No Time

So far this week has been a complete write off.  I'm subbing in the office and by the time I get home I'm too tired to even play around with my new love....iMac.  I'll be back with pics and a decent post on New Year's Day.

I'm A MAC Girl Now

John totally surprised me this year with a new computer and not just any old computer but my dream computer....a MAC.  I know that on Facebook all of my friends were getting sick and tired of listening to me whine about my computer problems and how much I would have loved to have a MAC. ... whoo hoo ..now I do.  It was a major shock as it was never a consideration from my end but you've just gotta love a good surprise.  Next post I'll include a picture once I figure out how all of this works but I must admit it seems pretty user friendly.

Hope Santa was good to you too!

Wishing you and your families the Happiest of Holidays

A Little Bit Of Hope

Sheltered

Acrylic on Canvas

12"x24"

So it's that time of year in which I watch almost any and all movies that have either Christmas or Holiday in the title.  Doesn't matter how sappy it may be, the sappier the better.   I think I blogged last year around this time (I'm too lazy to go back and check) about one of my favs which is "Love Actually".  If that movie doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy all over then I have no idea what would.  My youngest and I watched it yesterday afternoon for the zillionth time...me with a latte (chai) and she with a hot chocolate....sounds very Norman Rockwellish doesn't it??  I have to confess that having Hugh Grant as one of the leads didn't hurt either.  Such a crush on him.  I think it's that British accent and his dry sense of humour that I love..... 

It's A Wonderful Life......goes without saying how great that one is..... even though I know every word of dialogue at the end, it still makes me cry. Clarence getting his wings and all...

White Christmas...an oldie but still great.  I love it when Bing  Crosby and Danny Kaye surprise the General at the end and he's holding back his tears.

I believe that at this time of year we all need a happy ending.... a little bit of hope.  Most of my days of the year are spent in the real world and in constant awareness that life can be a struggle for many.  Bad things happen to good people and at some point in all of our lives we will suffer loss.  So call me a sentimentalist, a sap and perhaps even an optimistic soul,  but at this time of year that's exactly what I want to be.

"Who Does She Think She Is?"

A Sheltering Sky

Acrylic on Canvas

6"x6"

Yesterday instead of being disciplined with my nose pressed to the grindstone I spent more time than I'd like to admit surfing the web.  Usually not a good use of  my time and I can never actually believe how the hours stream by while I've been in cyberspace but.......... I did happen to come across a documentary that I can't wait to see.  It is by Academy Award winning filmaker Pamela Tanner Boll.  It follows five women artists and their struggle to not only be true to their art but to balance it with the rearing of their children as well.  The age old questions rises it's head "do women have to choose?"  "Who Does She Think She Is?"  looks fascinating....

Christmas Stuff

New work waiting to begin...........

This weekend I didn't even step into the studio other than to show a few new friends my work.  We hosted our annual party here on Saturday.  Such a wonderful time to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.  It was great to take a long look around and see babies, toddlers, kids, teenagers, 20 somethings all the way up to 50 somethings.........  We are  very fortunate to have so many people who remain close to our hearts.


Sunday I had promised to take the girls Christmas shopping so they could buy a few small presents for their friends. The mall is never my favourite place to be but I sucked it up just to spend a bit of time with my teenagers.  Felt really sorry for the mall Santa though, I stood and watched as child after child was placed on his knee, each one crying louder than the last.  There's a guy who puts in a hard days work ......


Dragged the girls and John down to watch "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" last night which just happens to be one of fav Christmas shows.  My oldest still thinks the Abominable Snow monster is scary....I think he's just looking for his place in the world. I know all the songs and yes, I do sing them as they come up which starts the girls shrieking and begging me to stop which only encourages me to sing louder.  One thing that I have noticed, and I must point it out, is that Santa was kind of nasty in that show....I mean he could have stood up and been a role model for others on how to treat people but he didn't.  That part just after Rudolph is born when he goes to Donner's cave to visit and sees Rudolph's nose.....he says something to the effect that "too bad he would have been great on the team" or during the reindeer games when the coach tells Rudolph he can't join in with the others....Santa was there but he didn't stand up for Rudolph which I found really disappointing. Yes, in the end they all recognized the error of their ways and it all worked itself out but I'm just saying ............

New Work in Progress......

The Business of Art

Fleeting Moments

Work in Paint, Thread, Wool & Silk

sold

Major storm hit Ontario this morning with unbelievable wind gusts, snow then rain then snow again. Yuck!  Days like this make me so very happy that I work at home.  Made some tea (not the chai latte as that is a ritual that begins precisely at 3:00pm) started a small fire, answered emails...took care of business.  Speaking of business, I think it's only dawned on me in the last year of so that art is a business.  I think my head was somewhere up in the clouds previous to that realization.....  Now don't get me wrong because I am head over heels passionate about what I do and could never for a split second imagine what my day to day existence would be like without creating art BUT, and don't you know there always is one, art is a business like any other.  If money were unlimited then I could just go about my merry way in the studio creating work and not caring if it sells  but unfortunately money is not unlimited and I need to sell work to continue to work.  It is that simple. 

Within the last year I made a decision that the career path I had  chosen was going to be a successful one.  No ifs and or buts.  It was time to pull that head out of the clouds and work to make it happen and to realize only I can do that.   It is my responsibility.......

I was always talking about submitting to a variety of galleries and now I am. Is there rejection?  Of course there is but if you believe in what you do you shrug it off and keep on going.  It's the only way.  Since I took this approach it's amazing how far I've come and how many galleries are interested.  The biggest drawback of my work is the way it photographs.  Capturing two dimensionality in a jpeg is all but impossible so the work needs to be seen in person to appreciate the texture of it. 

I also began realizing that all the work I was creating just wasn't getting seen so I started marketing which I knew absolutely nothing about.  The Cityline segment came about because I sent an email, a few jpegs and my website explaining to them what I did and why I thought their viewers may be interested.  I love the age of technology for that reason alone....ease of communication. Now perhaps I would never have heard back from them but that's not the point, the point is that I took action and put myself out there and you just never know what the possibilities from that effort will be. There is a wonderful self confidence that washes over you when that realization occurs. 

So what am I doing now?  Well there has been a great response from the Cityline segment, I'm in talks with a few different galleries regarding representation and two leading magazines have approached me regarding an artist profile. Won't talk about who until it's a done deal.   I guess what I'm trying to say is that for me, all of this has taken place because I started understanding that there are two parts to what I do....the artistic part that fuels my creativity, makes me feel alive and connected  and the business part that is simply that..........business.

Back In The Studio

Two Birches

Work in Paint, Thread, Wool & Silk

11"x14"

Two Birches....Detail.....

So now that my one moment of fame and fortune is but a distant memory....I am back in the studio.  I've got three new pieces painted up and am just getting ready to start the thread work.  All three are landscapes but I am itching to start a more urban piece.  I took some great photos when I was in Toronto last week and I have my eye on one that I may start within the next few days although with Christmas right around the corner we'll have to see how far I actually get.

This coming weekend we host our annual "Tree Hunt"  where many of our friends get together and we head out to our local tree farm to find the "perfect" tree.  Judging by some of the trees we've picked in past years "perfect" may be too strong a word.  Anyway, afterward everyone makes there way back here for chilli and lots of delicious food supplied by all.  Last year Kelly made samosas that were to die for.....if she's reading this ... no, I'm not being subtle at all.

Will post new work sometime this week when done.

Much Thanks

Thank you so much for all your calls and emails regarding the Cityline episode that aired today.

Many of you were looking for a way in which to watch..........

Cityline just put up the clip on their website.......Go to Cityline ...Scroll down to Other Clips and click onto Mixed  Media Art.....you'll have to sit through a 30 sec ad for a tv show but it will come on right after that...........