Painting & Traveling...Virtually

I love to travel, and only really started to travel a few years ago. I also love to paint, so I was excited to come across The Virtual Paintout  which is curated by artist Bill Guffey. It is a neat concept, every month a place is chosen and the artist does a piece based on Google Street View. The artist must "explore" the area and then choose where they want to paint. Check out the beautiful paintings/drawings of Nova Scotia that were completed last year.

The County Clare, Ireland was chosen for December 2010.
Here is my submission.

Church Street, Lehinch, Clare, Ireland  5 X 7 oil on canvas panel

It is almost as if I get to travel and paint.

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

I Dream of...

Awww, dreams, this has been a topic for writers, poets, and artists of all medium. If you look hard enough there are many people who can help you achieve your dreams. The internet is full of them, really, just look. Life coaches, "gurus", "experts" etc.

Every since I was small, I loved to draw. I love to draw people. It is difficult to get the expression quite right or the proportion correct, but I have been practicing a lot lately.

I wonder what others dream about, motivates them, what do they want?

Last year I was fortunate enough to travel to Paris with my family. I could see why this city has inspired so many. I was thrilled to be there. When we went to the Eiffel Tower, we were walking along The Seine and I saw a Gypsy lady gazing into the river. I was fascinated, growing up I had heard lots of stories about gypsies, some good and some not so good.

Their culture has always interested me, and I know I am not the only one, just do a search on the internet and they have been the subject of many pieces of art. I took a couple of photos of this woman and I am glad I did. She is subject of one of my newest paintings.

"Gypsy Dreaming" 2010 Oil on Canvas Board 

I wonder what she is dreaming about, no don't tell me, I want to imagine for myself.

The  Mosaic for Mental Health Art Exhibit and Sale opened tonight, what a fantastic turnout!   There are hundreds of tiles and they are amazing, with many sold already! Artwork was submitted by local artists, on 6 X 6 tiles and then displayed at The Craig Gallery  in Dartmouth, NS. 

Checking out the Artwork

It is a wonderful fundraiser for a very important cause. (Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). The tiles are $25.00, $55.00 framed and art cards are $3.00 each. The exhibit runs until Sunday October 31th, 2010. It will also be part of the NOCTURNE art at night on Saturday, October 16, 6:00 pm until midnight.

A Collection of... Tears?

For anyone who knows me, they know I like collecting stuff. I really like art glass, pottery, teacups etc. There is something about finding the elusive object, a quest, a holy grail of sorts.

I don't have a lot of space so I have to be picky about what I find.
So I tend to ask myself these questions before I buy;
1. Do I really like it?
2. Can I afford it?
3. Do I have room?

When I feel I have enough or my collection is complete, I move on.

One thing that I love to collect, but it is getting harder to find, is beach glass.  I have more luck finding it on the less populated beaches. I love finding the different colours, particularly the blues, the greens, and the variety of textures in the pottery. My daughter loves it too. We have a rose bowl that is filled with an assortment of beach glass and other treasures.

I am not sure why I am drawn to it so much, the beauty for sure, but I think it is also how nature has taken something that was once discarded and made it beautiful, desirable.

One of my friends calls beach glass "Mermaid's Tears", which I think is lovely and adds to the mystique.

It's funny where we find our inspiration.

"Sea Glass" 2010 Oil on Canvas 6X6