A Very Fancy Chair

 Ever since I saw a version of this at Anthropologie, I knew I had to make one. (a patchwork of past paintings) I had already stripped canvases from the stretcher bars of paintings that were never finished and had rolled away for some other purpose so I had only to find a chair.  And lo and behold my local  Saturday morning thrift shop had exactly what I needed.  I love it when projects come together like that. This was a big hit at the art exhibition this past weekend and "yes" I would sit on it!

This Makes Me Happy

Well I'm cleaning up my files (and they do need cleaning up) in the days after doing an exhibition.  I love this part.  Time to reflect on the successes (or not) of the ideas that became reality; a time to decide on what to pursue or leave behind (to be filed under "what was I thinking").  I'll share more of the past weekend in later posts after I've uploaded photos of finished works but I came across this one and I am so happy to see these brushstrokes which may come easily to some artists but that I struggle to achieve due to excessive puttering.

Exciting New Project

I've been working on something new and am excited to finally have the finished product in my hands.  A "toile"* design depicting Hudson.  Snippets taken from my sketchbook of Hudson scenes like the drive along Chemin de l'anse toward the town with the view of Oka across the Lake of Two Mountains,

horses grazing in the fields, the ducks on Pine Lake, the bunnies in our backyards and the birds and bees that frequent our gardens, the fences and flowers that abound everywhere.  The first fabric I have developed is formatted for 16" pillows and there will be (soon) the companion fabric showing more of these Hudson scenes that we call home. 

Black toile design on Cotton/Linen fabric in white.

Other colors will be available upon request.

*

Toile de Jouy, sometimes abbreviated to simply "toile", is a type of decorating pattern consisting of a usually white or off-white background on which a repeated pattern depicting a fairly complex scene, generally of a pastoral theme such as a couple having a picnic by a lake or an arrangement of flowers. The pattern portion consists of a single color, most often black, dark red, or blue. Greens, browns, and magenta toile patterns are less common, but not unheard of. Toile is most associated with fabrics (curtains and upholstery in particular, especially chintz), though toile wallpaper is also popular. Toile can also be used on teapots, beddings, clothing, etc. In upper-class (primarily American, but also northern European) society, toile is often seen on dresses or aprons used at such events as country-themed garden parties or tea parties.

L'Allée d'Art Exhibition St. Jean Baptiste weekend

...and this is what I'll be doing this weekend.  If you are in the area, it promises to be an amazing exhibition.

Blue Bottle and Hydrangeas

8" x 24"

Oil on stretched canvas

$320

I can't believe I haven't done a still life of those beautiful blue bottles that I've acquired over the years.  I included one in this painting and that's inspired me to set up something that will really be challenging.  That's what I need, more glass objects and reflective, metallic pieces.  I'm really happy with the reflection of the apple and bowl in the vase.  The blue bottle appears lighter in this photo of the painting so I may retake the photo.  I still have to

finish the upper left cluster of hyderangeas and sign and then I'll have one more for this weekend's show "Allée d'Art".

Getting Ready

Detail 

18" x 24" cradled wood panel.

Acrylic and Oil

Next weekend is a provincial holiday and I'm participating in an outdoor exhibition.  Rain or shine (and it seems we're getting both).  It's been a long time since I've done an art show outdoors.  I've come to realize though that it's not the success of the exhibition that matters but the work that comes from preparing for it.  The extra push to develop something new, often (not always) results in work that probably wouldn't have happened otherwise.  A slight departure from working on the small format "daily" paintings are the  partly abstracted canvases I'm working on.   I love pattern and texture and I've tried to work that in with the more realistic still life subjects that I am more comfortable working with.  It satisfies the part of me that wants to let

loose!

Back tracking...

Before the series of red tulips I had painted more daffodils, one of which I had posted.  This one is 6" x 12" tall.  I guess since I had pointed out how often I liked to use this porcelain rabbit,  I thought I should post this one too.  The sunlight happened to light up this little tableau on my ledge and I reached for my camera.  I'll have to remember to keep some daffodil paintings to light up my desk area in the greyer months of winter.
Every Saturday morning here in town, there is a second hand shop that opens it's doors for two hours from 10:00 a.m. until noon.  I've been going there for years and find the most wonderful things (like this rabbit).  This morning I bought a porcelain cat in a wonderful shade of gray that I'm looking forward to arranging as well as some great baskets and if I don't delay I should be able to collect some peonies to arrange in these baskets before their bloom time is over.  It's hard to keep up with what's blooming, arranging, photographing, filing away for future reference and prepping canvases!

Red Tulips Series III

6" x 6" x 1.5"

Oil on Wood Panel

Maybe because I painted this trio of red tulips twice before, I think my

favorite part of this one is the backside of the canvas behind it!  Probably

because I wasn't over thinking it.

Available in my etsy shop.

Peaches & Cream

6" x 6" x 1.5" Oil on deep wood panel

$80.00

I suppose the title is misleading but the tulips are a wonderful peach color and I painted my favourite little milk/cream jug and this title just jumped out at me.

It certainly is better than Peach Tulip in Milk Jug which is the way I usually title my paintings :> }  I think I managed to capture the sunny warmth of this image so I am happy with this one.

I am catching up on gardening and haven't created a June calendar as yet.  Hopefully I'll manage to squeeze one in soon.

Available here in my Etsy shop.

Sketching Explorations

Some loose sketches for a project I'm working on.  I don't sketch for the sake of sketching often enough to have a method but I think I'm onto something with these.  Pencil first followed by watercolor working light to dark and then a Pigma

pen to tie it all together.  I was never happy with the cross hatching of the pen so the watercolor shading gives me the shaping I need.

Bunny Revisited

What Have We Here?

8" x 8" Oil on canvas

I don't often re paint images I've done before.  But it's interesting seeing how my approach might have changed in the year since or to see how working in a different size affects the outcome.  I sort of wish I had cropped this one a little more though.

Here is the painting from last year with the little bunny figurine.

Newest Member of our Cat Family

6" x 6" x 1.5"

Oil on wood panel

...and the only one now.  "Frida" is really my daughter's cat but comes to visit every few weeks for a few days.  It's funny to watch our mini dachshund and Frida go through the re-familiarization routine for the first few hours.  The "hunted" becomes the "hunter" and back and forth, until they both lie down inches from each other looking quite comfortable in each other's company.

Red Tulips Encore

Oil on wood panel 

6" x 6 x 1.5"

$80.00

Here is the second of the series.  It's only when I see it posted here that

I recognize the tweaking that needs to be done.  This one is a little cooler

than the previous posted below.  Not a bad thing but I do like the richer

grays of the first one. Here is the link to purchase on Paypal.

My "daily" paintings have become more complicated and almost better suited

to larger formats.  I may have to do some simpler ones so that I can concentrate on the brush strokes.  That was my original intention when I started these just over a year ago now.

I will have another cat painting to post within a day or so....

Tulip Time

I don't have many tulips in my garden so I was happy to see the few that I have blooming their hearts out until I discovered several cut off midway up the stem.  I can only assume the local rabbit population has also been enjoying them.  So I felt less guilty about gathering them all up and bringing them inside. (Believe it or not I do feel guilty even though I get to enjoy them up close).  I could never scold my daughter when she was five and proudly showed me armfuls of garden flowers cut just for me.  I was glad she could do what I

had trouble doing.  So this painting is fresh off the easel and will be followed by a few more of the same grouping.  I had four or five from this last photo

shoot that I'd like to do while I still have the color palette available.

Red Tulips in Blue and White Jug

Oil "6 x 6" x 1.5"

wood cradled panel

Happy First of May

Today is a special day in France. Apparently May 1st is a day to offer your loved ones a sprig of lily-of-the-valley to wish them love and good luck. 

While it's not exactly "dancing around the flagpole" weather here (It's grey and rainy), it is

inevitable that flowers will be blooming any time now.

Two more cats

The black and white one's name was Whitney.  One half of a pair called

Pratt & Whitney.  I do enjoy painting anything white, fur included.  The sunlight he was sitting in cast his fur in a warm light. (Don't they always find the sunlight?)  I don't know the name of the black one and although the photographic image didn't provide me with a lot of reference material, I did

really like the silhouette of the black cat and the gray/yellow color palette.

I'm working my way forward so this one needs work on the sofa pillows.

                          6" x 6" Oil on canvas

6" x 8" oil on canvas board

Cats I Have Known

Last year I had painted my own cats.  Cats that were loved and gone from us.

This year I am painting cats that belonged to friends.  Painting tabby cats is a bit daunting because of their markings especially considering the 6x6 format.

The black and white cat just needs a bit of tweaking and it will be off the easel.

Tabby

6" x 6" Oil on wood panel

May Calendar

Well creating these calendars proved to be a lot of fun and I have a new one for you.  Just click on the image to expand and download to your desktop to open as your desktop image.

I'm just finishing three more cat paintings and may even be able to post them here later today.

Daffodils on my Easel

Daffodils 6" x 6"

Oil on wood panel

$80.00

Last season I noticed my painting became tighter when what I really wanted was to loosen up.   So now I am trying not to linger too long over these small format paintings.  I'd like to say all I want to do with this one is to strengthen values here and there which is why I'm taking a break to let me isolate what absolutely needs to be done and not sit there with brush in hand and putter away.

Wish me luck!

I've also started the May calendar which lets me indulge in digital projects.  Last month was the first one and the response was so fun, I'd like to continue.

I'll post that one sometime next week (lillies of the valley will be part of the May theme).

Apple with Grapes

                      Apple with Grapes

                6 x 6 x 2 Oil on wood panel

                                $80

We're well into Spring now and I've re-introduced the small format paintings again.  I indulged in learning many new skills over the winter but I have missed 

these small paintings.  So here is a new one - still wet and I haven't decided yet on where to sign it.  I am surprised by how much I've enjoyed painting grapes.  My next painting (on the easel as we speak) will be daffodils.

April Calendar

                      

I'm trying something new....all this playing with digital media so I thought I'd put it to good use and design a calendar.  A little late I know....but it's a start.

Please let me know if you encounter any issues.  I'd love to know if the format works.  Just click on the image and download the expanded version to use as your desktop image.....with my compliments!

P.S. I'm excited by the ability to use traditional art media like watercolours and sketching and collaging them digitally.  It's opened up a new world of possibilities.  

My Easter Greeting to You All......

...TOOK A LITTLE TIME TO GET INTO THE "SPRING" MOOD THIS MORNING BEFORE I START THE EASTER BAKING....

April Daffodils

Daffodil in Blue and White Pitcher

6" x 6" x 2" cradled wood panel

Oil

$80

A challenge to paint because of the illusive nature of the color of yellow, daffodils are still a pleasure to paint.

Spring Cleaning

It's funny how you can  turn a blind eye to what should be obvious.  I am more of an oil painter than a watercolorist so when I reach for my tubes of watercolor I resign myself to re-hydrating the dried tubes as I need them.   Dropping a bit of water into the neck of the tube and working from that.  Enough!!  So last evening I decided to slice open at least a dozen tubes and scrape what remained into these little plastic cups and label them.  So much better.... So now instead of using the watercolor palette that had the same basic colors I can now easily reach for the beautiful colors I had accumulated for years.  I still have another few evenings of doing the same to the remaining colors but now I see how worthwhile it's been.

Sketching

Something I don't do enough of but there are some self imposed projects that has renewed my interest in sketching.  For inspiration check the links at left...

one for urban sketching and the other for nature.
As an added note, I did this sketch in pencil and scanned it in to apply a blue filter to it for a project I'm working on.

I haven't used Etsy in awhile so I decided to put these three up this week and was pleased to see one of them sold within a day.  DPW (Daily Painters Website) featured the peaches in the blue bowl on black floral on Facebook so I was doubly pleased!
Speaking of which I really haven't been painting "daily" but.... creating nonetheless.  If not oils, then watercolors and digital collages.  The arrival of Spring
has renewed my desire to set up more still life subject matter to photograph and a return to the oil painting.  It must be knowing that the flowers that I love to paint will soon be available.
I'm happy to say the pears on blue gingham and the pears and daisies have sold!

Vector Birds

Having a little fun here while putting to use some of the vector tutorials I've been studying.  Vector drawing means creating images with paths and shapes.

Quite unlike painting in Photoshop with pixel based brushes and even farther

removed from traditional drawing media.  But I love learning new skills and am

really enjoying myself.  The pencil sketches below were made in order to become familiar with the shapes I would be using to create the grouping you see here.

For the top two birds, real photographic references were used.  I love how

animated they look.

This week however, I have been painting with both watercolors and oils again.

So I will be posting a new small format (6" x 6") oil painting this week.

Chickadees

Chickadees (my favorite bird) have worked their way into my artwork in just about every medium I've ever done.  I just didn't realize it until now.  Here are just a few of the versions I've done recently.  Upper left is a page from
my sketchbook.  Upper right is a digital sketch done entirely with digital paints and brushes (I'm loving the never ending access to paints, papers and
tools that working digitally offer).  The middle image is a textile piece in progress.  The same image below as an oil painting.  Working with textile
offers some novel approaches as in the use of organza layered over the tree
to create a "frosty" appearance since the original photographic reference was taken in winter.
In my previous post, I mentioned that it was important (to me) that the different approaches have some common ground.  Having favorite photographic references is one of the ways I can take the leap from one to the other.
mediums should have some common ground

Well January was devoted to playtime using digital art programs.  Aside from apps like Photoshop, I tried numerous others like Art Rage, Zeus Draw and Inkscape.  The latter is a free!! application that many have said rivals the expensive Illustrator program. My intention was to learn the fundamentals of vector drawing (none of the work below reflects that).  There is a steep learning curve if self taught but I did follow some of the many terrific tutorials that are on the web and am intrigued enough to continue.  The images below were made in Photoshop with the focus on layers and learning more of the brush capabilities.  After a dozen or so years I'm still learning Photoshop!  Some of the images here will become textile prints that I would like to work with this year.  

I also equipped my new iPad with versions of these art programs and that also meant taking the time to acquaint myself with the slightly different interface.

As February approached I spent a delicious amount of time buried in the wonderful art quilt books that Christmas brought and did a studio cleanup to

make room for more textile work.  My first designs on fabrics were ordered and received and I was thrilled with the results.  So I have a good start on a 

few small textile pieces to work on.  Many years ago, I made quilts the traditional way and had to research and question myself as to what I was drawn to now.  Raw edge, fusing, and machine quilting along with thread sketching are part of the methods I like to use.  These techniques allow me to create quilts with the same mindset as painting on canvas.

Hand dyed fabrics are what I favoured using to go with my images and that became my next focus.  Immersion dyeing, discharge dyeing and direct printing are new skills!  I had only touched on these over the years but now I have a better understanding and find it addictive!  It's not enough to just dye

a piece of cloth, when you can bleach or discharge a pattern and over dye which results in a very interesting and complex cloth.

Having arrived at this point, I am starting to hear the call of my paintbrushes and oils and am ready to return to the studio to prepare one of the larger canvases.  It's important to me that there is some cohesion amongst the different skill sets otherwise I will feel that I am being pulled into too many different directions.  But these last two months have led seamlessly (there may be a pun in this!) from one to the other and it feels comfortable.

Emilie at Three

On the Garden Path

12" x 14" Oil

As mentioned in previous posts, I have been exploring new creative paths since early January.  My brushes and paints are never far from reach as I've used them to create backgrounds for digital art and painted fabrics for art quilts but nothing that fit into the theme of my blog so I've neglected posting.  I've acquired some new skills and want to make sure I apply them (in other words see them through to the end result so I don't acquire more half finished projects).  But      I miss being here so I am going to post an image of one of the very few palette knife paintings I ever did.  This one is of my daughter at the age of three.  (She's now 24).  I don't like how I handled the garden part but I am happy with the painting over all.   I think that's because of the texture of the knife.  Texture was something I set out to introduce into my painting last year and I sort of succeeded.  As the year progressed though I slid back into my comfort zone.  Supposedly quick 6" x 6"'s became more complex and I labored (bad choice of words because I loved every minute) over them too long.   So like this painting of Emilie on a garden path, I will return to my own creative path to looser, more spontaneous brush strokes......

but first I need to finish some more projects...... 

This image started out as a photo taken in Florence of a restaurant window, with layers of very loose  painterly renderings of flowers in digital art programs and a little digital graffiti to tie it all together.  Printed on fabric, this could be part of an art quilt or a background to an illustration.

Wow!  Is it too late to say Happy New Year!?  It was a quiet Christmas and New Year's and a time to soak in family time, lots of good food (too much good food), music, and new books (lots of great books).  A time to forget about schedules, but…….it's also nice to get back to a "new" normal. 

Some of my time was spent re-organizing my studio and workspaces and list the things I'd like to pursue this year, usually based on what was successful from the preceding year.  I take advantage of the clean slate the new year provides by auditioning some new projects.  I'm feeling a tiny bit guilty about straying too far from my painting but on the other hand feel I should pay attention to the little sparks (like fireflies) going on in my brain. 

Painting.....forever and always will be painting.  A continuation of the small format paintings is a sure thing but I have some larger formats I'd like to work on again this year.  

Art quilts however are one of those little sparks that I may have to make time for.  I have a weakness for fabrics and have been steadily building a collection of silks and organzas to play with.  Now I guess I have to justify those purchases (hehe). The quilts I have in mind are more painterly and definitely more contemporary than my paintings.   Having this quieter time has enabled me to settle on a design I'd like to pursue which makes it easier to assemble fabrics and audition techniques.

Illustration…..(I'm trying to learn Adobe Illustrator by myself??)  Watercolor and digital collage snuck into my painting time the latter part of 2011 and I have this burning desire to learn how to do more vector work.   An interesting note is that the digital explorations will be an important part of the fabric used in the art quilts.  So we'll see what 2012 brings.  Focus will be an important word for me this year.

Jewellery is not a separate category for me.  It is simply another art form like miniature sculptures.  An on going journey to reach a comfort level with acquired skills.  I love the learning aspect.  (Enamelling this year!)

Focus is what I did not want to do this month of January (the rest of the year definitely).  It was meant to be a month of play, experiments and uninhibited creativity.  I have assembled my reference material, re-arranged my studio, shopped for fabrics to alter to my hearts content and practiced with many fun free apps available for digital manipulation until I decided on which ones to pursue.

Here's to 2012....a new creative journey begins!

With minutes to spare before the New Year I'd like to thank visitors to my blog for your kind words of encouragement.  I am happy with the direction I took painting smaller formats and look forward to more
creative endeavours in 2012 as I hope you are too.  May you be blessed with all that you need and most of what you want.  Love, health and happiness, Happy New Year!

A Little Something for Me

...and that little something would be "time".  The Christmas season feels closer to me when I'm creating something.  It is such a wonderful time of year for creating and yet is the most difficult time to complete anything.  I was determined to reclaim some time to do something that was not required but simply for the joy of it.  Painting at least three seasonal subjects would make me happy.  I may not get to finish this one until early next week after I return from Boston but I'm quite content to see it on my easel and if I'm lucky I'll start another.

Illustrations Framed

These are prints from illustrations created by me for the cooking school Tavola Mia.  They appear on labels on a series of imported olive oils and vinegars from Italy distributed by Maria Loggia to complement her recipes that are being published into her second cookbook.

I love how they look printed and framed as I had originally meant them to be seen only at label size.

I may design a new series specifically to be framed now that I see how they look.

This week

Michel Oosterhaut from the Netherlands has an online project where he posts a painting of an apple painting from artists around the world appropriately called "An Apple a Day"
Today my painting is featured!

I have just finished unpacking from the wonderful One of a Kind Show here in Hudson.  It's a lovely venue (the Whitlock Golf and Country Club) and the other artisans are truly amazing.  My painting of the Chickadee from two posts back found a home and my silk scarves sold out.  (Yes I know, I am a painter and jewellery designer so what was I doing with silk scarves??)  I occasionally need to indulge in some sewing projects in order to justify my craving for beautiful fabrics.  I'll post pictures in another day or so as soon as I re-group for the season ahead.  Custom order have my focus now.