Category: Inspiration

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Ballpark Bull

A common refrain around here is, “Sorry I’m late, got stopped by the train.”

Well, from time to time, though not nearly as often, you can substitute elk for train.

For a lot of Bow Valley locals, elk are just part of the landscape. Their poop is everywhere, even though it’s hit or miss whether you actually see them. You can walk by a forested area a dozen times before realizing there’s a whole herd in there, dozing their day away.

What, they’re supposed to go to work or something?

It’s comical when a herd of elk crosses a major street during a morning commute and everybody has to wait until they decide to move on, realizing that nobody sees this in Toronto.

But they can also be dangerous and unpredictable, especially during calving and rutting season. So as much as I’d love to get up close and personal with them for reference photos, I’ve seen what can happen when you do.

If you’ve ever seen a bull elk charge a parked car, you soon realize that the insurance claim is nothing compared to what an animal with that size and power, with or without the antlers, could do to a person. The cows are just as dangerous.

Most locals have had the experience of telling a tourist trying to get a selfie with a wild animal that “you are way too close,” only to be told in less than family-friendly terms to “mind your own business.”

But every once in a while, a photo opportunity presents itself with sufficient guardrails in place to make it a magical experience.

While out for a chilly bike ride yesterday, both for exercise and on the lookout for wildlife, I came across some cows (that’s female elk) lying down in the trees right next to a paved trail beside the Bow River. People politely warned each other as they passed, especially if they had a dog.

“Hey, just so you know, there’s some elk in the trees on the right side up there.”

I both warned a couple of people and was warned myself. But the elk seemed comfortable and didn’t appear to care that people were passing by. I took a couple of quick snapshots from my bike, but nothing remarkable or worth keeping for reference.

On my route back, I peered down the riverbank and saw an unmistakable herd crossing a tributary of the Bow. I had a feeling I knew where they were headed. Crossing the bridge, I doubled back on the other side of the river, heading toward one of our local parks, home to a football field and baseball diamond.

Sure enough, as I slowed down near the park, a gentleman flagged me down to warn me there was a big bull and a harem crossing into the park. Continuing down the path would have put me in a bottleneck situation with a lot of elk. He and I both left the trail and headed into a nearby neighbourhood.

I rode down a couple of streets and reached the parking lot beside Millennium Park just as the herd was emerging onto the field. By the time they all arrived, there were easily 50 elk. Some remained on the football field, but several others moved through a small open gate to graze inside the ball diamond.

While I would have loved to take some shots of the larger herd on the football field, with the Three Sisters and other mountains in the background, I’m not a landscape photographer. And I’ve taken plenty of reference photos of female elk over the years.
I did take a few cow photos this week, but my focus was on the large bull. He’d entered the ball diamond and was far enough into the grass that I could comfortably take unobstructed shots without putting myself in a precarious position.
The elk appeared docile and comfortable, and a few people were already at the fence when I arrived. The cows just sauntered by on their side. Thankfully, nobody did anything stupid like going into the ball diamond. Everyone seemed content with such a special opportunity to take pictures from our side of the fence.

Can an elk jump a fence? Absolutely.

But there was loud construction going on right beside the ball diamond, complete with workers, earth movers, machinery and that lovely beeping sound. The elk didn’t seem bothered by any of it.

Still, I chose an exit route and knew where I would go if I had to.

I stood there for an hour, happily snapping shots, enjoying a rare, unobstructed view of that big bull.
I’m a spray-and-pray wildlife photographer. I choose my settings and then fire off a dozen shots at a time, hoping I get several I can use. I’m not selling photographs. I’m gathering reference, and it’s this method that allows me to capture unexpected moments that inspire and contribute to paintings in my style.

What makes a mediocre or boring photo for a wildlife photographer might be one of my best keepers because of the detail and reference it provides. I even keep shots where the focus might be a little off because of the other elements they contain.

A wildlife photographer might spend all day waiting for that one perfect shot. I might take a thousand photographs and find my favourite in one that’s slightly out of focus, awkwardly composed, or otherwise unremarkable.

Because I’m not looking for the perfect photograph. I’m looking for something that makes me think, “I want to paint that,” or “there’s a personality in there I want to capture.”

That’s what lights me up.
I delighted in watching the bull use that massive rack to deftly scratch his own back, contorting his face with satisfaction as he got just the right spot. It was only when I got home and went through the 1,000-plus photos that I realized just how many wonderful expressions I’d captured.
I’m critical of which reference photos I keep and quickly culled those thousand shots down to just over 50 for my photo archive. That’s still a lot.

People often ask me where I get the ideas for my paintings, the personalities and expressions. Life definitely informs art. And even though I recently wrote that I wasn’t in a hurry to paint another elk, I’m happy to say I’ve revised that opinion, thanks to the riches this experience delivered.

I’ll admit, as I write this the morning after, I was tempted to go back to see if they might still be hanging around the same area. Maybe get a few more shots.
But honestly, I got closer to that bull than I ever expected, and had he moved more toward me than he did, I would have backed off, even with a fence between us.

So while there’s always a chance that a better shot presents itself, I’m more than satisfied.

It was a surprise and a gift, and I’m happy I had my camera with a zoom lens along for the ride.

I took a short video of the scene and posted it on Instagram and YouTube.

Cheers,
Patrick

 

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Fall Colours and Construction

Living where we do, it’s easy to take it for granted, and that might seem weird to people who only get to see the Canadian Rockies once in a while. But I’ve talked to other people who live in beautiful places, and they’ve had the same experience.

You still have bills, work issues, family drama, car trouble, and sometimes you forget to look around.

But every so often, the world smacks you right upside the head and reminds you of the stuff you’re not paying attention to.

I took Shonna out for dinner for her birthday last month, and as we left The Stirling Lounge in the Malcolm Hotel to walk to the car, the evening light looked surreal.
There’s a phenomenon around here that we never quite get used to. When the light is right, often when fog or cloud cover is low in the valley but you can still see the peaks, or at certain times of year from certain viewpoints, the mountains look MASSIVE.

Mountains. Aren’t they always massive?

Yes, but sometimes they look twice their size and so unreal that they might as well be CGI or AI. And photos never capture it. You have to be surrounded by the light to see it, and a camera doesn’t do it justice. At least not a photo I know how to take.

I received a very large order of metal prints this week, preparing for the Banff Christmas Market. There were also three dog portrait commissions in there. I recorded some video of unwrapping everything, including closeups of the brand new pieces, but I’ll have to record the voiceover later.

You see, right across the street this week, the town has been jack-hammering concrete and ripping up the ground. Last week, they had to move some utilities first.

It’s a necessary improvement to the street, and it had to be done sometime. Everybody has to deal with construction, I know. But it still made working in my home office with all that very loud noise a challenge.

Fortunately, it’s been a warm fall week, and ridiculously stunning. So when I completed the work that had to be done, I got on the bike and went looking for elk.

Live here long enough, and you get used to seeing them. They’re just part of the landscape, to the point that a lot of locals aren’t surprised or impressed with them anymore.

But I’m a wildlife guy. If I’m biking along a trail and a squirrel starts cursing at me from a tree trunk, I’ll stop and take its picture. That just makes it curse more, like a sailor, which means more pictures. Dude, it’s your own fault. I didn’t even know you were there until you swore at me.

I feel the same way when I see an elk. I just want to take its picture.

Now, you never want to get close to these animals, especially during calving season in the spring or rutting season in the fall. And having lived in this valley for 32 years, I know better than to do something stupid to get a photo. Too many tourists learn that lesson the hard way.

But a bull elk with a full, impressive rack, so proud and sure of himself? You only get to see that at certain times of the year. And that’s what I was after.

The trail system in this town is second to none, and it’s one of my favourite parts of living here.

The Town of Canmore has issues to solve. Name a town that doesn’t. It’s ridiculously expensive to live here. You’d almost faint at some of the grocery prices, and businesses struggle to find staff who can afford to live and work in the community.

It’s a dark joke that people think everybody who lives here is rich. For the record, you’re thinking of those with second homes here, many of whom only live here part-time and complain about the taxes.

But one thing this town has gotten right is its commitment to getting people to walk and bike more and leave their cars at home. Our trail system in and around town? I’d challenge you to find a better one in Canada.
So I went up to Three Sisters by the golf course, down along the Bow River, to Millennium Park, and other places where elk are known to frequent.

For a couple of those days, I didn’t see any. Just lots of evidence they’d been there.

Yes, I’m talking about poop.

But while I wasn’t finding elk, I was still riding the trails around town through some of the most beautiful landscape you’ll see anywhere in the world, in my favourite season to see it.
This is Quarry Lake, on the road up to the Nordic Centre. It’s a local swimming hole in the summer, with a nearby dog park, and just a lovely place to be. Hard to believe it was once a scarred strip and open-pit coal mining operation.

Many of the shots in this post are right off well-worn and paved trails, next to neighbourhoods and the Bow River. You can cut in and out of one stunning postcard after another.

When I finally found a herd of elk on Tuesday morning, it was by accident.

While on the river trail near the old train bridge, I stopped my bike because I noticed a couple of cow elk moving around in the trees below the trail.

I circled around to the neighbourhood on the other side, locked my bike to a sign post beside the local pickleball court, and walked into the trees, carefully, because elk blend in very well.
I stood there for a few minutes and saw an elk lying down about twenty feet away. I hadn’t noticed her until just then. Within a few minutes, giving themselves away by their ear twitches, I realized the whole area was full of elk, most of them lying down in the fall brush.

Unless you were really looking, you couldn’t see them. Then you couldn’t NOT see them.

Fortunately, they were all in front of me, and I was able to back off and watch from a safer distance. But it was a thrill. And it dawned on me, with all these cows, there must be a bull. That’s how this season works. One big bull and his harem.
I eventually spotted him, just munching away on leaves or grass, far enough away that I wasn’t worried. I managed to get the above shot, but it’s unremarkable. Handheld at 300mm, in the shadows. To get the shot I’d really want, I’d have to get too close to be safe.

My last time being charged by an elk was while living in Banff, when I was younger and faster. I don’t need to experience that again.

On Wednesday, I’d already been working since 5:30 a.m. at my desk when the construction noise outside reached peak volume around 9. So I grabbed the camera, got on the bike, and went out again.

This time, I’d just crested the river trail near Millennium Park when I saw a big bull on the other side of the dry tributary of the Bow that only holds water part of the year.
A few cows were heading into the trees, and I managed to get a couple dozen shots of him before he disappeared into the woods after his harem.

I’ve already painted a bull elk, a  personal favourite piece called Bugle Boy. I’ve since retired it because it wasn’t a bestseller. From my experience, elk aren’t particularly popular paintings. At least, not the ones I’ve done so far. But maybe someday I’ll paint the one that changes that.
Regardless, I’ll keep chasing the shots.

Because taking the photos and imagining what I might paint has become as much a part of the experience as the artwork itself.

Cheers,
Patrick

 

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Painting Another Bear for the Book

I’ve been working on a new painting called Skoki’s Seat. It’s one of two paintings I need to finish for the new book, along with a few more sketches I’d like to include.

There’s no time off right now. I’m writing this on Sunday, coming up on a 12-hour day. Let me tell you, YouTube editing is a lot of work, but I’m getting better at it every time. At least I hope so.

In this new video, I share some of the painting process, a little of Skoki’s backstory, and how one reference-photo session can inspire several paintings. I also talk about digital painting, my hardware and software, and some of the unexpected work involved in putting an art book together.

Here’s the video. Hope you like it.

Cheers,
Patrick

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The Ones Worth Keeping

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of excursions to gather photo reference. Rather than spread it out over the summer, I decided to group several trips together while the venues were quieter and before school let out.

In that short span, I’ve visited Discovery Wildlife Park, Heritage Park, and Butterfield Acres, gathered plenty of photos of bear cubs, and a lot of barnyard animals for a domestic series I’m planning. You can see those posts and pictures by clicking on the venue names above.

Last week, I headed south to Coaldale, just outside of Lethbridge.
I’ve been supporting the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre for several years now with a monthly donation, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know the owner/operator, Colin Weir. He’s a very nice man, completely dedicated to his purpose, and has turned what was once a barren gully in the 80s into one of the most beautiful wetland sanctuaries you’re likely to see anywhere.

The centre is home to temporary rescues and permanent residents, while migrating wild birds return to its ponds every year. There’s even a pair of wild Great Horned Owls that nest on the property, and their offspring come and go from the centre as they please.

On this trip, one of the staff pointed out this year’s young owls perched in a tree, watching one of the school presentations.

Every time I visit, I not only marvel at the improvements and Colin’s vision for the future of the facility, but I’m continually impressed with how well cared for the birds are, both those slated to be released back into the wild and the permanent residents.
With all the photos I’ve taken the past few weeks, I have to get them weeded and sorted as soon as possible. If I don’t, they’ll sit in my “Photos to be Sorted” folder for far too long and become one more thing I need to get to.

I consider myself a decent photographer, but not a good one. Because I know so many professional wildlife photographers, my metric is very high. I’m not on their level, but nor do I want to be. I don’t make my living selling photos, but on the paintings I create inspired by the pictures I take. So while I like them to be good enough to share with all of you, they’re a means to an end, not the final product.

That also means I’m a spray-and-pray photographer. With my camera set on burst mode, I’ll take ten shots in rapid fire just to hopefully get one worth keeping. I usually come home with 1,000 to 1,500 shots from a day of critter photography, depending on what I see. Most of those are discarded on the first pass.
When I’m sorting photos, the first thing I’m looking for is whether they’re in focus. If they don’t show crisp detail, I usually delete them.

The second thing I’m looking for is expression. Is there something there that’s unique, that would help me find the personality in the subject?
The third thing is, does it make me feel something? If it makes me laugh, or I think it’s cute, sassy, or any number of emotions, that means there’s probably a painting there, or at least the potential.

Sometimes what saves a photo that isn’t technically perfect is the second or third criteria. Because most people never see most of my reference, I’ve used bad photos to inform some of my best paintings.

On this recent trip to Coaldale, I took a lot of photos. Because I’ve been there many times, what I would have kept on the first trip, I threw away from this latest one. I’ve already got plenty of bald eagle photos in my archive. Anything new worth keeping must bring something special to the party. Not just good light or sharp detail, but something that inspires. A personality shot.
If I keep every good shot, I’ve just got a folder full of the same kind of head-and-shoulders bald eagle photos taking up space.

The first pass, I’m pretty forgiving. If it’s a good shot, I’ll keep it. Then I let the keepers sit for a couple of days and look through them again. That’s when a bunch more go to the recycle bin. On the final pass, I ask myself, “Will I ever paint from this? Is this a photo I would choose as reference for a painting or a sketch?”

If the answer is a hard no, it’s gone.

So when I sorted photos from this recent trip, I deleted about thirty photos of the same eagle. They were good shots, but they were all the same. Basically anatomy photos, nothing special.

But then I came across one where the eagle had stretched up straight, pulled his head back, was looking off camera, and it made me smile. It looked to me like he was saying, “You talking to me? Are YOU talking to ME?”
So that’s a keeper.

Will I paint from it? Maybe.

The photos I keep provide me with options months or years down the road.

With all the photos I took recently at Discovery Wildlife Park, Heritage Park, Butterfield Acres, some osprey shots here in Canmore, and the Birds of Prey Centre trip, it’s taken several days of sorting and culling photos to figure out what I wanted to keep.

I can’t always take my own photo reference, especially when the animal is one I don’t have access to, like a sea turtle, cheetah, or African elephant. I’ve had generous photographer friends offer their images from time to time. But taking my own photo reference has become one of my favourite parts of painting my critters.

The experience of spending time with the animals, seeing the expressions and personalities, adds a flavour to the painting experience that’s missing with stock photos.
There is one final category of photos I’ll keep, but won’t likely ever use for reference, and that’s the memory of the experience.

If I’ve been able to interact with an animal in an unusual situation or had a special moment with a critter, those photos are priceless, and often taken by the caretaker I’m with. They help me tell the stories behind the paintings, and they remind me why I make the effort in the first place. These moments, where I’ve had a bear cub crawl onto my lap or been granted a feeding session with an owl, are so fleeting. They’re over before I know it.

The photos help me remember them and push me to get out there to find the next experience.
I always learn new things about the birds while talking to Colin and his knowledgeable staff. And frankly, they’ve spoiled me with some incredible animal encounters over the years. This trip was no different.

As much as I enjoyed coming home with new reference, the highlight of this visit wasn’t the photographs. I’ll be sharing more on that once I edit and publish a video in the coming week. That story deserves a post of its own.

Here’s a sneak peek, and yes, that’s a baby raven.

Cheers,
Patrick

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Getting Out of My Own Way

Each year, I usually take May to catch up on work that got pushed aside while I was preparing for Calgary Expo. This year has been a little busier because I realized I needed to make a few changes to my priorities.

The best opportunities for taking reference pics are in the spring, especially when I’m hoping to photograph babies and young animals, so I’ve been making time for a few road trips. So far they’ve all been day trips, but I work every day, and taking a day away from the office means I still have to get that day’s work done. A typical ten-hour day quickly becomes twelve or fourteen.

Because I draw five or six editorial cartoons each week, any time away means getting those deadlines finished early.

I’ve also had bear book deadlines to meet over the past week. I’m excited that it’s finally happening, but it’s one more commitment that needs time and attention.
For example, later this week I’m heading out on a three-day road trip to gather more reference. To make that happen, I spent Saturday morning working on a commission, drew a cartoon that afternoon, drew three more cartoons Sunday, I have to finish my month-end invoicing early because I’ll be away Friday, wrote this post, sorted and edited last week’s photos, and prepared my camera and video equipment for the road.

I’m not complaining, just explaining. For anyone who thinks making art for a living is a lazy draw-and-colour lifestyle, it isn’t.

One of the best parts of the Calgary Expo and the Banff Christmas Market is talking to people about my work because I always come away with ideas and information that help me. This year, I spoke to several people about my plan to paint a domestic animal series. It’s a perfect blend of animals I want to paint and subjects subscribers and collectors have been asking for.
I want to paint a rooster, donkey, pig, sheep, goat, turkey, and other barnyard standards. When I mentioned needing reference photos, people volunteered places they knew about in the area.

I avoid gathering reference during the height of summer because animals aren’t as energetic in the heat, the light is often too bright and harsh for the reference I need, and there are usually a lot more people around. It’s also why I avoid weekends whenever possible. Spring and fall are my preferred windows.

Too often, I hear about a great place to visit or plan to go somewhere I already know about, then I get sidetracked with deadlines and other work, convince myself I don’t have time, and before I know it another season has passed and I’ve missed the opportunity.

This year, I vowed to break that bad habit, and I’m pleased to report that I have succeeded in getting out of my own way. Taking reference photos is an investment in future paintings, and I need to treat these excursions as a priority.

A longtime supporter of my work told me at Expo that she works at Heritage Park in customer service and mentioned they have many of the animals I’m looking for. I hadn’t been there in more than thirty years, and while I remembered enjoying it back in the early nineties, I’d never felt the need to return.

I was pleasantly surprised by this beautiful place I’ve been missing in my own backyard. I only had a couple of hours to spend there, so I focused mainly on the animals, but I’d like to go back with Shonna so we can explore the historical exhibits as well.
I came away with excellent reference for a Highland calf, a stunning rooster, and a very large turkey. That last one will be a challenge to make appealing because, frankly, turkeys aren’t attractive animals. I also got some photos of a couple of spring lambs.

Big thanks to Diane for the suggestion and for adding me to the admission guest list. I’ll have more to share about that Heritage Park visit in another post.
The following day, the weather was still good, and since I was on a roll, I decided to visit another nearby venue that a couple of people at Expo had recommended. Butterfield Acres is a farm animal petting zoo on the northwestern edge of Calgary, only about an hour away.
They’re only open for four hours on weekdays right now, but that proved to be more than enough time to get the photos I needed.

Despite having plenty of food available, the animals were incredibly curious and friendly. Since visitors can go right inside many of the pens, I took most of my photos with my phone because my usual zoom lens was complete overkill. The biggest challenge was keeping lambs and baby goats far enough away for the camera to focus.
I came home with so many good reference shots. Most often, it’s the photos I wasn’t specifically looking for that later reveal themselves as worthwhile painting subjects. I got plenty of pictures of pigs, goats (and kids), sheep (and lambs), alpacas, llamas, a donkey, and another Highland cow.
Even though it feels like I’m having a hard time keeping my head above water with deadlines right now, I’m glad I made these reference trips a priority this year. Between the bear cubs at Discovery Wildlife Park a couple of weeks ago, Heritage Park and Butterfield Acres last week, and another road trip coming up this week, I’m going to have all the reference I need for this new series, along with the extensive archive of photos I already have.
Add whatever I bring home from this week’s trip, and I should be set for quite a while. That doesn’t mean I’ll stop looking for critters when I get the chance, but when it’s time to start a new painting, I won’t be short on subjects. Of course, I already have several paintings in progress and a commission to finish first, so these new ideas will have to wait their turn.

Fingers crossed I’ll have more photos (and video!) to share with you next week.

Cheers,
Patrick

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Back Among the Bears

Last week, I went up to Innisfail to deliver the first print and sticker order of the season to Discovery Wildlife Park.

I first visited the park in 2016 and after ten years, I now have a personal relationship with the place. Regular readers will know of my experiences with Berkley, a brown bear that holds a very special place in my heart. I’ve painted her more than any other animal and there’s no chance I won’t keep doing so.

The head keeper Serena is now one of Shonna’s and my close friends and she has given us a lot of behind the scenes access to visit with, photograph and learn about the challenges of caring for rescued and orphaned animals that can’t be returned to the wild.

I’ve always had mixed feelings about animals in captivity, and I still do. But over a decade of visiting this place and getting to know the people behind it, I also know the reality is more complicated than a slogan or social media argument.
Many of these animals were orphaned, injured or unable to survive in the wild and would likely have been euthanized if the park hadn’t taken them in. I’ve also seen firsthand how much Serena and her staff care about them, not as attractions, but as animals they’ve invested years of their lives into caring for.

One of my favourite things to do there is attend the bear program. Along with talking about the bears themselves and why each is at the park, Serena and her staff educate visitors on how to behave around wildlife.They talk about making noise on trails, travelling in groups, carrying bear spray and knowing how to use it. They explain proper food storage while camping, why people should stay in their vehicles if they see a bear on the highway, and why a fed bear is a dead bear.

Having lived more than thirty years in bear country, I can tell you it’s a message that still needs repeating. Too many tourists feel entitled to get that selfie or closeup with a grizzly or black bear without thinking about the consequences. Usually, it’s the bear that pays for it long after the tourists go home.

On this recent visit, Serena took me behind the scenes to visit Berkley so I could hopefully get some new reference for the cover of my upcoming bear book. She still recognizes me from my several visits with her when she was a cub.

Though these days there’s always a fence between us, she still comes right over to say hello. It’s a pleasant surprise, every time.
Because she was so close, I only needed my phone camera and I think I got the shots I needed for the painting I have in mind. Honestly, there’s no other bear I want on the cover of that book. There’s something profoundly special about Berkley that I still can’t quite explain, so I keep trying to find and show it when I paint her.

There are also some very recent and exciting developments with the book that I’ll share soon. It’s no longer a someday project. It’s finally happening.
I also got to photograph the new cubs at the park, and some of the reference I captured last week is among the best I’ve ever shot. Watching them climb and tumble around, I already see several possible paintings in those photos.

As always, my biggest challenge is making time for all of it among deadlines, commissions, editorial cartoons and everything else. I could honestly spend the next year just painting bears.One aside to this whole experience. I’ve wanted to record more of these trips for YouTube videos, but I’m still trying to find the right balance. I know for a fact that if I’d been worrying about camera settings, microphones and video all day, I would have missed some of my best reference shots, catching up with Serena, and simply being present with these animals.

I do want to incorporate more video into sharing the stories behind my work, but my first priority is still the work itself. I’m an artist who uses video to augment what I do, not a YouTuber chasing likes and shares at the expense of the art and the experiences that inspire it.I’ve got a few more trips planned over the next couple of weeks to gather reference for upcoming paintings. It would be easy to forego these excursions in favour of more time working at my desk, as catching up is still proving frustrating and impossible. But spring is one of the best times for taking pictures. The animals are active, the light is softer, and there are babies everywhere.

If I fail to make time for that, investing time now for the art I want to make later, I’ve nobody to blame but myself.

Cheers,
Patrick

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Expo ’26 – Back Home and Back to Work

Another Calgary Expo is in the books. If you’ve been around for a while, you know how this goes, so I won’t bore you with a play by play.

Sales ended up almost identical to last year, within about twenty bucks, which is oddly precise. Not a record year, but still well worth my time. As always, it’s not just about the money.

The best part, and the reason I keep coming back, is getting to see so many of you in person. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth, said hello, and added to your collections. I never take that for granted. When I first started painting these funny looking animals, I had no idea if anyone would connect with them. Every year, you show me that you do, and that keeps me going. Talking with all of you refills my creative tank and makes me want to paint more.

I tried something new at the Banff Christmas Market last year, but this was the first time I brought it to Expo. A small display screen with sped-up painting footage, along with a couple of signs that said “NOT AI. NOT PHOTOS.” Both got a lot of positive reaction. People are paying attention, and they care how the work is made. That matters more than ever right now.

On the first morning of the show, sitting in my hotel room, I recorded a quick, unscripted video for YouTube. Nothing polished, just me talking into my phone. A few hours later, a young woman came by the booth with her family because she had seen that video that morning. She had never heard of my work before.

That was a nice moment. Also a bit of a kick in the ass. I spend too much time overthinking this stuff. I just have to put the work out there and let it do its job.

One of the most useful parts of Expo is seeing what people actually respond to. I have my own favourites, but the real feedback happens at the booth.This year, Peekaboo Panda and the Porcupine did very well, and the Highland Cow continues to be one of my strongest pieces.
But the biggest surprise was the Raven on White painting. It’s a couple of years old now and has always been popular, but for whatever reason, it hit hard this weekend. I sold more of that print than I ever have of any single print at Expo, and I could have sold more if I hadn’t run out.

Not to worry, I’ve got more on the way.

With another raven in progress right now, I’m curious to see if it will resonate as well. It’s one of my favourite subjects to paint.

Saturday threw me a bit. It’s usually the strongest day, but this year Friday was better, and that got in my head more than I’d like to admit. I was back in the hotel that night wondering if my time at this show might be coming to an end.

But I rebooked Sunday morning, and by the end of the day, with very good sales, I’m glad I did. I relearned a lesson I already know. Don’t make big decisions when you’re run down.

I also had a couple of important conversations. I connected with another artist I admire who shared some valuable insight that might lead to something new. I also reconnected with Alex from Renegade Arts about the bear book we’ve talked about for years. I’ve been dragging my feet on it, mostly because I don’t trust my own design skills. That’s on me. Time to deal with it.

Now it’s back to work. The week after Expo is as busy as the week before.

I’ve got cartoons to draw, commissions to finish, works-in-progress and new paintings to start based on everything I saw and heard this weekend. And I need to finally make real progress on the bear book.

Sometime soon, I should probably take a couple of days off. Funny how that’s always my last priority.

I’m working on it.

Cheers,
Patrick

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A Gentle Giraffe


In June of 2023, I finished a painting of three giraffes called Long Neck Buds. It was a real challenge. I had never painted acacia leaves and thorns before, and I still remember how satisfying it was to figure them out.

Each giraffe started as if it were its own painting, fully rendered and detailed. I moved them around in the scene, added the foliage and background, and worked in the shadows and highlights to make them look like they actually belonged together.
If you’d like to see more about how that came together, that original post is here.

When I finished it, I remember thinking that any one of those giraffes could have stood on its own.

Sometimes I paint something just because I feel like it. Maybe I enjoyed getting the reference photos. Maybe it’s a subject I’ve never tried before and want to see if I can pull it off.

Other times, I choose an animal because I think it might appeal to my wholesale customers and licensing clients.

My Sasquatch was one of those. Mike at Pacific Music & Art had asked for it. When I talk about that painting at shows, I often joke that the hardest part was the weeks I spent in the woods of northern BC trying to get reference photos.

Truth be told, it’s not one of my favourite paintings.

And the actual hardest part was making sure my version didn’t look like somebody else’s. I referenced Harry and the Hendersons and the Jack Link’s Sasquatch specifically so I could steer clear of them.

And still, lots of people call mine Harry when they see it. Not because it looks the same, but because that’s the only friendly Bigfoot they know. It’s the same reason people used to call my shark Bruce from Finding Nemo, even though the only thing they share is that they’re great white sharks.

At the Christmas Market, a few people said my Spa Day painting looked like Baloo from The Jungle Book. Others say some of my bears remind them of Brother Bear. My style is completely different, but what people are reacting to is the feeling.

The Sasquatch did well, but mostly in places where that folklore resonates. Zoos and Discovery Wildlife Park didn’t want it, which makes sense. Pacific Music & Art has done well with it, and Harlequin Nature Graphics licenses it on a T-shirt.

As a print, it never really found its footing, so I retired it in that format. But it still sells as a sticker at markets and here in Canmore at Stonewaters. The only way to know what will resonate is to put it out there.

The sweet spot is when I paint something for commercial reasons and end up genuinely loving the result. The porcupine I finished last week fits that category. I had never painted one, but several wholesale clients told me they’d carry it if I did. After sharing it, I received a lot of kind emails from subscribers who really liked it. I never know ahead of time which paintings will connect.

Long Neck Buds still does well, but single-animal pieces often perform better at zoos and markets. Giraffes are reliably popular, so creating this print felt like an opportunity worth exploring.
I chose the middle giraffe and spent a few hours Saturday morning refining it. More detail. A slight softening and tweak to the expression to bring out more personality.

I’m pleased with how it turned out and looking forward to seeing how it’s received.

It also gave me a new print to include in the first PDF catalogues I sent to my wholesale clients earlier this week, and another image available for licensing.

On Monday, I sent Gentle Giraffe, Bear Boop, and the Porcupine to my printer in Victoria for their first proofs. I’m restocking the online store and gearing up for the Calgary Expo in April.

I’ve got several other paintings in progress, but my priority right now is to make some headway on three dogs I’m painting for a very patient commission client.

Cheers,
Patrick

 

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No GPS for the Year Ahead

Most of us now use Google Maps or some GPS equivalent. You enter your start and end points and it tells you the most direct and efficient way to arrive at your destination, in the shortest time and in one piece. It can route you around construction and traffic incidents, tells you when to switch lanes, turn, and keep moving.

In the old days, we often had a stack of folding maps in the glove box. It wasn’t uncommon to find yourself pulled over on the side of some road with the map open wide enough to cover the driver and passenger side, trying to figure out how the highway you thought you were on suddenly became a rural route, then a dirt road, then a cart track, and hey look… we found a river.

On New Year’s Day, as I was planning the year ahead, I realized how nice it would be to have either of those options for an art-for-a-living career.

One of the toughest challenges in this profession is figuring out where to put limited time and energy. There are only so many hours in a day, and I’m already working every day of the week. If I want to add something, it means I have to let something else go.

The problem is that with limitless content, free advice, and options in every direction, there are a lot of things I could try to add variation and longevity to my career. There are also things that sound exciting to try, but take time and energy away from the practices that move the progress needle. But none of those things are a quick drive to the grocery store. Every option is a cross-country road trip, and you only know if it was the right route once you’ve invested the time and energy to get there.

I could start any number of creative projects or experiments, design and launch new products, but it might take a year or more to find out whether they were worth the time, effort and expense.

My focus this year is to continue to build my career, adapt to the ever-changing landscape, and try not to stretch myself too thin. That last part keeps tripping me up.

The newspaper industry isn’t what it used to be and has ongoing challenges, and though it’s not the largest part of my business anymore, it’s the only part that provides steady monthly income. I still have to draw six editorial cartoons each week.

Art licensing is where companies use my work on their products and pay me a royalty percentage. Just some examples include Diamond Art Club, Harlequin Nature Graphics, Pacific Music & Art and The Mountain. Royalty payments are subject to each company’s plans, vary according to the economy and season, and arrive quarterly, not always on time. So budgeting for that revenue is near impossible.

Pet portrait commissions pay as I finish them. Because of all the other work I need to get done, I only take on a handful of those each year and I’m booked up for 2026.

Shows like the Calgary Expo at the end of April or the just completed Banff Christmas Market are big paydays, but they also require big expense in the months leading up to them. I’m already working on Expo inventory planning, because I’ll need to start ordering next month.

Website sales come in waves, and wholesale orders hit at different times of year as gift shops and zoos prepare for their busy seasons.

Balancing all that, and finding the right mix to pay the bills while still growing the business, takes a lot of planning, with no guarantees.

And of course, I need to write regular posts like this one for A Wilder View, record and edit videos, reach out to new companies, and seek new opportunities, planting seeds for future growth.

I’ve often said, I spend more time marketing my work than creating it. That’s part of the profession and something every starry-eyed young artist needs to realize before choosing this career.

There are always unforeseen circumstances that can flatten tires at any point during the trip. The economy and the weather are two obvious ones. Then there ones you never see coming, like a pandemic and a president.

So most of New Year’s Day last week was spent with spreadsheets, Word files, and internet searches, mapping the route for the year ahead. Though AI art has been a detestable part of new technology, it would be hard to argue against how valuable ChatGPT has been as a researcher, virtual assistant, and editor.

By day’s end, I had created a document with clear boundaries on where to put my efforts this year. Regardless of whatever trends, shiny objects, or tempting tangents might pop up, I intend to keep that roadmap handy so that when I get distracted and lose my way, I can pull over, open the map, and remember where I want to go.

Cheers,
Patrick

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That’s a (Christmas) Wrap!

Another Banff Christmas Market is in the books.

It was a very good year. Even with a couple of slow days where I wondered if it was going to be disappointing, the busy days more than made up for it. After thirteen long days over four weeks, my sales came in just a hair under last year’s excellent total, so I’m pleased the effort paid off.

I had an annoying sore throat after the first weekend, and I’m still not sure if it was a mild cold or simply all the talking I’m not used to in my day-to-day. Either way, I made it through without picking up one of the nastier viruses making the rounds.

The weather was mostly decent, although the final weekend was all over the map. We had a short cold snap earlier in the week and I had to plug in my block heater a couple of nights. Then Saturday night, with a Chinook wind in full force, it was +7C as I drove home to Canmore. By Sunday everything was a wet, sloppy mess, and the roads in town were still treacherous.

I talked to more people than I could possibly count over the past month. Long-time supporters who have followed my work for years stopped by to say hi or add to their collections. People I’ve never met were delighted to tell me they own one of my pieces from a vacation somewhere, and they were surprised to meet the artist who created it. I even met folks who’ve bought my art through Diamond Art Club, one of my licensing clients.

I also met locals who know my editorial cartoons and have seen my animal art, but had no idea the same person makes both. That’s not uncommon. People often recognize one or the other.

Mostly though, I met people who had never seen my work before and told me how unique it felt compared to everything else they were seeing. They asked great questions, and we ended up talking about what it’s like to be an artist right now, including how AI is affecting the art world. That part was prompted by the little signs I added to my booth this year and the video display showing my process.

And on that note, Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is slop: digital content of low quality that is produced (usually in quantity) by means of artificial intelligence.

As expected, my 2026 calendars sold out, as did several best-selling prints (thankfully not until the last weekend). In hindsight, I ordered well this year, and there’s nothing I would have changed. It’s a good feeling to know I didn’t leave much on the table.
Highland Cow, Snow Queen, Otter, Sire, Kodiak Cub, Raven on White, and Winter Wolf were all popular again this year. Spa Day, one of my personal favourites, seemed to find its audience this year and was more popular than it has ever been. It ended up as my second best-seller after Highland Cow.
After the first weekend, I was disappointed that my latest Snowy Owl painting didn’t seem to resonate, but it was a slow burn. By the end of the market it was in the Top 10 out of the 40 paintings I had on offer, so I’ll gladly take that win.
The week after the Banff Christmas Market is still a busy one, but most of it is thankfully spent at home.

One thing about the market is the seasonal atmosphere. With the wood-burning fire pits outside, it feels like a proper Christmas village. People gather around with hot chocolate (or something stronger), eat from the food trucks, and soak it all in. A very convincing Santa makes the rounds and poses for photos, and all that’s missing is a few reindeer wandering around.

The consequence, though, is wood smoke. It gets into everything, and with the doors constantly opening and closing, I come home each day smelling like I’ve been camping. So every week I’m washing layers and winter coats, and after tear-down, my tablecloths, drapery, and booth covers all smell strongly of smoke. Six loads of laundry on Monday.

I enjoy the ambience of an airtight wood stove at the cabin I rent with friends, but outdoor fires don’t appeal to me anymore. I think it’s because I now associate the smell with forest fires. When this valley fills with smoke in the summer, it’s a reminder that evacuating is always a possibility.

Before I put all the booth hardware, displays, lights, and support kit away until April (Calgary Expo), I do a full inventory of what came home: stickers, magnets, coasters, prints, tote bags, metal and canvas prints. In a couple of months, when I start ordering for Expo, my future self will be grateful I did the work now.

Before the market, I had to remove a lot from my online store so I didn’t accidentally sell something online that had already sold at the market. This week I had to add it all back, though there’s a lot less than there was.
I’m an introvert, like a lot of artists I know. I’m most comfortable working alone in a quiet place, so after all the noise and interaction, plus an incredibly busy schedule for the past couple of months (when I was already running on fumes), it takes a toll.

Newspapers put their holiday issues to bed early this time of year, so I had to draw nine cartoons this week to accommodate that. The upside is that next week I should be able to take some time for me.

That means painting what I want to paint. And with nowhere to be, I’m planning to indulge in a couple of guilt-free afternoon naps.

I have a half-finished raven painting I’ve been missing, and I’d like to get back to it. I’ve also been itching to do another painting in the same spirit as my popular Peanuts image. I’m not trying to replicate its success, I just miss spending a few hours on a close-up of a grizzly bear face, which is still my favourite kind of face to paint.

After all the human interaction lately, all I want for Christmas is some quiet time at home without deadlines.

So yesterday, I spent some time in the grizzly folder of my photo archive and found the reference I needed to paint the image in my head. Even though I have photos from many years ago up until this year, the main reference I chose came from a bunch of photos my friend Serena at Discovery Wildlife Park generously shared with me the last time I was there this fall.

I’ve got more to say on this topic, but my biggest failure this year has been balancing business and creativity. When art pays the bills, it’s hard not to ask myself for each new painting, “Will this be popular? Will it sell? Should I paint something else?”

But I also know that if money becomes the prime metric for deciding what to paint, it will rob the life and personality from my work. So that’s what I’m up against in the coming year: how do I create art that I’m proud of and enjoy, while still thinking like a business owner?
Ending the year painting a grizzly bear face will hopefully help me take some first steps toward better perspective. None of us gets out of this alive, and I’m desperate to use my time better.

Though I’m emotionally and physically tired and selfishly clinging to some alone time right now, I don’t want to sound ungrateful for the past couple of months of craziness. I truly enjoyed meeting so many of you at the Banff Christmas Market, especially those of you who come every year. You say such nice things about my artwork, and while compliments are always a little uncomfortable, they do help quiet the demons that tell every artist their work is never good enough.

So thank you to all of you who found me at the booth, took time for a chat, and took a little bit of my work home with you. I hope you put it somewhere it can make you smile, and that you notice it most on the days you really need it. And if you bought it to give to somebody else, thanks for helping my work travel a little further.

However you spend the next couple of weeks, whether with family, friends, or taking a little time for yourself, I hope you enjoy it.

Merry Christmas, and I’ll see you in the new year.

Cheers,
Patrick