Coastal Beach :: Oil on Board :: 6x12"

Relentless waves crashing onto a beach.

Coastal Beach :: Oil on Board :: 6×12″

Solitary Wave :: Oil on Board :: 6x6"

A painting of a single wave crashing to the beach

Solitary Wave :: Oil on Board :: 6×6″

Gamblin Cad Red :: Mmmmmmmmmmm, yummy!!!

I wish all manufacturers offered their oil paints in cans. Gamblin bucks this trend and lucky for me, I enjoy Gamblin paint and find it of high quality at a very good price.

Every acrylic brand you find in your local art store sells their products in tubs. Wander down the oil paint isle, though, and you won’t see any cans of paint.

Gamblin sells all their colours in 8oz and 16oz cans. Their whites are also available in 32oz cans. The caveat?  The chances of your art store carrying these cans are slim to none.

This is where the internet comes in. Being able to order online from US vendors such as Dickblick, Cheap Joes, Dakota Art, Rosemary & Co and many others, gives you the best opportunity to find the best prices. Now just don’t go onto a site and buy right away, even if you see the price is cheaper than your local store. Wait for a sale that has the items you want cheaper than the regular discount they offer…. then STOCK UP.

If you live in Canada, be aware of how the US store ships out of country. Some use their local mail service such as USPS which is to your benefit as you will only have to pay taxes when the mail person knocks on your door. If they ship UPS be prepared to pay over $35 for a brokerage fee. FedEx will charge you as well, just not as much as UPS. USPS or Royal Mail (UK) are the best options hands down.

Don’t just buy a couple of items though, try to buy for a year. This is where cans come into play. When you buy cans of paint purchase empty paint tubes as well. Fill the tubes with the paint from the cans, label and store.

Now if you were to buy just one can it won’t really be worth it, but if you stock up on the main colours you use, you will save substantially!!

Happy painting.

Hotel d'Angleterre :: Oil on Canvas :: 18x20"

This is the studio painting of Hôtel d’Angleterre in Bourges, France. This hotel, in the middle of the city, was superb. From the staff to the interior it was everything we thought France would be like.

I completed an initial study a few months ago to work out lighting and composition.

Hôtel d’Angleterre :: 18×20″ :: Oil on Canvas :: $1300 Framed

The Statue :: Oil on Board :: 16x20

I was out today at the first Opus Outdoor Painting Challenge at their Langley store. They had about 100 entrants but at the end of the day only 85 paintings or so came in for jurying.

I completed this piece at Fraser Highway and Glover Road (map). I focused on completing as much as I could before the shadows changed too much. For those interested I took a photo of my palette as well.

My plein air pieces do sell for less than my studio paintings so this would be a great piece to start your collection.

The Statue :: Oil on Board :: 16×20″ :: $425 unframed

French Landscape :: Oil on Canvas :: 12x24"

I just received an email that I am a finalist in the FCA Okanagan Chapter Classic Painting Competition with my work French Landscape.

You can see all the finalists on their Finalist Page.

The award winners will be announced on April 20th, 2012 with some great prizes in store for the winners.

Luminous :: 18x18 :: Oil on Board

I really enjoy the square format for painting. I aimed to keep this piece loose to portray the leaves swaying in the wind.

Again, this was from a reference photo from France. There seems to be no end to the material I can paint from that trip.

Luminous :: 18×18 :: Oil on Board :: $1000

Click to Enlarge

I am pleased to invite you to the opening reception of the group show I am participating in with seven other painters. The reception will be on Thursday, April 19th from 6 to 9pm at the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) Gallery, located at 1241 Cartwright Street on Granville Island (map).

There will be hors d’oeuvres, wine, great company and over 60 paintings to enjoy.

Please forward this email, with attachment, to friends you know would enjoy an evening at an art gallery.

I hope to see you there. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

You may download the PDF invitation that has links to all the artists and the gallery location.

FCA Group Show PDF

I have added “Workshops” to the menu items above. I have put together thirteen various topics to help improve your base knowledge. Please click below to have a look.

>> Workshops

Palavas les Flots is a beautiful city on the sea in southern France with a canal that runs through the middle of it. The beach is fantastic, the weather hot and the food delicious. Why anyone would go to Nice is beyond me. This is a hidden gem of a town.

This painting is from a reference photo that was taken in early evening when the city shines.

Palavas les Flots :: Oil on Board :: 13×20 :: $825