Happy New Year!!!!!!!

What's in the plans for 2016?????

        This is the most exciting time of year for me . What about you????? A moment to refocus, to see where we are and where we are  going or where we would like to go. What is it about a clear slate? Looking at the fresh page , an open calender and let the ideas flow. Jotting down ideas, plans, whether  accomplished or not , it is just fun to look at all the possibilities : Painting, Drawing , Collage. Crafting, Sculpting, Puppetry,  Jewellery making, Sewing  and  Refurbishing Furniture. I am excited about filling in the next  year and would love  to hear how others approach the New Year. 

       

What's on the Easel? Birch Trees. So many ways to approach. These examples show the difference in using primarily a palette knife to a more refined layering approach using a brush. Both done using acrylics and neither is completed.

Greetings for the Holidays

       No sooner had I "dotted  the eye " on my final  word, of the final paper for 2015, did I have a glass of wine in my hand ready to watch a movie, finally with no thoughts of: did I forget something? when is the next paper due? How many chapters are we supposed to summarize?

        One year of Art Therapy school completed.  After applying to the program , I held my breath to see if I had been accepted and when I found out I had I was thrilled. Two weeks in to the program I was in tears thinking what  have I done? I am incapable of following through at this pace. I was ready to abandon  the program. Everyone was much younger than myself, way smarter and I was  feeling so out there on my own.  I kept questioning , why did I think I could do this program and did I really want to do it? Was it merely the challenge to complete some thing new? Was it just to convince myself that , I can do this" ? What was driving my need to tackle , what seemed monumental. at this stage in my life?Why upset the apple cart?

       Life is full of moments that are life altering. I had mine 7 years ago. All of us that have had those moments, or will have, and it brings to question. Who we are? Why are we here? And for those that have been used to an even steady course, the need to shift gears and tackle the more challenging or life exhilarating , course of traversing Mount Everest, figuratively speaking. Or maybe it is just my age, the mid life crisis. who knows. Or maybe it was just me and the time was right? Either way one year done!

         Step by step, each week rolling into the next. Paper upon paper, readings  and more readings, forums that never end and unable to pause other areas of your life to allow for ease of completion.  Children at University, graduations, moving,  moving again, new jobs, and the list goes on and on.  Add on my own art therapy placements and  my own new job to  the mix and life went from smooth sailing to turbulent waters :a roller coaster ride that hasn't ended yet.

         The holidays have been a well needed rest, if not to just pause and take a deep breath. The family is all home. Life has settled for the moment. Although settled is still pretty busy and involves some catch up for the past year, from cleaning, to organizing , to preparing for the onslaught in January. Busy as I am I no longer question why I decided to engage in so many directions, but really enjoy the fact that I am here and life is great! And nice to have so many directions to take.

         Well the snow has finally arrived. A little magic in the air. Another week of rest and then back to it with renewed energy and focus!

Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!  

Window Painting 2015

     Each year I hope more businesses in town will latch on to the Window Splash: seasonal Splash or even as sign-age or  advertising specials. I am part of a fabulous group of Window artists all over: Canada, the  States , Australia ,Europe.. just about everywhere  and I am so in envy of their work. They excel at their craft. Most  paint on the outside of the window, which  has many advantages: not having to deal with disrupting the inside of the store to paint or dealing with below zero temperatures and of course the ability to layer back to front instead of painting the foreground first as you do when painting from the inside. I marvel at the different styles I see and  the techniques that they share. I hope to have more opportunity next year  to share new designs for some of the local businesses. In the mean time I will paint my own windows.

 
      Here are some of my windows this year. the polar bear scene was inspired by a children's story  about a family of polar bears. I chose to just paint some  cubs in a Northern scene. If I could have painted the whole window, I  would have tried the Northern lights, which would have been a challenge. Most outdoor window Painters choose to do an initial layer in white paint and then paint colors on top. I chose to paint direct and mix paint colors and shade as I work. It is my style .

 The next few paintings were painted on the inside windows of Restoroute a Restaurant in Temiscaming, QC.  I chose to follow a theme of Hollies and Christmas decorations and Christmas lights.

    The final window painting was at Station Beaute in Temiscaming, Qc. The owner requested something that could stay up for the  winter , so what better than a winter scene and since a door I needed something with a little height. Birch Trees. I tried to add in the beautiful colors of birch, tricky, but they do display some color other than white , pink , yellow and blue. Difficult to capture with the lighting, but  suffice it to say , better in person.

A Busy Year!

     It is been almost a year since commencing this journey of embracing the life of a student, yet once again: following in the footsteps of my own children who have embraced the power of learning.   A year in , I am tired  and somewhat drained  but still forging ahead , trying to tackle each challenge even when part of me wants to just stop and take a deep breath. Sometimes  I do,  because it is all I can do. My days are full  from work, to placements, to pursuing my own  art dreams  and just keeping ahead of numerous readings and assignments. My mornings are early and evenings run late. I look forward to Friday night  for my pizza and wine and  down time to watch a movie. My house is a mess, but maybe it always was. I am surrounded by papers and books, paints and craft supplies, I sit at a computer most of my evening, trying to make sense of some reading that challenges every neuron in my brain  to fire, to grasp a concept that at times seems to rival the question of " why are we here on earth?" or at least it feels like that at times.

      My first illustration of starting back to school in  Art Therapy, was the image of Alice having fallen through the rabbit hole. Utter confusion and thoughts of abandoning within weeks of starting, doubting my own abilities to stay afloat. Initially the only reason I stuck with it,  was the embarrassment of quitting, I wanted to show my own children and myself that I was capable of taking on a new challenge, with no regard for age and should I or should I not at this stage in my life?  It has been a busy year but through it,new found strength in my own abilities, new friends  who have supported this undertaking  and family always there with a "you go mom"  which always provides me with that small burst of energy that is required for the midnight deadline. I have still five or so months of classes and assignments then the challenge of a thesis , that will take me well in to year two or three of this program. It will be a frightening endeaver, yet I look forward to the challenge..but not today. I am so tired my brain is cranky and uncooperative and I need some well deserved rest! Of course after my paper is done.

     My own art work has taken a back seat to these other endeavours over this past year although I still manage to get some art work done as it has become necessary for my own well being and survival. Art has not only helped me through rough times but it is also just as necessary as breathing for me. I am thankful to all my artist friends and colleagues who continue to inspire me and remind me indirectly to pick up a paint brush.  Today I will paint windows and enjoy and let go of school work, Temusique and any other force pulling me away from the pure enjoyment of painting. I need this.



So here we are . This has been my year! The good , the bad and  the ugly.
   

October News

Hello Everyone!

        It's Saturday morning , had a good night sleep and I am now enjoying an early brew of coffee. The days plan is to paint and school work. It's so strange to be referring to school work at the age of 50 + but not surprisingly there are many people in their 50's and 60's and 70's taking on new challenges from painting, to running , to sculpting, to going back to school...and why not? It's a great challenge and great fun! Who would have known a few years back that I would be in Art Therapy School, entering art exhibitions and  competitions, designing art therapy groups, writing poetry, teaching art and travelling with the Sole Sisters to Vegas Baby...ViVa Las Vegas.

       Life is fun and exciting yet coffee is still one of life's sweetest pleasures....of course even better if overlooking Pérce Rock as we did this summer,

or from the balcony of a cottage along  the Newfoundland Coast, a few years back , or from my Temiscaming backyard which I love.

      So today's project is completion of a painting that a friend has been waiting patiently for over the past few months. School has been crazy busy since last January: can't believe heading into a a full year so finding time for painting has been difficult.  I did manage to complete the following paintings

BlueJay Backyard Visitor

Great Horned Owl

Fallen Forest

Poppy Field

Floral Collage

So have a wonderful Saturday!

Art Therapy

      It was a big decision to go back to school  but Art Therapy seemed such a perfect fit.  It has been a crazy schedule to maintain and still fill commissions and create my own work for hopefully a future exhibition. The last paper I wrote was in University many years  ago and even then I wasn't required to write much as I was studying in the field of Physiotherapy. It has been a challenge but surprisingly I am starting to enjoy the process of research and writing. It takes me quite a while to get the words on paper  and editing has become an art. My husband now reads them and all he can say is  "yup that sounds academic". Perfect! My courses are primarily done on line, but full time study  and on a very strict schedule. This works for me as if left to my own devices  I would still be working on the first course. The material is fascinating  and I look forward to working with clients in the near future. 

In the mean time commissions are steady and I am busy.


 

   

    I am preparing for some mini workshops at the Train Station Museum in Temiscaming  July 9th and August 6th as well as in Corbeil September 26th. I have chosen for at least one of them to do a palette knife painting but one that needs to be completed in 2 hours or less. I painted this one yesterday and think it would work  well for one of the workshops.

A few paintings in the works are:

     The first one is an acrylic painting  12 x 36. The second one was an interesting process ; it started with an acrylic painting, an  abstract floral that wasn't working, so out came the papers and collage work commenced .  I kinda like the dimensional look to it  and love the texture of the papers.

     Today I  am  working on the Blue Jay painting.