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Colours of Ode to Joy
Often when you paint your love of painting shines through. I am so happy with the feeling I captured with this painting – it feels happy and joyful to me. Colours of Ode to Joy It feels like joy Yesterday, I completed this painting. I felt so happy when I looked up from my palette and realized there was nowhere left to put paint. I stood back to look at it and smiled and signed it. I am so happy with the feeling I captured with with this piece – it feels happy and joyful to me. Within minutes of signing it, I had a friend visit my studio. This…
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Spring is finally here
Spring fever and a generous slice of humble pie As we finally start to move away from the distractions that we all lived with during much of the pandemic, I am so happy that the warm Plein Air painting opportunities are slowly returning and to see smiling faces once again (maskless). I don’t know about you – but I have serious spring fever! It’s been a Corvid kind of Covid As you probably know, I almost always paint in a series. This year is no exception I have painted three crows and a blue jay! Both are members of the Corvid family! Intrigued We started to feed blue jays. We…
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Golden Glow and a January update
I really cannot get over how fast time is going! Christmas came and went and it’s now mid-January! I’ve been working primarily on a large oil painting – Golden Glow, along with several poured watercolours. Golden Glow was a labour of love. I found the degree of detail in the treeline to be almost daunting initially. I studied my reference photos for a long time before I actually started. I wanted to ensure the painting was fresh and organic and I tried not to make it too formal. In preparation for this painting, I did a number of Plein Air studies in the Hampton area and also did a study…
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Growing Skyward
Once upon day in late spring, I happened upon a wild garden of lupines. I got down as low as I possibly could to take my reference photos. I love this perspective of how these lupins are growing skyward reaching towards heaven. Inspiration in a ditch Inspiration can happen literally anywhere. When I was out driving around looking for potential reference photos, I noticed a ditch full of lupines in all colours imaginable growing at the edge of a parking lot. Of course I had to go and take as many reference photos as possible. It didn’t hurt that the sky and the lighting seemed perfect to me. I have…
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Well DANG
Well DANG! Sometimes you win some and sometimes you lose some. And with this painting I have had a false start …only I am not quite sure for sure (insert face palm emoji) Well DANG!!! I started this painting by blocking in the sky. The colour I was after was quite tricky as the blue began to lighten gradually towards the middle of the canvas. I had a lot of paint mixed. It wasn’t quite right. I thought maybe some Cerulean may help with the tone. I squeezed some out and mixed it in. Nothing happened. I squeezed more out and once again mixed it in half the mixture. No…
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SCA Art Chat with Helen
I’ll let you in on a secret Sometimes we are presented with an opportunity that pulls us out of our comfort zones. You know it will be good for you but still you resist. You can run but you can’t hide! Confession. I do not like to be photographed. Never have. I am the one with the camera. It’s the perfect way to avoid having my photo taken. Much worse is my aversion to being in a video. EGADs!! So when I was invited to participate in the Society Of Canadian Artists (SCA) Art Chat I was really happy and knew absolutely that I should participate with the interview –…
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Making of Chill Seekers Polar Bear Dip
I love it when a painting names itself. From the moment I pulled out the canvas to start work, I knew this piece was called CHILL SEEKERS! Sometimes naming the painting can be the most difficult part. Really! Polar Bear Dip Once upon a time, a few years ago now, a few family members decided to join the Polar Bear dip at Mispec Beach. For those of you who may not know what a Polar Bear DIp is – and for those that live in warmer climates and I’m sure never heard of this – it’s well, when normally sensible people decide to take a quick plunge in freezing waters.…
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May you live in interesting times…
My father had a quote that he used to like to say quite often and it really was both a blessing and a curse. May you live in interesting times Well, 2020 proved to be a clear reflection of the meaning of that expression. So much to be grateful for and yet so much uncertainty. 2020 clearly a year of many changes Personally I made a number of changes in my world. I made the decision to leave my day job so I could dedicate more time to painting. This was truly one of the best decisions ever. Ironically though, with this decision, came the reality of isolating away in…
