CANVAS & COMPASS
RMH
Navigating by Brushstroke: The Story Behind Canvas & Compass
Graphic Design by Kaitlyn Krahn, Founder & Designer, SnowLeopard Studio
When I began imagining my painting journey blog, Canvas & Compass, it started with the logo representing my work. When creating my logo, I wanted something that spoke to my unique journey and could visually echo the rhythm and intuition that guides me when I paint. Designed by my web designer and illustrator daughter, Kaitlyn Krahn, the result is the compass-wave emblem you see here, a symbol that reflects who I am and how I create.
The heart of the logo is a compass rose—a nod to navigation, personal direction and my name, Rose. My initials, RMH, rest at the top, while the "Artist" scroll unfurls below in motion. The wave that curls along the base isn’t just there for visual flair—it represents fluidity, the tides of inspiration, overcoming creative challenges and the ever-moving energy of the natural world, which is often where my work begins.
The compass centers around a stylized Pacific Coast wild rose, Rosa Nutkana (Nootka Rose)—delicate, intentional, and rooted in tradition. It reminds me to paint with care, to notice the small things: a shift in light, a hidden texture, the quiet power of composition. Just as a compass helps a sailor find her way, this emblem reminds me to trust my instincts and follow where the brush leads.
My painting process is intuitive. I rarely begin with a rigid plan. I start with a sense of direction. However, like the sea, creativity is seldom linear. I follow movement, colour, and feeling. I let the piece tell me what it wants to be, and in that dialogue, something authentic emerges.
This logo is more than a stamp of identity — it is a map of ways I work. It blends structure with spontaneity. It honours tradition while embracing flow. That aim guides every painting I create and my blog Canvas & Compass.
Thank you for journeying with me.
—Rose Marion
03/02/25
Squeegee Marks and Spring
Rose Marion Heaslip | Sculpture
Rose Marion Heaslip | Painting
This morning as I write from The Hollow the palest of pinks and blues colour the sky. The mountains are a diffused blue-grey, the white snow tinted pink. The air has a clarity that comes in early Spring. Yesterday we saw a hill covered in crocus and trees in the first stages of bud. I think of the Impressionists, able to paint en Plein Aire partly due to the invention of paint in tubes. They were able to capture The Moment in the natural world around them in the light that inspired them.
“Inspirit” is a painting in which I aimed to capture a moment in nature. Painted on canvas, I gessoed the substrate twice, sanding between layers. The first stage of painting was laying down the watery marks, and some of these I made with small squeegee pulls to suggest reflections and ripples. The vines and leafy marks were made with a feather dipped in paint mixed with an extender medium to make a thinned and flowing paint.
Here also is a photo of the beginning of an experiment with craft clay and dried botanicals. I began by rolling the clay out flat and sprinkling dried calendula, lavender and rose petals on the surface. Next, I separated the slab and rolled the pieces into lumps. This week I will be shaping the clay into very small pots, bowls and vases. I found some dried lichen while walking through the park and will be adding this to the next round. The colours of the dried lichen are inspiring me for the next marsh painting.
Wishing everyone well, and praying for peace.
Rose Marion
Abstract Sky, Sea, Mist
02/23/25
Sky, Sea, Mist
20 x 60
Acrylic on Canvas
This Sunday in The Hollow the earth is resting after one of our great west coast downpours. My cat Theo was not impressed with the big puddles that appeared along his usual walk. He courageously circumnavigated the small lakes though, and we made our way back home only slightly drenched. Theo is always curious to watch my painting process, and he was especially interested in the squeegee technique employed in this painting
To follow through with writing about different surfaces for painting…The canvas was prepared with two coats of gesso, sanding with soft grit sandpaper between coats. I decided to have a minimum of texture in this painting to make a very soft image. The underpainting was made with a very soft watercolour brush. I then mixed a pour of paint and gently dragged the squeegee on the surface. For smaller areas, the edge of a plastic card was used. To achieve the diffused areas I mixed paint with water and some extender medium. The paint was lightly applied with a blending brush. I will post the new squeegee painting next week for you.
02/16/25
Light on the Lowlands
Light on the Lowlands
30 x 30
Acrylic on Canvas
The North Light
I’m writing today in The Hollow, surrounded by grey skies. It’s a dramatic change from the blue skies of the past week’s bright winter light. The rain has come again, melting the snow. Thankfully, the days are getting longer now, which means more natural daylight in the studio. I am always thankful for my north-facing windows. It is the best light for artists' studios.
The North Light is also known as reflected light. Having north light in your studio means consistent lighting. The sunlight isn't pouring in on your canvas at different times of the day. Imagine your canvas in an intense stream of light, you would be mixing colours for your painting much differently than working in a diffused light in another area. The north light envelopes the painting in cool light, and you can paint with control over your lights and darks, achieving rich variations. An exception to this constant is painting plein Aire, the natural light surrounding you.
I discovered something interesting about Light on the Lowlands last night. The bright winter sunshine of last week was perfect for working, the north light reflecting constantly. I placed the canvas in the direct light of a lamp when completing the painting. Next, I looked at it in a half-lit area. I noticed a significant shift and concluded the painting worked well in both lights. It doesn't always happen that way. I met my aim to achieve an atmospheric effect found in the natural world as I feel it.
02/09/25
Prairie Marsh Acrylic on Canvas
Prairie Marsh Acrylic on Canvas
30 x 30
Prairie Sky
Acrylic on Canvas
18 x 18
I have always been drawn to skies. My first sky paintings were abstracts, made while I was in art school, living in a small cabin on Lake Okanagan where the sky was a great inspiration. We had to walk up a long and winding road which gave us a beautiful view of the sky and lake in all weather. The trek gave one time time to be in nature and gave me lots of inspiration. Large canvases were painted with wide housepainter brushes, sometimes with house paint when affording art store acrylics was out of reach. Big swaths of colour were applied and blending was my aim. I crafted a process of placing plates of individual colours around the canvas and each plate had their brush. Working with acrylic, even with mediums to slow down the drying time, I had to be on it! The process pushed me to understand the paint, to learn control and to have a feeling and aim for the final image.
In my current work, in Prairie Marsh, I put down the underpainting, the sky in blues and purples and the marsh water in the same hues to give a sense of union between both. While the underpainting was drying I painted the raw canvas for the sky series in the same colours. After two underpaintings were completed, I began Prairie Marsh, applying a muted range of hues to express the marsh on a spring day with rain showers. The raw canvas is the first in the 18 x 18 sky series. Leaning towards abstraction, I will be working from photographs and plein air. I discovered the wood battens ( meaning strips of wood ) while searching for a support to hang my Marc Chagall poster after the move to The Hollow. The battens work perfectly with the 18 x 18 canvas. I aim to paint the sky series on primed and unprimed canvases which can be easily rolled up and then simply hung. I will post the sky paintings next Sunday.
Wishing everyone peace this Sunday.
Rose Marion
Back to School
01/19/25
A Process of Rediscovery
Thanks to the support of the Stronger BC Futures Skills Grant, I recently embarked on an exciting new journey: a creative writing course taught by the inspiring Kathleen Hill. My love for writing began decades ago, encouraged by my grade six teacher, Mrs. Lafayette. If you happen to read this, Mrs. Lafayette, know that your influence has stayed with me and countless others. Years later, my daughter Kaitlyn discovered the grant and encouraged me to apply. Thank you, Kaitlyn, for opening this door for me.
Over the next seven weeks, I rediscovered parts of my imagination through the writing assignments. My goal in taking this course was to bring a fresh focus to writing about my painting process, and the experience did not disappoint. The journey was challenging and deeply rewarding, filled with inspiring exchanges with fellow students and creativity flowing straight into my Emily Carr inbox.
Under Kathleen Hill’s guidance, I explored new forms of expression, including Haiku and Haiga, Japanese styles that beautifully combine poetry and visual art with the aesthetics of Haikai. These forms have inspired my writing and sparked new ideas for integrating words and imagery in my paintings.
Have you ever revisited a skill or passion that you left behind? I’d love to hear your story!