Finn Slough Spring

Here's the latest Finn Slough painting- I had a bit of fun pushing the colour on this one and adding the boots. I was going to also paint a skunk cabbage - or to give it a fancier name- Swamp Lantern - but I didn't get to that - so I made the suggestion of a few growing just below the house. Maybe next year I'll have a painting done. They really are a lovely shape.

I've also been working on those flower pots- especially on the shadows so I'll get that posted in a bit. On Sunday, I  did a figure study with Helene in a peasant outfit - although with her curly hair and the cape she had, she may look a bit more like Little Red  Riding Hood than a Millet-type peasant! One result of the colour course I have been doing was that I used a very limited palette and  put a lot of thought into the neutrals. Then, a result of that is that I'm going back to work on the previous workshop figure study to change the background and work more on the flesh-tones. I still, at least, like the tea-pot and the lace tablecloth.

Finn Slough

Right now, I'm working on two new paintings for the Finn Slough Art Show, which will be April 8, 9 and 10th - with the reception being on the 9th from 7 to 9pm at Richmond Art Centre in the Lecture Hall. The one I did last year is "Finn Slough Spring" and is one of the five paintings up at Omega Gallery.
Finn Slough is one of the few remaining pieces of natural near-wild riverside environment. It dates back to the early 1890's when a group of Finnish people arrived in south Richmond. That, of course, was before the area was even known as Richmond. Because of flooding - hand-built dykes did not really keep the river off the land- a lot of the houses were built on pilings. The settlers were mainly fishermen and needed a safe harbour for their boats. Today, there are still fishermen, fishing nets and fishboats but many of the people living at Finn Slough are active in the arts- painting, design, music and so on. They have a society which is endeavouring to preserve and maintain the heritage values of Finn Slough. For a painter, the place is a "natural". I wonder how many paintings and photographs there are of the "Mermaid III" ? I was sorry when the old net loft collapsed into the river as it was lovely to paint- with the interesting shadows created by its boards. Every painting I have done of the "Eva" has sold - but, no, I'm doing something different this year.