Kelwona, Mission Hill Sketches

Kelowna, West Bank from the Mission Hill Winery
Pencil and water on Paper 4"x6"

I spent a couple of days on business in Kelowna, BC. The area is as beautiful as BC gets! While I didn't have any time to do any painting, I managed to sketch a few pen and pencil works worth sharing.

Kelowna, Mission Hill Winery Ink and water on Paper 4"x6"

Incidentally, if you follow my sketches, you know I like to wet my ink and usually use water-soluble graphite pencils as well. I didn't have my water-soluble graphites with me. All I had was a golf pencil (the tiny ones used to track scores on the golf course). Guess what? I just discovered that these are the cheapest water-soluble pencils around!!! So much for the expensive Derwents!! I know where to get my next stash!!

Kelowna, Looking North Ink and water on Paper 4"x6"

A few sketches

Watercolour on Paper.

Today I couldn't really get into painting at all. First we were busy getting things done, and then I just was too tried to start something grand. So I did these 5 thumb-nail sketches. These are more like doodles in colour. Nothing too exciting just wanted to share what I did that's all :)

Watercolour on Paper

Garden Corner - Pen sketch

Spent a few days in Winnipeg last week. Depressing place. We lived there over 4 years ago and I haven't visited since. Nothing had changed. If a city could be going through a clinical depression, this would be the best example of it. Sad and with no hope to rise above mediocracy.

Garden Corner, Ink on Paper.

Speaking of mediocracy, here is a sketch I did no the plane. Nothing much, just a picture to go with a post :)

Cargo, Vancouver Harbor

Oil Pastel on Canson Impression Paper 6"x6"

Three Sketches

It has been a long time since I posted my pen and pencil sketches to this blog. I looked back through my sketch book and chose three to share with you today.



The first one was done today at a neighborhood park. It is a loose pen drawing of the park with the houses surrounding it.

The second one was done a few weeks ago with charcoal, and a few pastels. An experiment really since I have never used dry pastels before. Turns out I shouldn't use them as they aggravate my asthma and I really don't need that





The third one is a water soluble graphite pencil drawing. It is very simple but I love it.



After Neda's terrible experience last week, I have decided to keep my images very small and nothing larger quality than 96dpi. Sorry, but I really don't want to find these images on photobacket for sale. I have encoded the images with my meta data, but the reality is they are out there and anyone who can't appreciate the propriety of the art work can take them (steal them that is). I know I am not Picasso. My work is not worth much I agree, but it is my work and it is worth it to me so here is the deal. If you really like something and want a larger image, drop me an email. I would love to share, but just not with the whole wide world of coffee mug printers out there :)

Of course you can also ask Rima for these originals (not these in this post they are not great). Everything that is on this blog can be yours for a reasonable price :)

Signs of Spring

Oil Pastel on Watercolour paper 4"x6"

Sometimes its just about colour

I ran across this painting by Julian Alden Weir tonight and just fell in love with it. I sat back and stared at it for a long time. How unbelievably stunning!

My artist mind then started asking the usual questions: Composition, unity, balance etc... The answer to these questions were mostly negative. The three trees smack in the middle of the painting, the orange ones to the side, the uneasy sloping horizon, these were all no-nos, so how did this painting work so well?

Then it hit me. Colour! Light! Key! Yes! Some times a cigar is just a cigar and some times a painting is just about colour.

WC sketching

My brushes needed some exercise tonight, and since someone else decided to paint tonight, I decided to sketch her while she was focused on her work. OK, yes. I love watercolours.