I've enjoyed this year end holiday immensely, with a trip to the mountains, movies - Star Wars brought back childhood memories! - and Brooklyn (fantastic!) and time with my family along with plenty of studio time.  There are four canvases in varying stages of completion which is always exciting for me.  The sunshine is lovely and watching my daughters interact as young women is such a special treat.  I'm looking forward to a walk through the Festival of Lights this evening along with our annual sushi dinner, which is so nice after heavy, rich (and tasty!) Christmas food.  Hope you enjoy your New Year, too!

Another year has passed and another 52 WEEKS project is complete.  I spent a couple of hours last night hanging them in my studio and it's so good to see them all together as this year I basically placed each one back into my storage closet as I completed it.  I'm often asked which is my favorite as I create them and it really is very difficult to choose.  Sometimes it's the first, just because it was first and other times it is the colour palette, patterns, healing properties or memories that are attached to the flowers that sway me. 

I  have certainly felt a growth creatively since I began pursuing these annual creative projects 3 years ago.  I feel like I not only can speak about my work and methods more clearly but that I am more confident in my colour and mark-making choices.  Perhaps that is a by-product of aging (the summer of 2016 will mark a half century for me) but I really do believe it's because of this work.  I highly recommend it...and if not on canvas, a sketchbook or photographs or the written word...or however you create. 

If you would like to see the project in its entirety visit my portfolio page here...click on each image for more photos and a little background story on each.  By the way, kind words, likes on facebook and instagram, emails and comments on this blog really go a long way in helping to encourage me in these endeavors, especially about mid-way each year when it tends to drag as I have to stay focused on my work as my family vacations.  I thank you all for that!

For my final week of this year's 52 WEEKS project, I wanted to paint clover as it brings back so many wonderful childhood memories of weaving them together to create crowns and watching the bees land on them to gather nectar.  I still love the fragrance and the idea that they can be used as food in so many different ways, both raw and cooked...the leaves and flowers in salads and soups, the roots cooked, the plants dried and ground into flower or sprinkled on other foods, as a tea, and the dried leaves add a vanilla-like flavor to cakes.

It was commonly used to treat skin conditions, menopause, and as a diuretic, expectorant, sedative and tonic.  It was also believed to be able to treat breast cancer, degenerative diseases, gout and whooping cough.  It is currently being studied for possibility of treating diabetes and AIDS.

And now, another year has finished...it has been a wonderful 52 WEEKS and I'm already looking forward to the next.  Wishing you all a lovely holiday season and a very happy year ahead.

P.S. To view the previous 52 WEEKS projects visit Totem Animals and Gratitude in my online portfolio.  Click on the image for links to each blog post. 

I always enjoy trips to Cochrane, Alberta, as the town is so quaint and I get to visit my favorite café and gallery in town.  I love how Janet has displayed small works on a Christmas tree at Just ImaJan Art Gallery as little gifts that are a treat to give and receive.  I also love how every time I visit there is something new to see - awhile ago when I stopped in I couldn't resist and went home with a Sandra Storey Raven Shaman sculpture.  And finally, I love stopping by Coffee Traders for delicious home made snacks and yak tea.  Honestly...it is delicious!

I was honoured when my friend Delree Dumont asked if I would be interested in sharing my 8x10 canoe and tipi paintings at her beautiful store, Delree's Native Art Gallery in Didsbury, Alberta.  It's definitely worth the trip to visit as she caries everything from gorgeous handmade furniture to Pendleton blankets to handcrafted personal care products along with so much more (and artwork, too!).  You can visit Delree at 2019-19 Avenue, Didsbury, AB and also shop online at www.delreesnativeartgallery.com.

Falsebox, also known as Mountain-Lover,  is a glossy, leathery leaved wild shrub that resembles the boxwood family and so I thought it would be perfect to share during Christmas.  The species name is derived from the Greek word for myrrh whose resin is used in perfume, incense and medication and the branches are often used in floral arrangements with the flowers being quite fragrant. 

The  shrub is a popular treat for moose, grouse and elk while the plant was utilized by Indigenous groups for various medicinal and ceremonial uses.  Medicinally it was used to treat colds, eye diseases, headaches and fever.

As an artist, there are many challenging moments....like struggling with a painting.  But these days, after much toil, I have been feeling really good about the work.  Not right away, mind you, but after letting it sit and working again, over and over it seems.  I've been reminded that this work is actually work but also that good stuff takes time, no matter what it is.  Years ago I was told that I would have to make a decision about whether I was doing this work for myself or for others.  This wise women said that I had to do it for the process and commit to it regardless of others response because there isn't always a response - neither positive or negative.  These days as much as I have been challenged by the work, I cannot imagine not doing it.

This painting is very special to me because I created it for someone who is very special to me.  The two ravens represent siblings, family really, and the mandela moon reminds me of the months I spent in South America and Mexico as a child.  Ravens symbolize magic, messages, meaningful change and rebirth.  They are the light-bringers and truth-seekers.  I also grew up with many large ravens in the north and was always fascinated by their long life-span, propensity to mate for life, intelligence and sense of play.   I also knew I wanted to add feathers once I added the ravens since I constantly gather them.  Two feathers on the right represent the two ravens but I added three more on the left because five is my favorite number.

When I decided to add a moon, I had never created a mandela but decided that it would be perfect for this piece as creating one is about slowing down and being present.  Because a full moon is impermanent as a mandela is meant to be, and as the term means 'circle' or 'disc' in Sanskrit, the image is also symbolized in a Celtic cross, halo or rosary.  But as I added patterns to it, it reminded me Mayan symbols I saw in my youth in Mexico city when we went to visit relatives. 

I really do hope that this piece meets expectations as everything, including the colours and symbols, that was chosen was important for many reasons.  This really was a wonderful way to finish this week after three months of extreme busyness.

Though I struggled with this painting for a couple of months, I think this is my favorite piece that I have ever completed for a few reasons...first and foremost, it is of crows and those who know me know my love of crows.  Second, the title was kind of 'borrowed' from a book which I recently read and enjoyed thoroughly, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.  Finally, and this one is strange for me since I'm not much of a pink (nor yellow for that matter) fan, I absolutely love the colour scheme.

In the center of the large crow I have incorporated symbols found in caves all over Europe.  The interesting thing about these symbols is that they were created thousands of years ago and found everywhere, not just in one particular area, and though they may have had different meanings in different regions it is fascinating that they were spread far and wide which may be an indicator as to human connection and similarities despite distance.  See this interesting TED talk by Genevieve von Petzinger. 

I wanted to include a photo (above) to share the size and a larger one (below) to share more of the details.  I also think that this image would make an interesting Tarot card.....hmmmm......may be another project to consider...

P.S. 21 SECRETS Fall 2014, an online art workshop in which I had the privilege of teaching, is retiring in three days.  For more information visit here.