Monthly Archives: November 2010

On a recent painting trip in Banff National Park, we spent a morning along the Bow Valley Parkway. We stopped for a picnic lunch and this was the scene I kept staring at as we ate.

From our recent trip to Waterton Park, this falls is just off the road to Cameron Lake. I was much influenced by the photo I took with a long exposure time.

This is my first attempt at using oil paint. Originally this was a watercolour but as often happens it needed some adjustments and I decided to modify it with oil. As much as I love watercolour I appreciate the ability to add lights over the darks with an opaque medium. I’d always been interested in oil but was turned off by odour issues. For this work I used walnut oil and found that there weren’t any odours in my studio. I guess that by eliminating the turpentine or paint thinners it is possible to enjoy a good work environment. I had tried some odourless thinner before but it was far from odourless. Anyway, the way that oil paint can be pushed around was neat and if it is possible to keep fresh air in the studio I’ll certainly try it again.

I was intrigued by this scene on the Bow Valley Parkway during a recent painting trip to the Banff/Kananaskis area. I must admit I had in mind some of the Group of Seven’s paintings of burnt out areas.

A particularly attractive composition. Very interesting to try a different type of portrait.

By the time I did this, our last portrait, I was well into the groove and it came together quickly. I think this one, of all the portraits I did for the class, most closely combines accuracy with expression.