Canajan, eh?

Some Canadian humour. I just had to post these you're-probably-Canadian-isms because so many are so true! ROTFLOL! My comments are in brackets.

Forget Rednecks...
Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Canadians:

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you may live in Canada. (they used to - now during that time, they just close at 8 pm instead of much, much later as in summer)

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Canada. (done this myself! Often.)

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Canada. (Just shorts and a parka? How 'bout sandals, too!)

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialled a wrong number, you may live in Canada. (LOL.)

If 'vacation' means going anywhere south of Detroit for the weekend, you may live in Canada. (doesn't apply. American-wise, I've never been south of Lake Placid and Syracuse. Is Old Forges more south than that???)

If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Canada. (I am so guilty of this one. Ask me hour far Toronto is and I'll automatically say 4 hours.)

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Canada. (know many!)

If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you may live in Canada. (done this often!)

If you can drive 90 km/hr through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you may live in Canada. (who hasn't done this??? I thought it was normal.)

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Canada. (Where I grew up, the locks on the doors didn't even work!)

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Canada. (Excuse me? Of course, I know how to use them!)

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you may live in Canada. (well, natch!)

If the speed limit on the highway is 80 km -- you're going 95 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Canada. (LOL - isn't that what the 401 is all about?)

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you may live in Canada. (Fact of life!)

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you may live in Canada. (LOL)

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you may live in Canada. (Well, since I don't own a snowblower and we shovel by hand, this one doesn't apply. Each winter, I swear we're going to get one but somehow winter rolls around and I'm still shovelling by hand, trying to convince myself that it is a terrific workout.)

If you find -2 degrees 'a little chilly', you may live in Canada. (-2 is for those days of wearing shorts, a 'parka' and sandals if the snow's not flying. If it is, then just the 'parka' and shorts. Though, I don't know any self-respecting Canadian who refers to them as "parkas". ) (Btw, -2 is almost tropical.)

If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your friends,you definitely are Canadian and proud to be. (Does posting it to your blog count?)

And another page ......

This page is about things I like to paint with. It's hard to see the writing but just in case you're interested, here's what it says ....

Things I Love to Paint With! My studio window open, birds chirping. I like that there are no trucks around here! I like the sound of a hot summer Sunday. If I look out my studio window, there are birds at the feeders. I like the colour of the water in the pool. This aqua. I like the sound of the summer breeze gently moving the wood blinds and the bamboo wind chimes. I love to have some flowers on my painting table so they can die and be painted by me. A bottle of wine, a wineglass and a few sips. My favourite brushes. A dip in the pool when the heat gets to be too much. Then back here. Living in my swimsuit ALL day long on each day off - rain or shine. Quiet. I love how QUIET this house is. I love how this house breathes. I love how this house sighs with deep contentment. I live in this beautiful house. It speaks to me. This house speaks good things to me.

Too weird?

Still Journaling

Another journal page. This one is kind of plain so far - I'm still not sure yet what I'm going to write on it but I like the theme of French Canadian appeal - if you have to ask .... It's funny how these pages go - I don't have a theme when starting. I just keep playing around. This page is one of the narrower flaps that will fold out.

There's snow on the ground here - I hope it all melts and that we have a green Christmas and a green winter.

I spent a really relaxing weekend of not doing much. Hope your's was relaxing, too.

Journaling in a handmade journal

Well, it's been a long time. Again. I had been hoping to participate in a twenty minute challenge this past weekend but I got caught up in journaling. I stumbled (quite by accident) across Teesha Moore's videos on journaling and just had to try them. You can get an idea here of her work. If you do make some, please let me know. I'd love to see them!

Sooooo, I made two books. I still have to stitch them together but decided to start painting in one of them because I just didn't feel like going to shop for the proper 'thread' needed.

These books are soooo much fun! You make one book out of one full sheet of w/c paper. In her videos, she mentions to not use Arches. "Only use Fabriano." Her reasoning is that Arches will crack when you fold it. Bull feathers. I made one out of the last sheet of Fabriano that I had and then, because someone told me not to, I had to make one out of Arches, too. The Arches one seems just as good. (And I've always loved the way Arches reacts to paint anyways. You could say, I'm partial to Arches. To put it mildly.) And it did not crack when I folded it.

I followed her style and painted the first book in brilliant and bold colours. My next book will be painted in more earthy muted tones, I think.

At first, you just don't know what to 'journal' about. But, after cutting out some pics in old mags and catalogues to use as a few collage pieces, the ideas started flowing. And the best thing is to not plan these out. Just do it. Go with the flow.

Here's a pic of the page I've been working on and a shot of the bold colours I painted the pages in. Sorry these pics are a bit dark. I'll take better shots tomorrow during daylight and will replace these. I decided to use a pic of the drawing I did of Death Becomes You.

When it's all stitched up, there are 16 pages, 8" x 10" in each book.

Apples in pencil

Two apples. Two styles. One is the softer version using lots of finger-blending and stumps. The other using only pencil - no fingers, no stumps, nothing extra. Just the pencil and incorporating modelling factors. Different. I like both.

The left one, using modelling factors, is just really a take-off point for this style.

Framing and Matting Class and a Drawing

I went to a great class yesterday on Framing and Matting! I learned so much about both framing and how to cut a mat. We had to take mat board with us to class and cut a mat. I now know why mat boards cost so much to have cut. But after I've done a few, it'll be much easier. For now, I can sign up with the gallery for $60 per year and use their pro mat cutter any time I wish. Good deal!

I've also signed up to Drawing Tutorials Online. (See link in sidebar.) I'm blown away by all the fantastic info there on drawing. Each tutorial is a video, so you actually see Matthew Archambault demonstrate and draw, which is easier for me to learn rather than just reading about it.

Here's a sphere I drew using the modelling factors I've just learned about. In this drawing, there is a highlight, light half-tone, dark half-tone, reflected light, cast shadow and a turning plane. I missed out on the accent, though.

an honourable mention ......

My sunflower, "Heads Up" was entered into the Annual Juried Art Show of Focus Art and took an Honourable Mention in the Watercolour Division. I've just posted pics of all the results at the Focus Art Blog so if you click here, you can see ALL the results! (I'm the current blogmaster for their blog.)

ps - "Heads Up" is the same sunflower I use for my avatar here, in the upper right hand corner.

Special thanks to Cindi and Teresa!

Well! Two of my art-blogging friends have sent me this Kreativ Blogger award! Thank you so much Cindi and Teresa!! You both would be on my list to send it to - hmmmm, can I send it to you both again, do you think?

The rules for the Kreativ Blogger awards say I have to post 7 random facts about myself and then send this to 7 artists that I admire and, as Teresa so perfectly puts it on her blog, stalk. ;-)

First some facts for Cindi;

1. My absolute two best creations that I will ever, ever, EVER create in my entire life are my two boys, Zach and Mat.

2. I'm 5'6" and they both tower above me now. (My oldest baby is about 6' and my youngest baby is taller than his older brother now.) They make me feel so short!

3. I cannot dance. Cannot. I have two left feet. Seriously. Which means I am perfectly happy to be a wallflower. I have never danced. I dreaded it at school dances. I will never dance. Cannot. Seriously. (So, don't ask me, k?)

4. I love watercolour painting. I'm always 'thinking' it and often, throughout a workday, I'll plan a watercolour in my head, from start to finish.

5. A belief of mine is: you can never have too many tubes of watercolour paint or too many colours in your stash.

6. And you can never have too much watercolour paper (Arches, of course) in your stash!

7. I love to cook and bake. I used to make and decorate very elaborate cakes for my kids' birthdays.

And, seven facts for Teresa!

1. I am extremely pro-Canadian.

2. I once stood in front of an original Cheng-Khee Chee painting in Old Forge and am so impressed with him and his work that I had to touch the painting / frame just to physically touch something he'd created.

3. I have British and before that, Scottish blood in my veins and would love to visit the Scottish Highlands one day.

4. I am married to a French-Canadian whose first language is French. I am very proud of the fact that my two boys are fully bilingual, which was very tough for an English mother to accomplish.

5. Rick Mercer is one of my favourite comedians. He is incredibly funny and knows absolutely everything about Canada. 'Cause he's very pro-Canadian, too.

6. I hate doing dishes.

7. Claude Monet's water lilies make me go weak in the knees and one day, I hope to realize one of my dreams, which is to go and sit in his gardens in Giverny and paint. Right there, smack in the middle of the actual gardens that he designed and planted and painted. Absorbing his energy, right there in his gardens.

And now to pass this on to seven artists whom I admire very much .....

Well, there are so very many blogging artists that I greatly admire that I can't just pick out seven! So, to every artist who has touched my life, no matter how lightly, you've had a part in making me what I am today and I gratefully offer this award to you all!

(LOL, whatever is Teresa going to say about THAT! LOL!)

Apples and Art

I'm posting a few shots from the Apples and Arts Tour. Am I late or what? But as Tracy-Lynn Chisholm once wrote on the back of an envelope she sent me, "heck we're artists, we're supposed to be late!" (That's not a direct quote but that's the gist of it.) I thought it was just so fitting!

Our exhibit was in an old school that's no longer in use as a school. There were six of us there. Sandra has her permanent studio there! We each had a classroom to ourselves which meant lots of space! Outside each room, was an easel with the artist's name and one of her paintings. Unfortunately, I didn't get shots of all the paintings I had on display. Specifically the sunflower!

I had three tables of paintings, two easels and some on the back walls. There was also a table, shown in the last shot, where I sat working on some 'stuff' during the two day show.

Finished!

I don't know. I'm not so excited about this one now that it's done. It's very different from what I usually do. It was fun. I'll do more. But I wouldn't switch my natural way of painting for this permanently. While at the Apples and Arts Studio Tour, I put on a few coats of glossy varnish.

Here's a few crop shots. As always, click on each pic for a larger view. (The first one below is a bit on the yellowish side.) I'm not sure if I'll cut it to some of these crops or leave it like it is.....

I'm not even sure what I'll do with it!

update

I'm really getting excited about this painting! I've added more colour and have started adding whites to the whitecaps. Years ago, I saw a painting in the Montreal Museum of Fine Art - I can't remember the name or the artist but it was of a woman swimming. The colours of the water in that painting fascinated me. I've tried to put them in this one and I'm really happy with it so far. It's kind of like ..... Calypso, Goddess of the Sea, in Turmoil.

I love water and I really relate to this one. It's really got part of me right inside that painting!

Here's a few shots, starting with the piece to date. Please note that I'm shooting these at 11:00 pm with lighting from those little energy efficient bulbs. The colours are not showing very well so I'll shoot it outside tomorrow. The browns are a rock that the water is splashing on to. (I really wish the colours would show up!)














The next one shows how flat and wrinklefree the rice paper is now that it is ironed and mounted.














The next part is my favourite part;

Rice Paper Waves

I've been adding colour to one of the marbelized paintings. This one is going to be waves crashing against a rock. You can see the 'rock' at the far right with a bit of it's 'head' up above the main part. That's going to be in Burnt Siennas and Quin Burnt Orange and some browns. I've been trying to put lots of colour into the waves. Blues and greens and mauves and indigos. I'm losing some of the whitecaps as the colour seeps a LOT with this paper so I''m planning on using gouache later.

Once the rice paper is wet, it's almost like painting blind. Slow but fun. And I still say it's like painting on wet kleenex. (That little black dragon in front is just a brush rest that's holding the board in place for the pic.)

Hospice Exhibition, A & A Tour, etc.

I've been busily trying to get ready for the Apples and Art Tour which is on the 26th and 27th of September!

Some other good news is that last Monday, I was contacted by the people from the brand new Cornwall Hospice and asked if I would like to exhibit some paintings there! Would I? You bet! I had them there in time for their grand opening which was on Friday. I am going to have some prints made of a few paintings, mat and frame them and then donate them to the Hospice, which really made the coordinator happy.

I have been having some business cards made - found a great place online that is super good and the prices cannot be beat! 500 business cards (250 of each of two designs) and the price including shipping was about $30 for the two kinds! That was with some upgrades, too. I also had some oversize postcards made and a t-shirt that to wear for the two days of the exhibition with my web address on it as well as the sunflower which is the painting I'm using as the 'theme' to my A&A show this year. (I've blurred out my phone number and address on the pic above!) I've got some more regular post cards coming which I'll give out at the show. (Email me if you'd like a link to the company.)

The following pic (which, regrettably, is kind of small) shows the new FA calendar. This pic is a crop from the local newspaper. See that sunflower painting in the second row, middle? Look familiar?

Now, back to painting!

Apples and Art Studio Tour 2009

Library Exhibit

At our local public library, in the hallway of their main entrance, there are four (or was it five?) large glass window showcases. One is dedicated to a local Featured Artist - a different artist each month. I am Miss July!

Here's a few shots of the display. (Click on any for a larger view.)

Tools for the Marbelized Rice Paper

Here's all it takes to do marbelized rice paper. A shallow tub for a few inches of water, ink, a brush or stick, rice paper and some very old towels. (They're going to be stained so ...... )

Not all rice paper will work. The smaller sheets shown here are Unryu rice paper and it does not pick up the ink. Cheng-Khee Chee explains it all in his dvd. I couldn't find any here, nor in Ottawa, so I looked on the internet and found Blue Heron Arts. Look for Mulberry Paper. On his ebay link, he states that it is Kozo and that's what I needed. (On his ebay listings, there are several with youtube videos of him demonstrating his painting.) I received the order of paper within one week, from California to Canada! That's fast service!

Marbelizing on Rice Paper

I've been really busy creating these marbelized works on rice paper, a la Cheng-Khee Chee! What a lot of fun! Now I need to meditate with these pieces, let them talk to me, discover what I see in them and then add watercolour. After that, I'll be mounting them.

This one is my favourite - kind of looks like a little hobbit house in a big, old gnarled tree with heaps of interesting 'things' around. Zach, my oldest son, tells me that hobbits are not tree dwellers but I'm sticking to my story.




Below is a slide show of others;

Colourful Carrots and Cabbage

Here's a few carrot and cabbage shots. I picked up some fresh veggies at the Farmer's Market but, as always, couldn't resist photographing them for reference shots later.

More drawing

Wow, it's been almost a month since I posted! Time has flown. There were some major issues with Focus Art, my oldest son graduated from college, a graduation party was planned and done, I've got the cold back again that I went on antibiotics to get rid of and am once more coughing a lot, (I can't even begin to tell you how tired I am of cough, cough, coughing all the time), the bp spiked up with a major dose of stress but I've managed to get it back down again, and a few more things that have knocked me down for a while. But, I'm back up again!

The drawing class is almost over. That's so sad. I really love it. You know when you hear something that makes a huge impact on you? Well, in last week's class that happened to me. I have always had this niggling little fear that if something happened to my right hand and I couldn't draw or paint anymore, WHAT would I do? (If there is anyone who can stress out over little inconsequential thoughts like this, it is me! That's why I have high blood pressure!!) Well, after doing a LOT of drawing with the non-dominant hand (in my case it's my left hand), Sandra (the teacher and a friend) said in class "now you know that you are not dependant on one hand for your artistic talent". Wow! This is so true! And in my warped case, so freeing...... One of the many left handed drawing exercises in class was to draw the face of the person across from you - drawing the right side of the face on paper with your right hand and the left hand side of the face on paper with your left hand. Honestly, when you were done, you couldn't tell the difference!

The drawing above (way above) is a dead tulip that sits in an empty wine glass beside an empty wine bottle on my painting table. The tulip was alive a few years ago but as it slowly died, I would look at it and think how much more interesting it looked than when it was alive. (I'm not usually that morbid, by the way.) As it became more and more dried out, I'd start thinking, each time I looked at it, "death becomes you". It's still there, still not falling apart either. I'll keep it as long as it doesn't flake out on me. And still, each time I look at it, "death becomes you".

The painting below was done from a still life set up. It was an assignment from class that had to show light and shadow. I find that after doing a lot of drawing with the left hand, when I pick up a pencil in the right hand, it just flies and feels so natural. This pic doesn't really show the life that is in the actual drawing. Those pears really do look a lot better than they show here!

Below is my Zen Garden. Some squares have sand, some have rocks, some have candles and some are empty.

Thanks Nick!

I thought I'd post an interesting comment from Nick about the waterlily .

"Lots of misconceptions and misinformation out there about fluid acrylic paint. Used transparently, it looks and behaves just like watercolor, except that it's permanent - which, depending on your technique and what you're painting, can help you or make things more difficult (it has to go down right the first time). Good luck on your picture, it's looking great!"

Thanks for the comments, Nick. I was ready to toss the paints (or sell them on ebay!). The part about "it has to go down right the first time" is the one that really has me thinking that I'll try it again. (But first, a regular watercolour of it that I've got drawn out, just read to pour.) It's the having to go down right the first time that caused the problems in the last one. I guess I'm so used to being able to correct, re-glaze, lift off, etc, that the 'go down right the first time' part just didn't happen. Next time, if it doesn't go down right the first time, I'll scrap it right away because, in retrospect, it was the constant adding to "the first time" that got me into the problems I was having.

There was one spot that I had sprayed off, as shown in Nick's dvd , Innovative Water Media with Nicholas Simmons, and I loved it - it looked just like the splash a frog would make after he jumped in the water. I mistakenly thought I'd tone it down a bit, glazed over it and lost it. That was another learning mistake.

The permanent part made it difficult for me but I swear, next time, the permanent part is going to make it easier. If it kills me, I'm going to get this technique down.

Okay, enough about the waterlily. Hopefully, I'll post some shots of it this weekend when I have more time to paint. The past two nights have been busy. Tuesday night was class night, which is fun and interesting and busy. Last night, Wednesday, was an executive meeting for the local art group, of which I'm now secretary. You know you're getting old when two late-ish nights in a row almost do you in.

Updates and Drawing Class

It's been a while since I've posted but .... here I am.

The Calendar Show is over and the two-week extension show we stayed on for is over, too. It was fun, it was great exposure but I'm glad it's over. Working a full time job, then putting in hours at the show on my day off on the weekend, and usually a night during the week gets to be a lot. But it was all a great success! We were at the mall for a total of three weeks.

My sunflower (which is the one I use as my avatar now) will be on the calendar! Over 2,200 people voted for the calendar paintings. Twelve were chosen - the twelve with the highest number of votes. Calendars will be available in the fall. All twelve of us were given a certificate and had to show our painting at the last meeting. That was traumatic, standing in front of the group. For me, anyways.

I've also started a Drawing Class. Sandra Taylor is the instructor and by the end of the session, if we all do our homework, we're going to be good drawers! She's making us work! And that's a great thing - to get a teacher like Sandra that pushes you.

In lieu of any painting progress shots, I'll attach some of the drawing exercises we did. Last class, we drew for the entire three hours with our non-dominant hand, which was in my case, my left hand. This is to get the creative part of the brain to kick in. So, all the eyes you see below are done with the left hand. The books / pencil were also done left handed, as well as the plain bottle. The fireplace mantle and the Bacardi cooler were done right handed.

Our homework was to draw every day for at least 1/2 hour, using the left hand for a lot of it. Also, find magazine pics of eyes, cut them out, paste them into our sketchbook / drawing journal and draw each with the left hand.

I'm finding that drawing with the right hand sure is easier after you've been labouring away with the left hand for a long while! Your right hand just seems to fly over the paper. I love to draw but when it's using the left hand, it's hard work.

I'm in the process of drawing out the waterlily on a sheet of hotpressed paper and plan on doing it the same way as the sunflower. Poured to begin with.

Anyways, here's the shots. (Bottom two are right handed, the rest are left handed.) Tomorrow night (Tuesday) is the second class.

Slumped Fluid Acrylic Shoulders

After a lot of thought, I've decided to set the waterlily aside for a while. I have this very annoying habit that is hard to break and that is ... I won't start a new painting until I've finished the current one. (Or I'd never finish any of them. I think that's the convuluted reason that developed this habit.) So, each time I feel like painting, I come in here, look at the waterlily, slump my shoulders and walk out again. Without painting. I've lost all inspiration for it, I think. So, I'm going to just set it aside. Not be done with it and quit. Just set it aside with plans on coming back to it.

In the meantime, I am going to start the same painting on watercolour paper and work in watercolour. I need to get back to watercolour so I can play in it knowing what to expect.

But, I'm not finished with the fluid acrylic one yet, Deb Ward!! Just taking a short hiatus.

Stay tuned .......


If you'd like to hear about the fantastic Calendar Show we're having at Focus Art, go here. Talk about great exposure! +450 people the first day! It's up for a week.

FYI

I am writing about this here because it's a blog problem I've been having for a few weeks now and there is absolutely no where on google/blogger that expains this problem.

I was using Internet Explorer 6. I upgraded to IE8 and did not like it so I removed it and went back to the 6. From that time on, I could not get any of the link buttons in my blog navigator link bar to work! It was very annoying to say the least. To log into my blog to post or comment, I had to go to my address bar and type in www.blogger.com. That was the only way to be able to access my blogs and it was time consuming.

Well, I finally found something online that explained it might be a problem with IE6. So, muttering under my breath about being forced to go to the higher IE's, I compromised and downloaded IE7. Voila!!! They all work now!

I didn't want IE8 back again because it slowed down a few things, but 7 seems okay.

Just thought I'd mention that in case anyone else is having the same aggravating problem.

more on the waterlily...

Here's the latest on the waterlily. I've been adding some detail to leaves and have been doing a lot of toning down on those yellows. I found I didn't like the yellow leaves at all. I've also worked on the water. I took out some green which I shouldn't have so I might paint some more back in. I also started some shadows around the flower. When (if) I mat this, I'm going to crop out that dark lilypad in the lower left side. I really don't like it - it's too muddy. I'm getting really tired of this one and want to start a watercolour one of the same design. I like painting with paint I know. These fluid acrylics are nice but they dry so fast, my fingers are permanently stained with anthraquinone blue from splattering with a toothbrush, and they are such a mess to clean up off the palette. LOL. All that said and done, I do like some of the effects but I'm longing to get back to some watercolours. And I know that if I set this aside to do watercolour, I won't be going back to it. Decisions, decisions.

I hope everyone is having a great holiday!

Focus Art

Since March 5, I've been taking care of the Focus Art blog site. Drop by if you have a chance and see what's going on in the local art scene as well as our art group. http://focusartcornwall.blogspot.com/

I'm debating on whether to do more on the fluid acrylic waterlilies or move on the a traditional watercolour one. I'll post later on tonight the latest on the fluid one. Need to get back to work right now. (The day job work, that is!)

It's a gorgeous day here today, almost like summer. Way too nice to have to work.

An Update on the Waterlily

Here's the latest on the waterlily.
















I can't wait to try this in watercolour because I far prefer the watercolour over fluid acrylics. I keep trying though and keep learning. And truth to tell, I *am* learning more with each lilypad about how these fluid acrylics behave and perform.

They are fun, but I'd sure never trade my watercolours for fluid acrylics.

:-)

a bit on the fluid lily pads

I've been a little lax in posting lately. I have high blood pressure and for some strange reason (okay, maybe some personal stress had a 'bit' to do with it) it went sky high, even with my bp meds. Talk about wicked dizziness! So, today, I worked on this. Slowly.

I'm liking it a bit more. I still far prefer watercolour over fluid acrylics but I'm learning how to manipulate them better.

The colour in the bottom left is a bit off - it's really not that icky shade of .... muck that it looks like in the photo.

Funny thing though, I just keep painting even if something isn't feeling right with this painting. I just think "what the heck - just get it done!" ROTFLOL. Considering that kind of attitude, it's not too bad. Is it?

I know I've used the fluids too thick but I started that way so .... I pretty well have to finish it that way. Next time, I'll know better.

I read a good chapter in the Fear and Art book on control! That book is awesome!