Painting With Patti

February 5th, 2018

When we moved back to Canmore, in August 2017, we secured a sweet townhouse in the complex of my dreams, but here I don't have a proper studio. Although I've painted at our kitchen table, I was pleased when Patti Dyment responded favourably to my request for a painting date at her place. Three days a week her large, well lit, open concept kitchen, dining, living room becomes her studio. We had such a good time we've turned these dates into regular events. 

Working on The Towers at Mount Asiniboine, January 22nd

Patti at work on her Towers, January 22nd

Mostly it's pretty serious business, but there is always time for laughter ...

January 22nd

Sometimes we work on the same subject. Such was the case on this day when we both painted Anastasia, from an image off an online paint-the-model photo website ...

February 12th

February 12th

That day I came home and worked on her too-small head, and more, for a further four hours.

She still isn't finished!

With the cradled panels we'd covered, using pretty scrapbooking papers, we launched into the following ...

February 26th, Patti at work on a portrait

Patti's gorgeous portrait

My iris

Patti had the brilliant idea to cover panels with old typographical maps. She brought some from home and since then Bill has coughed up several duplicate maps and donated them to our cause.

March 4th in our Dungeon - the perfect place for this kind of panel preparation

The very next day we were on a roll, both of us finished one painting, so we started another, on the papered panels ...

Patti's magnificent raven, March 5th

My bobcat, March 5th

Next, we both painted a bighorn ram portrait. Neither of us finished the second painting.

March 5th

March 5th

My bighorn

When Bill and I returned, from our month in the Philippines, Patti and I resumed our painting dates. Here we both worked on Bow Lake ...

April 22nd

April 22nd

Although the first paintings weren't finished, we moved on to begin another and worked on different images. By this time of day the sun had moved around to where it was pouring its brilliance in through the skylight. Here we are shifting around the room to escape being directly in the spotlight ...

Patti working on Ha Ling  

I opted to paint Quarry Lake

Now our task is to finish all these starts!

Lake O'Hara 2015

This expedition, from September 7th to 10th, gave us three nights and four days there. We were five painters and three spouses tossed in with other random Lake O'Hara enthusiasts staying at the Elizabeth Parker Hut (it holds 24). Joining in last year, for the first time in several, had me realise just how much I missed being there. While Bill has visited the area many times, he has accompanied the "painters" group only occasionally. It was a delight that we were both on the trip this year. 



My one and only plein air painting from this trip.   Sargent's Point   oil on panel   9" x 12"

Day one, we arrived to a fair bit of snow ...

Just off the bus, Bill on the shore of Lake O'Hara shore at Sargent's Point



That afternoon, as I painted, Bill hiked to McArthur Lake with Dave, Bob and Patti. There, at a higher elevation, they encountered considerably more snow ...

Bill at McArthur Lake, thanks to Patti Dyment for this photo

Thanks to Pat Allin for this photo

The snow gradually melted as I painted

Meg Nicks, sketching on a rock along side of me, stopped to snap the photo above of me at the easel

Another day, Patti Dyment was found tucked under some evergreens painting the classic Sargent's Point view

And, on the last day, Jan Chalupnicek and Sharon Williams painted it as well

Pooling food, we always eat well, exchange stories, laugh and sing together. It doesn't always happen, but on our last night, all the other folks staying at the hut joined us in song facilitating a most memorable hootenanny. 

I don't live close to the majority of the group anymore, so being reunited with everyone creates a homecoming feeling that is very special to me.  Here is our entire gang enjoying a happy hour ... 

Dave, Bill, myself, Jan, Meg, Bob, Pat, Sharon and Patti

The WiWaxy Hut comfortably sleeps eight, so we commandeered it for ourselves.

Meg, Sharon, Pat, Patti and myself having an end-of-the-day hen party on the lower bunk in the WiWaxy Hut

People wander off solo, or in smaller groups, to hike or paint, but on the one especially dreary morning (with the exception of Jan, who sped ahead and lost the rest of us) we hiked to the Crystal Cave together ...

Bob, Bill, Dave, Sharon, Patti, myself, Meg and Pat - thanks to Bob Allin for this time exposed shot

... and to Meg for this very special one

It was very cold, the weather was truly uncooperative. The intermittent rain helped to wash the snow away but we didn't see much blue sky or sunshine. Still, when you are in paradise and nature throws you a curve, you just make the best of it.

Bill, and some of the gals, partook of a decadent tea one afternoon in The Lodge, something I've never done before ...

Pat, Meg and yours truly 

With Bill and Meg, on day three, I hiked up to and on the Opabin Plateau to enjoy the pools and changing larches  

On the last day, I convinced Bill to hike to Victoria Lake, again, because, you just never know if you're ever "going to pass this way again."

Happy place to have lunch - at Victoria Lake

Myself above the magnificent Victoria Falls

Huge thanks to Patti for organizing yet another expedition. God willing, I'll be back, for more magic at O'Hara, next year!

Painters at Lake O'Hara 2014

Day one, my plein air oil at Sargent's Point

Timed to catch the September changing of the larches, for several years now a group of painters have booked themselves into the Alpine Club of Canada's, Elizabeth Parker Hut at the staggeringly beautiful Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park, B.C, The last time I joined the gang was in 2007. I was overdue. This year there were ten of us, many there to seriously plein air paint. I was there for so much more.

Daily access to Lake O'Hara is limited by two school bus loads in at 8:30AM and two more at 10:30AM. Of course you may opt to walk the eleven kilometers up the road. Half of our group were shuttled in on the early bus. I was with the others on the later bus arriving at the lake at eleven o'clock on September 16th. I walked my gear up to the meadow where the hut is, moved in and returned to the lake to paint this ...

Sargent's Point 2014, plein air oil 8" x 10"   SOLD

That first afternoon, there were four others painting at the famous and revered Sargent's Point. In sight, but not in my way, were ...

Sharon and George

Lake O'Hara is surrounded by an abundance of spectacular alpine lakes and pools, each with their own stunning, distinctive colour. None are much farther than a one hour walk away, all up of course. In stronger times, I was able to hike to so much more than I did on this trip. My new hip turned eight months old while I was there ... I was simply glad that it took me where and as far as it did!

Bob, and in the distance, Pat and Rhonda coming up the West Opabin Lake Trail

A selfie on Opabin Plateau

Magnificent Opabin Lake

My plein air ink and watercolour sketch of Opabin Lake 5" x 7"

Patti painting at Opabin Lake

Rhonda painting at Opabin Lake

Pat painting near Opabin Lake. Mount Odaray towers in the background (thanks for the photo Sharon)

Bob, Pat and Rhonda at Lake McArthur, the lake I sadly missed getting to this trip (thanks for the photo Rhonda)

Day three dawned cloudy and drizzly.  I convinced these three to hike with me on the Oesa trail as far as Victoria Lake ...

Sharon, yours truly, Patti and George (he's almost 81!) on the shore of Lake O'Hara

Ringrose Peak and Victoria Lake, just before the rain

While I retreated into the trees to sit down, enjoy the view and my lunch, these diehards attempted painting (watercolour no less) in the rain ...



George, Patti and Sharon



The outlet of Victoria Lake produces the amazing Victoria Falls

To escape the wet and cold, plein air painting was aborted. We returned to the hut where folks further developed what they had started. Sharon set up her easel in the kitchen where there are skylights in the otherwise very dark log cabin. I joined her there. Referring to the above photo (on the display of my digital camera) I placed my paint box on the kitchen counter and began the painting below. When the kitchen was needed for it's real purpose, I bailed.

My precious, antiquated paint box, from 1965 and art school. It has been everywhere with me 

Rhonda was our cook. Her gourmet, abundant, dinners were decedent, delicious, and capable of making the other hut guest envious. Each evening spontaneous concerts erupted. With her meadowlark voice, Patti sang and Rick skillfully played the guitar which hangs up on the cabin's wall. And yes, the rest of us joined in and we sang up every song we knew! 

Rick Hendlin, an independent artist from Solana Beach, California just happened to be a guest at the hut as well (thanks for the photo Sharon)

The expedition was magical and everything I hoped it would be. I hiked, painted, enjoyed fine company but above all else I filled my soul with the hours I was privileged to spend in the magnificently beautiful Canadian Rockies. Please click on O'Hara photos to view all of the pictures I took.

On day four we awoke to rain and the mountains veiled in cloud.  Rather than spend a day in that most of us caught the 9:30AM bus out. Truth be told, if it had been glorious weather I'd have hiked to Lake McArthur, which, with my already aching legs, would have been a huge mistake.

Special thanks to Patti for organising the expedition, to Rhonda for being our cook and to everyone else for contributing to the splendid time I had.

Not limited to painters, the group this year included photographers, spouses and friends ...
Patti Dyment

Rhonda Rasmussen 

Sharon Williams and her husband Dave

Alex Yonge

Pat and Bob Allin

George Alig

Jan Chalupnicek