Lake Minnewanka, Alberta

click on photo for large viewing

About 3 weeks ago, I was in Banff, Alberta for a conference. After finishing the last session around noon on Thursday, I drove a short distance to where there were 3 separate lakes, each one unique and in various stages of being frozen. The one which was the most frozen rested in the direct shadow of a mountain, and was obviously a lot more shallow than the others. This lake, Lake Minnewanka, was the completely open - and very deep. The blue of the water was just incredible, and the reflections absolutely perfect! 

The little buildings you see here are out in the water, obviously anchored in some way, but accessible only by boat. They are just a short distance from the shore, but far enough that they make a gorgeous picture floating in the water!

I have left this photo in a large format so that you can really see how beautiful this area of the world is... click on the photo to view as a very large image.

We still have not received much snow - and what we did have got "eaten" by the Chinooks we have had lately. It has been warm enough to walk outside with just a heavy sweater during the day. So, I am pretty sure that this lake would still be open. It will definitely have ice on it by January though!

I am absolutely swamped with work - not my painting unfortunately, but the kind where you leave your house in the morning when it is dark and go to an office, then come home again when it is dark - so posting a new piece of painting will have to wait till next time.  

To all my American friends, Happy Thanksgiving! and happy painting to everyone!!!

A New Day

We are now getting into the season where the sunrises are fantastic! If you are up early enough, you can catch the incredible colors changing from moment to moment, and then suddenly, they are gone... It is hard to believe some of the colors I have taken photos of - from flaming orange/scarlet to the deep purples and pinks you see in this photo, A New Day. By the way, none of my photos are shot with filters or digitally altered, other than to change their size and resolution for this blog... the colors are as they were in real life when the picture was taken.

I have some sites for you to visit:

BrushSpace is a new web site that you should check out if you want to see the work of artists from all around the world. This site is just up and running, and already has over 1100 profiles of different artists who have joined to showcase their work. From this site, you can visit the artist's website or blog, and see more of their paintings. Great way to pass some time!

Another great browse and read resource I have recently come across is a Canadian art magazine, Brushstroke Magazine, which can be downloaded free from their site at www.brushstrokemagazine.com. You will find many recognized and new/upcoming artists featured, as well as competitions, discounts from advertisers, and commentaries, opinions and much more! Well worth signing up for.

And finally, there is a new cyberspace community for artists if you want to join. Not only are there forums and threads for you, but there are also good articles and instruction. It is called  ArtBistro.

Hope each one of you is healthy and looking forward to the weekend. My headaches are almost completely gone now, and I am just taking it easy, getting my energy back. I have a couple of things on the go, but it is very slow progress as I have to fit it in between rests and friends and family who are visiting to ensure I take rests. Till next week...