Saturday 15 December 2018

Working with New Papers... A Bit of a Struggle

With 2018 drawing to a close, I am getting ready for my first show in 2019 at the Muttart Conservatory(Edmonton) in February. I need some new pastel works for this solo show so in between prepping for Christmas I am working on surfaces that I am unfamiliar with. I normally work on hand-made sanded paper but this  "new" paper is store bought. It is also a sanded paper but I am finding that I can not blend the colours as much as I am used to. The paper does take a lot of pastels so I am on a steep learning curve in terms of application. In between conquering this new paper I am also doing a couple pieces on suede board which requires a different technique. Ah well...the life of an artist .....

Sunday 18 November 2018

Day Two of Christmas Market Place

Today is second day for the Christmas Marketplace at the Ottewell Centre/Red Barn, Sherwood Park. The doors open at 11:00 and will close at 4:00 p.m.. We had a great crowd yesterday but there are still plenty of unique artisan gifts and baked goods available for purchase.


Monday 12 November 2018

A Quick Catch Up of All Events

Wow! I did not realize it has been such a long time since I posted on this blog. Yikes! I have been keeping very busy getting ready for the upcoming Christmas Market place that will be held this weekend (November 17-18) at the Ottewell Centre/Red Barn, Sherwood Park. I have been making a wide variety of items ( a lot of wooden tabletop decor). Tomorrow I start my baking....


Monday 22 October 2018

Just Around the Corner

I am exhibiting works in two fall shows this upcoming weekend (October 26-28). One show is in St. Albert while the other show is in Sherwood Park. There will be a lot of driving back and forth between shows. Here's hoping the weather stays fine (above seasonal average) and attendance is great!  Everyone is welcome.

Tuesday 2 October 2018

A Great Workshop with Pastelist Joan Larson

This past Sunday I spent the day with several other students learning some fundamental/core ideas behind creating dynamic and powerful paintings. Joan Larson, a premier pastelist now living in British Columbia, taught a session on the value of "value". The premise of the workshop was that a painting will be dynamic if the values work. It does not matter what the colours are so long as the values work. " The colour gets the glory; the values do the work." We did several exercises throughout the day to test this premise. It was very liberating not to worry about getting the exact tint or shade of colour for a tree or shrub. The piece that I completed (still needs to be "pushed" ) started out with a brilliant red sky ; hence the title.."Sailors Delight". I like this approach to pastel work and may try my hand at more of these pieces.

Saturday 15 September 2018

My Fused Glass in St. Albert

I am pleased to announce that the Art Gallery of St. Albert will be selling my fused glass in their gift gallery. Currently my fused glass work is only available in Sherwood Park at the Loft Gallery (Ottewell Community Centre/Red Barn).

Saturday 8 September 2018

Mixed Media Workshop This Weekend

So today I attended a mixed media workshop taught by Doris Charest. Great workshop so far.  Today we were making many of the background papers and textures for our paintings tomorrow. Learned an overwhelming methods which I can not wait to incorporate into my own practice.


Wednesday 29 August 2018

Gearing Up for Show in Sherwood Park

I just took down my show at the Glenrose Hospital and am now getting organized for my next show at the Loft Gallery in the  Ottewell Community Centre/ Red Barn in Sherwood Park. I am the feature artist for the months of September and October. The exhibition will include about fifteen pastel works, almost all of them new, which will interpret the Alberta landscape. The Loft Gallery is open every weekend (excluding statuary holidays) from 12-4 p.m.. Below are some of my newer works.


Tuesday 14 August 2018

Finally Finished Pastel on Suede

I have finally finished a soft pastel on suede. The painting sat on my easel for over four weeks but as of today it is done. There definitely was a learning curve; had to develop a new technique. I do not know if I will return to using suede although I do have several pieces waiting in my studio.
This work will appear in the Loft Gallery (Ottewell Centre, Sherwood Park)  when it re-opens on September 8.
Sky Spirit

Monday 6 August 2018

Great Time @ "Series" Red Deer College Again!!

I spent the last week in Red Deer College again for one of their Series courses. This one was in "Mixed Media Printmaking" with Tony Bousnall. The core of the course was on collography printing which I had never done before. It proved to be a steep learning curve but overall I can not express enough how much I learn at these classes.  Again..a great learning experience and met some fantastic fellow artists.

Sunday 22 July 2018

Working on Bigger Pieces for Upcoming Fall Show

I am devoting this upcoming week to work on some bigger pastel pieces for my upcoming show in September and October at the Ottewell Centre/Red Barn, Sherwood Park. I need to have a couple larger pastels to make a "dramatic" statement for the viewers as they walk up the staircase to the gallery. I finished one in record time for me (1.5 days) WOW! I am quite pleased with the end result. Now on to its companion piece, I think.
Tentative Title: Earth Greets Sky
Size: 16 x 20 framed

Tuesday 3 July 2018

Busy Week Ahead

This week on Thursday I will be setting up my solo exhibition "When Calls the Land" at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. Thursday evening I will be in St. Albert to host the opening reception for the Art Walk at The Bookstore on Perron Street. And then Sunday afternoon/evening I have a table at "Savour Strathcona" selling my fused glass, pottery and alcohol ink paintings. Here's hoping that I keep everything organized!

Thursday 21 June 2018

Art Walk In St. Albert

Just one more sleep and I am off to Red Deer to participate in the " For the Love of Art" show and sale at the Parkland Garden Centre. I am very excited about the opportunity to show my work in a new venue and especially such a beautiful setting ( a garden centre!!).

But I am also trying to finalize plans for the Art Walk in St. Albert. I am trying to determine which pieces I will be showing at the Bookstore on Perron Street. I have not made a decision yet but I need to decide by Tuesday June 25 (hanging day). Once I have finalized my choices I'll post the images.
Three artists, including myself, will exhibit the entire month of July at the Bookstore on Perron.


Monday 11 June 2018

A Successful Heritage Day Event

Even though we had a rainy day there was a steady turnout of people for the second annual Heritage Day at Sparks Gallery, Sherwood Park. I had a lovely time talking to several visitors and watched some great cultural groups showcasing their heritage. There was much to see with plenty of vendors. I will definitely be back next year!


Saturday 9 June 2018

Art Show in Red Deer this Month

So I am trying out a new location to show my art this summer. I am heading off to Red Deer to participate in the Parkland Art and Garden Show. The show is on Saturday June 23 so I will not be in the Open Studio tour in Strathcona County this year. Instead I will be in Red Deer!! I still have to create some new pastel works for this show.
Frost's First Bite

Monday 4 June 2018

Heritage Day June 10...I'll be there!!

This upcoming Sunday I will be at the Sparks Gallery to participate in the Heritage Day events. Heritage Day is a celebration of arts and culture in Strathcona County. There will be a wide variety of cultural performances every half hour on the main stage. I will be there selling my pottery, fused glass items and my alcohol ink items. This is a free event for the ENTIRE family. The event runs from 10-4 p.m.. Hope to see you there!


Sunday 27 May 2018

June Shows Less than a Week Away

I can't believe how quickly May has passed and June is less than a week away. I need to make final preparations for three upcoming shows (building shipping boxes, attaching d-rings, etc.). My first show is in Lloydminster " Art Without Borders". I have entered three of my photographs in this juried show. All photos were taken in the Boston/Cape Cod area during a recent trip.

My next show, starting June 1, is a small solo show at Castle Downs Library (Edmonton). This show will feature some of my quilt paintings. (More information to come at a later date).

Finally, I was lucky enough to be featured in the A.S.A. (Alberta Society of Artists) "Air" exhibition which will start its tour in Calgary at the Central Library. Once I know that all the dates and other locations for this traveling exhibition I will post that information.


                              Two of the photographs submitted in the "Art Without Borders" (Lloydminster)

Saturday 5 May 2018

Preparing for Summer Shows

I am devoting the next couple of months to build up my inventory of pastel works for several  upcoming summer shows. I am hoping to complete some smaller works and a couple of bigger ones (14 x 20) but it is very hard as the weather we are experiencing currently is phenomenal and my garden is calling.
Prairie Monoliths 

Thursday 3 May 2018

Strathcona Salon Series next show

With the spring shows behind me, I am getting set for the summer shows. The first one I have is the Strathcona Salon Series at Gallery 501 in Sherwood Park. This show serves as part of Strathcona's annual acquisition program for their permanent public art collection. I am submitting two mixed media works and am hoping that I will be lucky again to be purchased by the County. If not, Gallery 501 is a great venue for a developing artist to showcase their work.

Woodland Wanderings- mixed media paper collage

Tuesday 24 April 2018

Weekend course Great Inspiration!

I took a weekend course with painter Cindy Revell on 'Whimsical Painting." The class of fourteen had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend in which we learned a lot and for most students produced two pieces of work. For me, I came away with some new ideas for future projects based on this theme of "whimsy". New to painting, I did not complete two works but I am going to complete one smaller work entitled "On the Edge."
Still needs a bit of work or fine tuning....

Monday 16 April 2018

Juried into A.S.A. show "Air"

I just received notification that my two works have been accepted into an upcoming A.S.A. show titled "Air". I do not know all the details such as location(s) and duration, but once I do I will let you know.  Very happy with this news!!
Inversion


Thursday 5 April 2018

The First Blog for 2018

Wow! I can not believe that I have not posted anything for over four months. I have been busy with some shows and, of course, painting. Most of my winter shows have come and gone but I do have a couple upcoming spring shows. The first is a VASA show (St. Albert) which will feature three of my "quilt" acrylic paintings. This show runs all of April with the artist/opening reception Thursday (today!) from 6-9 p.m.. Then there is the annual spring show for the Strathcona Society of Artists. This show runs April 17-19. I will have a variety of works in this show.

My solo show at the local cafe Common Ground (Sherwood Park) is wrapping up this Friday and I am preparing for another solo show at the Glenrose Hospital. In the meantime, I am trying to complete some larger acrylic paintings for an upcoming show sponsored by the Alberta Society of Artists. These paintings will all be based on quilt patterns.

So, now I am off to pick up my brushes and palette and get to work.