Mmm, shrimp for dinner....

I thought I'd go out and take pictures of what's blooming before the heat gets to everything.

I found these petunias this year at my local garden nursery that I'd never seen before.  I loved the pale yellow and magenta combination but when I got them home and planted them I was less than impressed by the wishy washy look but then once they asserted themselves in the container and meshed with the other plants, I realized why I liked them so much.  The magenta isn't predictable which I like about it.

This one has painting possibities...

P.S.  The title reference is because of the shrimp compost that peaks out from below... : > )

On another note, I discovered Accuradio (I posted a link in my sidebar) has an all Glee channel.

Makes me happy.... : > )  Funny - as I write this "True Colors" by Cindy Lauper is playing on

Accuradio.  How appropriate!  ....and now my favorite guest artist on Glee (Kristin Chenowith) is

singing "Fire"....foot's tapping and I'm dancing in my seat.......

Special Project

I love requests for submissions based on themes.  This one is for a very special project for a bird
sanctuary right here in Hudson.  100% of the proceeds from the sale will go towards the building of a new wild bird rehabilitation centre in Hudson, QC.  Artists were invited to submit artwork measuring 5" x 7" of any subject and in any medium.  I chose to keep the focus on birds and these are my entries.  There are famous artists from across the country participating and yet the artwork will be sold at auction at a starting price of $65 no matter who the artist.  So it is a wonderful chance to own an original work of art at an incredibly low price.  The auction takes place on the 21st of August.

A Bit of Collage in a busy week.....

This week I worked on a few 5" x 7" collages for a special project I will tell you about soon.  It always amazes me that the bits and scraps that accumulate around me as I work just happen to be the perfect

bit that I need.
The view across the lake is a place that I drive by nearly every day on the Lake of Two Mountains.
I took that picture a few years ago but printed in sepia it looks like a scene from a 1930's postcard.
It's a busy week that doesn't allow for too much in the way of painting but these collages let me indulge
in the need to create something.

Not seen at my feeder.....

Feeding the birds this past winter was a new thing for me as I had never put feeders where I could

observe them before.   I didn't realize the variety other than chickadees and bluebirds that were in my own back yard and although using birds in my artwork was surely influenced by all the activity outside my window, one thing is for certain.....these birds are not from here!

(I love what Photoshop can do for watercolors.....) 

Birds of a different feather....

One of the watercolor birds that
I've painted this week.  The flower
is from the azalea plant that is on
my desk.

...and through the wonders of
Photoshop...a pink version.

On my desktop....

Bringing the outside in....

Trying to make time to sketch and paint is not easy when there's planting to be done in addition to everything else. (Not that I'm planting fields or anything)  This really captures the flavor
of the season....bringing little specimens of what's blooming outside in to be recorded into my sketchbooks.  Sketching doesn't
come easy to me.....but I've missed the learning experience that happens when working in sketchbooks and have looked at artists who use theirs regularly with envy.  It's funny, I think I actually cherish my few sketchbooks even more than my most challenging paintings.

P.S.  The sepia photo that is collaged onto the flower pot is of
my dad sitting on his mother's knee.  I've used that photo many
times in various media.

Almost there...

Maybe  two more sessions and Cooper should be finished...

On my Easel....

On my easel this week...a painting of Cooper, a golden retriever sitting on a dock in happier days.
I rarely take the time to document the stages of a painting but thought I should.  The first four images
are the building up stages.  I am (hopefully) now at the fun stage.

After this last photo, I have started adding the lightest colored fur and deepening the darks.  The

texture of the fur has only been indicated here and there for reference, so this is where the details

begin.

Will wonders never cease.....?

My homepage is National Geographic and it is a never ending source of incredible images and stories but this morning this image showed up and I just had to share it.  Little flower pods made by bees to nest in??!

How beautiful is that?

A Color Theory Lesson!?

Paintings from the Hudson Artists Spring Show

An eclectic mix of paintings that I had on view at the Hudson Artists Spring Show.  It was the first

time in quite a few years since I had been a member and I decided to show a sampling of what

I had been known for (florals), as well as some of the work that I've been working on lately....

mixed media work for example.  There was a lot of interest in the newer works although I sold the

largest painting (the pink blossoms shown earlier in this blog) on the first night.  I am buoyed by the

interest in the new pieces as well.

Collage Portraits

I've been working on a new series that will incorporate vintage portraits within layers of text and relevant imagery.  The fun is in collecting and pulling together the bits of history that support the image.  Soon I will add the information needed to be able to offer these portraits to those who would love to see their treasured vintage photos pulled out of desks and drawers and incorporated into framed art work.  Original photos would be scanned and returned and only the copies will be digitally altered for use in the collage.

 

Happy Easter!

Hydrangeas are everywhere at Easter time, so this is my Easter greeting to everyone.  I've been working on this one on and off and as Spring approached I gravitated back to it.  It is a 24" square acrylic painting on stretched canvas.  Except for signing, this one is finished.

On My Easel....

Not the best lighting, but this is what's on my easel at the moment.
About 90% finished.   It's one of the series of blossoms I've worked on over the last 3 years.  I've set it aside a few times to work on commissioned pieces and just didn't get back to it...until now.
SOLD

ACEO Portrait of Emilie

Ideally, I'd love to do a mini painting a day.  With these ACEO's, I'm almost able to do so.   This one is a portrait of my daughter in sepia.  Needs some tweaking but I may do several of the same pose just

to experiment with different media.   This one is in acrylic but next time, I may use some prismacolor

pencils too.   She took the picture by the way.....something I've been trying to get her to do for me for

ages.   

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (week)

I have signed on to participate this year in the Hudson Area Studio Tour taking place last weekend in September.  I participated the first few years and then took a two year break so it will be fun to be back
on the tour again this year.  It really is a motivator to get a new group of paintings out. (Jewellery too)
I chose this photo to be printed in the brochure and it just occurred to me that it fit the St. Patrick's theme very well.  So here's my contribution to St. Patrick's week on my blog!

ACEO's

I'm tackling several issues all at once. I kept promising myself I'd do more sketching, work in my journals, paint some ACEO's (Art cards, editions and originals) and have done just that. These

are addictive. I've learned a lot from painting in this size. Here are just a few. They are now

listed in my Etsy shop too....
(The first two have sold)

New Year, new beginnings, new projects

Well January sped by. But I'm not feeling guilty in the least. It was a month of indulgences.

Pouring over new books acquired at Christmas, absorbing inspiration, keeping notes. But now...

now I must get back to work (play). Amongst other explorations I have been working with encaustics. I have slowly accumulated what I need and it was time to put them to use. You can read all you want but until you actually put the acquired knowledge to work you don't really know how to handle it. I have an idea of how I'll want to progress and what techniques I enjoy

working with and which ones are just not me. My initial experiments with textures were better

with the first few and then I kind of created "messes". So I changed course and started working

with photos to see how to integrate them into the wax. I haven't done anything particularly

creative with these photos but I needed time to let the experience simmer a bit before I proceed.

The texture is unlike working with layers in acrylic medium. There is a more ethereal look to

wax and it takes a different "mind set" to work with it. Next on my list will be to paint more

traditionally with the wax. That will be exciting...

Happy New Year!

Happy happy new year everyone. Hope your year is filled with good things, an abundance of creativity and good health.

Christmas Greetings

to all who stop by my blog.

Celebrate, decorate, and

stay healthy....

Birds at My Window

See more of the photos I took this morning here

I've been frustrated previously at trying to take good pictures of the birds at my window feeder

because I am not a savvy photographer and had trouble focusing through the glass window

at the feeder just a three feet away from where I sit. But this morning as I sat down at my computer, I saw a dozen finches, five on the feeder and the rest in the branches of the lavender

tree. I grabbed my camera and in desperation tried some different settings. By standing

further back and using the 6x zoom to the max and then partially pushing the button to let it

focus and then just waiting for the birds to land, I was able to complete pushing the button as

soon as I saw them. It worked! Within ten minutes I had the finches, chickadees, blue jays

Cardinals, and two other species that I'm unaware of the names for. It's an hour or so later as I write this and the snowfall is heavy. I can only imagine that they already knew this was coming and were filling up for the duration.

The still photo above is one of my favorite birds beside the chickadees. The white tummy and

solid gray above reminds me of a small child wearing a hoodie!

Something New....

The current trend for "bib" style jewellery and my own interest in jewellery and fiber art (just a little segue) from my painting resulted in this new design. Hand crafted organza petals and leaves sprinkled with tiny crystal beads and vintage pearls and chain. There's even a snippet of a love letter trapped within the layers of leaves. I've completed several versions of this style

including a silvery gray and rhinestone version for winter.

Happy Thanksgiving Day

I try to avoid domestic topics here on my blog for living life creatively....
but I couldn't resist doing a little digital art work on my daughter's photo
of the Thanksgiving Day Turkey.

Hope everyone had a Happy One.

Montreal Home Magazine article

Nice article in the Fall Montreal Home magazine about Jacques and Debbie Demers whose home I had the privilege of creating for.
There is an image of one (the faux drapes in their bedroom) of the many pieces created for them on Page 90 with a mention of my name. Thank you Debbie! The second photo is of a cheetah sitting bathside with a potted fern in the Master Bathroom. (not shown in this article).

Signed, sealed and (almost) delivered...

From little labels measuring 2" x 4.5" to a painting measuring 3 x 5 feet. Finished this week, a request for fields, fence, pink flowers and horses. These photos were just before the finishing touches.

Penny stopped in to give her approval...