Doug Rutherford

I am looking at potential subjects for an upcoming workshop in Tagish, Yukon, in early March. This is one of the possible projects for the participants.

Sunrise on Windy Arm, Tagish Lake. Watercolour on paper, 8×10 inches.
Painting of the day #1789.

I have a fondness for painting trees. It helps when you live in an area where you couldn’t count them in a single lifetime. I will admit that spruce trees gave me fits in the beginning, and thought I might have to move somewhere north of the treeline.

Morning poplars. Watercolour on paper, 11×14 inches.
Painting of the day #1788.

Montana Mountain is a rather impressive, deeply eroded Late Cretaceous stratovolcano located south of Carcross, Yukon, Canada. Regardless of the time of year, it’s quite a site rising above Windy Arm of Tagish Lake.

There are several great places to view the mountain. My favourite, however, is looking across the Carcross Desert.

Approaching snow, Montana Mountain. Watercolour on paper, 11×14 inches.
Painting of the day #1787.

I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m a sucker for a good barren. Every since I first drove through the White Pass in 1991, I’ve loved the Summit Lake area. Although, I will also admit that there were a few times when it was snowing so hard you couldn’t see a thing.

Summit Lake. Watercolour on paper, 11×14 inches.
Painting of the day #1786.

One of the distinctive landmarks in Whitehorse is Golden Horn Mountain, an extinct Pliocene volcano whose peak marks the southern boundary of the Whitehorse city limits. I’ve often painted Golden Horn in various times of year and times of day. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of its many moods.

Here it is on an early winter morning viewed from the bank of the Yukon River.

Golden Horn Mountain. Watercolour on paper, 8×10 inches.
Painting of the day #1785.

Actually, I did two paintings today; however, one is a commission for a CD cover and is embargoed until May.

Night path. Watercolour on paper, 8×10 inches.
Painting of the day #1784.

We had really nice northern lights the night before last. Although, when I caught them when I couldn’t sleep at 2 AM, they were only out for about five minutes. People who caught them earlier said the saw them for about 40 minutes.

I did manage to grab a few photos and used one of them for today’s painting.

Northern lights. Watercolour on paper, 11 x 14 inches.
Painting of the day #1783.

I spent two days this week as artist in the window at Yukon Artists @ Work gallery in Whitehorse. Yesterday, I completed this painting of Mount Conrad at Tagish Lake. This is kind of relevant to nothing in particular, other than I will probably be teaching a watercolour workshop for the Tagish Community Centre in the upcoming future.

Mount Conrad, evening. Watercolour on paper, 11×14 inches.
Painting of the day #1782.

I couldn’t turn down this one when I saw it in my Landscape Reference Photos for artists group. It does, however, make me think longingly of my halibut rod and the fact I haven’t gone halibut fishing in some time.

I’ve seen this site many times, usually anchored about 200 m to the left of this painting with a line over the side.

Eldred Rock Light, Lynn Canal, Alaska. Watercolour on paper, 11×14 inches.
Painting of the day #1781.

I often joke about some of the exotic locations I paint from. This is from my front step.

Porter Creek evening. Watercolour on paper. 8×10 inches.