"Summer Spotlight"

This new painting takes me back to warm summer days when our chickens enjoyed foraging for insects in the fresh green grass near the barn.  I loved the way the sun made such a strong shadow across one of the barn doors and highlighted the resting shovel.  It was a fun setting to paint!  This painting is now at the Southampton Gallery, which has a brand new display of the artists' recent work for Christmas browsing. 

"Summer Spotlight"

acrylic

16 x 20

A great art auction has begun!

The Blyth Festival has partnered with artists from the community and beyond to come up with a fun and creative way to support the Blyth Festival while adding original works of art to the purchasers' collections. It's called "10 by 10 in 2020", an online auction of 133 works of art, all of them exactly 10 inches by 10 inches! I have entered a painting in this auction myself, which you can see below. This auction will be online from November 10 to December 10, 2020.

 Go to https://blythfestival.com/ and click on Shows for details and to see the art!

"Sun Swept"
acrylic
10 by 10

The Saugeen Artists still have a Christmas Store!

 But this year it's online.   This will replace our "bricks and mortar" store, which the Guild has been setting up for almost a decade in downtown Hanover during November and December.  An online store is a way to offer our regular customers some unique handmade items this year, in time for Christmas.  I have about a dozen paintings in it and several sets of cards on different themes.  Below is a sample of what I have posted.  There are many other artists' items to choose from, including jewelry and glass mosaics as well as paintings.  Shipping is free.  

"Lunch at the Cottage"
acrylic 16 x 16

"Country Caretaker"
acrylic 14 x 11 

Package of 5 cards
with a country theme

Package of 5 cards
with a winter theme 

A reminder of summer days.......

 This trio of flowers, all of them from my own gardens, help to bring back thoughts of warm, sunny days from the summer.  I treated the canvases first with a layer of texture from tissue paper that was wrinkled and glued down.  You can see that in the photos.  Once that dried I painted some of my favourite flowers.  The texture makes painting quite unusual, and forces me to let go of my natural tendency to have hard and clear edges on the shapes of the petals and leaves.  It's quite freeing, actually!  They are all on a 12 by 12 inch gallery canvas.

Blooming Begonias
acrylic
12 by 12

Climbing Clematis
acrylic
12 by 12

Dazzling Daisies
acrylic
12 by 12

For artists: A great online course is coming up!

I'd like to invite you to take a look at this amazing online course given by experienced art instructor (and friend) Cheryl O. I took Cheryl's last course in the late spring and loved it!  Her new one, called "Colour and Composition",  is more extensive, with lots of information, zoom meetings, community interaction, and demos every week for 14 weeks.  Here is a link to the information:   http://cherylo.ca/online-art-courses-2/  The deadline for application is September 4.  

Below is a painting I did as a result of one of her lessons.  

I hope to "see" some of you there, online!

Pink Peony
acrylic
12 by 12

Leroy's hens are out!

 Here are two of Leroy's concubines, charging out of their inside pen to the outside run.  And run they do!  (They are likely trying to avoid Leroy......)   I thought the innovative system for the door was interesting to include.  It made for fun textures and shapes to paint.  

                                "Checkin' the Coop"

                                         acrylic

                                         24 x 12

Introducing Leroy.......

 .........who rules the roost in our chicken yard!  He's very handsome, with iridescent blue and purple feathers between the black ones.   I hope those lovely colours come across in the photo.  At the end of his tail is another long black feather that waves theatrically as he struts around, herding his small household of hens.  My next painting will showcase a couple of the ladies.  

"Leroy"
acrylic
24 x 12

The pansies have arrived....

The final spring flower painting is finished, and completes the foursome.  Pansies are such a happy flower, especially since their petals form a delightful "face" looking at us in the spring, and sometimes far into the summer.  It's a great accomplishment to keep pansies growing into the later months, requiring deadheading and careful attention to watering.  My own efforts this summer don't look nearly as happy as the ones in the painting!

Each painting is 8 by 14 inches, and I like this arrangement of the four:

A spring series...... to be finished soon

I started this spring flower series when the first crocuses bloomed, way back in early spring.  Then Covid hit....... and I started Cheryl's online course (I'll tell you more about that another time!)....... and the fourth flower in the series was postponed.   It's time I finished it-- with pansies, which I still have blooming in my garden.  The paintings are done on small 8 x 14 wooden supports.  The flowers actually "bleed" on to the frame edges.  I love the way that worked.   It looks like they're coming right off the surface.

         Stay tuned and the fourth painting will arrive soon!  

If you are downtown Hanover............

Now that we are all feeling more encouraged to travel downtown, you may want to keep your eyes open for three large banners on display at the Heritage Park in Hanover.  My painting is on one of them!  They are about 6 feet high, and a great addition to the park.  (The original painting is on display at the Southampton Gallery, which is now open, with careful restrictions and protocol.)  While you're downtown, look for the banners up and down main street with other artwork displayed on them.   I have a couple of paintings on those as well.

There's bad news and good news.......

The bad news is that most painting classes, including mine, are cancelled for this spring. 
                                 :-(

The good news is that most of us creative types are quite happy to have more time to work (being in social isolation) at the projects we love the most.  I have managed to finish one painting of an orchid I saw while visiting the Atlanta Botanical Gardens with my daughter in January.  The orchids were spectacular!   I chose this view from many photos I took that day.  Although some days it can be difficult to muster the motivation to paint, I hope we can each have some interesting work to share when our classes are able to start up again.                                                                      
                                                           Happy painting!

Atlanta Orchid
acrylic
12 x 16

The Walkerton Juried Art Show is coming up!

For artists in the area, here is some info about submitting your work to this show.   Get working on your submission!

Acrylic Classes coming up.......

Spring is coming, and so are lots of creative opportunities!  I have set some dates for my acrylic classes, for those who are interested: 

At Chesley Community Church, the second Tuesday of the month-  April 14, May 12, and June 9.

The same class will be offered at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Hanover on the second Thursday of the month- April 16, May 14, and June 11.  

Check my blog page "Classes" for more details, as spring approaches.   That makes me think of painting flowers for the first class!  Maybe tulips??  Wildflowers??

A Backward Look.......

Every year I wonder what I have achieved in my painting efforts, and each year I surprise myself!  This year was no exception, as I looked back at 2019 to see a whole year's work at once.  I actually completed 30 paintings, from an 8 x 8 inch nuthatch to a 20 x 40 inch farm scene!  Here is the last painting of 2019, a view of Lake Kagawong from the front of the cottage where I stayed with family last summer, on Manitoulin Island.  This painting brings back many terrific memories.  

"Lake Kagawong"
acrylic
20 x 30

I also found out that I sold a total of 14 paintings throughout the year, 5 of them at the Saugeen Artists Christmas Store.  I'm encouraged to keep painting, and learn more about my craft.  My latest study has been about colour, the pigments of paint, and the skill of mixing them.  I'm using the reference book called "Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green", by Michael Wilcox.  The title alone piqued my interest.  Here are some of my trusty colour charts I've recently made, which will help me in my 2020 efforts ahead.  It's amazing how many colours can be mixed from 2 pigments plus white!