Thursday 13 December 2018

Cozy Christmas

Soooo...I haven't been painting very much lately.  I was working almost full time, teaching at the Art Gallery of St Albert.  Then I got on a needle felting and wool sweater upcycling rampage for Christmas after work each day.  I made about 12 needle felted penguins and snowmen ornaments.  A few years back, my now 100 year old Grandmother knitted my children some lovely, but itchy wool sweaters.   I re-purposed them into toques for their big heads, something they can wear for a lot longer now.  I also upcycled a few wool sweaters into felted wool mittens.  Everybody's gonna be cozy this year!  Merry Christmas!





Tuesday 27 November 2018

Warm Woolies

I am taking a little break from painting and am working on some Christmas gifts.  I purchased a number of used wool sweaters from Value Village and have 'up cycled' them into wool felted mittens.  You can check out my Instagram page for a brief clip showing the needle felting design on one of the mitts.  You can find TONS of videos on Youtube, on how to alter an old sweater into new mittens too.
The pattern and the back of one wool mitten with the needle felted design.


An innocent bystander

The completed mittens, wool felt with a cozy fleece lining.  WARM!!


Thursday 15 November 2018

Cleaning Up

Following a great webinar I took part in last week, by Brenda Malkinson entitled How to Choose what to Lose - Editing your Artwork, I got to work editing all of my materials and supplies that I do not use any longer. This may help me to stay focused on a couple of mediums and methods, rather than being pulled off in different directions.  She recommended iHuman Youth Society in Edmonton to donate, good art materials that are cluttering up your studio.  I spent a couple of days packing up my still useful supplies I don't use and brought them downtown.  I had a great tour of iHuman from Steve, the Artistic Director - thank you!  Check it out and then donate supplies or money!

On the topic of cleaning up, I also found this awesome brush cleaner in the makeup aisle of London Drugs recently. Works like a charm on my paintbrushes!  I don't have any makeup brushes (maybe I should) but I am sure it works well on those too!

Scrubba-dub-dub

Thursday 1 November 2018

Hangin' Around the Rosies

I really ended up liking this painting when all was said and done.  Initially I had painted in the purplish, dark bushes behind the roses but took them out and liked that better.  I am now questioning the purple hill in the background, but will let it sit for a week or so before I make any drastic changes.  Nothing I like better than fresh laundry off the line.  This particular clothes line was in White Rock BC, taken when out for a stroll.
11x14 oil on canvas


Friday 26 October 2018

Let's talk about your values...

I am focusing more on my values lately - not the kind that make me a better character but the light and dark values of my paintings.  It has been said by many an artist instructor that if your values are correct then you can paint whatever colours you like.  So I am working on the iconic fall trees - from a photo I took while 'camping' in Banff when it snowed in September.




IN PROGRESS - 48 x 36 oil on canvas

Tuesday 23 October 2018

Learning ...Always Learning



I love to read and love to learn and I finally broke down and bought Richard Schmid's book "Alla Prima II".  It is an AWESOME book with tons of information for the intermediate to advance artist.  It costs a lot of money, BUT when I think about all the information - way more than you could get in a workshop - AND the fact that I paid more for textbooks in University... worth it.  I ordered it directly from his website as it was at least $100 cheaper than Amazon prices.  Save your pennies and get it!  Richard Schmid's Books

Another favourite book if you are into landscape painting is Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting.  It's old but very useful - unfortunately in black and white - but go on-line and google some of his paintings.

Monday 22 October 2018

Chugging Away

I am trying to paint almost daily right now, as my part-time teaching job is quiet until November.  Then it is almost back to full-time teaching and less time for painting.  I have put the finishing touches on the two paintings below.  The top, Bagel Shop, is part of my show in Fernie next year.  The bottom is one for my niece of her beloved cat.  Fun to mix it up a bit.
Bagel Shop - Oil on Canvas 12x12

Oil on Board - Myles

Sunday 21 October 2018

Purple with a Purpose


I was so excited this morning to hear that my painting, 'After Work Walk', went for $500 at the Purple with a Purpose fundraiser for pancreatic cancer.  Thank you to the person who bid on it!

This fundraiser is especially important to me as many of my family members are affected by this type of cancer. My Dad passed away from pancreatic cancer and the family carries a genetic mutation that causes this type of cancer.  The money goes to pancreatic cancer research - which is really needed as this is one of the mostly deadly cancers out there.  Donate at this link to help with pancreatic cancer research!





After Work Walk - Oil on Board











Wednesday 17 October 2018

Loosey Goosey or is Tighty Righty??

Just when I feel like I am getting closer to a preferred 'style' of painting, I do something different and start to wonder.  For example, I am in the midst of painting the two pictures below.  The landscape was fairly loose and fast with colours that were not quite what I saw so I ramped them up a little.  The building is very tight and controlled and the colour is pretty true to the photo I was painting from.  I enjoyed doing both.  Hmmm.... I think in about a year's time after I get another 100 paintings under my belt I might be closer to the answer.


Wednesday 3 October 2018

Lazy Painting

Lately I have been working on some paintings I am doing for a series.  The very large one of the barn and mountain was going along nicely until I got to the foreground.  Everything has 'ground' to a halt. HA!  I had put lots of thought and effort into most parts of the painting, but hadn't thought about the foreground, since, when I drew this out, it seemed like such a small portion of the painting and therefore insignificant.  WRONG!  It has been wiped and repainted 3 times and now the painting is in a back room so I can't see it.  
Black and white photo of large oil painting
The problem being I got lazy.  I planned everything else out pretty good.  (I do see some parts that need tweaking)  Since I put too little thought and planning into the foreground area it now stands out as a weak part of my painting.  It must be fixed before it goes anywhere! I will wipe again and work on it soon.
 Moving on to my next painting.  I felt I planned it out fairly well.  Considered different layouts, laid in all my darks and began painting.  Of course I attacked the foreground immediately and felt that it has a good start.  Current struggle is with the colours in the background ... aaah!  However, I now feel that I can go back to my large painting and tackle that foreground with more knowledge and hope that it will work out.
I say all this to say... you just can't be lazy in any part of your painting.  Proper planning and preparation (value sketches, colour studies, etc.) are what help your painting turn out.  I spent the last hour or two at Outdoor Painter website re-reading about values, composition and tonal drawings just to refresh my memory on why it is so important.   I have heard it several times now from many respected instructors, just need to keep following through.  

Tuesday 25 September 2018

Wool Felted Bison

As most artists do, I work part-time outside of my own 'studio'.  Lucky for me I am teaching art / pottery / crafts at the Art Gallery of St Albert to school kids, so I still get to be creative.  Yesterday was my first day back and I really enjoyed making clay Pumpkins with the kids.

Today was a break from painting to test out an upcoming craft as part of some of our First Nation projects.  This was my first ever 'stab' (ha ha) at a 3D wool felted animal.  It turned out pretty good so hopefully it will make it onto the curriculum in January.


Tuesday 18 September 2018

Pet Painting


Well, the snow continued and the 9th annual Art in Our Park on Saturday had to be cancelled. sigh... I guess I will be very ready for next year and have time to work on a few new paintings.  In the meantime, I finished the above pet portrait for my niece.  It was a lot of fun doing this little 8x8 oil painting.  

The small painting was a nice break as I am trying to paint a large 36"x48" and am in the fear stage right now.  The fear stage is when it looks kind of good, you can see where the painting is headed but now I fear I will screw it up.  So I am avoiding it.  I think these smaller confidence boosting paintings help, maybe I will do some more today.

Wednesday 12 September 2018

Art Fair but the Weather isn't

September is a busy time here for outdoor Art Fairs.  Unfortunately the weather has not been as FAIR. Typically fall is gorgeous in Edmonton, with nice crisp blue sky days and gorgeous leaves changing colour.   Today it is trying really hard to snow. 

Last weekend was the Strathearn Art Walk which was huge, the second largest one in Edmonton.  My hubby and I enjoyed strolling around, checked out the Alair Homes tent, as a couple of my pieces were in there. We also purchased some awesome charcuterie boards made from old wine casks from For Wood Sake


Alair Homes tent
  I am participating in another art fair this weekend, the Art in Our Park event.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate! I have been helping get some Interactive Puzzle Boards prepped for group activities.  I am also putting my 'woodworking' skills to the test.  I had to make a stretcher board for an odd sized piece of canvas. YouTube kind of helped and I was fairly pleased with my finished product - usually mitred corners are my downfall.  Not Today!!


Thursday 6 September 2018

Art Fair

Tonight I participated in my first St Albert Art Walk.  It was the last Thursday night of the art walk season and only my second time ever taking part in one of these events.  Although it was veeeery quiet, it was a good learning experience and I enjoyed chatting with lots of interesting people AND I sold my first Art Fair painting!! YEEHA!

Getting Ready
Getting ready for one of these events is time consuming and it is best to watch some Youtube videos, check out a few websites and get some pointers from experienced people.  Until yesterday, I wasn't really certain how I was going to display my paintings.  I had about 30 pieces, some were framed and wired but several were not.  The best (cheapest) method I found for short timelines was purchasing 6 pieces of 8' x 12" rubbermaid wire shelves.  I stood them on end and zip tied them to my tent frame.

In order to ensure things would run smoothly I laid out everything in my garage beforehand, then took photos of each layout.  This was really helpful when I arrived to set up.  Just looked at my pictures and knew what went where.  My hubby who was helping could assist too.
The garage layout

My 'homemade' tent weights -  sand put in sleeping bag stuff sacks, clipped to the tent legs.
 This was my first time using my tent I had ordered on-line.  It was fairly easy to get up, the wind prevented my putting up the walls, but it was pretty sturdy.  My 'homemade' weights worked fine - might add some buckle straps to them.  It does take 2 people to set up everything though, and was almost an hour doing so. Thank goodness for my free help (hubby).  Take down is only about 15 minutes.
some of the other art fair booths next to mine
AT THE ART WALK 
My spartan looking set up.  I think I will add a centre 'wall' next time and get a nice sign made ASAP
I sold a painting of some poppies that I really liked and had positive comments on.  However, I don't think I planned very well for any sales!!  She asked if I took visa and I said I wasn't set up for that yet   She luckily had some cash - but then asked if I had a bag - which I hadn't even thought of!  Sheesh what an amateur!  
FINAL THOUGHTS
 - I have this monster red display set up, you can see it to the left in the above photo.  It does hold a fair number of small paintings - but it is HEAVY and only fits in the back of a pickup truck. So it has to go!  I will probably get more of the wire shelves and make more 'walls' as they are light to transport.
- I need to consider payment methods, so when people want something I can sell it to them!
- I need to make some smaller, cheaper pieces to encourage sales.
- DO not use a sign (like I did) that says Small Daily Paintings.  People liked them but I think they don't like that you can do them quickly - a few asked how long I spent on them.  Use a sign that says Small & Beautiful Sale.
- I had MANY positive comments on my Cheeky Prime Ministers series and my colourful landscapes .

Exciting News!

I am really busy lately, it is 1:00 am and I am currently prepping for an outdoor art fair that happens tomorrow.  September has to be my most hectic time, but also very enjoyable.

Summer was really great, spent a LOT of time outdoors, hiking, biking, etc with family and friends.  Some close friends of mine reminded me of a painting I gave them a few years back that I had not signed.  As this painting was done while I was in a workshop with Brian Atyeo around 2011, I can't really say it was my work. Brian helped make it more interesting, slapped some bits of colour and shapes in there for me, so it is more collaboration than anything.
 Onto the exciting news.  I got a pleasant surprise last week when I found out I received the Harry Wohlfarth Award and had been nominated by one of my art instructors, Izabella Orzelski, for academic excellence.  Yeeha!  Then today I found out that my application to The Arts Station Gallery in Fernie had been accepted and I will have a solo show in July 2019! Better get painting!

Thursday 30 August 2018

Painting and the other 'arts'

I have had a very busy summer, tried to do a few paintings but as there was a lot of family activities and other things happening...  anyhooo.  I did a quick little study painting of a beautiful old house in Fernie, BC.  I may use it for a study for a larger one later.

In regards to the other arts... there are some really talented skilled trades people whose work is what I considered 'art'  Colby Johnson is a friend of ours who made me a great drying rack for my paintings (see December 2017 blog posts).  I found a beautiful piece of cedar and he turned it into a little 'bistro' shelf table for an area under the stairs.  Then Shawn, at Front Step Forge had some awesome shelf brackets to hold it up with.  We love the result.  Shop and buy LOCAL!!




Tuesday 14 August 2018

Struggling on


18x24 oil on canvas - in progress
I have been attempting a couple of paintings from recent trips.  My current struggle with trying to find my style, involves 'keeping it real' but using more colour.  I love artwork that is full of surprising colours - like Erin Hanson, Mike Svob, Robert Genn or Steve Coffey's work.  I guess more impressionist in style.  These two I am working on are getting overworked I fear, in my quest to balance reality and colour that is interesting.


9x12 oil on board - in progress

Thursday 2 August 2018

Elevated...

The iconic and often painted Alberta grain elevator.  This was my stab at it from a picture I took of a grain elevator in St. Albert.  Oil paint on black gesso board.
11x14 oil on black gesso board

Friday 27 July 2018

Covering up the old

Like most artists I have a pile of paintings that I started or even finished and decided they were not that great.  So... I am trying to use up these canvases by painting on top of them.  Currently I have this one sitting on the easel waiting for the underpainting to dry so I can continue with it.  Hopefully the second attempt on top comes out better than the first painting.  If so I will post it here.  For now I already can see some issues I need to fix.

Wednesday 25 July 2018

Collecting photos


Some beautiful views on a recent hike.  Collecting photos maybe for some future paintings.

More Plein Aire practise

Summer has arrived and it has been VERY busy.  Family commitments, yard work and moving have all pulled me away from painting.  I am squeezing in a few and this one was a quick 'study' near the Elk river.

Thursday 28 June 2018

Dog Park Painting

Today's brief plein aire adventure took me to the dog park.  I wanted some shade and some open space so this was a good compromise.  I set up under a tree and painted the path.  It was fairly quiet but the dogs that went by seemed pretty freaked out by the whole set up.  Met an interesting woman who was busy sanding down a small block of wood as she was walking by.  She stopped for a chat and showed me her collection of rings that she was making from found pieces of wood.  They were super cool!  



Tuesday 19 June 2018

HOT painting

I tried another day outdoors, painting the same bridge again.  I found a painting buddy, Alina, to come with me and it was nice to have company.  The mosquitoes were particularly fiesty but as it got hotter out they were smart and found the shade.  We did not and sweated away - not used to the heat.  BUT i am not complaining, our summers are short.    I cranked out one little study and then started doing some rock portraits - close ups of what was right in front of me.  I even tried the beer can left in the river.  I did pick it up when I left to throw out and wondered what someone coming down the trail might think of me with my backpack and beer can...but luckily passed no one on my way out.



Tuesday 5 June 2018

Delicious Mural

This past weekend was spent working on a mural on the back of the Edmonton Food Bank.   Izabella Orzelski of Artiza art school had organized the event.  Izabella was one of my great instructors at the University Of Alberta extension program.  She recruited several of her students to assist in creating a delicious mural, based on the work of Susan Diebel, an Edmonton area artist.