Recent/Blog

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

Filtering by Tag: watercolour

Upcoming Expeditions to South Georgia , Antarctica

September 20, 2015David McEown

Painting at Gold Harbour, South Georgia.

We are excited to be joining One Ocean Expeditions for the following 2015 trips and programs to Antarctica/ South Georgia.

“Painting and Photography in the sub antarctic island of South Georgia is truly incomparable. Its stark remoteness and vast glaciated peaks rising out of an unforgiving icy ocean is home to unbelievably numerous and curious species of wildlife that makes one feel like a visitor to a whole new planet. The overwhelming scale, patterns ,color and texture of this place provides endless creative inspiration yet can challenge and “reset” old preconceptions of composition and field work habits while awakening feelings of beauty, reverence and interconnectedness.”

• "SOUTH GEORGIA IN DEPTH" Oct. 17- 30,

• "ANTARCTICA OFF THE BEATEN TRACK" NOV. 10- 22

• "FALKLANDS, SOUTH GEORGIA, ANTARCTICA PHOTOGRAPHIC SYMPOSIUM", NOV. 22 to DEC. 10,
with watercolorist David McEown and photographer Daisy Gilardini

To find out more details on the program, itinerary , and cabin availability see one ocean expeditions.

This video clip is from a 2011 expedition to South Georgia.

categories Antarctica, Elephant Island, en plein air, Landscape painting, Point Wild, South Georgia, St-Andrews Bay, Watercolour, watercolor
tags Antarctic paintings, Elephant island, South Georgia, Antarctica, Gold Harbour, watercolour

Hollyhock Watercolour Workshop

June 18, 2014David McEown

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.

"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."

"Painting the shoreline grasses, an excersise in negative shape reading, and staying cool in the shade!"

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.

January 13, 2014David 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

From Petermann Island, 12 x 22 inches, watercolour

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"

January 10, 2014David McEown

"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.

"White Pine", 30 x22inches , watercolour

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

October 09, 2012David 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.

Akademik Ioffe near Ilulissat, Greenland.

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

August 05, 2012David 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!

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

2012 Whistler and Gibsons Summer Workshops

August 04, 2012David McEown

Many thanks again to the organizers and the participants that persisted through wonderfully challenging exercisesatthe 2 workshops I gave this summer. Both theWhistler Arts Council's Workshops on the Lake, and Gibsons School of the Arts have annual fine art programs with a variety of quality instruction. We were blessed with wonderful weather that enabled on site painting right from the studio deckor to long walks on the beach after ahard studio work outon the sunshine coast!

From the our subject of moss-covered waterfalls to shoreline waves, watercolour’s magical flowing spontaneity and ethereal softness as well as its ability to make crisp highly defined form were explored. We focused on colour mixing, values, negative shape reading(no masking fluid or tricks!), creating depth and controlling the hierarchy of focal point.

I am looking forward to conducting informal art workshops on expedition cruise ships later this summer in the arctic and later this year in the antarctica summer. More Upcoming workshops will be posted soon.

categories Art Workshops, Coast Mountains, en plein air, watercolor, Watercolour, West Coast Rainforest, Whistler
tags 140lb cold press, art workshops, en plein air, Gibsons school of the arts, rainforest, sunshine coast, Watercolor, watercolour, Whistler

Pacific Spirit Regional Park

November 01, 2011David McEown

Autumn in the Pacific Spirit Forest, 26in x46in. watercolour

The Pacific Spirit Regional Park, which adjoins my backyard in Vancouver, provides countless inspiration for new paintings. In October, the Big Leaf Maples of this forest decorate the hemlock and sweet fir moss-draped understory.

categories Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Uncategorized, Vancouver, West Coast Rainforest
tags British Columbia, large watercolor, rainforest, Vancouver, Watercolor, watercolour

Contact David Mceown