Balmoral Bay after an overnight shower

Painted this view while the ground was still wet with the overnight rain.

Over the hedges

Sitting on our patio step I painted this view over the hedges in our backyard. Noticed how a familiar view suddenly looked quite different when viewed from different eye level.

Steeped in the morning sunlight

Painted this view of our house when the morning sunlight was pouring in from the east.

Jackfish Creek

Stopped at Jackfish Creek on my way back to Clear Lake and painted this view as my last painting for the day and also for my whole 7 day stay at the beautiful Riding Mountain National Park.

Meadows in bloom

After saying goodbye to Tony Bone who started to pack up an hour later I turned around and painted this view of the meadow in full bloom.

A lone camper on Lake Audy

I drove all the way to paint the view of the lake only to be disappointed by the hazy view that morning but found a lone camper on the shore of the lake, an aboriginal young fellow by the name of Tony Bone from a nearby reserve. I painted a view of him with his tent and car, cooking over a fire pit and feeding a squirrel simultaneously.

From the watching tower of Bison Range

It was a beautiful drive first down south along the spectacular stretch of highway No. 10 and then drove down the north shore road towards Lake Audy and Bison Range. The road was lined up with dense forest of trembling aspens and it was breathtakingly beautiful. As soon as I drove into Bison range all of a sudden I found myself surrounded with dozes of bison.I was never so close to a bison and the experience was so unreal. I painted a panoramic view of the range from the watching tower.

North Shore in the morning

Day 7, July 27 the last day of my stay at Clear Lake
I woke up early in the morning and was on the road soon after 7 a.m. On my way to Lake Audy I stopped at a picnic spot on the north shore of Clear Lake and painted this view when the trees were lit up by the morning sunlight.

Sunset view from the golf course

Went back to the top of the golf course in the evening to paint the sunset view. It was about 9 the sun start to set behind the trees and there was extraordinary serenity engulfing everything in sight. The mosquitoes were so bad I had to finish as soon as possible. Soon it was too dark even to see my canvas.

Looking down on Wasagaming Drive on a busy weekend

Right beside Wasagaming art Center there is the Pizza Hut Place full of customers on the extremely busy weekend with lots of cars along the street stretching as far as eyes could see. It was about 6 p.m. when I fished this painting.

A red cottage nestled in the wood

Came home to the cottage for lunch feeling really tired. While having lunch on the deck a glimpse of the red cottage nestled in the wood caught my eyes and decided to paint it right away.

A view of the Pro Shop

It was really hot when I started to paint Pro Shop at noon with sun light beating down on me.

Morning view from the top of the golf course

Day 6, July 26th
I came back to the same spot and painted this view in the morning from a slightly different angle

A view from the top of the golf course

I drove back to the golf course and viewed Clear Lake from the 9th hole at the top of the course towards sunset.

A view of Deep Bay

I have painted on this location so many times and yet each time I started again I found myself still excited by the view with the light steeping the trees on the shore and the ever changing color of the body of water.

A cottage on Wasagaming Drive

While painting the garden behind the visitor center a lady from Calgary came to commission me for a painting of her cottage right on the lake. Therefore after I finished my first painting for the day I located her beautiful cottage on Wasagaming Drive and finished it before heading for the Deep Bay

An impressive view from the roadside

Day 5, July 25
This is the view that will greet a visitor to the park just after they drove down the slope with the ticket booth in view. I left my car at the entrance to the park and walked over the road side early in the morning at 7 and painted this view. I remember the first sighting of a beaver at this spot after I came to Brandon from China on my first visit to the park 16 years ago.

Ron and Sally's Cottage on Spruce Bay off Timothy Road

I decided to call it for a day by painting Ron and Sally's cottage. Fengping, Sarah made Won ton for supper at the cottage and I wanted to spend some time with them since they had to go back to Brandon after the supper.

The garden behind the Visitor Center

After painting golf course I drove back to the town center area, and found my wife and daughter waiting for me there with David and Ann. It was so nice to see them after staying here alone for four day! I decided to paint this view as requested by the gentleman from Calgary the day before. Two days later I found out that a picture of me painting this garden appeared on Saturday's Brandon Sun Newspaper. I was totally unaware that a Brandon Sun photographer took the picture of me painting that day.

Clear Lake Golf Course

After the first painting I came to the foothill of the golf course and found the beautiful view of the golf course looking up from the side of the road. I found the view was so big that I needed two pieces of 16" b6 20 " canvas for this view. I painted on the first canvas half of the view quickly and then moved on to paint the rest of the view on the second canvas.

The shores of the Lake

Day 4, July 24th.
Woke up to a beautiful sunny morning and decided to go to the area where the Golf course was located but before entering the gate to the gold course I was attracted by the panoramic view of the lake shore and decided to paint it first.

Clear Lake in the rain

It started to rain more heavily when I came to the beach of the lake. The sight of the white sailing boats under a stormy sky was really beautiful. By the time I fished this painting I was almost wet to the skin with the rain.

A quiet path

It was still raining by the time I came back to Wasagaming town to paint this quiet path between the Visitor Center and the office building. A gentleman from Calgary came by seeing me painting, decided to commission me for a painting of the view of the garden behind the Visitor Center for it was there 10 years ago he and his wife had their wedding. He wanted to give this painting to his wife as a present.

Visitors in the rain

By the time I finished my first painting a family from Winkler, Manitoba came to visit at the lake they left their van and went to the lake front with two boys apparently trying to fish there, but it was cold and windy with rain they did not stay long and start to leave. When they saw me painting they wanted to buy this painting from me. I told them I would keep it until the exhibition was over.

Aspen Wood

Day 3, July 23rd
I drove to Lake Katherine on a beautiful road early in the morning. It was rainy and cold but the view was absolutely beautiful with occasional sightings of white tailed deer by the side of the road. I parked my card at the entrance to the lake and found myself facing the wood of aspen. It started to rain which could not stop me. I set up my easel and painted away. There was absolute serenity surrounding me. The only other sound is from the birds and lapping of water against the shore of the lake. There was something about this beautiful place touching me deeply and I almost felt choked with teer.

A Cottage neighbourhood off Timothy Road

Painted this beautiful and tranquil view on Spurce Bay off Timothy road in the late afternoon

A small cottage

After a long day I came back to the cottage and sitting at the picnic table on the deck I was attracted by the view of the small cottage across from me and decided this should be my last painting for the day before having supper.

Wasagaming Community ARt Center

After making a quick phone call to my wife and daughter using the phone at the gallery, I went across the street and painted a view of the art center.

Stepping down to the Deep Bay

Looking up the steep staircase leading to the deep bay I painted the 4th painting on the same location.

A busy day at the Deep Bay

Walking a few steps along the trail I saw lots of tourists coming to the beach for the day, and I painted this view of the Bay as my third painting for the day.

A glimpse of the Deep Bay

Turning my easel around I caught a glimpse of the Deep Bay through the gaps of the trees, and here is my second painting for the day.

The Cabin at the Deep Bay

Day 2, July 22nd
There are a few different names for this log cabin at the Deep Bay, but now it is called Artist cabin for artists who are selected each year as artists in residence in the park. When I was painting this cabin people who passed by automatically assumed that I was the luck artist who was staying in this cabin. I told them I was not that lucky. Day 2 this is my first painting for the day.

A glimpse of the wood

After coming home to Ron and Sally's cottage, and siting on their deck I was attracted by the brilliant light and color the wood was steeped in and painted my 6th painting for the day.

A glimpse of the lake front

Right beside the park office building there is the path leading to the lake front. It was already late in the afternoon, I found myself standing there to try to capture a fleeting moment.

A glimpse of the staff parking lot

Turning my easel around, I saw a grove of aspens in front of the staff parking lot. This is my 4th painting for the day.

Visitors Center

It was already around noon when I started the 3rd painting for the day. I stood right across the street and painted a quick view of the information center.

Another view from the lake front

By just moving my easel around I painted another view of the lake. It was quite hot but really beautiful that morning. This is my second painting of the day

From lake front of Clear Lake

Wasagaming Community Art Center approached me for a solo exhibition last month. Since this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Riding Mountain National Park, I decided right away to create a collection of works solely using the Park as my theme, and since Wasagaming is a Cree word meaning Clear Water I decided to call my exhibition in August Song of Wasagaming. Thanks to Ron and Sally from Brandon this project was made possible. Once they heard about this they generously let me stay at their cottage at the lake for free. July 21st is my first day at the lake. I drove to the lake front painted there. This is my first painting.

A corner of our backyard

It had been raining nonstop for quiet a few hours by the time I set up my easel right under the eave of patio to sketch in oil again the quiet corner where our flowerbed was.

A glimpse of the wood

Did this sketch early in the evening when the last ray of sunlight started to fade away and the trees in the wooded spot beside our house was caught in the glow of sunset.

A view on Cornel Bay

Walked to Cornell Bay close to Crocus Plains High School, to sketch this view in oils because I always wanted to paint from this location each time I walked by on my way to work at Crocus Plains High School in the morning

Adelaide Hoodless soaked in the morning sunlight

No matter how I tried, I just could not capture the dazzling beautiful color of the red roses in our flower bed. Sketched in oils early this morning when the roses were lit up by the morning sunlight.

Reflection on our driveway

Did an oil sketch of our driveway when It was raining quite heavily being attracted by how the driveway surface reflected the houses across the street and a lady walking her dog in the rain.

On a cloudy morning

Cloudy and cold this morning when I did a quick sketch in oil from our driveway.

Evening sky

Did a quick oil sketch around 7 in the evening when the sun was setting and mosquitoes were really bad.

Study of another tree

Sketched another tree in oil in the afternoon.

Study of a tree

Sketched this tree in oil this morning when part of it was lit by the morning sunlight from the east.

Two small watercolor sketches

Sitting on the patio, I did two 5"x7" watercolor sketches today, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Entrance to the backyard

Sketched in oil our neighbor's flowerbed at the entrance to her backyard in the afternoon.