Plein Air Painting at Whistler with Brent Lynch

3 days of painting with oils and my new Alla Prima Pochade box .. Day 1 at Green Lake on the spit, Day 2 up Whistler, and Day 3 in the middle of the village (!) surrounded by passersby who were attending the yoga Wanderlust event. Lianne and Susie and I squeezed in between the Celebration Plaza theatre and a vendor selling electric cars!

I have to do more plein air as it's very tough but really fun and memorable. I'm finally very well equipped so have no excuse for not doing it daily.

One of Brent's 'starts' .. so loose, yet already showing the feeling of geological movement.

 David and Jeff, members of the class.

my take on this scene..

David Goatley Portrait Workshop

Day 1 - head only in black and white.  You have to squint hard to reduce your subject to tonal values.

Day 2 - B and W and two colours.

 Full portrait. The expression 'paying an arm and a leg' comes from portraiture when it was more costly to include the body.  David is in the background doing the lovely painting below, a double portrait that includes another student!

First Catch

Latest painting in the Great Bear Rain Forest series, 16"x20" acrylic on canvas. This is from a photo reference generously provided by my friend Miray Campbell of Mothership Adventures. We'll be visiting this area in September on their ship Columbia III and hope to see lots of wildlife while learning more about the pipeline issue.
Corry Hunter gave me this title which I think nicely highlights the small size of the cub relative to the salmon!

iPad drawing, inspired by David Hockney

CONTEMPLATION  7"x5" iPad drawing.


This was drawn using the Brushes ap. It is a very cool, user-friendly program that allows you to choose colour, opacity, width, mark type, and other features I haven't used yet. You can draw in layers, and then erase previous layers. For instance, if you sketch very roughly to start and then do a more refined drawing on the next layer, you can erase the initial sketch. It is very fun!

This drawing was juried into the International Drawing Show at the Federation Gallery and will be exhibited there until July 1.

My 'show' at Essentia

This is the beautiful bed store on 4th Avenue where Sarah arranged, last Feb,  for me to have an art show in June. Jim and I hung 27 pieces on Wednesday this week, and we'll take it down July 4. It's a great setting for art, and they have a fancy wire/track system so no holes are made in the walls.

So you can go and lie on a lovely organic memory foam mattress (guarantee not to heat up like most mattresses) and look at art!

'Secret Cove' was bought today! I find it quite exciting having so much work in one spot and I am very inspired to work harder at it.

Essentia is at 2144 West 4th Avenue, across from Lululemon and a few doors west.

Joachin Sorolla rocks!

 We're in New York this week visiting family and I had the chance to get up to Spanish Harlem to the Hispanic SOciety of America Museum, on a recommendation from Liz Wiltzen. It was such a great find and easy to subway to.

Sorolla was a Spanish artist from about 1985-1920
and he excelled at showing the light in his work. His colours are luscious, and no two brush strokes are quite the same colour or shape. He is tremendously inspiring to me. These are just photos I took in the museum so not great, but they give an idea of his talent. There are tons of colours in the tuna. Te compositions are compelling. And look at the light and pink skin showing through the girl's bathing costume below.. And on a close look she has blue and green on her feet.  This is a messy post, I'll try to straighten it out tomorrow!

More sheep to count..

Miss Coquette  seemed an apt title for this seemingly coy ewe.   Part of the 12x12 series of sheep to count while awaiting the sandman.

Coming!  More little lambs frolicking in the fields.