Owl in the Mist

"Owl in the Mist" 18" x 36" oil on canvas     $1,650.00

This was a really fun painting to do. I started out in acrylic, because I like that you can glaze lots of layers to make convincing mist, but I didn't take the size of the piece into consideration, and I couldn't get a smooth color in the background. The darn acrylic just dries too fast! I really hate painting in acrylic, but it does tend to be better for wildlife...it makes it easier to do all of the finicky detail without having to wait ten years for the paint to dry. Well, I threw up my hands in frustration and dove into this with oils...I mean, literally dove in. I mixed up about a tonne of the gray color and slammed it on with the palette knife, and then switched to big, gobby brushstrokes...it was really fun! So I switched my approach completely. The oil is quite loose instead of super detailed, and I actually love that about it...

Click on this one to make it big... it looks way better:)

Going Fishing

~Going Fishing~  6"x6" oil on Raymar panel  $150.00

Everybody around here is going fishing lately, and the river is thick with fish once again. I hear the Sockeye run is better than it's been in 40 years...unless that's just a "fish story", lol!

 Here's a little guy I whipped off a while ago, who's taking advantage of the surplus...I'll sell him to you in a gorgeous plein aire frame like the ones above for an extra $55...

Prints are available in my etsy shop...here

The Interruption

The Interruption  16" x 20" oil on panel

Well, I've finally posted something! It's been a really long time, and I've missed you:)  I am now volunteering five days a week, to keep our local gallery open. I use it for my studio, and I run a little cafe, so if you're in the area, please stop by for an organic, free trade, delicious espresso drink and biscotti.  Needless to say, I'm pretty busy.  I have been painting up a storm, but my time has been filled with commissions and failures.  Yup, there are definitely a few I'm too embarrassed to show you.  It seems like whenever I finish a really good one, it takes me a while to get my legs back under me so to speak. I guess I'm trying to live up to it, and the pressure is too great, so I screw up. Or something like that...anyways...I'm okay with this one, sort of.   I'm not sure if I like it, but I've learned that I have to let go, and let people decide for themselves before I use it for a frisbee.  

I did something this time that I hardly ever do, and totally messed with the lighting. I originally took the reference photo for this painting in the bright sunlight, it was filtering through the trees from the left, but I really wanted it to tell a story, so I changed the scene to night, and added the campfire.

Well, I hope to be back and posting more often now that my commissions are finished. Hopefully I work through this "sucky period"...The next one is coming along just smashingly, so cross your fingers for me that I don't screw it up!
I also want to give a great big huge thank you to Kirsty over at KirstyGirl for featuring my blog on her blog. She is a wonderfully energetic and creative blogger, with a heart of gold, and I enjoy each and every one of her posts, along with her gorgeous photographs, so go check her out.

Cheers!