Fun Fun Fun

Spent the last two Thursdays in great workshops, connecting with an inner child that I thought had been buried deep.
 
I have been in a real creative rut for the last year and a half. Yes I had some successes but nothing that I was really excited about and that made me want to continuously paint.  

All that has changed in these workshops. We did fast and furious scribbles and then "faux encaustic" paintings. I haven't been this excited about my work in along time. 
 



Here are two of the "scribbles". I can hardly wait to paint some more.

Mother's Day

 Happy Mother's Day to everyone... hope your day has been as wonderful as mine.

Great Show

Well the Lemonville Group of Artists' show is over for another year...great weekend of wonderful art. Met some really nice people.....all and all a success. Looking forward to next year's show our 18th April 30th, May 1st 2011. Time flies so fast it will be here before you blink!

Beautiful Wedding Day

There was a special day in our lives this weekend...our daughter's wedding. 

Beautiful bride in a dress that I created for her, fantastic weather, good food and company, a small simple wedding in our backyard under the blossoming apple trees with birds singing, a perfect spring day, just what they wanted. 

Congratulations and a lifetime of happiness.

Getting closer

Lemonville Group of Artists Annual Show is in less than 3 weeks. Here is a Lotus painting that I will have in the show.

No April showers?

Wow what a few weeks of weather we have been having in the GTA. It was 24 or 75 for those of us who still think that old fashioned way. Trying not to panic thinking about everything I am trying to get done in the next 6 weeks. Some moments it works sometimes it doesn't. Designing and sewing a wedding dress has been fun. I haven't created anything like this in a long time. I had forgot how much I like to sew. 

It always amazes me when people say they have nothing to do....I don't have enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to!

Must find some time to paint.

My favourite time

I love spring! I love the warmer weather, I love the smell of spring, I love the colour of spring, I love the warmth of the sun, I love to see the flowers poking their head through the ground. I even don't mind the noise that birds make first thing in the morning. This year has been great with warm weather last week that felt more like May than March. I am one happy camper....it is a toss up whether I like spring or summer better. 

Trying to organize myself because of everything that is going on in my life in the next two months. I found this collage that I had created awhile back and really like it, of course no name but that will come.

Beautiful Day in March

What a wonderful day ....the snowdrops are up in my front garden, the last few days actually have been warm...people out walking....spring is just around the corner.....I can feel it. Went a saw some wild cats at Bluffers Park and some beautiful swans. 
Surely this is almost the end of winter.....keeping my fingers crossed

Another fun day

We had a workshop yesterday about watercolour mono print making. I had done it before and forgotten how much fun it is. You cannot control the outcome...I always like that in painting, the surprise. I don't like to control my work but rather react to what has happened on the page. 
Anyhow this one of the pieces that I did yesterday.

One of them

So this is one of the paintings that I found that I liked. Not sure of the name yet but it will come.....that is one of the hardest things for me ...naming a painting.

I like it

Was just playing with inks on Thursday and created this painting....finished it last night...I like it

Today's work

So because I have a few other things going on in my life in the next few months I am trying to be super organized so that I can keep my sanity....some might argue that ship has sailed..... however I spent the day going through some paintings that I had put away. As it almost always happens I don't remember why I wasn't happy with them... some I really like. The Lemonville Group of Artist show is the first weekend in May....not that far away so now I have a few paintings....Yea.

 As an artist I am often asked to donate to various causes. I am happy to do this for things that I believe in, however since art is such a personal thing I am very selective where I donate paintings. The last thing I want is someone to feel obligated to buy my art or for one of my paintings to not have a good home. Since the goal is to raise money for these causes I also want to maximize the amount of money raised.

 

One of the other things I do is make jewellery....I haven't sold any but rather I give it away as gifts or donations for fundraising. This is my latest creation for the Jennifer Ashleigh  Children Charity event the second weekend in May. They always have a theme...this year it is summer.

Busy Busy Busy

So I really dislike it when people say they are soooooo busy .....I am not going to say that. I just have a few things going and I am trying to juggle everything and not forget something. 

I wanted to post this last week but well you know........

I went to a wonderful exhibit last Thursday  at the Varley Art Gallery in downtown Unionville Ontario. It is well worth the trip but hurry it leaves for the Albright Knox Gallery in Buffalo the beginning of March.

The Automatiste Revolution:
Montreal 1941-1960

New Month

Hard to believe that we are into February already. The days are longer...light well after 5.30 and I am enjoying this winter. Just enough snow to keep it bright in the day but not enough to make driving a pain. 
 

Anyhow here is a doodle...of nothing...I might turn it into something....I rather like the lines.

Day 8

 

One more cool dude to end the  challenge week. I actually painted him on Thursday and wasn't sure about him but I have decided I like him.

Day 7

Another peaceful place to visit

Day 6

Spent a lot of time out doors yesterday. It was a mild winter day ......the trees were beautiful against the snow. Spent the day and night in Niagara Falls. It is great in the winter, no crowds beautiful views you just have to watch out for ice that seems to be everywhere. We were outside for 6 hours, great fun!

Day 5

An ensō [The Zen Circle] Japanese word for circle

Our original spirit is free and infinite in scale. An ensō is thought to be a symbol of this. A true ensō dares us to take chances.

Painted with one stroke it is an expression of the moment, when the mind allows the body and spirit to create. Only a person who is mentally and spiritually complete can draw a true ensō.

Day 4

A nice place to visit

Day 3

Yesterdays cool dudes!

Day 2

Just a couple of bamboo sketches

So I missed the challenge

So I missed the challenge about doing something every day that I made last week.

Changed the days...starting yesterday I will try to post something every day!

Elvis is in the house

So as I mentioned before I volunteer at the York-Durham Aphasia Centre. I do a program called Art for Communcation with clients in Newmarket. It is designed to develop drawing skills to help with communication for people with aphasia....ie if you can't say the word apple but you could draw an apple and get your message across

It is a step by step process to tap into your artistic side and remember these people are not artists. I have them do warm up exercises for the brain and then they copy a picture that I have drawn of a person. We do the same person for a whole year. In the past it has been Mona Lisa, Winston Churchill, Abe Lincoln, and last year Marylin Munroe.

Well in honour of Elvis Presley [he would have been 75 last week] I decided that this year we would draw Elvis. Client's will draw him upside down while music is playing so that they can tap into that right brain.

This was yesterday's work for me .....Elvis is in the house!

Happy New Year

Well 2010 got off to a bit of a rocky start but things have settled down now.

I am excited about having some time to paint in the next few weeks. I am going to try again with a challenge to kick start the creative juices. I am going to do something every day for the next week and post it.

Stay tuned

The time of year

Hope everyone had a good time over the last few days.....it can also be a sad and stressful time for many people so I wish them peace and comfort.

I haven't been painting but am really anxious to get back to it. I am going to fit in some doodles.

It is really neat to notice the days are getting longer....waiting for the Blue moon on New Year's Eve...it is suppose to be very good luck to have it fall on the last day of the year.

Wishing good things for everyone in 2010!

In memory

In memory of Carolyn

December 19, 2008

Busy season

Unfortunately I have not had much time to paint...too many holiday preps to get done but I am hoping for tomorrow to be a painting day. One thing that I have really enjoyed this fall is Star Portraits on Bravo. Three artists paint a portrait of a celebrity and then one painting is chosen by the celebrity to take home. It is very interesting and worth watching, Bravo 8 pm Saturdays or 9.30 pm Wednesdays. Check it out!

So it happened

Well it finally happened...I was trying to will it not to but alas it was inevitable.....we had good stretch however it is the time of year.........THE SNOW came.

I do not like snow...I do not like the cold.....I do not like winter.

I love hot summer days.....I love the heat....I love summer!

So for all those people at the first sign of warm weather who complain about the heat and think that I am strange for loving the 30 Celsius days [over 85 for those of us who still think in Fahrenheit] I say enjoy yesterday...I am beginning my countdown to the hot humid days of southern Ontario!!!

New work

Isn't it always the way..... I really feel like painting but with the Holidays coming up I have a lot of other things to do. Anyhow here are two new paintings that I did in a workshop last Thursday. Lots of fun. Just a great painting day. I then went to see Andrea Bocelli. A fantastic evening.

Tis the season

It is hard to believe it is the end of November already. Where has 2009 gone! Remember the Y2K panics.......it seems like yesterday.

Well I have a holiday card.....penguins singing. I am not a wildlife artist but I paint a lot of animals. Interesting!

These are my combination paintings of Sumi-e on canvas. I did these for the workshop demonstration 2 weeks ago and finished them on Friday. I have been living with them for the last few days and decided this morning that they are complete.

I have a very strong urge to paint.....haven't felt like this for a long time. It feels great. Timing is a little off with the holidays coming up but I can work around that.