The Light at the Edge of the Forest was painted on a primed birch panel that is 18” x 24” (46 cm x 61 cm). I’ve painted a similar forest scene a few years ago and I wanted to revisit the subject, to see how far I can push the lights and shadows – to create a sense of mood or drama.  I didn’t want to repaint the scene exactly so I’ve made a few changes to the composition along the way.

The trees, cast shadows and light were what inspired me to create The Light at the Edge of the Forest.

There’s a ravine that I love to frequent close by my home that’s just teeming with life. The trees are densely packed together and is home to life, several species of birds, deer, foxes, coyotes and other small animals. Not to mention the varying species of trees and naturally growing herbs.  In this place I feel grounded. Here I’m deep in thought and I’m entranced by the light that bounces off the leaves casting a kaleidoscope of shadows on the forest floor. And then as I get close to the edge of the forest, I emerge refreshed and inspired to continue creating works that will move and  inspire others.

This work is part of the Wild Imperfections series.

 

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Our Neighbour, the American Robin is the second of a two-panel painting (also known as a diptych). Created using oil paints on a 18″x24″ canvas, this piece took me about 1 week complete. And since this is the second panel, I started off by drawing a rough sketch of the Robin’s nest just so that I have an idea of its placement in relation to the subject in the first panel.

After observing robins for a few years, I’ve come to appreciate how resourceful they are. For example, the nest depicted in this painting was built on the downspout of my neighbour’s house and stood intact for four years – until the home owner finally decided to take it down after it was abandoned. I’ve seen this nest withstand wind gusts of up to 90 km/h and weathered many storms – while the female robin was sitting on it! Each year a robin returned, she would add new twigs, and grass to it, in preparation to lay her eggs. After the babies have hatched and left the nest, sparrows would take bits and pieces from it to build their own. I’ve seen three generations of robins hatch in this nest and was I amazed with each experience.

This work is part of the Wild Imperfections series.

If you want to see how I painted the first panel, check out my previous video.

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American Robin took me about 30 hrs to complete and has gone through quite the evolution. The bird in this oil painting was inspired by an actual Robin that nests in my backyard.

My vision for this painting was to have the Robin perched atop a tree. I want the painting to have a feeling of movement and colour. Imagine being out on a walk in the morning, the sun has already risen, the air is warm, but slightly breezy. The world is awake. Sounds of Cardinals, Finches, Starlings, Chickadees and Sparrows fill the air, but it’s the American Robins greeting that gets my attention today and is my inspiration for this art piece. Having observed Robins for a few years, I’ve come to enjoy and appreciate these industrious birds from their nest building skills to how they nurture their young.

This is my first video, so I’m still trying figure out the ideal set-up for film and editing, so there will be some instances where I’m blocking the shot – but I sincerely tried my best and I’m still learning.

This work is part of the Wild Imperfections series.

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