Panoramic Messages

I am very satisfied with this one, completed on location at Lake Louise,using a huge brush. This will become part of a large triptych.

Pochades From Out West

Looking back at Kelowna, I am noticing how humans have made their mark on the beautiful countryside. Clear cutting. Towns. Mines. I'll do a large version of these in the studio. That'll keep me busy til solstice. Not much to say: this trip had quite an introspective effect on me.

Autumn Plein Air Pleasures - Part 2: British Columbia

(Well, better late than never, here is Part Two. I have been busy making art. My poor, neglected blog. But it's such a left brain process to write in here.)

After Niagara, I raced home to tackle Laundry Mountain, in anticipation of heading to some REAL mountains, the Canadian Rockies that is.

After boarding a jumbo jet for Vancouver, we took a small plane into the BC interior. Destination: gorgeous Kelowna. On the Saturday, I photographed Sleddogs on a boat cruise - the 'dogs are always such a blast. Here I am all bundled up and happy, pic by The GOAT, Lloydminster's APD/MD Poncho Parker: (what a great guy, too!)

No, those are not my crutches.

Then off to Lake Louise by car. Painting all the way.

Autumn Plein Air Pleasures - Part 1: Niagara

Hard to believe it is almost the end of September! I have been away for most of it, painting of course. It's good to be home at last, knee deep in new work to be catalogued!

First I headed to Niagara Falls for International Plein Air Painters' World Wide Paint Out.


(All Your Cares... (2006) plein air watercolour by Brandy Kitten Gale)

I must remark on the variety of weather we worked in, the skies on Saturday morning were particularly exciting to render. During the timed "Quick Draw" portion, I was painting alongside a row of others under the bus shelter in the drizzle. As the sun coyly hid and reappeared, some cheered, others booed, for their light was lost! Great fun and camaraderie.

At the lovely reception and awards on Saturday evening at Edgewater we were fortunate that John Stuart Pryce brought along his fabulous sketchbook from his Arctic Quest foray, full of gems. How I would love to work up there someday.

To my delight, I was given the honour and privilege of announcing the recipients of three of the evening's awards; here are IPAP Founder J. Baldini and I, with IPAP newcomer Garin Baker, and the two Founder's Awards winners, whose work I admire greatly - L. Diane Johnson and John Stuart Pryce:



photos by Charles Vanderslys

I was also invited to introduce Niagara Falls Canada Major Ted Salci, however he was called away at the last minute and was not able to MC the event. Niagara Falls New York Mayor Vincent Anello was in attendance for the first time, giving the Paint Out even more International cachet.


Thanks goes to Jacqueline Baldini and crew for another amazing World Wide Paint Out.
Looking forward to next year!

I stayed in Niagara Falls for a couple more days to paint, and raced home to prepare for going out West. On Sunday, by serendipitous chance in the Botanical Gardens, our group ran into Robert Amirault and Sam Paonessa, who also had also decided to stay on. Seems Niagara is addictive!


(Sam at work in Niagara's Botanical Gardens and Horticulture School. Photo by Brandy Gale)


PART 2 coming up. British Columbia, and then Lake Louise!

New Web Site

September is here, along with the exciting autumn painting season. The leaves are starting to change, and I have made some changes myself!

After many hours of effort, I am pleased to announce my brand new web site, Brandy Gale - Alla Prima and Plein Air Paintings

It's all part of a focus to stay up to date with function and design, and to make my web presence more of an asset to my pursuits as a plein air artist. Allaprima.ca shall forward to this URL now, and singlemaltcove.com and kittengale.com have been redesigned to complement brandykittengale.com's focus on plein air painting.

I gratefully acknowledge the valuable website consulting assistance of Artist Marketing Coach Alyson B. Stanfield, of Stanfield Art Associates, Inc.. Also, many thanks to Paula Lohmeier for her long-distance help with editing and fine-tuning the copy and links yesterday.

I hope visitors will enjoy the new site. Off to prepare for guests for the long weekend. Yippee!

Plein Air Painting Schedule, 2006 - 2007

My upcoming painting trips include:

August 2006: Prince Edward County, Canada

September 7 - 11, 2006: Niagara Falls

September 14 - 15, 2006: Kelowna, BC and the Okanagan area

September 16, 2006: Salmon Arm, BC

September 18 - 20, 2006: Lake Louise, Alberta

September 21, 2006: Banff, AB

October 11 - 16, 2006: Thousand Islands, ON

December, 2006: Scottsdale, AZ: Sedona, AZ, Utah

January 1 - 3, 2007: Laguna Beach, California

January 14 - 18, 2007: Lake Louise, AB

March 7 - 10, 2007: Toronto, ON (CMW 2007, media photographer)

March 11 - 17, 2007: Barbados WI

May 2 - 6, 2007: Vancouver BC and environs

A trip to Europe (Bavaria, Austria, Italy) is planned for Summer 2007.

___

A big thank you to my friends, family, fellow artists and treasured clients very much for their continued support!

Keeping With The Theme...

Willow Tree (2006)

Path for Janis (2006)

Brushstroke details...





These two are smaller, 9x12 inches Belgian Linen on hardboard. The background is Cadmium Orange this time. It gives a far softer effect than the red.

Darks dried good 'n moody... which is a positive thing. While the area is quite pretty - lots of August perennials, etc., I've attempted to also capture the undercurrent of darkness that exists in these woods.

More Red Ground!

Yesterday's unfinished effort: a sundail on a tree stump in my yard. 16x20 inches, acrylic on stretched canvas.

This red ground technique has me so stoked. Couldn't resist trying it again. Here is my contour drawing, using vine charcoal on the prepared red ground:



I called it quits as I began to lose my lighting, which indeed can get frustrating. I will simply return today when the dial is at the right "time"!

Painting From Life

Painting From Life
As a diehard watercolourist, I have not attempted an acrylic or oil plein air, but Larry Seiler's recent blog posts about Gruppe and complementary palettes inspired me to do one yesterday afternoon down by the meadow entrance. It is acrylic on stretched canvas, 16x20. The undertone I gave it was red red red! I tell you, I really enjoyed painting greens and blues on top of that hot red. It just vibrated! Thanks for the illumination, L!

Massachusetts Whirlwind

Bobby and I went on a last minute business trip to Cambridge Massachusetts last weekend. We were able to get a great internet deal on a room at Hotel Marlowe - I recommend the place completely. Late Saturday aft, we had time to meet up with equine artist Helen Scanlon and her husband Steve. Helen and I have maintained an online relationship for some time. It was just like picking up on a conversation that we started online. Lots of laughter and art talk! We met up at The Museum of Science. We saw the poster for Body Worlds and decided to go see that exhibit.

Body Worlds was tastefully done for the most part, and there was no covering up of nudity – one saw everything the human body has to display. My favourite display was “The Yoga Lady”, a woman who had done yoga all her life. No spring chicken, her eyebrows were gray, but her body was flexible and toned, with no evidence of arthritis, etc. Made me want to take up yoga! Also part of the display were organs – lots of them. Healthy versus not. It was an eye opener to see in 3D what coal and smoke really does to lungs. Photos were not allowed, but you can read about it here. I do wish I had brought a sketchbook with me. What a life drawing experience it would have been!

After this experience, we were definitely hungry for some fava beans and a fine Chianti, so we headed to an Italian restaurant nearby and gorged ourselves on LOBSTER RAVIOLI... Papa Razzi was the restaurant’s name, so we acted accordingly:


(photo: Steve Scanlon)


As the sun set, we bid them farewell, and headed off to our business event. We drove the long haul back to Canada the next morning. What a fantastic place Massachusetts is - we both kept saying we must make a trip back someday to explore the area further. So many galleries and bookstores in Cambridge alone! I was drooling as we drove past gallery after gallery on our way out of town, wishing we could have afforded another day, and time for me to paint.

3 New Plein Air Works from The Cove

Tandem Tree, watercolour, 5.25" x 11", Arches Hot Pressed



















Sails on the Reach 2, watercolour, 10" x 14", Arches Hot Pressed
















Birch Swirl, watercolour, 8" x 10", Multimedia ArtBoard

Niagara Falls IPAP 2006 Worldwide Paint-Out

From the Executive Director of International Plein Air Painters:

______**______**__________
We are happy to announce the Niagara Paint Out is now being sponsored for the first time by sister cities
Niagara Falls, New York
and
Niagara Falls, Canada


International Plein Air Painters is a Worldwide Organization of artists dedicated to the advancement and appreciation of plein air painting without restrictions of borders or region.

For more info http://www.i-p-a-p.com

Please join us in our fourth "WORLDWIDE" Paint Out in Niagara Falls, Ontario, IPAP Headquarters scheduled for Sept. 8-9, 2006
http://www.ipap.homestead.com/niagara.html


The new IPAP Awards and Merchandise Designs are finished...
You can order stuff as participants or organizers like T's, buttons,hats,bags,etc.
Black T shirts this year !
Be part of the big picture and show thw world you're a plein air painter.

Show organizers:
We've done the work for you
Order your buttons for award rosettes,
framed tiles,mugs,posters,lots more...
Just go to http://www.cafepress.com/button9
and you can access all from that one page

http://www.ipap.homestead.com/membership.html
J.Baldini, IPAP Executive
Director

We also have some IPAP members attending for the first time
L.Diane Johnson
Linda Richichi
Karl Eric Leitzel

as well as all time supporting members
Jerry Markham
Brandy Gale
John Pryce

Also joining us in Niagara Falls are
Carol Allmen
Bill and Marnie Brehm
Jessie Grant
Debi Harwick
Kath Schifano
and Ann Walsh



We thank you for passing on this announcement to other artists and groups

__._,_.___
plein_aire group site
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/plein_aire
OFFICIAL PUBLIC WEBSITE http://i-p-a-p.com

PLEIN AIR WORKSHOPS http://artworkshops.homestead.com

Aug. 14-15, 2006 Niagara Falls, Canada
Sept.10-11, 2006 Niagara Falls, Ontario
Sept.17-24, 2006 Acadia/Mt Desert, Maine
Jan. 9-11, 2007 St. Lucia, West Indies
May 20-21, 2007 Niagara Falls, Ontario
July 16-20, 2007 Monhegan Island, Maine

Two Sunsets on Rough

Two "sunset over the treetops" watercolour studies, on Arches Rough Pressed. I don't normally care to paint sunsets, cliche and all that, but one night in late July was too full of colour to resist. Had to paint FAST!!! Fast begets expression, no?

Call for Artists

Hey fellow artists and fans of plein air painting - please join us for the fourth annual "WORLDWIDE" Paint Out in Niagara Falls, Ontario! (I'll be there with bells on.)

Plein air artists from around the planet will be painting the Niagara Falls environs - Sept. 8-9, 2006 - with reception/awards to follow, and a show open to the public. (location TBA) Click here for more info, to download the prospectus, and/or to register:

Niagara Prospectus

Volunteers and advertisers are also needed to assist artists and organizers. Contact us if you are able to help!

Can't make it to Niagara? Then register to paint on location anywhere in the world on those dates to be a part of the event! Hosted by International Plein Air Painters, this event is happening simultaneously in many international locations. You can join IPAP or learn more about the group and see some of the many events happening posted on the website link below:

International Plein Air Painters

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Composition in Red and Blue

Two intensely blue dragonflies on the Glenora Ferry. The background is a red sportscar.
I've been painting outdoors for three days, too. Hope to get the results up here at some point. SOOO freaking busy.

Die Mannequin

Die Mannequin in a VERRRY tight space, filled to capacity. I had to crawl on hands and knees to get these shots. Well worth it methinks. Isn't she yummy?

See the rest here - click meee...

More Sleddogs!

Snapped the 'dogs in Kingston, Ontario, aboard the Island Queen.
1. No, that is not seasickness that made it so psychedelic, I simply used the sharp filter and moved with the action as I took the shot. 3rd pic Eric, Michael and Kenny at the aftershow show, at The Merchant. Lots more at the Sleddogs' web site.

Alexisonfire at Scene Fest, St Catharines

This was fun! Photos of Alexisonfire, at Scene Fest, Market Square stage, last weekend. As the sun set, the images I made for them grew more intense.












Lots more:CLICKY HERE

Perennial Spring

The weather has been unbearably hot and sticky here at The Cove, but my garden loves it. A few macros for you!

Yellow Poppy



A Columbine. I cannot believe I actually grew this beautiful thing.



Crispy black ant on a Rhubarb Bloom



On the iPod, French electronica artist Sebastian Schuller. Highly recommended by Daniel, a very kind online pal at Wet Canvas!

The Bottle Rockets!

A very cool friend, Patty in Chicago (aka Hot Rod Girl), gave me the heads up that her beloved Bottle Rockets were playing last night in Toronto. So after attending Zoë Bentley's very enjoyable CD release party at Revival, I high-tailed it over to Lee's Palace to catch some of their set before the loooong drive back to Quinte Isle. WOW, was it worth it! They actually sold out of Zoysia CDs at the show, before the set was finished. Highly recommended. Tons of character, great twang.

Zoe Bentley at Revival, Toronto

Zoë Bentley sounds and even looks a bit like Sheryl Crow. Writes her own material, too. Excellent pipes, for sure. My quirky visions from her CD release party include:

Lots more here!

ABC and Martin Fry in Montreal

Greetings from Hotel Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in Montreal! I am here to see & shoot British New Romantic band ABC. Wheee! I wore my circa 1982 winklepickers and a tight leopard print t-shirt material rusched dress. What a band, and what a night! Met the cutest flight attendant, too - Hi Camille! - we went to a nightclub afterwards with them and danced til 4am. Camille is a fantastic dancer!

Martin Fry looked hunky as ever in a gorgeous silk suit. Drummer David Palmer (who joined ABC in 1982) is playing on the tour. He is the percussionist for Rod Stewart as well. What a NICE guy, too! Fabulous show.

Lots more here. Enjoy!