Alison Boyack

Abandoned Shack

24” x 48” $2600

One summer my husband and I travelled to Dawson Creek, B.C. to go hiking in the Tumbler Ridge area. It was a bit of a drive between the two places and we passed this shack frequently. I, of course, became determined to get a picture of it. The sky was so amazing there. It seemed extra big because it’s so flat, and there were incredible clouds almost every day. I would stop and take a picture of something pretty much every time we were on our way back and the lighting was good. Luckily the timing worked out and I got my shot of the shack.

Sushi

12” x 16” Private collection

I lived in Toronto for 15 years, and in that time, lived in 10 different apartments. In the year I spent living on Grenadier Rd., I had a neighbour downstairs that had a Pomeranian dog, Bingo and a siamese cat, Sushi, Sushi was such a wonderful cat. I loved his blue eyes, and ragged ear and mellow personality. One day I happened to get this great shot of him, in the dappled sun sitting on their outdoor mat. I had the picture for over 20 years before I painted him. I was always painting for a gallery, and when I found myself just painting for me, I decided it was time to dig out all the animal photos I’d been amassing for years and do something different.

Summer Field

40” x 40” $3000

A friend took me to this spot, somewhere in Swiss Meadows when I mentioned I loved old ruins. Even though I’ve now lived in Collingwood for years, I’m not even sure exactly where it is or if I could find it again. I took tons of pictures and planned to paint it right away although it went through many versions before I was ok with it. The pictures I took were in the middle of the afternoon, so I painted that first then slowly changed the lighting and the sky until it felt like that time of day when the lighting transforms everything.

Autumn Leaves

11” x 14” $350

Autumn is my favourite season. I love how the fall colours transform everything. When I’m out walking at this time of year, I am constantly stopping and taking pictures of fallen leaves. I love the patterns and colour combinations - never are there so many incredible colours at once.

Twilight Hues

12” x 24” $650

My mother in law lived in Dawson Creek, B.C. for many years and we visited there quite a few times. It’s Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway, and the lighting there is quite different, being so much further north. Pretty much every night was a spectacular sunset. I’m pretty sure I took pictures every evening. This one was looking out from my mother in laws’ yard, just another amazing sunset during our visit.

At the Foot of The Hills

36” x 18” Private collection

I constantly drew horses when I was growing up. I’m always trying to get a good photo of horses whenever the opportunity arises, hoping I’ll be able to paint them. It doesn’t happen very often. Years ago, when I was still living in Toronto, I would ride by these horses almost every day when I was visiting in Collingwood. They were always in the far fields. I was lucky enough one day as I was riding by to catch the horses in the pasture right beside the road, at the corner of the Sixth St. extension and Grey Rd. 19. I got right up to the fence and shot a lot of pictures. It was of course, many years that the photos were in my “To Paint” file before I actually painted them.