"old PE steam"

In South Africa (on the beach in Port Elizabeth in fact) we came across this rusty old steam locomotive and I painted what I think is one of my finest. I like the style which is loose and juicy yet it conveys accuracy and personality. Yes. My original is available, I do PP so write to me for details.

"Government House 2017" urban sketch

Government House portal. It survived a fire many years ago while the rest of the building burnt down.............................................................................................. I love urban sketching - it's loose and impressionistic, not at all your formal painting............................................................................................................ Look again at the doorway - is that red-brown light the warmth of the inner sanctum, or can it be a group of red-robed religious men with hands clasped in fervour?.................................. What do you see?

"Faith" oil 9x12

Faith The movie "Loving Vincent" influenced me a great deal. I was amazed at the brush strokes made by the 100 artists who painted each frame by hand - although I think that no one can really match a Van Gogh brush stroke. When you see a Van Gogh stroke you know who owns it. Nevertheless, the film is indeed great. My painting is of the interior of the Anglican cathedral in Victoria BC.

"Sailpast" sketch

SAILPAST Mother and her juniors come sailing past the officiating officer. I actually saw this.

Megan en route - pastel 10x12

Many people prefer skill-and-realism (my family mostly) but I am of the sketch-and-flourish school - witness my pastel of Megan catching the ferry a few years ago. When it says what it is, I stop.

Sketch on Cheerios Box

I sketch on the back of a cereal box because it's nothing - no sweat if it doesn't turn out right, throw it away, there's no expense to speak of.

Besides, the cardboard is great for working on, it's semi gloss, and takes the Conté pencil very well, it doesn't like erasing though...try it.

"Peonies" oil 6x8

I had no idea that peonies were so big until I saw my first growing on a tree at Finnerty Gardens in Victoria BC.

"Trio VW" w/c 6x8

My thanks to the VWers of Southern Vancouver Island for bringing their Volkswagens to the Peter Beltgens memorial function at Island Beach. Nicole and Steven arranged this fund raiser in Peter's name for the benefit of the Heart and Stroke foundation. It also gave me a wonderful chance to paint these classics as an urban sketch.

"Sun Top VW" oil 8x10

Summer brings out the exotic and the classic - and with the top down one can feel the breeze and hear the birds in the trees. See this in Instagram - search for RONJBW

"Harbour Ferry" traditional hull, oil 11x14

Here in Victoria BC we are familiar with the cute OVAL-shaped ferries but a few TRAD-looking ones can be found at the Swift Street dock of the Victoria Harbour Ferries headquarters. Oil 11x14 painted on location. The owner gave me special permission to come and paint on the otherwise locked dock!

Canadian Whisky Painters" w/c 4x6

We have a local artist group called Whisky Painters of Canada - I think you can see it on Google. Anyway, we did indeed dip our brushes into our watercolour water laced with whisky (usually an accidental action) and we had a sip from a hip flask to seal the deal. So you are looking at a painting made with whisky water. Genuine.

"VW three" 6x8 w/c

VW owners are justly proud of their vehicles. More and more we are seeing these beauties on our roads, I myself had a Beetle and later a VW Bus which we what we called a KOMBI in South Africa. Functional, clean, I enjoyed mine.

"Dinghy - Oak Bay Marina" acrylic 6x8

Local artists enjoy painting the tenders on the small beach at the Oak Bay Marina. This dinghy seems to have gathered a pool of rain over some time but it still looks serviceable to me. Yachties come ashore and take the bus to town to shop for supplies.

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Tennis Madrid 2017

Sketching from the TV is good exercise in swiftness and bravado. Tennis season is upon us. Nadal versus art, and urban sketching won in straight sets!

"Mount Baker - late afternoon" oil 11x14

We artists on Vancouver Island live about 75 miles from Mount Baker on the mainland, and we paint it often. Known by it's local name, Kulshan, she stands like a beacon in the Pacific Northwest.

I think the mountain is more than a geographical phenomenon - I'm sure she impacts us in many ways, some of them undefinable.

"Mount Doug Path" oil 8x10

Many times have we Alfs painted at Mount Douglas, mostly the beach. This time I went to the end of the car park, where the trail starts North and painted this shady path which leads to a clearing. I used my bold big brush and got it done within the hour. It's good to be out painting en plein air again.

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"Craigdarroch Castle" 6x8 oil

Travelling by car I spied this scene and when we got home I quickly drew it in my sketch book. Then remembering the vivid fall colours, I painted this impression.

The fact that the image came through the whole mental process means that we artists can capture certain scenes and paint them later.

Craigdarroch Castle of Victoria BC and the Olympic mountains of washington State.

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"Glass of Flowers" w/c 3.5 x 4.5

Flowers in a glass makes a charming arrangement. It's a very loose and juicy mix of hyacinths and daffodils. I have been working (playing) with this theme for the recent couple of days. Keeping them small and light.

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"Spring Flowers" 3.5 x 7 w/c

Whisky painters absent-mindedly dip their w/c brushes into their tipple. I am one such person. Anyway, the paper seems to enjoy it.

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"Dafs and Hyacinths" pastel 9x9

Daffodils have special meanings for many of us - here on the island many dafs are grown domestically AND commercially. The hyacinths smell so heavenly. I had fun with pastels and aimed for a simple yet expressive rendering.

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"My Getaway Farm" oil 11x14

For those who love a getaway place near to town but in the country, safe and secure. Press the image for a bigger view.

"Crystal Cove" watercolor 5.5 x 8.5

Now a watercolor version of a favourite beach near Tofino on Vancouver Island.

"Chestnut, the brown horse" acrylic 8x10

It's an absolute JOY when your painting turns out the way you want! Surprised? Not really, they sometimes get away from you even though you're in charge.

I love this style of painting - sort of impressionist, it's my home style even though I enjoy realism too.

I photographed this Chestnut on Island View Beach on Vancouver Island. If you recognize this mare please alert the owners, It'll be great if they can see this work too.

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"Three-barn Farm" pastel 7x10

Ah the cleanliness and whimsy of pastel... The Three-barn Farm is kinda mid-island here on Vancouver Island. I love the layers of greenery and the shades of the ploughed field as the land slowly emerges from the depths of winter. Wonderful Nature at her best for this enthusiast.

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"The Beacon in the Mohave Desert" w/c crayons and pencils

Still in the Mohave Desert, this is the Beacon above Bullhead City on the famous Route 66. It was so hot all those years ago that I had to go out early in the morning, and by 8am it was too much for me so I headed back to Joy Lane, Bullhead and air conditioning.

I used the new watercolour crayons, picked out with watercolour pencils.

"Black Cat Saloon" oil 6x8

I should write an eBook about the saloon. Maybe another time. Painted in monochrome as an exercise how to get 5 values using one hue.

Twenty-odd years ago my son Tim helped Frank and Lorna Sanford build a saloon on their desert property some 75 miles from Las Vegas.

No water or electricity but Tim and the Dominguez brothers cheerfully built Lorna's saloon using four-by-eight sheets of plywood.

Of course I loved painting the desert, being careful not to disturb the rattlers under the creosote bushes sheltering from the heat. When we went walking Frank carried a shotgun.

Fortunately he didn't have a problem 'cos the critters knew how to stay out of the way.

I did oils and watercolors, many of them sold but now I have the red 6x8 study that you see above.

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"Russian Girl" oil 6x8

Russian Girl in monochromatic orange-red. A profile and a pensive mood.

The brush is one of those very soft Langnickel Royal sable brushes, one can only just caress the canvas with them. Nice and romantic I think.

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Roger, the Aussie Championships 2017

What a magnificent match between Rafa and Roger. Five sets. Wow! I sketched this quick impression in the few minutes the Fed was making his winner's speech at the end of the match.

"Pensive" under 6x8 inches

Moments of my immediate family who are unaware that they're being observed are special - obviously I share the finished painting with them so's they are party to it being displayed. These days I have taken to truncate my images for the sake of simplicity and visual impact.

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