Some of my favorite memories from the praries are the countless hours spent at Elk Island National Park east of Edmonton, AB. The highlight was always the bison. After years of photographing the herds and lone bulls, I finally caught a moment I had to paint.

I chose to focus on one of the cow’s watchful eye and the calf’s curious, but wary eye. Out of sight, was a bull rolling in the dust. I pushed it further to obscure the rest of the herd.

The painting is on a deep “gallery” wrapped canvas mounted in black frame that reveals the painted sides of the canvas.

The model’s demure pose intrigued me. She isn’t shy, but you might not think that as she hides her eyes behind the brim of the hat. The low cut of the gown tells another, more flirtatious story.

I chose a small canvas for this composition. It’s an unframed deep “gallery” wrapped canvas, painted black on the sides. If desired, it could be re-stretched by a qualified framing shop for easier framing.

The glacial pond is below the Angel Glacier on Mount Edith Cavell in Jasper National Park. Angel Glacier is to the right and high above the pond. The ice wall portrayed in this painting sits in the valley below against the north-facing wall of the valley. It is likely a remnant of the main glacier from the last ice age. It’s hard to appreciate the true scale as depicted in this painting. I thought of introducing some element to give it scale but each idea looked too artificial. The photo below gives some sense of the scale.

It’s worth mentioning I took the photo above a year before the comparatively tiny Ghost Glacier lost its grip high on the steep ridge adjacent to the much larger Angel Glacier. The trajectory of the massive ice fall apparently took most of it beyond the ice wall and crashed into the pond sending a debris flow down the valley that forever changed the landscape.

The events of August 10, 2012 happened in the early hours of the morning when the area was closed for the night. Had it been during the day when visitors filled the parking lot and lower trails, the death toll would have been unimaginable. Such are the moods of mountains and glaciers.

The painting is based on photos taken before the collapse of the Ghost glacier. If you visit the site today, you can see similarities, but it is not the same. May it remind us to enjoy the beauty around us while it is still with us.

Medicine Lake is one of the wonders of Jasper National Park. For most people, it is a quick stop on the way to the more well known Maligne Lake. For me, it is a destination. The lake has no surface outlet other than when a particularly high freshet (something like one in thirty years) causes it to fill the otherwise dry upper reaches of the Maligne River. Yet every year the lake mysteriously drains through an extensive network of deep fissures. While a substantial amount of water emerges into the lower reaches of the Maligne River, no one knows for sure where the rest goes. I have had the pleasure of seeing the lake in full flood, with water coursing down the upper Maligne river, and scrambling over dry boulders on the same stretch of river in other years.

This painting depicts the lake in early summer when the water was at a somewhat typical level. I have a winter painting from roughly the same vantage point. This painting is on deep gallery wrap canvas and framed in a black relief frame.

Medicine Lake in Jasper National Park is magical in the winter. Snow clings to the steep slopes and blankets the frozen waters. Few park visitors venture up the road leaving the scene quiet except for the odd crow or other wilderness residents. It may be my favourite time of year to visit.

The painting is on deep gallery wrap canvas and can be framed. I would suggest a deep relief frame that exposes the painted sides of the stretched canvas.

Setting the model on a stone bench overlooking a pond surrounded by tall pines was a stretch of artistic licence I would gladly repeat. Her expression echoes the melancholic mood of the setting. Unadorned with clothes, we may see her as either vulnerable or comfortable with who she is. I hope both are evident. Her melancholic expression tells another story, too. It is hard to be vulnerable and open, as her nakedness implies in a world that judges us at every turn. We struggle to live up to other’s expectations when our souls cry out to let us be who we really are without shame.

The painting is on deep gallery wrap canvas and can be framed. I would suggest a deep relief frame that exposes the painted sides of the stretched canvas.

Inspired by Japanese gardens and architecture, the model stares at the reflections in the still waters of the pool. This is an early work done in acrylics that I have kept in my private collection. However, I will let it go. It brings a touch of serenity to any room.

The painting is on deep gallery wrap canvas and can be framed. I would suggest a deep relief frame that exposes the painted sides of the stretched canvas.

My wife and I have hiked the Five Lakes Trail in Jasper National Park several times. Parts of it are a little too popular for my likes, but push a little farther you’ll find the trail less travelled. The scene depicted is near the end of the return journey from the most distant lake. 

The painting is currently unframed.

Fort Edmonton Park is not only a fascinating historical experience, it is also a treasure trove of photographic and painting inspiration for those looking to step back in time. In this painting, a young woman walks through an overgrown garden carrying flowers she picked along the way. It was inspired by a photo I took several years ago.

The painting is currently unframed.

McConnell Lake, south of Kamloops, is one of our favourite places to go canoeing. It’s a small lake, largely devoid of power boats. In season, a few nesting loons inhabit that lake along with trout that are, at least in my opinion, notoriously hard to catch. Fall is not complete without a paddle or two on the lake before the snow flies. Perhaps the crisp air and low angle of the sun remind me of my youth further north. I attempted to capture the fall beauty on this small deep gallery wrapped canvas.

The painting is currently unframed, however; the painting wraps around the sides, making it ready to hang.

Winter in Elk Island National Park is magical. With fewer visitors, some of the more wary forest residents make their presence known. Coyotes are common. If you are lucky, you will hear the occasional howl of a lone wolf drifting across the frozen landscape. Countless tracks cut through the forests and across frozen waters. One of my favourite places is Astotin Lake in the late afternoon, as depicted in this painting. Over the years I lived in the area, I painted many canvases “plein air” in the winter. However, this painting was done in the studio from photos and a study done on location.

The painting is currently unframed.

I titled this painting “Mary Magdalene” after a friend called it that. It would be more true to say that Mary Magdalene is an archetype for the woman in the painting. Her sideways glance at the darkened window is meant to evoke a feeling of being watched, or at least the fear of being watched, by those who would judge and condemn her. It is a feeling far too many women in this world are familiar with. The intentional irony is that blue and purple represent wealth and perhaps royalty. No woman is immune to it, but no woman should have to experience it, whatever their life circumstances. The painting is a reminder that we must do better.

The painting is currently in a basic exhibition frame.