 "Well, as soon as we get ourselves cleaned up and we get a little smellum in our hair, why, we're gonna feel 100% better about ourselves and about life in general." This is my favourite photograph taken by Ariel Jade Imagery during the summer while both my girls were home. For some reason, even while we were having the photos taken, this one reminds me of the movie 'O Brother, Where Art Thou' which just happens to be one of my favourites. It was created by the Coen brothers and released in 2000, the year after my youngest was born and is based on the epic Greek poem, The Odyssey, though this version is set in 1937 in rural Mississippi. Three convicts escape from a chain gang to search for a (non-existent) buried treasure and, after many shenanigans, and lots of amazing Baptist and African American Gospel, bluegrass, country, delta blues and Appalachian folk music, they are pardoned.
While I was in Lethbridge taking care of my daughter's dog, I went on a lot of walks, did tonnes of homework, played with stencils using my Beam Paints watercolours and finished the second sleeve of my Fabel Knitwear Bela sweater in Jasper merino by Polka Dot Creek (just have the neckline to complete). The weather was stunning (love southern Alberta in the fall) and it was so quiet. I learned so much more about the history of the area on my visit to the Galt Museum...the last time I was there to do research for the 'Women of the West' project, but this time I was just there for fun. Plus, I picked up the best travel mug in the gift shop as I had forgotten mine at home. As is typical for Alberta, the weather did fluctuate, but it was still wonderful. As for painting, I finally picked up some blending brushes and played with stencils in my sketchbook and it worked wonderfully! If you ever want to layer watercolours using patterns, I highly recommend it as there was absolutely no bleed under the stencil. I love the effect and now wish I had learned about this technique earlier so that I could have used it on the backgrounds of my portraits. Another thing I recently learned to add more patterns with stencils is to remove colour by scrubbing through stencils using a damp toothbrush. I can't wait to try it on my prepared panels.   Recently, I've been wondering why I've been so tired and so I decided to look through my schedule for the past 5 years and was pleasantly surprised at what I found. My work has been included in 15 exhibitions since 2020, and five of those have been solo exhibits of work that I created during that time. In fact, I've almost completed my 6th body of work in 5 years. Plus, I've also worked and been enrolled in university courses during that time. I think it may be awhile before I feel rejuvenated again, but, after getting to spend time with both my girls (together) for the first time in 2 years, I took a week in October to read, paint and walk in the coulees and enjoy the autumn weather in southern Alberta. I didn't prepare any meals and just did basic home care. Since I was using a sketchbook, I wasn't too concerned about what I was painting but, instead, used the time to explore, experiment and just have fun. I highly recommend taking time out as it is important for both mental and physical health. I feel like I'm ready to begin something new again.
 After several years of trial & error, and after trading some of my Beam Paints with my daughter, I feel as though I've finally landed on the perfect palette. It is a mixture of gouache and watercolours which basically consists of three tints in each colour: yellow, red, orange, blue and green. I've also got a purple (lilac gouache), a neutral (timbrewolf), and a bright, sparkly gold (dreamer's gold - mixed with mica). I remember when I began using Beam Paints years ago, I wasn't sold on the gritty feeling of the dried paint, but knowing that these are non-toxic, which means they're healthy for me and for the environment, has helped swing the pendulum in their favour. Plus, the colours are so vibrant! I've learned that all I need to do is to spend time utilizing new materials in order to get to know them. Here is my current palette:
YELLOW:
 In the summer, our friends, Deanna Beaujot & Ghislaine Cleiren (both center), attended our exhibit reception at Framed on Fifth in Kensington, Calgary. Then, last month, Ana Zanella (right) were able to attend theirs. It is always so soul filling to spend time with these amazing ladies. I am so grateful for Mastrius.com as these wonderful women were either in or navigating my groups. Hannah White, the owner of the framing gallery, is such a supportive and lovely person that every one of the exhibits are fantastic!
 I've finally taken time to update my Artist Statement:
Veronica Funk, raised in northern Manitoba, studied Art & Design at Red Deer College and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Literature. A juried member of the Alberta Society of Artists, she has received numerous accolades for her artistic contributions, including the Federation of Canadian Artists' Tinyan Chan Award, the Fortis Alberta Professional Artist Award, and the AAW Vitreous Amazing Cultural Ambassador Award. Her impact on arts and culture in Alberta has also been recognized through nominations for the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award and the Soul of Airdrie Award. Working from her home studio in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Veronica draws inspiration from both the natural world and urban surroundings, as well as the memories and experiences of her northern upbringing. Her vibrant and symbolic paintings are deeply rooted in storytelling, blending color, pattern, and layered imagery to create work that resonates emotionally and invites dialogue. Veronica is particularly passionate about collaboration, environmental consciousness, and amplifying the voices and stories of women. Her recent work centers on these themes—honoring the resilience, challenges, and triumphs of women while exploring our relationship with the earth. Through her art, she continues to weave narratives that celebrate community, identity, and the power of shared experience.  "Ultramarine is a deep blue pigment which was originally made by grinding lapis lazuli into a powder. Its lengthy grinding and washing process makes the natural pigment quite valuable—roughly ten times more expensive than the stone it comes from and as expensive as gold. The name ultramarine comes from the Latin word ultramarinus. The word means 'beyond the sea', as the pigment was imported by Italian traders during the 14th and 15th centuries from mines in Afghanistan."
"The blue and purple pigments are our only pigments that have been fired and manipulated to get their vibrant color. Each is composed of 90% natural earthen clay and 10% man-made minerals (which are heated in an oven to a high temperature to create their vibrant color.) Throughout history, blues in nature were very rare and usually made with precious stones like Lapis Lazuli. These stones are now unsustainably harvested in Afghanistan, so we have found a beautiful and eco-friendly alternative." ~ Natural Earth Paint  During my Artist Residency at Sparrow Artspace in Calgary a couple of years ago, I started making my own watercolours, but I wasn't totally satisfied with the results. Recently, I began reading the book titled 'Natural Watercolor Paint Making' by Joanne, Green, and though she makes paint from scratch using plants, I was able to come up with a bit of a shift in the binder recipe I use. Since I utilize Natural Earth Paint pigments, I also began using their gum arabic to which I add honey...it acts as a humectant which allows it to re-wet more easily and as a preservative. So far I'm absolutely thrilled with the results and will definitely continue making paint. I especially love the fact that these pigments are non-toxic while also being archival. Win-Win! 
 I have finally decided on a title and artist's statement for the work I've been creating for the past two years which, until now, has just been called 'Little Landscapes' (not that imaginative). Sometimes naming the focus of my work comes very easily to me, but, at others I really struggle. In fact, typically I begin a body of work with a statement and a total vision of what I am working towards. I wonder if it might be because both my medium and subject matter are shifting? Anyway, my new portfolio page which features this work is titled 'Quiet Places' as I aim to quiet down the noise in my world:
"An intimate series of small watercolor landscapes. Each painting in Quiet Places is a quiet exploration of place — a series of small watercolor paintings that capture fleeting moments in the landscape. Painted in an intimate scale, these miniature landscapes are not grand vistas, but quiet reflections—fragmentary impressions of a distilled memory: a curve of light, a shadowed hill, the softness of distant sky. Created with a palette of soft washes and vibrant hues of handmade watercolours, this series invites the viewer to pause and look closely. Like fragments of a dream or the echo of a walk taken long ago, each piece is a reminder of the beauty found in the overlooked: a curve of a hill, the blush of a horizon, the hush of distant mountains. The works invites intimacy—each one a personal meditation on the vastness of nature and the stillness it offers. Through loose brushwork and layered washes, the paintings reflect the gentle impermanence of nature — how light shifts, colors fade, and moments pass. In their stillness, they offer space to breathe. Together, these pieces form a quiet dialogue between earth and imagination — small windows into the vastness we carry within. These pieces form a quiet chorus, speaking not in declarations, but in whispers." The portfolio page can be viewed here. Photo by Lancette Burton Paintings available at Bluerock Gallery |
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