Spring is in The Air

Safe Passage

Work in Paint, Thread, Wool & Silk

6"x3-1/2"

Double Matted 8"x10"

So I've spent some real quality time in the studio over the last couple of days so there's no whining from me today. Thursday I'll head up to the Silverbridge Gallery to drop off some new work and then in the afternoon Ellen from Ridge West is coming by to pick up my artwork for the show. I've really hit my creative groove which is turn making me a very happy camper.

I went out for a walk yesterday and the signs of spring are everywhere. Snow is finally melting, the road is dry and clear and my roof is breathing a sigh of relief after what has been a grueling winter. We've also had a visitor the last few days who seems to have found love with my cat Simba. We initially thought it was a female in heat as she would cry outside our bedroom window at 3 a.m. requesting Simba's presence. We, needless to say did not find this amusing in the least. At one point John went outside with the broom and starting banging on the deck to scare it away while Simba cowered behind the curtains in the house. We found out yesterday that she is a he. I opened the back door and he, in a very bold manner I might add, tried to get in.

Simba may be slightly flattered by all the attention but at the same time he is deathly afraid of his own shadow. I think this cat whom Sierah has named Sheila, which we may now need to change to Sam in light of his maleness, intimates Simba.

He seems totally uninterested in being friends and tries his best to escape from Sam's unnerving stare. Ahh, destined to become a one sided relationship afterall.

New Work

Forsaken

Work in Paint, Thread, Wools & Silks

This morning the girls both headed out the door for their first day back at school. John exited right behind them and I headed into the studio. I feel really energized today which is surprising since the entire summer has not only been a blur but my creativity level has been way down. Perhaps I'll chalk it up to " being too nice outside to be inside." Yeah, that's what I'll say........

The piece above, Forsaken is brand spanking new and left this morning for the framers so they could work their magic. By the end of this week I am hoping to have a similar smaller piece to sell here on the blog. Anything that doesn't sell here will go to Etsy. I'm looking for a bigger market for my smaller pieces so my work can at least been seen by more people.

Copper Road

Work in Thread, Silks, Metallics and Wools

Decluttering............how much of my life do I spend on this?

Purple Fields

Work in Paint & Thread

Sold

I will spend today doing one of my least favourite things and that is decluttering. It seems like I spend a lot of time on this task only to find out within a week or so that the entire house looks like it did before I started. How can that possibly be? It makes me wonder how many hours of my life I've spent on this. Today I've decided I will tackle John's workshop which is in the basement. I don't know why we call it his workshop as he never does anything in there. Oh, the odd time he goes in there to get a nail or a drill but mostly it just seems to be the room that collects a whole lot of junk. If the girls don't know where something goes they just leave it in there. So the most dreaded room in the house is finally going to get a much needed make over. But I can promise you there will be no before and after pictures. I'll have two bags on the go. One for garbage and the other for Goodwill. I think it's going to be a long day.

Most summers are unbelievably laid back for us which suits our lifestyle just fine but this year seems to be the exception. I don't know why we jam packed so much into a couple of short months but I'm feeling really tight on time these days. Surprisingly enough I did finish "Copper Road" and am extremely pleased at how it all turned out. The wools and silks I used just shimmer in the piece. Can't wait to see what it looks like once it's framed.

Hope these summer days are treating you well,

Gearing Up

Yesterday I headed off to Midland to see Carol and Stu at the Carriage House Gallery to drop off some of my new work as well as pick up some postcards. We spent some time going over most of my work for the show (I still have three pieces that I haven't finished yet). Carol made great lemon/ginger tea and we sat around in the kitchen talking about the "business of art". They are both tremendously talented and have such wonderful insight and exciting ideas that I couldn't wait to get home and start working again. Some people are just like that aren't they? When you come away from your time with them you feel not only motivated but more of yourself than when you got there. Rather hard to explain except to say, it is just this great energy some people exude.....feels good to be in their company. Once again I am digressing. The gallery is stunningly beautiful. They have really outdone themselves this time. They were both very excited about my work which of course is music to an artist's ears. They also loved the small pieces I just started double matting and selling here. They would like to know if I could have ten for opening night..... Yikes. Looks like my butt is going to be in the studio night and day until June the 5th.

Getting Ready for The In Laws

This little guy is a neighbour of my in laws who live on Lake Superior. He makes his home just beneath a rock in their front yard. He is oh so very tame and allows you to come quite close before he makes a dash for his hole.........I call it a condo since from looking at him he seems to be living in the lap of luxury.

Speaking of my in laws, they arrive tomorrow at noon which makes me quite anxious as my house is a complete mess. This is the day in which I freak out and turn into Molly Maid. When I look around, I try not to, I truthfully don't know where to start. Should I wash the kitchen floor, how about vaccumming the cat hair off the couch, the bathrooms need to be cleaned and I still have groceries to pick up.

Having other people stay with you forces you to clean out those drawers that continue to get everything stuffed into them. You know the ones with the old flyers, empty gum wrappers, tops of old tupperware that have no bottoms.... that junk. Now I may not notice it all that often because I'm used to seeing it but when guests arrive it is a whole other ball game. They will be opening all those lovely cupboards and drawers where I hide my lack of organization. I have this cupboard beneath my stove top where I stash all my pots and pans. It is very disorganized but to my credit, I have children. Everytime you pull out one pot, about three others, that someone (teenagers) has stacked on top, fall on the floor in a loud clank. Rather embarrasing when your having a dinner party. Did I say I had teenagers? Don't get me wrong, my in laws are the easiest people in the world. They would never expect me to do anything at all in preparation for their visit. This is just all of my "crazy stuff".

I wish I were more like my father in law, he is the ultimate in organized. The last time he was here he cleaned out my entire car complete with vaccuming. It looked like the day I bought it. Won't he be in for a pleasant surprise when he arrives only to see it has reverted back to it's old self. Both girls are out this morning so I can't saddle them with any of the chores. Weren't they smart to make other plans for today?

Back to that chipmunk.... I bet his condo is spotless. All those peanuts lined up nice and neat in a row but then again I bet he doesn't share his home with teenagers.

A Painting A Day

GoldenSOLD

Image Size 4"x3"
Double Matted 8"x10"
$100.00>

A Common Thread

This Falls Under The Category "What Was I Thinking?"

I snapped this photo yesterday feeling all "happy and sunny" ....yeah, spring is here. Today I woke up to sleet, rain and wind. Tonight it is supposed to go below freezing...yuck! Poor flowers.

Lately I've been spending too much time reading art blogs. I can't help myself. I so enjoy checking out what others have been working on and posting. I have my usual list of artists I check in with almost daily and one of my favourite blogs is Creative Laundry, Art and Motherhood in the Suburban Wasteland. Not only is it brilliantly written but Ellen is an amazing artist as well. Her blog never fails to remain interesting as well as humourous. Her April 20th post "My Day Without Oil" is so very clever and funny. Today's entry "My Previous Life as A Poodle" took me right back. So in honor of Ellen's post here is my scary 80's hair which leads me to wonder "what was I thinking?"

What was with those glasses? I think Leonardo DiCaprio wore those when he starred in the bio pic "The Aviator". I don't know if you can see but I'm wearing pink stripped satin shorts alla "Olivia Newton John's video "Let's Get Physical". I think I thought I was pretty cool back then but come on....did I own a mirror? Why didn't John tell me I had to lose that look? Probably because he had the same big sunglasses as me and we both thought we were pretty hip. Anyone else brave enough to comment on their 80's look? That's my blast from past. Thanks Ellen for inspiration.

Where It All Begins

This is a new piece that is just at the first stage of progress. It all begins with the cotton and the paint. I generally like stretching my cotton onto a frame before I paint it as it adds to the stability of the work........it's not shifting all over the place. I always begin in the background so after the work is removed from the frame I'll begin blocking in the trees that are furthest away from me. They will get worked in thread as well as the background leaves and branches. After that is done I'll spend the majority of my time working on the foreground. I am envisioning lots of tiny bits of lavendar amongst the grasses.

When I was out this morning I picked up some new thread as I am also working on a hibiscus flower for the show in June and surprisingly enough only had three spools of different pinks. Guess pink doesn't come into play that much in what I've been doing up to this point but perhaps the hisbiscus flower will change all that.

Last week Sue emailed me asking me if I stretch my work in a hoop. Yes and no. The problem I've always had with the hoop is how very limiting it is and the fact that I have to stretch and restretch my work depending on what area I'm working on. Lately I've been stablizing it with canvas which really seems to work best for me.

My site has now been launched at the OCC. While your there check out some of the other amazing artists the Council represents.

Weekend in The City

I'm off to Toronto tomorrow to celebrate John's birthday as he finally turns 40. I've been in this decade long enough so it's time for him to step into middle age.

We've been planning this trip for some time now as we love to venture around the city just the two of us. I hear it is supposed to rain tomorrow but oh well, an umbrella and a raincoat always come in handy. I'm going to try and spend most of the day taking photos as we walk around downtown. I really wanted to visit the AGO but I just clicked onto their website and they are closed to the public as they are installing 5,000 new artworks. John will be relieved. It's not that he dislikes art it just isn't as exciting to him as heading into Mountain Equipment Co-op. Actually I like it there too even though the thought of camping makes me feel a touch lightheaded. Hiking out in nature is fabulous....for me, sleeping in a tent is not.

I'm hoping to stop in at Lulu Lemon which carry the best yoga clothes available........my opinion. I could really use some new yoga pants which I wear everywear not just for yoga and they make you look as if you've lost 10 pounds even when you haven't...............ok, perhaps that's a bit of a stretch.........maybe 5.

I'm taking John to Le St. Tropez for dinner. We have always loved it there but have only been for lunch.

Ok, I'm rambling so off I go...............

Hope you all have a happy weekend in your part of the world.

Tour Over, Family Gone Home....I'm Exhausted

This is a shot of Gary Brierley's studio in which I was the guest artist this past four days for the Images Tour. The tour was great but the weather was terrible. Monday ended up being the most successful day as the sun finally showed up, the rain stopped and people appeared. Numbers were down everywhere compared to last year but all in all it was still a good experience. I don't think I've ever received such great feedback on my work as I did this time out so I know I'm on the right path.
Oh, and then there are my friends. I have such a supportive group.....whenever I have a show, there they are. Even though they have seen my work a hundred times they always show up for me....life is all about "showing up". I love each and every one of them and feel especially blessed to have that support structure in my life.
Speaking of friends.........Steve Caston, one of mine, who happens to be a fabulous musician and songwriter, is performing on October 19th at Swanmore Hall at the Stephen Leacock Museum.
If you ever get to chance to see him perform.......you'll be amazed. Click on Steve Caston for more info. Oh, and thanks Steve for the words on Sunday.......I'll surely remember them always.
Today I'm really tired though and the house seems too quiet.
John's parents have been here since Thursday and were an incredible help keeping the home fires burning. His mom was a god send. She prepared and cleaned up after Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday night.........a dinner in which we hosted twelve people, spent time with my girls, cleaned out the fridge and wouldn't stop making food for everyone who dropped by. She's probably happy to have gone home today to get some well deserved rest. Thanks Ruth.
Today it is once again pouring rain...........a good day to clean up, do laundry, wash the floor, etc. etc. I'm headed off to Toronto for a couple nights to my Mom's for a visit.........movies, chinese food and of course a Mom's love. Will post again on Friday.......

The Mess Continues

I went looking for my kettle this morning and after ten minutes of what seemed like a fruitless search..........I found it under my bed. This has been my life as of late. I keep telling myself it will all be over in four days but at this moment it all seems quite chaotic. What was I thinking when I made the decision to put flooring in and paint right before my in laws arrive and the Images Tour begins. You could say I was being optimistic or just plain crazy...........perhaps a fine line between the two.
Today is the dreaded pricing day in which I scratch my head a lot and try to figure out what new strategy I am going to use to find prices for my new work. Yuck! I've found from talking to other artists that this is one of the most difficult things to do. Is it too low? Is it too high? Who knows.
I completed an inventory of all the work for the show this morning even though I was tripping over kitchen appliances and shelving. Unfortunately most of the "stuff" from the house has gone into my tiny studio for the time being until the painting is finished. Anyway, I have a list and now I'll just sit with it for the next couple days.
I was also mulling over my schedule for next week.............Thursday looks positively frightening.
This is the way it pans out..........the painter is finished on Wednesday at dinner........my inlaws arrive on Thursday night. Like I said, what was I thinking?
Thursday I have to try and throw the house together........everything back in it's place, curtains and artwork, all lamps, furniture,pots and pans,rugs, books, and shelving. After that I need to drive to town to grocery shop and pick up the turkey, then over to Gary Brierley's to set up my part of the show, then home to start dinner for the inlaws who will arrive around 6:00pm. I'll be serving a big bottle of red wine with dinner that night.
Be well,