engaged hands

Sometimes when my hands are engaged my mind is free to explore, peruse, think things through.  This has been the case today.  I can show you now the result of the hands' labour:

Christmas cards!

The mind's ponderings are mainly invisible, although there may be some visible effect on the actions of the hands further down the road.

On foot I had to walk through the solar systems

On foot
I had to walk through the solar systems
until I found the first thread of my red dress.
Already, I sense myself.
Somewhere in space hangs my heart,
sparks fly from it, shaking the air,
to other reckless hearts.

poem written by Edith Sodergran and translated by Stina Katchadourian

painting by yours truly
acrylic on panel, 12 x 16 inches, framed

a winter's tale

stepping outside after a long work day
to inhale the shock of cold pure night air
it's been snowing all day and the whole world is white 
reflective among evergreens
and in the low glow of sky
I stand in the yard until I'm shivering, thinking
this is the life

intrepidation

Another plein air painting jaunt.  The weather turned nasty while we were out, with howling winds and blowing snow and plummeting temperatures.  But we persevered!  This may be the fastest plein air painting I've ever done, ha.

snow falling on my work

let there be light!

... but what you love are those who do work and feel thirst.

You love most of all those who need you

as they need a crowbar or a hoe.

improved studio lighting underway

 Prep: protecting my stuff with vapour barrier stapled around the shelves.

Holes cut, lights installed, wiring connected

Stuff piled up at the other end of the studio

east meets west

Another photo-stitched painting well under way.  Photo is of Toronto streets, and the background shape is meant to look/feel a bit like Vancouver.  Trying to get an effect of layered urban and natural landscape, not sure if this is it though... perhaps too many hard lines?  

where it began

where it went

under warm lights

This painting will be put aside for a little while, I will work on some other things and come back to it with fresh eyes.

begin at the end and work your way forward

One Thing Becomes Another

mixed media on stitched canvas

33w x 32h inches

Portal

mixed media on stitched canvas

51w x 31h inches

Queen Pawn

mixed media on stitched canvas

25w x 52h inches

stepping out

Just went to the FCA website and saw my work posted in the AIRS show.  First time I've ever shown a landscape painting.  Looking through the images, I'm quite impressed - there are some very fine paintings in this show!  Perhaps one day I may achieve the level of excellency that many of the exhibiting artists have reached.  Meanwhile, I'm very pleased to be included, and motivated to keep on improving my plein air skills.

click here to see my painting in the AIRS show

we live in a beautiful world

view: south side of nose hill, oct 17 2012

painting: oil on canvas, 10x10"

immersion

Images above are works in progress.

Images below are finished paintings.

Tintinabulation

acrylic on stitched canvas

33w x 31h inches

We Move Through It

acrylic on stitched canvas

32w x 31h inches

hurricane

In a whirlwind of activity I am being very productive in the studio lately.  Finished stitching and stretched this one tonight:

My studio table with markings on it from measuring out 3 new stitched canvases.

outside inside

outside

inside

Florella

When I first began to use acrylic in 2009, my thinking was that I didn't want to try to make the same type of paintings with acrylics as I had been doing with oils.  Not only would that be frustrating in terms of end result, but also it would limit my exploration of the acrylic medium's wide range of possibilities.  

To that end I chose a subject that seemed to be the polar opposite of the layered, semi-abstract cityscapes: flowers!  Here are some of the first acrylic paintings I made:

Well, they are still layered and semi-abstract, aren't they?  Haha.  

I used paper and sheer fabrics collaged onto the canvas. 

I splattered and splashed using various acrylic-to-water ratios and learned about how to avoid that cracking thing that happens when acrylic mediums are applied too thickly in single coats.

I drew with charcoal, conte, and china marker in between the acrylic paint layers.  

I also drew with oil pastels and then sealed them with more layers of acrylic - a definite no-no in the realm of archival concern.  But I thought, "it's not like I'm doing great swathes of oil with acrylic on top, they're just thin lines so it should be ok."

I really wanted to be as free as possible, and it was a lovely exercise.

A few of these painting sold, and I gave some to family and friends.  I also donated a few to the Calgary Children's Hospital.

Now I no longer have any desire to paint flowers, and for two years the remaining flower paintings have been just sitting in a cupboard - the very worst place for art to live!  Therefore I've decided to donate them to Art With A Heart for the residents of Slave Lake who lost their homes last year.

This is the artist statement for my "floral period":

Flowers have been portrayed in art since early history; they seem to have been drawn, painted and sculpted by every culture that has ever existed. The fascination of flowers is manifold - besides their visual appeal, many have practical uses in medicines and food, perfumes and dyes.

Contemplation of flowers can inspire an awareness of the divine, as well as a delight in earthly sensuality. Be they pedigreed hothouse beauties or a field of wildflowers blowing in the wind, flowers can lend a glimpse of something greater than human design. With their myriad colours, shapes, textures and scents, they seem to celebrate life itself.

As a contemporary visual artist I also want to celebrate a love of life. The flowers in these paintings, with their vibrant, riotous colours and curling tendrils, seem to be dancing for sheer joy. It is my hope that they will bring joy to the viewer as well.

All in all, it seems very appropriate that my little florals should bring joy to the residents of Slave Lake, instead of being shut away in a dark cupboard.

heart smart

Today I am happy because three of my paintings have sold in the last week!  Wow, talk about feast or famine!  It's kind of a nice balance, too, because each of my galleries sold a piece.  Very fair of the universe, wouldn't you say?
These are the works that sold:

Re-enter And Re-enter
City For Trees
Stained Glass

Be patient.  Go with your heart and the rest will follow, eventually....

meanwhile...

This weekend we went to Edmonton for the opening of my solo show "Urban Seams" at the Front Gallery.  It was a great opening: the work was displayed really well, with a good flow throughout the room, I had a chance to talk with people who came in and had time for real conversations, and some had interesting things to say about the show.

One person said, "this painting really brings to mind interior as well as exterior spaces."  And another, "there is a kind of Asian feel to some of these pieces."  Several people mentioned that they saw the signature painting in the front window and "...we just had to stop and take a look inside."

I also met a couple who bought one of my pieces.  This is wonderful, since I rarely actually meet the people who buy my work.  It was great to be able to get to know them and their small daughter a bit, and to thank them personally for choosing my piece from the gallery's collection of amazing artwork made by some really great artists.  It really is an honour to have my work shown here!

A few photos from our trip:

shadow of our car looking very 3D

construction sites - always gorgeous but particularly so in this light

mysterious inner spaces

tinsel streamers in a car lot

 heading home in the evening glow

I also have a couple of lovely photos of the gallery owner and I, but will wait to post them until I have her ok.  Update: got the ok and here they are:

All in all it has been a great weekend so far, and tonight we will have Thanksgiving dinner with the family.  Could life be any better?  Right now I think not.

:)

and so it begins again

There they are, two new pieces stitched and stretched - that's what was in progress on my table in the previous post.  I am sure loving the pre-painted canvas aesthetic!

step back

Took this one outdoors to varnish and noticed how well it looked with the fallen leaves and grass:

Back into the swing of things!  

Those big colourful things on the wall are canvases that had been on my studio table while I worked in the last couple of months.  They are my "pre-painted" canvases, destined to be cut up and stitched into future paintings, like the one you see in progress on the table now.

These two will be put aside for the time being - I need to do something else for awhile and will come back to them later.

step out

This painting has been accepted into a juried show: AIRS

Alberta Landscape #26

oil on canvas

10x10"

I submitted 3 works to the jury, the one shown above and these two:

#27 - o/c - 10x10"

#29 - o/c - 10x10"

They didn't give me a reason for their choice... but I think it may be because of the horizon line:  In #27 and #29 the horizon line is smack in the middle, whereas in #26 it's raised above the mid-point.  Or perhaps it's due to colour or technique?  

At any rate I'm very pleased to have my work accepted.  This marks the first time one of my landscapes will be shown in a public gallery.  And it's a non-profit gallery, too: another first for me!  

meditation

We went to a friend's cabin this weekend and I brought along my painting gear.

view behind the cabin at 6pm

same view next day at 10am

I'd painted the canvas overall yellow awhile back - sometimes I do that with my leftover paint because it makes a nice starting point for future excursions.  Here's how this one progressed, beginning with white:

Directly after that I did a third one.  Laughing, I wedged myself and my gear into a small space between a fence and an old abandoned tractor to get this view.

12pm view

1pm finished painting

My brush puts in more curves than my camera sees, apparently!  But that's part of the fun of doing this: what my eye and hand can make of the present, trying to simplify without losing the feeling of the place.

The best part of painting outdoors, though, is sitting still in one place and gazing intently at the landscape.  Small changes - in the sky, the angle of the sun, the movement of animals - take on greater significance, and not just because I'm trying to catch it with the paint.  I become aware of where I am in a way that is impossible when I'm in motion.  It's very meditative and introspective, and I feel happy and calm.