Secret Ravine with the Cadmium Waters 2008

Early one morning this spring I painted this very quick oil painting. The goldfinches were feeding on the insects, which were hiding under the young leaves of the deciduous trees in the forest. Just after a spring rain and the dawn sunlight had just shone through the foliage of the forest; that's when the beautiful cadmium waters of that ravine caught my eye and the painting begun.

Tofino 1986

I have such fond memories of the time I vacationed at the Pacific Rim; as it's such a great destination for people who enjoy painting, writing or just being in a park with the Pacific Ocean literally at your doorstep. As the highway ends and the sea air from the Pacific fills your vehicle, you know you've arrived and only have to begin exploring. At long beach the power of the Pacific Ocean was breathtaking and the surf was uninterrupted: only to create miles of sand and drifting castaways. I explored the beach and driftwood shorelines and painted many beautiful watercolours and kept a chronological record in my art of what I had seen throughout my sojourn. The forest painting is one of many and just on the outskirts of Tofino. At Tofino I whale watched and we saw some Killer whales, and the strength of the Pacific tossed that boat around but they kept that motor running at maximum speed. At the bluff of Radar Hill the sound of the angry waves crashed below, and the relentless swells seemingly tried to distort all rock formations. In time they will be at the mercy of erosion and their remnants will be dumped as sand at Long Beach.

Connecting Waves 1998

I've always enjoyed standing at a shoreline and watching the wave action; as I know somewhere else on this planet another person has a connection to me.

Stave Lake 2004

As a storm of rain and winds began to bear down on our campsite, I had just begun painting this oil on panel. Sometimes when the weather is unpredictable and conditions are not quite convenient for painting, I just keep painting and basically get the composition down fast. A storm will always test your tolerance, but I kept expressing myself and I quite like its dark tones of colour; the mood always evokes the memories of that fall day. When camping in the mountains, prepare for sudden changes in weather. And the Stave is north of Mission.