I never seem to get tired of painting the temperate rainforest. The way sunlight breaks through the canopy, the form and texture of ancient trees is all very compelling for an artist to render, and of course there is the haunting croak of the ever present Corvids. This big Cedar is on the road to Hannegan pass, I used my artistic license and changed the foreground from a gravel road to a river bank. Since most of paintings are produced in the studio I do use photographic reference, pictures I have taken during my ramblings, but I don’t just paint the photograph; quite often I will use multiple reference photos and sketches to compose a painting for better composition or to render a visual story.
I donated a painting this year for the Museum of Northwest Art annual fundraising auction in LaConner https://www.monamuseum.org Last friday was the contributing artists appreciation party, great fun, food, music, wine and lots of chatter along with great art. The following watercolor is the painting I donated and will be available at the auction on June 7.
I have been invited to exhibit paintings at Matzke Gallery and Sculpture Park on Camano Island during their summer show. If you’ve never been to this Northwest treasure, it is well worth the trip. You can admire amazing sculptures as you wander through a beautiful cedar forest, a wonderful place to spend a summer afternoon. https://www.matzkefineart.com/ The opening reception is July 12, 4:30 – 7:30 and will run through August 17. I am also working towards a solo show at Jansen Art Center in Lynden for September 2026 https://www.jansenartcenter.org/ and will continue to display paintings in Chuckanut Bay Gallery just down beautiful Chuckanut Drive south of Bellingham https://chuckanutbaygallery.com/ . Also the Morgan Block Artist Studios will be open to the public on Friday, June 27 from 4-8 pm, so come on out to Historic Fairhaven and see what your local artists are up to, 1000 Harris Ave.
