Kanaka Creek
Living only two blocks from Cliff Park, through which Kanaka Creek flows, this park is a big draw for me when looking for natural history subjects to paint. Kanaka Creek flows through East Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. It originates high up on the south slope of Blue Mountain and flows down gathering speed and water volume. The creek has probably been flowing down Blue Mountain before the glaciers retreated from the area. It then traverses through Cliff Park, carving its way through solid rock and then emptying a few kilometers away into the Fraser River. On the northside of Blue Mountain is where Alouette Lake can be found, in Golden Ears Park. Many portions of Kanaka Creek are picturesque if not spectacular but the most impressive is the portion that flows through Cliff Park. My painting shows Kanaka Creek just before it enters Cliff Park.
On the day I ventured to Kanaka Creek, the region was experiencing a lot of smoke from various forest fires and a major fire in Vancouver. This created an unusual mist or fog throughout the whole area for miles. This is noted in how the light was directional but also diffused at the same time. Despite it have just rained heavily about hour prior to collecting references and sketches of the creek, the mist persisted throughout the day. Large droplets of water were dripping off the trees which I thought really captured the feel for the area so I made sure this featured in my painting. Painting Specifications:
Medium: Acrylic paint & black ink Size: 20w x 16h-inches Surface: Illustration Board Completed: October 2020 |
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