Backwoods and Boreal Trails - AIC Art Gallery

Backwoods and Boreal Trails

May 15, 2024 - June 15, 2024

Art creation is not only a discovery by the artist about themself but also about the viewers experiencing the familiar whether walking along a river or in the woods. Join us on May 22nd (6PM PST -7PM CST - 9PM EST) via our Zoom opening as we discuss Roberta's Nature-inspired works. Join from the link below the main image on our home page. We will send you a link before the show viewing and artist talk.

Saskatchewan's stereotypical landscapes are big skies and flat prairie grasslands, but there is much more to this Canadian province. Backwoods and Boreal Trails showcases the scenery I live in and plein air adventures within this expansive and diverse province and beyond. Connecting with the skies, the trees, the birds and the water renews my soul. Expressing these scenes in watercolour allows me to share it with others in a way that transcends a photograph and simplifies the elements to make an interpretive statement of the scene..

Painted en plein air at Lost Echo Lake in Narrow Hills Provincial Park, Saskatchewan, Canada. A lone pine tree glows in the late afternoon light at Lost Echo Lake. Watercolour and walnut ink. Framed in barnboard frame. — Lost Echo

Tangle Creek Falls in Jasper Alberta Canada. Painted from a photo (Doug Swinton) with permission. Unframed. — Tangle Falls

In April this river in Jasper National Park was still frozen, but had a glistening of melted ice on the surface. The sap appears to be running creating brilliance in the branches of the brilliant willows in the foreground. Unframed. — Frozen

On a beautiful fall day I stood on the banks of the Torch River in Northeast Saskatchewan, Canada, and painted as the water splashed over the rocks. This is truly one of the most beautiful rivers in the area. This painting is an expression of the warm fall colours and the cool rushing water. It is soul food. — Torch River Ablaze

Out of Rock #1 is one of a series of similar paintings of trees seeming to grow out of rocks. Otter Lake near Missinipe, Saskatchewan, Canada is the site of this beautiful scene. Otter Lake in northern Saskatchewan is in the Canadian Shield with large outcroppings creating beautiful landforms. I am always amazed at how trees can exist virtually soilless seeming to grow right out of the rocks. A big piece of my heart lies in the Canadian Shield. — Out of Rock #1

Painted en plein air in the fall at a spot on the shore of Tobin Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada, "Carrot River Landing" features driftwood littered along the shore and the setting sun boldly reflecting on the water. This is a pristine spot on a beautiful lake is Saskatchewan's Boreal woodlands. — Carrot River Landing

This loose and lovely painting is a playful depiction of a poplar stand in late August. The bright colours express the changing colours of the leaves and underbrush. The sunlight brings out the brightness of the white bark and creates light trails through the forest. — Early Fall

This piece was painted for and accepted into the International Watercolour Society show catalogue for the 2023 show 'Stories In Light'. The scene is a trail through the boreal forest in northern Saskatchewan. I love the light streaming in and the shadows created by the towering pines on these trails. — Into the Light

Smith Falls on the Churchill River in northern Saskatchewan is a roaring beauty. I discovered this waterfall with friends while exploring the area north of Missinipe in Saskatchewan and it was a thrill of a lifetime existing in it's natural state with no barriers of chainlink or other man-made structures. The roaring of the rapidly flowing water easily comes to mind when I look at this impressionistic painting of the falls. — Impression of Smith Falls

This plein air painting of a poplar copse in September is mounted on a 2" thick pine panel. Poplar leaves turn brilliant lemon yellow in the fall, and set against the blue-grey sky they are stunning! — September Gold

Brocklebank Hill is 810 metres (2658 feet) above sea level, one of the highest points in Saskatchewan, Canada. This vista shows how one can see far into the northern forest areas from the top of the hill. The blue coloured expanse in the picture is distant boreal forest that extend for miles and miles to the north. This painting is from a plein air study I painted on a painting trip with friends along the Woody Lake Road southeast of Hudson Bay SK. — Brocklebank Hill

This painting of Smith Falls in Saskatchewan's norther boreal forest near Brabant SK, is painted on handmade Indigo Art Paper. The paper has a very rough texture which complements the subject of the rugged landscape and roaring white water. This paper is challenging to paint on as it does not withstand some of the techniques watercolourists use, but the effect is worth the effort. — Smith Falls in the Rough

This colourful autumn forest painting is based on a plein air sketch done at a crossroads in the backwoods near my home. While I was painting, a local farmer stopped the grain truck to tell me that a bear had been spotted in a nearby grain field. I thanked them, and assured them that I was near my vehicle and was armed with bears-spray. Engrossed in my painting, I suddenly realized that I should perhaps check to make sure the bear wasn't coming up behind me, and found that indeed, it was lumbering down the road toward me. I did a hasty pack up, and returned to my studio to continue my painting. I love bears, by the way, but from a distance, and from inside my vehicle. — Autumn at the Crossroads

Painted en plein air, this little red bridge crosses a tiny creek that many miles later flows into the Saskatchewan River. It struck me that this tiny trickle of water is part of a much larger system that crosses this vast province. — Footbridge at Candle Lake

Otter Lake in northern Saskatchewan is a large Canadian Shield lake with many channels, waterfalls, and outcroppings of rock. I am awed by the scenes that inspired Island of Rock. The ability of plants to survive the harsh northern elements and to retain their rugged beauty is simply awesome in the truest sense of the word. This painting is from a photo taken by me on a trip to Otter Lake near Missinipe SK. — Island of Rock