This Sunday is Father’s Day. My father passed away many years ago. I still remember him fondly as a quiet, shy, hard-working man who talked to his animals, played music, and entertained us kids with his sketches around the table of our Saskatchewan farmhouse. In His Shop In his shop Daddy improvisedlike a jazz musician.Virtuoso… Continue reading In His Shop (poem)
A popular activity for artists during the months of good weather is to paint en plein air (French for “in the open air”). My experience and kit for plein air painting are both minimal. But when our art club organized this as a four-hour activity on the property of one of our members yesterday, I… Continue reading Plein Air Adventure
One of the things I’ve found helpful as an artist is to work in series. This takes care of the problem of what to paint (to a degree). A series I’ve enjoyed, and is ongoing, is miniature Canadian landscapes. When I discovered tiny canvases (4 x 4x .5 inches stretched canvases and 4 x 4… Continue reading Miniature Canadian Landscapes
As soon as I heard about the publication of Mary Pratt—A Love Affair with Vision, I knew I wanted it. I put it on last year’s Christmas wish list and lo and behold it ‘mysteriously’ appeared under the tree! Since receiving it I have been savouring it in small bits and finally finished it this… Continue reading Mary Pratt – review
I have discovered a new watercolor instructor! Paul Clark was mentioned by many in a request for favorite teachers on the Watercolor Cards Facebook Group I'm a member of. I decided to check him out and found a great artist who has made hundreds of easy-to-follow videos, available on YouTube (link below). He even has… Continue reading Great watercolor instruction and some bridges
Today some thoughts on Spring in the form of poetry with a few photos too. Pink Dogwoods - blooming across from our front door. The Sisterhood (a prose poem) Perhaps it’s because of my name that I feel such a kinship with flowers. I notice them like my husband notices vintage cars. Their colorful allure… Continue reading Spring! (in poems and photos)
Excitement builds for our art club’s spring exhibition – now just two days away. This past week has also been a busy one with a birthday celebration, out-of-town guests, tonight a concert, and tomorrow lunch out! Anticipating this flurry of activity, I managed to do most of my sale prep before this week. Today I’ll… Continue reading Small Art
Our art club’s spring show and sale is just over a week away. I’ve been busy framing paintings, getting my small items ready for the bargain table, and sorting through cards. Today I’m going to share with you the paintings I’ll be taking to the show. "Forest Toes" and "Family Tree" These two 8x10” acrylic… Continue reading Show and Sell
A few years ago, when my interest in art revived, I decided to include making art a part of my daily routine. I purchased hard-bound sketch books at Michaels with paper sturdy enough to withstand watercolour—not ideal but they served the purpose. I now have four of those books, chock full of daily art (and… Continue reading “Great Blue Heron” and “Robin’s Listing”
On Tuesday members of our Port Kells Art Club delivered their paintings to the gallery. Yesterday our spring exhibition went live! The show runs from April 10 to May 22nd. You can view it in person in the second floor hallway gallery of the Langley Township Civic Centre, 20338 – 65th Ave., Langley B.C., during… Continue reading Club Exhibition
Violet Nesdoly 