Watercolor on Masa
Iris are one of my favorite flowers. There are so many varieties with wide “falls”, thin leaves especially early spring ones - iris reticulater in pale mauve in very deep purple and bright yellow! The deer can eat the flowers and leave the leaves untouched!
I donated this framed painting to Ian Anderson House, a privately built, owned and operated hospice in which one of my dear brothers spent his last seven weeks of life.
Balancing Act
This iris reminded me of some small bronzes featured on Antiques Roadshow. They were exquisite and set in the bronze material was a delicate face of carved of ivory. It seemed a fitting title for this piece.
Ivory and Gold Leaf
Masa paper has a way of enhancing flower petals to make them appear delicate and realistic while the batik-like background provides just a hint of vegetation . The process for using masa paper is different and more time consuming than regular watercolour paper but very appealing.
Azalea
Composed and painted as a companion piece to “Magnolia,” these blossoms forcefully grow upwards from the branch towards the light, yet they can be easily crushed. My paintings on masa paper attract positive reviews because of the unique effect of the specialized technique.
Magnolia Branch
I started painting this with the periwinkle and yellow daffodils - a sure sign of spring! As in my habit, I added the plants by height and pigments as if they were actually growing. I always paint flowers that way rather than stiff in a pot or vase.
Promise of Spring
Cruikston Park in Cambridge, Ontario has a big mansion and acres of pristine woodlands with many rare plants. Myself and two other artists arranged a fundraiser for the not-for-profit park. This painting was selected by a six year old boy whose mother graciously allowed him to make his own selection.
Garden Gate
Visiting Coombs, Vancouver Island one day, I went into the new orchid house and found a fresh and colorful display of these gorgeous flowers. The leaves of this one caught my attention; this painting is a composite of three plants.
Its all about the leaves
Needs description
Carmine Companions
Tulips provide fascinating colors but are not always as easy and obvious as they look when trying to paint them. Some of the time they appear too pink, or too dark, but you can change watercolor as you paint… if you have learned how!
China Town Tuplip
So often the trees in Seal Bay Park, Vancouver Island are draped in moss of which there are many kinds. I t thought this particular tree was a good subject for painting on masa paper.
In Seal Bay Park
Once when I was demonstrating on masa paper, I grabbed a brush and painted very quickly, but I caught the light on the rocks “just right” and as if by magic, I created a pleasing image. If only all paintings were created so easily!
Purples and Pinks
Soon after I moved to Vancouver Island from Ontario, I visited an art gallery in Nanaimo, BC. I entered this painting “Iris Duet” in a competition there. It won a prize and was included in their annual calendar.
Iris Duet
Several times I have participated in summer courses at the Haliburton School of Fine Arts. After one class, I drove to Lookout Point above the town and lake. One of my photographs became a “must paint” and I chose to enrich the summer colors to early autumn, eliminated the town altogether!
Summer Evening
A dear friend of mine brought her two adult grandchildren to my studio in Comox, BC for them to select one of my paintings. Penny quickly chose this one! I have often painted two pieces that work as a pair. Inevitably, one of them is sold quickly and the other one hangs around for a long time before it finds it’s rightful new home!