This is the seventh year that I have had the privilege of painting a bowl for the Airdrie Food Bank Empty Bowls Festival that is held every September.  Every year, this is definitely a highlight for me as, not only do I get to support such an amazing cause, I get to work alongside so many people I admire in the community.  It's a real honour.  In the past I painted a chair, a canoe, poplar trees, lilies, feathers, mountains and this year, roses.  Each year I'm uncertain as to how the piece will look once fired as glazes aren't exactly my media, but I sure do love the process. 

It's been a busy couple of weeks but also very good.  I've finalized plans for teaching at Bert Church Theatre with yoga & paint, family paint and paint nights (online registration is now open under Visual Arts here), live painting at AirdrieFEST, speaking to high school students about media use at Rocky View Schools, the Voice & Vision opening at the Airdrie Public Library, painting a mini panel as part of the Mural Mosaic for the 150th celebration of our country at Mukluks Magpies, and arranged the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium's family paint for their 60th Anniversary.

Only 3 ladies left in the 52 WEEKS::Heroes series!  And since I also happen to have three of the books as well, each package will include a copy.  The final three beautiful ladies are artist Doris McCarthy, activist Emmeline Pankhurst, and actress Sandra Dee.  This series was such a privilege to create and though I miss seeing them all together, knowing they are loved elsewhere gives me such joy.

Regarded by numerous critics as Forster’s masterpiece, Howards End is a novel that explores the many intricacies of class relations in English society during the turn of the century. Centering around three families representing England’s working class and wealthy elite, the novel weaves a complicated tapestry of misunderstandings, careless impulses, and, ultimately, tragedy. Like many of Foster’s works, Howards End concerns the nature of class and social status and how they affect one’s relationships and well-being, for better or for worse.

It's been a long time since my last foray into the Brooklyn Art Library's Sketchbook Project and this time I'm more excited than ever as I've decided to make my book about 'Our Story'.  I want to feature the women directly involved in the lives of my daughters and myself and to share how they have impacted us.  I've also decided to work in the graffiti-style utilizing bright colour and spray paint which has made the sketchbook a tad bulky but still makes me so very glad. 

Written by Shane Kroetsch

Mati sat cross legged on a gravel patch beside the road. She had positioned three black feathers in front of her, and was arranging small rocks along the wide vane of each. Jacob walked through the shifting cloud of the trucks exhaust to stand beside her, hands in his pockets. Mati stopped fussing with the pebbles, and leaned back to admire her work. She turned her head toward Jacob and tucked a stray clutch of dark hair behind her ear.

“My Grandmother used to tell me a story about Ravens. Well, the first one I guess. How he created all the rivers and lakes. People had no water, so Raven had to steal it for them. His feathers used to be pure white, but he had to escape out a chimney or something, and the soot made him black. Ravens have been that way ever since. There are other stories. Raven is a joker or a pest. I like my Grandmother’s story though. He could have died, but he was brave and did what needed to be done. It makes me want to be like a Raven. To hold my scars on the outside, so everyone can see that I made it. Maybe know that they can too.”

The wind picked up, scattering the collage of feather and stone. Jacob pursed his lips and shifted his gaze to the horizon.

“Hey, we should get back on the road.”

Mati stood and brushed the dust from the seat of her pants, “Okay, let’s go.”

During a business visit to Count Dracula's castle in Transylvania, a young English solicitor finds himself at the center of a series of horrifying incidents. Jonathan Harker is attacked by three phantom women, observes the Count's transformation from human to bat form, and discovers puncture wounds on his own neck that seem to have been made by teeth. Harker returns home upon his escape from Dracula's grim fortress, but a friend's strange malady — involving sleepwalking, inexplicable blood loss, and mysterious throat wounds — initiates a frantic vampire hunt.

As I mentioned  previously, I've been quite challenged as I have been working on this wooden grain elevator cut out but this morning I awoke with a bit of an 'a-ha!' moment.  I decided to use gel media to add texture and then I think I'll begin adding colour...perhaps working towards a prairie landscape.  I'm really beginning to get excited about this one!

Several years ago I was involved in The Sketchbook Project but I felt quite intimidated by the project then.  This time I'm just doing whatever I do on any project I work on and I feel like I'm in my stride.  The book is looking a little worse for wear but I'm loving it.  I highly recommend researching #thesketchbookproject and The Brooklyn Library for amazing creative inspiration.