The Arrival by Bruce Muir
24″x30″ Oils on Canvas
$2900
A Humpback Whale during it’s annual migration past Vancouver Island. There’s a lot we can glean from this portrait; we know the whale’s species, we can see it’s heading westward, and the proximity to shore. The weather and fog is well known to this part of the island. What strikes me is this; You can often see exactly this upper portion of the painting, but here, Bruce Muir shows you the part you can only imagine from the glimpses you catch from above the water’s surface.
The Reef by Bruce Muir
16″x20″ Oils on Canvas, framed.
$2000
This is a red tailed surf perch, they live in the inshore waters along the coast, right in the surf line. Starfish are tucked in the Anemones providing an emerald backdrop. It’s a wonderful depiction of the life here, underwater.
Three Fishers, Hoping by Ken Kirkby
40″x60″ Oils on canvas, c1980
$8000
Two Fishers, One Fish by Ken Kirkby
40″x60″ Oils on canvas. c1980
$8000
Sandy Tidal Pool by Bruce Muir
16″x20″ oils on canvas, framed.
$1800
A stunning portrait of Vancouver Island, there are thousands of tranquil little spots along the coastline, just like this. Star fish of many colors and varieties abound in the calm inshore waters of Barkley Sound. Masterfully painted, with many layers of glazing to build up the misty atmosphere depicted so well in this painting.
Harvest of Herring by Bruce Muir
20″x30″ oils on canvas, framed.
$2900
Hard at work in the herring skiff, these fishermen are a stark contrast to the rainy coastline. While the highlight of color draws our attention to life aboard the fishing vessel, we’re made conscious of the bounty of life shining as it comes aboard the skiff. The seine boat is beautifully rendered and I’m stunned by how beautiful the scene is.
Born in Vancouver, Bruce paints realistic portrayals of West Coast wildlife. Shown across Canada and around the world, his originals can be found in numerous public and private collections. Bruce has been named the
B.C. Wildlife Federation Artist of the Year; twice. Muir salmon paintings are recognized in this area because his chinook salmon images have been used on
Canada’s Sport Fishing License Stamp, several times.
Bruce Muir has become a premier Canadian landscape painter. Evolving from marine seascapes and wildlife, Bruce has been forging new territory, bringing a different viewpoint to British Columbian Landscapes.
Subjects rendered in an immersible perspective are the particular focus of Muir’s work. Choosing viewpoints that are ‘in’ the scene rather than ‘of’ the scene is his calling card. The light-play of sun on water reflecting and refracting on the aluminum bulwark of a commercial fishing vessel might not be a subject commonly held as ‘beautiful’ but Bruce recognizes it as such. Purposefully emotive over and under the surface of water depictions and bird’s eye views of intimate locations of coastal British Columbia have emerged in his recent works.
Bruce has pursued artistic endeavors since childhood with the support of his parents and teachers . At age 15, he became acquainted with Ken Kirkby, who was to become a major influence in his life and his artwork. By 1981 Bruce had devoted himself to painting full time. From that time until present Bruce Muir has participated in many showings of his work, produced 40 or more limited edition prints, won numerous competitions, and been the recipient of several awards including BC Wildlife Federation Artist of the Year and Trout Unlimited Canada’s Artist of the Year.
Posts tagged Bruce Muir
Lakeside Tranquility by Ken Kirkby
36″x36″ Oils on Canvas
$3000
Tranquility is the quality of calm experienced in places with mainly natural features and activities, free from disturbance from man-made areas.
At Peace, Spider Lake by Ken Kirkby
60″x30″ Oils on Canvas
$4000
This tall painting has all of the signature elements of a Kirkby’s lake-side paintings, grass, rocks, the tranquil reflection of the lake, but in this example Ken has rendered the detail on the tree trunk where the light strikes it, establishing a level of detail that keeps me staring out over the water and at the subtle details of this painting.
Island Farm by Ken Kirkby
30″x60″ Oil on Canvas
$4500
A number of farms on the inside of Vancouver Island were abandoned during the 2nd world war, many of the owners did not return to their homesteads. This painting references this with a fence line in the foreground. The reefs and the vista of mainland mountains might well have been enough subject for the painting but Kirkby’s attention to the grass eludes to the farm and it’s history.
Still Reflections by Ken Kirkby
30″x30″ Oil on Canvas
$2500
Tranquility, reflection, simplicity and balance; all equally describe this Kirkby painting. A little smaller than most of Ken’s work, this piece masterfully depicts a scene with sparse detail and a minimalist approach to realism.
Pacific Meadow by Ken Kirkby
24″x30″ Oil on Canvas
$2000
A subtly colored painting, but very much in Kirkby’s signature realist style; staccato grass, evenly textured rocks, simplified trees silhouetted in graceful warm tones that fall off into the distance. This is a man who paints with total confidence, he paints what he observes and he feels what he sees.
Sea Shore Series (4) – Ken Kirkby
20″x30″ Oil on Canvas
$1000
Sea Shore Series (2) – Ken Kirkby
20″x30″ Oil on Canvas
$1000
Sea Shore Series (1) – Ken Kirkby
20″x24″ Oil on Canvas
sold (private collection)
Sea Shore Series (3) – Ken Kirkby
20″x24″ Oil on Canvas
$750
Lakeview (Taylor Arm) by Ken Kirkby
30″x60″ Oil on Canvas
sold (private collection)
Still waters; a lakeside view of Taylor Arm in a graphic panorama. Kirkby observes the lakes of Vancouver island in the stillness of the early evening, when the wind has slackened.
Old Paint by Ken Kirkby
36″x48″ Oil on Canvas
$3700
This painting is of a gillnet boat out of water, in the cradle of the ‘ways’. It looks like she’s about to receive the care she’s badly in need of. Well rendered, it still retains the simplistic graphic character of Kirkby’s realism.
Pacific Breeze by Ken Kirkby
30″x60″ Oil on Canvas
sold (private collection)
Kirkby’s paintings are very often large scale, and this lends itself to the grand coastal views he portrays. The wind is a key feature in this particular peace and it’s impact is seen interacting with each element, the trees, water, sky … even the grass is bent in response to the wind’s presence.
Kennedy Lake by Ken Kirkby
36″ x 36″ Oil on Canvas
$3000
Simplification of forms contribute to Ken Kirkby’s signature style, but the subtleties in his technique add a refined level of detail to his realist paintings.
The Arrival by Bruce Muir
