Wednesday 11 March 2015

Harry & Sally, 24 x 36 Acrylic on canvas available at Art Junction, Whistler

Here is another piece I recently delivered to Whistler. I seem to be painting more owl "duo's" lately and I love the quirkiness of these two. Plus I think the bright blue background really works on this one.


Tuesday 10 March 2015

Work in progress

Here is a quirky guy that I just started and thought I'd share.  He is still in the early stages but I'm pretty excited about him so far,

Monday 9 March 2015

Max (40 x 30 Acrylic on Canvas) and a few actions shots

I delivered this big guy on Saturday (and a few of his friends) to Art Junction in Whistler. I love the stance of this fellow and the strong contrast of darks vs. lights. Now I'm on the hunt for "head to toe" close up, moose photos so I can play with a few more.

It was such a beautiful day that I just had to stop and take a photo (my assistant waited for me in the van).

Sunday 8 March 2015

Mr. & Mrs. Grey 36 x 36 Acrylic on Canvas

I painted a smaller version of this reference photo last year and I always wanted to try it on a larger scale. I stepped out of my comfort zone and went with blue eyes (that were in the original photo). It was my first time painting blue eyes on an owl. I also went with a rich, orange background to make the eyes really pop

Thursday 5 March 2015

Fetch 16 x 16 Acrylic on Canvas

I haven't painted this favorite photo for a while and thought it would be fun to give it a try in a larger size. It was refreshing to paint a dog that I didn't know (its not my lab). I love how some dogs develop their own "look" or "personality" as the painting comes together

Wednesday 4 March 2015

Enjoying the Sunshine

Caught my assistant lounging on the job (yet again). Who can blame her with this sunshine.

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Sara's Cows

I was visiting my friend last week and finally got a good photo of the four cows that she commissioned me to paint for her entryway. They always brighten my day when I see them,

Wednesday 25 February 2015

Too Offensive???!!??

I often will "boost" my post of my favorite paintings (aka pay to have them seen). Unfortunately this is just the reality of facebook these days and it's been a business decision that I have had to accept. I would never had guessed that my work could be considered offensive and would be rejected by facebook wink emoticon. This is what i received when I tried to post Randy, my latest (and new favorite) rooster:
"Your Post wasn't boosted because it violates Facebook's ad guidelines by including profanity or language that refers to a person's age, gender, name, race, physical condition or sexual orientation. The post is still published, but it is not running as an ad.


Friday 20 February 2015

Randy 36 x 18 Acrylic on Canvas

I LOVE painting roosters. They have such a bad ass look about them - plus it is so refreshing to mix it up, and paint with red (especially while working on other commissions that have neutral coloured fur).

Friday 13 February 2015

Whootie 16 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas,

I started Whootie at my demo last weekend, at On The Farm. I think at some point this week, I lost my reference photo "and just winged it" for the rest. It was good practice, as I often find the cream coloured owls a bit more of a challenge, as it can be tricky to get the values just right. I'm pretty happy with this little one - I might even try it again, but on a larger canvas.

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Smitty, 10 x 10 Acrylic on Canvas

Smitty is one of my "go to" hummingbirds to paint. He was once a reference photo that I used, and now he is created from my imagination. There are small variations with each version that may not be obvious (or areas that I always try to work on and improve). I've heard many times in workshops/ classes that one of the best way to improve as an artist is through repetition of the same thing. This allows you to experiment and not worry so much about what the final outcome is and you can compare what each small change does to the overall piece. For example this guy has a dark Magenta ground (or base layer) vs. my typical transparent red oxide.

Sunday 8 February 2015

Looks like I had a visitor





Looks like we had a visitor... I get so much joy from my bird feeder (and reference photos). I'm trying to figure out a "plan B". Does anyone have any suggestions


Saturday 7 February 2015

Cheeky 10 x 10 Acrylic on Canvas

I love all the little chickadees that visit my feeders. This little guy was sitting right outside my studio door. Even though he is a small little bird, he seems to have big personality

Friday 30 January 2015

Flashback Friday: Home Sky, 2004, Acrylic on Canvas

I thought it would be fun to share some of my older paintings (although it feels a bit like showing off my childhood elementary school picture).  This is one of my first paintings I did, and it still hangs in my home.  I painted it back in 2004, and it was the first time I tried to paint using square strokes,

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Squeak 12 x 12 Acrylic on canvas

I've been home for a few days and today is my first "work day". I'm gradually getting into the swing of things, and I'm trying to get caught up on some of my paintings that I haven't yet posted. This is Squeak - he was my first love bird that I painted and was a commission for Christmas. Squeak lives in my neighborhood and I met him back in November to get a good photo. Apparently he isn't such a fan of paparazzi and had a jab at my camera (last image) and did I mention that I'm scared of birds too ? My daughter came with me that day and thought it was pretty funny,


Monday 12 January 2015

Wiona 24 x 24 acrylic on canvas

Here is another piece that I delivered yesterday to Art Junction in Whistler. I think she seems to have a great personality about her. She looks so much better in person too (I find it tough to get good photos in the winter - especially of dark coloured animals/birds).

Monroe 30 x 40 Acrylic on canvas

I just got home from delivering Monroe (and a few more of his "friends") to Art Junction, in Function Junction, Whistler. Monroe has been hanging in my family room (and looking pretty good over the piano I might add) - but lucky for me, the gallery in Whistler has been super busy and looking for more work. And now I have some big, empty wall space in my house to fill,

Wednesday 7 January 2015

Bonnie & Clyde 24 x 18 Acrylic on Canvas


Happy Belated New Year! Sorry for being so quiet. With the little ones back to school, I have been spending some much needed alone time bonding with my new studio. I did put in some time painting of course ... and here is my first piece in 2015. I usually only paint "solo" animals, but I loved the look of this couple. I think these two are a great start to the year and another new favorite for me. Wishing you all the best in 2015