My husband and I love to go camping in our travel trailer whenever we can during Canada's warmer season. Some years these trips add up to several months of travel as we explore various regions of this beautiful country.

Being on the road for extended trips is exciting but we still need 'down time' to just relax and recharge. Once a week or so, we pause the holiday for a few hours so I can do something creative.

Sometimes, that activity might be cooking a special meal for guests, or baking a dessert, but most often it involves painting. I wrote a blog post a while back about my art studio on the road and in the photo above, you can see that setup at the dinette of our Airstream trailer.

This July, I was able to complete four small paintings in our trailer, while we explored Saskatchewan.

These new works are pictured here and their back stories are featured in this post.

I sketched all the compositions onto watercolour paper before we left home, and brought all the reference photos I needed.

Having this prep work done makes it easy to start painting when I have a morning or afternoon to spare while we travel.

A Place of Rest, varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel (pictured above) was inspired by this close-up photo I took in 2019 of a Mosaic Darner dragonfly at L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic site in Newfoundland.

I saved the photo for just the right composition, and finally inspiration struck this summer.

I selected over twenty uniquely striped stones from my vast pebble collection (many of which also came from Newfoundland).

Then I sketched a still life scene showing the smooth stones nestled together between a few large boulders. One of those boulders was to be the dragonfly's perch. 

I brought a photo of the group of pebbles with me to use as a painting reference. Can you match up the stones in the painting with the stones in my reference photo? Sizes and colours may be different.

While I have made over 400 paintings of rocks, this was my first one with a dragonfly. It was fun to recreate the body markings and delicate wings of this exquisite creature.

Click here for more details about A Place of Rest.

Northern lakes continue to provide limitless inspiration for my artwork. Solitaire Stillness, varnished watercolour on 8 x 8 inch panel, captures a quiet moment on Solitaire Lake near Huntsville, ON.

We spent a lovely day hiking around the shore of this charming lake on a gorgeous, warm fall day in 2022. 

The stunning contrast of deep blue water and azure skies against orange and gold autumn foliage always calls out to my creative soul. Being surrounded by this visual beauty and the gentle sounds of nature - birds singing, frogs croaking and leaves rustling - brings me profound peace. I hope this painting conveys the same feeling to you.

Click here for more information about Solitaire Solitude.

The latest piece in my Northern Journeys series is Heart of the Wilderness, varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel. This island scene with a canoe resting on the rocks is composed from my imagination, using the rocky shore and pine tree reference photos pictured here.

I created a misty background with hints of autumn hues along the far shore. In contrast, the rocky island crowned with a cluster of trees and bushes is in sharp focus.

It took many layers of paint to create the brilliantly saturated colour of this collection of fall foliage.

Click here for more information about Heart of the Wilderness.

Superior Sunrise, varnished watercolour on 8 x 8 inch panel, was inspired by a remarkable photo of the Lake Superior shore taken by Shanna Cameron, and used as reference for my painting, with her gracious permission.

Shanna's photo is pictured here beside my own reference photo taken in Pukaskwa National Park's old growth forest.

I added a cluster of trees from Pukaskwa to those in Shanna's photo, to create a more balanced composition.

I also changed the position of the moon to make it more prominent in the final scene.

Click here for more information about Superior Sunrise.

I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse behind the scenes to see how these four little gems came into existence. This collection reminds me of the saying "Good things come in small packages".

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.

Today, I am telling the creation story of And Nothing Else Matters, varnished watercolour on 16 x 20 inch panel. This piece is the latest in my Northern Journeys series, which features iconic canoes on northern lakes.

The painting was inspired by this photo I took of an island while on a 1000 Island cruise last summer. The moment I caught sight of this tree-covered chunk of weathered rock in the St. Lawrence River, I knew I had to paint it. When I saw that my photo had captured clearly the rippled reflection, I decided to take on the challenge of featuring this difficult painting aspect as well.

Before I started the painting, I already knew its name. 'And Nothing Else Matters' is the title of one of my two favourite songs by Metallica, but also refers to the idea of escaping the cares and concerns of everyday life by returning to the peace and tranquility of Nature. It is ironic that I should name this quiet, serene scene after a heavy metal song from the 1990's.

Without further ado, here are the sequential steps of creating this intricate artwork:

DAY 1: I have finished the 16 x 20 inch pencil sketch on 300 lb watercolour paper. So this artwork would fit my Northern Journeys theme, I decided to add to the foreground of the composition a rocky shore with a canoe resting on it. This gives the viewer a sense of happy anticipation of the wonders of Nature that await discovery.

DAYS 2 & 3: Using masking tape and masking fluid, I masked out all shorelines so I would be able to paint the water quickly using a wet-in-wet technique. 

After wetting the upper half of the scene and painting the sky, I blotted out colour where it overlapped the tree shapes. Then I wet the lower half and added the base layer for the water. After drying overnight, I painted a second layer on the water. 

I don't often paint reflections on rippling water, so I am feeling my way gradually, trying to create complex wave patterns that make sense and draw the eye towards the island.

DAYS 4 & 5: After completing five layers of paint on the water, (enough that I am confident no more wet-in-wet paint application will be needed), I let the painting dry fully and removed all masking from shorelines. 

The blue sky reflections on rippling water are not complete but are starting to look more realistic. Work on the tan and green island reflections has begun.

DAY 6: The island's reflections are mostly done, and I am very happy with the effect. 

The first layer of colour on the foreground rocks is on and salted, and I have begun applying the 'grisaille' (monochromatic values) layer to the island rocks, to lock in the shadow and crevice shapes.

DAYS 7 & 8: The island rock is mostly done, and I am very happy with the effect. I have revelled in painting the rocky places of Canada for almost 40 years and thoroughly enjoy portraying their quiet strength and majesty in watercolour. 

I have begun the grassy patch in the foreground, which is causing me some concern as I experiment with this section. Working from my imagination on this bit brings risks and challenges.

DAY 9: I have started to paint the trees on the island and this section of the painting is going well. In the early decades of my art practice, I had great difficulty painting masses of foliage. I kept observing and practising, paying attention to shapes and shadows, and eventually developed a successful method for this type of subject. 

Adding more dark greens to the island reflection has made the lighter areas representing the rock reflections 'pop'. I didn't know if I could manage to create realistic water reflections, but I finally can say the water is done and I am pleased with the result.

I have added shadows and contours to the rock in the foreground, but I am not happy with the section to the right of the canoe. The line where the rock meets the blue water looks awkward. I now realize I extended the imagined shadowy crevices all the way to the upper edge of the rock - a rookie move. I will have to think about how to redo this section.

DAY 10: While considering my options for fixing the problematic foreground rock shadows, I switched to painting the canoe. Some would call this procrastination... :-)

Then I tried lifting excess paint from the rock shadows using a stiff wet brush, but the paint had stained the paper and wouldn't come off. Time to bring out the big guns!

After the paper dried, to the right of the canoe I masked off the water where it touches the foreground rock. I used torn strips of masking tape, to create an irregular edge. 

I then used a wet Magic Eraser to scrub off paint everywhere I wanted to recapture the feeling of sunlight on stone. This erasing process removed the upper layer of paper along with the paint, creating a rougher paper surface; however, since the subject is rock, having a rough texture is no problem. 

Once the paper was dry, I painted on new, smaller rock crevices and texture, and I think the rock looks much more realistic now.

DAY 11: Here I am in my studio working on the island scene. I finished painting the trees and thought the painting was complete. 

While reviewing the whole composition, I realized the tidy patch of grass under the canoe was illogical. It should look more like the island, covered in tree debris. 

So how to change course? The green pigments had stained the paper and could not be removed with a wet brush. 

Solution: I covered the green grass with three coats of absorbent ground medium. This created a white area the precise shape I needed, with absorbent properties resembling virgin watercolour paper.

DAY 12: I painted on dried leaves and twigs under the canoe to finish the scene... finally! Once it was fully dry, I mounted the painting onto an archival wood panel and protected it with seven coats of UV-resistant varnish. (To see my full process of framing watercolour paintings without glass, click here.) 

There was barely time to frame the finished painting before it was acquired by one of my collectors in Ottawa, ON. Everyone is delighted that this master work has found its forever home.

I hope you have enjoyed this insider's view of my painting strategies. There is so much more to planning and executing a painting than most people think. For more details about And Nothing Else Matters, click here.

I am profoundly grateful to live this artist's life, being able to share with the world my soul-deep connection with nature and the art it inspires.

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.

Canada holds profound beauty in all its regions and seasons, and I am immensely grateful to live here. I have been painting the unique rocks of this country since the 1980's and they remain one of my favourite subjects to portray in watercolour.

In my latest painting series, I include a collection of rosy pink pebbles and a red maple leaf resting on a weathered board. Together these represent my rustic interpretation of the Canadian flag.

The concept for this series came from a daydream about the red pebbles (pictured here) that I was using as reference for a stone circle painting seven years ago.

I imagined adding a red maple leaf to the centre of the circle, and that lead to another idea: if I changed the shape to a rectangle it could resemble the Canadian flag. 

Then I pondered which light coloured, straight-sided, natural object could I use to represent the white part of the flag. I decided a weathered piece of lumber, such as one might use to build a dock or a deck, would be suitable, and add a 'cottagey' feel to the composition.

I sketched out my idea on watercolour paper, masked out the leaf and painted the weathered wood. After removing the masking, I painted the leaf. Then I masked out stripes on certain pebbles and painted them in various hues of soft reddish colours.

I thought the resulting painting Canada Rocks! #1 (shown here varnished and mounted in a black wood frame) was patriotic in a fun, outdoorsy way and it sold to a collector shortly after.

I intended to do more in the flag series but life (and a pandemic) took me on a different artistic path for several years.

Fast forward to 2025. With threats of annexation by the current leader of a neighbouring country, Canadians have experienced a profound rekindling of our national pride. Witnessing this huge wave of Canadian solidarity brought to mind my flag painting and I felt compelled to continue my series.

Click on the photos below for more information about these paintings.

The first version I completed this winter is shown above, Canada Rocks! #2, varnished watercolour on 6 x 12 inch panel.

Pictured above is the next version, Canada Rocks! #3, varnished watercolour on 6 x 12 inch panel). 

I keep all my painting references and preliminary sketches in an archive so I can refer back to them if needed. This habit came in handy for my flag project. 

The shapes of the leaves in this flag series are taken from actual maple leaves that I pressed and traced onto paper thirty years ago. At that time, I was using them in preparation for a collection of maple leaf paintings I created between 1997 and 2000.

I had such fun creating these whimsical little paintings that I came up with a few ideas for other versions of the flag. I'll be working on those in the next few months, so it you want to join the wait list please contact me. And if you have a suggestion for another rustic flag painting, I would love to hear it.

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.

In my last post, I introduced this new painting Echoes of Summer (varnished watercolour on 18 x 24 inch panel). It portrays famous Mazinaw Rock in Bon Echo Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.

Today I am sharing with you a time lapse video showing the creation steps involved in this complex artwork.

Being a confessed 'rockaholic', it was pure joy for me to depict the contours, colours, and crevices of this magnificent cliff. Capturing the intricate forms of trees clinging to the granite was more of a struggle but I just kept adding more details until the trees looked real.

The tiny kayaker paddling in the distance adds a human presence and gives scale to the 330 foot (100 metre) tall rock face.

Before you watch the video, I have a sweet story to tell you, about how this painting found a perfect home. 

After completing Echoes of Summer, I uploaded it's image and details onto my web site www.karenrichardson.ca and sent the link to my friend Kate, whose photo I used as reference for the painting. I knew she would be thrilled to see it finished. 

It turns out, Kate had shared the link with friends of hers in Ottawa who also camp in Bon Echo Provincial Park regularly, and they bought the painting.

The collectors sent me this lovely note: "Kate is a good photographer and in all our years in Bon Echo [we] have never managed to capture the rock as she did. Now you have transformed her photo into a beautiful painting. We have canoed by the rock every year for over 20 years and will love having your outstanding painting to remind of us of those times. It will hang prominently in our family room where we will see it every day..."

I am delighted to learn this special piece will be treasured and enjoyed in its new home. To know that my paintings uplift people's lives every day is enormously satisfying, and keeps me invigorated to make new art to share with the world.

And now, without further adieu, I present the 90-second creation video. Click on the picture below and turn on your speakers.

Prints of Echoes of Summer are available in a variety of sizes on canvas, paper, and other substrates from my print-on-demand publisher. Click here to see the selection.

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.

Travel plays an essential role in my art making process. My husband and I spend several months each year slowly exploring different regions of North America and camping in our trailer.

When I am out in Nature, absorbing the light, colours, shapes, smells, and sounds of a peaceful place, I often feel a sense of delighted discovery and soul-deep connection to the wilderness. I am driven to capture this feeling of awe and wonder in my artwork.

The four new paintings I am introducing to you today each represent a unique journey through the northern landscape. Two pieces came directly from my travels, and the rest were inspired by other people's journeys.

The first painting was sparked by a beautiful vista near Syracuse, New York. Let's begin by looking at my reference photos.

We were camped on a warm August evening beside ripened grain fields on a gently sloping hillside.

There was a huge valley spread out below us, with a lake in the distance.

As we relaxed outside after dinner, a hot air balloon flew by.

The magic of the moment captured my imagination and I knew I had to paint a scene like this with a balloon in the sky.

I Will Wait For You (varnished watercolour on 6 x 12 inch panel), shown here, is the resulting art work.

In my painting, I added pine trees to give the scene a more northern flair. The title is the fond adieu the viewer bids the hot air balloonist. When anyone embarks on a significant journey, it is comforting to know that a warm welcome awaits the returning traveller.

For more information about I Will Wait For You, click here.

The second painting is Quiet Perfection, varnished watercolour on 16 x 12 inch panel, shown here.

This painting pays homage to a powerful body of fresh water that holds a piece of my soul: Lake Superior. I am fortunate to have visited its shores a few times each year for the last decade.

The lake has many moods and never looks the same twice. Sometimes the weather is cold and misty and other times it is warm and sunny.

Often the lake surface is disturbed by waves, but occasionally on a windless day, the surface is glassy calm.

This painting is a scene I invented by combining these two references from different parts of the shore taken in different years.

The foggy scene is near Rossport (if memory serves), which is just east of Nipigon, Ontario. I took this photo from the Trans Canada Highway.

I love the sense of mystery the mist imparts, as it cloaks the channel islands and makes us wonder what there is to see around the point.

The sunny scene was a rare day at Pebble Beach at Marathon, which lies west of Wawa, Ontario.

Lake Superior storms are constantly rearranging stones and driftwood on this municipal beach. On a calm day the pebbles appear to go on forever out into the lake. The water is so clear, you can't tell the stones are under water.

For more information about Quiet Perfection, click here.

The third painting in this series is Superior Seduction, varnished watercolour on 12 x 12 inch panel, pictured here.

The setting is a group of islands in Lake Superior, viewed while sunset bathes the rocks in golden light.

A canoe rests on the shore, waiting to explore more of those intriguing islands tomorrow.

The paddlers are unseen, perhaps setting up their tent or enjoying dinner around a campfire, atop the hill.

I got the idea for this painting when Shanna Cameron, a Facebook friend of mine from Thunder Bay, posted a photo from her canoe trip last August. She graciously gave me permission to use her photo as a painting reference.

The location is McKay Cove on Simpson Island, which is part of an 8-island archipelago near Rossport. Canada's renowned Group of Seven artists painted in this area in the 1920's.

As you can see from the photos, I took much liberty when painting the foreground rocks, which are barely visible in the source photo, and I added the canoe to complete the story.

For more information about Superior Seduction, click here.

The fourth painting in this series is Echoes of Summer, varnished watercolour on 18 x 24 inch panel, shown here.

This magnificent rock face is Mazinaw Rock, a 330 foot (100 metre) high cliff.

It stretches for almost a mile (1.5 km) along Mazinaw Lake, and is a landmark in Bon Echo Provincial Park, just north of Kaladar, Ontario.

My friend Kate Dowsett gave me permission to use this photo that she took last September as reference for my painting. I made very few changes to the scene and was sure to include the tiny kayaker in the distance, to give a human presence and add scale to the rock face.

For more information about Echoes of Summer, click here.

I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse behind the scenes to see how I use reference photos to construct my watercolour scenes. When you look at these paintings, I hope they transport you to another place and time, and remind you of the beautiful world that surrounds us, waiting to be explored. Enjoy the journey.

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.

Since I began my art career almost 40 years ago, I have been showing my artistic creations at studio tours, art festivals, open houses, fund raisers, juried shows, and art galleries.

Over that time, over 800 of my watercolour paintings have made their way, one by one, into the hearts and homes of people near and far. It warms my soul to know my creations bring peace and joy to the daily lives of so many people.

While the majority of my artworks reside with collectors in Canada and the USA, several of my paintings have become world travellers. So far, to my knowledge, my paintings are enjoyed in at least 24 countries. How cool is that!?

One of my recent travellers, A Winter Wonder (varnished watercolour on 12 x 6 inch panel), is shown here. It came about because of a rather contrary idea.

While touring the 1000 Islands region of the St. Lawrence River last summer, I chanced upon a beautiful white pine standing proudly above the forest.

I took this photo of it, thinking I would later include the iconic tree in a northern lake scene.

Back in the studio, I had another idea: I wondered what this statuesque tree would look like in a winter scene.

I drew the basic shape of the trunk, branches, and foliage masses with pencil onto watercolour paper. Then I sketched lumps of snow where snow would gather logically. I drew more snowy shapes in the smaller trees as well.

Before starting to paint the sky and distant forest, I masked out all the snow shapes on the central tree, and on the tops of the lower trees, to preserve the white of the paper in those areas. This allowed me to create a clear blue sky quickly, painting right over the snowy trees.

Once the sky dried, I removed the masking and added shadows to each white snow clump individually. Lastly, I painted the dark trunks, branches, and needles peeking out from under the snow.

I mounted the finished painting on a wood panel, varnished it, and set it in a black wood frame, shown here. (If you are interested in the details of this mounting process, see my article Framing Watercolours Without Glass.)

I posted the finished piece on Facebook in early December and caught the eye of a long time friend and former co-worker, who now lives and works in Cairo, Egypt. She sent me a message to acquire the painting and later picked it up at my studio while she was in Ontario visiting family for Christmas.

It makes me smile to think of this little snow scene residing in the Middle Eastern desert, bringing happy winter memories to a Canadian living abroad.

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.

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.

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.

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.