These are images from a cruise up the Inside Passage of Alaska, and then to Victoria, British Columbia, for a week of fun and more relaxation.

As I awakened the first morning on the cruise ship, I looked out to see the sky and mountains laden with mist and fog.The sun was peaking through in tiny spots, and the ripples on the water gave rhythm to the scene.Image size: 32"x 40"

Ketchikan, Alaska in the Fog

The next images are from my traveling watercolor journal.

We traveled down the Tracy Arm to view the South Sawyer Glacier. In doing so, we were able to see closely the hanging valleys created by the glaciers as they traveled to the sea.

I hope to paint larger images of these beautiful mountains in the near future.

The wonderful town of Skagway is at the top of the inland passage (the route of the Gold Rush to the Yukon).

We took a van and driver across the border into Canada and back, hearing incredible stories of the desperation of the Gold Rush days, and the people involved.

This corner, as it turned out, was the busiest in Skagway, and I had to avoid buses and tourists and cabs as they turned the corner, driving or walking in front of my subject. It was a challenge!

Perhaps the most beautiful evening of the entire cruise I had to commit to memory as I didn't have my camera with me during dinner.

Layer upon layer of mountain ranges with mist in between created a dream-like scene of calm. I must have stared at this for more than an hour, and yet I don't believe I did it justice in the painting.

The Parliament Building in Victoria, British Columbia, is perhaps the most interesting structure that I have ever had the pleasure to paint. I could paint it every day. I am just captivated by the light and the architecture!

The air in Victoria was so clean and clear that the sky, at night, was royal blue! It was a wonderful city to experience. Later, I hope to have some paintings of the flowers in Butchart Gardens. The gardens were a sight to behold.

The walkway to the south entrance of the Empress Hotel was lined with hydrangea bushes. I have never seen such large hydrangeas in my life. I think that the air is so cool at night that the flowers here flourish as if you had put them in refrigeration.

The weather from Victoria to Skagway seems to be much more temperate than that which we experience in Ohio. The water temperature is 52¼ F the year around. You do not see swimmers in the water! But they don't get the extreme prolonged cold weather that we do in Ohio. Hmmmm. I always thought that Alaska was a very cold climate with tons of snow! The Inside Passage is the lower southeastern part of Alaska, so it has some "Southern" traits.

As we waited for our boat for the whale watching adventure, I sketched the Empress Hotel as seen from the Inner Harbor. Musicians and artists of all kinds entertained the crowds all day and into the evening. The inner harbor was a wonderful place to rest and enjoy life.

Shopping was great too!

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