Seashells and Rock

Looking for a Feather

Oil on Linen 6" x 6"

A little painting this week with some little objects.  Perhaps it could use a wee feather in the front left section? The larger shell is from the Queen Charlotte Islands. 

I am moving my studio this week so won't be painting for awhile. No postings for about two weeks. I'll be back online as soon as I can; I don't want to stop painting for long!

The book I'm reading this week:  Clapton - The Autobiography

Surfboard Skimboard

Acrylic and Oil on Canvas  14" x 18"

This week I worked on this painting that has been stashed in my closet for about a year.  Thanks to input from Picard  while painting at his studio, I did major reworking and brought this to a point I could call finished.  Almost. To quote an unknown artist, "My work is finished only when it is gone from my studio".  I agree that as long as the painting is still in view, there may be something to fix or to change on it.

In the summer of 2008 we camped for a few days near Tofino on Vancouver Island. This is the place closest to heaven that I have seen. One lovely, sunny morning when some larger waves were breaking, I wandered the beach and took pictures of a variety of folks enjoying the blissful surroundings in their various chosen ways.  Not many of the young ones noticed me snapping pics, so snap away I did.  This painting is a combination of a few photos merged into one scene.  These young guys riding skimboards were tireless running time and again up and down the beach.

Here I am: the happy, mature photographer being ignored by the young boarder passing behind.  The wet suit allowed me to play in the very cold waves and to blend into the scene.  I didn't try surfing.

Pansies for Mom

Acrylic on Wood Panel 6" x 6"

Another small painting - this one is a present for my Mom. Pansies are something she always appreciated. Even if she doesn't remember that she used to like them, maybe she will like them anew!

The small wood panel is 1.5" deep so it will free-stand on a shelf or a night table.  I like that the resulting painting is so 'usable' for someone with limited space or without the option of banging nails into the wall.  And these small ones are a joy to paint because they are finished so quickly.  Given my precious time (as noted extensively in a previous posting, sorry if I'm going on and on) small is ideal for me. 

Red Pear and Feather

Oil on Wood Panel  6" x 6"

Here is a small painting from this weekend, the smallest I've done.  It was also an experiment to paint on a wooden panel, and I found that I really like the firmness of the surface.

Unfortunately, when I photographed the painting to post it, I found it difficult to capture the subtle nuances in the red colour.  The painting looks even better in real life. Honest.

This is a shot of my studio setup, now you can see where all the magic happens :-)  !
Much credit goes to The Carder Method for my setup.

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