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

October has already been filled with fabulous things...concerts and exhibits and friends and the best weather. I have a lot of study behind me, which is great as I want to complete my courses before the end of January so I can visit my daughter in the United Kingdom again before I begin working on my final Thesis. As much as I enjoy late August and September, October has always been my favourite month. I don't overheat or freeze and I get to wear my favourite clothes...jeans and cozy sweaters. Plus, I got some great news this month, so it's been even better than usual. Just a couple of minor additions and then this spread is complete!

One of the things I've been doing this autumn in between course work is going for walks with my pochade box. I'm having so much fun creating these little abstracted landscapes utilizing Aquapasto as I can mix it with my watercolours so that I can layer without disturbing the previous layers. I've been playing with a Catalyst Wedge (a rubber squeegee) to create interesting marks. These are painted on watercolour paper then adhered to 6"x6" cradled panels and protected with a layer of  Dorland's Wax. I'm enjoying the simplicity of both the work and the completion of it, plus it's wonderful to get me outside at my favourite time of the year. :)

For the past year I have been undergoing intermittent tests and a biopsy as a lump was found in my breast last autumn and, I am thrilled to say, everything looks great! I'm glad that I've taken a step back from many commitments to focus on completing my degree and now wonder if I should have done it sooner. At any rate, I'm excited for the upcoming fall and winter when I can hunker down to read & write. I love being able to take this time to work on my English degree.

Since I'm currently enrolled in Modern British Literature, Modern American Literature and Literature and the Environment, I have found that the new library offers such a great space to study. The building has sound baffling which makes everything feel so calm and the views of the foothills/mountains are stunning ! Plus, I love any spaces filled with books. All they need now is a cafe and life will be perfect. :)

Many years ago, I visited the Carr, O'Keeffe, Kahlo: Places of Their Own exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery which made such an indelible impression on me. I had seen Emily Carr's work many times (her forest paintings are still my favourite as they are so spiritual) but there was something magical about seeing the work of these three women from different countries together (Canada, U.S. & Mexico). Since, that first time, I have seen work from all three in different cities/countries but there was something powerful about seeing their work in one space. 

This particular book about Emily Carr is one of my favourites as it includes her writing, the history of her work & inspiration along with gorgeous colour plates of both her work and that of others who inspired her. What I've always appreciated about her, including the work she created, which has always felt very 'Canadian' to me, was how much she wrote and spoke about it. She was ornery and interesting, a couple of my favourite things about women artists.

As I've been taking things slower, I've also re-focused on using non-toxic art materials and, so, have returned to making watercolour paint using Natural Earth Paint pigments. This time, I'm also making my own gum arabic and mixing it with honey and clove oil. It smells yummy! I have also been using non-toxic and organic Beam Paints, which are made by an Indigenous Canadian woman...love that. In my direct watercolour landscapes, I mix watercolour with Winsor & Newton Aquapasto as it adds some thickness and allows me to layer watercolours without disturbing the previous layers. I really like the fluidity it creates but would be very interested in learning how it's made so that I could possibly replicate it myself.