The 50 x 50 Challenge How it went...

Slices III, II, I

Oil on canvas (framed in black)

3"x3"

$95.00 Cdn each

In the middle of reno's and full day classes, I decided I needed to paint 50 paintings in 50 days. Challenge equals fun in my dictionary!

Between classes, assignments, running to the Home Depot for the renovator, preparing the venue and confined to my kitchen, I managed to paint 49 paintings in 49 days!

On the 50th day I showed my 49 paintings at an unusual venue: the empty office space of a former paint factory. It was a fun space, full of natural light, and was generously loaned to me by the people at Cloverdale Paints.

The day of the show was the worst blizzard in 54 years and yet many people braved the elements to be there. I felt absolutely...how can I describe it...honoured, humbled and blessed almost covers it..when so many folks showed up!
At the request of those who absolutely couldn't dig themselves out, we held the show over a week later. Edmonton was the coldest place on the planet that weekend! I promise: no more art shows for awhile!

I have posted above three of the paintings that didn't find a forever home. They are Slices I, II, and III. (they are shown in reverse order...you know how my blogspot and I get along...I post the pictures and Blogspot puts them where it wants! Nice work, Blogsplot...I mean Blogspot)

Summertime recap

September is upon us already!
Whew, the summer just zoomed by.
The summer holds so many tempting and irresistible distractions, doesn't it?
I'm back to Blogging and painting, not necessarily in that order!
I'm going to attempt, once again, to upload some of the paintings I completed since June. (hooray, it worked....I was worried) Did you know that if you click on a painting you will see it larger than life? You probably did but I just discovered that trick. hmmmmm.

This first painting was completed on June 21st, the longest day of the year. We (Alberta Oil Painters) met at Elk Island National Park for a summersolsticepaintoutandpicnic but were blown away, literally, by the arrival of the storm which is brewing so beautifully in this painting.


Summer Solstice Storm 2009
8x10 Oil on Board

Bob's Boat 1
8x10 Oil on Board















This is somebody's boat,
maybe not Bob's!
It's beside Bob's Point so I just assumed.
I'm pleased with the boat and reflection in this painting...it was a beautiful still evening and the sun was setting behind the trees. All the ragwort blooms were facing away from me and toward the last rays of the sun.


Bob's Boat 2
8x10 Oil on Board












This painting was in the same spot a week later but at 9:00 am. Note the yellow ragwort facing the sun...the extremely hot sun which was burning my back as I painted! The day was windy and the water a bit choppy at times...interesting change from painting on a still evening.

Blissfully few bugs again! What a great summer!

Finally I'll share with you a portrait I was privileged to be commissioned to paint. George and Elizabeth are a couple my husband and I have had the pleasure of knowing and working alongside for the past few years at a local drop-in center.

George and Elizabeth
11x14 Oil on Canvas

It has been awhile since you've seen anything from me!
My computer was sick and visited the computer hospital. When it came back, it seemed okay. Unfortunately, things aren't always what they seem! I can send a text message but I can't download any photos. It's sooo frustrating; I have so many paintings to show you!
Please be patient while I get this glitch fixed...Thank you!
I'll notify everyone by e-mail when it's up and running.
Enjoy these summer days! I'll be out painting as often as possible...look for me!

Still life

Pears with a Red Pot, 8x10, Oil on Board



This is a quick still life I did at my friend and painter-pal Tracey Mardon's house. We try to get together once a week. I found this interesting red pot (with a gerbera) and some pears in Tracey's
kitchen and, voila!

















This is a close up of the end of the pear on the left. Thought it might be of interest to see the brush strokes in detail.

Beaver Pond at McTaggart

Beaver Pond 5x7 oil on canvas
Soon you will recognize this little corner of my world...

Saturday we had quite a few passers-by including a group of "lost" hikers and a jogger jogging in circles. A bit distracting! It was undoubtedly the warm weather and the threat of snow for Sunday that brought us all out.

I've been trying to use fewer strokes and more color. This little painting is a good example of what I mean. (The color may have been enhanced; I was wearing my rose colored glasses!)

The Clay Paths

Saturday found me back at the beaver dam.

I set up under some huge spruce trees; my seat was a stump the beavers left. This painting looks at the two paths coming off the beaver dam and around the corner.

The sun was so bright that the clay looks almost white. The dogwood were red, there was a little bit of green grass along the edges of the path and the little spruce trees were finally fully green. All day the sun played hide and seek in the clouds and the wind chased the clouds across the sky. It was a real coat-on-coat-off kind of day! And still no mosquitoes. Beautiful!

Clay Paths, 8x10, Oil on panel

April's Flowers

April in Alberta. What could be browner? And you know how I feel about brown!! Isn't April supposed to feel hopeful? No snow, long days, almost warm weather, bright blue skies and yet...it's gray and gritty. In the Woodbend natural area in April, all I found to paint was the field you saw several blogs back. Then I looked through the photos I took that day hoping I'd find something a little more inspiring!

It took some hunting but I managed to find some colour, these pretty pussywillows. Each one that was in full bloom looked like a miniature flower bed.

This is the paintng I am donating to "The Cause"- to keep the Woodbend natural area from being turned into a gravel pit.

I call this April's Flowers, 5x12, Oil on canvas

Riches!

Some days there is too much to paint!

I was introduced to a little piece of heaven yesterday by a new painting buddy, Terry. I couldn't understand why he was so excited about showing us this particular spot. Now I know. There wasn't a direction you could turn without there being a subject for a sweet painting. It was beautiful!

It was also mindboggling.


How to edit any part of that scenery onto my itty bitty canvas was going to prove to be a challenge. I finally focused on the biggest tree at the end of the beaver pond on which we were standing (we actually were on a very old dam that is about 15 feet wide and thirty feet long). In order to fit this view onto my canvas I had to eliminate several spruce, a lot of beaver-cut logs, some bushes, a muskrat, two ducks, a Canada goose, a raven, four beavers and, uh oh, three mosquitoes. What I'm trying to tell you is, there were a lot of distractions!







Old Man, 5x7, oil on canvas

Off the Walls

Some of my readers have been following my artistic progress for some time (since Before Blogging) and they have asked me to post more of my early work.

Although this blog was originally intended for you to follow my progress from now, I see the value in knowing where I've already been.

I've decided to continue to post my older pieces under the heading "Off the Walls" since that's where they are...well, actually they're ON the walls; but you get my meaning! These posts will be an ongoing but not regular feature. Like little surprises.

The following painting is from a photo of my daughter Stephanie taken when she was about two years old and already enjoying the attention of the camera. This is a nice photo and made a great subject for a painting. It's a favorite for a lot of reasons and happens to have a place of honor on one of MY walls!

Stephanie, 18x24, Oil on Canvas

Out again

There's a controversy about a natural area not far from here: there are plans to strip mine it for gravel. It a beautiful area with wetlands, access to the river and much wildlife. The Woodbend neighborhood is fundraising and has asked me to donate a painting which I am happy to do.

This is the long preamble to the reason I was standing in a field yesterday, bundled up and painting. I thought I would get some material for a painting of the area. April is not the best time for color but I found a few interesting places and chose this field (out of the wind) for these studies.

No Trespassing , 8x10 oil on board

No Trespassing 2 5x7 oil on canvas

The background trees are much better in the second smaller version; all that mucking around with the first one taught me something. Always experimenting and learning!

Getting OUT to paint...finally!

Today I thought I'd try a little plein air painting (inspired by Marc Hanson.)

I was going to paint outside; it was -3C, a little too cool. So I painted with the little easel I rigged up for my car. The difficulty with painting from the car is finding a good scene and a good parking spot! I painted this mighty mini in the parking lot at the local zoo. With the windows open I could still feel the breeze and hear the birds.
I must say that I really enjoyed myself! It was a needed distraction from the pressures of the last few weeks. ahhhhhhhhh!
There was no traffic except for one vehicle that sloooowwwed right down while the driver was trying to figure out what the heck I was doing!




Is That Green I See? 5x7" Oil on canvas

I changed my mind

Life's experiences often change the way we see our world.

A recent upheaval in my life,
the slow, painful death by cancer of my only brother,
has certainly changed the way I see the world.

This new view affects all areas of my life and, naturally, my art.

My new Art Philosophy is simple: Life is short. Too short for brown. (sorry, brown)

The painting below is one of my favourite subjects which I revisited in an oil sketch to illustrate my new philosophy.

I imagine that each holds appeal to someone.

The important aspect is that

the art changed because the artist changed.