Helen 24 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas

We went for a family drive up to Whistler over the weekend and I delivered Helen to Art Junction. I confess Helen has been hanging in my home for the past few weeks and was a tough one to give up, but I know she will find a fabulous forever home up in Whistler. I also visited some old friends while strolling through the village,

Kramer 16 x 16 Acrylic on Canvas

Here is another Christmas commission.  Kramer is a handsome labradoodle with the best bushy eyebrows,

Elvis 16 x 16 Acrylic on Canvas

Elvis is one of the dog commissions that I worked on this holiday season. He was a Christmas Eve Birthday present and was a big hit. Elvis was a fabulous guy to paint - he is a vizsla and I loved working with the rich rusts and oranges of his coat.

Charity 20 x 18 Acrylic on Canvas

I love watching these adorable little chickadees outside my studio window. It's easy to get carried away taking photos (and not painting like I should be doing),

Amelia 12 x 16 Acrylic on Canvas

Please excuse the glare in this photo - I find it so tricky to get a good, even shot of the dark bears ( she looks much better in person). I love the sweetness in the girls' eyes, and I think the darker background gives them more "oomph",

Tulip 20 x 16 Acrylic on canvas

I'm excited to announce that my studio is finally finished (thanks to the hard work of my talented husband - and some great contractors too). The lightening is beyond amazing, and I have been painting nonstop since I moved in. I'm working hard on completing several exciting commissions, but I managed to sneak this gal in too. She is one of my favorite reference photos and you might recognize her from other pieces (I find sneaking in a familiar face now and again helps build my confidence and keeps a positive momentum going).

Best Day Ever

Check out page 66 of Whistler Magazine...

Good Bye Pedro and Hello the Loft

It was a super busy weekend, that started with a sad good bye to Pedro. I dropped him off at Pepe Gringo's (a local restaurant in Squamish that currently has my work on display). Lucky for me, I have already sold a few pieces at Pepe's and they were in need of some more work. I wasn't sure about selling Pedro as I love him so much, but I thought he would be a fantastic fit for the venue.

My family and I also delivered some work to The Loft, a new gallery at Madeira Park (Pender Harbour), on the Sunshine Coast. We certainly enjoyed the ferry over, and the highlight of the day was watching a doe play with his mother. Here is a link to the new gallery,

casastore.ca/

Opa 12 x 24 Acrylic on canvas

I'm up late packing for my painting demo tomorrow, and I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at another new piece (I could also be avoiding my long to do list....). I love the bright colour background on this one (and he looks even better in person).

Thelma 10x10 Acrylic on canvas

Thelma is just one of the new paintings I will be bringing with me tomorrow to the "Meet the Makers" Event at on The Farm. It should be a great day (and did I mention the new distillery in town is giving out samples).

Studio construction has started!

I'm thrilled to announce that construction on my new studio started last week. It's been fun trying to plan windows and doors - I can't wait to get working in my new space

Perfect start to the weekend

What a fantastic start to the weekend! Unpacking a massive Opus Art Supply order. I needed to stock up as I've booked 8 commissions in the past week. Lucky for me, I think it's going to be very busy few weeks.

Gopher 24 x 24 Acrylic on canvas available at Art Junction, in Function Junction Whistler

http://artjunction.ca/artists/kandice-keith/#ad-image-3

I love painting herons. They have such a wacky look to them - they remind me of the "Edward Scissorhands" of the bird world (but with a crazy carnivorous edge).

Turbo 9 x 12 Acrylic on canvas

I've been busy working on some smaller pieces for an upcoming show / live painting demo on November 15th, at on The Farm in Squamish. Its a nice break to work on the smaller pieces, and a great opportunity to experiment. I played around with this one by using a dark magenta background. I love how it seems to make his throat "pop" and I think it looks terrific against the blue.

Jane 10 x 10 Acrylic on Canvas

I'm long over due for painting a cow - and I must say this is one of my favorites. She just flowed as I was painting her and I think she has a wonderful look in her eyes.

Love Birds 16 x 20 Acrylic on Canvas,

October is my anniversary month, so I thought it was fitting to paint these two love birds (again). I confess I had some challenges with this one and this is probably version #4 that I've attempted over the past six months or so. I'm glad I persevered - I think they have a perfect "twinkle" in their eyes,

Smokey, 18 x 24 Acrylic on canvas

I've been wanting to paint a salmon for ages, but I think my nerves got the best of me. It is something completely out of my comfort zone, and the water seemed very intimidating to me. Last week, I really wanted to paint using red, and decided to give him a try. I actually painted most of him upside down to get the shapes/ movement correct. I love the results and think I may try him him again on a much larger scale,

Saul 24 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas

I experimented with this guy and went with an orange background. I usually start with an orange base, and later add various coats of blue on top. This time I decided to play while the paint was still pretty wet. Orange is one of my favorite colours, and I'm pretty happy with the results - plus I love his quirky personality.

Hans 6 x 12 acrylic on canvas

I am thrilled with Hans. He is a unique size canvas that I found, and I love his spunk and character!

Judd 24 x 12 Acrylic on canvas $360 Value

It seems to be the weekend for some great fundraisers. I donated "Judd" to Oktoberfest, a fundraiser for the Squamish Montessori School happening this Saturday at Howe Sound Brew Pub! Tickets $25 includes a BEER and a STEIN. 7 pm.  I hope this gets lots of action tonight :)

Pearl

I donated Pearl to Whistler WAG's annual K9 Wine and Dine happening tomorrow night.  I hope she generates lots of action.  I wish I could be there to check out the other great goodies up for grabs (all for a fantastic cause).  On a side note, our first chosen name for our black lab was Pearl.  Only after having her for 24 hours, we decided that she didn't really suit the name Pearl, and we opted for Georgie.  I think that's why I like this painting so much.

New Friends

I've been getting lots of visitors from these guys lately.  Future inspiration perhaps?

Ginger and Jr. Rogers 30 x 40 Acrylic on Canvas, B. Rogers, 30 x 40 Acrylic on Canvas

I was recently asked to paint two, 30 x 40 Moose, that would be displayed side by side at the Summit Lodge Hotel in Whistler. I thought a "family" of moose would work well together, and I had the perfect reference photos. It was fun (and challenging) to work on such big canvases at the same time. I confess that they are two of my favorite pieces. I delivered them to Art Junction yesterday, and I received the photo of them hanging up at the hotel this morning. Definitely made my day 

New Work at On The Farm in Squamish

I've been busy lately working on a few fantastic commissions, and I also brought some new pieces down to On The Farm last week. I love how the paintings seem to "pop" off the barn board and I can get lost in all of their great Halloween fairy garden goodies. I just had to hang the black cat to "watch over things".

Toodles 10 x 10 Acrylic on Canvas

With the chill in the air, I'm already starting to plan for Christmas by trying to get some more smaller paintings completed. Hummingbirds were extremely popular last year and I want to be prepared (plus they are just so adorable and fun to paint). This has been my first small guy in ages and I love his spunk,

Barry 16 x 20 Acrylic on Canvas

I donated to this guy to the Lions Bay Volunteer Fire Fighter Fundraiser. The silent auction fundraiser is today and unfortunately we were unable to attend. I hope he is getting lots of action and is well received. I went a bit brighter with this guy and I love the depth of his colours. I know I'm on a bit of a bear kick but with so many "reminders' in the neighborhood I just can't help it.

Bernie 18 x 36 acrylic on canvas Available

Apparently there is a new bear on the block. He looks pretty small and has been trying to access my locked garbage. With bears on my brain, I thought it would be interesting to experiment with the composition / background colour of my current favorite bear reference photo. I went larger with this one, and there are lots of fun colours poking through the background,

Wanda 18x36 Acrylic on Canvas

I've had this reference photo for ages, but I just hadn't painted it yet. It's actually how I had the idea to expand the composition of Morgan the Moose. I think I put off painting this one, as I loved the look of the photo, and was scared that I couldn't get the same look on canvas (and that I might fail). I'm so glad I finally gave it a try, and Wanda is probably one of my favorite cows

Hazel Acrylic on canvas 16 x 16

I've been working on a few different bears lately, and experimenting with various background colours (also it's bear season around my neighborhood). I just finished this one up. I love the way the background colours peek through - and the bear seems to just look right at you. Of course, no sooner did I finish it, did we have one stroll through our yard.

Pedro 20 x 16 Acrylic on Canvas

Every now and again, I just need to paint a rooster. They're one of my favorite animals to paint. I love their expressions and personality - plus it feels good to play with red! I've actually painted this guy before, but with a yellow background. I often like to revisit my favorite subjects / reference photos. It is always interesting to play with those "what ifs" scenarios such as blue vs. yellow backgrounds, and I think it is a great way to strengthen skills and build confidence.

Mike 24x24 Acrylic on Canvas

I thought I'd experiment with this big guy and I added more of a background than I normally do. I love how the colours "pop". I delivered him to Art Junction in Whistler on Friday along with a few other pieces. It's always a pleasure visiting Harvey, and his fantastic gallery. Here's a link to the gallery if you'd like to have a look:Art Junction

Gilbert 12 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas

I was recently commissioned to paint a dog with an exceptional story. In 2004, Gilbert was shot, run over, and left on a secluded road. He was rescued, and after 8 months in rehabilitation, was adopted. Gilbert recently passed away, after living a happy new life. Leanne had never met the owner, or Gilbert, but wanted to help. Here is more about Gilbert's story, and the link to Leanne's post on the Squamish Random Acts of Kindness page. This is not the first instance I've heard of Leanne helping others in need. Thank you Leanne Hodge for your loving heart and generous acts of kindness - we need more people like you in our world xo

 Squamish Random Acts of Kindness Facebook Page

Gilbert's Story 
 

Dee 12x12 Acrylic on canvas

Apparently we weren't the only new family in our neighborhood. A chickadee family moved into our neighbor's bird house (first time in 5 years since they had it). I've always wanted to paint a chickadee, and I found a great photo in my files. I "went out on a limb" and went with a purple base colour and I think it works well.

Winston 36 x 18 Acrylic on canvas

I went with a different composition for this great horned fellow and I'm thrilled with the results. He has a real "presence" about him, and I love his big claws - plus he looks fantastic on my mantle,

Murray 12 x 24 Acrylic on canvas

This guy was a gift for my dad for his birthday (he asked if I could paint a ruffled grouse). The hardest part of painting this bird was finding a good reference photo. It's always interesting looking for photos for animals that are frequently hunted if you can imagine. I'm pretty happy with how he turned out and my dad liked him too,

Layla 16 x 20

I had the pleasure of attending my cousin's wedding this past weekend. My daughter was the "Flower Girl" with the added responsibility of escorting the bride and groom's dog down the aisle. It was a beautiful wedding and we had a fabulous time. Here is the painting of their cute little Layla that I did for their wedding gift.

Twerk 9x12 Acrylic on canvas

 

My typical small paintings always seem to be on a square canvas - I discovered this one in the move and thought it would be fun to experiment on.  I love the bushiness of his eyebrows and his big personality.  I may have to order more of this size for Christmas,