Wednesday, May 26, 2010

What's next?







































Finally I've downloaded some of my photos from the last 6 months and have put them up. Hope you enjoy the paintings. The autumn leaves are falling in Australia and the irises are out in BC so I thought they were both seasonal--depending on where you are! The other photos I will likely use as reference material for future paintings.
And the Inukshuk is a painting from the Kettle Valley that I have entered into the Calona Wine Artist Series label competition. It's about time I had another painting on a wine label so I'm anxiously waiting to hear about the success of my entries! And the portrait of the baby is my cousin's youngest--little Mikey from Australia. I'd like to play a little more with portraits. This was originally intended to be a sketch but I got into it and decided to add a little colour.




I'm back in the saddle again and trying to "ride" (read: blog) regularly. Part of it is for you, part of it is for me, to track what I'm up to, and keep myself organized about what I have accomplished regarding my art particularly.









This week I'm starting to extend invitations and put posters up for my next show--Art in the Park in Maple Ridge, June 12 and 13. You can see my art and profile on their website, http://www.artintheparkmapleridge.com/ and do come out & see me there!









I'm also finalizing my application for Minnekhada Art in the Park in August, and have started to look at getting a website up. Along with that goes organizing all my art, packaging it, pricing it, getting my magic books set up along with greeting cards into envelopes for the first sale. And I'm waiting to hear about my entry for a juried Christmas sale in Coquitlam in December. They seem a little uneasy about having artists in it but I think my calendar and cards will go over quite well, and selling paintings will be a bonus.
That's it for today's blog--I'll see you next week, I hope!








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Monday, May 17, 2010

Starting up again...
















Well, it's been a bit of a break since I last posted. Part of that time was just taking a break, part of it seemed so busy that there was no time to post! I've been getting my year forward planned--what juried shows I'm entering, and entering them, researching website possibilities, doing a little bit of painting and even a printing class at the local art gallery, as well as entering some paintings for an art label contest for Calona Wines. So I feel like I'm back into my art, finally, after a bit of a respite doing things that you have to do around the house, gardens, organizing vehicles to buy & sell, all that daily living stuff that I was away from for 4 months. That plus two family get-togethers--one uncle passed away and another turned 90 so catching up with lots of cousins at both of those events. And don't forget all my wonderful friends and all the lunches we have together, faery hunting in my back yard, and my exercise routine--there's barely time for painting once you factor all of the above into the equation!


I still haven't got my photos organized from my trip down under but have put a couple up with this post for your viewing pleasure. The first two are from a Quadra Island birthday party trip, and then there's a painting I did of Atlin Lake in NE BC a few years ago, along with a reminder of a favourite Australia beach with a cousin, and a painting I did last year of an Inukshuk and entered into the wine label competition, as it was built along a bike path in the hills near the winery (Kettle Valley Trail).
So, that's a bit about what I've been up to, the fairies haven't whisked me away yet but I can feel them enchanting me in my back yard. There's a lot going on out there and all the plants are up high enough that there are many hiding spots for magical creatures as well as birds and bees. I'm inspired to do some paintings of my back yard, where I find peace and quiet and a bit of a breather from the busyness of city life.
Stay tuned for more adventures!