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.

The Magpie

I have a love/hate relationship with magpies.  On the one hand I find them annoying when it comes to attempting to attract songbirds to the yard because they tend to scare them all off.  A case in point is my determination to build a purple martin palace for my yard this past summer.  Well the magpie was not pleased and he pretty much told me so one summer morning when I came across him sitting on my wood pile.  We had a staring match for a good minute, which I found amazing because they are usually very shy of humans.  Looking at him I had a sense that he was telling me that he didn't appreciate being dive bombed by the purple martins who had taken over the yard.  Magpies are a very striking bird and I particularly enjoy seeing them in the winter, when their plumage really stands out. Had a hard time photographing this oil painting, I think the pearlescent paint was messing with my camera lense.

To A Certain Cantatrice

 Found myself thinking about the countless people of the occupy Wall Street movement when I came across this Walt Whitman poem. Do you see the relevance?


Here, take this gift,
I was reserving it for some hero, speaker, or general,
One who should serve the good old cause,
the great idea, the progress and freedom of the race,
Some brave confronter of despots, some daring rebel;
But I see that what I was reserving belongs
to you just as much as to any.

- Walt Whitman

Schist Lake, Manitoba

Bright Morning on Schist Lake

It's snowing out like crazy and I am in my studio working away like a beaver on numerous pieces.  This oil was painted last weekend at a get together we hosted here at Manitou Beach and depicts an island on Schist Lake, where Karen Clark (one of the painters who attended) lives. 

Warm October Afternoon

I painted this pastel on one of the last days of Autumn.  The dogs and I came across the deer on the hiking trail south west of Wellington Park, what a great day it was.

Fading Glory

In the spirit of my photographer friend from Manitou Beach, Al Bowman, I submit this watercolour/pastel of the sun going down over the hills of Manitou Beach, SK.  Al is a spirited photographer who insists that he just likes "snapping pictures" but I feel he is much more talented than he gives himself credit for.  Check out his work on Facebook. I call this painting "Join the Union" simply because I was listening to a song by that name performed by Strawbs. Go figure.

Painting from Memory

This small pastel was painted from memory and depicts one of the many roadside pullouts we stopped at on our way down the northern coast of California.  I was struck by the solitary tree standing against the incessant winds off of the Pacific Ocean.

Mendocino Afternoon

This is another pastel piece that I managed to do in the time allotted me by my tour guide operator Michael Baschak, of the bay off of the village of Mendocino California.  I am glad that I took my pastels on this trip as they allowed me to do fairly quick studies of the places I visited and offered a quite good selection of colours for that locale.

Mendocino

One of the places I really wanted to go to when in California was Mendocino.  I had heard a lot about it over the years, how it was a haven for the sixties generation and artists of every make and colour.  Going there wasn't a disappointment and it lived up to all my expectations.  Mendocino is actually quite a small little village, probably not much larger than Manitou Beach.  The architecture is quaint and funky and there are strict guidelines in place to ensure it remains that way.  Crystal and Michael let me loose with my pastels for a little over an hour so I made good use of my time by heading down to the edge of the village, close to the ocean, and set myself up close to some other plein air painters who were up from Berkley, CA for the day.  I felt right at home.  This pastel is one of the two pieces I managed to complete in my time allotment.  Nothing like a deadline to get me moving!

California Dreaming

Crystal, Michael and I are back from our trip down to California and what a trip it was.  We followed the coast all the way down and I know Crystal had her eyes tightly shut more than once as Michael maneuvered his way around some tight slow corners on the edge of the Pacific Ocean!  I could feel my abs working on both sides of my body as we made our way down the coast.  We made many stops along the way to explore the coastline and the redwood forests, it is all quite overwhelming and there is to much to say in just one post.  The pastel above was done en plein air at a place called Agate Beach, where we camped for three days.  There usually was fog in the air which added a serene quality to the place.  I didn't sleep much while I was there because the sound of the huge waves, which reminded me of freight trains, was constant and very loud.  They sounded like they were actually moving large rocks at times.  I brought a couple of pounds of pebbles back from the beach for my rock garden!

Glorious Autumn

We are being blessed with an amazing Autumn in our part of the world.  The other day I took some time and sat under a tree in our Wellington Park with the idea of doing a pastel drawing of the splendor before me.   It was such a great experience to sit there with my two dogs and enjoy the warm breezes and solitude of the place.  I hope I can get out again while the leaves are still on the trees!

Something outside my window

Titling paintings can be an interesting exercise sometimes and this painting was no exception.  I gain alot of inspiration from simply looking out my studio window and what I see outside these days is Autumn happening.  So, I saw something outside my window.  I leave the rest to you.

Thinking about Utah

The Bridge Over It

The other evening my wife suggested I vacate the house and go to my studio (some call it the Man Room) as she was having a friend over to do Reflexology.  So, like the dutiful husband that I am, I retired to my room and proceeded to do the pastel you see above.  (It doesn't take much arm bending to get me into my sanctuary)  I prepared the support for this piece using quite a bit of marble dust and a dark toned acrylic paint, using a ragged old brush that some might throw in the garbage. You can judge the scale of this natural wonder by comparing the size of the trees below to the natural bridge above. The impetus for the picture came from reminiscing about last Falls road trip to the beautiful state of Utah, in particular the southern half where we encountered the most amazing vistas.  The sandstone arches are totally mind boggling and inquisitively wonderus (my own word).  This Fall Michael, Crystal and I are going to Oregon and California, following the coast all the way down.  I am very attracted to water, being a Cancer, so this should be a fabulous trip.