Beach talk

Hear's a little scene I sketched last week at Willows Beach. I used the figure on the left in a painting with another figure. But I think I'll use these two figures in the same painting. They seem to be really engaged in important conversation. 

The Perfect Family

Possible composition in charcoal on parcel paper

I decided on this one because the other made the mischievous cat the focus too much. Charcoal on parcel paper. 20x30. Actual size of the painting.

Under Painting. On Canvas.

Painting in Progress. I want to do something better with the background and the bird doesn't have a good likeness to the photo reference. 

Here's my current work in progress.  In case you're interested. I was originally going to have the cat looking up at the bird but the photograph didn't quite show the cat's eyes. But I think I will use the gesture in a future painting. It's just so cute.

What a difference a little more effort goes. I got the inspiration from a love seat from the library at the Fairmont Empress Hotel when I was artist in resident. I used the same loveseat  in a painting I did of Chef's two lovely daughters. Here's that painting FYI

More beach scenes

Gathering sea glass

girl talk

Freezy Break

Here's a Willows Beach scene I found when I was flipping through my old sketchbooks today.  I would like to develop this into a painting. 

Tower Point Windy Day

Here's the quick sketch I did this morning on Tower Point Beach. The kids wouldn't sit still so I did a quick sketch to capture their gestures and then set about with my painting. I moved the figures around a bit to make a more pleasing grouping. Click to see the painting

Kenna Fair Demo at Opus

I did this charcoal composition at a workshop/demo by Galiano artist Jenna Fair. It was a free demo put on by Opus Art Supplies.

Everyone was handed a big sheet of white paper and some charcoal. Then we are told to draw a grid on the paper so its divided into 6 squares. Then we drew a few shapes in each square.  Then what we've done is handed to the person on our right and they are asked to join the shapes and were given an hour to make something out of it so that the viewer's eye would move around inside the image and not wander off the edge.  Well, this is what I ended up with. Sort of an interesting abstraction.  Kind of cool, eh?

Solitude on a Victoria Beach

I was sitting on the beach this morning when this crow came to join me. I wondered where its mate was. Perhaps on the nest? These lovely, intelligent birds, mate for life. The oldest known American crow (in the wild) lived almost 30 years. 

Artist Reception at Bard and Banker

I went to a marvelous reception at the Bard and Banker yesterday for the artists who participate in the residences at the hotels and paint out on the lawn of the Empress weekly during the summer. It was sponsored by the Bard and Banker. It was all so nice. Here's a couple of sketches I did at the event.

The Sketch Club

I belong to a great art group called the Victoria Sketch Club. During the winter we meet once a week to paint together indoors (outdoor in the summer months). We also hold meetings to decide on the program etc. Heres a couple of sketches from these meetings.

Jamie Sketching

Here's a sketch I did today of a young artist sketching out at a new Metchosin art gallery called Glow. They have a sketch/paint in Sundays.