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Posts tagged ‘art’

Knowing When to Stop

Retired in Nova Scotia acrylic painting

Retired in Nova Scotia 18" x "24

Sometimes I have trouble knowing when a painting is finished. When the painting is nearing completion, I have this need to tinker – brightening here, darkening there, adding more detail, fine-tuning the colour, and on and on it goes. The trick is knowing when to stop, before the painting becomes overworked. So, I am taking a break from this one. I think it might be done, but I’m not sure. I have to look at it for a while.

By the way, I’ve painted this boat before (several years ago). You can see the first version on my home page or here.

Same Elevator – Different Painting

March in Mayerthorpe - Acrylic Painting

March in Mayerthorpe (6" x 6")

Once again it’s the Mayerthorpe Grain Elevator, and it’s from almost the same angle as my previous painting, but at a much colder time of year.

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Pick a pumpkin

Pumpkin Patch 14″ x 18″

For sale at the farm that day were: apples, artichokes, gourds, squash, potatoes, honey, homemade cookies and pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins. We bought three – two for carving and one for pie. It was the first time that I made pumpkin pie from a whole pumpkin (not a can), and now I can never go back.

P.S. After my last snowy painting, I had promised to paint something more summery. But it seems as though I’ve gone straight from winter to autumn, skipping summer altogether—just like the weather in Vancouver! (Sorry, complaining about the weather has become a regular pastime around here).

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The Long Winter

The Long Winter 6" x 6"

Some of you may not want to look at this painting. We have been waiting a long time for summer to arrive, so you likely don’t want to be reminded of the piles of snow that melted just a couple of months ago.  I think (hope ?) that summer is finally here,  so I’m not sure what compelled me to paint this cold grey scene. I think that what really interested me was the criss-cross of power lines dividing up the sky. And on this little canvas (6″ x 6″), it was a lot of fun to do.

I’ll do something warmer next time, I promise.

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Bridge in Jericho Park

Bridge in Jericho Park 14" x 18"

I am starting to lose track of the number of paintings I’ve done of Jericho Park. You must be getting an idea of just how much time I spend there. I love this  little bridge  and I’ve painted it before. It is surrounded by huge trees, making it great practice for painting dappled light and shadows.

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Down by the Tracks

Down by the Tracks

This is another little picture from my hometown. It provided me with a great opportunity to practice painting snow.  If you think that snow is white, you should try painting it sometime.  I  saw endless colours there, but chose several shades of blue and beige to render it. I don’t feel 100% happy with the result, but I do love the contrast between the cool blues and the bright red rail car.

I also had lots of fun painting the Canada logo – can you tell that my other job is Graphic Design…

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Crockett House, Mayerthorpe

Crockett House, Mayerthorpe

This house is a landmark in Mayerthorpe, and many of my Mayerthorpe friends and family will recognize it. It is called Crockett House was built in 1935 by Leo Crockett Sr. It sits prominently on Main Street at the top of the hill, just as you approach downtown.

In this painting I was surprised by how much fun it was to paint the various colours of light and shadow that fell on the street.

You can read a bit more about the house here.

Where to Find It

I just wanted to update you on where you can find my artwork in Vancouver.

Corner Cup

Corner Cup, Kitsilano

Corner Cup
I just finished hanging my work at Corner Cup, 3301 West 4th Avenue. It’s a cozy neighbourhood coffee shop a few blocks from my house. The owner, Bruno, has done a great job of creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere, with delicious coffee and snacks. If you’re going to stop by, let me know – I’d love to buy you a coffee.

Laura K Jewitt in Point Grey

I have recently dropped off 3 new paintings at Laura K. Jewitt Design, a jewelry shop at 4469 West 10th Avenue. Thank you Laura for selling my Boathouse painting last month!

And last (but certainly not least), you can find a few of my paintings at Oh Brothers, 2575 West Broadway. They have a great selection of hand crafted items by Canadian Artists.

Now that all of my work is out in the neighbourhood, I better go make some more.

Jericho Arts Centre

Jericho Arts Centre

Jericho Arts Centre (JAC) is a 135-seat performance venue located near Jericho Beach on Vancouver’s West Side. I am very happy to be showing my artwork there during the month of April. To learn more about JAC and the current performance, please visit www.jerichoartscentre.com.

Vegetable Study

Carrots & Zucchini 9" x 12" Acrylic on Canvas

This painting is small, but it seemed to take forever to finish. Lately I’ve had having trouble finding more than one continuous hour of  painting time. Today I finally did and finished it fairly quickly. I always find it to be curious that I can’t predict what will be the most difficult part of a painting. I thought I’d breeze through the carrots and struggle with the zucchini, but I found the carrots to be the most challenging.

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