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Painting Returns Home with Two Awards
My painting “Sitting Duck” just returned home the 89th Annual “Open Water” juried art show recently held in Toronto. This show is the major event in the Canadian Society Painters in Watercolour (CSPWC) exhibition calendar. Open Water is open for jurying to artists working in transparent watercolour. With my painting were two award certificates; the “Sally Sloan” Award and “The Artists Magazine” Award. This is all very exciting – I was pretty proud to have a painting selected for the show. Then just prior to the show opening I was notified about receiving the Artists’ Magazine Award. Pretty happy about that. Then I received a call awhile later informing…
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The Naming of a Painting of a Raven
Naming the bird Here is my yet unnamed and unfinished painting of a raven. My friends at Google tell me that there are three names for a group of ravens. Unkindness. Conspiracy. Constable. When I embark on painting a series I do quite a bit of research on the subject, in this case ravens. I like to title my paintings with meaning whenever possible, especially if I can come up with a name that includes somme tongue-in-cheek humour. What’s in a name? I know ravens are important in the culture of First Nations (and I have this lineage on my mother’s side) so my curiosity is naturally piqued. An Unkindness,…
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Call of the Raven finished
It is always an exciting part of the painting adventure to call a painting finished. I looked over the “Call of the Raven” numerous times and then called in my critiques er family to scrutinize. I appreciate their honesty, fresh eyes and ability to see what I may be missing or just not seeing anymore. The happy moment is when a painting passes the family test. I have been hunting crows and ravens with my camera for a few years now with a series in mind. This is the first of that work. I delivered this painting into my framer and asked Mario to order in enough of the same moulding for…
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My Painting in 2014 CSPWC Show
Kudos! My watercolour painting “Sitting Duck”was accepted into the 89th Annual Canadian Society Painters in Watercolour (CSPWC) 2014 Open Water. This was pretty exciting in its own right as this juried show is open to international artists painting with transparent water-colour. Then I received a phone call earlier in the week to let me know that my painting has won a Magazine Award – this is so exciting! Recognition is both liberating (or is it validating?) and encouraging. This is the second award for this painting. It also won second place in the SKB small painting show in Wyoming! As an artist we are most often hunkered down in our studios working away in solitary wondering if we are on the right…
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Call of the Raven
I admit that from the moment I started planning this raven painting that I was unsure what to title it. While I was uploading photos of the work in progress it occurred to me to name it “Call of the Raven”. This makes sense as it is certainly cawing about something. I did quite a bit of research with my good friend Google to find out “what do you call a group of ravens?” The search came back with a few possibilities such as “unkindness, constable, conspiracy and parliament”. I played with “Call to Parliament” but when I tested it with a few friends they really didn’t understand it…
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Yesterdays Blooms Finally Finished
The name Yesterday’s Blooms came from a few different ideas I had white working on this watercolour of white roses that grow in the back corner of my yard. Early in the season the blooms are so white, almost a transparent white. As the season progresses, the blooms take on a hint of pink. Only to become quite pinkish and coral nearer to the fall as the bloom matures. I stepped back from this painting for a period (far too long) once I deepened the background. I had to get my head around how deep the values really are on the “white” roses. The value of a grey scale value…
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SKB Workshop in Dubois WY 2014
It is so had to believe another year has come and went. Attending the SKB workshop in Dubois again this year was almost a completely different experience from last year. Last year I spent most of the week in complete awe! Getting to meet my Art Colony friends in person and hang out with them for over a week. The entire experience was nothing less than amazing. So many wonderful memories. It is so had to believe another year has come and went. Attending the SKB workshop in Dubois again this year was almost a completely different experience from last year. Last year I spent most of the week in…
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Great news
I have great news to share. I just received news that my watercolour painting Mallard Trio has been selected as a finalist in The Artist’s Magazine 31st Annual Art Competition in the Animal and Wildlife category. It will appear among the lists of finalists that will be published in their December 2014 issue. This is really exciting news for me! The competition’s entries, over 7,500, were particularly strong this year. As editors, we had a difficult task to whittle the field; it is truly an achievement that your work was among the ones we sent to the jurors. Did I say EEEEEEEEEEEEEE
