Into Fall...

As we move into Fall - and all that garden cleanup (!)- colours soften and change and I find it is often a nicer time for landscape painting. The excessive greens of summer can be difficult to deal with.  Sometimes a  summer painting can be almost harsh. Grasses fading and leaves changing  colour and revealing more of the tree's structure can lead to more interesting paintings. These trees grow along the Sturgeon Banks trail and especially appealed to  me because the day was a little misty. This painting is 30 x 20 so is not something that I would paint outdoors. I settled for a sketch and a photograph and worked on it for a much longer haul than three hours plein air. As for plein air, we are mostly indoors in the studio in this cooler weather. However, last Tuesday, we had a bit of outdoors as it was warm and sheltered on the garden deck at the Art centre and we ate lunch outdoors.

Another winter ago-

In spite of all the threats that this was going to be a bad winter on the Coast, it has been pretty mild most of the time. Two tiny snowfalls - and lots of rain. It has been really easy getting around- not like two years ago when our street was snowed in and I put on my cross-country skis and skied from our front door up to the dyke, something I've never been able to do before! One of the problems with snow here is that we rarely get to actually enjoy it. Usually it snows with a grey sky and then it turns to rain, with more grey and nothing photogenic or paintable at all. But when we do get snow and sunshine, we really feel lucky. This was one such day. I like the reeds and water along the dyke walk which overlooks Sturgeon Banks. I felt the dried reeds added a warmth to this snow scene. This painting is one of three of mine that will be displayed at Artisan Studio as Jeanette Jarville's salute to Winterfest. There are eighteen artists showing this time, including sculptors. The show opens this Friday evening and will be open for 6 weeks (except February 12th) on Saturdays.

"Just a Season"

"Just a Season" was the title Barb Bowen decided on for the exhibition I am having at Fraserview Church (11295 Mellis Drive) which opens this Sunday (January 10th). Barb wanted my snow paintings but then also some hinting at a turn of the season to Spring.I'm glad that snow is confined to the paintings and the mountaintops and isn't down here making traffic miserable like last year. There will be a reception at 11:30 AM. Church is at 10 - but people can come to just the reception. Having an art gallery in a church is such a nice thing and it is exciting to be showing there. With the Art Centre regular functions closed down because of the Olympics, classes are moving temporarily to Fraserview - so there should be lots of traffic through the church then.
The church will be projecting one of the paintings on the big screen in the sanctuary before services start and also using one on the church bulletins- so that is really nice too. "Winter Pond" is the one on the poster and is quite recognizable to people who walk the dyke by Sturgeon Banks. Part of my "artist statement" says "I want my work to be representational to the extent that the viewer can feel 'Oh yes, I remember that', but I also edit and emphasize so that something more is felt, the essence of the moment is evoked and a connection is made to the viewer."