Taxi Driver

So titled because that's what I was today! Schlepping people all over the place but that's the way some days are (and truthfully, I had fun ; ). I didn't have a chance to get to the studio and paint so I am posting this piece I did a few years back called Hills in May (18x24, acrylic).

This evening I had the pleasure of going to an opening of work by Carolyn Dover. Stunning! Please check out the link if you have time - you'll be glad you did : )

And, the last bit of news is that I'm very happy to announce that my painting Spencer Gorge (shown below) sold at the auction by Daily Paintworks for relief in Japan. It has found a home in the Netherlands ; ) A big thank you to the buyer. So far the auction has raised $23,498. Wow. Good job all you folks at Daily Paintworks : )

What I worked on today

I wrote yesterday about being in a rut. Well, today I "stretched" and worked on some larger canvasses I had that I felt weren't quite done - even though they'd been sitting there for months (1) and years (the other). The top piece of irises and chives, I just changed the background colour. The bottom piece I have painted 3 times now! The first time it had a deep blue background, the second time, gold with a darker bottom and now, this soft creamy yellow. Oh, for the love of Pete!^%%!@$! I just went back to link to these images and I'm thinking I should have just well enough alone! Hate it when that happens! Thoughts anyone?

Thanks!

I've received this blog award from Tiffany who writes a great blog called Eating Niagara, a blog devoted to local eating and agriculture in the Niagara region. I met Tiffany a couple of weeks ago when she was in my Eat Drink Paint class at The Good Earth. Thank you Tiffany!

In turn I am supposed to call attention to up to 15 other great bloggers and share seven facts about myself. Hmm. The think is, I follow hundreds of blogs and most of them by fellow artists. And I love them all! I think for this list I will mention a few blogs I enjoy that *aren't* fellow daily painters. I don't have many so it's also a wake-up call for me to diversify ; ):

1. BiblioTravel - For books that take you away. For those that like to read, just check it out : )

2. Tommy Kane - You've got to read "Fish Tale"

3. Bicocacolours - Cool groupings of photos/colour families

4. The Twirling Dragon - So beautiful!

5. Greg Betza Illustration - reminds me of my school days

6. WongCW Photography - let's me travel...

7. What I wore today - just because it's fun

If anyone has some blogs they follow that aren't art related, please share! A good cooking blog, a gardening one? I'm all ears ; )

Now 7 facts about me:

1. A good campfire makes me happy.

2. So does a pan of brownies : )

3. Love to read.

4. I love a good old-fashioned letter (like, sent in the mail, on paper, with a stamp) and fear it has become a lost art.

5. Like cocoa and popcorn made the REAL way! Milk, cocoa and a bit of maple syrup or sugar, and popcorn popped in hot oil in a pot (!) with a good dash of salt. 

6. I find flowers amazing. That all that glorious-ness can come from a little speck of a seed or a bulb that's been buried in frozen ground all winter never ceases to delight me.

7. Love the theatre and still get a thrill when the lights go down.

Show-off - SOLD

This big, lush flower kind of looks like a scene stealer, don't you think?
Today I worked on re-vamping a larger painting. I'll show you my progress tomorrow. Other than that....been in a bit of a painting rut the past few days. I know it comes and goes, but when you're in the middle of one it gets discouraging. I really want to get outside as soon as it warms up and paint plein air. On big canvasses. I miss it. 
6" x 6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping)

Bottled up

I love painting flowers!

6" x 6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping)

Huddle

The last painting starring these three. The orange is getting a bit squashy : )

6" x 6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping)

Getting cheeky - SOLD

Playing with the fruit from yesterday and having fun with colour. I also did something I usually swear against - I went back to yesterdays painting and changed the shadows (new piece is posted). Don't know if this was a good thing or not, but they just weren't sitting right with me and I needed to revise! 
6" x 6" / oil on archival panel / SOLD

Crisp, sour, sweet - SOLD

We've had a snow storm all day today. Now, it's not like that's unheard of around here, but we had a day last week that was 15˚c (59˚F), so my mind was kind of headed in that direction ; ) Oh well. Spring always comes. 
So this was a fun set-up. All odd pieces of fruit I found in the kitchen. They came together in a nice fashion though.
6" x 6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping)

My contribution for The Help Japan Challenge

My painting Spencer Gorge is being offered in the Daily Paintworks auction to help the effort in Japan. They have been hit with horrendous disaster and misery and this is one more small way of lending aid. So far over 250 artists have submitted work, raising a total to date of $9,847. PLEASE check it out. A lot of beautiful work with the money going to a very worthy cause. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to HandsOn Tokyo. 
*(when you click on the link to view the auction, just keep scrolling down till you see the paintings)
Spencer Gorge / 9" x 12" / acrylic on wrapped canvas

Cracked

I love playing with warm and cool whites. A coconut is a good subject for that.
6" x 6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping)

More sets : )

I've been away and wasn't painting so I thought I'd post the last two photos of "sets" I took when I was cleaning my studio on Saturday. A new piece tomorrow!

Something spring

Where I live we've got to wait a couple more months till the flowers bloom but I was cleaning up my studio today and took some pics of some paintings that made a nice set. More to follow tomorrow ; )

Eat Drink Paint at The Good Earth

Well, last night was another Eat Drink Paint night at The Good Earth. A big thank you to Nicolette who again hosted such a lovely affair! I was impressed, as I always am, at the talent. And it was a lot of fun chatting and getting to know each other as the evening wore on. Cheers!

Untitled III

Third and final in this series. I'll try and post a photo later with the three side by side.
Happy weekend!
6"x 6" / oil on archival panel 

Untitled II

No. 2. So in these, just as in still life work, I was thinking about colour, lights and darks, composition, texture, and how the pieces worked together. I was looking at yesterday's piece while I painted this one as I wanted them to compliment each other yet still have their individuality.
6" x 6" / oil on archival panel 

Untitled I

A new abstract series. I am going to leave these untitled to let the viewer feel their way in and make their own personal connections. That's one of the things I love best about art.
6" x 6" / oil on archival panel 

Painting class at The Good Earth THIS Friday!

It's that time again! This Friday evening I'll be at The Good Earth in Beamsville for an Eat, Drink, Painting night : ) The event runs from 6-8pm and is $55 including wine, nibbles and all painting materials. There are still openings. If you'd like to come for a fun night out, absolutely no experience necessary, call 905-563-6333 and reserve your spot!

By the way my paintings may be a bit sporadic this week. It is March Break and I am enjoying time home with the kids : )

Japan III - Aftermath

Thanks for your encouragement regarding these latest pieces. This is the third of my paintings responding to Japan. I can tell you what I was thinking about: newscasts, what it must be like to be on the ground, buildings, populations, chaos, tension and order. But to be honest, this one painted itself.  
6" x 6" / oil on panel / 3 of 3

Japan II - Night shock

Painting 2 of responding to the disasters in Japan. In this one I was just thinking about night, shock, cracks, the nuclear plants, fragments and severity. And just now reports that the Shinmoedake volcano has resumed activity spewing ash and rock...Enough! Japan just can't catch a break. This is awful : (
6" x 6" / oil on panel / painting 2 of 3

Japan I - Fracture and flood

The posts the next few days will be different compared to what I usually paint/post on my blog. I've been deeply moved by the disasters in Japan and wanted to respond with my painting. This is new ground for me so bear with me as I jump in and explore my way around this. I painted three today. They just came out. I had images and feelings in my head from the news the past 24 hours. One video bit that really struck me was of a bunch of white vehicles and blue containers being swept away and then all the debris and buildings, flood waters etc... The human toll and devastation is horrific. My heart goes out to you Japan.
6" x 6" / oil on panel / 1 of 3

Portrait

How's that for a title? lol After doing Abraham Lincoln yesterday I had the itch for another portrait. My favourite bit is the hair.
6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Interview with Rogers TV

This is the interview for the International Women's Day show. First up is Jill Yuzwa from AyrSpace. I come in about halfway through, and artist/graphic designer Jeanette Obbink after that. But the BEST is all the artwork that is spliced in. An excellent sampling of the show! The sales have been very good, but if you are interested in a piece you see, give AyrSpace a call. Maybe it's available! The pieces are $350 each.

Mr. Lincoln - SOLD

I painted this for this weeks Daily Paintworks Challenge. The challenge was to paint Abraham Lincoln and there were a few variations on the theme. I chose the "full colour challenge", being you translate a black and white photo to full colour. This was fun. I was doing portraits of men in January but tapered off. I guess I could also call this one Men: 5
6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

International Women Celebrate at AyrSpace

The opening gala. Donna Kaminski and Tammy Watt flew in from Calgary. It's funny how you can spend just a few hours with people but know they are kindred spirits ; ) I met and renewed friendships with lots of the artists over the weekend. It was a pleasure hangin' out with y'all (look, I'm already talking like an Albertan : ).

It was a full house!

The Honourable Sheila Copps addressed the crowd. She did a great job!

So, the show was packed and very much a success. For those of you who submitted work but weren't able to be there, let me tell you that the comments were wonderful and the art looks fantastic. It is a real pleasure to mill around and take it all in. And if you like, you can always order a book showcasing all the works and the artist's stories. It is a lovely keepsake. Thanks AyrSpace (Jill Yuzwa) and to everyone involved.

Birthday cake - SOLD

This is what's left of the cake my son made for his sister for her birthday present: Mixed Berry Chiffon Cake with Almond Cream Cheese Frosting. YUM. It was quite a cake! We all enjoyed it so much (and again today) that I've included the link to the recipe here. It takes a lot to make - this one required some help - but it is completely worth it. Happy Birthday!
6" x 6" / oil on panel / SOLD

Three in a row

Today I painted these raspberries. They were pretty challenging in that I wanted to show the circular bits that make up the raspberry but only suggest them. It's a fine line!

International Women Celebrate!

Bloggers unite! Me, Marcia LaBelle, Tammy Hext, Nicki Ault and Barbara Muir. Tammy and I met last year and hit it off immediately, but for the rest of us it was our first time meeting face-to-face. My only regret is that we didn't have longer to properly chat! : ) 

A sample of the beautiful gallery that is AyrSpace. The walls looked fantastic. So much variety in answering the theme! You can walk around for an hour and still see something for the first time. 

My highlight of the weekend was listening to all the artists give a brief talk about why they painted what they did. It makes the pieces so much richer. The talks were powerful, funny and poignant. Skpe played a roll in the weekend too, talking with artists from South Africa and Holland. We were also serenaded to "Somewhere over the Rainbow" by Doc Rossi from France! What a treat!

Soft-cover books showcasing all of the pieces with their write-ups are available for sale from Ayrspace. That was another fun part of Saturday night - everyone exchanging books and getting each other to sign by their name. Kind of like high school year books : )

Berry heap - SOLD

Seriously, they're luscious! We live in a fruit belt but it will be a few months till the strawberries are ready. Right now we're still in the snowy/rainy blustery weather of March.  Last night I was telling my kids how when I was a kid, strawberries were precious because we only got them seasonally. The stores at that time did not import them as they did bananas and oranges. We've been enjoying them sliced up with sugar and cream for dessert. 
6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

BLOW-OUT STUDIO SALE!!

You can imagine with painting daily you build up quite an inventory : ) In that vein (and because a Canadian March can be a bit tough to get through) I am holding a HUGE sale this month on all my daily paintings. If you've never bought original art before or have had your eye on something but just couldn't quite commit, this is your chance! An excellent (and inexpensive) opportunity to dip your toes in the water : ) They also make great gifts. Let me outline the benefits: 
1. good for you (seriously!): there was a study done once that said patients in hospital rooms healed quicker if they had a window in their room looking to the outdoors, but if they didn't have a window and had a good painting to look at, it still furthered healing quicker than just plain walls (hey - I've also got lots of large, fantastic, colourful landscape paintings here : ) Just this week there was an article on Huffington Post stating that studies have shown art boosts your immune system and decreases loneliness.
2. original art adds flair to your room. An original painting on the wall is so much richer than mass-produced prints. And it's handmade and one-of-a-kind!
3. good for your soul. It just is : ) When you see something that stirs you, and hits you on another level, you've connected with something in the work. And it's good for you to have around : )
I will end with a favourite quote:

Science will dictate the future,

Art will gladden its soul

~Anon

So here's the deal: ANY 6"x6" daily painting (from the beginning of my blog up until March 2, 2011) for $45 (+shipping which is a flat $15). The whole month of March! Happy shopping!
One thing: because I can't manually edit all the PayPal "Buy Now" buttons, just send me an email for the painting(s) you'd like to purchase and I will adjust the PayPal buttons accordingly.