the Gingerbread House

Salt Spring Island

Just back from Salt Spring...had a fabulous time...did a few paintings...went to the apple festival...check out my photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/raysyrja

WATERCOLOUR CANVAS

Nephews, Owen & Sterling

The Edmonton Blues Festival was Woogie, Woogie, Boogie!!!

Water Features (Men's Golf Tournament Commission)

Golf Course Paintings (Men's Golf Tournament Commission)

4 Florals (Men's Golf Tournament Commission)

Jasper Sketching Group for July 6, 2008

The Jasper Sketching Group

will be meeting at

Pyramid Island

on July 6

at 1 pm

Jasper Sketching Group for June 22, 2008

The Jasper Sketching Group has been on hiatus for a couple of sessions.

It resumes on

June 22, 2008

1 pm

the location will be at

the rest area on the Highway 16 east

across from the Palisades Training Centre.

anyone need a ride?

contact: Alan 852-4025

Ray will be at the Cirque du Soleil show

in Edmonton "Saltibanco"

Coco's Cafe Art Show May 5th to June 30th

Snowdome 22"x 30" watercolour $3000

In The Hall Of The Gods watercolour 22"x30" $5000

Wilcox Pass watercolour 11"x 15" $395

Winter Solstice watercolour 22"x 30" $3000

Morning Has Broken watercolour 22"x 30" $3000

Mt. Dromore & Lac Beauvert watercolour 22"x 30" $3000

Pyramid Mtn. Sunrise watercolour 11"x 15" $395

Roche Noir & Patricia Lake watercolour 22"x 30" $3000

September Serenity watercolour 22"x 30" $3000

Jasper Sketching Group for May 11, 2008

The Jasper Sketching Group

is meeting at

the parking lot outside of

Tekarra Lodge

near the Miette Bridge

at 1 pm

Sunday, May 11

ART SHOW AT COCO'S

Jasper Sketching Group for April 27, 2008

The sketching location for

Sunday April 27, 2008

at 1 PM

is Old Fort Point

Jasper Sketching Group for April 13, 2008

The Sketching Location

for April 13, 2008

at 1 PM

is Pyramid Island.

Springtime in the Rockies

the group

the view

& Wendy's sketch

Drawing Wokshop: A Great Turnout

Jasper Sketching Group for 2008

We're back!!!

March 30, 2008

1 PM

everyone welcome!

meet at the pullout on the river side,

on Highway 16 east,

between the Cemetary and the JPL bridge.

Watercolour Workshop a Success!

concentration

the young ladies

Tara, gathering chi.

Painting & Drawing Workshops

Roche Noir -full sheet painting series

Just finished!

Roche Noir is a 22" x 30" watercolour painting.

$3,000

Mayan Riviera Vacation

I didn't do a lot of sketching on vacation ( 2 weeks at the Grand Sirenis near Akumal) just a few very quick ones. I was very impressed with the Mayan culture. I've posted vacation photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/raysyrja

our beach

small ruin

the coffee bar

Joyous Solstice

Solstice Sunset 22" x 30" watercolour $3,000

Slipping Into Subconsciousness

These are the beginnings

of an acrylic on canvas series
"slipping into subconsciousness."

Clairvoyance Spell

12"x 24" acrylic on canvas

Power Spell
16" x 20" acrylic on canvas

Energy Spell
16" x 20" acrylic on canvas

Mens' Mountain Golf Classic Commission

These are the 20 watercolours I was

commissioned to paint as prizes

for the Golf Tournament.

Just Finished

Mt. Dromore 22"x 30" $3000

This image looks across Lac Beauvert

to the Jasper Park Lodge golf course

with Mt. Dromore in the background.

I'm pleased with this image,

Fall colours & a dusting of fresh snow on the mountains,

cool nights & warm afternoons

makes the landscapes in September

emotionally overwhelming.

Jasper Sketching Group for September 2, 2007

The next session will be on

Sunday, September 2, 2007

at 1 pm

at the turnout by the Athabasca River

on Highway 16 East of town

just before the Moberly (JPL) bridge.

Everyone is welcome!

Bruce & Greg, working diligently along the Athabasca River,

despite the intermittent light rain.

Jasper Sketching Group for August 19, 2007

The Jasper Sketching Group

will miss the long weekend

and reconvene on August 19, 2007

at 1 pm

at the Tekarra Lodge parking lot.

Everyone is welcome.

*

Thank you to Paul Bennet

for the use of his cabin,

his hospitality

and great fruit cocktail cake!

Paul's cabin

the view

Greg in deep concentration.

& the resulting sketch... amazing!

Jasper Sketching Group for July 22, 2007

The next sketching session is at

1:00 pm

July 22, 2007

at Paul Bennet's cabin

#49 Lake Edith

turn left on Lake Edith Road & follow it around the lake to its end.

Lucky us!

Alans' composition of Mt. Dromore from The Pond.

Jasper Sketching Group for July 8, 2007

The next sketching session is at

1:00 pm

July 8, 2007

at The Pond/ Old Free Camp

(between Highway 16 & Old Fort Point Road)

-this is my interpretation of the view from Alpine Village

Greg, Alan & Jack critique Alan's setup

Jasper Sketching Group for June 24, 2007

June 24, 2007

new time 1:00 pm

at the Alpine Village

our last location at the Miette River,

high water & Spring greens

The Mountain Golf Classic Commission

A Rose by any Other Color

I just finished this. It's part of a commission for 18 quarter sheets to be given as prizes in the Mountain Golf Classic invitational tournament. The commission rotates through local artists. They are also purchasing stone carvings & stained glass works. It's great to see an organization like this supporting local art.

JASPER SKETCHING GROUP

The next sketching session is

June 10, 2007

10:30 AM

at the first bridge

over the Miette River

on Highway 16 West

just west of the

Highway 16 & 93 intersection

The May 27 session was rained out

so we went to Mt. Robson,

where the weather was great.

Norene Carr had graciously invited

JAG members to visit her cabin,

partake of a delicious lunch,

paint & have a fabulous time.

Which we did, con brio!

Thank you so much Norene.

the view of Mt. Robson from the beaver pond

Claude & Barb working, on the cabin deck

Norene working hard

Pamela working easy

Alan & Greg working quickly

THE JASPER SKETCHING GROUP

The next sketching session is

Sunday, May 27, 2007

10:30 AM

across from Robinsons IGA

Alan & Wendy sketching Mt.Tekarra

on a sunny Sunday morning.

SKETCHING GROUP

Well, Alan and I lasted about an hour; then we were snowed out! The snow accumulated on my sketch book, which made smudge shading a little difficult.

Old Fort Point

The next session is

May 13, 10:30 AM

meet at the bridge over the Miette River

just south of Highway 93 & 16 intersection.

WATERCOLOUR WORKSHOP: APRIL 13 & 14, 2007

with Alan Butler & Ray Syrja

this is our annual workshop for the

Jasper Artists Guild.

"Peony"

is an image I worked up for the workshop.

BALI

Marsha & Me

in Bali

for 3 weeks in February.

A highlight was joining with a thousand villagers

in the interior of Bali to witness

a Brahmin Caste Cremation Ceremony

more photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/raysyrja

PORTRAITS

This is a protrait of my brother, Wayne

for his 60th Birthday, January 9.

This is a portrait of my brother-in-law, Blair

for his 50th birthday, December 21.

"In Memorial" for Landree.

Portraits are the most difficult subjects for watercolour;

flattering yet real.

Most of us see ourselves in a very deluded manner.

We live in delusion.

We can't help it.

We are born that way.

As Good As I Get

In The Hall Of The Gods 22"x30" watercolour $5000

The subtle colours and the drama in the sky are not fully apparent in this photo.

Everything worked in this painting. It is my masterpiece in watercolours.

The Hall of the Gods is located at the far end of Maligne Lake.

It is a magical place.

TUKTU PRAYERS

Invoke, Appeal and Pray.

3 feet x 2 feet x 1.5 feet sculpture

This is my contibution
to a herd of Caribou artwork
which will soon be migrating
through various art galleries and venues
across the country from Ottawa to Jasper,
celebrating Jasper National Park's Centennial.
.

In 2007 Jasper National Park will celebrate its Centennial. To honour the Park and its natural biodiversity a collection of artwork has been assembled, theme Caribou. The Woodland Caribou herds in Jasper have declined in the last 100 years and the hope is that this traveling exhibition will not only celebrate the centenary of the Park but also educate Canadians about National Parks and the need to keep these places wild.
As such the exhibition has been called Tuktu Prayers – Tuktu is Inuit for Caribou and the prayer is that Caribou will continue to be part of wild Canada for the centuries to come.

www.dreamersanddoers.ca/tuktu_prayers.htm

.

My version of the Tuktu Prayer is a family prayer.

The father's hands reach up to invoke.

The child's hands reach out to appeal.

The mother's hands press together to pray.

The Fall Colours Continue

"September Serenity" 22"x30" Watercolour $2000

This view looks south across Pyramid Lake towards Mt. Edith Cavell. (Edith Cavell was a nurse in Belgium who was captured and executed for assisting Allied soldiers escape to nuetral territory.)

The reflections here, on a perfectly calm day, are darker than the original image because the local colour of the deep water is very dark.

The reflecting surface of the lake is at a right angle to the view, so that, the reflection is not simply an upside down copy of view. This is illustrated where you can see the inside the canoe, the paddlers and the small child in the middle; but in the reflection, you can only see the heads of the paddlers.

The very slight wave roll gives the reflection of the mountain profile a wavy or broken edge.

The paddling and motion of the canoe leaves a riffled wedge trailing the canoe which reflects the sky colour.

"Stay Calm,

Be Brave

& Watch for the Signs."

-Dead Dog Cafe, CBC Radio

The Best Year Ever

I know how destructive global warming is, but, Jasper has experience the warmest most pleasant Spring, Summer & Fall ever! (I was born in Jasper).

Pyramid Mountain, Pyramid Lake, Pyramid Island & Pyramid Bridge

22"x30" Original Watercolour on 140 Arches Paper

$2000

The light areas in the water are where wind riffles break up the surface and reflect sky color. The calm areas mirror the background. A light strip is formed at the far shoreline caused by a lower viewing angle showing the sky color reflected from the tops of the wave action. The Fall colors have been pushed a little.

Art is a pigment of the imagination.