Project: Canada at 150

       I have started a Project of 150 mini paintings depicting  the images I have seen travelling across Canada. I have been very fortunate to have travelled through each province over the years .  I have just touched  a small area of Canada but am proud to have experienced a little from each province.

      My first adventure was  travelling to PEI  with my family back in the 70's, a long drive in a Station Wagon, but held  such vivid memories that I have travelled back multiple times since and hold PEI dear to my heart.
 
    I worked as a teenager in Banff at the Banff Springs Hotel, an adventure I'll never forget. I had an opportunity to downhill ski at Sunshine and Lake Lousie in Banff, Night skiing at Mount Norquay. A most memorable evening was switch backing up a mountain on the back of a motorcycle to see the stars. What was so amazing was that they were within my grasp. I have never seen a starlit night as bright and almost tangible as that night.  I made wonderful friends that allowed me an opportunity to visit their homes in Vancouver and Vancouver island. I also worked in Edmonton as a student in Physiotherapy,so I  had an opportunity to visit  Klondike days, the Calgary Stampede and make my way to Jasper with friends and enjoy the hot springs and the Icefield Parkway.

      I lived in Ottawa as a young Physio but after a year and a half  moved to Terrace |Bay Ontario . This was a fabulous experience of small town life and all the adventures that it entailed. Camping at all the provincial parks in the area , learning to cross country ski,  taking up running,  all of which allowed me an opportunity to explore Northern Ontario and I did. This is where I developed a love of nature and wildlife and outdoor adventure. The wildlife is my favorite, always looking and hoping to capture a glimpse of a moose , deer, lynx , bear,  wolf  and of course birds, being my favorite.

      My husband and I bought a handmade canoe from a craftsman in Blind River almost 30 years ago , which we still own and we have enjoyed many paddles through the different lakes and creeks. We are always in  search of  a gem, a glimpse of a Blue heron, a kingfisher, or a Loon in the mist.  Hiking and biking afforded many opportunities for nature and wildlife viewing. There is nothing sweeter than seeing a moose and her calf in the woods and just watching, or stumbling on an owl, as i did while skiing one day: I will never forget that....my head was turning to stare at the Grey Owl and so was his to watch me.  It was magical.

       I moved out west  to Whitecourt , Alberta   and in doing so drove from Terrace bay through the Bruce Peninsula on  Georgian Bay to Montreal to visit family than off to Nova Scotia. On our return trip we drove straight  through to Whitecourt, Alberta. We camped along the way and therefore spent a little time in each province camping, hiking, canoeing and biking: a superb way to explore.

       I was in Alberta for 10 years. Summers were spent exploring BC, the  Okanogan Valley, Vancouver Island, Salt Spring Island and of course much of Alberta. During one of our early Jasper hikes we will never forget seeing a Grizzly across a small lake. In our naivety we continued our hike which was glorious and uneventful regarding the grizzly near miss.

       I moved back to  Quebec after 10 years out west: the heart is where family is so it was a call to go back east.  This was an opportunity to explore the east coast again  and we definitely have: summers spent travelling back to PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. One of my favorite places is Algonquin Park and our annual camp outs at Kearney Lake. Algonquin Park has afforded us many opportunities for wildlife viewing and  many adventures.
     
        Last year, we  finally went up to Gaspe and saw Perce Rock, a dream of mine,  and this past summer Gros Morne national Park in Newfoundland. Each place I have visited has never disappointed. I am constantly overwhelmed by its  beauty and feel such a sense of pride in  living in this great  country.

       All of these adventures have offered me an opportunity to reflect on this beautiful country of ours and put these reflections to canvas.  I hope I can tell a story with each painting I complete.  I have started this project with some wildlife images and I will continue with images that reflect my personal connection with a place , a person or wildlife I have seen.

Work In Progress

I have been teaching a beginner drawing class for the past 5 weeks. The last class the focus was on stages of developing a finished drawing. This is an approach I take as do many artists, but not the only approach. I stress this to the students as each student will find their own unique way to develop a drawing.

We first used a pen to sketch out the subject , which in this case was a wolf and an eagle. The object was to sketch in  an overall shape then add in defining shapes or hidden shapes.  Doing this they look for  lights and darks  and indicate it using a pen..no erasing. It is always a little fearful to  not have an eraser on hand to correct mistakes, but surprising to most was how well  they  captured the essence of the animal, fairly accurately. This was also an exercise in restating a drawing.

Next step was to use pencil and using both reference and pen sketch to establish a pencil drawing  and work out any trouble spots...eye shape , direction, direction of feathers or fur, overall proportions...etc....

Once the student is happy with the pencil rendition of the subject , which is more of a line drawing , it is transferred to a clean  piece of paper. It is at this stage they start shading as taught in previous classes  and focus on the detailing line work.

This is a process and not for every drawing but it is a good process to work out a drawing, establish values and then focus on detailing.  I am easily overwhelmed with drawing and my process is to brake it down, as is for many artists. Practise, as in anything, makes it easier, and what I once used to do on paper , I now  do in my head..comparative measurements, values etc.

I am now working on a wolf painting. Was inspired by students drawings. With the painting it is a different approach . This style of painting is much looser than a drawing , but i am still interested in overall shape, darks and lights and accurate detailing.  I am trying to establish a certain look. I am loosely adapting some wolf images from Morgue photos which are free to use.  This is the beginning. I started with a palette knife then switched to a brush to blend. Then started on the one side to establish some form accentuating lights and darks....  Anyway....this is where i am at....I quite like it. Need to develop the eyes and build the layers of fur. Want to keep it loose though and not overdo it.

New Painting

Young Moose

I have wanted to paint a moose for while. I have yet to capture a photo of a Bull Moose with antlers but my daughter managed to capture this photo of a Moose along Highway 63 as it  was heading into the woods.  This painting is a 8 x 8 inch palette knife painting. I used a small palette knife and only at the end used a liner brush for the branches. I would love to do a larger painting and i will but not yet, in the mean time I will try a series of smaller paintings . 

Busy Time of Year

 

Window Painting 2015

     Work has kicked in after a hiatus from school. Projects are building and commissions getting done.I love this season for the anticipated window Splash. So far 4 businesses have commissioned a window which is great to see I would still love to see more. I am reminded of a New Brunswick artist who paints windows every Christmas for all the businesses in town. 

            Classes are up and running. I have a small group of young children taking a mixed media art class. Super enthusiastic group and super talented.  I am also thrilled to have a full adult group in my beginner drawing class. I am excited to see their final project as I have seen their first practice piece and they are all talented. 

            I am reminded of my own excitement, when my children were young and I picked up a pencil and took my first drawing class. Learning a new skill is unbelievably rewarding. 

          I am starting a piece for a competition that I need to hustle and complete this weekend. Also a few commissions require my attention. 

         If interested in some wild  Bangles....I will be setting up a table, in Desjardin Hall , the night of the Telethon, November 25th. 

         New Designs will be available and  don't hesitate to commission a one of a kind design for a special someone. 

I will be painting that night and it will be part of a raffle, the money being donated to the Telethon. 

        Finally after a year of thinking about trying this out: Painter's Palate: Canvas, Paint and Wine an evening of fun painting while enjoying a glass of wine. 

I am planning more events similar to this in 2017 and am also available to bring a painting party to your own home : painting with great company in the comfort of your home. What a fun way to celebrate events like Girls Night Out, or Mother Daughter Paint Out, etc.....

Most recent work.

Back to School...Back to Work

      Summer is at an end and routine will resume, which is okay but wow what a summer. It was nice to get out of routine, put the school books away and really appreciate and enjoy the, ever so short, summer season. And what a summer we had...beautiful.

 

    The last few years have been crazy busy and I think I needed to slow down. Do we ever really slow down? At least I was able to plant my flowers and watch the garden explode with colour, instead of witnessing the invasion of weeds. It has been nice to get back on a bike and just go for a bike ride...for pleasure, no training.  It has been nice to run at leisure with no races looming in the near future. Of course I had to break that and sign up for the Montreal 1/2 ????? What was i thinking?????

      It has been nice to just sit outside with no other agenda but to just sit and enjoy the warmth of the sun and sounds of summer. It was a great experience to travel to NewFoundland and explore Gros Morne National Park. If you haven't been it is well worth a visit. 

    But alas Liam is back in school next week, hubby is back to work and it is time to refocus on school, placements and commissions. I am always excited to refocus  but struggling a little with the mental shift of going from the calm to chaos. 

     So here are some pics of Newfoundland. Not only documenting a trip but with over 2000 photos, I am also stocking up on reference photos for future art projects and  inspiration.

    Last long weekend before it all goes back, like Cinderella at midnight. But it is not like I am going back to a work camp. I am doing art, teaching art, working with art as therapy and ...... more art.  No time to complain ...life is pretty good.  

On that note. Have a super weekend!!!!

Dragonfly Painting

How to capture the intricate beauty of a Dragonfly 

According to Wikipedia...it is an insect of the Order Odonata and the suborder Anisopters....from the Greek language  Anisos meaning "uneven" and pteron meaning "wing".

                                                                                Image from Blog "Growing with Science"

Like many people I am fascinated by Dragonflies: from their overall beauty, to their flight patterns and of course capturing that perfect close up image through photography or paint.

 Here are a few pictures taken while walking along the bike path here in Temiscaming, QC. I am not much of a photographer but I was happy to capture a close up image.  So this was the image that inspired a painting.



I started with a palette knife abstract background.

Next was to block in the Dragonfly. I wasn't sure exactly how to capture the intricate pattern of the wings without drawing it in detail. I chose to do  a simpler pattern although in actuality it almost should look like a bee hive pattern.    

Next was to work on the body. My photo was not detailed enough to really capture the finer details but I was more concerned about the overall appearance and that it appeared  somewhat accurate but not full realism. 

The stick, although in the photo, wasn't working in the painting for me. maybe in a different painting , so I chose to paint over and remove it.  

  

This is the final painting.  I like the wings and the body. and the final image is a close up of the Dragonfly. The overall painting is 10 " x 20". 

Have a wonderful day!

Early Mornings

"Dreamer"  

Colour Pencil

Photo credit : Hayley Lang 

Drawing of my daughter Natasha , who is a dreamer, full of possibility , endless imagination and an old soul.  Someone who embraces life...enjoys life....a wood nymph roaming through the forest, a triathlete taking on physical challenges, a caregiver of young children including a young brother who is her best friend and who adores her, and an empathetic soul. One  who has supported  a family member , struggling through the challenges of  cancer and never left her side.  

        There is nothing sweeter than waking up early and capturing the sunrise and embracing the early morning silence  that is soon  filled with the chatter of birds as they wake up. I like to savour  my coffee and contemplate life. I am a dreamer as well  and I love it because I love all the possibilities. Will all theses dreams come to fruition? Not likely but they inspire hope, the concept of no boundaries and they give wings to a creative soul.

     I am a quiet person who can be lost in her thoughts. I am an introvert which  I embrace as it is how I energise myself. I used to feel bad about being quiet, shy, alone,  but I now appreciate it is just who I am and maybe this is why art and creativity is a necessary part of my life. A moment to be by myself, recharging and allow my imagination or ideas to spill out onto a canvas.

The Sun is Shining

My soul is free, 

The sky is limitless, 

Full of possibilities

I pick up a brush

An empty canvas

Fearful yet exhilarated

The unknown

With each stroke of paint

A line in a story

A story with defined edges

We know how this will end

A story that is so complicated

We push away to rethink

A story that makes us smile

Simple and heart-warming

A story that carves deep scars

requiring the utmost of care to survive

A story that is whimsical, 

The paintbrush dancing across the canvas

A story full of passion

The brush strokes bold and expressive 

Have a wonderful day! Embrace the person you  are and appreciate that there is always  more  then what we see on the surface: the tip of an iceberg.  Each person has a story, it may sound cliche but it is a saying I often refer to :


"You'll never really know someone till you walk a mile in their shoes"

Algonquin Park Resident

Algonquin park is a yearly camping event. Often we would meet up with family and settle down at Kearney Lake.  The beauty of Kearney  is that there are no motor boats...not that there is anything wrong with motor boats. But it is wonderful to go out on a canoe or kayak and not hear or feel  the rumbling of a motor on the water or feel the waves generated by the  motor boat as they fly by oblivious to the canoeists trying to photograph the glass like reflections on the still waters. There is nothing like the zen like silence in the early mornings, except for the birds and the water tricking  from your paddle as you glide through the water in search of wildlife.  I really can't wait to go back.

Kearney Lake  carries so many memories of  family, adventure, a baby shower, and a reminder to slow down and  be present.  The "apparent " moose sighting , the three legged bear,  the canoe /rafting encounter with a large moose in the water, the charging of a moose , the  deer swimming, the bird watching and all the hikes.  I believe we have done all the main hikes off the Algonquin corridor.

So much of my enjoyment while on the lake is photographing any wildlife I see. I am not a skilled photographer but I have managed to capture some wonderful memories of the excitement of witnessing wildlife in it's natural setting. 

As a painter , I am not looking for the best shot but many shots  to help portray my subject on canvas. I like detail  and although in certain paintings strive for some level of realism, sometimes it is a mix of realism  in the details, but then sometimes color will win out . 

My most recent painting is  of a Bull frog, the photograph taken by my daughter  and I may have taken a few , not sure. My daughter is an artist as well  and we both are trying to capture  the perfect photo, short of hanging off an embankment.  So as much as i would love to see a bear or lynx  and capture that detailed photo , I am just as excited to see smaller creatures like frogs,  turtles, butterflies and my favourite the dragonfly.   Below are some more recent paintings. The Mandarin Duck is not native to Canada but i was so taken by it's gorgeous colours  when I was  at Disney in Florida that I had to photograph for a painting (Native to Japan). The moose painting was from the collection of moose photos taken over the years and this one just a play with complementary colours.  The Bullfrog was from our last Algonquin trip. Although i cannot remember the hike ...no doubt my daughter will. So here are a few shots of the work in progress. 

This year so far have managed to take photos of moose , bear and a giant snapping turtle , locally.  My daughter managed to get the best photo of a bear that  I will use in a painting  ...if she doesn't. 

Have a Super Day!!!

New Painting in the Works

I have started with a 16 x 20 canvas. Painted in a muted green background. Then started some background trees. Not  quite happy with placement  but of course flat with no real background or foreground: no dimension to the early stages.  

Outlining more how the trees will be painted  and placement of the Blue jay. I love the sound of the Blue jay , in particular in the fall although always a nice sound when out running in the early morning.  My Mom also had a preference for the Blue jay and that has always made the Blue jay even more dear to me. 

Initially i was going to do a Maple tree based on photo reference from my backyard pics but opted to switch to Birch Trees. I am trying to learn how to paint them  highly textured with details and getting the right lighting. 

I had done a small painting of birch trees that i particularly liked  with respect to coloring and details  so using it to help me with the trees . Of course i just have to look in my backyard and do some field sketches. 

 Regarding the Blue jay:A tip from another  artist was to create a clay sculpture of a bird and then shine a light source to assess shadows. I may try this . Not much of a sculpture artist,  but don't need details, just overall shape. 

The bird image I like because it captures  a characteristic of the Blue jay: Perched on a branch staring down, observing.

This painting was done a year or so ago and recently sold.  The new painting  may be using the same photo reference but will have a new look with the Birch tree background and of course  each painting always unique. 

Take the time to enjoy these summer days, observe, listen  and capture the essence of  of a summer day on canvas. 

Plein Air Painting

Plein Air Painting

Maybe this is the summer to explore Plein Air Painting. I will be working with the APHTK this summer, in Temiscaming , on Thursdays : Art in the Park. This is  part of an art in community program and although specific to this group open for people to join in or come watch. It is not an art class but an opportunity for the group to explore different mediums, explore working in open spaces  (this will be fun)  and feel empowered through their own creativity. We will have fun! Samples of work that they have done already.

         









Aside from our Thursday outings I would like to start some Plein Air Painting for myself to work on lighting and spontaneity and my drawing/painting skills.  So what are the challenges??? Well we know living here, the biggest challenge to outdoor activities is the BUGS!

Black flies, mosquitoes, no-can- see'ems, horseflies, deer flies and these miniature flies(don't know what they are called but they bite..usually later in the season) and any other????? Think that is enough anyway.  So if you can handle those, the  next challenge would be the WEATHER.I am not set up to paint in the rain so I won't, although...there is something so magical about a misty rain...but also magical right after a rainfall. Maybe i need something like this.

















 Next challenge , SUPPLIES....need equipment that is portable.

I'll work on that.  Final challenge.Having PEOPLE WITNESS YOUR BLUNDERS on canvas...not everyone knows how art goes through the stages of the good , the bad and the ugly...hopefully to return to the Fabulous!

 I have had a few opportunities to have people watch as I paint...it can be difficult but I am trying to get used to it and not let it stop me from doing what I would like to do.


So maybe you will see me out there while on your walk: maybe in the Park, on the Bike Path, by the Falls or in my own front yard painting up a storm. Drop by , say Hello and be kind if the painting is in that dreaded "Ugly" stage...trust that it will resurface as a masterpiece...maybe :)

Have a Super Day

When to put the Paint Brush down

At this point this is the final piece. A palette knife /brush  16 x 20 acrylic painting of a sleepy owl  peeking out of a hollowed out tree. 

Let's look at other versions.

This is early stage of " laying down colour and not sure where I am going".

Trying to define but now happy with eyes and overall look.

Adjusted the eyes and made the beak smaller.  I kinda like this one . Colouring is  too blue, but that is the lighting when  the painting was photographed. 

Chose  to warm it up abit and add some eyelids.  Two different looks but both cute.   Sometimes you have to decide to put the brush down  and maybe try a new one. 

On the other hand sometimes you have to risk altering a painting to create what really works for you. 

Tried to do all with palette knife but added in  a liner brush for some detailing. 

Fun project. Oh yeah also added some glow in the dark paint. See if it works later. :)

Have a super week!