This post is the third and final chapter of our Manitoba travel tale.

As we toured this beautiful province for five weeks alongside 18 other Airstream couples this fall, little did we know this adventure would become one of the most memorable of our lives. (There are a couple of videos at the end of this post that reveal why.)

In my first post Manitoba: Through an Artist's Eye, I shared with you my favourite photos of the Manitoba landscape.

My second post Artist's Travels: Hidden Gems of Northern Manitoba, detailed our fascinating visits with farmers at their potato, canola, honey, bison, and softwood farming operations.

As enthralling as these aspects of our tour were, the icing on our proverbial cake was a five-day excursion to Churchill, on the shores of Hudson Bay, to see polar bears and northern lights.

Having left our trucks and trailers at a campground in Thompson, we boarded a Via Rail train for the 15-hour overnight ride to Churchill.

Our hosts from Frontiers North picked us up at the train station the next morning and gave us a bus tour of Churchill. This included a visit to the town's Polar Bear Holding Facility, shown below. The 'jail' has 28 cells.

We learned that from mid October to the end of November each year, about 300 polar bears gather at the shore of Hudson Bay near Churchill. They wait for sea ice to form, so their winter seal hunt can begin.

Polar bears are marine mammals whose main diet is seal blubber. They catch seals by ambushing them at their blow holes in the ice.

The bears we were soon to meet had not eaten since spring when the ice melted. They spent their summer inland, without food, resting and living off of their body fat reserves.

Polar bears are powerful predators. A mature adult male can be ten feet long and weigh 1,500 lbs - a dangerous threat to humans.

Churchill is very protective of its polar bear population and does its best to keep bears away from townspeople. But now and then a hungry bear gets too close to town.

In that case, the bear is caught in a bear trap similar to the one shown here, using seal meat as bait. The bear is transported to jail and kept there until sea ice forms. Then the bear is anaesthetized, netted, and transported by helicopter far up the coast so it can reach the ice from there.

While in jail, the bear is not given anything to eat, so it will not associate the facility with food. In other words, the bear's fast continues whether it is incarcerated or not.

After the town tour, we were dropped off at the Tundra Buggy dock to board this 40-passenger cross between a Greyhound bus and a Hummer.

The tires were as tall as I and the electric powered vehicle was custom-built to navigate the rough terrain of the tundra while keeping passengers safe from bears. The open air viewing deck at the back made photographing wildlife easier.

Once we boarded the Tundra Buggy, our feet did not touch ground for three days. The reason was twofold: to keep us safe from bears, and to keep the tundra as untouched by humans as possible. The Tundra Buggies adhere to a strict trail network in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area to protect the delicate tundra ecosystem.

After spending the afternoon meandering over rough terrain full of rocks and shallow ponds, listening to stories from our guide and our driver, and seeing bears and ptarmigan, (more about that later), we docked at the Tundra Lodge, pictured here on the shore of Hudson Bay.

I would describe this portable, self-contained resort as a travel trailer on steroids. The Lodge unit on the right was our sleeping car, with each little square window representing a single bunk. There were hot showers and flush toilets, as the Lodge had storage tanks for fresh water and waste water.

The unit with the viewing deck on top was our lounge. Beyond that were the dining hall, kitchen, and staff lodging. Outdoor viewing platforms connected each unit to the next one. For two nights we stayed in this comfortable resort overlooking Hudson Bay. We slept well in cozy bunk beds and enjoyed chef-created meals in the dining hall.

For another two days we crawled over rough terrain in the Tundra Buggy, coming close to bears many times and spotting other arctic wildlife such as fox, hare, bald eagle, and many small birds. On our last day, one female polar bear came within 20 feet of our vehicle.

I have so much excellent photographic footage of our bear encounters that I made this video to share the most exciting highlights with you. Click on the image below and meet some bears! (The video is 12 minutes long so may take a few moments to load, depending on your internet speed. Trust me - it will be worth the wait.)

While we were at the Tundra Lodge, northern lights that had eluded us for the entire Manitoba trip finally made their appearance on a clear night.

Those of us brave souls who donned coats over PJ's and ventured outside in the wee hours of the morning were treated to an epic display of red, purple, and green Aurora dancing among brilliant stars over Hudson Bay. The sight was profoundly beautiful and took our breath away.

On the overnight train back to Thompson, a few of us caught another strong show of northern lights, this time all in brilliant green.

Then, incredibly, we experienced the strongest celestial show as we journeyed south towards Winnipeg.

The rays of scarlet, pink, and green light danced throughout the entire dome of the sky for several hours. Words cannot express the wonder we felt as we witnessed this natural phenomenon. It was an overwhelmingly moving experience.

I was able to capture a multitude of stunning photos of the aurora with my iPhone and made this six-minute slideshow of our best northern lights sightings.

I hope you have enjoyed my travel tales of northern Manitoba, and that I have been able to convey the enthralling magic of our experiences. I also hope you can witness these natural wonders in person one day.

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 travel tales, painting stories, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming exhibitions.

This fall my husband and I had a grand adventure: a five-week guided camping tour of Manitoba from Winnipeg to Churchill and back.

In my last blog post Manitoba: Through an Artist's Eye, I shared with you my favourite photos of the Manitoba landscape, from my perspective as an artist.

For my second post, I am revealing some hidden gems we discovered during the first few weeks of our tour. We were privileged to have access to several family-owned farms where we learned about their way of life in this surprisingly fertile pocket of northern terrain.

We talked to the owner of Spud Plains Farms, the largest potato growing operation in Manitoba, and saw his potato harvesting equipment in action in the fields. We also watched one of his enormous, climate-controlled, potato storage barns being filled by conveyor belt.

Enjoy this two-minute video showing the fascinating process at Spud Plains Farms:

Near Neepawa, we were enthralled by several presentations at RNR Galbraith Farms, telling the story of their canola business.

Canola (an abbreviation of 'Canadian oil'), was developed by plant breeders in Saskatchewan and Manitoba during the 1960s and 1970s. Today, there are 7,500 canola farmers in Manitoba.

Canola plants grow 3 to 6 feet tall and produce beautiful yellow flowers in early summer. These develop into pods, resembling very slender pea pods.

Each pod contains dozens of tiny black seeds, which are made up of about 45% oil. Seeds are harvested in the fall and crushed to extract the oil.

Amazing Fact: Just one bushel (23 kg or 50 lbs.) of canola seed, represented by the black plastic cube in this photo, produces 11 litres (2.4 gallons) of canola oil!

Canola oil is used in a wide range of products all over the world, so it was interesting to get our hands on some canola honey at Pretty Valley Honey Farm in the Swan River Valley. Yes, bees gather nectar from nearby canola fields to make this delicious honey.

The beekeeper gave us a guided tour of his family operation, which included about 3,000 hives. He produces honey for BeeMaid, a cooperative of over 300 western Canadian beekeepers. Pretty Valley Honey Farm also creates a wide array of beautiful candles made from pure beeswax.

Interesting fact: In wintertime, if you see a bunch of dead bees on the snow surrounding a beehive, that is not cause for alarm. It means the worker bees have been keeping their hive clean by removing bee bodies as they naturally die. If there are no dead bees outside the hive, it means there are no bees still alive to do the housecleaning.

Near The Pas, we were thrilled to visit a small bison herd at Round the Bend Farm and help the farmer move his free range chickens to a new section of pasture. Now we know the answer to that age old question ’Why did the chicken cross the road?’ It was because a bunch of tourists were chasing it!

We ended our visit with a campfire dinner of bison tenderloin shish kebabs and green tomato pie. Delicious!

Enjoy this 5-minute video about our day on the farm and all the healthy, happy animals we met there:

At Spruce Products Ltd., a mill that has produced dimensional softwood lumber since 1942, we learned about another type of farming - growing trees that take up to 80 years to mature - and how the operation utilizes every bit of those trees for various products and it’s own energy use.

In the mill, a computer assesses each log and determines optimally what size and quantity of lumber will be cut from that log. Byproducts such as sawdust are pressed into pellets for wood stoves and shavings from the planer are bundled up to be sold as horse bedding. The bark and other log trimmings are burned to heat the drying kiln (pictured here), which removes moisture from the cut lumber to reduce warping.

Incredible fact: each board produced in this mill is stamped with a code and photographed. If there is ever a complaint about any piece of lumber afterwards, the mill can refer back to the photo taken during manufacture to investigate the complaint.

As fun and interesting as these agricultural tours were, the crowning glory on our guided caravan was an excursion to Churchill to see northern lights and polar bears.

I will share amazing photos and video footage of this extraordinary 5-day adventure in my next blog post, but for now here is a teaser shot of a curious polar bear checking us out.

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 travel tales, painting stories, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming exhibitions.

This month my husband and I concluded a five-week camping tour of Manitoba from Winnipeg to Churchill and back. We were on a guided adventure along with 18 other Airstream couples. Pictured above are some of our trailers, camped in the moonlight on the last night of our tour.

We had a wonderful time getting to know everyone on the trip, and enjoyed a wide variety of interesting and educational excursions together. But this post is not about our itinerary.

Instead, I am sharing with you my favourite photos of the Manitoba landscape, from my perspective as an artist. These references will provide authentic details for future paintings.

This is Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park near Dauphin. The leaning tree on the point caught my eye but I also love the rocks in the foreground and the moody sky.

We enjoyed a sunny autumn hike on the Rex Leach Museum Trail in Swan River. I like the contrast of yellow leaves and blue sky. The curving pathway invites the viewer to step into the scene to see what is around the bend.

I almost stepped on this cluster of tiny mushrooms on the trail to The Caves in Clearwater Lake Provincial Park. They make a perfectly balanced composition as they sit basking in the autumn sunshine.

Clearwater Lake is spring fed and lacks major in-flowing streams which may carry silt. This helps to keep the water very clear. I have seen this lovely turquoise colour in Lake Superior and would love to include it in a painting.

The rock lover in me is drawn to the rocky shoreline of Clearwater Lake. The autumn foliage adds a punch of contrasting colour.

As we enjoyed an interpretive forest walk on the Grace Lake Trail near Dauphin, I noticed the sunlight illuminating these red leaves. Glorious!

My husband and I took a side trip to Flin Flon to visit a friend who gave us a tour of the area. This rocky landscape punctuated with autumn poplars touches my soul.

Near Thompson we stopped to admire Pisew Falls. It was absolutely beautiful. The contrast of white water beside dark forest and rocks makes a stunning composition.

On the train from Thompson to Churchill, we saw lots of wilderness scenery from our window. The tamaracks were in their full autumn glory the week we were there. They are a deciduous conifer whose soft needles turn golden in the fall, drop from the tree and regrow each spring.

There was an endless parade of northern scenery from the train. This dawn scene over a wetland area has a beautiful sky.

The train crossed several rivers which afforded nice views of unspoiled shoreline. I liked the rocks and tamaracks in this one. These trees are also called larch.

As we explored the terrain between Churchill and Hudson Bay in an electric people mover called a Tundra Buggy, we saw many of these lopsided evergreens known as flag trees. They only have branches on the lee side because the branches on the windy side are killed or deformed by the constant wind, hence giving the tree a flag-like appearance.

These unique rocks form part of the tundra landscape. They have been scraped flat by glaciers, which also deposited the gravel.

I love the colours and forms of this rocky shoreline of Hudson Bay near Churchill's harbour. They definitely will make it into a future painting.

These striped rocks on the shore of Setting Lake at Wabowden would make a great foreground for a painting. The stripes lead the viewer's eye into the scene.

This photo shows the structure of roadside tamarack trees very well. I like the contrast of their yellow needles against the other conifers and the blue sky.

This shallow bay in Cross Lake near Grand Rapids has several interesting features. I am intrigued by the ribbons of refracted light that are dancing over the pebble bottom. The reflected light on the water surface on the left is interesting too. Foliage colours are warm and inviting.

I love the brilliant scarlet and gold of this fiery sunset on Cross Bay Lake and the hint of distant rain. I may use these elements in a future northern lake painting.

I am happy to share this brief glimpse of our Manitoba adventure. I hope seeing my photos and reading my thoughts about them gives you an idea of how an artist views the world. 

Stay tuned for more stories from our Manitoba trip. I can't wait to show you the amazing farms, majestic polar bears, and epic northern lights we encountered.

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 travel tales, painting stories, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming exhibitions.

This year, the Kawartha Art Gallery in Lindsay, ON invited me and other member artists to participate in a new initiative, Palette Partners, a community art and local business partnership.

Palette Partners is part of the Gallery's ongoing efforts to support the City of Kawartha Lakes cultural economy by creating opportunities for local artists to promote their work to a wider audience, while forming connections within the larger community.

Artwork accepted into the Palette Partners project is displayed in public spaces at participating businesses for several months, with a QR code providing viewers with the option to purchase the artwork online through the Gallery's website.

Three of my paintings were selected to display at Milk & Honey Eatery, a newly-opened restaurant at 18 Kent St. W. in downtown Lindsay.

I am pictured above in front of the building and my paintings are shown inside the restaurant beside owner Olivia Moore, whose passion for baking and cooking rivals my passion for painting.

I enjoyed a delicious lunch at Milk & Honey last week, along with 30 members of the Women's Probus Club of Lindsay, and the service and food were both excellent. I highly recommend this spot for brunch, lunch, or just a hot beverage.

They offer quality home made meals and fresh baked goods, and are open  from 10 am to 3 pm Monday through Saturday. Check out their website here.

I am very pleased to support the cultural and business communities this way and applaud all the local businesses and artists who have joined Palette Partners.

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 want to see more of her art stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming exhibitions.

This month my husband and I concluded a five-week camping tour of New York State from Niagara Falls to Manhattan. We were on a guided adventure along with twenty other Airstream couples. Pictured above are three of our trailers, camped at Bethel Woods (site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival).

We had a wonderful time getting to know everyone on the trip, and enjoyed a wide variety of interesting and educational excursions together. But this post is not about our itinerary.

Instead, I am sharing with you my top twenty photos from our trip, from my perspective as an artist. These photos will provide unique inspiration for future paintings.

I did not expect to find a hot air balloon flying over our beautiful camping spot near Syracuse, but I can see this idea enriching a composition.

Even though I knew the Canadian Shield extends into New York state, I still was surprised to encounter rugged northern scenery, such as this view from Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks.

We climbed to the summit of Whiteface Mountain along a challenging trail pictured at the top of this ridge. Lots of great rocks to see here.

From Whiteface Mountain we could see Lake Placid, somewhat obscured by smoke from distant forest fires. Rocks, trees, water... what more is there for my artist's heart to love? The transition from greens to blues in the distance is sublime.

The Hudson River provided several gorgeous views. This one is from West Point Military Academy. What a pretty spot for a university campus and army post!

The Finger Lakes region is very reminiscent of Muskoka in northern Ontario. I managed to catch these kayakers enjoying a sunny afternoon on the Saranac River near Lake Placid. I think this has all the elements of a perfect painting.

We stopped for lunch at the exclusive, historic Sagamore Hotel on Lake George. I can see why the hotel was established here in 1883. What a glorious water view it has, looking north.

This is the view from the Sagamore Hotel looking south on Lake George. Absolutely breathtaking. I could have sat there all day drinking in the magnificence of the lake, islands, and ridge.

Speaking of luxury properties, this is one of the lovely views from Kykuit, the Rockefeller weekend getaway estate in Sleepy Hollow. The misty hills in the background speak to my artist's soul.

Sometimes I only use one element from a reference photo in a painting. I can envision the foreground flowers shown here in an entirely different northern scene, such as in front of a marsh or lake. I took this photo at Saratoga National Historic Park and this bucolic countryside was a battlefield during the Revolutionary war.

We saw some impressive waterfalls. This is Niagara Falls seen from the American side.

The waterfalls and dam at New Croton Reservoir near Croton-on-Hudson were very pretty. They were constructed between 1892 and 1906. At time of completion, the dam was the tallest in the world (297 feet or 91m). It is part of the water supply system for New York City.

Seen from the bridge portion of the dam, New Croton Reservoir is really lovely. Those hills and reflections will make a wonderful background for a painting one day.

Our cruise of the 1000 Islands provided access to lots of great scenery, including this island I am itching to paint. I like the lighting, the shapes of the rocks, the variety of trees, and the rippled reflection.

Wherever we travel, I always am on the lookout for majestic pines that tower over the surrounding forest. This pair seen near the 1000 Islands will make a stunning centrepiece in a painting soon.

Another natural feature I look for when we travel is dramatic skies. I happened to glance out of our Airstream early one day at Lake George Escape Campground and saw the sunrise breaking through the morning fog. I was still in my pyjamas but quickly opened our door and snapped a photo. Hopefully our neighbours were still asleep! When I paint this scene I will exclude the trailers at the bottom.

We were enjoying a cruise along the Hudson River near New Paltz when these clouds drifted in front of the sun. The back lighting effect would be hard to achieve in a watercolour painting but I may try it one day.

This view of the Hudson River is from the Walkway on the Hudson, a former railway-bridge-turned-pedestrian-trail near Poughkeepsie. I love the clouds in this scene.

We were treated to this pretty sunset with whispy clouds on the last night of our trip. This reference could be used in a northern lake scene with some spiky evergreens adding interest to the horizon.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief glimpse of our New York state adventure. Perhaps you will have a chance to visit these beautiful destinations in person if your travels take you near these locales. And I hope seeing my photos and reading my thoughts about them gives you an idea of how an artist views the world.

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 travel tales, painting stories, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming exhibitions.

Last spring, fortunate folks from around the world were privileged to witness spectacular displays of northern lights.

Many people posted their photos of this cosmic magic online so the rest of us could enjoy it too.

Several of my previous clients were caught up in the excitement of these celestial sightings and asked me if I would create some paintings of northern lights to add to their collections.

This inspired me to produce a series of eleven aurora paintings this spring and summer. Six pieces were done in more traditional green and blue hues. The other five artworks were inspired by the pinks, oranges, and yellows seen in recent aurora events.

All eleven scenes are imaginary places, but their details come from my close observation of nature. It takes at least five layers of paint to build up the intense colour and soft transitions of the aurora skies. (Not to mention lots of practice, and several failed attempts, to determine the right painting strategy!)

Let me introduce you to this new group of paintings.

Sky Magic (commission), varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel (sold). Northern lights curve through the heavens, echoing the rolling hills of a winter wonderland. Sturdy northern trees nestled in snowy beds create bold silhouettes against this magical sky.

Sky Dance, varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel $600. Northern lights waltz across the night sky in a luminous cosmic dance. Their glorious hues and shapes contrast dramatically with a stark winter landscape. Click here to see framed views of this painting.

Passing Through, varnished watercolour on 11 x 14 inch panel $900. Northern lights are an awe-inspiring sight. They billow and flow over the wintry land, quickly passing through the night skies as we gaze on in wonder. Click here for more information about this artwork.

Northern Frolic, (commission) varnished watercolour on 4 x 6 inch panel (sold). Sometimes the aurora appear in spring or fall when lakes are open to reflect the lively celestial dance.

Northern Delight, (commission) varnished watercolour on 4 x 6 inch panel (sold). This small painting was a test piece for a larger composition, but turned out well enough to stand on its own merits.

Royalty on the Ridge, varnished watercolour on 16 x 20 inch panel (sold). This painting came about when I wondered what northern lights would look like combined with two iconic northern features - white pines and a rocky ridge. Adding a full moon completed the majestic scene. This piece has found a home with a collector in South Dakota.

Evening Magic (commission), varnished watercolour on 12 x 9 inch panel (sold). Last spring, the pinks and yellows of the aurora were unusual and amazing, especially when reflected on peaceful northern lakes. This painting now resides in Czechoslovakia.

Evensong (commission), varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel (sold). It was pure joy to work with these intense colours. They contrast dramatically with the starry night sky and the trees on this wee island.

Watching the Show, varnished watercolour on 12 x 9 inch panel $650. This display of colourful northern lights shines through the night sky like a prism. White pines angled down the hill remind me of stadium seating at a concert. They have a front row seat for the cosmic performance. Click here to see framed views of this piece.

Witnessing Wonder, varnished watercolour on 12 x 9 inch panel $650. Northern lights dance across the night sky in rippling rays of prismatic colour. Like the venerable white pine in the foreground, we are privileged to witness this celestial wonder. Click here for more details about this painting.

Springtime Aurora, varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel $600. In this scene, glowing hues of the aurora contrast dramatically with tree-covered islands in a vast northern lake. Click here to see framed views of this artwork.

I hope you have enjoyed this parade of new paintings. It was very satisfying to imagine and invent beautiful wild places bathed in spectacular aurora light.

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 want to see more of her painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming exhibitions.

I subscribe to The Art of Watercolour magazine, which is published quarterly in France and circulated to over 30,000 readers worldwide. Each issue is packed with articles about watercolour artists from around the globe, describing their methods and inspiration for their paintings.

In each issue the publishers announce a themed competition into which each reader may submit up to three watercolour paintings.

All submissions are posted on line and readers vote for their favourite paintings. The votes are tallied, and the 100 paintings with the most votes are published in the next magazine issue.

Since I began entering paintings into this competition three years ago, I have been blessed to have ten of my watercolours voted into the Top 100 in five different issues. Those winners are pictured together at the top of this post.

When I received the 54th magazine issue (June 2024) in the mail recently, I was delighted to see two of my paintings featured in in it.

The theme was 'Capturing the Light of a Summer Scene'. My winning watercolours are Simply Superior (24 x 12 inches) a Lake Superior beach scene which placed in the top 20, and The Golden Hour (10 x 10 inches), a misty sunrise scene at the Richardson family's cottage on Big Cedar Lake.

 

Earlier this year, I was thrilled to learn that all three of the monarch butterfly paintings I entered in a 'Wildlife' themed competition were voted into the Top 100 in the 48th issue (January 2023). Even more astounding: they all placed in the top 50.

The paintings are Superior Monarch (10 x 10 inches), Time to Head South (16 x 20 inches), and Sacred Spirit (10 x 10 inches).

The previous summer, my watercolours Bathing Beauties (20 x 16 inches) and Mystical Morning (12 x 16 inches) were voted into the Top 100 of issue #46 (June 2022).

The theme of this competition was 'Summer Light' and it attracted over ten thousand votes.

When I received the magazine and saw my lake superior beach scene actually placed tenth, I was over the moon. The misty lake scene with canoe was inspired during a cruise I took on Lake Muskoka.

The previous winter, the competition theme was 'Winter Atmosphere' in the 43rd issue (Dec 2021).

My winter scene Moonglow (20 x 16 inches) was voted into the Top 100. (It placed in the top 40.)

This is one of my all time favourite winter scenes. It was inspired by a photo, taken by northern Ontario photographer James Shedden, and used with his permission.

In this piece, a vintage cabin sits nestled in the quiet of a winter forest, under the warm glow of a full moon. Two venerable conifers stand guard as branches creak and wind sighs softly through a gentle night.

The previous summer, my maritime paintings Reflections of Yesterday (12 x 16 inches) and Guardians of the Bay (12 x 12 inches) were voted into the Top 100 paintings in the magazine's 42nd issue (July 2021). They were inspired by my trips to PEI and Newfoundland.

The theme of the competition was 'Urban Landscapes and Seascapes' and almost 20,000 votes were cast.

It is gratifying to know that artists, art show organizers, gallery owners, art societies and collectors from around the world see some merit in paintings that spring from my heart and soul. This international recognition makes me feel that I am making art that matters, that celebrates something worthy, and that people care about. 

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

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Today is International Rock Day, a fitting time to share the inspiration behind four of my recent paintings.

Each of them grew from my exploration of the rocky shores of northern Ontario lakes. These places restore my soul and I look forward to spending time near beautiful northern lakes each year.

Superior Sapphire, varnished watercolour on 24 x 12 inch panel, $1400.

This painting was an imaginary night scene, composed using elements from three actual places I visited. Pictured below are my reference photos.

The first photo is the boulder-strewn shoreline of Lake Superior at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, taken in 2017 when we camped near this beach.

The second photo captures a beautiful full moon over Lake Ontario. We were camped just steps from this beach at Quinte Isle Campark in 2020.

The third photo I selected for its overhanging branches. We were hiking the shoreline trail at Solitaire Lake near Huntsville, ON in 2022.

Click here for more information about Superior Sapphire.

Twenty years ago, my husband and I spent a sunny August weekend at a lodge on a cluster of tiny islands in Georgian Bay. While kayaking there, I was treated to my first up-close views of the iconic rock of that region of Ontario. 

The patterns in these smooth rock slabs and the windswept trees are an artist's dream to paint. They have inspired many artworks over the years, including the three shown here.

A Place to Dream, varnished watercolour on 12 x 9 inch panel, $650.

Pictured below are the two reference photos I used. The first one was for the foreground and middle ground of the composition. The second photo provided the background islands as well as the colour and texture of the water.

For more information about A Place to Dream, click here.

A Place of the Heart, varnished watercolour on 14 x 11 inch panel, $900.

I had a choice of two photos as reference for this scene. They were taken in morning light and evening light. I felt the first shot did a better job of showcasing the foreground rock slab, so this is the photo I referenced as the painting progressed.

I altered the shape of the large island to place it entirely in the composition, and added some rocky islands in the middle to lead the viewers eye to the island. I changed the shape and size of the trees to make them more dramatic.

Click here for more information about A Place of the Heart.

The Windy Shore, varnished watercolour on 20 x 16 inch panel, $1500.

This is one of my all-time favourite paintings. The sinuous lines in the rocks lead the viewers eye into the scene and up through the wind-sculpted tree. I love the contrast of warm stone with the blue waters of Georgian Bay.

I used three reference photos to create my composition. The first one was the main reference, and I emphasized light and shadow on the rocks.

I used the second photo to see more details of the headland.

The third photo provided the cloudy sky and a handsome windswept pine tree.

For more details about The Windy Shore, click here.

I hope you have enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at how I explore beautiful wild places and transform those experiences into paintings that embody the soul-deep connection I have with this land.

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 want to see more of her painting stories, travel tales, studio news updates, or notices of upcoming exhibitions.

I am happy to share that Starting Over, varnished watercolour on 12 x 9 inch panel, has found a new home. Thank you and congratulations to the collector and to Colborne Street Gallery by Tim + Chris in Fenelon Falls, ON. This painting has an interesting back story. It took five years to complete.

Why so long? It began its journey as a demonstration painting for my beginner watercolour workshops in the spring of 2018. Pictured below are students in class, with my painting in its early stage laying on the table in front of them.

I continued to work on this demonstration painting during several more pebble workshops. Once classes were done that year, I put the painting aside because I didn't like the colours. The leaf was dull and dark and didn't contrast with the pebbles enough.

Since watercolour is a transparent medium, any new layers of colour I might add would just increase the dullness and darkness. The pebbles had good shape and composition but the colours were all too similar.

The painting languished in a drawer in my studio for five years until I came across it one day. I thought I really should do something with this piece, or scrap it.

Then in the middle of the night, the solution came to me: coat the leaf in acrylic absorbent ground medium, which creates a white surface with properties similar to virgin watercolour paper, and begin again with fresh colour.

The next day, I started over on the leaf using warm autumn tones, added glazes of colour to make each pebble unique, and deepened the shadows in the crevices. The painting was much richer looking and the leaf stood out from the background.

I titled the painting Starting Over, referring to the rebooting of its creation journey, and to the theme of rebirth implied by the fallen leaf beside the seed of new life.

This painting story is a lesson in patience and tenacity for us all. Sometimes we just need time to ponder our options and come up with a new way forward.

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

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