It's been over a year since I published anything on my blog (thanks to a fall last summer and subsequent hip surgeries) so I have some paintings to show you.  While I was recovering I had little energy to paint, but over the months was able to complete this one, that I call "Chicory Hill".  I was drawn to all the blue shades in the original photo, with those yellow flowers to pop out.  It's 28 x 24, all acrylic, still in my possession waiting to be juried into the Minto Arts Council Juried Show in May.

This past winter I had the opportunity to visit Portugal for a couple of weeks!  This painting shows Old Town Lagos, with its narrow and winding streets, fascinating old buildings, and cobblestone streets.  Every day included a long adventurous walk (with my cane).  I call this one "Morning Adventure".  It's acrylic, 20 x 16, and hanging now at the Southampton Arts Centre.  

My second Portugal painting is called "Lagos Lookout" (15 x 30) which simplifies one of the many wonderful views from the apartment where I was staying.  I had a lot of fun turning the hills and houses into abstract, whimsical shapes.  I feel that I captured the sense of the cityscape that resembled building blocks to me.  It's also hanging at the Southampton Arts Centre now. There may be more Portugal scenes to be turned into paintings in the near future!

One last winter painting.........

 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!

"January's Joy"
acrylic
24 x 12

Our northern winter..............

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!

"After the Storm"

acrylic

20 x 16

"Looking Forward to a Warm Fire"
acrylic
18 x 36

"Mountains of Snow"
acrylic
18 x 24

"The Cure for Cold Hands"
acrylic
10 x 10
SOLD

Rolling Acres

 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.   

"Rolling Acres"

acrylic

20 x 26

SOLD

A New Show, and a New Series

 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:  

"Boutonnieres"
acrylic and mixed media
12 x 16

"Crosstown"
acrylic and mixed media
11 x 14

"Enchanted"
acrylic and mixed media
12 x 12

"HOME" 
acrylic and mixed media
11 x 14 

"Lakehouse"
acrylic and mixed media
12 x 12

A Minto Juried Art Show First Prize!

 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!

A Morning for Fishing
acrylic
20 x 16

"Are We There Yet?"

 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.  

"Are We There Yet?"
acrylic
24 x 36