wind, sun and in this case the mosquitoes and black flies dictate how much detail you do and how quickly you paint.

I was sitting on a high alpine ridge when I painted this image, and when the wind was blowing I was in heaven....when it stopped I was swatting and brushing insects off me.

Houndstooth/Marmolata-Bugaboos

8.5" x 10" $200

Bugaboo Spire and Cobalt Lake

I just returned from a 4 day hiking trip with my family in the Bugaboo's. We reached the summit of many peaks, hiked along rolling ridge tops and sat by glacier streams. The weather was fantastic, bluebird every day, and the stars in the evening were some of the most impressive I have ever seen.

This painting is of Bugaboo Spire with Cobalt lake at its base. It's a magical place, one of my favourite spots in the world.

Bugaboo Spire and Cobalt Lake

8" x 10.5" $200 Sold

I finish the painting with layers of blue for the water, detail the grasses with Burnt Sienna and create reflections of the grasses with the New Gamboge mix.

9 x 12 $200

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

A mixture of New Gamboge and Burnt Sienna is used to create the grassy areas in the foreground.

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

I paint the first layer of the water in the foreground, then add Sepia to the mix of blue and begin to layer in the trees.

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

With the addition of Ultramarine blue I then paint the darker mountains in the foreground.

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

The next step is to add Alizaron Crimson to my mix of blues. This changes the tone of the image and is used in the main mountain, Mt. Rundle.

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

To begin the process I create a mix of color with Ultramarine and Cobalt blue. I wet the sky area with water then add the mixtures of blue, placing more color in areas I want to be bolder.

Vermilion Lakes Autumn-Canadian Rockies

I have been experimenting with painting watercolour on stretched canvas. You first need to paint on a Gesso liquid layer that allows the watercolour to sit on the canvas. It's an interesting process, but time consuming as it takes longer for the paint to dry.
I thought I would take you thru the process of how I create a painting.
First I choose a size, in this case 9 x 12. The I draw an outline of what I want to paint, usually no more than 5 lines. I either paint of sit or from a photo I have taken.

Windless

I was just on the West coast of Canada last week, there was not a breath of wind and the ocean was smooth as glass.

It reminded me of a sketch I did when I was out kayaking a few years ago, not a breath of wind and all the sailboats were drifting aimlessly.

Surfs Up

One summer I was kayaking outside of Tofino near Hotsprings Cove. The barometer fell sharply, the skies darkened and a huge storm hit the area. I was forced to stay huddled on the beach with my 17 foot kayak as huge waves crashed against the shore.

It was a good thing I stayed put, as 3 fishing trawlers, each over 60 feet long, sank during that storm.

This sketch is called "Surfs Up"

I have spent a fair amount of time on the water on the West coast in sea kayaks. In a way you are like a turtle, everything you have is with you, your shelter, food, transportation. There are so many things to see when you are at ocean level in a kayak, but none more spectacular than catching a glimpse of the Orca whale.

You catch your breath, still your paddle and stare in awe as these graceful creatures pass by.

This sketch, "Orca", was created in Johnstone Strait near Telegraph Cove.

I've lived on the West coast for part of my life and find there are always things to catch the eye. From sailboats to ships, orcas and seals, every moment spent on the water is a magical time.

This pen and ink sketch is called "Wind at your Back". The sails are full, the boat is keeled over, and the air is damp with sea spray.

I've never been a fan of doing portraits of people.......I guess because the finished product is supposed to look like something that people can relate to/recognize. This is a self portrait in my early years as an artist, looking into a mirror. I was on the road as a ski rep, in some motel in some small town. Not a fan of TV, drawing was a great way to have some time for self.

At some point in life we learn that less is more, and to keep things simple. When I first started working in a ski shop the owner was married to a woman from Switzerland. One day I was visiting at their home and saw a picture of her Grandfather.....it caught my eye right away.

This sketch is called "The Swiss Grandfather"

I love to doodle (draw images on paper), I always have. Most of my books from school have drawings along the margins....I'm sure the book owners after me were wondering "What was this person thinking?"

This image is called "On my Mind", and started from an eyeball in the middle and morphed out into many things. It's fun to let the energy just flow and see what happens.

Its been a few weeks since we came back from the Islands of Hawaii. When I was there I realized how simple life can be, and how I do not need much in my life to be happy. Since I've been home I've been struggling to pick up a brush and paint. I realize that in my art I also need to simplify, and not get caught up so much in the process but enjoy the journey. The past few days I have been looking thru old sketch books at pencil and pencil/ink sketches of mine. In those days I could not afford watercolours, brushes and paper, so used what was at hand......pencil and paper. In the next while I will be featuring these sketches from my past while I stir the creativity inside me and pick up the brush again.

Africani Man

We always had copies of National Geographic in the house. This image was created from an article on African culture.

Pencil and Paper

I just spent two weeks in Maui with my family. Warm days, tradewinds and swaying palms....it was a magical, relaxing time. I did not take any of my paints with me, but my 8 year old son brought his watercolour travel kit with one brush that is quite small and a 4 x 6 watercolour pad. He and I did a few paintings/cards, and one afternoon while sitting on the lanai watching the surf roll in I painted Maui Palms. The palms represent my wife, my son and I, and how lucky we are to share this time together. Creating this painting reminded my how little we need in life to be happy and creative. In the next while I will be creating paintings/memories of this magical place.

Mahalo

Maui Palms 4x6 Not for sale

Changing of the Seasons in Banff

It has been a long Winter in the mountains this year. We did not have a lot of snow but it has been cold and grey. Now as the snow is melting off the peaks there is the anticipation of new buds on trees, green grass and fields of flowers!

This photo was taken last summer on a bike ride not too far from home.

Ice Crystals-Canadian Rockies

The other day I was out cross country skiing with my brother-in-law west of Banff. It was -20c , the sky was a beautiful azure blue and your breath almost froze in the air as it left your lips. At one point we stopped for a rest along a creek, and a collection of frozen crystals at waters edge caught my eye as the water flowed past our viewpoint. My area of concentration was so small, so perfect. We must enjoy the journey and not always seek the destination.

Rundle Sunrise-Canadian Rockies

It's the New Year now, we celebrated a great Christmas and had lots of fun with family and friends. My brush has not been very active lately, but I have been working on one of my other passions....photography. Living in the mountains I am fortunate to have magnificent vistas all around me to savour every day.

This morning not too long after I got to work a tinge of color outside caught my attention. I went to the window and gasped, for the sunrise coming up behind Mt. Rundle was one of the most spectacular ones I have ever seen. I ran inside to get my camera and was able to capture Rundle Sunrise before it faded into the light of day and memory.

In the next while I will be sharing some of my photos as well as paintings as I move along the journey of self discovery and expression.