Recent/Blog

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

Drawn to Water

July 10, 2019David McEown

“Okavango Dream”, 30 x 22 inches, watercolour, (available for sale)

The following paintings and short videos were Inspired by a recent painting trip on the Chobe River and the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It was not hard for the soul to be stirred by the ancient rhythms that vibrate in the African landscape and the magnificent wild creatures that still cling on in the remaining national parks and private reserves. We travelled often by water and that’s where the magic can often be found!

Many thanks to Pangolin Photo Safaris for outfitting and hosting us and for Daisy Gilardini’s additional video.

Video and painting Impressions of wildlife encounters along from Botswana's Chobe River and in the Okavango Delta.

Rinse Cycle

Waterlilly - Chobe n.1

Sketching in the Okavango Delta

Water Hole Gathering

Moonlight Elephant Study

Chobe River Sunset Study

Painting and Video Impressions from a water hole in Botswana's Okavango Delta.

Arctic Dreaming

May 05, 2019David McEown

“Polar Bear , #7”, 22 x 30 inches , watercolour.

I painted this Polar Bear during a recent workshop in Toronto while teaching watercolour techniques and demonstrating colour mixing. I also shared stories and video of close encounters from years observing and sketching these amazing animals in their natural habitat.

Antarctica , Fire and Ice

May 05, 2019David McEown

"While painting on location earlier this year during an evening of “Fire and Ice” I was entertained by curious chinstrap penguins on Hydrurga Rocks, Antarctic Peninsula.
"The temperature was just above freezing , which allowed just enough time to lay down a wash before pallet blocks up with ice. While the sunset grew more intense intense i had to stop painting to make sure it was not a dream!"

Here are a few new works painted on location in Antarctica . Special thanks to Daisy Gilardini and Visionary Wild for putting this trip together.

Jougla Point

Whalebones, Jougla Point

Hannah Point

Booth Island

South Shetland Islands #2

"Fire and Ice"

Hydrurga Rocks, Palmer Archipelago , Antarctic Peninsula

New studio painting, “Emergence”, 26 x 47inches watercolour - Antarctic Peninsula (available for sale)

“Let it Snow”, 15 x 22 inches watercolour , Cuverville island Antarctica Keeping it loose and letting the light snow participate in the paintings marks and stains while temperature hovers just above freezing . With the company of the gentoo penguins of Cuverville Island , we watch great Antarctic peaks play hide and seek in the clouds.

Antartic Channel

"Let It snow #2"

"Shores of Ronge Island"

"Iceberg #24”, 19 x 29 inches watercolour, Antarctica. (available for sale)

Southern Ocean, South Georgia and Falkland Islands

January 03, 2019David McEown

Video highlights from South Georgia Island and the challenges of painting the vast display of life force present in the large King Penguin Colonies. (video and editing by David McEown, additional video and aerial permitted video by Daisy Gilardini)

The attached video clips and paintings were inspired by a trip to the Sub Antarctic Island of South Georgia in October- November 2018. We departed by ship from the Falkland Islands where I had time to warm up the brushes and spend time painting at a wonderful nature reserve of Volunteer Point.

The South Georgia trips were in particularly rewarding as we participated in a photo symposium led by some of the finest photographers in the field. It was great to be in nature with so many folks engaged in he art of seeing, plus it was fun to conduct a few art workshops to complement all the fantastic expertise ranging from ornithology, history and marine biology.

It has been my long term project to record and raise awareness about the fragility of these natural wonders as well as try to express their inherent beauty. Many other painting from these regions and be seen on his websites Antarctic Galleries.

“The Colony, St Andrews Bay” , South Georgia, (15 x 44 inches watercolour)

Painting Dyptich on Location

Salisbury Plain

"Snowfall, Gold Harbour,"

Sunrise a Gold Harbour

Painting on location at Fortuna Bay

Calm at Fortuna Bay

Painting on Location Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain 2018

Southern Seas #2

Towards South Georgia #1

Southern Seas #2

Towards South Georgia #1

South Georgia Reveals

"River Crossing"

Salisbury Plain #1

David Painting on Location

Video highlights from South Georgia Island and painting seascapes. (video and editing by David McEown, additional video and aerial permitted video by Daisy Gilardini)

Falkland Islands

Black Browed Albatross, West Point Island.

Video impressions and painting clips from a recent trip last month to the Falkland Islands while on route to South Georgia. Along with the fantastic diversity of bird life the highlight here is the colony of king penguins at Volunteer Point. Had several days of sunrise on white sand beaches and painting the colony at sunset with the curious “woolly” young penguins.

A.J Casson Medal and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society

January 03, 2019David McEown

A.J Casson Medal

I am humbled to have been awarded the prestigious A.J Casson Medal, from the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, at the 93rd annual “Open Water” juried international exhibition held in October 2018.

The awarded painting, “Surfacing” (30 x 22 inches) , of a swimming polar bear among iceberg remnants was inspired by a recent painting trip to the arctic in which I has been studying for many years. It is rewarding when the elements come together to make a successful and effective composition thus can reach out to larger audience to communicate issues of climate change and conservation.

Here is some more information about the CSPWC;

“The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (inFrench: La Société Canadienne de Peintres en Aquarelle), founded in 1925 is considered to be Canada’s official national watercolour Society. The nation's oldest medium specific arts organization has had an illustrious history. Membership is looked upon as a mark of achieving peer recognition in one of the most difficult and demanding visual arts form.

The Annual "Open Water" show, open to all artists, continues to be the focus of the Society's work, which can be hosted anywhere in the country. The most prestigious award is the "A. J. Casson Award", a commissioned medal given "for outstanding achievement in watercolour painting" to the best work in the show. The medal is accompanied by a cash award.”

Royal Canadian Geographical Society

In November 2018, I was deeply honoured to have been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. For the past 30 years my paint brush has led me to travel the earths 7 continents and bring back impressions and stories. When coming home after painting abroad I am always reminded how incredibly diverse and beautiful Canada is and how fortunate I have been to paint the landscapes of every province and territory in my home country. I look forward to promote the Society’s mandate “to make Canada better known to Canadians and to the world.”

Kamchatka

September 19, 2018David McEown

I finally made it home after an intense and inspiring camping/painting trip to the wild and remote Kamchatka region in Russia's Far East.

Two weeks were spent painting, photographing and videoing the beauty of this powerful land of volcanoes and bears, in the company of 12 adventurous photographers, and with the protection of two rangers.

We observed brown bears on the shore of Kuril Lake in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, during the bears' ancient, annual ritual of fishing for sockeye salmon. At this time of year, salmon return to the lake from the sea, where they gather before heading upstream to spawn.

The stunning volcanic landscape and abundance of bears provided great opportunities for productive sketching and plein air painting. It was easy to be distracted by the bears walking by just a few metres from my easel, despite the majestic Ilyinsky volcano as a backdrop .

I look forward to starting work on some studio painting!

Bear behaviour and the process of sketching and painting in this challenging, heart-thumping environment are highlighted in the following video.