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.

Eastend Plein Air

I discovered this 10 x 12 plein air oil painting in a closet in my studio just now.  It was painted a few years ago down in Eastend and portrays the view from a hill overlooking Don's ranch, where we all stay when we are down there for our annual retreat on the July weekend.  I had a call from my painting buddy Dean Bauche early last week inviting me to go down there and do some encaustic painting with him.  Would have been nice but I had to be in attendance for our Art of Import Show and also in Regina for my wife. (she needed a chauffeur).  The good thing is I got to see a wonderful exhibit of the Regina Five Painters, I was particularly taken with Art MacKays work.  Canada's painters are severly under rated and should be getting alot more attention on the world stage.  Funny thing happened when I walked into the Gallery, Danny Bauche yelled, "hey, I know that guy!"  So we had a nice chat and I ended up spending time with Deans daughter instead of him.  Funny how life is.

Pristine Waters

Pristine Waters  Pastel on Paper

The pastel painting above is another of a series of works I am doing based on my week long stay up at Denare Beach this past August.  As I might have mentioned before I used to live in the vicinity of Flin Flon and until I got back up there after an absence of 3 years I never realized how much I missed the area.  I look forward to going again soon, my friend Sarah says I have a place to stay, right Sarah?  I love water and rocks, with the odd tree thrown into the mix.

Morning on the Water

Morning on the Water

 

 

 

 

The weather has been exceptionally fine lately and I have been managing to get out on the water in my Kayak practically every day.  One fine morning I took my watercolour kit with me and painted this piece above.  Actually it was such a fine morning that I skipped going to work, a person can do that when you are self employed!  Just have to work twice as hard in the afternoon.

The Burden of Leadership

The Burden of Leadership

The painting above is an encaustic and oil on a masonite panel.  I painted it while at our Retreat in Denare Beach in August of this year.  Looking at it now I decided to title it as above because it struck me that this man, sitting on his throne of horns, has a lot to think about. Canada just recently lost a potentially great leader in Jack Layton, a man I admired from the moment I became aware of him.  It is my opinion that great leaders hold their constituents before them and put their personal desires behind, in favor of serving their country first and foremost.  I honestly don't see that in Canada right now and I think I am old enough now to know the difference. A writing by Lao Tzu comes to mind:

It is better not to make merit a matter of reward

Lest people conspire and contend,

Not to pile up rich belongings

Lest they rob,

Not to excite by display

Lest they covet.

A sound leader's aim

Is to open people's hearts,

Fill their stomachs,

Calm their wills,

Brace their bones

And so clarify their thoughts and cleanse their needs

That no cunning meddler could touch them:

Without being forced, without strain or constrain,

Good government comes of itself.