Monday, December 15, 2008

Cider Served in Red SOLD



Here it is, the final painting, I had fun with the texture of the strokes something you just can not see on a computer screen, so for those of you who live in the area if you have a chance I invite you to drop by to see it and my other work in person. This is a reminder for some of you and a first time invite for others, my Christmas Open Invitation is still on until December 25th if you are looking for a unique gift idea. email me or give me a call to arrange a visit.

For those of you who live here, stay warm, and for those of you who live in warmer climates, wish I were there it is now -26˚C yesterday it was 8 degrees colder.

Friday, December 12, 2008

I have been tagged



I have been working on this painting a bit more(please excuse the bad photo of it). I had about a half an hour to paint and ended up laying the red on thick! I loved how the strokes were so loose. The next photo will be the complete painting as I hope to finish it up this weekend.




I also have had the recent honor of being tagged. From what I understand how this work is I have to mention my tagger, tell 7 interesting or unusual bits of information about myself, and give mention of 7 other bloggers.


My tagger was Vicki Shuck a fellow painter from Oregon USA. She creates paintings with wonderful painterly strokes, I often visit her blog for inspiration.

7 things about myself off the top of my head...

1. I am a third generation painter. My grandma going before me and my mom recently discovering her talent.

2. I went to school, kindergarden to grade 12 with all the same people, graduating from a class of 31 students.

3. I worked in the advertising industry as a graphic designer for 8 years before moving to painting full time.

4. I only took up oil painting this spring in preparation for a workshop my Carol Marine. Struggling with acrylic for years before that.

5. I love going on road trips just me and my three year old son.

6. Rivers rejuvenate me

7. The meaning of my name is "door, seeker of truth"

Now check out these 7 talents, some I know personally, some only through the world of blogging...
Daphne Congo, my good friend who gently eased me into the world of oil painting.
Kristi Tencarre, a bright shining light in my world who tinkers with words and images!
Marianne Vanderkley, An amazing watercolorist who captures the nature of movement through beautiful textures in her work.
Kim Blair, she has an eye for vibrant color.
Rob Carey An inspiring sketchbook artist who spontaneously captures his everyday with his pen.
Sarah Sedwick who's paintings have a delicate feel with a balance of precise and loose brush stokes. And last but not least
Matt Talbert When he posts, his work is absolutely stunning

Monday, December 8, 2008

Progress on my cups



As promised, a progress update on my latest painting. I laid down the drawing on Friday, and never touched it again until today. I typically like to work wet in wet, however on these bigger ones, it is tough to do that. I will have to see how it will all work out. This stage is always a tough one. The painting looks so ugly, but its the potential that keeps me at it. Stay tuned for more progress photos.

On a sad note our family pet of 15 years passed away last night. He had a good life, this photo was taken during better times. Good bye old friend, you will be missed.


Cheetah 1993 - 2008

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Hustle and Bustle



MMM, nothing like a beautiful white canvas just waiting for that first stroke of paint!

I am in the thick of Christmas now, and this is why I have not posted for few days. I did however stop into my favorite store One Mans Treasure. Today was a good day for inspiration. I found these beautiful red mugs that I have set up for a larger painting. Ill post my progress in the next few days.

So come for a visit and see what I am working on. Maybe I will be done this piece so you can drink some whasel out of my new red cups! I had my first guests for my Art Studio Open Invitation last night, thanks for dropping by guys!

I want to bring your attention to my friend Kristi's blog. She encourages people to pick up pen and paper to write. I took up her "writing prompt today, check it out under the comment section of here posting for today.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Coffee First



(not for sale)

I have all my Christmas decorations out to start decking the halls! However I am finding myself procrastinating. Really only because we are trying to decide weather or not to go with a real tree or a fake tree. I think I am winning this one and real it will be!

With that said, I am extending an open invitation to stop by and see my paintings from now until Christmas. They are unique gifts for the hard to buy for! Check out details on the side of my blog page.

Parkland County Art Program

I am so happy to have had these three pieces accepted into the Parkland County Art Collection. My work along with other very talented artists will be on display in various public buildings in the county for people to enjoy. It is an honor to have been accepted.

Series of Close Up Still Life Subjects SOLD










Three Against One










White In Front of Stripes










Apple #2

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Sunshine



Another mug. These guys are so fun to paint. love the reflections and the challenge of getting the form right.

Well I have to make some changes in the way I am approaching this blog. I want to start working on some bigger work. The commitment I have made to post three times a week will have to change to "when I get a chance to post I will". I hope to post a small painting at least once a week. But also want to start working in my sketchbooks doing some study sketches and experimenting. These pages may show up on the blog as well!

This also means a change with how I sell my work. If you are interested in purchasing my work, please contact me through email. I will not be using E Bay at this time. The price of each piece will be posed with the painting and I will still use Pay Pal for transaction for your convenience.

I am excited about the changes, and hope you all still follow my work as I post. Thanks for the support to date and look forward to bigger and better work coming in the future!!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Cozy SOLD





It has not snowed here yet. I miss the snow, it makes everything look so clean, not to mention it makes hot chocolate taste so good!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Reflective SOLD






Someone told me lately that an unanalyzed life is a wasted life. I tend to spend allot of time assessing and analyzing my life. I want to be the best I can be in all areas of life. I have been in a very reflective mood the last couple of days. Looking back on the good days and the bad and trying to see where I can improve and where I need to leave very well alone. Funny, this process usually include a good cup of coffee or tea. Oh if these cups could talk : )

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

In a Mood





Yesterday, it was a tough one. My son was really pushing the limits and all my buttons. I am grateful for my friend who was so encouraging. I drank allot of coffee, probably to much. This painting really captures the mood of the day. Really the only thing that got me through the day was knowing that they are not all like this one.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

One Left Behind


6x6"
oil on MDF board
$490.00
This piece has been framed with the painting "Pepper"
I will send a photo of these framed pieces if interested. Email for enquiry.


After putting my vase and straw flowers away after the last painting, this one bloom got left out on my still life table. It was just calling out for attention. I painted it as it was, just lying there on the table. It was a challenge to paint in the subtle values and colors, quite a change from the last few paintings I have done. I also loved laying the paint on thick on this one.

Just a note: A huge thank you to Carol Marine for mentioning me in her blog this past week, and a thanks to all who have check out my work because of that.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Garden Reminder SOLD





The snow is blowing today. First day of snow and it is nasty. I don't like it when it comes so violently. The wind with its snow and ice is so intrusive. Fall could have ushered winter in a bit more gently. I am glad I grew straw flowers in my garden this summer. They dry so beautifully. These may pop up in a few paintings over the winter as I long to get into the soil in the spring.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Some Sort of Fruit





I was shopping today and saw these. I am not sure what they are nor do I know how to eat them. Any ideas?

Okay this is an edit to my original post. It is called a Persimmon. I still don't know how to eat it! What caught my eye was how the leaves formed a square shape, and the color is amazing.

Yet another addition to this post I tasted it and it is very good. Hard to explain, just pick on up and try it!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Hanging On



Another leaf and bottle. The way the light hits the still life it looks like a spotlight on a stage. I haven't posted for a while, I have been preparing to teach private art lessons. I am excited and really looking forward to it.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Citrus Wrap





This one was fun but challenging.I hope to do another sometime during the season.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Bit of a change to my blogging

Well I didn't get my second nor my third paintings done for the week. I have been fighting some serious fatigue the last two or three weeks so I am going to change how I work a bit. I am finding if I don't have my painting done by four in the afternoon now I am unable to get a good photograph as the sun is setting so early now. This means I will have to post the next day, as I paint most of the time while my son naps and his naps are later in the day. I typically don't get a painting done until 5 or 6 in the evening. Its a small change but it will make a big difference.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Acorn Corner SOLD




My son and husband collected these acorns and leaves thinking they would make for a good painting. I think they were right, I like how this one turned out.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Apple #2 SOLD




This is another demo done during a painting session with a student. I got back from my road trip about an hour ago and still feel road lagged. It was a good trip. I took one step back into my studio and it was like being hugged by a good friend I haven't seen in a while. I am looking forward to studio painting now. I think getting away from it is good, just to come back to that hug!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

The Last Basket


click here to bid
This was painted in my Mom and Dads back yard yesturday. The apple tree produces so many apples evey year, Mom is pretty happy to get down to the last basket. The sun in the back yard has been so beautiful, I was glad to have captured it here. The back chair is were Mom can often be found getting some "fresh air".

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Jewelled Pond SOLD



I painted this at my sisters house. They just moved into this beautiful home and have a wonderful back yard. Fall is here and the leaves are turning, the trip has been wonderful. This is the pond in their back yard that runs all year round, even in the middle of winter.

Friday, September 26, 2008

"Always TIme"



20" x 20"
oil on stretched canvas
commission

This is the commission painting I mentioned I was doing in a previous post. The woman who is being gifted with this has worked at the Stony Plain Multicultural Heritage Center for over 15 years and is now leaving. She was a former co-worker of mine and is a very special lady. This piece is about all the things she brought to her job, the students and staff and our friendships. She will be missed.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Center Stage



I really like this one. I feel like I struck a good balance with tight and loose brush strokes. And purple and yellow, how much fun is that!

Monday, September 8, 2008

White in Front of Stripes SOLD


Thanks for the comments on the last couple of posts. I have been feeling a bit off lately and its nice to know people are appreciative of my work. Keeping the petals simple on this one was a fun challenge. I grew these straw flowers in my garden this summer, the only cut flowers I have. I was so happy to have finally brought them in to paint.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Pear Jelly


6x6"
oil on board
$490.00
This painting is framed with "Not Going Anywhere"
I will send a photo of these paintings framed together if interested. Email for enquiry.

My friends Dora and Johann brought over pear jelly that they made from the pears on the tree in the park in the back of my house. I just loved how the jelly glowed in the sun light. My brother gave me a light that simulates sunlight pretty well. I am very excited about that. Now I don't have to race to capture the sunshine! My brother also made me an incredible table for my still lifes. Ill post some pics soon.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Center of Attention SOLD




I decided this weekend to do a large painting. I am getting ready for showing my work at a local gallery hopefully. I really had fun with the colors in this one and learned a lot about how I like working when it is a larger piece this one being 20 x 20". My plan is to do one larger piece once or twice a month for a year. At the end of that I should have enough pieces for a show. I will not be posting all my work here though. I hope to get a website up showing my bigger work.

If you are interested in purchasing this piece please email me.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Catching the Sun


Everything was against me for this one. My son was outside getting into something and the sun was moving on me. I was struggling with what to paint yesterday and today, I walked by my table that I have a bunch of still life stuff on and the sun was hitting this egg cup with the marble in such an amassing way I just had to paint it. I knew I had to paint fast and I didn't get it completely done while the sun was in one position but I think somehow it works.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Three Peppers Hot SOLD


loving these peppers. This one got wiped a couple of times. Always learning a lot.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Chopped Banana Peppers


Im getting quicker. My goal is to complete a painting in about one hour. This one took an hour fifteen. These peppers are from my garden. I like how the little glass dish distorts the knife and picks up the color of the handle. When my husband cooks I prepare all the ingredients for him. I bought these little glass dished to measure out things just like on the cooking shows. Its a fun way to cook.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Big Green Zucchini



My son and I were part of a community garden program this year. We are now harvesting beans, peas, carrots. The tomatoes that were in the last painting I posted and this big green zucchini all came from our garden. The weather is already turning here though, so we are out collecting our veggies before it gets to cold.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Three Against One SOLD


I had the title for this one as soon as I set it up. I just love how the red tomato reflects in the spoon making it seem bigger. I had set this one up day before yesterday and it just wasn't working for me, I tried it again today and it worked. Red and turquoise sure do work well together!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

As you can tell I have no painting to show. The last two days I have done two paintings and wiped them both. I feel like it just isn't coming together. This is tough. I debated whether or not to post this but figured you know this is reality, sometimes it just doesn't work. But tomorrow is another day. Hopefully a better one!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Not Going Anywhere



6x6"
oil on MDF board
$490.00
This piece is framed with "Pear Jelly"
I will send a photo of these pieces framed together if interested. Email for enquiry.

This one was fun to do. There were a lot of angles on the dishes and many colors. I wasn't sure if it would end up looking to busy but I think it turned out well. My email is down at the moment, I can recieve just can't send. I hope to respond to everyones emails that have come in soon. Still, let me know what you think of this one.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Lazy Lemon, last posting of Red Deer workshop



Okay so I finally painted a piece of fruit my last day. I really like how it turned out.



Carol giving me a few pointers. It was a really good week and look forward to more workshops in the future. These are the last of the workshop paintings that I liked. Let me know what you think of them. Im off to a wedding this weekend, will be back Monday.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Hot and Saucy, Dessert, Red Deer con't






One evening when in Red Deer we went out to Cleopatras for donairs. The hot sauce for the soup we had was such a beautiful color of red, I just had to paint it! And baklava for dessert. I didn't eat it till I had painted it. My mouth was watering the whole time!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Hot Day, more work from Carol's workshop



This one was allot of fun to do. The paper underneath the glasses is so happy!





The inspiration for the painting above came from the glass blowing studio which was right next to our painting studio. On breaks I would go in and watch magic. They all had to wear protective eyewear, some people got quite creative with this. Blowing glass is amasing! It is so dramatic how it is all done, and very hot!





Here is Carol giving instruction and doing a demo. Her demos took anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Res Keys SOLD, Unwound SOLD, Red Deer workshop with Carol Marine



Okay, as you can see I have not been posting much lately. I have to say, that is going to change. I just got back from an amazing workshop taught by Carol Marine, a daily painter from Texas. This workshop covered everything from painting fundamentals to the business of selling my work on line. Thank you so much Carol for sharing what you know.

The photo above is of my new creative friends and classmates, we all had such a wonderful week. Keep painting everyone!

The following posts are paintings I did during the workshop.


SOLD

I had enough of painting vegetables and fruit, I wasn't really happy with the outcome of the paintings so I took a break, reached into my pocket and there were my residence keys. I came back in, threw them on the table and started painting, this set the tone for the rest of the week. I just kept on challenging myself with subjects, other than fruit! It was good for me.


SOLD

By this time I was on a roll (Oh bad pun, I know). This painting I donated to the silent auction, all money going toward scholarships for the summer series at Red Deer Collage which this workshop was a part of.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Three Cherries


(not for sale)

Considering the surroundings I found made the composition more interesting. I had fun with this one.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

White Anemone



The Anemones are in bloom now, so delicate looking. The bud is a poppy. I love how it looks like a head of some serpent like creature. As the days went on it would move around. The dark background was tough to photograph in this one but my husband managed to get a good representation of the work.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Open House Continued





So I had an open house last weekend and it went really well! Thanks to all of you who came out to see my work. I am doing it again this weekend so those of you who couldn't make it last weekend please come over, Friday and Saturday from 1 to 5.

Monday, May 12, 2008

The Split


(not for sale)

The reflection of the skin on the whole avocado was a challenge in this one. Was a nice change from all the tulips.

Letting everyone know about my art studio open house Thursday, Friday & Saturday May 22nd, 23rd, & 24th from 1 to 5 each day. If you are interested in coming email me.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Open Red Tulip



I just love how tulips open so wide they fold over on themselves. It was fun to paint. These were very hard to photograph because of the white background. The color is a bit washed out.

Artist Talk at SNAP Community Gallery in Edmonton, AB

Hello Everyone, I would like to invite everyone to an artist talk I am giving this Thursday on new print based work that I have exhibit...