Thank you NACC!

472

The month at NACC was really fun. I had an Opening on April 7th.   Then every other night I was there painting.  Well at least beginning a painting with the focus all on birds.

So I painted Ptarmigans

an Eagle

A raven (which I finished)

and Snow buntings

I had quite a few people take time to explore my paintings and I got to talk to a few of them. 🙂And after all the shows I had a spectator do the draw for the basket and Beth Collinson (one of my students) won the basketful of goodies. 🙂

It was a busy month and it was great to see everyone and to chat.  Now I am finally back to painting. I started a commission yesterday and also will be finishing the rest of the birds. I got the raven done before we went on holidays.

“Heedful”, 6×6 in, Acrylic, SOLD

Thanks so much for dropping by!  See you again soon(ish). Have a great week.

Luminous World with 60 paintings in 60 days

468

So I have been working on a video to attach to this blog post, but my computer is 6 yrs old and has decided to be decrepit and ancient…there sadly won’t be a video until I get a new computer.  Soon (I hope).  The photo above is the first sale I had on Friday, which went to  Russell who came into the house to fix something and he also checked out the art.  He stood in front of this painting (photo below) and chuckled.  I loved his response because that is exactly how I felt while I was painting this Ice Road Batman!  It made me very happy.

My 4th annual Art Show and Sale  called “‘Luminous World’ with 60 paintings in 60 Days” is complete!  And it was amazing to see all the work I had been doing for the past 10 months up on the wall.  The new hanging system worked rather well.  As you can see in the photo below:

Each of these little paintings were done in a day (if I was lucky, most took 1 1/2 days  andsome took 2 full days) and I put them in a binder in protect plastic pages.  I continued to add to this binder until I had 60 paintings.  It is funny how 60 paintings don’t look like that much when they are in the binder, but as soon as they are framed and hanging.  Wow that is a lot of work! 🙂

 

I still have some 2017 calendars for sale.  If you want one you can order one here on my website. There are 4 different shipping options to choose from.  I had one person order one for Yellowknife, one for Canada, and one for International…they were all shipped and delivered to the various places!  🙂

Here are a few more photos of the “Evening with the Artist” event!

Thank you for checking in on me.  There has been a lot going on and so my time for blogging disappeared.  But I  have it back and will start slowly.  See you next Thursday.  Have a great week.

Thursday – How I paint a Donut Video

462

“Afternoon Delight”, 8×10 inches, Watercolour

Well this weeks video is now live!

Head on over and subscribe to my YouTube Station!

I think I will be back to painting tonight…well maybe…could be a possibility…

I am trying to figure out my new routine now that I have added videos as well.  I have to figure out the time it takes to edit, narrate and so forth.  This is #3 so next week I think I shall actually time the whole process.  That will give me a better sense of things.

I plan to attempt to do a painting about the amazing thunderstorm we had on Monday night!  Thunderstorms are not common even in the summer, so to have one in April is highly unusual.  If you want to see a video and read more about it head over to CBC by clicking here!

Well I will see you after the weekend.  Thanks for dropping by.

Monday – Idea Generating

449

So I had a bit of a panic attack last week.  I thought “what if I run out of ideas of things to paint!?!” Which is a real concern when one decides to paint 100 little paintings.  I don’t want to do the same thing in different ways, but then I do want to do a bit of work in a series (which is doing the same thing in different ways).  🙂  So I am painting and fussing about this not having enough ideas.  Finally I decide to sit down (which I am not doing much of these days) and start to write down the ideas I have percolating away.  Shake my head…I don’t think I will run out of ideas.   The problem may be is that I have too many ideas.

“Stake Out”, 5×7, Acrylic

This week I have painted my very first raven.  I don’t know why I have never painted one before…but there you go, now I have.  I have a load of great photos from living on the 4th floor this past year.  I need to get more photos to work from though.  I think this could turn into a little series.

My painting time has become a lot less with teaching this week. I taught session 2 of Drawing 1 tonight, tomorrow I teach Acrylic 1 Session 1, Thursday and Saturday I teach session 3 and the last session 4 of  Watercolour 1, and Friday I teach at the school!  Life is hopping and I will be tired on Sunday!  🙂 The next few weeks will be very busy and then I will only be painting.

Here are my students learning how light forms an object.  🙂

Well I will see you on Thursday.  Have a great week and thanks for dropping by.

Monday: Teaching season begins

445

Well I am back to teaching!  I sure enjoy sharing the knowledge I have acquired over the years.  This January to June I am teaching in one of the local schools. I teach on Fridays for 80 minutes with a grade 8 class.  The first session is just a get to know about me and starting to get to know about them…also about getting going and we did get going.  🙂

Step-by-Step we go! I had to put tape around it to create the sharp crisp edge that a diamond has. And it worked very well!

“Potential Happiness”, 6×6 inch, Acrylic for 100 Painting Show and Sale later in the spring.

Painting 6 of 100 complete.  Well I am so pleased with how this painting turned out.  🙂 My oldest son is a photographer and when he lived in YK he work for a diamond mine and he was able to take photos of raw diamonds. He used them in work publications and I get to use them for painting!

I have had these images waiting in the wings for quite a while.  Now it is time to dust them off and see what else I can paint.  I plan to do this painting again but sized up much larger.  I love exploring a range of different subject.

Thanks to Chris Cook for naming the painting “Eonian Conversation”  1 of 100 painting. The cards are in the mail!

I will see you on Thursday.  Thanks for dropping in to see what I have been up to.

 

 

Sorting out my life!

436

When one works at break neck speed to pull a show together something has to give. Often it is sorting and putting stuff away. I am finally able to do that this past two days. It took me most of Friday to stop being “distracted” – which is just another way of saying procrastinating. By Saturday morning I had the mess ½ gone through.

The other thing that happens is that life was so full that there were plenty of To-Dos that got put on the back burner. So while sorting my brain is unearthing all the undone To-Dos that need my attention.

 

Now I am a very visual person. I need to see items to keep them in my head. As you see above there are a lot of things I have to do now that the show has been completed. I have decided to take two stickys a day and do what is written on them.   I could spend all my time this week catching up but I am an artist after all! So I also need to paint!

This little painting is a work in progress for my class on Sunday.  My father-in-law Don passed away shortly after my show was done.  So the Acrylic class that was to be a weekend class has been shortened to a one day class.  The students will be painting a flower.  I am not sure which of the two they will choose…but they will have a choice.  🙂  I just have to finish this one and paint the next one!

I will be back to my regular posting.  See you on Thursday.

Moment of Beauty

429

Save the Date!

As of today I have 44 painting days left. My 2016 calendars have arrived. I will be starting to fill out the Invitations for the “invitation only” part of the show.   I finished one of my very first square paintings! I am thrilled with how it looks.  And, I have started on the flower that is 20×30 sized painting the other day.   I am also working on some small acrylics as well.  Lots going on as I prepare for my 3rd Annual Art Show.

Time to hit the sack as my  to-do list is long!  So I best get at it. I will be coming every week to tell you what I have been up to.  Watch for updates.

Small paintings and brushes

413

I am playing a bit right now with doing some small acrylic paintings…some are successful and some are definitely in the “Oh-I-am-learning” category! 😉  Here is one I completed on the weekend.

Danger the dog doll, 15x15cm (6×6″), Acrylic

Somethings worked and somethings didn’t but it is all learning.  Ultimately that is what it is all about. I will have a range of these types of paintings available at my 3rd Annual Open Studio Art event in November. I won’t be showing them on internet until the show is completed.

One day when I was doing the finishing touches on one of the very small paintings I needed a very small round brush and I only had one and it has a very soft nylon bristle.  I couldn’t believe how well the paint flowed off of it.  So when I was on my girlfriend only trip I picked up a range of  brushes in a variety of brush types: flat, filbert, round. I am using them just at the very end of the painting process.  I can’t believe how helpful this soft brush is at that point.  Glad I figured that out.

See you again on Thursday.  Oh btw…between traveling, getting resorted and the weather being unusually warm this May I have been a little distracted.  I hope spring has sprung where you are and that you are enjoying the increased distractions.

Happy Victoria Day!

Happy Peeps!

406

I have to admit something…until a few years ago I had never heard of Peeps.  I follow a lot of artist and some of them were doing a Peeps painting challenge and reminiscing of their childhood with Peeps.   Well You know how that goes, you don’t know of something but as soon as it is brought to your attention you see that Peeps are part of our Canadian easter candy displays.  So this year I picked some up!  This painting make me smile.  I hope you have a wonderful Easter!

Thank you so much for taking time to drop by!  See you again soon.

Dancing Raven Studio and Geezer’s Garage

403

When I first started planning to teach last year I asked Eric “Geezer” Brown of “Geezer’s Garage” woodworking shop if he would make me some small easels.   So now these fabulous easels are available for sale in Yellowknife.  Just head over to my website to order.

40 cm x 40 cm (16x16in) these sturdy, well constructed easels are ideal for small paintings while you sit comfortably at a desk or table!

The easels fold down to quite flat. There is an easily adjustable shelf that moves up and down with the turn of the knob.

Thanks for dropping by.  See you soon!