Camping was great.

Hi everyone.  Our camping trip was wonderful.  The weather was perfect and the lake still sparkling clear.  Our air mattress kept losing air but I like it really soft. There were no mosquitoes but just before a quick thunder shower we were attacked by biting flies. Happily they didn't stay around.

I have always found it hard to paint while on vacation.  This time I took my laptop with the photo I was working on, as well as my portable easel.  I set everything up in the dining shelter and left it there, easy to get to.  It worked.  Even though I only painted half the amount of time I would have at home...I did paint and it was wonderful being surrounded by nature while doing it.  

Like many of my blogging buddies, I will only be posting sporadically this summer but I am painting and I'll post regularly come fall.   

Here's an updated photo on my big painting:

You might have noticed the photo is blurry in the one corner ....

that's because...

I ummm...

dropped the camera in the lake :[

Goin' camping!!!

Hi folks, what kind of weather are you having where you live?  Here in the Okanagan Valley we have had lots and lots of rain, and of course flooding.  I am happy to announce that the weather station tells us that the sunshine will return tomorrow and will stay around for a little while.  That said, we are going camping!  I'll take my paints along and see if I can work on the big one at the lake.  Other years, I've not been too successful.

We will be tenting beside a small lake in central British Columbia, Canada.  Our white kevlar canoe called Moonbeam, will supply us with numerous quiet tours around the lake.  Whether the fishing rod does any good is yet to be seen. Other years the only fish we saw were the big ones the eagles and ospreys caught and flaunted in front of me. 

Anyway folks, I will be away from the computer for a week or two.  I hope you have a great summer and I'll be checking in as soon as I can.

Moonbeam waiting for passengers.

There is an advantage to all this rain....

There's one advantage to all the rainy, cool weather we've been having:  I'm getting more time at painting.  I'm really pleased with my progress on the 8' city scene.  I'm now working on row number six with seven sketched in. 

Even though it's not hot summer weather, it is warm enough to leave the windows open... thus I don't have a condo filled with fumes.  I love painting with water soluble oils, but even they fill the air with fumes that give me a headache.  I think I'm going to have to invest in a good quality air purifier.  If anyone has any advice please let me know.

If you're in our area, don't forget to visit the Rotary Centre for the Arts before the end of the month.  I have three pieces in the art show in the Galleria.  There are some awesome paintings in the show.

Another row painted.

I did it!  I finished a row in one week. That's four 12" x 12" panels.  Twelve more to go before I start putting the people into the scene and then do all the little fixes that need done when I do a painting with multiple panels.  I wish I could paint longer than two hours a day but my back won't allow it.  I'm  pleased that since the beginning of the year, that two hours is twice as long as before so I'm not really complaining just reporting, as my husband likes to call it.

So here's the painting so far.  This time I included all the panels.  Only the first five rows are finished, the last three rows are just outlines or blank. 

4'h x 8'w

oil on 32 canvas panels

Have a great week everyone.

Bonnie Heather

I'm baaaack....

So what's been happening...

  I worked pretty steady on the commission I was doing and it is now delivered and at the framers. It was a fun but nerve wracking experience... I'll post the painting after the wedding it is a gift for.

  I have three paintings in a Federation of Canadian Artist show.  The venue is the Rotary Centre for the Arts in downtown Kelowna. If you're in the area, stop in and see the show. It's on for the month of June.

  ...and now I'm back working on my eight foot painting.  It's great working on it.  It was probably good to have a couple months away from it.  Now it seems fresh and exciting again. I can't wait to finish another row so I can show you how it's coming along.

Today's post has photos of the three paintings I put in the Rotary sale.

Have an awesome day!

  

A Close up...

My commissioned piece is down to the final few glazes.  I'm so pleased with the results so far but a bit nervous about the glazing which will hopefully darken a large area of the painting.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to post a picture of it until July after the wedding it's meant for.

I did get a request from Myra, a friend and awesome artist, to attach a photo of my little boat painting up close. So this is for you my friend:

Unfortunately the only brushstrokes you can see are the ones from the undercoating, which was bright orange by the way.