Since I took up painting, it has been one of the most fun and most challenging pursuits of my art career thus far. The learning curve isn’t quite as steep as I anticipated, mostly because my brain knows how I want something to look, but there’s definitely patience required when learning a new medium. With pencil, I know exactly how to make something look the way I want it. Pencil pressure, smudging techniques, erasers…I have put in thousands of hours with a pencil in my hand. But with brushes and paint, it’s a whole new game altogether! It takes me longer than usual to get things to look the way I want, but I’m getting there.

This was a really fun piece and the finished product is one of my absolute faves! The one huge benefit of paint, is the colours just glow. I incorporate a lot of translucent glaze layers with several thin layers of colour to give incredible depth and vibrancy, something I couldn’t even think to achieve with pencil. These techniques give the piece a 3D look and also change throughout the day and depending on the lighting projected on the piece. This piece is no exception and in proper light, it grabs you and draws you in.

Before I started painting I didn’t see the allure to why people would pay thousands of dollars for an original painting. But now I understand. It’s not just about the painting itself, it’s about the hours the artist invested in front of that piece. The brush strokes, the mistakes, it’s the whole process. And of course, a print doesn’t do the original piece justice at all. You don’t get the colour depth, vibrancy, or any of the effects that paint offers. Prints can be quite flat in comparison. So now I understand why and I’m so happy with how this piece turned out!

This piece was for a friend of mine, Alfred Pryce, who commissioned me to do his favourite fish in his favourite scene. A Pennask Rainbow hovering over a Chara bed, with chironomids emerging around it. For stillwater anglers, this is their Holy Grail and why so many anglers flock to British Columbia’s stillwater lakes. I was able to also add in Alfred’s favourite fly, the Pumpkinhead Leech, which is one of John Kent’s masterfully devised patterns.

Thank you Alfred!

“Stillwater Pennask Rainbow” – 20 x 30″ Acrylic on Canvas

Irene and I were able to deliver the piece in person to Alfred. He showed us his incredible house with an amazing view! =)