Tiger Flower
(Oil on canvas, 16w x 20h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
Refreshed by the morning dew, this Tiger Flower presents its glory amid foliage catching rays of the rising sun.
Exhibitions:
Sooke Fine Arts Show 2024.
Federation of Canadian Artists Bloom Show 2024 in Vancouver.
Morning Dew
(Oil on canvas, 12w x 24h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
Tiny droplets of dew coalesce, transforming the mundane and unnoticed into this beautiful pendant which, within its orb, brings the forest into focus.
Exhibitions:
Sooke Fine Arts Show 2023
Bamboo Boy
(Oil on canvas, 16w x 20h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
After a day playing/working in the purple-hued soil of the highlands of the Luzon Island in the Philippines, this young boy pauses shyly behind a bamboo structure to cast his curious gaze at the camera. He is a member of the Aeta peoples, typically nomadic folk, who were among the first inhabitants of the Philippines but are slowly diminishing as others encroach on their traditional territory.
(Click image to enlarge)
Kitty
(Oil on canvas, 18w x 14h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
It seems, although unconciously, when I do a portrait I like to capture the essence of the expression which generally involves getting the eyes all but completed. This held true during the painting of this stunning cougar. Once the eyes were complete they seemed to captivate us and jokingly we referred to the painting as 'Kitty'. There are many other captions for this painting like 'Dinner Time' or 'Peek-a-boo' but 'Kitty' stuck. This cougar was tagged by the USFWS but I didn't include the tag.
(Click image to enlarge)
Elegance
(Oil on canvas, 12w x 24h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
When an orchid sits around the house for very long it begins to ask, in a low but persistent murmur, to be painted. In this painting, the elegance of the orchid is complemented by the cut glass goblet and the bottle subtly suggested with minimal definition. The background of black draped cloth stands in stunning contrast to the white blossoms and provides reflected light tinting those blossoms in the shadows.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Cowichan Valley Fine Arts Show 2023
Sooke Fine Arts Show 2022
Federation of Canadian Artists Bloom Show 2022 - Honourable Mention
Rambling Rose
(Oil on canvas, 14w x 18h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
Thinking about spring, it is always a delight to paint a floral. The daisy and the rose set into a simple drinking glass make a wonderful, contrasting arrangement; the white petals of the daisy stark against the dark background. The rose is center stage but sports the shadow of the daisy - the co-mingling of the two flowers.The spoon and glass represents the enjoyment of a simple meal while the quilt, on which the entire image rests, universally represents the practicality of warmth provided by a work of art.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Sooke Fine Arts Show (Virtual) 2021
Federation of Canadian Artists Bloom Show 2021
Rathtrevor Lodge
(Oil on canvas, 20w x 16h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
Rathtrevor beach on Vancouver Island is a place I love to visit. When the tide is out, the beach is about 1/2 mile wide and those playing at the water's edge are but tiny specs from the shore. On the North side of the beach is this 'lodge' made from stacked driftwood. I liked the contrast of the majestic mountains across the water and the pile of flotsam on the shore. The trees represent the attempt of vegetation to flourish on the edge of the ocean as they battle the elements.
(Click image to enlarge)
Power of Five
(Oil on canvas, 20w x 16h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
As we stand to cast our gaze on the grandeur of the majestic mountains and clear, cold lakes of Western Canada, at our feet are wondrous microcosms of untold beauty, often trodden under foot and ignored. This painting depicts just a few square inches of such beauty - the original flowers are just 1/2 inch across. I've entitled it 'Power of Five' because each flower has 5 petals, there are 5 flowers and it is a 5-power magnification.
For those who are interested, the flower is a Geranium Robertianum.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Federation of Candaian Artists Scenes From Western Canada 2020
Candle in the Wind
(Oil on canvas, 14w x 11h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
Barely hanging on, the remaining petals of this Cosmos flower offer up their beauty for us to share.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Federation of Canadian Artists Small Artwork Exhibition 2020
World Apart - Fractured on the Surface; United at the Core
(Oil on canvas, 20w x 16h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
Evidenced by the shadow, a Maasai warrior stands guard over a fractured world, yet he is oddly invisible when the global surface reflects back to us the comfort of our own living room.
Original digitally rendered image by Bertrand Benoit who collaborated on this project.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Cowichan Valley Fine Arts Show 2021
Federation of Canadian Artists Concept Exhibition 2020 - Honourable Mention
Fisherman
(Oil on canvas, 20w x 20h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
What has attracted the attention of this Chinese cormorant fisherman . The woven reed hat provides protection from the heat and glare of the sun as he goes about his business, whether on the shore or out on the water. Becoming a lost art, cormorant fishing is an ancient practice where cormorants are used to assist the fisherman. You can see how this fascinating partnership works here.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Cowichan Valley Fine Arts Show 2022
Federation of Canadian Artists Success Exhibition 2021
Federation of Canadian Artists AIRE Exhibition 2020
Sooke Fine Art Show (Virtual) 2020
Cool Forest
(Oil on canvas, 24w x 12h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
We are all drawn to a flowing stream in the cool shade of towering trees, to sit on the rocks and enjoy the breeze and the smell of the leaves and soil. All the better if the sun is peeking through the canopy above, leaving the ground dappled with light. The mountains in this image are Mount Robson in the Canadian Rockes and a sister mountain south of Robson merged into this iconic backdrop.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Federation of Canadian Artists Landscapes 2020
Shadows
(Oil on canvas, 10w x 20h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
Throughout the spring and summer we had a variety of roses blooming cheerily around our property. Every few days I would place a few cuttings into a glass on the dining table. One particular evening when the dimmed spotlight over the table was shining on the roses I was struck by the beauty, not only of the rose, but of the shadows cast by the inner petals. This painting is my representation of that stunning image.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Federation of Canadian Artists Success Exhibition 2021
Federation of Canadian Artists Shape and Form 2020 - Third Place
Goodbye, My Friend - Sold at the Sooke Fine Art Show 2019
(Oil on canvas, 20w x 16h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
How often does our face express these same emotions? Sadness and longing for a friend now gone.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Sooke Fine Arts Show 2019
Photographer’s note -
This elderly lady is leaving the graveside of a friend, just buried. She is glancing back over her shoulder for one last look, one last reminder of a friend she will not see again.
Photo by Jojo Pensica, a Filipino amateur photographer who collaborated on this portrait.
Log Cabin
(Oil on canvas, 16w x 12h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
This is the first in a series of log cabins that I will be painting. Two will be exterior views; one a winter scene. The other will be an interior scene looking through the beautiful living area out to a calm lake. All of these invoke a sense of pastoral relaxation which seems to draw all of us in.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Federation of Canadian Artists The Vancouver Salon 2020
Fall Bottle - Sold at the Sooke Fine Art Show 2019
(Oil on canvas, 24w x 24h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
The background and composition of this still life immediately caught my attention. As I painted it I became more attached to each leaf and berry and, of course, to the way the light hits the bottle. Each day I find the image more interesting.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Federation of Canadian Artists 365 Calendar Project 2020
Sooke Fine Arts Show 2019
Originator's note -
“It (the painting) really sublimates the original motif. In a funny way, it makes a digital re-creation of real life more real than the original--which is kind of mind-bending.”
Original digitally rendered image by Bertrand Benoit who collaborated on this project.
Moon Over a Lake
(oil on canvas, 16w x 12h, hog brushes, full palette)
The idea for this image came from Marion Dutton. Her version showed the trees and foreground in very dark relief (black). I painted this to show the reflected light on the trees and bushes. This image 'glows' in a room with low lighting. The moon (or sun, if you prefer) appears to shine brightly from the painting.
(Click image to enlarge)
Morning Mists in France
(Oil on Canvas, 16w x 12h, hog brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
This beautiful image of the sun rising over the fields of Southern France explores the light as it dances over the distant mountains turning them a firey red and as it leaks among the trees refracting through the early morning dew. The residual fog on the fields in the foreground give them a gossamer appearance.
(Click image to enlarge)
Ukrainian Church
(oil on canvas, 16w x 20h, hog brushes, full palette)
This painting was inspired by a photograph taken by Harvey Jantzen in August, 1986. The photo captures the St. Vladimir Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church in the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in Tofield, AB, Canada. The village has grown into a wonderful experience of earlier times. The church has been modified and reoriented making this image unique.
(Click image to enlarge)
Round Lake
(Oil on canvas, 16w x 12h, hog brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
The original image is a photograph taken by Emilie Robinson while boating at Round Lake in Ontario, Canada. Although the photograph was taken on an overcast day I felt the sky should be high cloud with some blue sky showing to add a little brightness to the painting. The contrast of the rusty dying tree among the vibrant greens of the foliage caught my attention.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Federation of Canadian Artists Canvas Unbound 2020
Lismore Castle
(Oil on canvas, 16w x 12h, hog brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
This painting is a composite of three images. The sky and the foreground were adapted from other sources. The castle is the Lismore Castle in Ireland surrounded by beautiful gardens. The castle itself was interesting to paint, the detail being added as the building emerged from the greenery around it.
(Click image to enlarge)
Muttart Rose - Sold (by gallery)
(Oil on Canvas, 16w x 12h, hog brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
In the middle of a cold winter this rose was growing in the Muttart Center in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The captivating beauty of the open rose with the delicate shades of yellow at its center is enhanced by the buds in various stages of opening. The out-of-focus background lends a wonderful contrast.
(Click image to enlarge)
Finger Lakes Cosmos - Sold (by gallery)
(Oil on canvas, 16w x 12h, hog brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
This beautiful Cosmos (of the Aster family) was photographed in the finger lakes area of upstate New York. The full foliage of the background, although out of focus, sets off the color and shape of the flower. The composition is simple but stunning.
(Click image to enlarge)
Jewel Weed
(Oil on canvas, 18w x 24h, hog brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
This piece was accepted into the Sooke Fine Art Show 2019.
For the longest time I thought this was some variety of Orchid. However, I was corrected when a friend viewed it and identified it as a Jewel Weed. In spite of the rather off-putting name, it is a beautiful flower as it stands in relief from the background chosen for its varying degrees of focus. The flower was found in the finger lakes area of upstate New York.
The modified Zorn pallet was not quite up to the task of providing the intense green of the top leaf. It required a touch of Emerald Green to bump up the color.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Federation of Canadian Artists Success Exhibition 2021
Federation of Canadian Artists Bloom Show 2020 - First Place
Sooke Fine Arts Show 2019
Communion - Sold at the Sooke Fine Arts Show 2018
(Oil on canvas, 12w x 16h, hog brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
This image is a study in contrasts: the dark background setting the two faces in relief, the age of the man set against the youth of the kitten, the affection of the human versus that of the animal - yet the communion is palpable.
This subject took on particular interest as the face of the older gentleman reminded me so much of my father-in-law in his later years.
Exhibitions:
Sooke Fine Arts Show 2018
(Click image to enlarge)
Keeping Watch
(Oil on canvas, 12w x 16h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
The gaze and the garb of the man in this image tells a story. The gold adornments and the sash would indicate a tribal leader, the ruddy complexion speaks of high altitude husbandry. The far off, comtemplative look seems to signal concern over an event occurring in the distance - perhaps an animal in trouble or an altercation among his people.
Exhibitions:
Sooke Fine Arts Show 2018
(Click image to enlarge)
The Shop Keeper - Sold at the Sooke Fine Arts Show 2018
(Oil on canvas, 16w x 12h, Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes, modified Zorn limited palette)
What is she thinking? A sale gone awry? Some action meeting her disapproval? One can only guess.
(Click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions:
Sooke Fine Arts Show 2018
Photographer’s note -
“This old lady tends her small thrift shop fronting a busy street in Baguio city. I sat down a few feet away to wait for an opportunity to take some photos of her. I love her face so much; reminds me of my own grandmother. She is an Igorot – a minority tribe in the Philippines living in the mountainous regions of the country.”
Photo by Jojo Pensica, a Filipino amateur photographer who collaborated on this portrait.