Water is such a great resource here in the Okanagan with agriculture and wildlife being dependent on it in the region. Most of my paintings over the last several years are of creeks. I like the challenge of painting creeks its kind of like trying to walk across them without slipping in. You have to concentrate on color shifting,temperature, values and edges. Rocks come in all sorts of shapes, colors, texture and size. Water works at smoothing out these rocks forming and adding shape to them. Each one unique from the other like shown here in KLO Creek. Finding shapes and patterns in the landscape creates interest to the Composition allowing the eyes to move in and around the painting. In KLO Creek I wanted the viewer to feel the water and its movement as it flows over the rocks.
The Okanagan valley has many creeks of which flows into Okanagan Lake. Water here in the Okanagan is used for agriculture such as grapes that are used in the production of wine and juice. There are many other kinds of fruit and produce in the region as well. The landscape is different from grain farms of the prairies where you have rolling hills for miles and a large river. Being apart of showing the beauty of these creeks and the importance of the water in my landscape paintings I hope addresses the concern to protect this vital resource . These hidden little creeks in the forest I like to call Treasures of the Okanagan. Surrounded by many different kinds of trees creating shadows of their reflections on the water. The suns light shifting off each leaf.
There is a story to every picture with each one being unique. Thus making the collecting of originals much more interesting. For me each painting involves a story of the origin of the place and to try and create the feeling of a place by asking myself questions like – How does this place make me feel? What does it say to me? How does the light from above affect what is going on below? How can I express this in simple form? This helps make up the creation of my piece. This gives me a sense for trying to create the mood for the painting. You know when it is a good one because you feel the flow of it coming together and soon begin to see what is taking place. By feeling and seeing whats happening, you can start to create the excitement in a piece. I want to try to create just the structure of the place in its basic form. Perhaps a series of. I think expressing something with less we say more. I have a show and sale this weekend at the Mission Community Hall here in Kelowna. It is through the Canadian Federation of Canadian Artists of the Central Okanagan Chapter. It is my first one through them and I am very excited to be showing my work. Every year there is something new and exciting. More shows and more landscapes of the Okanagan Valley.
