When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

Canada

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Summer Breeze – Paper Birch Stand

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021


 

Summer Breeze, Paper Birch Stand, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Summer Breeze, Paper Birch Stand near Campbell River, BC – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper… limited color palette.

Sugar Maple Leaves

Monday, February 22nd, 2021


 

Sugar Maple, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Sugar Maple Leaves, Napanee ON Canada, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W”.

Native to eastern Canada and the US., sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum) are the showiest variety during Autumn, with colder nights producing deeper red colors. They are also the primary source of maple syrup, as well as hardwood lumber used for furniture and flooring. The sugar maple leaf is the central emblem on the Canadian flag.

MFA’s ‘Oh The Places I Would Go’

Saturday, February 20th, 2021


 
Queenstown Peaks, New Zealand - 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paperQueenstown Peaks, New Zealand – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper and Lake Louise, (Alberta, Canada) 16 x 20 inches acrylics on canvas Lake Louise, 16 x 20 inches acrylics on canvasare on view at the Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) online exhibition, ‘Oh the Places I Would Go’ Jan 22 – Feb. 26, 2021.

The prospectus suggests, “Oh the places we would go if we weren’t in quarantine. Or maybe, oh the places we will go once the world is safer. MFA’s fifth People’s Choice exhibition is all about the special places that we can’t be right now and places we’re dreaming of.”

Kananaskis Valley, AB Canada

Sunday, January 10th, 2021


 

Kananaskis Valley, Alberta Canada - 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Kananaskis Valley near Banff, Alberta Canada – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

Prairie Dogs, Drumheller, AB

Wednesday, January 6th, 2021


 

Prairie Dogs, Drumheller, AB - 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Prairie Dogs, the Badlands Hoodoos near Drumheller, Alberta Canada. 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches.

The Canadian Badlands in Alberta and Saskatchewan are recognized for having unusual mudstone and sandstone landscape formations, and also for having the largest deposits of dinosaur bones in the world. The geography in Horseshoe Canyon, Alberta is ancient and incredible, and the prairie dogs – Albertans call them “gophers” – are an influential  part of prairie ecology, having extensive impact on vegetation and animal life. They live in colonies of up to several thousand, burrowing in networks of tunnels where other ground-dwelling creatures move in, and rain water is reserved and redirected.
They are cute to be sure, but they are sometimes a nuisance to farmers whose horses and cattle can trip in the holes. Pest control programs during the 1900’s meant their numbers have declined, which had an impact on the grasslands they helped sustain. As their own highways became populated with humans and cars, particularly during Springtime they are a road hazard.

In Torrington, Alberta, one lady has found a creative way to utilize the unfortunate casualties. You must visit The World-Famous Gopher Hole Museum located in the middle of nowhere, in a small hamlet where there is not even a gas station, along a seemingly endless dusty gravel road about an hour Northwest of Drumheller. Gophers are stuffed, sporting handmade costumes and placed in small cubicles displaying historic scenes. Completely bizarre, but actually very well done and absolutely worth the conversation-provoking side-trip if you are planning to visit Drumheller and the Tyrell Dinosaur Museum.

Ouimet Canyon, ON Canada

Saturday, January 2nd, 2021


 

Ouimet Canyon, ON - 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

According to written information about this amazing place, the 100 metre deep (330 ft), 150 M (490 ft) wide gorge formed a billion years ago, when earth split due to advancing glaciers, then most likely the tremendous amounts of water released during their retreat, and erosion of the slabs by wind and rain.

It was a rainy day, so the park was tourist-free, and I was able to experience the park alone. In a meditative state of mind, foggy atmosphere enhanced the sense of mystery. I imagined the violent forces that created this wonder, and within the scale of a few small moments, tried to comprehend how much time a billion years is.

The Steeples mountain range

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020


 

The Steeples, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

The Steeples mountain range, part of the Canadian Rockies seen from the Hwy 95 (Crows Nest) near Cranbrook BC – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper

January Thaw 02

Friday, October 16th, 2020


 

January Thaw 02, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

January Thaw 02, Dogwood along Fallowfield Road near Richmond ON – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.
In eastern Ontario, usually about mid-January, snow melts with mild weather for 2 weeks or so. It’s a pleasant break, but winter hits with a vengeance after that and temps don’t warm up again until about mid-March.

Showcased in J. Mane Gallery “Seasons 2020” online exhibition.

Spanish Moss

Sunday, October 4th, 2020


 

Spanish Moss, Creyke Point, Vancouver Island BC, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper

Spanish Moss, Creyke Point, Vancouver Island BC, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Red Squirrel

Thursday, October 1st, 2020


 

Red Squirrel, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper

Red Squirrel in Ottawa, Ontario – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper

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