Recent/Blog

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

Filtering by Category: Northern Landscapes

Denali, Watercolours from Alaska

September 25, 2011David McEown

In early September, autumn is well on its way in Denali National Park, Alaska. While hoping to capture a glimpse of Denali, North America's highest mountain, i focused painting on site trying to capture the mountain light and weather played out on the multi-hued tundra. The following 3 minute video highlights the painting process.

The main base to work from was at the Wonder Lake Campground where one is dropped off by park bus as there are no cars permitted in the Park. However, for a different view and excellent food, rest, and knowledgeable guides, we also stayed at the beautiful Camp Denali for 3 nights.

categories Alaska, Arctic, en plein air, Landscape painting, Northern Landscapes, watercolor, Watercolour
tags 140lb cold press, Camp Denali, Denali, Denali Nationl Park, en plein air, Reflection pond, Watercolor, watercolour, Wonder Lake

Lake Superior Paintings

September 23, 2011David McEown

The painting is one of a few recent large commissions inspired by Lake Superior’s coastal trail in autumn. The complexity and technical challenges are exciting to take on and are sometimes over the top!

This 26 by 62 inch watercolour was painted on 140lb Arches cold press that comes on a roll of 44 inches by 10 yards. Cutting off the roll allows custom sizes in which in the past I have done watercolours up to 72 by 176 inches. Not cheap, but when framed with non-reflective UV90 museum glass the results can be wonderfully rare and transcendent.

Often large works have some sort of plan going, and being a studio piece photo reference is used. However I like to leave room for the image to evolve and use memory and imagination, thus I do not pre draw to much. When it comes to rocks, each one is a portrait interrelated to another by wear and reflection if wet, so they have to be well seen to be believable. I love the natural spirals and inner rhythms of a boulder beach. Even though it is a representational painting I basically just paint a dance of light and dark coloured shapes that grow and interlock with each other that hopefully create a hierarchy of entertaining focal points that sing a reverent song of place throughout the illusion of space.

categories Algoma, en plein air, Lake Superior, Landscape painting, Northern Landscapes, Watercolour
tags 140lb cold press, Arches, en plein air, Group of Seven, Lake Superior, Lake Superior Provincial Park, large watercolor, Watercolor, watercolour

The Sockeye Salmon "Run of the Century", Adams River

November 01, 2010David McEown

It happens rarely in one's lifetime to witness a sockeye salmon run of this magnitude and significance. Abandoning all studio work in Vancouver I head towards British Columbia’s interior to witness first hand a river of bright red crimson fish. Over a few million salmon have travelled 450 challenging kilometers from the ocean to return to their place of conception to lay eggs, spawn and die soon after. This display of life force transferring itself through out the ecosystem and into the wonder of thousands of curious people who gather along the shorelines to view the spectacle is inspiring.

I worked on several small paintings and drawing on site while filming. Afterwards a larger sustained watercolour is attempted and captured in time-lapse for viewing in the following 2 minute video clip.

For location and further information on the Adams River see the parks website Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park. Also a fine blog post from this event, Salmon Connections by Ivan Doumenc with photos by Isabelle Groc.

PACIFIC SALMON
RIVER-BORN FUGITIVES, RED MUSCLED UNDER SHEATHING SILVER, ALIVE WITH LIGHTS OF OCEAN'S CHANGING COLOURS. THE RANGE OF DEEPS AND DISTANCES THROUGH WILD SALT YEARS HAS GATHERED THE SEA'S PLENTY INTO YOUR PERFECTION. FULLNESS IS THE LONG RETURN FROM DARK DEPTHS RENDERING TOLL OF ITSELF TO THE SEARCHING NETS SURGING ON TO STRIFE ON BRILLIANT GRAVEL SHALLOWS THAT OPENED LONG AGO BEHIND THE FAILING ICE. IN VIOLENCE OVER THE GRAVEL, UNDER THE BURN OF FALL, FULLNESS SPENDS ITSELF, THRUSTING FORTH NEW LIFE TO NURSE IN THE STREAM'S FLOW THE OLD LIFE. USED UTTERLY, YIELDS ITSELF AMONG THE RIVER ROCKS OF HOME.
RODERICK HAIG-BROWN

categories en plein air, Landscape painting, Northern Landscapes, West Coast Rainforest
tags adams river, en plein air, Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park, sockeye salmon, Watercolor, watercolour

Painting along the Canol Heritage Trail

August 29, 2010David McEown

Autumn colours and snow can arrive early as mid August on the tundra. The vast panoramas dotted with herds of caribou are equally as wondrous as the tapestry and complexity of the tundra's microcosm. Paintings and photos were completed along the Canol Heritage Trail which passes through the Northwest Territories and Yukon border in northern Canada. The Objective of this trip was to have a further understanding of the tundra and sub tundra landscapes to complement a large body of paintings from the Arctic regions that I have worked on for the past several years. Special thanks to Dechenla Lodgefor their hospitality and for my painter friends Dominik Modlinski and Tim Schum for doing much of the driving!

categories en plein air, Northern Landscapes, Northwest Territories, Watercolour, Yukon
tags Canol Road, Dechenla, en plein air, Northwest Territories, Watercolor, Yukon

The North Pole

April 20, 2009David McEown

The Arts in this environment above 89° North is about survival first. Every detail and action must be considered to avoid letting the cold take grip on ones ability. Awareness of the ice is paramount as cracks can appear anytime, and weather is also extreme.
On top of the world, the light is now continuous and the sun circumnavigates our actions, emitting polar optical effects, as we make our way through endless shapes, texture and colour.
Such reward it is to set up camp and feel the warm stove and feel reverence to what is often taken for granted. Then is time for reflection and creation of paintings. I let the washes of paint freeze and hope to bring back to share these raw paintings that are marked by the arctic air.

Many thanks to Victor Boyarsky, director of the Agency "VICAAR", (www.northpolextreme.com/iindex.html ) and my partner, Daisy Gilardini, (www.daisygilardini.com ) for having me as an assistant on this photo-video assignment to record the science, adventure ski trips, and re-supply missions to some of the incredible polar projects that are in progress near the Barneo ice camp.

categories Arctic, en plein air, Landscape painting, North Pole, Northern Landscapes, Watercolour, watercolor
tags north pole, Arctic, polar exploration, watercolour, ice pack

North East Passage, Russian Arctic

August 28, 2008David McEown

Belkosvsky Island - New Siberian Islands

On this very rare trip with Quark Expeditions we traveled from Anadyr, on Russia's Asian shore to Murmansk, near the Finnish border. Along the Northeast Passage we explored the Chukotka Peninsula, Wrangel Island, the New Siberian Islands, Severnaya Zemlya , Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land. This 26 day passage would have been very tough without the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov and its skilled team to navigate through a very heavy ice year. More paintings can be seen on the NEP web page.

categories Arctic, extreme painting, en plein air, Landscape painting, Northern Landscapes, watercolor, Watercolour, North East passage, Russian Arctic
tags north east passage, Arctic, reindeer hearders, ayon island, Paintings, watercolour, Russian arctic

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