Saying goodbye to 2015

Looking forward to a happier and more creatively productive 2016.

Studio Sale

and the last one of the season at my friend's studio.  Carol has a felt and textile studio and held an open house.  I enjoy this type of Christmas event as it is in a more welcoming atmosphere and interaction with visitors is more pleasant than in a great hall.
        

Enamel Exhibit

At the invitation of Lorraine Bouchard (my enamelling instructor) I was invited to participate in this exhibition and I'm pleased to say that my little enamelled chickadee sold this week!

Mésanges

This is what these little birds are called here in french speaking Quebec.

The desire to do a little watercolour one afternoon resulted in this year's Christmas cards.

Cardinal II

10" square

collage with hand painted and found papers on wood cradled panel

It seems appropriate to be using these colors at the start of this new holiday season.  I've been doing a

little calligraphy as well and decided to work them in, in subtle ways.  I'll be taking better photos as these are a tad fuzzy.

Cardinal Collage

8" x 10"

Painted and found paper collage on cradled wood panel

Moving on from chickadees, cardinals have been a joy to work on.  I had been hoarding favourite papers but was determined to actually use them.  Although I have several new ones to post, I returned to this from a previous post to add more branches as it seemed to need a little something more.

Two Tulips Up for Auction

I have two tulips paintings up for auction this week.  It's the start of the busy season and the search is on for gift giving.  Perpetually blooming flowers in the form of a painting are a good way to start.

The auction (or buy it now feature) are at the Daily Painters website as follows:

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/449871 for the pink tulips and

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/450107 for the red tulips

Fall Exhibitions

My submissions to the Hudson Artist's Fall exhibition taking place this weekend.

Sunflowers

16" x 20"

Oil on Canvas

Called sunflowers for good reason, they landed in my home unexpectedly and I couldn't let them go until I had taken photos of them first.  I didn't hesitate setting up to paint them as the yellow was too lovely to ignore for too long.

What a handsome boy...

Carter

8" x 8" Oil on wood panel

I love the way he's sitting in a three quarter pose as if he knew he would have his picture painted.

I've painted Carter before but as a closeup.  

White Petunias in Silver Cup

10" x 10" x 1.5"

Oil on collage on wood panel

I like the serendipitous results I get when painting over a collaged surface but have to be careful not

to "work around" interesting little tidbits and forsaking the integrity of the composition.  Still it does create a little bit of interest.  The following details is an example of what I managed to keep in the painting and will probably lend itself to the title "New Beginnings"

Boheme

A new local event that was most successful (a little rain at the end of the day but it was a welcomed, warm summer rain).  Fun to do but now it's on to planning the next which take place the third week of November.  I often question my planning tactics as I approach a deadline but realize that I can 

never be completely in control because all the good stuff happens from the creative frenzy that takes place.  Good ideas just seem to abound and I have to take advantage of them as they appear.

September Painting

I had planned on posting more this month of September and it's racing by.  I don't usually do a Fall fair but this time I am in an event called "Boheme".  It is outdoors in tents and so hoping for good weather.

Something new for Draw and Cook

The website theydrawandcook.com has inspired me to return to watercolour painting.  This is my newest. A late summer submission celebrating the joy of kitchen gardens.  The format for "They Draw and Cook" is a wide narrow rectangle so I usually re-format into 8" x 10" formats to put into my Etsy shop.  I love cooking, love painting, love painting flowers...so it's a win/win situation.

Finished....for now

Zoe in all her fluffy gorgeousness and if I don't start another painting right away I'll keep putzing about and over working.  Photos of her are lining up waiting to be painted but I have a pug or two to do first.  And then there is my handsome Mr. Louis who I must do soon because he is such a lovely boy.

Zoe in a Basket in Progress

Zoe was a stray that we took in almost three years ago now.  She doesn't like to be held but she loves

to be petted and begs for attention.  Possibly one of the most beautiful cats I've ever had.   Almost finished this one and pretty soon she's going to need a wall all to her self with all the others that I've painted of her.  

Watercolor Alphabet

I've been enticed to take many classes with Skillshare and this is one of the latest.  A simple exercise in water-colour to create an alphabet and vectorize it in Illustrator.  I never tire of seeing the capillary action of water-colour so creating this two tone alphabet was a fun diversion.  

Older Work, New Inspiration

Probably about five years ago I did a series like this of acrylic on water-colour paper with Prismacolor pencils for details and a slightly abstract background.  My go-to medium is usually oil for framed paintings and water-colour for illustration work but I think I'm ready to go back to using
acrylics on paper again.  Maybe because I've been doing some collage work and that would blend so well with the type of painting above.  It's nice to be able to re-visit my own work and get inspired rather than looking elsewhere for that spark.  This one is under glass as you can see by the tiny areas of reflection at the top and over the handle.  Perhaps this time I might work on wood panels because of the smooth surface and see if I can get that "pastel painting" effect I got from working with velvety acrylics and pencil on paper.

Latest Collage One of my Fav Subjects

If I am going to paint a bird, chances are it will be a Chickadee or Misanges as they are called in French.  This one is my latest collage on wood.  Snippets of maps, wrapping paper and hand painted papers were used.

10" x 10" x .75"

collage on wood panel

with raised border

$90

What's painted in the kitchen, stays in the kitchen....

Whenever I finish an oil painting I gravitate to a different media not unlike cleansing the palate (pun intended).  I'm not as familiar with water-colour but creating these illustrated recipes has been a great learning tool.  I've created a small library of individual kitcheny items and sweet and savoury foods and assemble them digitally into illustrated recipes.  I've just posted a few in my etsy shop.

Bougeureau and Tea, Freesias and Me

14" square

Oil on Canvas

$525

I had been painting small formats for the better part of the year, that I felt I needed to work a little larger and pulled this image from my files.  I've always liked painting an image within a painting

but Bougeureau is a hard act to follow!

Some of my favourite things.....

These peonies were left from our backyard wedding and were the most spectacular I had ever seen.  I photographed them for days hoping to have at least one image I could paint from. (I think I do).  The chickadee is a collage from a series started last year.  I picked it up again and have created a few more.  Each time, I marvel at how much I learn when I work in a series.  My santos doll doesn't have to have a purpose.  She has an air of grace and beauty.  I have great plans for her.   The portrait of the little girl I just couldn't part with.  Her intense gaze pulls you in. 

Wow, I just realized this is my 400th post!

And Sable was her name..........

This little sweetie, now departed but oh so loved.

Sable

Oil on wood cradled Panel

6" x 6"

End Result

I created a toile* style fabric with sketches of my home town and was pleased to see the end result
of one of our local residents have her chaired upholstered in it.  I have sewn many pillows from this fabric but it's the first upholstered piece I've seen....and I'm thrilled!
*toile de Jouy |ˌtwäl də ˈZHwē|
nouna type of printed calico with a characteristic floral, figure, or landscape design on a light background, typically used for upholstery or curtains.ORIGIN originally made at Jouy-en-Josas, near Paris.

A Trio of Geraniums

A Trio of Geraniums

12" x 24"

Oil and Collage on Wood Panel

I've always wanted to pair collage with oils as I mentioned in one of my previous posts.  I'm excited to do more like this.  Maybe it's finding unexpected patterns and textures peeking through here and there.

White Geraniums in Silver

8" x 10"

oil on wood panel

Remember my previous post about painting geraniums?  Well I may have been a little premature.
Painting white geraniums without the best lighting conditions did present more of a challenge.  I do enjoy painting white flowers because of the nuanced colours that appear when painting anything white.  But my photographic skills were not up to par and it was rather difficult to ad lib colour so although I'm satisfied, I'm not thrilled.

And now summer begins....

I haven't been posting much lately but that's about to change.  Spring was all about preparing for a two day outdoor craft market.  Only this time I was part of the organizing team as well as a participant.  We prayed for good weather and that's exactly what we got.  It was amazing!  On to the

next weekend........a wedding at home in the garden!!  Two major events one week apart but many weeks in the planning.  Again, prayed for good weather and that is exactly what we had. (In a season that has had a roller coaster of a weather pattern too!)

We had the food part catered and thought we'd make our own dessert table but enough is enough!  We used a fantastic bakery to provide us with mini pies.  They are called Rustique Pies and that is what they specialize in.  Cutest little individual pies and tarts as well as a variety of baked bars, meringues and every type of home style baked goodies.  

Now when it came to the wedding cake, I decided to try what has become wildly popular, the "Naked Cake".  When told about this by my daughter (who is a wedding photographer) I was highly skeptical.  But just browsing through Pinterest was enough to convince me.  Leaving the cake "au natural" with just a filling/frosting in between the layers and then garnishing the cake with fresh flowers and fruits seemed right up my alley.  I do have a tendency to live dangerously (in the kitchen) and made this for the first time for the wedding.  It was an almond flavoured cake and went together beautifully but if I had it to do again I would've made sure the imprint from the cooling rack was disguised.  Something I didn't notice until I looked at these pictures!  More flowers would've done the trick.  But if that's the worst that could've happened, then I am extremely grateful!

Geraniums

Who would've thought geraniums with their little florets would be so appealing to paint?  The clusters that make up one flower would seem daunting.  But each little distinctive flower that make up the whole are so simple that I've returned to painting these several times over.  This time I wanted to try a little collage for the background.  This one is not finished yet but I think I will try a few more like this and perhaps add my drawing first so I can place the papers more strategically.

12" x 24"

Oil on wood panel with collage

Painting Metal

I was about to say I'm challenging myself to paint metallic objects.  But it really isn't all that challenging.  If you just get the contrasts right, getting a metallic sheen isn't that difficult.
I've set myself up to paint a few more.   It's really quite fun.

Small Dailies

It feels good to be painting small formats again.  I've been doing more watercolor/calligraphy/illustration work lately.  As it happens I am having major renovations (upstairs bathroom and bedroom) at the moment.  So I find myself gravitating to my comfort zone while all the noise and chaos goes on upstairs.

New Card Designs

When I'm painting traditionally I try not to have too many surprises.  Everything is carefully executed. I'm working on being a little more relaxed with my brushstrokes.  But painting in water-colour for illustration, I just start out with a much more playful approach.  Actually letting back runs and surprises happen.  Just letting water-colour be "water" colour.  And for that reason I just love creating for the illustration market.  An agent would be awesome.  Marketing is an art unto itself.

The Start of Something New

Every year, early in the new year for the past three years, I've been taking a 6 week workshop in enamelling on copper.  Having worked with copper when creating jewellery, I had collected many of the necessary components needed to also work with enamels.  A second hand kiln I bought came with a box of enamel powders which, at the time, seemed completely foreign to me.  But now I've been bitten by the bug, and have just ordered more new colours and have a sketchbook of ideas.  I love how one medium can morph into a new one.  For example, using my jewellery saw to cut into the copper shapes created a more exciting copper blank to embellish.  I have to now concentrate on planning my firings to avoid losing the layers of colour to over firing.
It is just challenging enough to be rewarding.

Switching Media

  

Porcelain Garden

Acrylic

 12 x 16 inches on wood cradled panel

I've used acrylics a great deal in the past and now and then revisiting them.  I used them more for

decorative painting but now and then I come back to trying them out as a fine art medium.  I don't

paint the same way as I would with oils but this time I thought I'd make a concentrated effort to use them this way.  I have a friend who runs a tea room and florist shop so it's always so tempting to

re-arrange her wall of teacups (little works of art on their own) and take pictures.

This will be part of a series.  How many are considered a series?  Hopefully more than three.  Oils

are a pretty strong call for me but acrylics and watercolors give me joy too.

I will be adding a closeup photo later today.

Collage

Having fun these first few months of the year participating in Lilla Rogers MATS Bootcamp 2015.

Working towards assembling a portfolio of work for possible licensing.  I've done a sprinkling of

freelance illustration work but would like to have a stronger presence in that field. 

It's that time of year......

.... when hearts are a flutter....