For Artists Who Love the Outdoors

Sometimes an idea for a painting has a long gestation. “Bertha Lake Revisited” is certainly one of those pieces. On the first weekend of August, Julie and I celebrated our anniversary at the Prince of Wales hotel in Waterton National Park. It was a great weekend, topped off by climbing up to Bertha Lake, a ‘moderate climb’ we had done twice before, once about 50 years ago, and again about 25 years ago. Tackling it a third time seemed appropriate if not daunting after 53 years together. 

It was a beautiful summer day, a steady climb, and we even managed to have our photo taken by a fellow climber when we reached the lake. Maybe it was the day or the occasion, but everything we encountered was wonderful that day. We completed our hike with high tea at the Prince of Wales, and later, an excellent dinner. Over dinner, we looked at our shots from the climb, including the one taken of us at the lake. And right then I decided I would like to try painting this photographic moment, as a kind of tribute.

I let the idea percolate over the next few weeks and gathered some art supplies for the task. One item I picked up was a nice 12” x 16” acrylic panel and a jar of watercolour ground to treat it first. Never having used watercolour ground before, I was a bit worried but it went on smoothly and dried evenly. However, watercolours continued to lie on the surface after the treatment, so the result is a flat work which seems to me to be like a mural rather than a painting. It’s similar to painting on gessobord, which I’ve done quite often, but a bit more frustrating. I‘m comfortable with the finished painting, after working on it for three weeks.