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Home Away From Home
Travelling with paint adds another dimension as well – weight – so you have to be really discriminating as to what you pack. The other challenge is this is the shoulder season with spring creeping in on winter so you need clothes and footwear to bridge both seasons. More weight. I had to be really selective with my art supplies. I packed up my art supplies so I’d be able to “studio” paint while visiting my daughter and her family on the West Coast. My home away from home whenever the opportunity arises. Since this is still the rainy season in Vancouver, water mixable oils and Plein Air painting are…
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And that went fast
And that went fast – Summer. What the heck happened? How is it possible you are leaving us so soon? It seem like you were only a blur this year. Anyone else feel this way? Oh, I know we can all be too busy – but this time of year I stop to smell the roses. Literally! I always say that is the sun is out…I’m out. Only this year the sun was elusive, the weather was wet, often smokey and incredible humid! And a lot of the blooms literally rotted on the bush. Yes, I know you know but I feel obligated to complain a bit more and remind…
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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…
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Vigilance – oil painting of an osprey
This elegant osprey had me spellbound as we watched it fly from the nest, around the bay and back. Over and over. I could not get over how majestic it was sitting high in its nest, being totally observant and on guard. Vigilance! So, I had to paint it! Summer sky This was a warm summers day with not a cloud in the sky. Warm breezes blowing. We were sitting outside at a restaurant by the edge of a little bay on Prince Edward Island just savouring the day. There was a nesting platform very close to where we were sitting. I spent most of the time on my feet…
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Ducks in a Row
Ducks in a Row is a 1/2 sheet poured watercolour painting of Ducks Unlimited nesting boxes hung in a row Summer memories Last summer we were in Prince Edward Island in the very picture perfect area of Annandale. We rented an old farmhouse that was situated on a old farm. On the property were many sun bleached barns. While exploring the property, we came across the back of a barn with a number of Ducks Unlimited nesting boxes hanging in a row. Hence Ducks in a Row! I knew immediately there was a painting in that series of photos. Most likely a poured watercolour! Trickier than I expected I had…
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Memories of Addo National Park
Last year we had the wonderful opportunity to travel to South Africa. And what would a trip to SA be without going on a safari? We were very fortunate to be able to go to Addo Elephant National Park and spend a couple of days there. I think this needs experience needs to be captured in a series of painting – both with poured watercolour and large oils. Safari We were so excited to be on safari in an open jeep that for the first few hours we did not even mind the rain! We knew South Africa had been in a long draught so we would not dare to…
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Cafe Conversations
I was recently in Vancouver visiting my daughter Jenn and her beautiful family for a couple of weeks. Love. While I was there my other daughter Katie joined us from Calgary with her baby Henry. So perfect. The time in BC was low key. Exactly what we all seem to need at the time. Enter cafes and coffee shops When in Vancouver Coffee Shops and Cafes are a big part of the culture on the west coast. And Jenn and I had the opportunity to go to Savary Island Pie Company one drizzly day. I was completely taken in by the coziness of the place and the lighting in the…
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To Santa Fe and back
This trip had been loosely planned for a year I mean we all registered on the last day of PACE 17 when we hear it would be in Santa Fe. Other than that, we waited until January to book flights and the hotel room for the trip home. And maybe just maybe, we should have really scrutinized the schedule first. Who has time to be that planful? On the road again Two friends and i planned to meet at the airport in Albuquerque, rent a car (really really expensive) and drive to Santa Fe. I Googled the satellite maps to look at the roads to mentally prepare me for the…
