August Fields

I had fun painting this one. Sometimes I really struggle with skies - all of that loose open space.

It is a rainy miserable day here today. Perfect for painting!

Back Road

This one may be the beginning of a series that I am interested in doing, focusing on the back roads of Ontario. I am enamoured with them. Especially with the fact that most of them are totally straight. My father-in-law once told me that the roads of Ontario were designed by the British Military, and they wanted to build them completely straight (no matter what natural obstacle was in the way). This seems to ring true in my travels around the countryside. It always makes me smile. Amazing how we humans like to force our will on nature.

Pastel Abstract

I have been wanting to delve into the pastel colour spectrum for a while, and I did so with this one. I don't paint many abstracts, and though I have a loose style, I like to have my reference material!! So relaxing and painting freely from my imagination can be a little difficult. This is another painting on a black ground, which I think provides a nice contrast from the pastel paint colours.

Grey Barn

There is something about old buildings that I love. Is it the neglect, the patina, or the stories they have to tell?

I am trying out working on a black ground instead of my typical red one. I am enjoying it. I like how the strong black lines come through.

Lily Pads

Our pond has grown the most amazing water lily's this summer. I am no Monet, but I sure had fun painting them. I can't believe how many of them there were. The bull frogs and painted turtles love to sun bath on the lily pads.

I have been having some computer problems recently, thus the lack of postings. But now I am using Mark's computer so things are getting better. I am off to Saskatchewan to visit my family for the next two weeks.

Pussywillows 2

Here is a second painting in my pussywillows series. I find it interesting that I need to "live" with some of my paintings before I feel comfortable showing them to the world. I painted this about a month ago, but was only ready to post it until now. There you go!

Max and I are off to Boston this week to visit my brother and soak in some East Coast city culture. More when I get back...

Loree Forest

Max and I like to mountain bike in the Loree Forest here in the Georgian Triangle. It has a beautiful high canopy of trees, which lets a gorgeous light filter through. I hope that I am capturing some of that in this painting. This is one of the larger canvases that I have painted recently, and was a lot of fun to paint!

Spike Flower

Here is another one.

Old Cedar

This is an old cedar tree that I walk past on one of my favourite hikes with the dog. It is along the Beaver River, and the morning light always shines through the branches. It is a great way to start my day.

Allium

I painted this a couple of weeks ago. I just added some finishing touches this week. It is going to my sister in-law Tracy for her birthday.

I love the shape and look of allium (onions) in the garden. They are very structured and modern looking.

Tree

OK, this one is a departure from my usual style, but I had a lot of fun with it. I just may pursue more paintings like this in a series. I am thinking a little bird in the branches of the next one would be great...if only there were more hours in the day!

"Tangle"

SOLD

This is one I finished last week. I wasn't so happy with it at first, but after reworking it a bit, it's growing on me ;)

"Pussywillows"

SOLD

This is a painting (made up of three canvases) that I donated to a live auction fundraiser for a program that my niece is involved in. There were quite a few people bidding on it, and since it was the first live auction that I have been involved in, I was relieved! We have a gorgeous willow tree in our yard that inspired the piece.

"The Purple House"

We just recently moved to Ontario from British Columbia. I had a four month break from painting while dealing with the move, home renovations etc. I am back at it and very happy to be creating again. This was the first painting I completed this spring. I am planning on doing a series of paintings inspired by the old century homes and barns, and the rolling hills of rural Ontario.

"The Big Fir"

Welcome to my blog! I can't believe I am finally putting it together (after much procrastinating!).

This is one of the first paintings that I did back in 2005 which really began to have an impact for me. Since that point, I feel I have begun to discover my "style". Though it is still evolving, I am enjoying the process. My goal is to complete at least two paintings a week to post on this site. We'll see how it goes...