11 x 14 inch soft pastel "Heavenley Heights"

This paintings is a gift for a friend who cruises Narrow's Inlet regularly and loves the area. We are going back there in a week for another holiday, and I am so looking forward to it. This painting is done on sanded paper in mostly soft pastels.

5 x 7 inch "Bear on scratchboard"

I have been having some fun with a new painting technique called scratchboard. It is a hard board that is coated in clay and sprayed with black ink. The goal is to scratch your painting onto the board, revealing the white of the clay underneath. You can also add color after you are finished if you are so inclined. This is my first. The technique is perfect for depicting animals.

11 x 14 inch "Mother & Babe Mountain Goats"

I said I would do some bears, but this is what I came up with instead. It is done on suedeboard in soft pastel. Maybe next time will be the bears!

11x14 inch soft pastel "Mother & Babe"

This painting is the first of a series I hope to do, all mother and babe animals. I think the next one will be a bear with cubs. Maybe I will start that one tomorrow. This one is done, again on suedeboard and is of course in soft pastel.

11 x14 inch pastel "Sable Island Ponies"

I did this painting from a photo of the famous ponies that live on Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. The story is a ship was wrecked off the coast of the island many years ago and the ponies swan to shore and have lived there ever since. This painting is done on suedeboard in soft pastel.

5 x 7 inch pastel "End of the Inlet"

This little painting is done on sanded pastel paper which is a dream to paint on. I really prefer this paper to all when doing landscapes. It holds tons of pastel. I did this painting from a photo I took while on holiday in Narrow's Inlet a couple of weeks ago. I loved the serenity of the place.

11 x 14 inch. soft pastel "Lake Moraine"

This painting came from a photo that I took while on vacation in Alberta recently. Lake Moraine is breathtakingly beautiful and the lake is really a deep turquoise in color. This painting is done on sanded pastel paper. I enjoyed doing this one as I haven't done a landscape in some time.

5 x 7 inch soft pastel "Lilly Pads"

This little painting is done in soft pastel on colorfix paper. I tried to keep this one loose and quick. I really like very loose and impressionistic paintings. Quite different from the usual detailed animal paintings I have been doing lately.

8 x 10 inch soft pastel "Sunburst"

This painting is done on black suedeboard in mostly soft pastel. I have tried to do something different from the detailed work I have been doing lately in my animal paintings. In this painting I have gone for a more painterly effect and kept it very simple. I love sunflowers and thought the bright colors played nicely against the black suedeboard.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Tiger Cub on Tree"

This one is done on dark blue suedeboard. It was very hard to get the right colors on this suedeboard. I think I will stick to the lighter colors from now on in. I am not altogether sure about the look of the tree stump. I really struggled with this one. I think I will try to do some more work on it after letting it sit for awhile. This sometimes helps.

5 x5 inch soft pastel "Red Squirrell"

This little painting is done on black suedeboard. I did this one on a rainy day during our holiday a couple of weeks ago.

8 x 10 inch soft pastel "Red Horse"

No sleep for the wicked! Just finished one and did another right away! Love this color suedeboard for doing horses. Again this one is in soft pastel. One of these days I am going to try a animal painting in watercolor. I just have to get motivated to drag out all those supplies!

8 x 10 inch soft pastel "Sleepy Puppy"

I just got back from my holidays in southern Alberta and the sunshine coast of British Columbia. I had a wonderful time but was itching to paint something! I found this photo of a little puppy that I thought was adorable, so i gave it a try. It is done on suedeboard in soft pastel.

8 x 10 soft pastel "Grizzley"

I tried a new paper for me today called colorfix by Art Spectrum. Not sure I like it as well as my suedeboard for animals, but I think it will work well for landscapes.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Macro of an Iris"

This painting took a little longer than usual for me. It was harder that I thought it would be. It is done on velour paper in soft pastel from a photo I took in my backyard. The irises are really beautiful this year and this one especially was a beauty.

8 x 10 soft pastel "The Belgian"

I wanted to do another horse portrait since I so enjoyed the last one I did. I really love how his mane looks, all those curls. It is done on chocolate suedeboard in soft pastels.

5 x 9 soft pastel "Night Stalker"

This painting is done on black suedeboard in soft pastel. I wanted to do another tiger painting to go with the "swimming tiger" I did the other day. I liked the long narrow format although it wasn't the smartest move as far as framing goes. Now I have to have one custom made! This painting is for sale by contacting me at lyurge@telus.net.

5 x 7 soft pastel "Gorrilla"

I did this painting very quickly, about 1 hour. It is done on black suedeboard. I wouldn't want to meet this guy in a dark alley!

8 x 10 soft pastel "Narrows Inlet"

I did this painting today for a change from my animal paintings and to excite me about my vacation in a week. It is done from a photo I took while at Narrows Inlet, B.C. a couple of years ago. I love this place, and we are going back for some vacation time in another week. I can't wait! This painting is done on Murano pastel paper in soft pastel and is for sale by contacting me at lyurge@telus.net.

7 x 14 soft pastel "Swimming Tiger"

This painting is done on black suedeboard. I really like to work on the black, especially when there is a lot of black in the picture. This is the first of 2 that I plan on doing of tigers. The next will be of a straight on shot of a tiger walking towards you. I will probably start this one tomorrow, so stay tuned!