Malu is Ready for Christmas

Yes, the excitement of my show is over and now it is back to work. I have several commissions to do for Christmas presents and we all know how quickly that deadline can come.

Malu was a fun picture to do, I love labs and I know what lovely pets they are. Malu just looks like a great dog and of course you know he is well loved. Working on a drawing of a black dog is always a challenge but it is so neat when you get that slick coat to glisten. I particularly liked the way his tongue and mouth gave his face so much depth. Well back to work, next up will be Meeka.

Malu - 4.5 x 6.5 - SOLD

Miniature Show - West Coast Colors - off to a good Start

Giving the Art Talk at the Reception

There was a great turnout and lots of excitement for the reception and demo for my show West Coast Colors – In Miniature. Photographer, Bob Warick, was there and took some great pictures which he has given me to post. A special thanks to Melissa as well as she did a wonderful job hanging my pieces so they didn't get lost on the b..i..g wall! As you can see there was lots of interest in my pieces with lovely comments like "they are wonderful", "they are like little jewels", "how do you get such detail". It was a wonderful evening and I was very pleased to see my little pictures generate so much interest and excitement.

My demo on the Oct 15 was just as much fun. Lots of questions, discussions and activity; how can 3 hours go so fast? As you can see from the photos my pictures range in size, the smallest are 2 x 2 and the largest is 4.5 x 6. Most are a combination of ink and watercolor but a few are graphite with a little color pencil. There are landscapes, seascapes and birds, all from my travels on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. (see my earlier blog entries)My show is at Windsor Square Gallery, 90-1959 152 St., South Surrey and continues on to Oct 29, so if you haven't had a chance to see it there is still time. The gallery is open Mon. to Fri. 10-4pm.

Great discussions at the demo


A special thanks to Bob Warick for his wonderful pictures.

Tides Out, Tribune Bay & Ford’s Cove, Hornby Island

Tides Out, Hornby Island, BC - 3 x 4 inches

After showing you the bad times on our Hornby Island trip (see last blog) here are a few pictures I completed on the nicer days, we did have several of them as well. Sitting on the beach at Tribune Bay was just such a nice thing to do in the fall. It was warm like summer but the air was alive with the fall smells. There was even an old apple tree with a lovely fragrance in the field by the shore, apples always mean fall to me.
Ford's Cove, Hornby Island, BC - 2 x 2 inches
My Ford's Cove picture is another try at a 2 x 2 miniature. They are lots of fun but they do require a lot of preplanning. I am starting to realize just how important that is. I must admit that when I am out to paint and the weather is great I just want to take the paints and "Go at it!!" But I noticed that the pictures I finished and really liked are the ones that were planned. Completing these little value studies helped me to plan not only the values but the composition to really maximize the impact in my small space. As an added bonus when the picture didn't seem to work I could back to my value study and really see where I went wrong and how to fix it. It's a simple thing, that everyone tells us to do but until you really understand it, I don't think it really works for you.
My miniature show "West Coast Colors – in Miniature opens on October 7 so my excitement is building!!
Have a great day and lots more pictures to come.