Bragg Creek Creek

My wife and I went today to Bragg creek, I was able to find a couple of places whilst exploring and this was one of them. Here I am standing at the waters edge with a foot of Ice under me, 30cm for those who only understand metric. I was close to the edge and the weather is getting a lot warmer will it crack and break off dragging me into the 6 inches of freezing run off rapids, we can only hope.



Oil on board 8*10

I have only ever done one other river before and that was from a photo and it was an autumn scene so this was a challenge to get the light right and to get the edges in the distance to receed properly. Painting snow, Whooo weee, snow has many colours and greys so make sure your white pool is clean.

Near Bragg Creek

Oil on board 8*10
I tried this place last year and I didn't see anything at the time so it does pay to go back to previously visited places at different times of the year, and I can see different possibilities, As I was painting got pretty stormy and cloudy in the background but up close it was pretty bright, I will have to start exsaggerating shadow more as in paintings opposites are good, it adds interest, cool against warm, light against dark in focus out of focus, each one either dominant or recessive.

Spring Farm

Oil on Board 8*10
This one was the second one that I did, I was looking pretty much all day for something that would spark my interest, I drove out to Okotoks, a town South of Calgary, found a couple of possible places to paint but there wasn't anything I looking for, so I'll go back there later, Couldn't find anything else even though I had stopped a few times, nada, went home and got something to eat.

I went out again to a place I have been telling myself I should paint. Tried to paint the scene, over an Hour and Half battling with this thing, I said stuff it and dumped the board and started again. I painted this other scene I was also interested in, by now I had been dazzled by the light hitting my paintbrush, cold due to wind and pushed for time, as I had to get back home as I had my Scouts that night. So I slapped that paint down I really just went as fast as I could within reason. using the colours that I had used for the previous painting.