Australia Plus April 2015

We just returned from our return to Oz trip and some wonderful travels, tours and visiting, revisiting places and folks we have known as well as those we missed when we lived downunder.  Quite tired of travel by the time all was done but also some wonderful memories and great ideas for painting.

The first painting is from a tour we did at Katherine, NT up the Katherine gorge in the tour boat.  The train stops in Katherine mainly so passengers can do this tour, big business for the local population.  It varies by the amount water in the channel  as to how far you can take the boat but it would be grand to do in a kayak or canoe.  At one point there is this yellow sand beach in the red rock, surreal.

The second painting is of a rock ridge that overlooks a wetland area which eventually enters the ocean in the Kakadu National Park, which is also in the NT and fairly close to Darwin.  The contrasts here are huge and that is what makes it beautiful.  This was from a tourist pamphlet photo not our own, but we did stand on the same ridge, just not at that particular sunset time.

My plan is to do a series of paintings sort of documenting the trip.  I have about ten in mind but am not sure how that will pan out, maybe more, maybe fewer.

Before we left I had started a carving of a loon in soapstone.  The warm weather on our return allowed me to get outside and finish the job.  It is now in the oiling process and should be ready for the ReginArt show this spring.

Up Coming Events
The Third Annual ReginArt Show,  Conexus Centre of the Arts, Shumiatcher Room,  April 24-25, 2015.  Yes we are at it again, with five new artists in our mix.  Musical instruments, First Nations paintings , new wearable art jewellery, willow basketry, wood carving and turning, painting sculpture and all by Saskatchewan artists of renown.
Nouveau Gallery has a lovely display of my work at present, carvings only, and there is a display in the Harvard Galley in the Hill Buildings which will be up for a month show some of our ReginArt groups work.
Shekinah a camp near Waldheim SK is again the place to be for the SASKATCHEWAN RIVER VALLEY ART SCHOOL, May 29 to June 3, 2015.  I will be teaching stone carving and there are other wood carving classes, painting classes, photography classes etc., by artists from across Canada.  A great place to spend a few days with folks of artistic interests in a wonderful environment.

I guess that is it for now, hope everyone has a great spring ( yes it is here ) and please join me at the ReginArt Show.  A feast for the eyes and heart.

2015 begins

not much to report for December.  I did manage to sell Weeds on Fire a painting and Nouveau gallery sold one small piece in the Christmas sale.  Yvette Moore Gallery also sold another piece.
Go to the Nouveau Gallery site to see the wonderful pieces they had and my pieces will stay there for a couple more months.  Hopefully I can get my big cougar in there in the next month or so, need to coordinate my son and a trailer to get it there.
I have been asked to teach stone carving for the Saskatchewan River Valley Art School at Shekinah this May, I always enjoy this.  An opportunity to be with folks who enjoy carving and other artists of different mediums in a five day residential program.  If any of you are interested in learning to carve wood/stone, paint, draw, take better photographs, weave etc.  check out SRVAS or the Sask Wildlife Artists Assoc. web sites for class registration.  I believe they open the last week of Jan.

Well I did manage to get my pixelated pelican painting finished and am now in the process of attempting a portrait of Granny Calihoo a Metis woman who live to be 104 years, from the buffalo hunt to the space age.  I hope I can capture that wonderful face using just little squares of paint.