From our backyard

It was cold but armed with winter clothing and mittens I managed to paint this 16"x20" piece outside in our backyard. Still it did not take long before my brushes got frozen and oil paint got stiff. Could not finish this in one session had to do it over three. 

On Christmas Day

It was again too cold to paint outdoor and yet could not pass the day without painting something, and again the view from the bedroom window was just too tempting to pass. 

On Christmas eve

Painted from dining room window before gusts were coming for dinner. 

Snow covered junipers

Painted this view of the junipers covered with snow around noon when the light was so strong and bright. Still too cold to paint outdoor and had to paint from the living room window. 

A view of Brandon Cemetery

After a last minute Christmas shopping done at Canadina Tire 

Land of Birches

Also made for the member show this year. Hope it will bring back the memory of the fall season. 

Land of Aspens

This painting was made for the annual member show at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba this year. 

A glimpse out of my doorway in the morning

 Again too cold to paint outside and had to paint through the storm door in the morning.

A night before Christmas Eve

Painted from the window when it was dark outside and all the Christmas lights were on across the street. 

On a bright morning

A window view in the morning painted in a hurry. 

Looking out of Sarah's bedroom window

Hope I have captured the dusky light effect of a winter afternoon when I painted this view out of Sarah's bedroom window.

Looking out from our doorway

A view from our door way. I painted this view sitting on the floor looking through the storm door which was frosted over in 10 minutes.

A corner of our backyard

The dazzling light and color was so impressive. looking out of the kitchen window this is what I saw at noon.

Again out of the bedroom window

Down with the flu and had to stay at home. Yet, pulling up the curtain after waking up I was so attracted to the view outside and painted again at the window.

Another view out of the bedroom window

It looks deceptively warm outside when it was extremely cold in fact. Painted this view again from the bedroom window at lunch time.

When the street light was on

It was dark and cold outside when I looked out of our bedroom window. However, when the street light was on it transformed everything in sight.

Cold and windy sky

Could not resist the temptation to go outside painting this morning. It was so cold with temperature plummeting to minus 31 degree when I started to paint this view on our doorway. Oil paint started to freeze just a few minutes into painting. I had to get back into the house to get some relief from the biting cold !

A special moment

The sun was setting and the moon was rising. Again too cold to go outside and had to paint this view from our living room window. Just a matter of few minutes when the sunlight was completely gone giving way to the evening sky.

A glimpse of our backyard from the window

Just too cold to go outside painting and too running out of time after coming home from work. I simply set up my sketching box on our diner table and painted this view of hedges with snow looking out of the window.

On the bank of Assiniboine River

At Dinsdale Park in Brandon, I painted this view from my car. The river was frozen almost completely except where the dam was. The color of the inky water contrasted quite dramatically with the white snow. It was so quiet there at the moment.

Looking out of Sarah's bedroom

Sarah will be home for Christmas soon! Can not wait to see her again. Looking out of her winter around noon, I just found the view beautiful with the grove of juniper caught in the warm sunlight in front of the hedges , and with the snow starting to accumulate on the red carpet on our patio.

Ode to the season !

I would like to title my collection of winter paintings as Ode to the Season. There is something about the winter season that is both visually exciting and sublime. Each time I see the light and shadow of a winter day I can always feel a burst of joy surging through my heart like a current of electricity translating itself somehow into a sort of visual music full of energy and jubilation often found in Beethoven's symphony. Waking up this morning to be dazzled by the bright light outside I pulled up the bedroom window curtain to paint what I saw.

The shed and hedges

Finally it was not too cold for me to be able to stand outside to paint again. Nevertheless, it was still cold enough to get a frost bite on my fingers. Few minutes into painting this view my brushes started to get stiff and the surface of my painting board started to have a thin coat of ice on it. Still managed to finish this painting before my fingers and nails started to feel numb with cold.

Across the street

Always intrigued by the effect of the light in late afternoon in winter when the house across the street is caught in the path of the receding sunlight. It is just a matter of few minutes before the sudden descend of the advancing shadow of the night. It was cold but sunny when I opened the door and did a quick oil sketch of this view after coming home from work.

Sleepy and snowy Balmoral Bay

Snow flakes were falling gently and silently from the sky blanketing everything in sight and smoothing out footprints and tire tracks on the street. The monotonous fall of the snow seems to have a hypnotizing effect on me whiling I am painting this view in the snow. A year is coming to an end again so fast, and before I know it this particular moment with its body of emotions will again become distant memory. Cherish and savor every moment of your life.

In the warm winter sunlight

I can not have enough of the light effect around noon hours when the sun was pouring its light and everything below seems to have been under its charming spell.

Colors of the winter light

A light overnight snow put a thin coat of snow over the trees and morning light transfigured everything in sight.

A bleak and wintry window view

Sitting at the dinner table before supper, somehow the bleak view from the window caught my eyes. The sunlight was almost gone leaving a desolate impression. Set my easel up on the table I painted up the view in half an hour.

Winter sky at noon

A typical winter sky at noon holds its own special charm. Painted this view from our driveway at about 12 today.

On opening the door on the winter morning

No school today, and I do not have to go to work. Woke up at 9 a.m to be greeted by the view of a quiet morning. Opened the door and painted this quick oil sketch.

Before the decending shadow of the evening

The grove of trees was lit up by the remaining sunlight in the afternoon before the encroaching shadow of the night.

In the path of receding sunlight

The receding sunlight at about 4 p.m. lit up the grove of trees in front of Maureen's house. Hardly had I started the painting before the light vanished from the view throwing everything into dark and cold shadow.

The quiet path

Turning around with my easel I painted this view again. The warm sunny sky was painted against the cool shadow of the hedges along the path.

A warm break in the weather

A beautiful sunny and warm day today. Snow started to melt after lunch. I could feel the warm sunlight beating down my back while I was painting this view of Balmoral Bay.

Against the setting sun

It was sunny again in the afternoon and I went out with my easel again to try to get another painting done before the supper. A few steps away across the street and turning back to view our neighborhood I could not resist the view of grove of trees against the warm sunny sky.

Light and color of a winter morning

Right next to the neighborhood of Cornwallis C resent is a group of houses and apartment buildings subsidized by government. I passed this neighborhood on a daily basis on my way to work. There is nothing really exceptionally beautiful about this area nevertheless the light and color often transfigure what seems to be a mundane view into something visually extraordinary. Half way through the painting the sun disappeared behind the clouds and it suddenly turned windy and cold.

Light and color of a winter afternoon

It was still rather cold when I came back home and painted this view from our driveway. Always intrigued by the light and color of winter afternoon.

Sunrise on a cold winter morning

Do not have to work this morning but got up early nevertheless to try to paint the moment when the sun was rising. It was 20 Celsius below zero when I painted this view on Balmoral Bay on our door step early this morning . It was too cold for me to paint very long and wrapped it up in 30 minutes.

A typical winter afternoon

Always tried to capture the moment when the last sunlight tinged every object and suddenly everything in sight was immersed in the last glow of sunset contrasting dramatically with the cool dark shadow of dusk. Is this the moment? Hope it is and hope I got it.

In the shadow of sunset

I have been painting a stage backdrop for our high school annual production for the past few days which left me with even less time to paint out door. Tonight , The King and I will have its first show for the public and I wish it will be a great success!

In my painting class

I have been teaching an introduction to painting class at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba for three years now. I painted this view of the two students painting on Monday class in the painting studio.

In the twilight

Rushing back to the path between Cornwallis C resent and Balmoral Bay I sketched this view in a hurry before sunlight faded away completely from my sight. What interested me visually was the last spot of light caught on the fence of Mr. Gross's backyard. I wish I had more time.

A quiet corner on Balmoral Bay

Late in the afternoon behind our hedges I tucked myself away with my easel painting this view again for I do not know how many times now. It was bit cloudy but with sunlight seeping through tinging everything in sight.

A dusky sky

Somehow, I tend to listen to more of Rachmaninoff and Chopin at this time of the year. Maybe somehow the mood of the season resonates more the sort of emotions which often find their expressions in the composers' music. The theme from the third movement of Rachmaninof's second Symphony just reverberated in me while I was painting today across the street in the afternoon on Balmoral Bay.

on a rainy and snowy afternoon

Snow melt away and a drizzle of rain came after a warm break in the weather. After coming back home from work, I painted this view of the wooded area next to our driveway on Balmoral Bay. It was dark and gloomy , foreboding a heavy snow fall over the night.

A back alley on Balmoral Bay

Standing in the middle of the back alley on Balmoral bay I painted this bleak view of the alley on cloudy Sunday morning.

A glimpse of our backyard

It was quite late in the afternoon when I looked out of our kitchen window. The dazzling light and color caught my eyes, and I hurried outside and painted this view from our backyard.

Sunshine on a winter morning

Woke up to the first winter morning when the sun was shining and pouring its light through the curtain. I went out with my easel to the front of our house.

Suddely here we are in the winter!

A bit sunlight broke out of the dark clouds in the late afternoon. It was rather exciting to paint my first real winter scene even though it was so cold and windy.

After the first fall of snow

Cold and gloomy when I started to paint this view of our garden after the first fall of snow. I could feel the bite of the teeth of coming winter season.