Shellmouth en Plein air painting

I've painted from this location before on a number of occasions with my brother Richard present taking photos, Garry Harris, James Dean, Jan Layh, Dean Bauche and others all trying their hand at painting from the subject.  Nothing beats it in my humble opinion, I'll never tire of it as long as I'm able. A great spot where the Assinaboine River takes a turn and lazily continues on her way.

Collaborative Paintings

Dean, Darrell and Jan exhibiting some Mirth

Bonny, Darrell, Jan and Dean

Darrell and Dean having a quiet moment

Jan Layh and Dean Bauche

Dean Bauche and Bonny MacNab

The Four Amazing Amigo Painters

New Owners with Darrell and Shawn Majumder

Four Amigos with Shawn Majumder and owners of Collaborative Painting

You might be able to tell that we seem to be having a lot of fun in these photos. I had the opportunity to hang out with my great friends Dean Bauche, Jan Layh and Bonny MacNab this past weekend in the Battlefords where we were asked to paint a collaborative painting for the Dekker Center Gala. The painting was to be auctioned off to help with the operating expenses of this amazing facility.  Well it turned out that we had time to paint two pictures which were auctioned off for the tidy sum of $4500.00!  The auctioneer was Shawn Majumder, of CBC's This Hour has 22 Minutes fame.  He did a wonderful job for us and many thanks go out to him for that.  Rob Rongve of RBC Securities bought us a very good bottle of wine which definitely added fuel to the fire, thanks Rob! We had a blast. The following three days were spent facilitating an Art Retreat/Workshop with 15 participants and this turned out to be a huge success as well.  So, it turns out that they want us back for next year and seeing how we had such a nice time we will be back!  Thanks so much to Barb and Dean for opening up your home to us crazies, I hope that bottle of good scotch is there when I come back Dean!

Plein Air Partners

Frenchman River

I had company whilst painting this oil. My daughter Sacha and good friends Dean Bauche and Jan Layh all sat out in the glorious morning sun down by the Frenchman River and painted in our own manner.  This was the first time that Sacha painted out of doors with me and I think she did great.  The hills around Eastend, SK are so green due to large amount of rain they have been getting.  I am told by people who travel that this place reminds them of Ireland and Wales.

The Layh Homestead

A few weeks back Crystal and I attended the Langenburg Adjudicated Art Show, their 18th, and had the pleasure again of staying at their lovely home near the edge of the Assinaboine valley.  Jan and Don have an amazing yard, I don't know how they find the time to keep it so perfect with their busy lives.  I found a bit of time to paint while I was there so I set myself up in one of the gardens and painted this view towards their house.

The Joy of Collaboration

Extraordinary in the Ordinary

Every once in awhile I have the joy (I could use many words to express this) of collaborating with good friends at our various Retreats.  The painting above was painted by Dean Bauche, Jan Layh and myself at our Retreat in Denare Beach, SK this past summer.  Rocks were the theme of many participating artists as this location is well known for the Precambrian outcroppings abounding about there (some are loaded with precious minerals like zinc, copper and gold).  I was entrusted to take this painting home and finish it, the only demand was that I didn't break the first rule.  People in the know will understand what that means!  I only had to sharpen up some lines and do a bit of glazing.  Seems like its done.

Eastend 2011, the second day

High Winds, Bright Sky  30 x 30 in Oil on Panel

 

 

 

 

This time around at Eastend Dean let me set up my studio space in the ranch's owners workshop, which suited me just fine because I have much the same setup at home.  Dean Bauche and Bonnie McNabb were also set up there but Dean good nature ably ribbed me about how I managed to take over half of the workshop. I let it pass like water off of a duck's back.  I painted the picture above on my second day down there and it is loosely based on the previous posts plein air piece.  I am always amazed at how much work a person can get done on the ranch.  Wish I could do the same at home.

Eastend 2011

Bright Morning at the Y Road

We just got back from another amazing experience at Eastend, SK, where we attend a weekend Art Retreat.  The weather was fantastic with warm temperatures and a very nice wind to cool things off.  I managed to paint a few pieces, some in the studio and some with friends in the hills of Eastend.  I had some very special moments with close friends that are to personal to speak of here but they will stick with me for the rest of my life.  I post one of the pieces I did while sitting with my friends Jan Layh and Bonnie McNabb near the Y road.

Re-cycling

I was banging around the studio this afternoon looking for a canvas to paint on and I came across a panel that was previously painted on. After some consideration I decided that it had the makings of a water type painting with lilies. There is a particular type of water lily that grows in Percy Lake, where my good friend and artist Jan Layh has a summer cottage and I have wanted to paint them for some time. With that in mind I went to work on the piece and very shortly I had what I was looking for. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ovid Mercredi

A whiles back, we were invited to spend New Years with Jan and Don Layh, who live near Langenburg, SK. Also present were other friends, including Ovid Mercredi. I caught him with my camera in a very contemplative mood sitting near a window overlooking the valley below. Ovid is a wonderful poet and he has blessed us many times with readings of his work. He also has become very interested in painting and is coming along quite nicely in that field. He has challenged other painter friends and myself to come up with a painting that visually captures the spirit of his poem, "Ode to Mozart." I am still working on that. For now I'll settle for this pastel of the poet himself.