This year for our Valentine's anniversary, my husband and I and two other couples enjoyed a 4-day 800-km snowmobile tour through the Algoma region. This part of northern Ontario lies north of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. In the photo above, he and I are standing closest to the trail sign.

The 3 couples all towed snow machines from home and gathered in Espanola where we stayed overnight and parked our trucks and trailers for the duration of our snow adventure.

Below is a photo of our machine, which has a GPS navigation system, two gas tanks, and room for both of us plus 3 pieces of waterproof luggage. I ride on the very comfortable back seat which, along with my hand grips, helmet visor and vest, is heated electrically. Yes I'm spoiled.

Our first day on the trails we rode from Espanola to Blind River. The morning trails were icy but the afternoon brought a welcome snowfall. However, with a foot of fresh powder and reduced visibility due to strong winds, we occasionally lost sight of the groomed trail and bogged down in 3 or 4 feet of soft snow (shown below). You can see our friend is up to her thighs in snow and the back end of her machine is buried deeply.

We got to practice digging out our machines several times that week, whenever we mistakenly got off of the groomed trail. We developed a routine - clear snow away from underneath the front of the buried machine, then pull hard on the skis while another person presses the throttle. It takes at least 3 people about 10 to 20 minutes of hard work to retrieve a buried machine and get it back on the trail. You can see the process underway in the photo below. Many hands make light work...

The second day we snowmobiled from Blind River to Bruce Mines. The fresh snow made for excellent riding conditions. One of the local old-timers we met at a restaurant mentioned that he had not seen this much snow in decades and that the previous winter there was not enough snow for snowmobiling. We were glad to hear we picked a good year to visit Algoma for some winter fun. Below is a photo of my husband and me on our snowmobile.

Occasionally our group stopped on the trail to stretch our legs, bask in the winter wonderland scenery, and enjoy cups of hot chocolate from our thermoses. We  carried trail food for snacks (such as trail mix, chocolate bars, cheese, water) and equipment for emergencies (saws, tow ropes, first aid kit, space blankets, cell phones, tools, etc). Snowmobile trips are more like safaris than road trips. My husband and I are on the left in the photo below.

On the third day we rode from Bruce Mines to Elliott Lake. I took the photo below from our machine, which was at the back of our group of 5 snowmobiles.

We were stopped on the trail because we came upon a herd of deer (shown in a close up below). Fortunately they were curious about us and stayed still long enough for us to take several photos.

Groomed snowmobile trails provide easy travel routes for lots of wildlife. We saw tracks of deer, moose, rabbit, fox, and wolf during our adventure.

The Algoma snowmobile trail system was mostly well-mapped and marked with trail directional signs and periodic billboard maps, as shown below. We also had printed trail maps and digital maps on our GPS. Sometimes we had to call on all our resources to determine our way when the route was unclear. That is just part of the adventure of multi-day snowmobile trips in unfamiliar territory. We got to exercise our problem-solving skills as well as our muscles.

The trail system had a series of tiny warm-up huts with outhouses like those shown below, which we found useful from time to time. Note the snow load on the roof.

On the fourth day we journeyed from Elliott Lake back to Espanola, again with excellent snow conditions.

It took a while to clear the snow off of our trucks and trailers (shown below) before we could load our machines back into their trailers.

We spent the night in Espanola and drove home the next day. Our snowmobile adventure was challenging and fun, and we very much enjoyed the camaraderie of our longtime friends. We feel lucky to live where we easily can access world-class snowmobile trails for winter getaways.

One of the excellent side benefits of these extended trips is that I have access to gorgeous wilderness scenery, to take photos I can use for painting ideas. Shown below are a few of the paintings that resulted from years of snowmobile adventures. Click on the photos for more details about theses pieces.

Snow and Stone, watercolour 16 x 12"

Winter on Lake Kashwakamak, watercolour 11 x 14"

February Flow, watercolour 18 x 24"

Cabin in the Snow, watercolour 9 x 12"

Wild Wonders - Lynx, watercolour 22 x 15"

February Farm, watercolour 5 x 15"

What do you do to enjoy the outdoors in winter? If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to see more painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.

In the summer of 2007, my husband and I (pictured above) toured the island of Newfoundland for two months with our travel trailer, slowly exploring this large province from the western ferry terminal at Port aux Basques to the eastern ferry terminal on the Avalon Peninsula. Pictured in this post are some of the many paintings inspired by our summer in Newfoundland.

The highlights of our trip were many; the hospitable, fun-loving, hard-working people of Newfoundland, their incredible musical talents, world-famous Gros Morne National Park and Western Brook Pond were the top attractions for us.

We greatly enjoyed the historic Viking settlement re-enactment at l'Anse aux Meadows, numerous iceburg-sightings, a vast array of beautiful wildflowers, and learning the history of the cod fishery at Twillingate.

The Skerwink cliff trail and historic architecture at Trinity, magnificent sea views at Bonavista, berry picking on the Avalon, and the vibrant culture of St. John's all were wonderful experiences.

We spent 18 days hiking in Gros Morne National Park, which is on the mountainous west coast of the island. A few photos I took of the colourful stone beaches there have inspired dozens of pebble paintings since our visit.

Recently, I made this 90-second video of the creation of a large Newfoundland pebble painting, to show the layering process I frequently use to create the look of realistic stones. This is of interest to students of watercolour and allows non-artistic folk to get an idea of the planning that goes into my paintings. Click on the image below to view the video.

For more information about 'Beach Rocks Bigtime' click here.

Over many decades, we have toured every province and territory of Canada. Although each place was lovely and interesting to see, the island of Newfoundland remains in my top three favourite Canadian destinations (the others being Yukon Territory and Lake Superior). We look forward to another leisurely journey on The Rock one day soon.

Do you have a favourite spot in Newfoundland I should visit? Or a remarkable Newfoundland memory you would like to share? If you have suggestions or comments, please click on the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to see more of her painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.

The north shore of Lake Superior has become my favourite painting subject. In the last two years, I have been fortunate to visit this scenic region of Ontario six different times, in all four seasons, on photography excursions. The resulting photos, hundreds of them, continue to provide a wealth of painting inspiration.

Here are the Lake-Superior-themed watercolours I have created so far. With two-thirds of the collection already sold, I know that I am not the only person captivated by the beauty and majesty of this region. Click on the images to see more details (including step-by-step creation videos in some cases):

Holding On, 18 x 24" (sold)

Superior Gems, 12 x 12" (sold)

Superior Strength, 12 x 24" (sold)

Listen to the Lake, 16 x 12" (sold)

Come to Rest, 9 x 12" $400.

Where Giants Meet, 12 x 16" (sold)

A Foot in Cold Water, 18 x 24" $1750.

Superior Monarch, 12 x 12" (sold)

Crystal Clear, 12 x 16" $770.

Time to Head South, 16 x 20" (sold)

Clarity, 28 x 11" (sold)

Superior Road Trip, 11 x 14" $620.

Moongazer, 16 x 12" (sold)

Autumn on Lake Superior, 12 x 10" (sold)

I made this 2-minute video showing highlights of our visits to Lake Superior in 2018. I grew up on the Canadian Shield, so the topography reminds me of my childhood. If you have not seen the north shore in person, these images will give you an idea of why I find the scenery of Lake Superior profoundly inspiring:

I have so many beautiful photos put aside in my 'must paint' file, that I hardly know where to start. I look forward to sharing more of my Lake Superior paintings with you as I create them. I can see 2019 will be another 'superior' year for me. I hope it is a good one for you too!

Do you have favourite spots on Lake Superior? If you have suggestions or comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to see more painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.

My husband John and I had another amazing adventure for Valentine's Day, which is also our wedding anniversary. We got to hand feed a herd of elk!

How did this come about, you ask? Well, we drove about 8 hours north of where we live, to stay at Cedar Meadows Resort and Spa in Timmins, Ontario for 3 nights. Here is a photo of John with our truck, trailer, and snowmobile, with the resort in the background.

Our resort package included breakfasts and dinners in the dining room and use of the  Nordic Baths in the Spa. The resort has an excellent chef, so the food was beautifully prepared and presented. I had a tour of the Spa, which was very high end. The Nordic Baths were two outdoor pools - one hot and one cool, in the Finnish tradition. I never imagined I would be swimming outdoors in a Canadian winter, but enjoyed the pools, as well as the steam room and sauna. Very rejuvenating.

On Valentine's Day, we went for a morning snowmobile ride on the local trails, which were well groomed, wide and flat. Then at 3 pm, we joined the daily wagon tour through Cedar Meadows Wildlife Park, which is adjacent to the resort.

We had an amazing time, hand feeding the elk herd. We also met Brutus, their 2,500-lb bison, and heard about Felix, their resident bull moose, but Felix was taking the day off in the back of the property and we didn't get to meet him.

I made this 3-minute video of the highlights of our elk-feeding experience:

We enjoyed a four-course Valentine's dinner that evening, and the next day traveled by snowmobile to Iroquois Falls and back. The terrain is surprisingly flat in that region and the weather was cloudy and dull, so I didn't get many interesting scenery photos. But I did get this quick shot of the Frederick House River as we traversed the bridge.

On the fourth day of our trip, we headed back home to Lindsay under sunny skies. We passed through the beautiful Temagami region during our drive, and I took some decent photos of the white pines along the highway. These majestic trees find their way into many of my northern landscape paintings.

If you would like more information about the resort, here is their website https://cedarmeadows.com/

Did you do something memorable to celebrate Valentine's Day? Please share your comments by clicking on the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

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Usually, if there is enough snow cover at this time of year, my husband and I make time for snowmobiling. But this month, with severe cold warnings for two solid weeks, it was just too darn cold to hit the snowmobile trails. Instead, we took a day trip with friends to visit frozen Niagara Falls, to have lunch and do some photography.

It was -27 degrees Celcius when we left home in the morning, and -16 when we arrived in 'The Falls' at lunch time. With the damp atmosphere near the falls, the temperature felt as cold as it had been at home. We were glad we had dressed in layers, including thermal long underwear, flannel-lined pants, and our parkas. Below is a photo of my husband and me, taken at The Falls by our friend Carolyn.

Being so cold, it was difficult to take photos and keep my hands warm, and intermittent clouds blocked the sun most of the time. But I managed to get a few really good shots and a couple of quick videos of the Falls in action.

I compiled the best views of the afternoon into this two-minute video, which also conveys some interesting facts about this natural wonder. Turn on your speakers and enjoy!

Have you been able to brave the cold and have some outdoor fun? I'd love to hear about it in the comments (click on 'Leave a Comment' at the top of this post). Have a great winter, everyone.

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to see more travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.

In my previous post, I told the story of our camping trip to Lake Superior this summer. Although I am in the midst of teaching watercolour techniques to over 50 students this fall, I have carved out some private painting time in my studio, inspired by my Lake Superior trip photos.

The painting above, Clarity (watercolour, 28 x 11"), was the first major work inspired by this trip. I used several experimental techniques and am excited with the result. The scene depicts a view from the coastal trail near Rossport, on the north shore of Lake Superior. The water is so clear, it becomes almost impossible to tell if rocks are above or below the surface. I'll let you decide.

I made a short time lapse video, showing how this painting grew from start to finish. Click on the arrow below to view:

Click here to see more information about Clarity.

For my second Lake Superior painting, Time to Head South (watercolour 16 x 20") shown below, I was able to combine the activities of teaching and producing a major piece of artwork. I began by drawing the two Monarch butterflies and the autumn leaf in pencil on my watercolour paper. Then I drew in the stone shapes as a background.

During three of my one-day Pebbles 1-2-3 beginner workshops, I used this composition as my demonstration painting. I shaded and coloured the stones, working around the butterfly and leaf shapes. I used my Lake Superior trip photos as inspiration for the specific stone markings.

As with all of my paintings, every colour in the painting was mixed from primary red, blue, and yellow paints. Once the background was finished, after the third workshop, I painted the Monarchs and leaf.

The title, Time to Head South, refers to the annual fall migration of Monarchs, to their winter habitat in the mountains of Mexico. I hope we see lots of their descendants here in Ontario next summer.

Click here to see more information about Time to Head South.

These paintings are just the beginning of my Superior collection. I look forward to sharing more of them with you.

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to see more painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.

Over the years, our travels on the trans-Canada highway have taken us past the north shore of Lake Superior countless times. We always seemed to be in a hurry to get out to the western provinces to visit family, or to return to our home in central Ontario. We never took the time to stay in this wild and beautiful region of northern Ontario.

This summer, we finally planned a two-week camping trip to explore Rossport and Wawa on Lake Superior. The Lake Superior view above is from Nicol Island at Rossport.

On the way there, we enjoyed several days in a private campground on Brownlee Lake (east of Lake Superior), which we were able to explore fully by kayak. That's me in the photo above.

The leaves of the waterlily plants had started to change colour when we were there in August. These photos will make great painting subjects.

As we explored the perimeter of Brownlee Lake, we found many colourful mushrooms had recently emerged. This one reminds me of a fairy toadstool.

Our hikes in the region took us to many scenic waterfalls. I am pictured above in Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, east of Rossport. The second photo is High Falls, which is accessible via a commercial wild blueberry farm near Wawa.

The most scenic part of our holiday was spent at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park (Rossport), which has a campground right beside the beach. The park's rocky point pictured above is the subject of a sold-out watercolour workshop I am teaching in my Lindsay studio this fall.

The view above is from the Rossport Coastal Trail on Lake Superior. The water is very cold and clear, so you can see the colourful stones on the lake bed. I am working on a stunning new painting, inspired by this scene.

The photo above shows our truck, trailer, kayaks, and dining tent set up in Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, just steps from Lake Superior. This park provides water and electrical hookups. We have a furnace, air conditioner, hot water heater, fridge, stove, oven, three-piece bathroom, and a queen-sized bed. All the comforts of home. That's why people often call the RV lifestyle 'glamping', short for glamorous camping. (What, you pictured me in a tent, sleeping on the ground? Those years are long gone!)

Lake Superior is the largest body of fresh water on earth, with a surface area of over 82,000 square km, and over 4,000 km of shoreline. One beach we visited near Wawa had lovely white sand, clear aquamarine water, and surf (shown above), just like in the Caribbean.

The beach at Rainbow Falls park was mostly smooth stones and pebbles, like the ones pictured above. I took over 100 'incredible pebble' photos. The colours and patterns within the stones are remarkably beautiful and varied.

All too soon, it was time to head home. The photo above shows the moon at sunset over Lake Superior, with a solitary person out for a stroll. The headlands in the distance are the Rossport Islands.

My usual habit, after we get home from a trip, is to print just the photos I think I will use for future painting references. After our Lake Superior trip, I printed almost 400 photos! I'll be very busy this winter making 'Superior art'.

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter if you wish to see more travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming painting classes and exhibitions.

The last time we visited PEI was 20 years ago, when we were on a motorcycling holiday. This spring, as the finale of a two-month, 8,000 km journey, we spent 11 days there. We camped in our trailer, along with our good friends in their trailer. Below is a photo of me, John, Carolyn, and Roger at Greenwich Dunes.

I had forgotten how stunningly beautiful PEI is, with it's white or red beaches and cliffs, and lush, green farm fields blanketing gently rolling hills. The photos below are taken near Cavendish, on the north coast of the Island.

We saw cormorants nesting there.

One day we hiked into Greenwich Dunes National Park and I took lots of photos of the beach, waves, and dunes. It was a very peaceful place.

We planned our visit to PEI so we could attend the 150th Canada Day celebrations in Charlottetown, the birthplace of Canadian confederation. It is a charming, prosperous town, with lots of well-crafted historic architecture, as shown in the home and commercial building below.

Part of the Canada 150 celebration was a Tall Ships festival, with about eight sailing ships on display at the harbour. We toured four ships, including this impressive 4-masted sailing vessel called the Union, from the Peruvian Navy.

On Canada Day weekend, Charlottetown hosted the finals of a national lumberjack competition, free music concerts, and fireworks in the park near the harbour. We wore our Canada T-shirts and hats and really enjoyed the festivities. We are so proud to live in this amazing country, and grateful that we are able to travel to many of its uniquely beautiful parts.

Tourist season officially started July 1 and the beaches were getting noticeably busier, as shown below. I'm glad we got to experience the Maritimes in the 'off' season. It was time to say good-bye to PEI and start the drive back to our homes in Ontario. 

During our two-month RV tour of eastern Canada, we allocated three weeks for Nova Scotia, because there is so much to see and do there, even though our visit was before 'tourist season'.

Two of the campgrounds we stayed in were beside water. The photo above shows our Earthbound travel trailer and truck parked with a view of the ocean. We were near New Glasgow, in a bay off of the Northumberland Strait (the body of water between Nova Scotia and PEI).

Another lovely spot was Rayport Campground in Martin's River, near Mahone Bay. Our campsites backed onto a scenic river, and I was visited by some hungry ducks in the photo below. I had nothing to feed them, but they nibbled on my fingers anyway.

Historic architecture is everywhere in Nova Scotia. Popular places like Halifax, Mahone Bay, and Lunenburg afforded many architectural photo-ops, like the three pictured below.

We spent a week in Halifax and were busy every day touring museums, eating in great restaurants, and walking our feet off, up and down those hilly streets. We visited the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Halifax Citadel, and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, to name a few highlights. The Harbour Hopper amphibious tour, the Public Gardens, the Halifax Seaport Farmer's Market, and the Alexander Keith's Brewery historic tour were excellent too.

The Annapolis Valley, on the Fundy shore, is very fertile, with many prosperous farms, orchards, and vineyards. I took this photo from a lookoff above the valley, north of Grand Pre.

While we were visiting Lunenburg one day, we noticed a large schooner tied up at the dock. Closer examination revealed her identity: Bluenose II! We watched her cast off on a voyage to Boston to attend a Tall Ships festival there. She has been totally rebuilt and looks brand new. What a gorgeous piece of Canadian history (pictured on the Canadian dime). I took this photo below as she motored out of the harbour. I wrote an article about Bluenose II when we visited Nova Scotia in 2012. It is titled 'Fastest Sailing Ship in the World' and you can read it here.

I got a few great photos of fishing boats too. Pictured below are some from Blue Rocks (near Lunenburg), and from Digby.

One day we hiked into Kejimkujik National Park Seaside which is near the southern tip of Nova Scotia. The seashore there is pristine white sand with huge boulder outcroppings, a turquoise sea, and I was in heaven. We saw cormorants and seals out on the little islands, but it was the patterned rocks along the shore that excited me. Shown below are just two of the hundred photos I took that afternoon. I could produce enough artwork for a solo show, just from this one beach!

Since it was spring, everywhere we drove this holiday, we saw gorgeous lupins blooming in roadside ditches. I harvested a few seeds and will plant them in my garden at home, to remind me of our holiday in this lovely province.

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