This past winter I received 3 amaryllis bulbs! They bloomed consecutively, providing me with many days of beauty in my kitchen window, which looked out on a bleak white landscape until recently. This one provided a chance to paint a magenta underpainting, a new background colour for me to try. I hope I captured the contrast of the gorgeous flower against the wintery landscape. It did indeed provide me with great joy in the middle of January!
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"January's Joy" acrylic 24 x 12 |
My recent paintings reflect the old-fashioned snowy weather we've had in our area this winter. Snow banks are higher than usual, making driving around corners difficult, school buses are cancelled every week, and bushes are buried in white, hiding the damage that will show up in the spring. As an artist, I find winter gorgeous to admire..... from inside! I've completed four paintings that reflect this beautiful (but burdensome) season. You might get a chill while you look at them!
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"Looking Forward to a Warm Fire" acrylic 18 x 36 |
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"Mountains of Snow" acrylic 18 x 24 |
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"The Cure for Cold Hands" acrylic 10 x 10 SOLD |
I love doing these paintings of a country scene, which always need to have a barn and some livestock included! This one was finished and out of my studio only about a week, when it sold at a Saugeen Artists Guild show at the Minto Arts Gallery in Harriston Ontario in September this year.
I am delighted to be included in a show at the Minto Arts Gallery in Harriston for the month of September, that The Saugeen Artists Guild has been putting on for a few years now, each September. Hanging there are 5 new pieces from my easel that represent a fun series using mixed media. You might be able to see what the elements are in each painting if you look closely. I always start with a coloured acrylic underpainting, and then create my image by adding paper, fabric, ribbons, and even buttons and rocks! I enjoyed a week long course by Cheryl O Art this past summer where we were immersed in all kinds of materials that can be included in a painting. Each piece has two layers of acrylic finish on it to protect it. Here are the 5 finished pieces for you to inspect:
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"Boutonnieres" acrylic and mixed media 12 x 16 |
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"Crosstown" acrylic and mixed media 11 x 14 |
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"Enchanted" acrylic and mixed media 12 x 12 |
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"HOME" acrylic and mixed media 11 x 14 |
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"Lakehouse" acrylic and mixed media 12 x 12 |
I was shocked and delighted to receive First Prize at the Minto Arts Council Juried Show this past week! The painting I had entered (below) was motivated by a course I took recently from my artist teacher and friend Cheryl O Art . I was experimenting with a high horizon, whimsical building and boats, a different perspective, and adding lines of black ink at the end. It was a fun project! The Minto Arts Council arranges this annual Juried Show in the gallery attached to the Harriston Library. It's always a beautiful show of wonderful and diverse work by local artists. You can see it until May 30.
Thank you, Minto Arts!
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A Morning for Fishing acrylic 20 x 16 |
A painting I finished this winter reminds me of drives with my family, when we would occasionally hear that familiar refrain "Are we there yet?" There are hills and valley to cover in this piece, before arriving at the destination in the far distance. Maybe it's a summer cottage? Maybe a resort in the north? Maybe Grandma's house? Your imagination can fill in the blank. This painting is quite large, 2 feet by 3 feet, and will soon be travelling to the Southampton Arts Centre.
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"Are We There Yet?" acrylic 24 x 36 |
Most of the time, paintings we work on during a course or workshop are just for learning, not for progressing to a finished, signed piece. But after taking Cheryl O's course last year I actually ended up with paintings I was very pleased with! I have posted a couple of others, and here are two more, now hanging at the Southampton Gallery. I'm late posting them by several months, but I still wanted to share this different style that I had so much fun with! The composition involved a high horizon, and an unusual perspective, as well as some abstract and geometric shapes.
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"A Morning for Fishing" acrylic 20 x 16 |
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"Sunset Sail" acrylic 20 x 16 |
