Postcards from Europe - Venice Window

                                                  Venice Window 4"x6" watercolor postcard

Another from my Postcards from Europe series. I shot the reference photo for this from a gondola in one of the canals. It was so cool! I know, totally touristy, but hey, I was a tourist!
The buildings there are amazing. It baffles the mind to try to imagine how they built that city. Much of it is in disrepair, especially in the side canals. The stucco is falling off, showing the brick beneath, and revealing layers of paint and colors. Even in partial ruin, these buildings are beautiful.  And everyone has flower boxes:)

Stonehenge postcard

 Stonehenge Sunrise 4"x6" postcard watercolor, pen and ink

I was so excited to see Stonehenge, finally. I've always felt drawn to all things pre-historic and ancient, and Stonehenge was no exception. I stayed in Bath, England, a beautiful city about an hour or so drive away. Bath is gorgeous and old in itself. It was founded by the Romans and was called Aque Sulis. The original Roman Baths are still there and are a popular tourist attraction. The buildings are all white stone, many of them 18th century. 

Anyways, back to the point...I made sure I booked a tour on a small bus, (Mad Max's tours, with a great, funny and charming guide) there were only eight of us, and the bus left really early. We ended up being the first group to arrive at Stonehenge, before the swarms of people that were usually there. I raced off the bus, pushed my way to the front of my fellow travellers, and managed to snap a few pictures with absolutely no people in them! Yay! Unfortunately, they have built a freeway right next to this amazing monument, and it's not possible to feel how it might have been to experience this in peace and quiet without a million swarming people, but it still holds some energy. At least I was in awe.

Postcards from Europe

Stow on the Wold, England  4" x 6" watercolor, pen and ink postcard

This was a lazy day scene at sunset of one of the wonderfully picturesque Cotswold villages in England, where I was fortunate enough to travel last fall.

New Website Finally up!!

It's at www.gofficart.com. Finally!

All this time, I thought I needed help, but I finally realized it wasn't going to get done unless I did it myself, and I'm better at following instructions than I thought I was. (IWeb helped a lot, too!)

Well, I hope you like it!

Ciao:)

The Guardian

The Guardian 20"x24" acrylic on canvas

This painting is somewhat of a companion piece to an older painting of mine, called "The Sentinel". I'd envisioned it after seeing an eagle on a piling at the wharf, and I liked the vertical, powerful, format. It certainly seemed to give the eagle some authority. The village where I live is predominantly native, and it seemed fitting to insert a totem pole, and the mist is a common feature of our coastal rainforest.

I hope you like it!

Cheers

Team Work- Draft Horses

"Teamwork" 9"x12" oil on canvas SOLD

This is a painting I whipped off in about a day, a week or so ago for the ArtWalk in Williams Lake. It had only been hanging for two days when they called to let me know that it had sold. Yay!! Gotta love that!:)

But, I have to admit...I'm still having a creative crisis. This selling thing is wonderful, and it's great to have shows and get some recognition...but somehow it all seems like a bit of a sellout.

I don't know...I'm painting, I should be happy. But nearly every painting is wrenched out of the abyss of self-doubt. (Except this little gem above! Why can't I feel like that about painting every day?) I'm not painting what I want, but if I paint what I want it won't sell, and I want it to sell, because if it doesn't, then I have to get a "real" job, and if I get a "real" job, then I won't have time to paint, and then I won't be happy either, and the wheel goes round and round...I suppose it's the age old dilemma of the artist. Do I paint for the people or do I paint for myself?

Uncle Ron

Uncle Ron 16"x20" oil on canvas SOLD

This is my latest commission, for my Uncle. I loved the pose, the clothes, and the kick-butt (with slight sly humor) expression on his face. It was from an old sienna photo and I colorized it, with the help of the authentic hat and jacket, and a 'not-so-willing' little brother.