Vermilion Tarn-Canadian Rockies

I am having a show of my work Friday, November 17th, 6-9pm at the Banff YWCA. 25% of the proceeds of the show will go to the YWCA and their programs.

I have been painting religiously every day, creating a variety of paintings in various sizes. I have also gone thru some of my past works...some finished and some not. I came across an unfinished piece. Vermilion Tarn.

Vermilion Lakes are on the outer perimeter of Banff. Between the second and third lakes is a small tarn, or lagoon. It is a favorite place of mine. I have spent hours there, sitting quietly while the residents of the tarn go about their business. I have seen weasels swim amongst the half submerged logs, tadpoles playing in the shallows and a variety of birds sharing the pond. In 2010, I began a painting in the Fall. My goal was to capture that Cobalt blue that is in the sky, and the Raw Sienna,  Burnt Umber and Yellow Ochre that comes out in the bushes and grass. I worked on the painting from the top down to the pond. Then I stopped. For some reason I couldn't wrap my brush around how to paint the logs in the foreground. I went back to the painting three or four times. Each time I walked away, not sure how to complete it.

Last week, after seven years, I signed my name on Vermilion Tarn. (This happens when I complete a piece). I reduced the overall size of the painting. I then went out to the Tarn and really absorbed the image of the logs in the water in to my mind. They really haven't changed much in seven years. I have.....and I put my brush to paper and painted them into the piece.

Vermilion Tarn
Watercolour on paper
14" x 10"
$150

Bow Lake-Canadian Rockies

I was travelling the past couple of days to the Cariboo Lodge, west of Valemount BC. On the journey back I was driving down the Banff Jasper Highway. I was near Bow Summit. On my right side on the slopes, I could see new ski tracks. The ski season has begun!

As the road levelled out, Bow Lake came into view, with the Crowfoot Glacier at the back of the lake. Soon Bow Lake was on my right side, and I quickly pulled over. The lake was like a mirror. There was not a breath of wind. I could hear a Raven caw off in the distance, and the whistling of a Marmot.

There are times in your life that are very special.....one of a kind......a memorable moment. This was one of them. I raised my face to the sun, closed my eyes, and let out a howl. It is great to be alive.

Robert Krysak

The Cariboos-Canoe Glacier

Creating a painting for me is not unlike going on a road trip. It’s the journey that counts in the end…. more than the destination. In this case, I have really enjoyed the journey, but I am also very happy with the destination…the finished painting. 

I sent an email with this image to a friend who guides in the Bugaboos for CMH Heli-Skiing, and has spent many years in the Cariboo area. This is his reply back:

"Hi  Bob, 

That looks like an amazing painting of one of my most favorite views in the world, of the Premier range and Sir John Thompson. Perhaps you would consider a large painting of a favorite Bugs scene that we could hang here and that could be advertising for you to sell paintings and notecards! Let's talk! All the best, Dave."

To receive such strong validation for my work, from someone who knows the subject matter well, humbles me. It also inspires me to create more and pursue new challenges. I have an art show in Banff, Friday, November 17th. Time to get painting!

Robert Krysak

The Cariboos-Canoe Glacier

Watercolour on canvas

36" x 18"

$400 SOLD

The Cariboos-Canoe Glacier

I’ve been painting up a storm….or glaciers and mountains I guess. The process is to paint in the background and gradually work your way to the foreground. It’s interesting to watch the image grow as paint is added and new definition is put in.

 Shades and shadow really help the painting to take shape, having a sense of realism, while still being art. At this point, I spend more time looking at the piece from a distance. I'm looking to see if all the shadows tie in with the direction of the sun. It's also important to capture the shadows of the glacier. Those icy, dark, cold crevasses that drop untold distance into the ice. While beautiful from afar, these sharp chasms in the ice are a challenge to the mountaineer.

I am in the final stretch now to completion. It’s been a fun journey.

Robert Krysak

The Cariboos-Canoe Glacier

There’s a point in a painting where you fall into the abyss………. you have to just keep painting, as every brush stroke brings out something new. That’s where I am right now. I’ve started to add in the mountains…. the definition of rock set amongst glacial ice that really provides a contrast. As the image grows before my eyes it’s interesting where the thoughts go. Could I ski that line….what would it be like to hike that ridge……lots of options.

Robert Krysak

The Cariboos-Canoe Glacier

The painting is really starting to evolve. As the sun is shining from the left, I add in dark shadows that the peaks cast on to the glacier. I also start adding in shades of blue to capture the glacial ice. My goal is to leave a fair amount of white space to capture the snow/ice. To do that, you need to build in the shadows. As this is fairly large piece, 36" x 18", I find I have to plan in advance where I will place my color.  I move from one side of the canvas to the other.

I am enjoying the journey with this new creation.

Robert Krysak

The Cariboos-Canoe Glacier

A friend of mine works at the Cariboo Lodge, up the road from Valemount, B.C. in the Cariboo Mountains. I was at the lodge a month or so ago and we were outside, looking down the valley at the Canoe Glacier and the Cariboo Mountains. We talked of my art, I showed him some of my recent works from files on my computer, and he asked if I could do a painting for him. There is a large photo in the lodge featuring the peaks and ice of the Canoe Glacier. A stunning photo.......he asked me if I could paint it. I do not usually paint from other people's works, but this presented a huge challenge due to the size and detail of the photo. I said yes.

I took some photos of the picture from a variety of angles. It was difficult to capture the right image, as it is framed with glass that reflects all the light/images in the hallway it is in. Once home, I spent quite a bit of time studying the various photos I took, getting a feel for the landscape, the vastness of the scene, and planning out how I was going to do the painting.

My friend wanted a fairly large canvas, so I began work on a 36" x 18" piece. The first step is to draw a few lines of the horizon, also capturing a few key parts of the foreground. I then painted masking fluid by brush on the line between mountain and sky. 

As you work on a painting it takes on a personality with each brush stroke and addition of color. I painted in the sky, and once it dried, peeled off the masking fluid. There is now a crisp definition between earth and sky, and the mountains really start to take shape.

The next stage is to start looking at shading in areas to show where the sun is coming from. Also, with all the ice/snow/crevasses, I will start mapping out all the different shades and hues.

Robert Krysak

First Snow-Banff, Canadian Rockies

I live in the Canadian Rockies.
We had our first snowfall yesterday. Flakes the size of your thumbnail slowly swirled out of the clouds, dancing thru the crisp air and landing on the earth. I went for a walk to town.........the falling snow tickled my cheeks and stuck to my eyelashes.

This morning when we awoke our world had a coat of white. Winter has arrived, and we are ready physically, if not mentally. The patio furniture is covered on the back deck. The wood pile is stacked and ready for those evening fires. The snow tires are on and the van is winterized. The front stairs to the house have chicken wire stapled down to prevent those icy slips. The summer toys have been put away, and the garage is ready for our van. There is a new filter in the furnace, in preparation for lots of use.

There are still warm days to come, though we will continue the slide into Winter.

Robert Krysak

Seabright, Nova Scotia

In my earlier blogs I mentioned we were in Seabright, Nova Scotia for our friends wedding. We will be back again next year for another wedding! The daughter of our good friends at Seabright got engaged by the shore, the day after the wedding we were at. We have been invited to be a part of her and her fiance's celebration next year.

She asked me to do a painting for her so I created this image from the deck of the boathouse at Seabright.

I am looking forward to the trip already. The combination of friends, food and the sea is magical. A special place where one can recharge the soul and connect with the ocean.

Robert Krysak

Fall Colours-Canadian Rockies

It's Fall in the Rockies. The days are crisp and clear in the morning. As the sun heats up the earth, the jacket comes off. The body yearns to bask once more in the energy of life. If you step out of the suns rays, there is an instant cooling, especially if there is a breath of wind in the air.

I did a day trip into the Bugaboos a couple of days ago. As I drove up the 50km mountain road from the highway, the wind was blowing lightly and leaves were launching themselves from the trees to land gracefully on the ground. A few times I stepped out of the truck to breath in the autumn air. Each breath was a pungent inhalation of life that is almost over. The autumn fragrance filled my nostrils. Even as I drove, though there was a distinct chill in the air, I had my windows open.The leaves will soon be covered in a blanket of new snow. Winter will put it grasp on the earth, and new life will be at a standstill. 

This is a special time of year. Even more than the New Year. I find it is a good time for personal reflection. Where have I been.....where am I going.

Enjoy the Fall.

Robert Krysak