fresh off the easel

I have been busy creating and framing for the Camrose Art Walk. This year I am submitting ten paintings, both acrylic paintings and watercolors. My daughter is submitting pigment print photography of her travels in Asia and Australia so Gerald has been busy helping frame her images as they are due to be delivered saturday to the Arts Center. Thank goodness I have help in my endeavors.

"Raven Speak", acrylic on canvas

"The Gift; Yellow Warblers" acrylic on canvas

Lilac Swan

This is an older painting which I re-did to strengthen the visual impact. I added the swallowtail butterfly and deepened the colors. It took many layers as the colors kept seemingly to disappear into the paper, I have not had that problem with Arches 300lb paper before, it must be a fluke sheet. Anyhow after many days and many layer of persistence I finally got depth of color. so it is re-dated and waiting to be framed once again for the Camrose Art Walk.

Great exhibition at the Alberta Craft Council

On saturday Gerald and I delivered Raku for Mary Swain to the Alberta Craft Council Gallery and while there we took in the Clay 2010 exhibition and acquisition of contemporary ceramics by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts in the lower gallery. I am happy to note that my dear friend Mary who is one of the finest Raku artists in Alberta has two pieces in this exhibition. WAY TO GO MARY, also kudos to the jurors who have chosen many worthy pieces. I am impressed by the quality and inspired by the creativity applied in the works I viewed.
The following piece is one of Mary's Raku fired hand built works that is in the exhibition.

copyright Mary Swain

Snow Robin

This Robin perched long enough to fluff his feathers and then was gone. I think he sensed the camera scoping him out. Yesterday's spring snowfall made for a nice hazy shot.

Neva you mention lilacs in blossom where you abode, it may well be a few more weeks before ours bust into bloom. With long winters the anticipated spring blossoms are a joyful blessing when they break through the solitude of the winter. I did see a few ornamental plum starting to bud their color on the weekend. Soon we too shall have a mass of floral brilliance to breathe into the soul. Hugs to all.

Drive-by Shooting

As we were driving I spotted these birds, placed my camera out the window and started rapid fire shooting as we have from experience found that the hawks rapidly take flight if we stop.

As it was the hawk took to wing anyhow, but I kept my trigger finger busy. This shot is cropped.

This fella was apparently amidst a meal, which he took with him, to the fence post.

Here he paused momentarily before once again taking flight across the fields. It looks like he was dining on a big  ground squirrel. This shot is cropped in half as well. I was using a 300mm lens. The shots worked far better than I would have imaged they would for a drive by shooting. Just look at that beautiful rusty tail. I think this image would make a good painting.

spring storm

The trees have started to leaf out, flowers were beginning to bloom close to houses so now its time for our yearly spring blizzard.

Fresh snowfall.

Birdbath, brrr.

Snow hitting window.

And to finish off with a little color, a stained glass on a snow glass window. I love the soft blur, kinda fits with the day as one cannot see far with the snow blowing and spinning across the landscape. Its a good day to be inside snug and warm, drinking hot cocoa and creating. May you all have a blessed day filled with love and creation. 

Redtails and Geese

 A rough week was topped off with a wonderful weekend as Gerald took me out birding. The hawks and geese are moving north so we saw quite a few out around the Camrose area. We went out to the reservoir where there were American Avocets, ducks and geese of all sorts, yellow legs and a few killdeer. Most of my shots were crap as there was just too much distance between me and my intended's. Also there was a thickness in the air that seemed to distort the images causing great pixelation. Twice we witnessed Redtail Hawks with prey. This one was busy plucking a Greater White Fronted Goose which looked to be about twice his size. Look at the scattered feathers. This is a cropped shot.

 

These are Greater White Fronted Geese on the opposite end of the prairie pothole from the hawk, also a cropped shot. Many of them were keenly watching the hawk tear apart there flight buddy.

Flock of Geese against the moody sky.