Saskatchewan
The road is lined with multitudes of wild flowers - a riot of colour blowing in the breeze. This is a very different Saskatchewan than I typically conjure up when thinking of Saskatchewan landscapes. I think that is probably one of the reasons I fell in love with this image. Big sky, strong winds and wild flowers. Carol
This piece has been a long time in the making! I fell in love with the plaque the minute I saw it and knew it would be my piece of inspiration for km 5250. It cannot be seen as one whips by, busy going from here to there. One must have to leave the road and spend some time at a roadside picnic park. I wanted this to be read and for people to be amazed by the tenacity and bravery of the men, women, and children that packed their belongings into a wagon in order to find a new life in the west. Alison
One of the major things that keeps us on road and going is gas. Normally I wouldn't consider painting a picture of a gas station all that inspiring until I saw this one at sunset. The muted colours and the artificial lighting reminded me of Edward Hopper's "Night Hawks". The glowing, almost fluorescent sky was a challenge to paint. Underneath this sky are about 15 'other' skies that didn't measure up to what I wanted and were painted over - again and again. I almost gave up on it, but I am glad I didn't. Petro-Canada stations are a familiar site across the country so it just seemed fitting that the gas station I painted can be found anywhere along the route. Carol
The Trans Canada highway goes through the city of Regina. I have to admit, our stop is in the midst of malls and traffic lights, but the flowerpots brought a taste of nature to that concrete strip. Having driven for two hours through breathtaking nature to get there, I was happy to find them. As they were my inspiration, I took liberties with my background leaving things out that I thought distracted from my focus. Alison
The high contrast between the water reflecting the white-blue of the sky and the dark reeds and grasses along the edge of the pond by the roadside captured my attention. I only used a 1” brush to paint the entire painting so that the loose patches of colours and the gesture marks of the brushwork would be retained. This was one of my favourite images to have painted! I absolutely love the cattle ranches and grasslands of this part of Saskatchewan. Carol
I love cows. All those who work with them do not always understand where this attraction comes from, but as I was not brought up with them, I SIMPLY LOVE THEM! All the opportunities are good to paint them. I immediately loved this bull, alone, in the midst of this immense space. It looked like a "king" dominating his kingdom. The man for the job! Proud lord of his lands! Alison
Late summer is such a glorious time of year, especially with the long afternoons of golden light illuminating ripe grain fields to their best advantage. The prairies are so vast and full of light and colour – an artist’s dream to paint especially just after the crops sprout or are ready to be harvested. I tried to capture the immense sky and huge patches of endless colours floating to the horizon. Carol
Driving the Trans-Canada in the prairies, as anyone who lives here knows, there are miles and miles and MILES of straight road, fields as far as the eye can see and wood posts with wire wrapped around them. Gull Lake offered a lot of inspiration - it was hard to choose, but this held my attention because it is so.......... Saskatchewan! Alison