What a beautiful place the flower fields are at the Richmond Sunflower Festival. Fields and fields of sunflowers, dahlias, marigolds and many other flowers. Hop on either the miniature train or the wagon to bring you to the flower fields. To the right of the flower farm is a wonderful country market full of local fresh produce and to the left of the flower fields is a lovely winery, serving several bottles made from grapes growing on the farm.

A delightful place to join a few friends to paint for a few hours.

It was supposed to rain much of the day, but it turned out to be quite sunny in the afternoon and evening, which was delightful for those of us who met on Granville Island for our Sunday painting session.

Feeling grateful for a beautiful sunset and a delicious meal at Tap & Barrel after several long days spent updating my artist website.

I’ll be back on Granville Island on September 12 and 13, exhibiting my paintings alongside four artist friends.

Here’s a retrospective of the 2026 Vancouver En Plein Air Painter’s Meetup, a painting group I created after joining an en plein air painting course in Cortona, Italy in September of 2023. Our meetup group started painting in the Greater Vancouver parks in April of 2024.

Join us if you’re in the area. You’ll find us on the Meetup Platform, or search our name online for “The Vancouver En Plein Air Painters”. Enjoy the photos!

Enjoy photos of our meetup painting events…

April 6, 2026 Van Dusen Botanical Gardens

Painting near the new Japanese garden installation at Van Dusen and down along the shores by the pond. Ornamental cherry trees and the large green lawns attract people all spring, especially during the Japanese Sakura Festival.

We enjoyed a spectacular day of painting!

April 18, 2026 Sutcliffe Park, False Creek

The cherry blossoms were stunning in this small park just south of Granville Island. I love the blossom covered archways created by the branches of the trees above this sunny path.

April 12, 2026 Central Park, Burnaby

A fun day out, organized by my co-organizer, Peter.

April 19, 2026 Sutcliffe Park, Granville Island

We returned to Sutcliffe Park to capture more of its beauty.

May 3, 2026 Gary Point Park, Richmond

Tall ships, kite festival and the Kuno Japanese Gardens in Steveston.

May 10, 2026 Jericho Beach, Vancouver

A sunny day enjoyed under the shade of the big trees along the pathways and ponds.

May 23-24, 2026, VanDusen Botanical Gardens

Painting amongst the Fleur de Villes exhibits at Van Dusen is such a pleasure. This years theme was “WONDER, a Floral Celebration of the Natural World“. Both geographic locations as well as insects and flowers were depicted by florists from Vancouver and beyond.

May 31, 2026 Urban Sketch Walk, Granville Island

What a wonderful opportunity to join in the annual Urban Sketchers Vancouver artist walk and lecture series on Granville Island. I chose to participate in two walks and then listen to two followup lectures, ending in a sketch book sharing session.

June 5-6, 2026, Granville Island

I enjoyed the diversity of work in a painting exhibit by FCA artists in the Federation of Canadian Artists Flex Space, then participated in a wonderful workshop by well known Sunshine Coast artist, Jan Poynter, the next day. What a great couple of days!

June 7, 2026 Jericho Beach Park

Reworking my painting from earlier this month.

What fun to paint amongst the ducks and geese, shepherding their babies from pond to forest to grassland and back again.

June 21, 2026 Pacific Spirit Regional Park

Painting amongst the remains of the western red cedar in this peaceful forest was a real treat.

The burn marks are from the early 1900’s, when all of this land was clear cut for lumber. Left over stumps and branches were burned, leaving behind these ghost like forms.

June 28, 2026 Terra Nova Park, West Dyke, Richmond

I love the vast open skies above the marshlands that stretch out in colourful ripples to the ocean at low tide. The protected area behind the dyke features Terra Nova Park, developed on the grounds of an early 1900’s farm. Trails meander through meadows and forests, passing by a pond and ending in the well used playground and picnic area.

July 1, 2026 Queen Elizabeth Park

I took the opportunity to try the Artists in the Park program by the City of Vancouver, where artists pay for a license to paint and sell their work in three of Vancouver’s parks. It was a fun experiment, one which I may try again for a longer period next summer. I was happy to have two friends join me. I didn’t paint that much, but I enjoyed meeting people and I even sold a few cards.

July 5, 2026 Maritime Museum in Haddon Park

A small park with a peaceful vibe. Love those summer evening painting sessions! And we got a beautiful sunset at the end!

July 12, 2026 VanDusen Botanical Gardens

Every time we paint in this park, there’s something new to see. The range of colours and the soft textures of the Astilbe plant, or False Spiria, aka Goat’s Beard, really caught my eye this time. We enjoyed sharing our paintings from around the pond.

My painting is a work in progress. I got the main shapes and background in place, now to add the colourful bands of flowers and the highlights of the late afternoon sun.