|
Another incredible year! I don't know how these wonderful things keep happening and feel so abundantly blessed by this creative career that now spans several decades. The year included:
 Whenever it's too cold on my hands to paint outside, I will take photographs on my walk and then paint in a calm and quiet cafe. Sometimes I begin my painting outside and then bring it in to finish, which works great as the initial layers are often very watery and need a bit of time to dry before adding more layers. As I work on a surface that has been prepared with watercolour medium (a mixure of gesso, modelling paste and water), it acts similarly to 100% cotton rag in that it absorbs and holds a lot of liquid which requires more time to dry. A great tip with watercolour is to feel the drying work gently and if it feels cold, it is still wet. What I really appreciate about working on a watercolour ground is:
1. The surface is durable and, thus, scrubbable in order to remove or soften colours. 2. The final image is a little softer...something I prefer. Watercolour ground can be purchased online or through art supply stores but I make my own: 1 part modelling paste 3 parts gesso up to 10% water I find homemade is much more economical and I do love to create my own materials as much as possible.    A little step-by-step:
1. Create little thumbnail sketches of the interior scenes that attract my attention, with a focus on strong light & shadow. Prepare the canvas with a lime green background which acts as a bit of a "green screen" so that items 'pop' off that ground. I then use a dark colour (ie. pthalo blue) thin with a bit of glazing medium and water to 'draw' the image with my brush & then add shadows. 2. Begin mixing my main colour with titanium white to add mid-tones and highlights. I was inspired by the grey in my chair but wanted to play with vibrant colour. I tend to focus on contrast with light and shadow as well as with complimentary colour (ie. various shades of blue & orange, red & green, yellow & purple). 3. Using a mix of quinacridone crimson, yellow medium azo and a smidge of titanium white, I created variations of orange tones for the wall behind the chair, making sure to incorporate a strong shadow to the left of the chair to create depth. The book & cushion are also a variation of complimentary colours. I then leave things for a night or two and view the painting again to see if there is anything I want to change but I tend to enjoy a little "wonky" in my paintings so I'm pretty happy with this as is. SUGGESTIONS TO CRITIQUE YOUR WORK:
 Finished knitting & blocking my Bela Sweater by Fabel Knitwear, completed my final essay for another course (3 more down, just exams to write and 2 more courses along with a thesis to complete in the new year), and wired most of the 'Women of the West' project...just in time for Christmas!
 I love this time of the year...not that I do much that is different from my daily life, but it feels like a great time to slow down and live a bit more quietly. I tend to work in my studio more than outside, or in a warm space with a beautiful view. It's a wonderful time to experiment and play with my materials, not worrying about what will go to a gallery, and a time to step away from any commissions. I still have schoolwork to focus on, but even that slows down at this time, and then I can enjoy more pleasure reading (I have a real thing for Canadian authors, historical literature and cozy mysteries). My new, smaller Explore More paintbox has been terrific as I can work while we travel to visit our daughter down south, or just pop it into my purse to take along to a cafe for a little while. I hope you get the opportunity to do something creative over the holiday season just for fun, too.
  While I started this painting outdoors, my hands quickly became chilled so I continued my walk along Nose Creek to the nearest cafe and completed it. Initially, I was uncertain if I wanted to add the tree but am glad I did...and, though, I haven't been able to get a great photograph of the completed piece yet, I wanted to share how it appears once it is framed. To me, framing always adds the finishing touch to a piece of artwork.
 There are 2 different ways that I frame paintings on panels...one is just by popping it into the correct sized frame while the other is by using silicone adhesive to attach it to a floating frame that has been made specifically for paintings on panels.
In this case, for the painting that I popped into the frame, I adhered a piece that I painted on watercolour paper to a piece of corrugated plastic (corplast) using Nori Paste (an environmentally friendly, archival and repositionable adhesive made with rice). Then I coat the painting with Dorland's Wax to protect it (it's a beeswax based material that creates a waterproof barrier). For the watercolour paintings on wood panel, I begin by coating the panel with a watercolour medium that allows me to paint directly onto the wood (I make my own with a mixture of gesso, modelling paste & water). I also coat the completed piece with Dorland's Wax. These oak frames, from Rustic Burl Co., are unfinished so I also coat them with a layer of Dorland's Wax. I adhere the panels to the frame by adding a small bead of silicone adhesive on each side and allow it to cure for 24 hours. I only use one small dot on each side so that I can replace the panels in future if I so choose.  "There's magic in the water that draws all men away from the land, that leads them over hills,
down creeks and streams and rivers to the sea." ~ Herman Melville 
I was asked by the City of Airdrie if the painting that I had been commissioned to create could be made into a print to install at the new Inspire facility. They surprised me by creating an enlarged piece that was installed by the administration office in the building and I am thrilled. It was such an honour to create the piece in the first place, and even more special to see this installed in such a beautiful building.
 I was so pleased that I had the opportunity to drop off the newest pieces at Bluerock Gallery in Diamond Valley. The day was perfect - sunny with clear roads - and the travel in the country is soul-filling. Plus, the company I get to see is wonderful, too! Such a privilege to continue to be represented by such an incredible gallery for all of these years.
|
YOUTUBE
|
