My Step-daughter Katarina by Upper Lake Kananaskis dreaming of flying perhaps like Harry Potter does, or just feeling the cool fall air on her face enjoying the youthful promise that is hers and hers alone. She is unique in all the universe and a very special child indeed. We, the world, are so lucky to have her.

 

Saundra Lane Galloway, of "Art For Life" gave me this "Kreativ Blogger"award way back on Sep.22 and i have now just figured out how to do this and pass it on. I'm certainly more comfortable inside my studio than with a computer, but have been so happy to have discovered this wonderful world of blogging and think often of my fellow bloggers and their own courageous journeys in the pursuit of their passions.  There is such a wealth of information here and it so wonderful that all are so willing to share their experiences with each other. I hope to do the same in return and look forward to meeting others with the need to create. Thank you to all, and especially thank you to Saundra for this unexpected award.

Here are the 7 things i am supposed to share about myself. Even my wife is not privy to these but she will be now once she reads this... smile!

1) I have secretly always wanted to be a rancher. That might explain my attraction to cow paintings.
2)I paint far more in my head than i do for real. I'm a tad bit lazy.
3)My favorite buffet item is the deviled eggs.
4)I cannot resist chocolate and have secret stashes.
5)I would love to own a mint 1976 BMW 320i.
6)A log cabin in the mountains with no phone or TV is my dream abode.
7)I love the Tazmanian Devil on the Bugs Bunny Road Runner show.

Now i must select 7 recipients and i thin this may be very difficult indeed as all whom I've bookmarked are tremendous bloggers, artists. But here are the seven in no particular order

1) Laurie Pace  Her blog "Wonders of the Heart" was one of the first i discovered here. It is inspirational  for sure both spiritually and painterly. You will not be disappointed. Her paintings are breathtaking.
2) Edgar Whitney  Edgar Whitney is no longer with us, but his blog is a tribute to a great painter who left behind a legacy of a life lived for the art of watercolor.  A worthwhile blog to visit for sure. I love his paintings.
3)Tina Mammoser  This young lady cycles the coastlands of England and does very dramatic landscapes and seascapes. I thoroughly enjoy her daily musings.
4)Sheri's Showers of Love  This lady runs a day-car and posts stories from her busines about the kids she has in her care. Heartwarming and thought provoking for sure.
5)Sandy Maudlin's Art Journey  Her paintings are simply gorgeous and she paints the way i always hoped i might. But i cannot, so i enjoy looking at what she is up to from time to time. She also offers workshops! Worth a look!
6) Sam Dolman  Okay, I have to mention here a fellow cow guy. I started painting cows and have since stopped but when i saw Sam's art work i thought "How beautiful!" and began to paint bovine's once more. His are superlative.
7)Ron Morrison   This fellow paints old abandoned cars. He does an amazing job of it too as they are filled with light and color. Not your average car painting.

These are but a few. I know there are many more and i am thankful for all who drop by and for those sites i visit regularly for daily inspiration. God bless each and every one.
Ross
   

"Stacy Lake". A wee village somewhere in the mountains where i might like to live!

Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches cold pressed.

This is still one of my favorite paintings. I grabbed my camera last November when it began to snow really heavily. I went downtown and took a lot of photos of people walking the streets. This young lady was dashing to the Starbucks to get a coffee and i thought it would work well as a watercolor. The end result was most pleasing to me. I've many more photos from that day and plan on doing some more along the same theme. Watercolor on 300lb. Arches cold pressed paper.

I did quite a few cow paintings for a while and they were pretty popular. I've started to do some more just because i had so much fun doing them. I've tried the chickens, roosters and horses but not any of them seemed to be so well received like the cows have been. I called this one, "Asleep in the Manger". My nephew is the proud owner. Bless him.

This is one of my first landscapes. It was the one that started me on the path of patterns so to speak. I've received two commissions since to do a similar type of painting. They just keep getting bigger too!

A make believe town at a bend in the river.
Some of the town folk and their dogs are out on the ice enjoying the sunny day.... a solitary crow watches from the rooftop.

Watercolor on 400 lb. cold pressed paper.

 I've been busy at the studio this month trying to get work ready for a very patient gallery. My paintings are now taking longer to do, as they keep getting more detailed. 

Just love doing them though! 

Watercolor on 400lb. cold pressed paper.

"Kensington Hill"

 I'm looking forward to continuing on this theme of whimsical villages. I have a few more designs in various stages of completion just now. I'll post them when they are done. This is watercolor on 400lb. Arches cold pressed paper... 

Pleasant Ville

 This is watercolor on 400 lb. Arches Cold pressed paper. I just love that heavy paper. 

'Proctor"

"Proctor" A small lake side village in the central part of B.C. I spent an afternoon there drawing one day and then used the drawings in several paintings. This be one of them...

Just finished it today. 

"Girls Night Out"

My most recent work. Think the paint is still a bit damp.  These chickens are fun to do. I've added the roosters and small farm in the background to add interest. This is watercolor on 400 lb. cold pressed paper.  Just gotta love that real heavy paper....

 I call this one "Small Town".  Another in the whimsical take on small villages, winter scenes. I enjoy doing these and love to see them evolve.  There are several more on the drawing board just now. 

I called this guy "Strider". I found him hanging around a garbage bin one day and took a few photos. Thought i might try to do it all in blues and purples as opposed to black which i think worked considering the night time angle....

This is my one and only oil painting. I think i will have to break them out again as i really enjoy the freedom you have with oils. My son's dog is a Boxer we call Pezzo and he was a very co-operative little model for this painting. I just love this little guy.  

Rush Hour

I saw a photo of a lady bug and got the idea for this painting. Once again i used the complementary colors of red against green. i tried to do several more like this but none of them worked out so i think i was just meant to do this one. It became one of my favorites.

Janus Crow

I love crows and ravens and often go out to gather a few photos of these very entertaining characters. This one was watching me from his perch on the edge of a garbage bin at Granville Island, Vancouver. I got a few good angles and thought he would be a handsome subject for a painting. He is now perched on the walls of a Jr. High school library so many can watch him instead. 

Katarina

This is a painting i did of my step-daughter Kat. She appears in lots of my whimsical landscape paintings and is such a good little model. She even approved of this one so i was pleased. 

Faith

This is a portrait of a friends little girl. I thought i had gone to far with it and some of the paint became muddy. I thought i would try going in with a pit pen afterward and try to resurrect it some, and i think it worked. At least i was pleased with how it looked. It is still not finished. One day i will put in the water and beach. 

Farley

My son's girlfriend has this adorable little Beagle/Pug cross. I think he is called a "Bug".

"Peagle" does not sound nearly as nice. His name is Farley and he is quite a character, always on the move. Hence the butterflies. I thought it worked as he looks a bit weary or befuddled all the time. Must be from his constant antics. This was done with watercolor on Arches 300 lb. cold pressed paper.