New painting! “Sunflower Path” (12”x24” ink and oil on raised panel) The local community gardens are so inspiring right now! #oilpainting #gskyart #gsky #sunflowers #sunflowerpainting

New mini round (5” diameter) Thinking of calling it “Bloomin’ Delightful“! #oilpainting #blueskyart #hummingbirdpainting #hummingbirdandflowers #annashummingbird #crocosmia #gsky

My letter to BC Premier David Eby, BC Health Minister Josie Osborne, my local MLA, and my local MP on measles in BC. Please feel free to share, or weep, or whatever you find appropriate. Many thanks to @beansproutsmom.bsky.social for motivating me to keep up with the data, which led to this letter.

Upcoming joint open studio with Elsa Bluethner! If you’re in the area, we’d love to see you this Saturday, 30th of August between 11 and 3pm! #oilpainting #localartist #gsky #gabriola #isleofthearts

Yes, We Continue Wearing Masks—Here’s Why: Common Questions Answered whn.global/yes-we-conti...

Delighted to have a selection of my work up at Nova Gallery, Gabriola! Check it out if you’re in the area. 🙂

The failure of the liberal order to deal effectively and honestly with the ongoing pandemic has created fractures that fascists are busily widening while the left continues to chip away at the foundations. Stronger liberalism--a deep commitment to the effective rule of law for all--is the answer.

Advocacy alert 📣 Until August 19, you can give input on a game-changing national standard requiring N95s & other respirators in healthcare (and beyond)! To make it easier to take part, we've created a plain-language explainer that includes some sample feedback: donoharmbc.ca/national-sta...

"Upgrade public buildings, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and schools, to ASHRAE 241 standard and guideline 44 air ventilation standards." Damn right. If we'd started on that two years ago when it was obviously necessary we'd have one more tool in the kit against measles right now.

Three new mini paintings (4”x4“) with bees (and one hoverfly/bee look-alike) #oilpainting #blueskyartists #bumblebees #beesandflowers #pollinators

Little ditty written for the occasion tomorrow. Feel free to share it, riff on it, you name it. No Truce With Kings.

I bought some old-fashioned red roses at the market last weekend …so of course I had to paint them! (“Red Roses” 9”x12” ink and oil on raised panel) #blueskyartists #oilpainting #redroses #inkandoil #floralpainting

Vote as if your country depends on it. Vote as if your future depends on it. Vote as if democracy and the rule of law depend on it. But most of all: VOTE! We have a freedom beyond any ancestral dreams, to choose who leads us. Rare beyond words. Use that freedom today to preserve it for tomorrow

“There was a Time, Olebar Point” (8”x10” oil on raised panel). I was out painting yesterday. What a gorgeous morning and how fortunate I feel to be able to live here and do this. After a few tweaks in the studio here it is. #blueskyartists #oilpainting #pleinairpainting #localbeauty #nostalgia

It's Fact Check Friday....(and/or, um, Saturday!) For this week: Are there foreign governments meddling in our election? Do safe consumption sites work? Find out here and watch @rachelgilmore.bsky.social's comprehensive breakdown on youtube/tiktok/insta/wherever you can.

A cheery floral painting to brighten your day. “Market Daffodils” (8”x8” oil on raised panel) #blueskyartist #oilpainting #floral #daffodils #spring

Delighted that my painting “Descano Bay Path” has been juried in to the Federation of Canadian Artists “Landscapes” show. You’ll be able to see it in their Granville Island Gallery from May 12 to June 1st, 2025. #blueskyartist #oilpainting #inkandoil #canadianartist #gabriola #gsky

Just finished 4 new 4”x4” minis - birds for our times. “Anna’s Alert”, “Defiant Towhee”, ”Ready Wren”, and “Watchful Nuthatch” #blueskyartist #oilpainting #inkandoil #minipaintings #canadianartist

“Spring Day at Olebar Point” (8”x10” oil on raised panel) I was out painting plein air with a friend yesterday. Lovely afternoon! Here it is after some studio tweaks. #blueskyartist #oilpainting #pleinairpainting #gsky #canadianartist

Over 60 people joined today’s #HandsOff support rally, here on Gabriola Island, BC, Canada. We stand with the US against authoritarianism!

Why would anyone risk travel to the USA? New travel advice from Canadian government… www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

For Canadians looking for a guide on the candidates' housing plans, I've just unlocked this piece so that everyone can read: www.bugeyedandshameless.com/p/who-has-th...

Also I hope we're all on this same page EVERYONE needs to be brought out of that El Salvadorian hell hole they were ALL wrongfully deported. I mean it's good to focus on 'And this guy was here legally and not ever a gang member AND they're Venezuelan' but NO ONE should've been sent there

I was out on Monday plein air painting. March was a wet month so I didn’t get out much and …got rained on anyway! Nevertheless, it was a lovely spring day to spend painting outside. I’m calling this “Early Blossoms, Berry Point” (8”x10” oil on raised panel) #blueskyartist #gsky #oilpainting

For locals! My Tai Chi Foundations class will start up in May. Please let me know if you’re interested! Info on attached poster. #Gabriola #gsky #taichiclassesonGabe

Vote like the future of Canada as a free and independent nation depends on it, because it does. While I'm not a fan of strategic voting--nor of the many "PR" systems that are nothing but partisan power-grabs, although are few like Random Ballot are much better than FPTP--I'm voting strategically now

Millions of you, around the world, have put the lessons I wrote in #OnTyranny in late 2016 to good use. It has been humbling to learn how from courageous and creative dissenters, protestors, and oppositionists. I was honored when John Lithgow volunteered to read them aloud.

Another heron painting! “Keeping Watch” (12”x16” oil on raised panel) I really pushed the saturation of the colour palette with this one. There’s a contrast between the vigilance of the heron and the almost hyper-idealized landscape. #blueskyartist #oilpainting #heronpainting #canadianartist #gsky

Marco Rubio just made the argument, bold faced, not a mistake an intentional statement, that at any time the US can revoke your visa and then you are instantly here illegally and they can arrest you, deport you, torture you, all without any due process. That means the United States is simply unsafe

It's not knee-jerk. It's an environmentally-destructive technology designed to fetishize idea over effort and excise artists from art in order to make techlords richer by plagiarizing pre-existing material made by *actual* creative people and not quote-unquote "prompt engineers."

One of my favorite local cafés in Montreal now serves “America No.” Love it! #ElbowsUp

Another heron painting! This one is called “Going Home” (9”x12” oil on raised panel) Inspired by local herons and landscape. #blueskyartist #oilpainting #heronpainting #canadianartist #gsky

"From 2014 to 2023, Alberta’s GDP grew 2.1% in chained dollars. Not 2.1% a year - 2.1% total. In the same period, Quebec’s economy grew 17%, and Ontario’s 18%. On a per capita basis, Alberta is down 10% over those 9 years." Canada is not beholden to the far right leader of a waning petro-economy.

NEW: Elon Musk’s X has suspended accounts of Turkish opposition groups, suppressing footage of anti-government protests. So, best we share all the footage we can here! This was last night’s massive demo against Erdogan’s government, which follows the arrest of his rival Ekrem İmamoğlu. 🇹🇷 #Turkey

MAY’d on the ROCK May 17-18 #21 - Gabriola Plein Air Painters Hilary Farmer draws on her many artistic skills and mediums. She has an uncanny ability to capture the natural environment with empathy. Hilary will be painting at a location on Gabriola Island. Check out the map and you'll find them!

Inspired by recent sightings of great blue herons. They always look like prehistoric creatures to me - especially when flying. I call this one “Survivor” (9”x12” oil on raised panel) #blueskyartist #oilpainting #britishcolumbia #canadianartist #gsky

For folks in BC, David Eby's e-mail address is [email protected] if you want to object to the blatant authoritarian power-grab that is Bill 7. The cure for authoritarianism is not "more authoritarianism" and "I must have unchecked power to save you!" is an authoritarian rallying cry. #bcpoli #ndp

This is good. Let's see more of this, please, Americans. For all our sakes.

An absolutely superb post from Tess Finch-Lees to mark Long Covid Awareness Day: tessfinchlees.blogspot.com/2025/03/long...

I know, my friend, that it seems they are trying to make it illegal for us to take care of each other, and they are, my friend, and they are, but remember, that they are trying to make it illegal is a clear sign that what we should be doing is taking care of each other.

Recently sold to a lovely local. “Onward!” (8”x10” ink and oil on raised birch panel) #blueskyartist #oilpainting #inkandoil #locallandscape #gabriola #gsky

Plein air sketch from yesterday. “Degnen Bay” (8”x10” oil on raised panel) Getting outside in the glorious sunshine and fresh air was grounding and frankly critical to my mental health these days. #blueskyartist #oilpainting #pleinairpainting #britishcolumbia #gabriola #gsky

This is the first page of this morning’s edition of the Globe and Mail (arguably the English Canadian paper of record) I don’t remember seeing anything like this before

Trudeau: We’re probably going to keep booing the American anthem. But let me tell Americans, we're not booing you. We're booing a policy that is designed to hurt us.  But we're Canadian. We're going to fight. And we're going to win.

Trump never had a peace plan for Ukraine. He had a plan for Ukraine's surrender, with a colonial resource grab. As Zelenskyy rightly refused it, or to cooperate in Trump's TV spectacular, the US has now cut Ukraine off. That's what blackmail looks like. That's what the world is up against.

The boycott is strong and getting stronger every day.

Seems appropriate to share my ”Sunflowers at the Commons” today. (11”x14” oil on raised panel) This one has been juried into the Bloom Show, Federation of Canadian Artists which opens March 4th. I stand with Ukraine. #blueskyartist #oilpainting #sunflowersforukraine #federationofcanadianartists