The Colour and the Shape

Weekend Workshop

featuring

Sam Millard

Painting The Drama of Wildlife

 Terry Isaac signs my copy of his book titled, "Painting The Drama of Wildlife".

Terry Isaac instructed a two day workshop at the Headwaters Art Room

in Discovery Center, Canal Flats, B.C. Seven lucky artists participated in

the workshop on April 7th and 8th, 2018, and much fun was had by all.

Terry offered gentle critiques and lessons on composition.

We were very privileged to learn from such a gifted artist and teacher.

Thank you Terry!

I'm Owl About Owls!

12" x 12" Acrylic on Canvas

This little saw whet owl really caught my eye while I 

was browsing through photos of beautiul creatures to 

add to my boards on Pinterest the other week.

I used the photo for reference. 

It was a fun and relatively quick painting to do.

Now to think of a catchy title!

CHEERS!

Masterpiece in Mexico

         I recently spent a week in Los Cabos with my husband and two other couples who are very good friends of ours. We enjoyed a relaxing and extremely hot week by the Sea of Cortes. Thursday evening was spent strolling through the plaza in downtown Cabos where several artisans had set up displays. A painting of a sailboat in rich, vivid colours caught my eye. I thought about it over dinner and then rushed back to the square just as the artist, Isabella Hernandez, was packing up her works. She and I are pictured here holding the original acrylic painting that I bought from her that night.

Leslie Cartwright and Isabella Hernandez

Adrift In The Shallows

12" x 18" Acrylic on Hardboard

I was inspired to do this painting after I had looked through 

some books of Raymond Harris Ching. He has some

amazing paintings of birds with great attention to detail. It is 

his skill at painting water and reflections that I most admire. 

Popular Poplars!

I have noticed that poplar trees (aspen) have been quite a popular subject for  

artists and collectors over the past year.  I'd thought about trying my hand at a 

painting of the deciduous trees with their foliage in different golden hues but hadn't 

found a particular scene that inspired me until I saw this view (photo reference) while 

out for an afternoon drive with my family. The stark white and black of the poplar's 

bark and branches creates a vivid and striking variance in a composition. 

The acrylic painting below, which I just started this past week, is on a 12" x 24" 

canvas. This past autumn I photographed a beautiful stand of poplar trees in their 

brilliant yellow foliage. The photograph that I am using as a reference is actually the 

result of two photos that I have merged using a program on my computer.

Reference Photo

"Fetch"

A painting inspired by my golden retriever who 

never seems to tire of his favourite game.

6" x 12" Acrylic on Hardboard

         Lest We Forget

I thought it fitting to post a photo
of this poppy painting as we approach
Remembrance Day. I will be sure to 
wear a poppy tomorrow while watching
my son parade with his fellow cadets in 
Invermere, B.C. He will be proudly 
carrying a flag for the legion.

 

Beginning  A Bear Painting

I sketched my subjects on a prepared canvas.

I blocked in the main colours of my picture.

Below is my photo reference from the wildlife
sanctuary that I visited this spring.   CHEERS!

Straight From The Horses Mouth

I am currently working on a painting of the 

Clydesdale horses at Fort Steele. The canvas

measures 24" x 48", which works out to a total 

of 8 square feet. It is a huge undertaking,

especially with tiny little brushes. I can't wait to

unveil the finished work at my show at Pynelogs

Cultural Center in Invermere. The show opens on

Tuesday, September 17th and runs for 2 weeks. 

The reception is held on Wednesday, September 

18th, from 7pm to 9pm. I hope you will join me then!

P.S. My friend Paula Cravens  has a reception this Wednesday evening, August 21st at Pynelogs from 7pm to 9pm. Come on out and view some great art.

Acrylic Painting on Circular Saw
This 3 foot saw was brought to me for a 
commissioned work. Below I have the 
photographs that I used as reference for 
this painting.

Mr. See owned a saw.
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.
Now, See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw
Before Soar saw See,
Which made Soar sore.
Had Soar seen See's saw
Before See sawed Soar's seesaw,
See's saw would not have sawed
Soar's seesaw.
So See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw.
                                                                          But it was sad to see Soar so sore
                                                                          just because See's saw sawed
                                                                         Soar's seesaw

 

A Mountain Range At Sunset

14" x 48" Acrylic on Hardboard

I am happy with the soft and smooth affect that I have created

in the clouds above my mountain range here. I have had to play

with the pressure on my compressor in order to get the fine spray

that I wanted from my airbrush. It is not as easy as I thought it

would be. I enjoy using it though and feel that it will be of great

value for larger paintings such as this one.

Off the cuff!

 

This is the second watercolour painting that I created

last week, after years of not touching my watercolour

paints and brushes! We all began painting the same

picture but each person's rendition evolved much

 differently. It was interesting to see how we are all so

unique.



 POPPIES

This is a small 6" x 9" painting

of poppies that I finished on 

hardboard recently. It makes

me long for summer! 

 

 

MY  BUDDY  MAX

This is a picture of me and my dear buddy
Max. He is a 10 year old Golden Retriever.
He is my constant companion, especially
when I am painting. In this photo I am adding
detail to a painting of Max while he is asleep
at my front door. I am excited to finish this
painting and share it with all of you.

An Isaac Original

This is a picture of the small example that Terry Isaac painted of my photo of poppies. I attended a workshop in Penticton with Terry in mid-October and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I learned a lot from Terry's critique of my own paintings and those of the other students as well. For anyone who desires to paint "photo realism" I highly recommend taking one of Terry's workshops.

 

PAINTING WORKSHOP WITH TERRY ISAAC

On October 12, 13 & 14, 2012, I was fortunate to attend an advanced workshop in Penticton, B.C. with Terry Isaac. He is a wonderful instructor and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. These are photos of a painting that I began and worked on while at Terry's Gallery. The reference is a photo of my golden retreiver, Max.

 

    

 

 

The Method for The Monarch

This slide show will give you a glimpse of the techniques that

I use to achieve correct proportions and detail. I was fortunate to learn

these strategies from Terry Isaac in October of 2011 during a week long

workshop. I am excited to be participating in an advanced workshop this

fall with Terry in his gallery in Penticton, B.C. Happy Painting Everyone!