Goward House

As I’ve always called BC’s coastal islands home, I have a deep affection for the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest with their endlessly varied combinations of mountains, ocean, islands and trees. Painting, in both oils and acrylics, helps me see this distinctive world a bit differently. Constantly changing light and color shapes — and reshapes — familiar vistas. And the delicate lacework of sandstone, the contorted trunks of Arbutus, the infinite rhythms of the tide and current, the strength of mountains beg to be captured on canvas. It’s rare that I’m not assessing by a view from a boat, car or hiking trail for its potential as a painting. As Emily Carr so aptly put it, painting allows for ‘fresh seeing’ first for the artist, and then for the many viewers who bring their own experience to the art.

I work in both oils and acrylics and enjoy their differences. Oils demand care — and can reward you with soft edges, muted colors, rich tones. Acrylics permit a degree of spontaneity that adds fun to the process and allows for constant adjustment until composition and color are somehow right. For the most part I work in the studio, often using photographs that I’ve taken as a starting point for painting. And I enjoy participating in workshops and meeting artists as they always introduce new ways of approaching how paint can be used to capture nuances of shape color, and light.

Among the recurrent themes in my paintings are Arbutus trees with their improbable structures, colors, and ways they frame the landscape. It is challenging to use paint to capture distinctive dimensionality and the texture and contrasts of their bark. Another theme is Mt Baker, which has been on the horizon of all my homes in British Columbia. Up to now, I’ve only painted it from western perspectives — but a goal is to paint this iconic mountain from the north, east and south as well. While these are subjects I keep coming back to it’s easy to find many other compelling subjects in this area, from other mountains, to the maze of islands around us, to sailboats, and seagulls.

As I share a love of the Pacific Northwest with so many people, my goal in painting is to reflect what I value in a way that reflects what others take joy from.