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Recent/Blog

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

Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary

David McEown

I was excited to revisit the Great Bear Rainforest and witness grizzly bears in their sacred primordial home of the Khutzeymateen. In the spring after a long hibernation , hungry  bears come down to the shoreline and feed on the fresh sedges offering incredible opportunities to view and sketch these bears in their natural habitat.

The Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary  in the North Coast region of British Columbia  was established in 1994 by BC Parks to protect critical habitat for the region's grizzly bear population, home to one of the highest concentrations of grizzly bears in Canada.

Coast Tsimshian First Nations depend upon this area, as they have for thousands of years, as the source of their social, economic and cultural prosperity. The Coast Tsimshian First Nations, and the Gitsi’is Tribe collaboratively manage the protected areas and access requires a permit. Many thanks to Khutzeymateen Wilderness Lodge for the hospitality and great guided tours. I look forward to working on studio paintings inspired by this trip.

“Khutzeymateen Encounters”, 22 x 30 inches watercolour. (available for sale)

“Khutzeymateen Encounters”, 22 x 30 inches watercolour. (available for sale)

This studio painting was inspired from sketches and photos  taken during our trip. From the safety of our boat we encountered this young male grizzly bear feeding on  the fresh sedges and  mussels at low tide. Our guides called this bear “Ember” in which he had distinctive light haired ear tips  and collar.

Field sketches done on location. We observed the bears  spring feeding ritual on  fresh sedges. The boat would move around with tides and currents but our expert guides found great views ,so the best way to get a feel of light and mood of this place was through quick  gesture drawings with a  monochromatic wash. The bears certainly did not seem to be bothered by us! 

“Khutzeymateen”, 15 x 22 inches watercolour.  (available for sale)

“Khutzeymateen”, 15 x 22 inches watercolour.  (available for sale)

A light rain had just stopped and clouds lifted revealing the snow covered peaks and steep valleys that drain out to this rich and colourful estuary. Within minutes we spotted bears feeding on the fresh sedges. After sketching on the boat I worked on the painting back on the floating base camp further out the inlet.

“Khutzeymateen Reflections”, 15 x 22 inches watercolour. (sold)

“Khutzeymateen Reflections”, 15 x 22 inches watercolour. (sold)

A recent early morning attempt to capture the light on the  Khutzeymateen inlet!

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Mt. Assiniboine Impressions in Watercolour

David McEown

Video highlights from painting on location in Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park.

The silver lining from international travel restrictions caused by the pandemic is that I am rediscovering some of the wonderful landscapes from my own province. In mid summer we had the opportunity to stay in Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park. Record heat and  smoke from nearby wildfires created some challenges, but we were fortunate to have a few clear days and intense heat and sudden thaw of the snowpack produced an incredible  display of wildflowers. I look forward to working on some larger studio works from this iconic  Canadian scenery that is often compared to the Matterhorn in Switzerland. Many thanks to Assiniboine Lodge for the great hospitality!

Early morning painting  done on location of Mt. Assiniboine reflecting in Lake Magog. I was struck by the wildflowers in the foreground and how they echoed the warm morning light on the peak. 

It is pretty humbling to try and capture the complexity and scale of these mountain meadows but it is so important to work on site and let the flood of compositions seep in while gathering reference for some larger studio works. I often start these in a loose wet in wet impression and then after a wash dries work at linking the depth of field between mountain peaks and paintbrush flowers in the foreground.

Working  through heat and smoke is not unusual but this summers  record temperatures and wildfire season in British Columbia was challenging and another climate change  wake up call.

Visibility was limited on a few days but we were rewarded with wildflowers displays and some wonderful  lifting panoramas , such as this view from the “nublit”. I start this painting with a light  underpainting wash of violet and  yellows  and apparently the mosquitoes like the to bathe in the white of the paper!

David McEown painting on location from the “Nublit”. (photo by Daisy Gilardini)

David McEown painting on location from the “Nublit”. (photo by Daisy Gilardini)

Often I will have an early morning painting , mid day and evening painting on the go during these trips and with the complexity of this one I would work on this over a few evenings if the lighting is similar and Lake Magog stays calm.

Many of these paintings are for sale along with others inspired from the Canadian Rockies and are posted on our store page.

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Explorers Club

David McEown

Curious onlookers, South Georgia Island. (photo Daisy Gilardini)

Curious onlookers, South Georgia Island. (photo Daisy Gilardini)

I am honoured to be elected this year as a Member of the Explorers Club!

For the past 30 years my paint brushes and curiosity have led me to travel the earth's 7 continents and bring back impressions and stories of encounters with amazing creatures such as emperor penguins in Antarctica and grizzly bears in Kamchatka.

Exploring new vistas is important to shake up old habits and world views. One thing that I have learned during my adventures is that what’s most important is not how many places we see but it is the quality of the “seeing”. I love to find a new place and then spend time with it, merge with every changing angle of light, shade and colour.

I look forward to promote the Explorer club's mission to inspire exploration, respect and protection of wild places, from our backwoods to our oceans, mountain peaks and distant galaxies - while sustaining a spirit of fellowship among explorers and the scientific community.

Learn more about the organization and the work they do at Explorers Club 

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Virtual online workshops by David McEown

David McEown

The following clips are a selection of time lapse videos edited from recent 2020 online watercolour workshops given over “Zoom” to an international audience. Looking forward to new classes soon!

Watercolour inspired from the Pacific Spirit Forest.

 
Inspired from a young leopard in the trees during a trip to Botswana.
 

Watercolour Demonstration, 22 x 30 inches on 140lb Cold press rag paper. Inspired by a trip to the Okavango Delta.

 
 
Watercolour demonstration by David McEown inspired by an elephant encounter on the Chobe River in Botswana.
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Polar Adventures

David McEown

I was very pleased to see a 8 page feature published in Artist Magazine (December 2020), highlighting my polar paintings from the North Pole to Antarctica. The article describes in depth the process of “extreme” plein-air watercolours and the translation into larger studio works. The magazine is found in many countries and stores and can be subscribed to at ArtistsNetwork.com if you are interested!

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Return to the River, Grizzly Bears of Northern British Columbia.

David McEown

Return to the River, 40 x 36 inches, watercolour.

“This painting was inspired while observing grizzly bears fishing for salmon. I had several days sketching this bear in particular which had a striking pattern. It was amazing how much weight he put on in just 2 weeks of feasting. It was a good sign to see the salmon arrive on this river where so many other watersheds have seen diminished salmon runs.”

The following paintings and videos was inspired by a recent trip in the Taku River watershed in Northern British Columbia. It was emotional to return to this landscape that I painted back in 1996  as part of a conservation effort and then  revisited again in 1999 to stay with a Tlingit family at their traditional  camp. I was reminded just how rich, rare, pristine and sacred this place is. Most of our work was done from a remote camp on the Nakina river, a tributary of the Taku.

Our bear viewing guides led us to locations that ensured our safety while respecting the wildlife’s habitat and foraging routines. This allowed us to work  and be inspired by the ancient life cycles and interrelationships of the salmon, bears, eagles and forest.

Full version of video highlights from a painting trip observing Grizzly bears in the Taku watershed of Northern British Columbia. (6 Minutes)

Painting on location while bears fish for salmon.( 45 seconds)

This painting, “Upstream”, 15 x 22 inches watercolour, was done in a 3 hour session starting with a light wash underpainting. In between filming the bears I loved to observe the light and shadow move across the old trees that reflect in the rich river. (45 seconds)

“Fishing Bears”. 15 x 22 inches, watercolour. I loved to watch the bears “snorkel” under the water for salmon. Thankfully some fish are making their way upstream to spawn, including pinks and lots of chinook. So much of the ecosystem is dependent on the salmon’s return including the many eagles and gulls.

Working on location in the rain, while waiting for bears!

Water is life. Quite a bit of it is falling now on the west coast. I love how the rain can bring out the richness of colour in the landscape and separate the layers of trees and mountains. While recently painting in the sacred Taku watershed, I had a chance to wear and use my rain painting kit. I prefer not to use a tarp or umbrella as they can flap and blow around, scaring  off the   wildlife we are trying to film like the grizzly bears that roam the river banks. For this coastal weather I wear fishing chest waiters and a Goretex fishing jacket which is much more waterproof than my regular hiking gear made more for movement. Neutral grey reflects neutral light on to white paper and does not attract bugs as much. The paper is clipped inside my partly open painting board/ folder that is tilted against the rain direction. It is held open by a bulldog clip. This folder, made of display board (plastic corregate), has a custom made quick release on the back that can snap into my tripod. I tend to work in this micro shelter in smaller sections and use less water in the washes, as it is so humid.

Many Thanks to Nakina Adventures for guiding and Phil Timpany and Daisy Gilardini for addition video.

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