When Wendy Wacko, the owner of Mountain Galleries, went to art school one of her art teachers was Doris McCarthy who later in life became her mentor, painting partner, and dear friend. Doris McCarthy is 99 years old and she is a very successful Canadian artist.
In Jasper Wendy passed on many of the tips that Doris gave her when she was starting out as a young artist. I am so lucky to be receiving feedback from Wendy. Her artist in residence program has been an amazing experience.
One of the things I have learned on my stay as artist in residence at Mountain Galleries is that it is really worth it to catch the early morning light or the evening shadows. In the middle of the day the hills really blend together.
One of the areas I’ve struggled with in my paintings this week is the foreground. I now know that I need to plan ahead to save my light areas and not try to paint every branch of every tree. My forte is the snow on the mountains. I’m glad I came in the spring when some of the snow was still left on the peaks.
One of my favourite tips from Wendy was when she told me to work really hard and paint my heart out. Now that is advice I can definitely try to live up to!
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