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My husband doesn't like my figure drawings/paintings. That's totally fine. It took him a long time to appreciated my landscapes also. However, he is so very supportive of my work and my career even if he isn't an 'art' person as he puts it. When I first started bringing home stuff from my live model sessions, he would comment, "Where are the faces?' or "I guess you don't know who to draw faces." I tried to explain I was drawing figures and shapes, not a person. I wanted to create mystery and have the viewer insert their own idea of who it represents.

His comment got me thinking...do I know how to draw faces? I tried a couple small face paintings of family members and totally bombed! I was being to literal, too tight, too picky, too realistic, too everything and I spent hours on these little paintings. This is not how I wanted to paint. What happened to me wanting to experiment with more abstract work? Maybe I couldn't paint faces after all. I decided to study other artists whose worked I liked and admired. ( Michael Maczuga, Ingrid Christensen, Scott Burdick, Nancy Guzik, and fellow acrylic painter Chantel Barber, just to name a few). I wanted a more painterly, loose and free feel to my faces, and of course working in acrylics makes it even more difficult.

I gave up on my family members thinking I was trying too hard to achieve a likeness which was not my goal. I found some free stock models, used a larger brush, decided to paint faster and not make any lines...only shapes. I know my proportions are a  little off but painting this way allows for more freedom from painting within the lines. I have a long long way to go but I am beginning to see the light. A lot more modeling sessions and studying for me. But I am not giving up on my faceless paintings either, sorry husband.

I thought I'd share a couple of faces and faceless paintings I have been working on.

The Grizzly Bear Refuge at Kicking Horse Resort, Golden BC, graciously let me use their resident, 'Boo' as inspiration for my grizzly bear paintings.  Finding suitable animal reference photos is often a struggle as I am not a wildlife photographer. When not using my own photos, I always seek permission. Most are more than happy and often honored  to have me use their pictures as reference and almost all are amateur photographers, hobbyists, or friends. When I am inspired by a photo, it is important for me not to realistically copy it. I will still edit, crop, enhance, and  remove or add shapes.

So again, many thanks to the Kicking Horse Resort and in particular the photographer Wendy Chambers of Bears Interrupted Photography ( more on Wendy and The Northern Lights Wildlife Program later ). I hope my painting of Boo will help bring about a little more awareness.

A little bit about Boo, ( excerpt from the Grizzly bear Interpretive Center )

"Boo was born in the wild, not in captivity. Tragically, his mother was shot and killed by a poacher in June 2002, leaving Boo and his brother, Cari, orphaned and defenseless at just five months of age. The cubs might have been euthanized, but instead were given a second lease on life and a new home at the Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge.

Cari and Boo were named for British Columbia’s Cariboo Mountains where they were born. The Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge was built specifically for the orphaned cubs. Observing their behavior and life skill development has provided a unique opportunity for grizzly bear research. Observations about foraging, play, sleep, social skills, and many other activities are recorded daily. The cubs’ development was the subject of one researcher’s Master’s thesis.

Among other things, the refuge permits a rare in-depth analysis of grizzly bear hibernation. A log den was constructed within the refuge for the cubs to use in the winter. This custom-built den includes a motion-activated camera in the roof that allows continuous monitoring of activity inside. As a result, we now know that grizzly bears engage in limited activity during the winter, unlike true hibernators. For that reason we now use the more accurate term winter dormancy rather than hibernation when referring to a bear’s winter slumber.

Sadly, Cari never awoke from his first winter dormancy and passed away within the den. The provincial veterinary laboratory performed a necropsy and discovered that Cari had died from a spontaneous twist of his intestines.

Boo demonstrated great resilience by overcoming the loss of both his mother and brother. Since Cari’s death, Boo has lived alone at the refuge. Male grizzly bears are very solitary animals, however, so being alone is a natural condition for him. Nevertheless, Boo sometimes gets the urge to meet lady grizzlies during mating season. It was national news when Boo escaped from the refuge in June 2006 for this reason, before eventually returning voluntarily.

By observing Boo over the last 10 years, we have concluded that an orphaned grizzly cub can learn essential life skills on its own, without a mother bear’s guidance, provided the cub has suitable habitat, space, and opportunity like that provided by the refuge.

Boo will live out his lifetime at the Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge. He serves a vital role that we hope will benefit future orphaned grizzly bear cubs. We continue to learn from Boo, while at the same time allowing him to live the best captive life possible. He is an inspiration for everyone who comes to see him and he is an outstanding ambassador for this magnificent species."

Such a hard lesson to learn and we hear it all the time. Simplify. What are you trying to say? Do you really need that tree or that branch? Does it add to my design or is it distracting? We all know less is more. A painting is much more interesting if you don't give out all the information, you must give the viewer some credit. He knows it's a tree, he doesn't need to see every branch. There is more mystery in not defining every object, more imagination and creativity for you and more engaging for the viewer.

It’s impossible for an artist to paint every twig or pebble; those details are best left for the photographer. We must figure out how to best show it with shapes and patterns, using brush strokes, design and mood.

I really liked the way this painting was turning out but did I really need that background? Was it important for my overall message? If I needed it to look like Athabasca Falls, then maybe, but I had already changed the rocks so it really didn't matter. And no, it wasn't important. I took a photo, went to my computer and Photoshopped the background out. Yes I liked it much better. So, a few swipes with my large palette knife and it was gone. A simplified adjustment.

From a distance this painting looks very detailed and representational, but up close you can see from the strokes that it is implied detailing with abstract designs.  'The calming Force', acrylic 24 x 36 inches

I didn't intend for this painting to turnout as it did. For two days it's been the most frustrating yet exhilarating experience I've had in awhile. A jumble of emotions from high to low and back again. I wish I had started taken pictures of this painting from the beginning. I wanted a predominately warm painting but more than half was cold snow. Although I liked what was happening in the sky, I could feel myself tightening up. Self doubt was creeping in. As I so often do when in this state, I start to experiment, play and force myself to dive right in and quickly lay down 'stuff'. In this case, taking out some snow and adding some reds and bringing some trees forward. Still too tight. I started taking pictures from here on to see if I could see things on my computer. Obviously I ditched the reference photo way back, and started to really enjoy the process. I keep thinking warm vs cool, less detail, find my focal area, and find a place for the eye to rest, but mostly, to be bold and just see where it goes. I was much more satisfied after adding the greys and eliminating unnecessary  'things'. I'm not sure I'm done with it yet, but satisfied for today. Acrylic 36 x 48. Below are a few of the transitions with the final painting and my reference photo.

Do you remember this painting? It sure has gone through a lot of changes. I thought I was done with it but something was really bothering me. I couldn't explain it.

 I'm trying to workout my cool/warm dominance in my paintings. Too much half and half. I've also noticed lately that I have a tendency towards blue. Stepping out of my studio, going to River Rock and watching Brian Atyeo's magic,  rejuvenated me to be bolder and loosen up.

This painting was too blue, too rocky and too boring...even after I added the red it was still too timid. I'm still not sure I'm done with it but I'm really liking whats happening!

'Polarizing', acrylic 36 x 18 inches.

A study for a larger painting. I will be showing this guy at the FCA Calgary chapter on Saturday, May 3rd. This is a one day juried show at the Haysbro Community Center with over 40 local artists showcasing a few of their quality works. So if you are around, 10-4pm, I will be there most of the day, so stop by and say hello. Website . I will be showing a few of my landscapes as well as another bear.

I would like to thank Tina Nicole for graciously giving me permission to use her awesome photo.

her website

More bears and animals on the way...preparing for Stampede.

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I am so excited and pleased to announce that I have been accepted into The Calgary Stampede Art Show Studios ( July 3-13th).

known Western Artists whose work is indicative of the heritage and grandeur of the West.

I will have a 10 booth to showcase my best and recent western work. I will also have work  in the July 10 Art Auction and participating in this years Quick Draw. ( where I must complete a painting within an hour).

Along with my landscapes I will be featuring my bears, cows, and sheep etc. I have a lot of work ahead of me. Many, many years ago when I first walked around the Western Showcase, it was always a dream of mine, that someday I too would have a booth to show my work.

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This 4 ft x 5 ft painting is a slightly different vantage point from other Athabasca Falls paintings I have done...not to mention the largest! I managed to get some wonderful shots the last time I was in Jasper, Alberta, Canada...you really can see the rainbow colors. A spectacular waterfall! A must see if you are ever in the area

 Here are a couple of my process shots...a simple drawing, blocking in and covering the white, palette knife rocks and a lot of brush, rag and knife for the water. I decided to takeout the foreground rocks...there were also trees in the photo....just trying to simplify and keep the focus on the water.

I'm pleased to announce I won ( tied) the Peoples Choice Award in the Arabella Canadian Landscape Contest. Arabella is Canadian and international magazine featuring art, artists, galleries, architecture, design and more. Over 300 entries were submitted, and 25 finalists chosen. I look forward to being one of the 'Artists to Collect' in an upcoming issue. Congrats to all the winners!

Arabella Contest Winners

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