The Latest News!!!

My new website is up & running! There'll be a few tweaks & I'm happy to take suggestions, and you can access it at...ta da...! http://www.ElaineWatts.com .
At some point I'll likely be moving this blog over to the website--I'll let you know when that happens. I was so happy to find an easy way to get a website that I can upload images to and maintain myself, and that has some options for presentation, but not too many for a rookie webmeister like myself. Hope you like it too!
And don't forget to come and see me this weekend in Maple Ridge, Art in the Park, 10 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday. The link is also on my website and the last posting.
Ask the fairies to give us a good weekend (weather & sales wise!)!

Working away in the world

Just a quick note to update you all today as I'm working hard on a couple of projects over the next week or so. Today I'll be doing a trial run of setting up my new gazebo tent on the patio (photo on the left) to make sure

a) all the pieces are there and

b) I know how to do it

in preparation for my first show of the year next weekend in Maple Ridge. Lots of other tasks go along with getting ready--I've got stacks of matting and packaging to do for my newer paintings (wouldn't I be happy if I sold 20 paintings next weekend??) and getting all my magic books and cards and lists and pricetags organized in one spot, ready to load in the truck.

At the same time, I've been working on my soon-to-be-released website. My favourite instructor, Faith Love Robertson, has a website that I liked & when I asked her about it she told me it was created for her by some cousins who now offer a website service for artists. Their company is called Artsites.ca and it is simple enough for me to build my own website using their templates, and to update regularly.

I now have my trial site up & running & I'm playing around with the format. The plan is to have it published by next weekend so I can tell people the address at the show (and tell you, on the blog--which, by the way, will be moving over to the website very soon, too!) New business cards will be necessary, both for the website and for yet another email (or two) that will be included with the website. And, the possibility of linking up with Paypal to sell my reproductions directly on-line is included with this package so I'm really happy about that!

So, come and see me at the show next weekend, in Maple Ridge. The details are at www.ArtintheParkMapleRidge.com . I have a painting and my profile on their website too. Hope to see you there!

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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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!

My visit with the fairies

(fake though they are--they're my 2 nieces back in Vancouver actually!). And here I am, back in rainy Burnaby, waiting for the real fairies to arrive at my niece's house. They have a beautiful garden designed by their mother, but they are moving to a new home in 2 1/2 months. By the state of that garden, I'm sure my sister Phyllis' talents will be well-used. Hopefully some fairies will arrive in their new garden which we hope the fairies will enjoy. (That's a direct quote from the 9-year old niece Shanelle). I'll be sure to post some photos of them when I can catch them on camera.
There have been no outside fairy sightings since I got back from Australia 3 1/2 weeks ago--I've been quite sick with a bad cough & little energy after I got over the jet lag. Besides which, it's raining and cool outside so they might still be down south working on their tans. Shanelle says the fairies usually sleep under the snow and Maya (6) adds that they make a hole in the snow when the snow falls. Or maybe you, my readers, have some other ideas about where fairies go when it's cold, or even have some stories about seeing them or talking to them, or maybe some photos!
Maybe in the summertime we can go to my nieces' new house and take pictures of any fairies or evidence of fairies that is there. That's Shanelle talking, so you can see that there will be more fairy stories coming up. Phyllis says they're going to make a fairy-friendly garden, and one that welcomes butterflies, birdies and especially hummingbirds. Stay tuned! I'll put some photos on the next time.

South Australia photos

Here's a few photos from South Australia--except for the first one which is from our 4WD tour in the Blue Mountains--a roadside cave we were looking at when we heard a lyre bird calling. The guide recognized it because after its initial call the lyre bird imitates all the other birds around--kookaburras, lorikeets, cockatoos, the warble of the magpie--all in sequence. Marvellous to hear, and amazing when you think about it. The lyre birds are very shy so although we trekked down the road to try to see it it quickly headed through the brush and over the hill.

The other photos are from Port Elliot--the bird and seal-covered rocks in the bay, and an old building in Strathalbyn, the Black Chook (chicken) brand winery in McLaren Vale (sorry, the black chooks got lost a bit in the intense shade!), and a beautiful old gum tree at sunset in Gawler.

Now the last week of my Aussie Walkabout is on and it's a time for reflection. Soon I'll be back in North America and settling into my other life. As I get older I find I need the spaces for transition to be more conscious and they take more time...or is that just all in my mind?

I'm gearing myself up for the long journey and the 19 hour time change. Of course, I wouldn't want to get up any earlier each day although that is the recommended plan! I am so lucky I don't have to get right back to work as some people do. Loving my sleep as I do, the life of leisure suits me very well! I had a great day painting on Sunday and will squeeze in some more before I pack up all my painting gear later in the week.

I'm also hoping to hear my cousin's daughter Bec Watts and her partner Seb play at an RSPCA benefit on Sunday night. She's an amazing singer and they are great as a jazz/blues duo, so squeezing that event in would be wonderful.

And then, on to the rest of the year! One of my goals is to get a website up and running so I've been picking some people's brains and looking for ways to get started, on my own and in a professional and creative manner. If you have any suggestions for me drop a line--and soon! I have some time this week to do some research. I'm very much a rookie at this, starting with the terminology.

Getting the right key-words in is important, I understand, for the search engines to find you. Choosing them alone is an adventure! Should I go out on a limb and include "magic" and "fairies"? Or stay traditional and focus on "watercolour", "watercolor", "ärt", "painting", "landscapes", and the like? How do I incorporate this blog into the website? How to get my art images out there without risking Asian knockoffs? How do I make it visually stunning and encourage return traffic? All the technical stuff is learning in itself, so if you have advice let me know.

Until we meet again, take care.

The last 3 weeks

It feels like I've been a long time on the road! My friend Laurie flew into Sydney on February 9 and we spent a few days exploring my favourite spots, then headed to the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves (first photo) for 4 days. Returning to Sydney overnight, we then packed up the car and headed south...front wheels complaining all the way. I had the car looked at quickly before we left Sydney and the mechanic said we could make it all the way to Melbourne but drive carefullly, especially around corners, as the front rod and bearing was worn. So, we started on the way--Bundeena, Kiama (the lighthouse photo), Jervis Bay where we saw dolphins and kayaked, South Durras near Bateman's Bay where we again saw dolphins and kayaked, and Narooma where we saw a huge fur seal and Australia Rock (can you tell which photo that is?) By the time we got to Merimbula I was getting worried about the car but couldn't find anyone to look at it again quickly so we cautiously pushed on to Lakes Entrance (calmest waters at the Entrance I've ever seen--there's another photo!) and Melbourne without going off the road too far. It was a little disappointing as I'd hoped to show Laurie a few more spots.

As it turned out we made it safely into Melbourne (and little Molly Mazda into the shop) just in time to unpack, sleep and get up early for flights out the next day. Laurie went to Sydney and a cousin and I flew to Adelaide to explore South Australia for a week and see some other cousins there. We got in early and rented a car, stopping at Glenelg Beach, one of the prestigious Adelaide beach suburbs, on the way south to the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Port Elliot is absolutely gorgeous and we spent two nights there. Horseshoe Bay (not the one in Vancouver!) is beautiful and there are so many lovely historic bluestone and limestone buildings from the 1800s there. I always enjoy it--the sea is the most gorgeous colour. I did a couple of sketches there so might use them for further inspiration.

Then we went to another historic South Australian town, Gawler, between Adelaide and the Barossa Valley. Caught up with another cousin for a bbq, he lives at Maslin Beach which was the first nude beach declared in Australia. I brought my swimmers (as they call bathing suits down here) but we didn't go to the beach!

The next day was a trip to 3 wineries in the Barossa (and affiliated tastings, of course!) and a bit of a drive round the area. I love all the beautiful big gum trees around Adelaide. It's so dry there I can't believe the trees grow so big, but they do. The ground is mostly bare of grass in lots of spots, but the trees shade it nicely and we really lucked out on the weather--it wasn't too hot or cold and the breezes, especially the sea breezes, were just right. It can easily reach 35 or 40 degrees in the area this time of year, so I was happy to have it easy.

And now, I'm back in Melbourne, happy to be in one spot for almost 2 weeks until I return. There's lots of cousins, an aunt and uncle to catch up with, and my job is to organize my papers and possessions and Molly (Mazda) as to what to leave and what to pack to return home with. I'd also like to get a bit of painting in!! I've been quite slack, so much time on the road seems to slide by without a painting day. I do have a commitment to sketch a cousin's new baby before I leave, and spend another day painting with another one.

My days here are winding down and I can hardly wait to get home! And to see my husband again! I really missed him the last 2 weeks on the road, and it was great to talk to him on the phone after the Canadian hockey team won the Olympic gold! I thought of Vancouver a lot as we caught glimpses of the Games on TV while travelling. It was a very exciting period for Canada, and despite the tragic start it all seemed to flow smoothly afterwards.

I'll see about getting another post and some more photos before I leave, now that I have access to a computer and time. Hope you like this little travel journal!