Mary Oliver

Pisew Falls, Northern Manitoba  Oil  24 x 36

I recently came across a quote from Mary Oliver who is my all time favorite poet.  It goes, "I did not think of language as the means to self description.  I thought of it as the door - a thousand opening doors -! past myself.  I thought of it as the means to notice, to contemplate, to praise, and, thus, to come to power."
It occurred to me that I could easily substitute the phrase "I did not think of language for "I did not think of painting" and the paragraph would easily apply to my life as an artist who paints with oil rather than words.  Mary Oliver, whom I usually read every morning before I do anything else, is a gift to a world badly in need of healing.  I am grateful for her existence and her compassion for the natural world and urge you to read her work, it really is so wonderful.

RockyView

RockyView  Oil on Canvas 36 x 60

I've painted this particular place a few times now, I dearly love Amisk Lake, SK.  There is a world class lodge and resturant and this is the view from the room my wife and I stayed in a number of years ago for our anniversary.

My 60th birthday

My 60th Birthday

The evening of my 60th birthday presented an awesome sky in all quarters. Most fascinating of all were the Mamulous clouds over the lake, a beautiful site and a memorable one that I will remember for a long time. The evening was also spent with family and friends and we all had a great time storm watching. This is an oil painting I created, 36 x 48 in on canvas to commerate the occasion.

Red Canoe

The Red Canoe Oil on Canvas 24 x 42

I came across this scene in the yard across from my back alley, a red canoe stashed away under some Saskatoon Berry bushes on a lawn full of field daisies. I couldn't resist it, had to paint it one sunny Sunday afternoon. It is now hanging in a gallery in Winnipeg, Mb.  Got a lot of satisfaction with this one, lots of thick oil paint applied with various painting knives and blades.

Pine trees on Neso Lake

Pines on Neso Lake  Oil on Canvas 36 x 36

Its been awhile since I've last posted, I've been busy working at my real job as a carpenter to support my passion for painting.  I've just recently returned from my annual Art retreat to Shellmouth, Mb. Had a great time and completed three large painting, the above painting being one.  This scene is one I frequented when I lived in northern Manitoba, a wonderful place of precambrian shield rock, water and trees.  Gotta get back there soon!

Spring Breakup

Spring Breakup on Manitou Lake  Pastel  12 x 12 in.

I suspect that the salt in Manitou Lake does something to the vibrancy of the colours in the air and water and that is what I have tried to capture in this pastel. It wasn't long after I did this that the ice was gone.  Spring is early here by probably 3 weeks and the winter was very unusual.  These days the air is filled with smoke from the huge forest fire around Fort McMurray, Alberta, which has now entered Saskatchewan.  Global warming and El Nino are wrecking havoc all over the world!

Painting an Emotion

Carousel  Oil on Canvas  20 in x 20 in

I am just recently back from Honduras, where I was asked to paint a mural on the wall of a Mission School that a group of friends built a number of years ago. I have been there before, six years ago I painted my first mural of a jungle theme.  Anyways, after being there for a week the time came for registration of the children, K to 6. The morning dawned bright and hot and all kinds of Honduran's showed up at the gates of the compound to register their children.  I watched the scene from the second story of the school and was struck by the joyous atmosphere of all the people below, it was quite an emotional time for everyone.  I determined that when I got home I would attempt to capture that feeling I experienced, one of happiness, expectation, togetherness and also the vibrancy of the day.  So, the painting evolved into something that became a lot of fun to do, not necessarily being to concerned about representing the literalness of everything but more of the emotional aspect. 

Spring Breakup

Spring Breakup  Oil on board

It was a particularly nice morning to paint outdoors so I packed my paint box and headed out to look for a nice place to sit and enjoy the springlike weather. Good thing I did because the weather changed the next day and we are back into winter for awhile.

Jackfish Creek

Jackfish Creek  Oil on Board 22 x 28 in

I was commissioned to paint this Oil in August of 2015.  I decided to complete it at our annual Art Retreat, which we held in Assinaboia, SK.  The painting was completed by the end of the second day and one of the organizers was so taken with it that she asked if she could purchase it. After some thought I decided to sell it to her, my thinking being that I could always paint another for the original client. What seemed like a good plan turned out otherwise because somehow or other my client saw her painting on Facebook and really liked it, not knowing that I had sold it!  I undertook to paint the above painting, and after quite a few revisions and alterations I managed to satisfy her and myself. A lesson learnt there for sure.

Inspired by the Land

Wellington Creek  Oil on board

I was inspired to paint this en plien air piece last Sunday, it was a beautifully mild day, unseasonable for this time of the year but great to be sitting outdoors doing what I love.  A friend of mine posted a short video on my Facebook page called "Inspired by the Land" which is a commentary on how Artists respond and interact with Nature, very inspiring to see it and the people I know that are featured in the piece. Check it out on Vimeo.

A Pond of Water by the Woods

A pond of Water by the Woods  Pastel on Paper

I worked on a farm house not far from this scene this past spring and summer and was quite taken with the place, it was a bee hive of activity all the time. Many birds and waterfowl, bugs, beavers and muskrats, foxes and coyotes just to name a few.  I loved how it had an ever changing ambiance to it depending on the kind of day it was. I'm lucky and thankful to be able to be witness these miraculous places and times.

Magical morning

Sparkling Creek  Oil on Board

It was a magical morning as I went for a walk in my favourite places near home.  The creek is always a source of inspiration and peace and I was inspired to paint what I saw and felt.  I still have to figure out how to paint the lovely ice crystals I saw forming on the rocks and twigs.

Squash

Squash  Pastel on Paper

What you are looking is my entire squash population from this past planting season. Oh well, better than a  kick in the pants! My brother Richard is a squash maniac, he harvests hundreds of them of various species, including an ancient squash. He acquired the seeds from an archaeologist who determined that they were over 800 years old.  I hope to plant them next year.  Enjoy.