The Challenge of Green......

After a quiet winter, art activities are springing up everywhere around me!  With three group shows ahead I have lots of motivation to paint.  Three pieces that follow a theme are now hanging in the Southampton Gallery.  Others will follow, to be displayed in Harriston, Kitchener, and Thornbury along with work from other members of the Saugeen Artists Guild.  I'll be sure to keep you posted here with information about these awesome shows!

My challenge for these three pieces was to work with all that green foliage!  I attempted to show the shapes of the trees and bushes, without including every little leaf.  I greatly admire Emily Carr, as well as many of the Group of Seven, for being able to paint trees abstractly as interesting and varied shapes.  

I hope to improve as I challenge myself with a subject that I find difficult.  You may notice though, that in every painting here I have added something as a focus that is man-made--  something definite and concrete and easier for me to paint!

"Down to the River"
acrylic
24 x 18

"Along the River Trail"
acrylic
24 x 18

"Recess Along the Trail"
acrylic
24 x 18


Here's an example of how Emily Carr's "green" looked. Amazing!!

Spring classes are springing up!

Now that the weather is warming up, I am making plans for teaching some fun acrylic classes in the next few months.  I will continue to hold one class a month in the Chesley Community Church craft room on Tuesdays.  And now I can hold classes at the "home" of my art group, Saugeen Artists Guild, at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Hanover.  Those classes will also be once a month on Thursdays.  The classes are all day, for a suggested donation of $30, plus materials if needed.  The first class at each venue will be flowers (of course!).  I suggest tackling one flower alone, similar to this one:  

There is an easy way we will use to create that papery look that is common to poppies!  Check out more details about these lessons on my "Classes " page on this blog.   It's such a joy to journey with other artists to create art and use our God-given interests and talents!

2018 in Reflection

The last two months have whizzed by, leaving happy memories of being at the Saugeen Artists Guild Christmas Store, as well as enjoying my family Christmas time.  At the end of the year I like to look back to see just how my painting efforts accumulated.  I found out that I painted 18 acrylic pieces, varying in size from 12 by 12 to 18 by 48, and 3 small house portraits.  I was delighted to tally up my sales, and discovered that I sold 20 paintings!  My latest one was a result of a fun class I led in November, to create a winter composition that could be used for a Christmas card.  

"Silent Night"
acrylic
16 x 12

I'm looking forward to getting back to painting this winter!  I also plan to give more painting classes beginning in April, at Chesley Community Church (see my Classes page) and also at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Hanover.  Soon, I will be back to my easel!!

New work for the Saugeen Artists' Guild Christmas Gallery

These four new paintings from my easel are on the wall in the Saugeen Artists' Guild Art Store that opens November 1 2018.  I hope many of you will take the opportunity to visit sometime before Christmas!  It will feel like a lovely gallery to peruse, not just a place to purchase something.  All 29 artists want to share their talents with you, hoping you enjoy seeing their latest work.  

Autumn Medley
acrylic and collage
12 x 16
(This piece and the one below also have real leaves collaged on them!)

Plump Sparrow
acrylic and collage
11 x 14

Sheep Dreams
acrylic
12 x 16

Three Birches
acrylic
11 x 14

The Saugeen Artists' Guild Christmas Store is opening again!

The members of our art group are busy this week getting our new location ready for this year's store.  It will be open for business on Thursday, November 1, with the Grand Opening on Saturday, November 3.   The members all take turns being on duty, so I hope to see many of you there before Christmas!  The store is right beside the Hanover Post Office, where a gift shop used to be.  Here is more information:

A Wet and Wild Paint Week

I spent the week of August 20 to 25 at a painting course given by my good friend and fellow artist Cheryl O, in London.  The title of the course, " Wet and Wild and Collage", will give you a good idea of what the week was like!  Eleven of us could be found at various times during the week squatting in the grass over a plastic tub, pouring fluid acrylic paint down the canvas, spattering water and other colours, and watching the paint mix and flow in amazing ways.  Some of the results could be called "chance", but there is certainly a huge amount of skill involved in knowing how the paint and water will mix, and run.  For instance, too much Phthalo blue can be a disaster!  And mixing complementary colours produces lovely mud.  Here are some photos of the week.  As I continue to work on the ten paintings I began that week, I will post some of the best results.  

My first attempts.

Ready to spray with water.

Cheryl is demonstrating what to do with a poured painting next, after it dries.

I'm holding two paintings (bottom left)
that I think are finished.......

A video of a successful day for the Saugeen Artists Guild

Thanks to Olga Peregood for this excellent video of our recent day's art show at the Hanover Sights and Sounds Weekend, July 28, 2018.