I started experimenting with acrylics in November, 2019 in the Sonoran desert (AZ) where we sent our winters until 2023. Thanks to COVID we came home earlier than planned in the spring of 2020 and spent 2 weeks in quarantine. I filled that time attempting to create west coast landscapes.
I’ve always been impressed with the ability of landscape artists to capture the mood and the beauty of the Canadian wilderness with what appears to be simple, elegant strokes of the brush. Artists such as Tom Thomson and Robert Genn, as well as many other current artists, inspire me to learn what it takes to compose landscape images with feeling.
In the spring of 2020 I participated in a zoom workshop withl local Vancouver Island artist Brian Buckrell who helped me develop a more critical eye for colour values and composition. He has been very helpful, offering critiques and giving me advice along the way. It's easy to get bogged down in the details, a task I can only overcome with more time spent painting, both plein air and in the studio. Thanks to the interweb and Instagram I can follow contemporary artists on their journey for inspiration and technique. Shortly after that I enrolled in a 3 week intensive online landscape painting course with noted Utah landscape artist John Poon. John is an excellent instructor who has helped me immensely. He still gratiously critiques my work on a regular basis which is invaluable in keeping myself on track.
In February, 2024 I was accepted as an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists following a juried review of my paintings. I look forward to participating in FCA artistic pursuits including a 4 day painting experience in Bamfield, BC with 4 FCA artists of note.
I enjoy both the plein air and studio painting experiences. The Comox Valley offers limitless locations for plein air painting inspiration. In the studio I paint from reference photography I’ve shot over the last 40 years. Working as a graphic artist for 35 years on Vancouver Island has given me many wonderful opportunities, particularly access to so many stunningly beautiful, remote locations working with various remote tourism related clients.
These images are some of my earliest attempts at painting. The earliest plein air attempts in the desert were unbelievable failures, yet fun and exciting at the same time. The last four images shown are from my 'quarantine' period, trying my hand at painting from photo reference.
