Three Sisters Final

 Three Sisters is finished. It's always interesting when you complete a project, whether it be a marathon, building of a structure in a yard.......finishing a painting (s). There is a mix of relief, sadness, and accomplishment when you cross the finish line

Though the painting part is complete, I still need to put a protective spray on the images, tape the side frame with archival tape, put hanging hooks on the back, package up, and ship it to the client in Ontario.

It's been an enjoyable journey........time to step away from the brush. I have elbow surgery this Friday to repair an area that has come out of alignment. I was in a bike crash in 2020 and have 24 screws in my elbow, and one of them is very unhappy.

To those from the US that follow my blog, Happy Thanksgiving.

To all of you.........Enjoy the journey.

Three Sisters

 "Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves". Henry David Thoreau

It's always a long journey when you are painting a big canvas. Sometimes I get lost, question my abilities, and the next step. I step back, take a deep breath, do some thinking then move forward and pick up the brush. 

I finish layering in the sky, then start working on the rock on each peak. I want to capture the light, the cold, cool feel of the rock, and the deep colour of the earth. I then begin laying in a variety of trees.

Enjoy the journey.

Three Sisters

 I am working on a commission, a Triptych (3 canvas) of the Three Sisters. It's quite large, a total of 54" wide and 24" tall. 

After I bolt the canvas together, I sketch in an outline of the mountains as well as some detail in the foreground. Once that is complete, I then use my masking liquid to separate the mountains from the sky.

I then begin to lay down my colours, letting each colour dry before I add the next one. As I let each colour dry I am working on some smaller canvas that I am selling at a local store. 

Listening to Radio Paradise in the background.

Cascade Colourful Locals

 The paintings are finished. I layered with a fan brush sepia over the elk, coyote, and grizzly. Then with a  fine black pen, I added some lines and detail on each animal. After dropping in the trees, and a bit more detailing on the mountain......I step back and I am finished.

The next step is to put a protective spray coating over the canvas, wrap the edges in black, acid-free tape, and put hooks on the back for hanging.

I begin planning my next commission which I will begin soon.

Enjoy the journey.

Cascade Colourful Locals

 It's snowing outside. We are expected to get 15-20 cms in the next few days. I am in my studio listening to Radio Paradise.

I take Yellow Ochre and shade in all the animals except the Raven, which is black. As I let each image dry, I begin planning the next stage of the Elk, Coyote, and Grizzly. I also think ahead to how many trees I will need.

Every once in a while I put all three images together and stand far back. My goal is to get a better perspective of the images. I purposely made the Grizzly smaller, as if it's off in the distance. The bull Elk is in the foreground, large and powerful. You can almost feel the energy radiating off it, especially this time of year in the rut.

Enjoy the journey.

Cascade Colourful Locals

 Though my studio is in a bit of chaos, it is sooooo good to be there. I've been in the city a lot this week for medical appointments due to a bike crash 18 months ago,.The poking, prodding,  injections and kilometers have worn me down, but like a sunflower turning its face to the sun, I thrive in my studio.

I am working on a large commission right now, and it is an interesting journey. The image is so large, I need to step back many times and view the canvas (es) from afar. Many colours bounce off the brush......Winsor Blue, Cobalt Blue, French Ultramarine Blue, and Antwerp Blue make up the mountains, and I drop in Lamp Black for the Raven. Next is a bull elk, howling coyote, and grizzly bear.

The Road Home radio is playing in the background. 

I love my space to create.

Enjoy the journey.

Cascade Colourful Locals

 This is a very large project. The width of the 3 canvas is 66", or 5"6". 28 " tall. Before I begin, I prepare larger trays of colour so I can paint from colour to colour without having to worry about mixing or quantity. I prepare trays of Cadmium Yellow, Perinone Orange, Permanent Red, Quinacridone Violet, French Ultramarine Blue and a final tray Of Ultramarine Blue and Sepia.

I begin on the right canvas with Cadmium yellow, lay the colour down, clean my brush in water then on to the next colour. The final colour, the Ultramarine/Sepai blend, covers a lot of canvas, so I lay down layer after layer.

In the background listening to CKUA, and planning the next stage of painting as colours dry.

Enjoy the journey.

Cascade Colourful Locals Revisit

 Friends of ours in California were looking for a new painting for their wall. I sent them a few images/ideas and suggested the image could be done as a triptych, or three canvases with one image. They liked the idea, and the image they chose was Cascade Colourful Locals, a painting I donated to the Make a Wish Foundation a few years ago.

As the piece is pretty big......each canvas is 22"x28", I bolted them together so my drawing and lines match up. I then stood up the three canvases and began to map out a plan on how to draw this large image. Overall the image will be 66" wide and 28" tall

I love a new challenge. Once done with this piece I will start on a commission of the Three Sisters in Triptych.

CKUA playing in the background.

Enjoy the journey.

Practice What you Know

 "Practice what you know, and it will help make clear what you do not know." Rembrandt

I have been creating my whole life. Thousands of hours of sketching, painting, and experimenting. I am learning every day, the goal to get better.........not to be an expert.

Enjoy the journey.

Preparing for the Journey

 They say it takes 10,000 hours of working on a skill until you are an expert. I have been an artist my whole life and am learning every day............being an expert is a long way off.

What I have learned on my journey, whether it be going for a bike ride, a paddle, a hike, is to be prepared. I know I will be painting a fair amount in the next few months so have cleaned off my main palette and put fresh, new colours on it. Paint is not cheap.......a 15 ml tube can run over $35 and I have 40-50......so I squeeze every last ounce of paint out of each finished tube. I also take very good care of my brushes. The sable brushes can run $30-$100 depending on size. Sheets of 20 x 30 300 lb. watercolour paper are $30, so I am careful to plan each piece accordingly.

I have a few different paint sets I work with. A portable one that can fit in my jacket pocket or pannier, a mid-size one that goes into a pack or road trip, and the large kit that I use for bigger paintings.

As November skies darken and new snow falls ,I look forward to my time in the studio with my paints, CKUA and Radio Paradise.

Enjoy the journey.

The Creative Journey

 I always find it interesting the comments people make after I finish a piece. They love the composition, the colours, the theme. They are seeing the completed piece, but have not been on the journey from conception to completion.

I have been in my studio the past day preparing canvas for some commissions I have as well for some images I am painting to sell in a local store. I have over 20 sizes of canvas, from 4"x4" to 20"x30". I first make sure there are no defects in the canvas. I buy them from Opus Art Supply in Vancouver and Kenzington Art and Swintons in Calgary. I then brush them off, making sure there are no particles of dust. The next step is using Golden Gesso ground. Using a small roller, I apply a layer of Gesso, let it dry then add another. The Gesso, once dry, provides a bondable surface the watercolour adheres to. It's a challenging surface.......when you apply the paint you are never guaranteed of the final result. This is what I love, a true challenge in creating.

As the canvas dries, I map out a plan of which piece to start first. As it takes a while for paint to dry on the canvas, I usually work on 2-3 at a time so I can continuously paint. The next step is to pencil in my design on a few canvases, then I will begin painting. CKUA playing in the background.

Enjoy the journey.