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 19 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.

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