My current medium is oil paint on canvas.
Inspired by the moody wilderness of the west, my painting process begins on high-quality archival gallery wrapped stretched canvas. However, the inspiration begins way before this. By day, you will find me walking the trails of ancient forests, discovering hidden lakes, and surrounded by majestic mountains and beautiful wildlife of elk, moose, rams, and deer around my home with my dogs. Then at my easel by night.
Working from my home studio, I start with my dogs at my feet, I watching the mist rolling down the mountain slope through the pine trees, the sun disappear behind the mountains, or deer eating our trees outside my window. Then I paint.
My process starts with a rough sketch of my subject on the canvas with thinned oils using mineral spirits, then work through the colours of my underpainting. Then once dried, I start capturing my subject using thin oil layers and work my way to thick. Focusing on cool tones first, then finishing with warm tones to ensure my colours pop. I love using oil paint as I utilize the slow drying time of oils, I continuously blend and build layers, block in color, working in shadows and highlights for hours at a time without the worry of my paint drying.
