New show

Paintings framed and ready for the Federation of Canadian artists Active members show next month. The 3 paintings in black frame will be in the show, and the one with gold frame has been claimed by Heather and will stay with us at home on our wall.

The show runs from January 7 - 18, 2015 at Federation Gallery on Granville Island in Vancouver.

Trip to Deep Cove

It's my second time painting in Deep Cove, and I wanted to avoid the heavy touristy area. I wandered for a while and found a little path up into a small forested hill. There were many unique views that would have made great photographs, but in order to paint comfortably I needed to find an eye-level view.

Deep Cove spot - oil on panel - 12" x 9"

Overdue updates

In September I participated in the annual Grand Prix of Art in Steveston. It's a plein air painting competition where the participants are randomly assigned to varies spots in and around town. The artists are given 3 hours to complete the paintings, then frame them to be hung in the following exhibition.

I was assigned to the boardwalk overlooking the docks. The boats are always a sentimental subject, but in this case, there were too many of them. The view was pact with boats and riggers and masts, incredible amount of detail. I was ambitious and decided on a wide view, but just as I started the drawing phase I knew I was in trouble; with the 3 hour time limit I would be lucky to have finished the drawing in one hour, and I wanted to make sure the drawings were as accurate as possible. Objects like boats and cars can easily look wrong if not drawn properly.

I ended up removing a lot of things in the view in order to simplify, including an entire jetty, and many boats. I tried to depict one in the foreground with most care, and let the other 4 or 5 boats into obscurity.

Overall I am happy with the result despite the rush. It has grown on me. I did not place in the competition. To see the winners' pieces follow the link.

Noon rush at Steveston Fisherman's Wharf - oil on panel - 9" x 12"