 New 4x4 hearts have now been delivered to Bluerock Gallery in Black Diamond and are also available at Homegrown House in Airdrie. With this particular batch, I decided to leave pattern exposed in the center of each heart and then added more pattern around the edges at the end. These are just such fun experiments and it's been so lovely to see how many are given as gifts...for birthdays, weddings, friends, etc. It gives me so much joy!
 "I am a bank teller, but I was previously working in non-profit before that. Even before the pandemic, the program I was in had run into trouble; when the pandemic happened, as did the government cutbacks, my job was cut. I had some part-time employment for a bit and helped out with some friends' projects, but ultimately switched to banking several months later. It was a bit humbling being in my early 30s and on my third career change already, starting from an entry-level position, but it's actually been really good so far, ultimately." ~ Kelsie E.
 For several years I have attempted different gouache paints as I do prefer them for altered books & sketchbooks and did enjoy using them in college many years ago but have struggled to find a brand that I enjoyed using and that didn't have a strong smell. While visiting Inglewood Art Supplies recently, I was speaking with the artists working there (always great to speak with other artists) and this introductory set of Holbein Acrylic Gouache came highly recommended. They definitely pass the smell test and, after trying them out, I really like the way the paint spreads on my substrate. I have struggled with the real chalkiness of gouache as it is so resistant to spreading and have tried the Liquitex Acrylic Gouache which was okay but it still didn't glide very well. The other thing that I really like with the Holbein is that it layers nicely when thinned, much like watercolour, and is mixable with both watercolour and acrylic. This set consists of three primaries (lemon yellow, carmine red and sky blue), jet black, and titanium white. Though, historically, I have not really used a lot of black in my work (a 'no-no' in college), I have found that it makes really nice mixes with the primaries so I think it will be well used. I'm not as thrilled with the purple or orange mixes in this combination but the greens, teals and turquoises are stunnning. In the past, I only used primaries plus titanium white (ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow medium & cadium red medium for about the first 1000 paintings I created) so going back to a very limited palette will be interesting. The tubes are nice and tiny so it will be a fantastic travel set.   How to Price your Art
June 2 – Thursday, 5-6pm MT / 7-8pm ET Art is the spice of life! Let’s get spicier together. 😄 JOIN ME and fellow #mastriusmaster Karen Weihs and Desmond O'Hagan for an exciting discussion on HOW to PRICE your ART. 🚩 INFO and SIGN UP at Mastrius.com/events. ✨ Use the coupon code i_know_veronica to register for free! We’ll answer big questions, like: • How much should I sell my paintings for as an aspiring or emerging artist? • Should I increase my prices every year? By how much? • Should I give discounts to friends and family? • BRING YOUR OWN Q’s; we’ll try and find the A’s 😄 ✨ Only $10 | FREE for Mastrius Members! ✨ Use the coupon code i_know_veronica to register for free!  "I have a story that moves through being the only woman in the room as a CFO, adopting a child on my own and shifting gears to teach (mainly in Airdrie!) to have time for my Molly, to coaching and now growing as a painter. I have worked in many industries and always pushed the envelope- supporting women and opening space for creativity in the business world, in the classroom and at an individual level." ~ Jean Parker
In fall I will be heading to Lethbridge to give a talk and lead a printmaking workshop with a fibre arts group at the CASA Art Centre. I have loved carving block prints for my daughter to create her own fabric for her dressmaking designs. With inexpensive muslin and eco-friendly cloth, she has been able to create the most beautiful items. To view her work, please visit her website here. I'm also looking forward to sharing my method of creating layers of pattern and colour in my paintings.
 When I get to this stage in the process of a new project, where there is a grouping of paintings, this is when I begin to settle into it. Prior to this I tend to judge my idea and my work quite harshly...something I wish that wouldn't happen, but after the first time I got past that feeling, I have come to recognize it as a part of the process so I try not to give it too much weight. So far there has only been one project that I gave up after a month but it was also one that I hadn't been really connected to from the beginning. It was an idea that someone else had suggested and so now I have learned to give myself several months to percolate an idea which means that not all the projects have a January to December working time. The 'Nasty Women' project of 100 portraits in 100 days took place from March to May and 'Wunderland' consisted of 30 portraits in 30 days during the month of June. I do prefer painting 52 portraits in 52 weeks from January to December, though 'The Grandmothers' ended up being 60 in that period of time. I definitely like definitive timelines and a year-long project works well for me as it gives me time in the months leading up to it to plan and prepare (I usually begin in late summer, early autumn) and accountability in the weekly creation and sharing of it. Because of mentoring and university courses, this year's 'Woman's Work' projecgt didn't begin until March and, because I am still requesting collaborators, I'm uncertain as to the final number of portraits I will create, though I have decided to finalize the project at the end of December. I find that, though I tend to prefer more rigid structure, this year I have decided to be more fluid about this particular project. Also, as I will be taking more university classes next year and plan to travel a bit, I may give myself a year (or 1/2 a year) off before embarking on another project for awhile. We'll see how that goes. :)
 "I had been working at a software company since 2017. While the company was headquartered in Edmonton, they'd bought another company based in Calgary, and that was where I was working. I don't think it was doing too well, because in the year before my layoff, they had sold the original office building and moved everyone into a WFH/coworking situation, and also laid off a handful of people. I'm not even sure if the round of layoffs I was a part of were caused by the pandemic, or if they just used it as a handy excuse to cut some costs.
Anyway, they sent out a message on the morning of April 1, 2020 (I still can't believe that date). 15 minutes before quitting time, I received an invite to join a meeting at 5 PM. I immediately knew what it was, especially after I asked the rest of my team if they'd received one and they said they hadn't. I was the only web designer not in Edmonton, and I also had the least seniority, having joined the last. It made sense to give me the axe. I was able to take the entire summer off, thanks to the CERB program, and honestly it was pretty great. Felt like I was back in school, not worrying about anything. I found another job in August 2020...which I got laid off from exactly a year later, in August 2021. I'm at a new place now, and I like it well enough, but if it lasts a year I'll be genuinely surprised. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that designers in the tech world are pretty expendable, and are also in high demand (this might apply to workers in general, come to think of it). It's been pretty easy to find another job very quickly. This fact has made me pretty apathetic in general towards the idea of work: I do the best job I know how, but I don't work a second of overtime, and I don't think about my work when I'm not on the clock. Work is work, and I don't think I'll ever be the type of person to let it take over my life and burn me out. My employers have certainly shown that they're only paying me for my skills, not because they feel any loyalty towards me, and I return the favour. If a better offer comes along, I'll gladly take it. My first loyalty has always been to myself, and so far selfishly guarding my own sanity has worked out pretty great for me." ~ Sara Zampa  I had a perfect day to travel to Bluerock Gallery in order to drop off paintings last week. That space just gives me so much peace and joy...and it's the best place for gifts. The mini hearts were running low so I delivered a few more of those as they're popular for weddings and anniversaries and I was able to bring in these 8x10 framed canoes as well. If you haven't had a chance to pop by or visit their website, I highly recommend it. They carry the work of some of my favourite artists.
 I've finally created an online shop here on my website to share my mini courses. After some challenges with youtube, etsy and my former yahoo email address, I have moved everything to this platform which will make my life so much easier. I can't believe it's taken so long. Anyway, I had to re-film my CityScapes workshop (Painted Hearts is coming soon) but everything else is finally up. To view the courses, which include downloadable PDFs and video(s), please visit my eCourses page.
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