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Play in Progress 

Here are some progress shots of the painting that I'm currently playing on (I don't call it "work in progress" because it's too much fun to create). The most recent shots are at the beginning, so just scroll to see how the painting came together. Click on the image to see a larger version.

SECRETS OF THE SEA CAVE

I've painted a lot of boats inside bottles over the years, and a long while back, it occurred to me that it would be neat to paint a shipwreck inside a bootle that was filled with water. The only thing I couldn't decide upon was what kind of background to use. That question was answered in the summer of 2024 when I visited "The Ovens" in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, a place famous for its gorgeous underwater caves. One such cave is accessed by a set of steps carved into the rocks themselves. It was perfect for the Pirate theme I was going for! I immediately composed the scene roughly - the idea being that the bottle would be seated on a chest with the cave opening and the stone staircase visible in the background. When I shared this idea online, someone suggested that I should include an octopus and I thought it was a fabulous idea, especially if I could have the tentacles visible wrapped around the bottle and distorted by the water. I nicknamed the Octopus "Otta". This is her biography...

WHARFSIDE REFLECTIONS

This painting is based on a picture of a foggy Nova Scotian fishing wharf that I took on Canada day 2023. The title is a nod to my previous painting "Dockside Reflections" because the theme is so similar: namely, that the dock in the foreground is reflected in the water and the background fades away in the mist.

LIGHTING IN A BOTTLE

I've been very much enjoying painting boats inside bottles over the last few years, so I'm going to shake things up and paint a lighthouse inside the bottle this time! The fabulous background is from a trip to Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy.

VOYAGEUR SPIRITS

We're joining this show already in progress! I've been doing a lousy job keeping this page up to date so here's a current progress image of my latest boat in a bottle painting, this time a voyageur canoe with passengers against the background of Burleigh Falls.