Progress on Leduc Grain Elevator

Here's stage 2 of the Leduc Grain Elevator painting. I've added in a sky base and will later add the clouds. I've worked more on the track details, and I've started adding in the buildings across the road from the elevator. I've also added more detail to the rocks that the tracks lay on.

As this dries up a bit (oil paint takes quite a long time to dry), I've been busy drawing preliminary sketches for two others in the Leduc series - a night scene downtown, and two boys playing at the skate park.

I was in Butterfly Boutique - a local clothing store - the other day and the owner has several old photographs of his store in the early 1900s. The only visible change to the outside has been new doors and the Butterfly Boutique sign. If you can believe it, the store, which is not considered large by today's standards, was a Safeway store way back then.

With little change in the outside appearance, it wouldn't be that difficult to paint it today, as it was then. Perhaps in the future this will lead to another Leduc series of historic scenes - who knows?

There'll never be enough time in my life to paint everything I want to - I'm sure all other artists can relate - but while I'm still here, I'll be trying hard to record everything I can on canvas. I often feel like I've won the lotto - I am able to paint to my heart's content, and I have been graced with the ability to do it. That's a huge jackpot for me!