Good Morning, Sunshine

Good Morning, Sunshine ~ 6″ x 10″ oil on panel. Start bid $69.00 USD

A few years ago, we ran a cute little Bed and Breakfast, and in the summertime, many European visitors would visit Bella Coola, hoping to see BEARS! People were always asking us where to go to find bears, as many can be found fishing on the riverbanks in late fall. This particular Swiss couple were frustrated, as they were reaching the end of their stay and had yet to see a bear. We were standing outside the cottage, talking to them, and in the background our new puppy, a four month old hound lab cross was going nuts underneath a tree in our yard. He was barking frantically and jumping up and down beneath the tree. He was so noisy that he was interrupting our conversation, so we went over to see what all of the commotion was about. Up in the tree, resting his paws on a branch and his head on his paws, was a little black bear, looking down at the ridiculous mammal bouncing up and down beneath him. He was quite non-plussed and unafraid.

So, the Swiss couple got to see their bear. He wasn’t a magnificent grizzly, but a bear, nonetheless.

The auction starts Friday, January 26th over at DailyPaintworks. Click here to bid.

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January 26, 2017January 27, 2017 by Tahirih Goffic Categories: Uncategorized, wildlife artTags: animal rescue, bear, Bear art, bear painting, black bear, colorful wildlife, impressionism, sunrise, sunset, wildlife art Leave a comment

Fierce Blue ~ Kingfisher

Fierce Blue ~ 6″ x 6″ oil on canvas covered hardboard. SOLD!

I am lucky enough to live near the ocean. Bella Coola is actually located right at the end of an inlet and instead of beaches, we have steep mountains plunging into the sea, much like the Fjords of Norway. It would explain why the Norwegians decided to settle here…it reminded them of home.

Anyways, every Sunday I go for a jog near the tide flats with my dog, and every Sunday I see this little guy, sitting on the telephone line, or diving like a torpedo into the water, hoping for a catch. I have yet to see him succeed, but I enjoy his acrobatics and his distinctive rattle  call.

This little painting is up for sale at DailyPaintworks starting at $49. The auction will go live Tuesday morning. Click here to bid. 

January 16, 2017January 17, 2017 by Tahirih Goffic Categories: acrylic painting demonstration, Uncategorized, wildlife portraitTags: bird painting, bird portrait, colorful art, impressionism, kingfisher art Leave a comment

Cowboy

Cowboy ~ 6″ x 6″ oil on canvas covered hardboard panel

To be so blessed to live in the wilds on the North Coast of B.C. is such an amazing gift. We are surrounded by majestic mountains, ancient old growth forests, and abundant wildlife, yet, being coastal in a coastal fjord, it is very rare to spot a moose. They prefer the plains and swamps and the wide open spaces of the Chilcotin Plateau. But then, there’s Cowboy, lovingly named by our local photographer, Michael Wigle, to whom I can thank for this reference photo. Cowboy seems to think that he is a cow. He was first seen grazing placidly with a herd this summer, head and shoulders, (and antlers) above the rest of his “mates”…They treated him as one of them, and he lived with them long into the fall, only leaving when it became clear that they weren’t interested in his (Hmmhmm) amorous advances. He could be seen on a daily basis, the lone set of antlers not helping him blend in at all,  only making him a target for daily traffic stops and photo ops of curious observers. This painting is up for bid at DailyPaintworks…you can bid here.

January 11, 2017January 11, 2017 by Tahirih Goffic Categories: oil painting, Uncategorized, wildlife artTags: colorful wildlife, impressionism, moose, wildlife, wildlife art 2 Comments

Into the Dawn

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of horses, I drew horses, I was obsessed with horses. I lived in Quesnel, on a small acreage and I prayed and prayed that one day I could have a horse. When I was 12, my parents told me that I could have a horse if I built the corral, so I did! I’m not sure that they were prepared for that reality, but they stuck to their word. She was a purebred registered quarter horse, named Miss Peeti Poco, and I loved her more than anything in the world! I rode her every day, for as long as I could, and scared my parents half to death on more than one occasion. On one of these occasions, I had a friend visiting from Bella Coola (where I live now). We had borrowed another horse from a friend so that we could go riding together. I let my friend ride my placid mare, and I rode the gorgeous bay. She looked a lot like this one, glossy reddish brown coat, shining, blue black mane and a wide blaze down the middle of her face. We were out about 5km in the woods, when she went down. I saw the pain in her eyes right away, and knew she was colicking. I was terrified! I knew that this was life or death for her. I made her run the whole way home. She went down three or four times, and each time, I’d have to leap off and get out of the way of the 1000 pound animal, and then haul her to her feet and make her go again. We finally arrived at the home of a friend who had horses. We called the vet, but he was out on another call, so we took turns pulling her to her feet, and walking her in circles. By the end of the ordeal, we were exhausted, and some men took over. One of them had a painkiller for horses, which kept her up until the vet could arrive and work his magic. He told us we saved her life and if I hadn’t thought quickly and kept her on her feet that she would have died.

So this is my homage to that sweet little horse. I don’t remember her name, just that she was spunky and spirited, a lovely little Morgan/Arab cross…

She’ll be up for sale on DailyPaintworks tomorrow, starting at $49. The dimensions are 6″ x 8″ and it is painted on stretched 3/4 inch profile canvas. Click here to bid. 

January 6, 2017January 16, 2017 by Tahirih Goffic Categories: dramatic horse painting, horse painting, UncategorizedTags: animal portrait, art, equine art, horse, impressionism, oil painting, painting Leave a comment