Going with the Flow

We hiked to the top of Black Butte this year!

We did a family trek south to Oregon last week.  Our first stop found us in Portland where we checked out the Pearl District.  The musicians in the group went to Pro Guitar Shop http://proguitarshop.com/ to buy pedals while I went to Utrecht Art Supplies http://www.utrechtart.com/ and Blick Art http://www.dickblick.com/, dividing my purchases between local and big box.

With our new finds, we went to the mountains where we love to spend a week at Black Butte Ranch, http://www.blackbutteranch.com/ for some 'R and R' which turned out to be 'A and R' - 'Activity and Relaxation'.  

My intentions were to paint plein air daily.  I had the canvas, paint, easel.  I did paint - though more experimentally and abstract.  Basically under paintings on which I played!  I played on the small canvas and I played outside - hiking, biking, golf, tennis, pools and sun.  Needless to say, I went with the flow and quickly accepted that these precious moments with my family far outweighed the time needed for focused painting.  I shot a lot of photos though and I'm certain I absorbed more creative paths to follow in my studio at a later time.... like, tomorrow!

Tangerine Dream

JUST A MINUTE

11 x 14

Here on the Pacific west coast, shoreline abounds on both rivers and ocean, carrying flotsam and jetsam as well as reflections and currents.  I've been exploring this movement in some recent small pieces like this one, Just A Minute.  I adore the brushwork in the foreground and the color juxtaposition between the light grey blue-greens and the tangerine oranges.  

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Performance Art

PERFORMANCE ART

12 x 12

Our household has a few performers in it - a daughter who sings and studies classical voice and a son who lives for his guitar.  I've been to countless concerts, both choir and rock to nurture and support these budding artists of mine.  Music is in our souls and gives us joy!

Performance Art reflects the performers on stage with the audience captivated, absorbed and observing - very similar to the act of painting where the canvas is the stage for me and my audience is the viewers/collectors who are nurtured by the colors, forms and energy.

A summer tradition of ours is to go watch a Theatre Under The Stars performance in Stanley Park, Vancouver.  www.tuts.ca/  Shows are at Malkin Bowl and alternate each night.  This year you have the choice of The Music Man or Titanic to enjoy.  Which to choose..... hmmmm.  It will probably be both on different nights!

Eye Candy

Sun has been somewhat scarce here on the west coast this summer so when it's shining I'm motivated to get shooting with my camera so I have it to inspire me when the rains really set in!


I took a walk through Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver, www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/lighthouse-park/, where trails meander through old forest towards the rocky coastline and Point Atkinson Lighthouse.  I see I was drawn toward curving shapes, texture and contrast - all design elements that are showing up strongly in my painting lately.  I find it interesting too, that the colors I paint with mostly reflect an energy I feel as a response to something - not the visual reality of what I encounter.  Ahhh, I truly am naturally drawn to expressionism like the ocean is drawn to the shoreline.

Happy Hour

HAPPY  HOUR
12 X 12

I'm energized by this season, who isn't? - more daylight, sunshine, blossoms, birds, play, barbecues, outdoor adventures.  This piece just bubbled up out of me - a response to the earthly pleasures of summer.

One of my favorite summer indulgences is making pies to enjoy! When I don't have time to do that, I head to the next best place for pie in Vancouver: The Savary Island Pie Company, savaryislandpiecompany.com/.  Their pies are a feast for the eyes and stomach.  In fact, you'll be seeing me there tomorrow!  Who knows what inspiration that visit will give for future paintings.

you choose

YOU CHOOSE
30 x 30

A week in Southern Ontario driving through the rolling hills and long flats speckled with little and big lakes - we saw 9 different universities for our son to potentially choose from and found some amazing restaurants to try in each town.  We have priorities after all!

And priorities guide artists toward subject matter - the camera is guided to focus upon and the finger is beckoned to click to capture the choice - reasons for can be specific or unknown at the time.  In You Choose I depict the freedom of choice, the largest circle choosing my subject as though it's my camera lens deciding where to click.

Speaking of amazing restaurants, when in downtown Toronto, try The Gabaradine on 372 Bay Street, www.thegabardine.com, for some casual dining comfort food while on the road - the Ploughman's lunch, smoked trout salad, mac and cheese and black cod were fabulous..... Not all for me alone - we shared!!!

taking the plunge

PLUNGE
16 x 16

I've been working on a series based loosely on Movement in Nature and as I worked on this piece, Plunge,  I saw the common shapes appear - ovals, vertical line patterns - shapes that were in my more structured Fall 2011 Birdsong series.  


Only this time, there's more action and Plunge is my yellow lab Bella running across a field to take the plunge into the awaiting waters of a pond ahead - no dawdling, no meandering,  only pure abandon! 

keeping it real in Paia, Maui

i found relief from the wet west coast on a trip to maui in may.  the brilliant sunshine, coral flowers and aqua waters revitalized my creative process. sometimes that's all it takes - a change in venue for filling the inspiration tank!  

lucky me, i came upon this temple which is part of the Maui Dharma Center http://www.mauidharma.org/,  in the wonderful surf town of Paia.  

plus, if you want amazing fresh heirloom tomatoes, greens and goat cheeses,  stop in at Mana Foods www.manafoodsmaui.com/ to delight your senses and go back in time to the sixties!  well worth it!

luscious colors - Cobra Oils

today i was visited by a small chickadee inside my dining room!  luckily, it took flight right out the backdoor when it noticed me.  then, later while shooting the shot of the painting above, i heard the hum of a hummingbird's wings at my feeder directly over my shoulder!  the sun is shining  (a rarity lately here in Vancouver this summer....year!) and the birds are out to play! 


i played with Cobra water mixable oils this week as you can see in the above detail from a Birdsong series painting. I LOVE THEM! they pack a lot of color and blend amazingly well and best of all they clean up with water and have no odor!  happy happy happy!  


you can check out their colors at http://www.cobra.royal-talens.com/3/products.html.

everyday inspiration

DUSK SONG
24 X 24

walks along the Nicomekl river near my home in B.C. inspired the BIRDSONG series i completed.  i don't paint directly from any photos i shoot.  i use my camera as a way to explore and absorb - finding movement, texture, lines and only later as paintings emerge do i see how the act of shooting photos strongly influences my pieces.  by the way, the dots and repeated square pattern represent the sounds of the birds  i could hear - chickadees and red winged black birds.  

california revisited

there is something about the rolling hills and sculpted land of wine country that evokes a visceral response in me and i'm sure others, judging from the popularity of wine regions... or it's probably the wine itself! who am i fooling?!  i've painted popular series in the past of crops and vineyards.


last weekend i explored the Dry Creek area of Healdsburg in Sonoma County California with my sisters and am inspired once again by those majestic California hills i grew up near.  i can't wait to see what percolates up into my painting session today!


a great experience is to go to Bella Vineyard + Wine Caves for an afternoon of wine tasting and delicious snacks they provide. http://www.bellawinery.com/ 

the joy of completion

i can spend hours and days cultivating and creating paintings. they have stages of growth and then suddenly they're complete and it's time for me to title, varnish and sign. yet for me the true sign of completion is when they're sent off to a new home for other art lovers to enjoy.

these two pieces are heading to Tasmania this week and i'm thrilled to be reaching an audience on the other side of the globe from Vancouver!

     

BIRDSONG - WARM MELODY

12 x 12

UNDERCURRENTS OF SPRING
11 x 14