Paintings - Canadian Rockies
by Willie Vergara
INSPIRED IN ALBERTA
For three long years, I lost interest in pursuing my painting hobby. The
decision to go back to the canvas and my paint brushes came immediately after
our trip to Alberta a year ago. I really have to thank Sensei Noli Nolasco for
his indefatigable invitations for me to visit him in Calgary. My primary purpose
in finally responding to Sensei’s call was not to enjoy the marvelous and
well-known golf courses of Alberta. It was about paying homage to my Sensei
after undergoing difficult series of medical treatments.
Mesmerized by the boundless beauty and charm of the Canadian Rockies since we arrived from Calgary on September 13, 2019 I got into the paint, paint, paint mode. This has been quite a milestone on my part because I haven’t produced a single work for the past three years. All these are large paintings, save for the last one, which is just a study. Also, all these are in oil, which is of course the most difficult medium.
My son Victor, who went to the Canadian Rockies last year, told me before our trip that the place is more beautiful than Yosemite. I did not believe him then. He observed correctly as I was completely taken in from Day One of this trip. I should indeed thank Sensei NOLI NOLASCO for opening the opportunity for us to finally visit this wonderful Canadian province of Calgary. This trip was also largely made possible by Brod Ike Araneta for doing all the driving and the research on the most important stops.”
Ike and Tanya, my wife Tess and I flew from Sacramento to Calgary, where we were
met at the airport by my second cousin Chitang Munar. We later met up with my
San Beda high school classmate Jon Salvador, another Calgary resident. On the
evening of the same day, we drove to a Canmore hotel, where we lodged for two
nights.
The morning after, we set out to see the famous sites of Banff, an hour or so
from Canmore. It was there where I began to be overwhelmed by the beauty of the
place. On the first day of sightseeing, I decided to immediately go back to my
painting hobby.
The whole trip itself – from the sites of Banff, to the quaint city of Banff
itself, to our trip to Jasper, then to Fairmont where Te-C Nolasco reserved a
fully furnished apartment for us – will hopefully be a subject of an article for
our travelogue.
Meantime, I am sharing six paintings of Alberta, with brief descriptions of
each.
LAKE LOUISE. Oil on canvas, 6 ft x 4 ft. This is the biggest painting I’ve
painted so far. It now occupies a whole wall at my home/gallery. A must see for
tourists like me, it is believed that if one goes to Alberta and has not seen
Lake Louise, he/she has not really seen Alberta. Because of the size, it took me
about 160 hours to complete this work.
LAKE MORAINE. Oil on canvas, 4 ft x 3 ft. This is my personal favorite of all my
Alberta paintings and, in fact, the very first I did upon arrival. While I was
there staring at this beautiful sight, I couldn’t wait to go back home and
capture the splendor of the place in oil.
JOHNSTON CANYON. Oil on canvas, 4 ft x 3 ft. The hiking trail towards the falls
is in itself a grand experience – going through rails and bridges while enjoying
the relaxing sound of the brook on its way to join the waters of the famous Bow
River.
ATHABASCA FALLS. Oil on canvas, 4 ft x 3 ft. We saw this spectacular site on our way to Jasper. It is a powerful, picturesque not known so much for its height but for the it force due to the large quantity of water falling into the gorge.
CANADIAN ROCKIES. Acrylic on canvas, 16” x 24”. This painting just came out of my imagination out of my amazement of the beautiful rivers, lakes, and white-crested mountain during our road trip.
BOW LAKE. Oil on canvas, 6 ft x 2 ft. This beautiful can be seen along the main
highway on the way to Jasper. I was immediately overwhelmed by its spectacular
surroundings and the turquoise water.
LAKE LOUISE - 6 ft x 4 ft, oil on canvas
LAKE MORAINE - 4 ft x 3 ft, oil on canvas
JOHNSTON CANYON (Lower Falls) - 4 ft x 3 ft, oil on canvas ATHABASCA FALLS - 4 ft x 3 ft, oil on canvas
CANADIAN ROCKIES - 16” x 24”, acrylic on canvas
BOW LAKE - oil on canvas, 6 ft x 2 ft.