r/CanadianArt

Prairie Whales

Size: 16" x 10"

Medium: Acrylic

Support: Canvas

When I stand at the edge of a field out in the belly of the Canadian prairies i can't help but think of the ocean.  The way the grass waves in the wind. The distant whine of working farm equipment.  The dappled sunlight coming through scattered clouds. 

I love this painting because it feels like a dream, but also because it's the first I've painted my backyard.  Well, the field behind my backyard, and there's no whales out there. 

Probably.

Origami Horse

Size: 4' (cm) x 5' (cm)

Medium: Oil and acrylic

Support: Canvas

After some years of living in Alberta, and finding that my art doesn't have a large audience there, I began pondering how i could make my art more accessible to a prairie based viewer. Having already competed three pieces for my origami series i thought of this as an opportunity to bring a sense of action to these works. 

Wild horses are a symbol of the west that is slowly being replaced by dreams of loud engines, and absurdly lifted trucks. In a world where their necessary habitat is being destroyed they could one day be a forgotten feature of the foothills.

James Wiens is a British Columbia painter. Just did this little interview with him. Enjoy!

An oil painting depicting an origami whale swimming in the ocean. On 24" by 32" canvas.

2026 was my year for art.