Something to dream about...........

On April 14, a freezing rain warning and a new layer of snow.  Yikes!!  What a great time to post a new painting with a scene that we would all like to jump into!  This beach venue is from a photo I took some years ago at a church camp called Mishewah, which is connected to my church.  It brings back wonderful memories of swimming, sailing, games, children laughing and splashing, and adults lined up along the shore in lawn chairs carried down from the cabins beyond.  I tried to capture the feel of the hot sun and the deep shadows, and of course the towels thrown over the railings after the swimming lesson of the day.  I think everyone has just headed over to the Tuck Shop for an ice cream cone.  A scene we can only dream about today! 

Gone for Ice Cream
acrylic
16 X 20

Ready for the Storm

It seems like the right day to publish a new painting of mine.  It's snowing and blowing outside on April 4th!  Here is a farm scene that is actually only a short distance from my home.  I love the way it is nestled behind the snowy hill, far from the road.  This picturesque farm calls to me to paint it as I drive by, any season of the year.  I tried a slightly different style here, using short, deliberate strokes, trying not to overdo them.  I think it gets across the idea of the sky during an evening, just before a storm, when all of the farm's occupants are safe and warm inside.  

Ready for the Storm
acrylic
12 x 30

Returning to Thornbury for a summer show!

The beautiful L. E. Shore Llibrary in  Thornbury has a stunning gallery, that I have displayed my paintings in more than once in the past few years.  I was thrilled to be invited to join with several other artists in a show coming up in July and August of this year, 2018.  I've been working hard to build up a new inventory to show there.  You will see most of these beforehand, right on this blog!  

Here is the first finished piece.  I wanted to do it early, while I was still enthused about a scene with snow.....

Under a Warm Winter Blanket
acrylic
22 x 28

"Elvira and Friends"

What a fun painting to work on!  This was a commission I just finished for Diane and Gary Fischer, owners of Hoity Toity Cellars in Mildmay, Ontario.  These sheep took on personalities as I painted them.  I took lots and lots of photos of them on their home territory at Hoity Toity, and then had the challenge of rearranging them on the canvas to suit the composition.  They seem to be looking at us, at the same time we are watching them!  

"Elvira and Friends"
acrylic
24 X 30

The Saugeen Artists Store is almost ready to open!

Members of my art group "The Saugeen Artists" have been working for days to get the store ready for the opening Wednesday.  It's so wonderful to see the artwork coming in the door!  There is jewelry,  pottery, metal work, cards, handmade journals, and of course paintings.  All kinds of paintings, and in all sizes!  

Here are a few of the new pieces I have ready for this year.  They are 11 X 14, using acrylic and collage.  
I love anything to do with lettering, so they were a lot of fun to make!  

A painting goes to a hospital!

I was pleased to find out that my painting "Nature's Cathedral" was chosen for the Momentos Juried Show which originated from the Owen Sound Hospital.  50 paintings were chosen to hang in several hospitals in the Owen Sound area.  It will be interesting to see which one it will hang in, for the duration of a year.  I submitted a short paragraph about my "Canadian Moment" as well, which will hang with the painting.  Here is the moment I chose:

On a warm, brilliant autumn day I go walking leisurely through our maple bush with my family.  Leaves rustle under our feet.  Squirrels scamper to their hideouts.  Our laughter rises to the tree tops.  Does life get any better than this?  But then we turn a random corner and come to a sudden stop.  Before us is a blaze of gold and red, that God himself created for us in our own maple cathedral--  this is my Canadian moment!

"Nature's Cathedral"
acrylic
30 x 20

My newest painting has found a home............

..........in Medicine Hat Alberta!  This painting is similar to a previous one that had sold from the Southampton Gallery a couple of years ago.  My new art collector friend asked for a few changes, and this is what I created.  I find that I often miss a painting that is sold, and while I do miss this one, I'm pleased that it has already found a wall to call home.  Thank you, Leigh!  I hope you enjoy it!  

"The Family Farm"
acrylic
18 X 24

SOLD