The Art Room

Hello 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 05:00:00 +0000

The view from my living room window this morning.

I always find it useful to reflect on the previous year before setting goals for the new one. 2013 was my first full year of no commitments as an art instructor. Letting go of that career after 16 years is a decision I have not regretted as it brought clarity to my art practice and allowed me to let go of a lot of clutter, (both physical and mental.) I had a small showing at a local business, which was well received and two art events which I also felt were moderately successful despite having much less "stock" than I am used to bringing.
My most important challenges was of course adjusting to the suppose-ably temporary job that I took on in January that is now extended to at least March 2015. It was difficult and there were times that I didn't know how I was going to fit it into my life but I have accepted that the positive outweighs the negative and am looking forward to doing more art in 2014 now that Ive become accustomed to the schedule.
2013 also brought a lot of sadness and personal challenges to a few of my friends, it has made me determined to appreciate life more and devote more energy to personal happiness, both for myself and my family. After looking at a Mind Map I made last year I realized my goals this year aren't much different than those from last January, but I am taking a different approach and applying my focus in another way that better suits my personality and schedule.
Goals for 2014:

A couple of years ago I read the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and was taken by the concept of applying these principles to my own life. Like many of my project ideas it fell by the wayside but I am determined to focus on this concept this year and have mapped out some projects centering on this theme for 2014.
I am concentrating on my enjoyment of home and family primarily, and I am also striving to bring some stuff back into my life that I have let go of, (drawing, reading about art, writing my blog, selling art online.) as well as acquiring some new skills and moving my art practice in new directions. Home is definitely the key word for the new year, and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead.

#26 and #27 Art 52 Pendant Designs

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 06:25:00 +0000

Two new designs for pendants, the originals were painted in watercolour then digitally shrunk, printed, and set under resin

#25 Art 52- Photo Painting

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 06:54:00 +0000

Summit Park

Photograph of the lovely Gary Oak Park behind my house, digitally altered on my Ipad with Toon Camera and Photoshop.

Art 52 #24 Summer Storm

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Jul 2013 06:48:00 +0000

Summer Storm Acrylic On Canvas 3 by 5 feet

Art 52 #23 Digital Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 06:50:00 +0000

Drawn with the Auryn Ink app on my Ipad Mini

Art 52 #17-#22 Digital Phone Drawings

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 04 May 2013 06:10:00 +0000

I like to pass the time on the bus by drawing on my Android phone using the Fresco Pro app. This is an example of a few abstract little compositions. Fresco is fun but I am going to be switching over to an Iphone in the near future and am looking forward to using some of the same art apps Ive been playing with on my Ipad.

See some other drawings here

Art 52 #14 and #15 Digital Seascapes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 05:54:00 +0000

Seascape #1

Seascape #2

These were created on my I Pad Mini with Auryn Ink. Ive got a way to go before I master this app but I love the way it mimics watercolours, (and no mess!)

Art 52 #13 Drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:46:00 +0000

Still Life with Feather -Inktense Watercolour Pencils

Art 52 #12 Drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 02:30:00 +0000

Kelp-Pen and Ink Drawing

Art 52 #7-11 Drawings

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 06:38:00 +0000

Mandela Sketches Pen and Ink, Inktense Pencils

Art 52 #6 Digital Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 07:50:00 +0000

My last Heart/Love themed post for February.
It started as a pen/ink, watercolour illustration and as I often do with these types of projects; became overworked. Since taking my Photoshop class last year, I often play with transforming my images with the help of layers and effects, (I sure do love the selection tools.)
As fun as digital art is I'm looking forward to picking up a paintbrush again after a few weeks and spending some time in my studio on the weekend with real paints and brushes.

Art #52 #5 Happy Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 05:36:00 +0000


Happy Valentine's Day

Watercolour, Gesso, Ink, Enhanced in Photoshop

Art 52 #4 Love Birds

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 06:14:00 +0000

I wanted to make some themed card designs this year as it's been a goal of mine to explore work inspired by some favorite illustrators. I'll be focusing on this style for February with a Love theme, (get it? Valentine's day? ) Kind of obvious I know but it fits in with what I've been working on.
This is a mixed media painting of two lovebirds, a subject I thought would make a good Valentine design although it probably wont get that far.
This has multiple layers of watercolour, ink and gesso and a bit of Photoshop to make up for the overworking.
I'm not crazy about it and probably would have just stuck it in a drawer will never meet the Art 52 challenge with that attitude, so lets call it done

Art 52 #5 White Carrier Pigeon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:33:00 +0000

This is a little Valentine's design made with watercolour, inktense pencil and Pan pastels. I never liked working with pastels but this medium has a different quality I'm enjoying. The little round containers are neat too; rather than drawing with a pastel stick you use little sponges or q-tips and have more control over the quantity of pigment dust on your drawing and work surface.

Despite all the mucking around with different mediums I think it's getting closer to the simplicity I've been trying for with these type of designs.

Art 52 #3 Brady's Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Yes it's another painting of a beloved pet and the last in this month's Companion theme
This one's a little special as it's a commission from my Grandmother for one of my favorite cousins. This is his sweet labradoodle, (golden doodle?) named Dixie.
She was harder than expected to paint and I am glad to be finished. My first couple of efforts looked like Chewbacca so I was not able to finish in time for his birthday in December.
At least I can count her as #3 of my 52 Art pieces for 2013

And #10 in the 50 Creatures project.

Art 52 #2 Ray

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:31:00 +0000

This small watercolour was painted as a birthday present for a teenage girl who misses a recently departed little friend.
Ray was the companion to Casey who I painted a few months ago for her brother's birthday. I never thought I would see the day I would paint two rats, I'm definitely looking at these little creatures with a new appreciation.

#2 of the Art 52 project, ( #9 in the 50 creature project)

#1 Art 52 Willow's Fish Tray

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 05:29:00 +0000

Okay this wasn't what I pictured for my first art piece of 2013, but it just happens to be the first one finished. At first I didn't think it lined up with this month's "Companion" theme but as it's for my newest little companion I think it's okay. Its also #8 in the 50 creature project.

I painted this little tray for the kitten's feeding area. (a very messy place.)
It was supposed to be just a solid colour but looked kind of plain with just a coat of pale blue acrylic and adding red-orange on the sides was still not enough. I had found a rice paper watercolour monotype of a fish in an old portfolio and as the print was the perfect size it was was adhered to the surface of the tray with acrylic gel medium.

Then I followed the usual pattern of getting carried away by painting a whole bunch of layers and glazes. Now still trying to decide between pouring resin or just coating it with a few layers of of varathane varnish.

I hope Willow appreciates it!

Hello 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:01:00 +0000

I'm starting full time employment in a week or two, the first "real" job I've had in years. I'm not giving up on art but really wanted to separate the making of art with the making a living for awhile. Working full time means setting some goals to stay creative throughout the year. The 50 creature project I began a few months ago will still continue but I'm going to adapt and wrap it inside a bigger project for 2013. . After some thought I decided to start a body of work that could include the creature themes and allow me to play with other ideas and subject matter.
For each week of the year I will create a work of art, 52 pieces in all. It may be a drawing, painting or sculpture but it will be art and I will attempt to post it on this blog every week. I'm hoping this project will allow me to create more freely, draw more and stop endlessly overworking the same pieces while helping me to complete my work.
The title Art 52 was suggested to me by Janet Vanderhoof, who did her own 52 painting project for 2012

To make this undertaking manageable lets break each month into a theme, if there are four pieces a month, that will take me to 48 which is pretty close to the mark. On months I feel more productive I will do more to bring me up to my goal of 52 works of art. Some months I may be less prolific which will require me to step it up if I don't want to fall behind.

This month's topic is still following the Creature theme: Companions, ( I have a some some beloved pet commissions to finish.) I don't have a painting finished yet, so here's a lovely photo my daughter took of our new kitten. Enjoy!
Look for the first painting of Art 52 next week.

#7 White Swan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:31:00 +0000

Oops, was supposed to post every Monday! Well I was hoping to.....but realistically I knew that might be difficult when I started this six week course. I did manage to do this little watercolour painting I will be giving to my Grandmother for her 90th birthday this Sunday, (she likes swans.)

I always like the way paint reacts on gessoed watercolour paper and particularly enjoy the feel of the primed paper which has a nice weight reminiscent of leather.

On this little 6 by 9 inch piece I experimented with using fluid acrylics and the effects of spraying Isopropyl alcohol into the wet washes. For a few finishing touches I added a little Inktense pencil.

#5 and #6 Alice and Onyx

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 23:58:00 +0000

A recent commission and number five and six in the Fifty Creatures project. Thanks Sage! Pit bulls are really sweet dogs, and these two are especially fine examples.

#4 Casey The Rat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:43:00 +0000

Yesterday we lost our sweet cat Meera and the household is still reeling. My eleven year old son is especially grief stricken. We had thought that she was doing better several times but the latest relapse and the prospect of another round of painful and invasive medical treatments drove us the make the difficult decision to have her put to sleep. I will be doing another portrait of her for my creature series later when I am not so sad.

This weeks post is a portrait of another recently departed little pet; Casey the rat. I neglected to take a picture of the full painting before I framed and delivered it, (I often forget!) This is a photo I took before I finished the jacket and background.
Those who know me are aware of my fear of rodents and may be surprised to see this little painting. Any type of rodent and especially rats have always given me the heebie jeebies.
Over the years however I have been educated by my daughter and her friends that rats make fabulous pets; they are affectionate, loyal and smart. Who would have thought?
This little girl ratty I painted on her owner's shoulder, (my daughter's boyfriend.) His mother commissioned the portrait as a birthday gift for him, I hope it makes him smile when he sees it on the wall.
The only drawback with rats as pets is the short time they are with us, usually three or four years. It's hard to lose them so soon but the rat lovers I know say it is worth it.

#3 Humpback Whale

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 23:27:00 +0000

Humpback Whale Acrylic On Canvas 16 by 24 inches

I started this piece last year about the same time I did a similar work featuring a Blue Whale. It has a similar feel and texture to that painting but is a little bit smaller of a canvas. It feels good to be able to finish paintings now I don't have to prepare lesson plans and teach classes, I'm grateful everyday to have finally made that leap.
Like much of my recent acrylic work it is heavily textured with modelling paste, tissue paper and gel medium. Humpback Whale can be purchased through my website, (special price for this project.)

#2 Polar Bear

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 04:15:00 +0000

I've been busy working on my 50 creatures project,( largely motivated by those of you who have requested commissions.) These little jobs are especially welcome as my cat had another emergency vet visit this week, this one being the most dramatic and expensive yet. Everyone is optimistic she is going to be okay from now on so all we can do is hope for the best.
I was hoping to post a new creature every Monday but because a couple of the paintings I've been working on are to be given as gifts I haven't been able to post for two weeks for fear of spoiling the surprise. This week I managed to finish some of my many unfinished canvases however and has they happen to be animal themed I should be able to show you something new in this series every week.
This work is an 12 by 16 Acrylic on Canvas titled "Vanishing." The title is in reference to both the white bear blending in to it's surroundings and the fact that there are fewer and fewer Polar Bears every year as the ice melts due to Global warming. Most people look at my Kermode Spirit Bear images and assume they are Polar Bears so I figured it was about time I painted one properly. In the past I did a few little watercolour/gouache studies but the subject seems to lend itself better to the texture and weight achieved in acrylic.
I like the way this little canvas turned out and hope to do a larger variation in the future. I love the idea of a series of larger Bear paintings. While there's still a little bit of tweaking to be done here, I think the background could use a little fine tuning for the most part the painting is basically done. I'll take a proper picture of it when I finish, (and when I either find my camera charger or break down and buy a new one!) In the meantime enjoy this little studio shot of a work in progress.

Fifty Creatures Project #1 Meera

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 05:19:00 +0000

You may notice my blog looks a little different..

Now that I've left behind my art instructor gig it seems fitting to make a new platform to share my projects. I had decided to start a new blog over at Wordpress and even created the site and wrote the first post. After using for awhile however, I just didn't like the format as much as Blogger who I have been with for years. I toyed with the idea of creating a brand new blog but decided it was easier to just delete all the old posts, revamp the design and start all over again. I backed up the old content and will transfer it to an archive later.

Because there are tons of canvases lying around, (leftover from art class demos) I seem to need to focus on a series of work and assign myself a project. I don't mind spending hours adding a dab of paint here and there but it takes me forever to finish anything and that is problematic whenever there's an art show or other opportunity to show my work.

My newest project was inspired by a recent visit to the vet with our cat. As usual, this was unexpected and ended up setting us back a few hundred dollars we don't really have. I started thinking of ways to raise funds to pay it off and the first thing to come to mind was pet portraits....but I didn't want to distract myself too much from my current body of work and didn't want to be pumping out paintings just to make money, (although I have no problem with selling my work.)

While mulling over the idea I realized that animals often appear in my work and I've been meaning to explore the subject more.
Have you noticed that many people feel a connection with a particular animal? This might be a pet which has become a treasured member of the family or friend. Or member of the local wildlife that appears day after day at the same time, or a creature you identify with as a personal totem.
I saw a way to explore this idea artistically while still creating a body of work that I could sell.My animal themed work has always been one of my best sellers.

Because she was my inspiration, my cat was the first subject matter. This painting measures about 5 by 7 and was painted with watercolour, gesso and ink. My family is very attached to Meera and we were very worried about her. The vet was able to help her out and am happy to say she seems much better. Visa isn't doing so well however... I'm not sure it will have a speedy recovery.

The rest of the paintings in this series will also be predominantly watercolour and mixed media pieces, usually around 8 by 10 inches for ease in framing but I'm aiming to paint a few larger canvases featuring a variety of bears or larger animals, ( I painted a Grizzly in acrylic last year and it was a favorite of mine.) It may take me a year to do fifty paintings or it could go much quicker depending on what else is going on in my life.

So send me your pet pictures or suggestions of animals that are special to you and I will try and get to them. If you want to buy the original painting it will be available or you will be able to pick up the print when I list it on my Etsy shop or website. No money? Send me your pictures or suggestions anyway I appreciate them and will probably paint them anyway.