Saturday, November 29, 2014

From Canmore with Love


From Canmore with Love
14x18"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #150 - This paint began while attending a conference in Canmore. I walked by a colleague of mine who said, "Can I have that painting?" I had worked with Diane for the past four years on the Fine Arts Council of the Alberta Teachers Association. Diane is a gem - the thought of her makes me smile! I looked at her and said, "Yes, the painting is yours." I took the painting home and completed it with my trade mark patterns in the foreground. I used words to describe the experiences I had with Diane while spending a night out with her in Canmore.

Friday, October 17, 2014

1958 Edsel


1958 Edsel
5x7"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #149 - Another gem found in the fields of southern Ontario. The interior was cream leather with gold piping! It was for sale ... I debated whether or not to include the for sale sign in the painting.

1962 Chrysler Imperial


1962 Chrysler Imperial
5x7"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #148 - I saw this gem while out on a walk. Chris, the owner caught me taking photos. I think I may have to paint the tail lights as well as they were stunning.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Tuckered Out (Home on the Range #6)


Tuckered Out
6x6"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #147 - I found this truck nestled in the trees in someone's yard while I was out for a walk. I don't think it has been driven in years! A nice little addition to the collection.

Home on the Range #5


Home on the Range #5
6x6" 
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting # 146 - Another truck to paint thanks to my colleague Ken who provided me with the photo. I like it and continue to be surprised at how difficult these little guys are to paint!

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Dance With Grace


Dance With Grace
12x12"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #145 - Again, this painting was inspired from a photograph from Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park. I used Photoshop to enhance colours and tried to create a "sparkle"! I think I almost "got it"!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Seen Its Day


Seen Its Day
6x6"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #144 - My niece sent me this photo of this beat up old tractor. The perspective of the photograph is excellent - well done Katie!! I like the painting - its fun.

Step Into the Light


Step Into the Light
12x24"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #143 - This painting was from a photo I had taken while visiting Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park. I used a Photoshop app to enhance the colours and then played them up a bit more with paint.

Simple Pleasures


Simple Pleasures
12x24"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #142 - My niece took the reference photo for this painting while we were on an Alaskan cruise. I'm happy with my trees and I really like the pop of orange in the background.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Abundance


Abundance
10x20"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #141 - This painting comes as a surprise to me. I say that because it didn't come from my brain - it just emerged from me. I used a reference photo that I had taken from Stratford, Ontario but the photo was entirely green. I like the red .... I think (:

Home on the Range 3


Home on the Range 3
6x6"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #140 - Who knew that trucks were so hard to paint! Thanks again to my colleague Ken for the photo - keep them coming!

Monday, June 30, 2014

Divinity Within


Divinity Within
18x24"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #139 - I enjoyed painting this landscape - I think it shows. I noticed that my marks are expressive. There seems to be a lot of energy in this painting... it must be my inner self because that wasn't my intention.

Home on the Range #2


Home on the Range #2
6x6"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #138 - Well, I do like the end result but boy oh boy was this tractor difficult for me to paint. From the angle of the tires to the details in the engine - I think my eyes "hurt" after this one! I like the pipe and the blue can!

Watch


Watch
10x10"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #137 - This is my final example for the Revive project. Here I've used analogous colours instead of primary colours like my previous example. The "grace" card I chose was "watch" and thus, I incorporated this word by using  zentangle patterns in each letter.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Reflections


Reflections
6x6"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting # 135 - My colleague gave me a picture of Gull Lake. I used its best features - sky, lake and trees, to create this little painting of a warm summer day.

Home on the Range #1


Home on the Range #1
6x6"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #135 - This was a fun painting to complete, however, all of those angles were tough! Thanks to my colleague Ken who provided me with the picture.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Alberta Thaw


Alberta Thaw
24x36"
Acrylic on Canvas
Painting #134 - This painting is inspired by another one of my colleague's photographs. I think I'm in the painting stage of trying to go tight so that I can go "loose." Yes, its a very traditional painting. I feel I need to go here so that I can get to the place of going loose with lots of colour.... I need to understand the realistic landscape before I move on to a more exciting imaginary landscape (I think!!).

Key Goals


Key Goals
10X10"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #133 - Another painting example for the wellness group.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Primary Goals


Primary Goals
10x10"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #132 - Another project for the wellness group, which uses primary colours and line designs.

Within My Light


Within My Light
10x10"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #131 - Just experimenting with painting projects that I could do with adults in a wellness group.

With Love


With Love
16x16"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #130 - Those flower petals were quite challenging!

Daisy Cluster


Daisy Cluster
16x16"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #129 - I'm not sure why, but this painting was challenging. I wanted to add colour instead of grey for shadows but the painting aways felt like something was missing. I needed a painting partner for this project!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Petuna Shower


Petuna Shower
6x6"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #128 - The rain drops were a bit challenging and I'm still not happy with them - I'll try them again in another painting. I like the colour palette.

Shade-loving


Shade-loving
6x6"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #127 - I'm finally starting to get faster at painting these little guys! I like the bold colour palette of this painting.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

True Alberta


True Alberta
36x48"
Acrylic on Canvas
Painting #126 - A colleague of mine took a beautiful photograph of this landscape. I wanted to see if I could capture the beauty of the landscape in paint that he did with his photograph. In the end, I like his photograph better, however, I developed more skills in the area of atmospheric perspective through this endeavour.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Day Lily


Day Lily
6x6"
Acrylic on Board
Painting #125 - I'm still enjoying painting my flowers. My goal is to complete two more small ones and then move to a larger surface.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Shasta Daisy


Shasta Daisy
6x6"
Acrylic on Board
Painting #124 - and another flower. Still enjoying my flower series!

Water Lily


Water Lily
6x6"
Acrylic on Board
Painting #123 - and more flowers!

Rocky Mountain Columbine


Rocky Mountain Columbine
6x6"
Acrylic on Board
Painting #122 - Still painting flowers and enjoying it!

Monday, October 21, 2013

Centred on You


Centred on You
12x12"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #121 - I love the little "furry" white hairs around the petals of this flower. I also like the centre. Its interesting and I like how I captured its shadows. I should have perhaps had more light on the petals in the foreground.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Time Honoured


Time Honoured
36x36"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #120 - This started out as an unfinished abstract painting, which consisted of collaged clocks, airplanes and beautiful orange Japanese paper. I thought an autumn tree and time were a perfect match so I painted the sky and then used thick paint for the trunk and leaves ... very fun! I left just hints of the underground painting showing through.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Autumn Jewels


Autumn Jewels
12x24"
Acrylic on Canvas
Painting #119 - I was longing for texture! I had fun using thick paint to complete this painting.

Crisp Autumn


Crisp Autumn
9x12"
Acrylic on Canvas
Painting #118 - I just wanted to do a small painting representing the coolness of Autumn.

Autumn's Walk


Autumn's Walk
18x36"
Acrylic on Canvas
Painting #117 - Sometimes its disappointing when somebody wants to buy one of my paintings but its not the right size. Thus, I painted this painting so that it could be placed beside Autumn's Path for a larger painting.

Autumn's Path


Autumn's Path
18x36"
Acrylic on Canvas
Painting #116 - Just playing around with landscapes. I like the variety of depths between the trees.

Welcome


Welcome
12x60"
Acrylic on Canvas
Painting #115 - This painting was inspired by a photograph that I saw while visiting Vegas. I loved the yellow sky and forest of birches.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Anemos


Anemos
12x24"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #114 - I wasn't sure what to call this painting so I asked my husband for help. He told me the white flowers are called Snowdrop Anemone. I took this picture when the flowers were blowing in the wind so I wanted to capture that in the title. After some research I found out that Anemone got their name from the greek work, "anemos" which is the Greek work for wind. Perfect title I thought!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Footloose and Fancy-Free


Footloose and Fancy-Free
12x12"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #113 - Ahh, to be young again and have time to stare at your toes! My niece took this picture. I love it and thought it would be fun to paint.

Predictable Patterns


Predictable Patterns
18x18"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #112 - I completed this painting for the Fine Arts Council's Third Annual Art Exhibition for teachers and students. Our exhibition will be titled, How Do the Arts Strengthen Communities? Each painting submitted will be accompanied by a narrative. Here is mine:

The arts strengthen communities economically and culturally. Twice a year my business holds an art exhibition and sale in the community of Bridgeland-Riverside. Our show brings tourists and visitors to the area who not only spend money at our venue but also at local businesses. Additionally, our art exhibitions build community identity and pride. With two annual shows it’s become a meaningful event for community members. People come out to celebrate and support the arts and to enjoy the wonderful neighborhood. Our biannual art event adds to the vibe of the Bridgeland-Riverside community.

The flowers in my painting are called Checkered Lilies. Their checkered pattern is as predictable as the benefits the arts bring to a community. The arts increase the attractiveness of an area to tourists, businesses and people, and they promote a sense of collective identity and efficacy.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Backyard Bouquet


Backyard Bouquet
8x10"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #111 - This painting comes with the glory of accomplishing my goal. I wanted to complete eight flower paintings for my spring show and I did it. I also wanted to experiment with a medium called resin, which is a hard, high gloss finish. I used resin on all my flower paintings and I love the richness that it brought out in my colours.

Love Me Love Me Not


Love Me Love Me Not
8x10"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #110 - This is my favourite painting of my flower series. I especially like the way the light hits the daisies.

Asiatic Lilies


Asiatic Lilies
8x10"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #109 - I like this painting too. It looks better in real life. My challenges were achieving the correct values while working with my greens.

Alberta Crocus


Alberta Crocus
8x10"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #108 - I like this painting. I like the way the flowers are nestled in the grass. Thanks to my neighbour Gwyn for the photograph of the flowers.

Backyard Lilacs


Backyard Lilacs
5x7"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #107 - Who knew lilacs were so hard to paint? I like the light shining on the left side of the flowers. I will get some good pictures of lilacs this spring and attempt to paint them again.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Nasturtium


Nasturtium
5X7"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting # 106 - I didn't use really thick paint on this painting, which I think works better with the resin.

Spring Clematis


Spring Clematis
5x7"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #105 - A continuation of my flowers series. I've learned that maybe its not such a good idea to paint thickly if I want to use the resin. I love the shiny finish!

Bluebells


Bluebells
5x7"
Mixed Media on Board
Painting #104 - I thought I'd create 8 flower paintings for Beacon Original Art's next show. I wanted my paintings to be loose with thick paint. I used photoshop to manipulate my pictures. I also wanted to try, for the first time, using Resin - the glass-like finish that's so shiny. I'm happy with my results.

Reserved Land


Reserved Land
11x14"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #103 - I continue my exploration of the landscape despite my difficulties. I'm hoping one day those leaves will come to me intuitively.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Soul Access


Soul Access
24x36"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #102 - This painting was so hard - I really need to start getting myself reference photos.

The In Crowd


The In Crowd
40x40"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Painting #101 - This was a fun painting but it would have been a lot easier had I had a photo. I just liked the idea of the birch trees on a big canvas and I wanted to project the feeling of a calm, warm summer day in the woods.