Embracing Where I Am

TABLE MOUNTAIN #2   18" x 24" framed oil on canvas   $2500.

Bill and are planning to move to Victoria, B.C. but (so far) things haven't panned out exactly as we wish and we find ourselves delayed in departing Claresholm. Rather than sulk about it, I've chosen to embrace it and enjoy the marvelous space that Karen Linderman makes available to me.



You may recall it was almost two years ago that I set up a painting studio, affectionately called The Art Room, in Karen's law office. After an eight month hiatus, I resumed my residency there last week. It sure feels good to be back painting again.

In my opinion Karen is the best lawyer in town. Those who know her will concur that hers is a most generous spirit. Giving, on a personal and community level, is second nature to her. Plus, she's a rare non-artist with whom I can talk about art, ad nauseam, and she remains keenly interested. 

Karen patronizes not only me. Her support of all local and regional artists and artisans is remarkable. Her love of the arts prompted her to spearhead Claresholm's first, hugely successful, musical theatre Fame! (January 2015) for which she was the Production Manager. Currently, she is working in the same capacity for Little Shop of Horrors, coming to the stage in January 2016.  

Linderman Law Office, 4916 - 2nd Street West is directly south of the Claresholm Post Office

Should you find yourself in town and notice that "The Artist is In" sign is displayed in the window, know that I'm there, painting, and it means I welcome your visit.

Yesterday, I finished the painting you see me starting (in the first photo above). Here are the progressive stages ...

And finished ...

TABLE MOUNTAIN #2 (Beaver Mines Lake, Castle area, South Western Alberta)  18" x 24"   oil on canvas

In the next couple of weeks I will be working on smaller paintings, such as the one below, to exhibit at the Kinette Christmas Sale on November 21st, 11am to 4pm, here in Claresholm, at the Community Centre. Tickets for Little Shop of Horrors go on sale there!  



PEACH BELLINI   oil rose on vintage sheet music which has been tinted with acrylics   6" x 6" x 2" cradled wooden panel  

Creston Experimentation

Black gesso everywhere and days later I've still got stained cuticles

Anyone who knows me well, knows I loath having dirty hands. This, I'm told, isn't normal for an artist (now there's an oxymoron for you). In Win's studio getting your hands dirty can't be helped and I have learned to roll with it because, well, the experimentation is just that much fun. This past visit to Creston (September 20th - 23rd) was so highly charged and what with Win's studio being adjacent to the master and guest bedrooms those of us sleeping on site didn't get very much owing to all that wild energy flying around the premises!

Meg watches Win demonstrating how she colours the embossed foiled pieces

Win graciously adhered silver foil (from a hair salon) onto masses of card stock and ran all theses pieces through her embossing toy so that Meg and I could black gesso then colour them.

My embossed pieces

Following Win's examples, I made a fun foam plate to print using her Gelli plate

My fun foam plate



Impressions made from the fun foam above were disappointingly faint, so I won't show you them. I need to go in with the stylus to press deeper into the lines, to get a print with strong contrast.

Bill (who has made original prints before) gave Gelli plate printing a try, but it didn't last long as the boys were just passing through on their way out the door to find their own kind of fun.

Meg, Win and John, Paul and Bill

Below Win observes as Meg creates a painted piece of "sun paper" using all sorts of wild and crazy colours, leaves, lots of paint and tons of water.

 

Once saturated, this paper needed overnight to have all that water evaporate ...

Somewhat of a garish dog's breakfast

But oh, the reverse side is an amazing sight to behold

Meg used other "sun papers" that she had created on these twin panels (in progress) ...

We did come up for air to spend some time outdoors. I had an urge to meander among the grapes, so we walked from the Dinn's to the Skimmerhorn vineyards ...

And oh the maple trees on the Dinn's front lawn are in their autumn splendor right now.



Thanks to Win and John, it was another magical stay in Creston. Good times with good friends in the beauty of one of BC's most charming valleys.

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!

Lake of the Woods

Sun Struck Isle   oil on canvas   24" x 36"

It's been a while since you've heard from me but this post ties in nicely with the previous one where I talked about Zelda, my travelling companion to and at Lake of the Woods. This lake is over 110 kilometres long and wide containing more than 14,000 islands. It's primarily in Canada but, being on the border, it also stretches into the USA, at the western edge of Ontario where this province meets the SE corner of Manitoba.

Lake of the Woods from space

Gerry Wilson and her husband, John, were Zelda's and my hosts (in 2005). Gerry is also editor of this magazine which I am proud to have a painting published in ...

This issue (July, 2015) has an excellent article called A Shrine of Beauty; Painting at Lake of the Woods 1850 - 1930 written by Andrew Kear, Curator of Historical Canadian Art, Winnipeg Art Gallery. It is followed by this page ...

Gerry recruited images for the Artists Still Find Inspiration portion of the feature article including Zelda's, top above, and mine, centre right below.





Evening of the Summer Solstice   oil on canvas   36" x 54"

During the ten days in June (2005) that Zelda and I spent at the Wilson's gorgeous home on Coney Island we painted almost daily. John and/or Gerry would often boat us to and drop us off (with fantastic lunches) at different islands. Wanting to paint the magical light of sundown, on the evening of the summer solstice, the Wilsons took us to and stayed with us at Cat Island. John watched as we stroked paint on our canvases while Gerry swam laps around the island.  It was capped off by a divine supper picnic supper. The boat ride home at sunset was stunning.

Gerry and John with yours truly at the easel 

Zelda painting at Cat Island

After returning home from our expedition, Zelda and I produced a collection of larger studio works to add to our plein air paintings and in November we presented our joint exhibition ...





Our paintings at The Avens Gallery, Canmore, Alberta

In front of one of Zelda's oils with Gerry and John Wilson at the opening reception of Ladies of the Lake

Lake of the Woods has important significance for both Carol Picard and Robin Wade who purchased Sun Struck Isle shortly after Zelda's death on April 13th, 2015. Many thanks to the two of you for giving my painting a special home.

I wonder if anyone will recall the framed poster on the wall beside Carol?

I invite you to view my entire collection of Lake of the Woods paintings here.