When I start a painting I don't usually think about if it will sell; I paint for the enjoyment. There are however a few scenes that I paint because they are popular with the tourists and with people who used to live in the area.
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| Clouds on the Mountains #2 |
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Most of those scenes are similar to this one; a view of the Creston Valley looking west across the flats as viewed from Hwy 3A.
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| Birds over Erickson | | |
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I have done a few scenes of the east side of the valley but they don't seem to have the same impact as the west side paintings.
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| Kootenay Lake Sunset #2 |
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Another popular scene is my version of sunset on Kootenay Lake. These are based on my daughter's photo of Garland Bay.
Over the years I have done 17 paintings of the west side of the valley, 14 paintings of sunset on the lake and 5 paintings of the east side of the valley. I am happy to say that most of them have sold.
I have used photos of a number of my original paintings to make cards which also sell very well, especially to the tourists during the summer. I have painted a number of other valley scenes but, judging by card sales, they don't have the same appeal.
I rarely paint the same thing twice because I like variety too much but when I paint the valley I always end up with pictures that are subtly different.
It is a joy to live in such a beautiful area and as long as scenes like this keep selling I will keep painting them because it is fun and profitable too - always a bonus!
