Commission - Bear in Mind, 2012 - 30" x 40"

I met Kathleen and her husband Colin in the spring of 2012 when they came for a studio visit and expressed interest in commissioning me to create a painting for their new home of places they visited in the Rocky Mountains. Both are from back east and made a trip to the Rocky Mountains where together, they were inspired to make the move to British Columbia and settled in Kelowna. Through a series of emails and photographs we were able to create a vision that would capture Lake Louise, the Chateaux, Morant's Curve, Banff, a 'Kelowna' bear tucked in the trees and those magnificent mountains. This was a step out of the ordinary as I usually create a painting of a single place but I really enjoyed the challenge, especially adding the two people on horseback! If you've followed my art you'll know that absolutely none of my paintings include people but I'm glad we added them. The story and features of this painting really makes it one of the most personal works of art I have had the opportunity to work on. Thank you to Kathleen and Colin, it was a real pleasure to work with you both.

See below for photos from start to finish 

"Working with Leanne was a truly collaborative experience. Our goal was to combine all the places that we had visited during our western vacation into one painting so we could instantly remember what inspired us to move to Kelowna. We provided her with pictures of Lake Louise, Banff, Morant's Curve and a picture of us on horseback at the Lake Louise glacier....and we also wanted the Kelowna bear tucked somewhere in the painting too!

She began by providing us with a sketch of her vision. It was so close to our vision that it required very few changes....The next step was to choose a color scheme that would complement our decor. Once that was decided she sent us pictures of her progress and we responded with some additional suggestions....And that was it! It was so easy and the final result represents exactly what we wanted. Who knew that this entire process could be accomplished by email! 

What a great experience, Leanne. Thank you so much for capturing a moment in time that we will never forget."  

 - Kathleen Fish Macfarlane 

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