I have been busy these past couple of weeks. In my spare time I have been painting whenever I can. If I am not painting I am drawing, or reading about painting and drawing. Well you get the picture.

On November 7, 2010 I attended a workshop at The Craig Gallery "Finding Direction in Your Art Career" put on by Anna Horsnell Wade. It was a great opportunity to meet artists at different points in their career. I wasn't sure if the workshop would be relevant to me as I am just beginning, however, I did learn a great deal. The workshop helped me appreciate the challenges and rewards that come with being an artist. As a result of attending the workshop, I decided to become a member of VANS (Visual Artists of Nova Scotia).

I also submitted two paintings to the Adsum House Mystery Art Show on November 25, 2010 at FRED in Halifax, NS. The fundraiser was to raise money for Adsum House, an emergency shelter for women and children who are homeless or at risk for being homeless. The artists submitted 5 X 7 works signed only on the back as their identity is not revealed until after the painting is sold. They could be well known artists, celebrities or emerging artists.

Here is one of the paintings that I submitted.

"The Dress" 5 X 7 Oil on Canvas

It's funny, the more I paint and get involved in the process, the more I want to do.

Well, I had my third lesson a couple of weeks ago.  In this lesson, I learned a great deal about colour, such as mixing colours for skin tones as well as paying attention to warm vs cool. 

It is interesting that during the process of completing a painting, I often find it difficult to get the colour or feel of the painting quite right.  Eventually the problem is somehow solved, seemingly on a subconscious level.

Love that right brain!

"Cousins" 2010 Oil on Canvas Panel

Tweet Tweet...

A year ago, if anyone had told me that I would be blogging and tweeting, I would have said "huh?".

Life can change a lot in a year.

This past year I've had a baby, reached a  birthday milestone, began oil painting, and have become slighty more social media savvy.

Through Twitter,  I have met some really interesting people and have learned a great deal from such a dynamic and rich source of information.

Recently, through my twittering (bear with me, still learning the lingo) I came across an event for  a Twitter art exhibit in Moss, Norway,  aimed at artists on Twitter.  It combines a couple of great activities I enjoy and it's for a good cause, raising money for their local library.

The exhibit will have a minimum of 140 artists representing the 140 characters on Twitter. The art must be postcard size.  With the idea that the postcard symbolizes a tweet.

Here is my submission.

Me & My Shadow -  Oil on Watercolour Board - 4X6