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Recent/Blog

News and blog posts about recent works, workshops, events, presentations, expeditions and exhibitions by Canadian artist David McEown.

Filtering by Tag: en plein air

Tropical Impressions from Costa Rica

David McEown

Painting on location in the tropical rainforest , Corcovado Park, Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica.

In December 2019, I returned to Costa Rica to revisit sites i painted many years ago when I began a series of large watercolours involving some of this earth's rare and rapidly changing ecosystems. After painting polar subjects over the last 16 years it was refreshing to change the pallet and bring along new camera and video technologies to record these special places.

“ Rainforest Encounters”, 22 x 15 inches watercolour

“ Rainforest Encounters”, 22 x 15 inches watercolour

Most of this trip focused on painting on location in the tropical rainforest , Corcovado Park, Osa Peninsula. This is one of most bio diverse parts of the planet and the senses are just wonderfully overwhelmed. Polar painting in the cold seems more challenging but the tropics has its own adjustments. Besides dripping sweat on to the paper , the humidity was so saturated overtime it dissolved the papers surface sizing thus causing some funky things on the paper . In this case i worked shape by shape (instead of soaking the whole sheet) and followed the quickly changing interior rainforest shadows. Such is paradise but one has to be mindful of snakes, as we saw earlier in the day a young highly venomous fur de lance. The flanged buttresses of these massive trees are decorated with lichen and moss patchwork. Sleeping bats were nestled in the cracks while butterfly’s would sometime stop and have a taste of the wash in my pallet. On a perfect day one can loose track of the time, which should be noted that once the sun sets it quickly gets incredibly dark and lots of the “fun” stuff comes out to play. So grateful to be back and learn from this place. 

Night walks in the tropical rainforest was a real highlight. Having excellent guides also made possible unique sitings of several frog species. I did attempt a few night sketches in the light rain by flashlight, but we focused on photography for reference. I have been working on a series of paintings celebrating these delicate creatures to add to a body of work on rainforests.

“Red -Eyed Tree Frog” 11 x 15 inches, watercolour- Costa Rica

During this painting and reference gathering trip in Costa Rica last month we had a wonderful 2 day visit at the Toucan Rescue Ranch in San Jose. 
We were so impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the people that work at the clinic and rehab centre. Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release Costa Rica wildlife while focusing on conservation, education, and research. 

Sketching wildlife at the Toucan Rescue Ranch.

“Two-Toed Sloth”, 16 x 16 inches , watercolour. This painting was inspired while sketching a curious young two-toed sloth that was out for exercise with a few others. It won’t be long before she gets stronger and bigger before being released on her …

“Two-Toed Sloth”, 16 x 16 inches , watercolour. This painting was inspired while sketching a curious young two-toed sloth that was out for exercise with a few others. It won’t be long before she gets stronger and bigger before being released on her own in the wild. Rescue centres are of great importance in highly populated areas where animals get injured because of human activity. In 2019 the Toucan Rescue Ranch rescued and released more than 120 animals, including 15 sloths

“Rainforest Edge”, 72 x 132 inches watercolour triptych

“Rainforest Edge”, 72 x 132 inches watercolour triptych

During a recent visit to Toronto i was able to revisit a large painting that was commissioned a few years ago. This painting was inspired by a trip to the pacific coast of Costa Rica. From the many studies done on location, i worked out this design and painted on 3 pieces of A’rches, 140 Lb cold press cotton rag paper cut  off the roll. 

“All the elements participate in the dance of life in the tropics where this planet's life force reaches its utmost expression. From transpiration the water gathers in pools from the dripping lianas and bromeliads and starts to flow among living sculptures, the flanged buttresses of ancient trees. Water then carves its way through clay and volcanic rock downward to the ocean. The water then arrives again to the forest from the rain clouds. The music continues through the symbiosis between flora and fauna. Decay is quickly transformed in the forest floor shadows into nutrients that are then resurrected to the light of the forest canopy.”

The process of painting starts by immersing into the landscape and painting many on site sketches of the area. Then back in the studio the experience is recollected and a synthesis of the various interactions of forms and species experienced are envisioned into a organic whole. The large scale of the painting combines the complex microcosm with the distant macrocosm to celebrate in colour the relationships and patterns;  ocean to forest, forest to light.

Visiting the home where “Rainforest Edge”, commission is installed.

Visiting the home where “Rainforest Edge”, commission is installed.

2 Comments
categories Landscape painting, Travel, Watercolour, watercolor, Wildlife, Costa Rica
tags costa Rica, Rainforest, en plein air, landscape painting, landscape painting, sloth, tree

Drawn to Africa

David McEown

vicfalls2web.jpg

In July I had the opportunity to paint and experience a slice of Africa. It will take awhile to process the immense wildlife diversity and the richness in possible compositions for larger paintings. It was very moving to be in the presence of rhinos, elephants and lions to name  just a few animals plus have time to sketch and ponder their behaviour , power and precarious existence in this age of habitat loss and the threat of poaching. 

I am in gratitude for the parks , reserves , photo safaris and conservation groups that are working so hard and with often great sacrifice to protect these amazing animals and habitats. Many thanks to Pangolin Photo Safaris , Jacki’s House at Sabi Sand ,  Madikwe Safari Lodge  and our dear friends in South Africa for guiding and teaching us so much about Africa! 

Posted here are a few drawings and paintings plus a 5 minute video of encounters with  the wildlife of Chobe National Park in Botswana, as well as Midikwe and Sabi Sand Game reserves plus Kruger National Park in South Africa . (Also with a side trip to Victoria falls in Zimbabwe) More paintings from Africa will be posted on the Africa page of this website.

5 Comments
categories Africa, Botswana, Travel, Safari, Landscape painting, en plein air, Wildlife
tags en plein air, Watercolor, drawing, elephant, lion, rhino

Antarctica

David McEown

Once again we visited the antarctic peninsula  as part of the team at One Ocean Expeditions. However this time we arrived later in the season and saw lots of seal and whale action including many adolescent  and energenic penguin chicks! Posted here are video journal highlights , and a selection of Antarctic paintings completed on location.

A collection of video impressions from the Antarctic Peninsula , including David painting the dramatic glacier at Neko Harbour.

This short video is shot while painting on Petermann Island, a special place to observe the variations of penguin species nesting and the changes in populations due to climate change. In this case David encounters 2 young adelie penguin chicks walking into the foreground in front of a dramatic backdrop. 

During a voyage in the Antarctic Sound aboard a Russian research vessel , David paints in sub zero temperatures to allow chance effects and interplay of the weather and the mark making process, all the while trying to convey the scale and mood of immense tabular icebergs appearing through the advancing storm. On the way north , the ship surveys the shores of Elephant island and David has a chance to work on a few paintings of "Point Wild", this is were the members of Shackleton's party were rescued.

Comment
categories Antarctica, Elephant Island, en plein air, extreme painting, Landscape painting, Point Wild, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic Peninsula
tags Antarctic paintings, Antarctica, Elephant island, Penguins, en plein air

Hollyhock Watercolour Workshop

David McEown

Sunrise from Cortes Island
Sunrise from Cortes Island

It was a real pleasure to provide a watercolour workshop atHollyhock , "Canada's lifelong learning centre", on Cortes Island , BC, a few weeks ago and paint with a fine group of artists. The contemplative ambiance, facility , lodging and food was excellent as well as the variety of subjects to paint.  After an early sunrise, participants had the opportunity to join in a yoga/ body work sessions before breakfast. Then we startedwithsome demos and paintedon the beach in the morning, following the tide lines. After lunchthe artist's had the opportunity to continue working or go explore the island . By 3pm sessions resumed to capture the afternoon light . Then again after another healthy buffet dinner we would have another painting session that would continueinto dusk.

Along with the stunning beach, the gardens and forest trails were also a fine source of inspiration. The only problem was that the 4 night workshop went to fast! So we are happy to announce another watercolour workshop again next yearwith and extra day.

"Artist's Journey with Watercolour"

May 31th – June 5, 2015

Explore the magical flowing spontaneity and essential techniques of this travel friendly medium. Discover painting as a form of meditation and “seeing”, allowing you to capture the moment with paper and brush.   All levels welcome.

Tuition: $525 CDN / 5 nights

All inclusive accommodations and meals charged separately.

Cortes Island & Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

800-933-6339 x 232 hollyhock.ca

Registration should start by mid November 2014 , please feel free to contact us to be notified when registration begins.

"Painting on the beach at Hollyhock"
"Painting on the beach at Hollyhock"
"David giving a demo on the beach at Hollyhock"
"David giving a demo on the beach at Hollyhock"
"Working into the underpainting and learning to control the hard and soft edges of the mountain and cloud shapes."
"Working into the underpainting and learning to control the hard and soft edges of the mountain and cloud shapes."
"Painting the shoreline grasses, an excersise in negative shape reading, and staying cool in the shade!"
"Painting the shoreline grasses, an excersise in negative shape reading, and staying cool in the shade!"
"Some of the fine watercolourists!"
"Some of the fine watercolourists!"
"Sunrise painting from Cortes Island"
"Sunrise painting from Cortes Island"
2 Comments
categories Art Workshops, Coast Mountains, Cortes island, en plein air, Landscape painting, Northern Landscapes, Uncategorized, Vancouver, watercolor, Watercolour, West Coast Rainforest
tags art workshops, Cortes Island, en plein air, great bear rainforest, Gulf Islands, Hollyhock, McEown, rainforest, Watercolor, watercolour

Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands 2013 painting highlights.

David McEown

I am just unpacking paintings and backing up terabytes of reference materialfromthe recent expeditions to South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula.  The two videos in thispost share some of the painting highlights and wildlife encounters which Daisy  and I filmed. We were fortunate to go back in February 2013 at the end of the Antarctic summer and visited again this November through December in the austral spring to continue our long-term projectstudying this wilderness area.

The trips were not only successful in the wonders we saw but also for the charity auctions that raised much-needed funds to supportimportant conservation projects such as the South Georgia Heritage Trust and Oceanites. Thank you again to the generous fellow travellers that put forth a bid on my illustrated marine charts and Daisy's books. Also a big thank you again the the One Ocean Team for making it happen!

"Enter the Drake", 6 x 15 inchers, watercolour
"Enter the Drake", 6 x 15 inchers, watercolour
From Petermann Island, 12 x 22 inches, watercolour
From Petermann Island, 12 x 22 inches, watercolour
Painting From Petermann Island.
Painting From Petermann Island.
6 Comments
categories Antarctica, Elephant Island, en plein air, Paradise Bay, Peninsula, Point Wild, South Georgia, South Georgia Heritage Trust, watercolor, Watercolour
tags Antarctic paintings, Antarctica, en plein air, Frank Wild, Icebergs, Sir Ernest Shackleton, South Georgia Island, Watercolor, watercolour

McMichael Canadian Art Collection "Art Mentorship Project"

David McEown

"What Grows Here", 29 x46 inches , watercolour
"What Grows Here", 29 x46 inches , watercolour

December 20, 2013 - March 02, 2014

Exhibition Opening

Sunday, January 19, 1:00 to 3:00 pm, with remarks at 2:00 pm

  McMichael Canadian Art Collection

10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada   L0J 1C0

(Islington Avenue north of Major Mackenzie Drive on the east side)

Information: 905.893.1121 or toll free 1.888.213.1121

In the summer of 2013, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection partnered with York Region Arts Council (YRAC) to launch a new Art Mentorship Project to provide support to emerging artists and foster professional development, production and exhibition under the guidance of local, established artists in a distinctly Canadian context.

For the project’s inaugural term I was honoured to be mentor and was delighted to work and share ideas with the programs first successful applicant Ben Barak, a recent  BFA graduate of Nipissing University. We had several sessions working on site at the McMichael Gallery and used the historic Tom Thomson Shack as shelter and place for critiques. The highlight for me was painting on location along the Humber River and a week long trip to Algoma in Northern Ontario, following the rail tracks to places that so inspired the Group of 7 and close to where I used to live.

The mentorship program has been a great opportunity to share, reflect and build upon my past body of work.

I have been interested in painting remote wilderness areas from Antarctica to the North Pole attempting to capture their wondrous beauty as well as witness the increasing changes in the landscape. Equally inspiring my artwork is the local indigenous flora and forest not far from my own home and how it is interrelated to what is going on at the “ends of the Earth”.

In response to the mentorship studio demonstrations of watercolour techniques, I chose to paint a large spring wildflower painting inspired from my hikes over the years when I lived near the Humber Valley. “What Grows Here” is a microcosm of the brief unfolding complex circus of wildflowers that covers forest floors that used to dominate York Region.

Juxtaposing the   local Humber River Valley painting is a selection ofmy watercolours inspired by remote wilderness of the North Pole, Antarctica and Lake Superior. Ben Barak’s work, on the other hand, focuses on themes of searching an identity, executed using many of the techniques he practiced under my demos and critiques.

_ANP5252
_ANP5252
Painting Along the Humber River
Painting Along the Humber River
"White Pine", 30 x22inches , watercolour
"White Pine", 30 x22inches , watercolour
2 Comments
categories Algoma, Antarctica, Arctic, Art Workshops, en plein air, Lake Superior, Landscape painting, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, North Pole, Northern Landscapes, Watercolour
tags art mentorship, Ben Barak, en plein air, Group of Seven, Humber Valley, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, north pole, Tom Thomson Shack, Trilliums, watercolour, watercolour techniques, York Region Arts Council

The Northwest Passage

David McEown

Many thanks to the team at One Ocean Expeditions for a great voyage and enabling me to continuethe long term study and documentation of the arctic's incredibly beautiful yet fragile and changing landscape. A selection of paintings from this trip are now on my website as well as a few on this post.  Also many fine photographs from this voyage can be found on Daisy Gilardini's recent blog post.

MapNWP#1
MapNWP#1
Akademik Ioffe near Ilulissat, Greenland.
Akademik Ioffe near Ilulissat, Greenland.
Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
Scott Inlet, Baffin Island
Scott Inlet, Baffin Island
Sea Ice n.2
Sea Ice n.2
Leaving Scott Inlet, Baffin Island
Leaving Scott Inlet, Baffin Island
Cuming Inlet n.2
Cuming Inlet n.2
Jakobshaven Fjord
Jakobshaven Fjord
Jakobshaven Fjord
Jakobshaven Fjord
6 Comments
categories Arctic, Baffin island, Devon island, en plein air, Greenland, Landscape painting, Northern Landscapes, Northwest Passage, watercolor, Watercolour
tags Arctic, arts, Aurora Borealis, Baffin Island, Beechey Island, Devon island, en plein air, Greenland, Icebergs, travel, Watercolor, watercolour

Painting In The Great Bear Rainforest

David McEown

The following paintings were inspired from an amazing boat trip to the "Great Bear Rainforest ", in British Columbia's central coast.  Along with   several other colleagues and a wonderful crew aboard the Columbia III , we  were part of  a large gathering of artists working to raise awareness of the rich  fragile  beauty of this place that is threatened with   a new proposed oil  pipeline and supertanker traffic sailing through some of the most bio diverse and rich eco systems on the planet. For more information on the "Artists for an Oil Free Coast " project   please visit the Raincoast  Conservation Foundation Website.  A wonderful coffee table book of paintings and writings from the project is now available!

The Great Bear Rainforest
The Great Bear Rainforest
Fiord Lands
Fiord Lands
Fiord Lands
Fiord Lands
Receding Tide
Receding Tide
Fiordlands study n.3
Fiordlands study n.3
The Outer Islands
The Outer Islands
7 Comments
categories en plein air, Great Bear Rainforest, Landscape painting, watercolor, Watercolour, West Coast Rainforest
tags 140lb cold press, Arches, en plein air, great bear rainforest, rainforest, Watercolor, watercolour