About v.s. Of: What Is Your Life Statement

There is an exercise that artists are encouraged to do regularly called writing an artist's statement.
At their worst artist's statements are pretentious, jargon filled, meaningless garble, and at their best succinct revelations baring the artist's soul.
Part of the problem is the confusion over 'about' and 'of'.

Of: the subject. My art is of.....
The subject seem's like it should be obvious, but artist are strange beasts, and often the subject isn't what you think it is. My friend Kit Cutting paint's wonderful dog portraits (amongst other things) often featuring very old dogs. Her painting of my Rolley is a great example.

Rolley, by Kit Cutting

It's a painting of a dog, a very old dog (he was 18 when this was done) but more than that it's a painting of love.
Kit is a dedicated foster parent to rescued dogs, she has a special fondness for old dogs, or geezers as she calls them. She has devoted a considerable amount of her life to finding homes that will love the old ones till the end of their days. The love they give back is guaranteed, and her paintings always are OF this, and of the wisdom of the aged ones.
I paint landscape, seem's simple enough. The funny thing is that for years I resisted painting landscape because 'everybody did it'. I slowly came to the realization that painting landscape didn't necessarily mean 'just' painting pretty pictures, landscape can have a voice. My OF is micro habitats.
I'm a dedicated natural gardener, my property is certified as a backyard habitat. I raise monarch butterflies, rescue salamanders from under the treads of bulldozers, and grow native plants that some think are weeds. This is what my art is also OF.

So what the heck is it ABOUT then?
ABOUT is more the mechanical nuts and bolts kind of stuff.
Many artists work is ABOUT the play of light, or immersion in colour often it's about the tension between light and dark, upright and horizontal, foreground and background, etc etc.
For me the first ABOUT is the abstract patterns that comprise the landscape, the designs found in the fields and wild spaces and those magical places where the two collide. Where the casual observer sees helter skelter  patches I see interwoven pattern.
Secondly I see texture. It's not grass or scrubby shrubs, is bold uprights and lacy caps, intertwining lines, and bursts of textural energy.
Third I see the play of light, fractured as it bounces off textures, becoming colours to delight our eyes.
So that's my OF and ABOUT.

What about you, what are you OF and ABOUT? you don't have to be an artist, all meaningful lives are OF and ABOUT something....
Perhaps writing a life statement is something we all should indulge in from time to time.

Every one loves frogs

Well in my house everyone loves frogs...

Early morning entertainment is standing coffee in hand and counting, our record is 39 frogs, in the big (18x24 ft) pond. The 3 small ponds usually have at lest 2 in each record 9, in one.

Is it any wonder they so often appear in my art!

As my work gets less representational, you may have to look harder for them, but like the bees I hide in the work, they're there!

So why? Why are frogs and bees so important to me?

Frogs and other amphibians are extremely sensitive to pollutants and changes in water chemistry. A healthy frog population means a healthier environment for all of us.

Pollinators, especially bees are also sensitive to chemicals in the environment that affect us all, plus with out them, life on this planet would be irreparably damaged .

I'm preparing my newsletter to go out again (sign up if you want to get it in your inbox) and I'll be adding a few tips for encouraging the hoppers and buzzers in your garden.

Really, everyone loves frogs♥

Red Tailed Hawk Painting for Salthaven

Way back in the spring I was invited to Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, where I was privileged to be able to take many pictures of their 'critters'. They do amazing work there.

The plan is that I create the paintings, and have new work to show, meanwhile they can use the images to promote their center, win, win!

With all of the other 'stuff' that has been on my plate (I should have something to tell about that by August the 12th) I haven't been able to spend the time in my studio that I would like. As Catherine says...we're hoping that this 'stuff' will have been a glorious waste of time vs an utter waste of time :)

Now we're in the waiting phase for the 'stuff' so I'm working like mad to make up for lost time!

This is of course the tissue painting of the hawk that will be one of the layers of the mixed media piece. As per usual I've been doing lots of research on my subject and I've found some interesting stuff.

Hawks are revered in cultures from ancient Egypt, through to China and onward to the Native Americans. They are considered almost universally to be a symbol of protection, and also almost universally to be messengers of the gods.

Native Americans say that he who walks with the hawk will be the protector of the earth, and teach others to do the same.

I've always had a special feeling for hawks, Frank Northgrieve an artist friend and member of the Chippewa on the Thames Band told me once that they are my totem.

Walk with the hawk my friend, may we all walk with the hawk.

Showy Lady Slipper painting Queen of the Fen

Queen of the Fen is an apt description of Cypripedium Reginae. In most of it's range it's under sever pressure or even extinct.

However here in Ontario thanks to the far sightedness of the Purden family there is a huge colony of these beautiful orchids in the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority near the village of Lanark, about an hour east of Ottawa. We saw these beauties on a Canada Day (July 1st) weekend a few years back. All I can say is WOW!

Part of the problem is that like all wetlands the importance of Fens has been misunderstood until recently. A Fen is fed by a moving water source ie: a spring or stream, and is therefore less acidic than a Bog which is fed by rain and is a 'closed' system. Every time 'they' dredge a stream... a popular thing to do around here... a potential/former Fen is destroyed.

This past week (busy busy busy) we went on a 'gallery crawl'. Most of the shows were great, but the one that most stands out in my mind is the Cambridge Galleries Fiber Art show. It was totally amazing, and made me glad the warmer weather is around the corner, so that I can make some more paper (room and mess issues=outdoor activity).

On of the best reasons to crawl galleries is the inspiration that you/I get by looking a wonderful art.

Speaking of wonderful art, at the last STEAG meeting Candy Mcmaniman gave a presentation on how she achieves some of her effects, I've always loved Candy's art, and my art has probably subconsciously been influenced by contact with her, although I was already on this road before we became friends. Candy, Catherine Roxanne Jervis and I, and several others will be at St Paul's Cloister Art again this summer. Come check us out in July and August, and if you're near Ottawa between mid June and mid July, go and pay homage to the Queen of the Fen.

"They Paved Paradise" collage mixed media of Great Blue Heron

Yeah! It's done. The mica paint came in on Monday, and today was the first day I've had to work on finishing "They Paved Paradise".

The effect is subtle, but very worth it. It has a gritty, Emory board kind of feel, and in the context of this painting, it does look like asphalt.

I choose the Great Blue Heron to represent all of the marsh creatures. It is iconic of the North American wetlands.

When I was young seeing a heron was rare and exhilarating. They have made a wonderful comeback by adapting to new environments, hench they are now the scourge of back yard water gardeners. Unfortunately other denizens of the wetlands aren't as adaptable.

Salamanders, frogs, various insects, and plant life all need the marsh and bog to survive. Thanks to the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Ducks Unlimited habitat is being saved and re-created. It is no longer considered acceptable to drain and fill in wetlands when building, but developers put in drainage ponds... not the same thing.

The increase in water gardening helps, especially if the gardener puts in a bog garden. Both of my ponds include bog gardens and bulrush bio-filters, they're very easy to make and extremely effective, and attract all kinds of interesting birds and critters.

On a slightly different note, signs of spring are every where, and today when I was out walking around the garden the first flock of swans flew over on their way to the Aylmer wildlife refuge. Awe inspiring!

wetlands vs waste lands

Some paintings happen very quickly, almost painting them selves, most are somewhere in the middle, and then there are those that simmer and bubble in the back of your imagination, for ages before they are ready to be painted.
"Paved Paradise" is one of the latter.
I still have a way to go with this one, and I'm not yet ready to show it to you, but I thought I'd share a bit of my thought process with you.
Wetlands are often seen as waste lands, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Not only do wetlands provide habitat to a wide range of creatures, they are also the most effective water purification system in the world, far far more efficient than anything man has made.
They are also extremely effective at flood control, acting like a sponge absorbing excess water from storm surge, before it causes damage.
World wide over 50% of wetlands have been destroyed/drained, in some places the loss is closer to 90%, scary.
I started researching wetlands when I started the 'At Risk' series, while the wetlands aren't exactly a species they are definitely at risk.
So this painting will be part of the series.
Map symbols, mosaic of map and money bits, and of course realism 'elements' all are part of it, I'm waiting for some mica paint I had to special order ( to look like asphalt) as soon as I get it I will finish up and give you a look at 'Paved Paradise"

Well, two awards in two and a half weeks...what can I say, but... whawhoo! and thank you!

I was nominated for, and won, an award for developing environmental awareness, given as part of the Elgin Growing Together program. This is the 'new' county oriented version of Canada Blooms. Elgin being primarily rural, found that the categories dictated by C.I.B. didn't reflect the county accurately.

The award I was given was for my environmental work, art, education, and promotion of sustainable gardening. As you may know my property is certified with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, for more information on things you can do to aid wildlife in general and pollinators specifically go to their web site.

There was an interesting interview on the CBC today about the plight of the bees, the word is getting out, if we all do what we are able, we CAN make a difference.

This is a copy of the handout I took with me and gave to interested people at the banquet.

Did You Know
Many of the small creatures of our summer childhood memories will soon be just that, memories. We can change that, if we act now.
Declines in the health and population of pollinators pose a significant threat to the integrity of bio-diversity, to global food webs, and to human health. Factors which could contribute to declines include: improper use of pesticides and herbicides; habitat fragmentation, loss, and degradation causing a reduction of food sources and sites for mating, nesting, roosting, and migration; aggressive competition from non-native species; disease, predators, and parasites; climate change; and lack of floral diversity. Some Examples:
The number of commercially managed honeybee colonies in the U.S. has declined from 5.9 million in the 1940’’s to 4.3 million in 1985 and 2.7 million in 1995 (Ingram et al., 1996 In Kearns et al., 1998). Feral bees are essentially gone in the U.S. (Watanabe, 1994).
At least 2 bat and 13 bird species listed in the United States as endangered by the Fish and Wildlife Service are pollinators. It remains unknown how many of the listed insects are pollinators or how many listed plants require pollinators (Nabhan, 1996).
At least 82 species of mammalian pollinators and 103 species of avian pollinators are considered threatened or extinct according to IUCN criteria (Nabhan, 1996).
Source http://www.nappc.org/pollinatorEn.html
On Ontario’s species at risk list You will find such once common creatures as Monarch Butterflies, frogs, and salamanders.
You Can Help
Do not use pesticides, Hand pick or wash pests off with a strong stream of water. If stronger means are needed a mild solution of dish soap usually is enough. Be aware of who you’re squishing, not all bugs are bad, in fact 80% are either beneficial or benign.
Grow a diverse and predominantly native collection of flowering plants. Such as purple Lupin, Milkweed, golden rod, etc. Grow white clover in your lawn, it’s good for your lawn (fixes nitrogen, crowds out weeds, increases tilth of soil) and good for the pollinators. http://www.toronto.ca/trees/pdfs/Fact_2_How_to_Select_and_Buy_Native_Plants.pdf
Check out the guidelines of, and join, the Back Yard Habitat program of the Canadian Wild Life Federation and create a pollinator oasis.
Tread lightly on the Earth, we are custodians not owners. Your grand and great grand children will thank you.
　
　
　

Mother and Child painting first step

That's a bit of a misnomer, the actual first step is griding out the proportions, then comes this step which is called a grisaille. This is where I fine tune the drawing of the portrait. Since I'm only using umber and sienna I can easily over paint and correct until I'm satisfied. This is the step that takes the most time. So far I have 7 hours into this one, and I've a LONG way to go yet. Have I mentioned that I'm picky?
I've been spending hours getting the studio tour going too, most of the administrative/publicity stuff will be done this week, and then I have 3 weeks to get some work (painting) done, or I'm not going to have any thing to show.
I've also been asked to show my 'At Risk' series at the Pinery Oct 3rd. I'll have more details soon.
First Friday in Port Stanley will continue until December, the St Thomas Elgin Artists' Guild show is just 6 weeks away, and I thought the season was winding down...

Award Nomination

I think most people work as hard for recognition, as they do for tangible rewards, ie money. I'm no different.
So being nominated for an award is incredibly rewarding.
The former Communities in Blooms, ( I'm not sure what it's now called, but it reflects CIB's expanded reach) gives out awards of different criteria, one of which is environmental awareness
and that is what I, and my art is up for.
The committee is coming next Monday to interview me and take photo's of my work. Wish me luck!
The little pic's posted here are some of the small pieces I framed up last week. It's interesting seeing how much more appealing they are to people, then when they were unframed. There is a ongoing debate in the arts community regarding framing, should we, should we not... I'm definitely falling onto the should side, for small pieces anyway, larger ones.... what do you think?
Don't forget, Friday is the "First Friday" in Port Stanley. We had lots of fun last time, join us, there is lots to see and do. It's almost like a monthly street party.
I've been asked to show some of my work at Pinecroft on Saturday, and Sunday is of course. art in the heart of London.
I just hung part of my 'at risk' series in Joe Preston's, and another piece in the Elgin Tourism office. So all in all it's been a busy week.
I have another piece under way, it has a strange little story attached to it, but I'll tell that when I can show you the piece.

Dorchester show, studio gallery

The Dorchester Artist Network Show was a big hit in it's new location and new time. In the past we've always had the show in the community center, in the fall. This 'improved' show had a totally different look, and feel.
Kudos to the show committee and Sharon V. in particular for all of their hard work. The website will have pictures and a show report very soon.
Next on the agenda is the Port Stanley show, Art on the Green in Wortley Village, closely followed by the Belmont Art In The Park, all in the shows side bar.
The Art in the Park is Catherine's and mine brainchild. This will be our second year and it is looking to be an even better event than last year, which was a success by anyone's standards.
I've been hard at work on so many projects that I don't want to list them all here... that would be really boring! One though is my 'studio gallery', see the pic below. There are just a couple of small wrinkles to iron out yet, then I'll be ready for company. Call ahead and I'll have the coffee on!
The Peaceable Kingdom will hopefully be done this week, then I'll post it for you. The small mixed media above is called 'Knocking' . I used a couple of kinds of handmade paper in it. They reminded me of bark. The Downy woodpecker is a regular at my feeders, particularly when I put out peanuts and/or peanut butter. Downy's like many woodpeckers are suffering from man's tendency to groom the landscape, dead/dying tree? cut it down! and yet so many creatures from bats to bugs find their home and food sources in them. If you've got a dead tree unless it is a true safety hazard, consider leaving it up. Be kind to the earth,

Call for Artists and Peaceful Kingdom

The Art in the Park is fast approaching and we have a call for artists going out for it. I've been putting ads in the appropriate publications, and have added it to my Shows etc side bar. Check it out. We had a great day last year and a lot of fun. Our event took place last year at the same time as the garden tour, this year it's a stand alone event. It sounds like it's going to be bigger and better than ever.

Catherine and I took down our show at Cherryhill this evening, hard to believe a month has gone by already. Tomorrow we're taking a few pieces to the Woodstock gallery for jurying, and Monday we have to take the rest to St Thomas for the Appreciation of the Arts jurying (see side bar).

May is shaping up to be a very busy month, and June is just as good.

The first photo is of the board I'm preparing for my next At Risk Series piece. This is how to cradle a Masonite Board. You can see I've glued and clamped 1x3/4 inch strips onto the back of the board which has a star of G.A.C. 100 (golden acrylic product) to help prevent warping. the cradle then allows me to frame the piece in a floating frame, plus it stabilizes it.

The bottom picture is of 'The Peaceful Kingdom" which I'm doing for my baby granddaughter. It's 28x35, and yes I know the lion and her cub is too big, that's what happens when you put several references together. I have the rough in stage done (grissel), so now I just have to start laying in the colours. I've been puddling away at this while I wait for other things to dry, so it's taking a while. As always, I'll keep you posted.

Also... This blog was selected as one of the top 10 by Tony Moffits Art World!!!!

Thank a Pollinator

After almost 3 months of work... here it is! Like the other 3 completed pieces in this series, Thank a Pollinator is 24x30 on Masonite. each of the small paintings is 3x4 collage/paint/printing and the center circle is 13 inches across. All are on board so there is a bit of a 3d effect going on.

The piece speaks to my concern about the world wide dieing of the bees. Colony Collapse Disorder is frightening. It has spread rapidly and has caused huge losses in the population of pollinators, the best known being honey bees.

Just about everything you put in your mouth is thanks to a pollinator. Fruit, veggies, dairy products, including the steak, nuts, etc etc the list goes on. The bee either pollinated the flower that made the fruit or the seed that grew the veggie. Bee's pollinated the alfalfa flower that became the seed that grew the forage the cow/goat/pig ate. Need I go on??

There is hope. They think that perhaps they are beginning to understand the cause, or should I say causes of C.C.D.

It would seem that the mono cultural practice of our agriculture is causing malnourishment of the bees. Pesticides farther the weakening of the bees health, then viruses, particularly Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus finish them off.

YOU CAN HELP. Grow a diverse variety of flowering plants. A perfect lawn, trimmed with a row of non-flowering ornamental plants, looks like a desert to a bee, no nourishment there. Especially focus on native flowering plants, and flowers that set seed (just dead head so they keep blooming ), go easy on the pesticides or better yet don't use any. And if you are blessed with a bee's nest, don't destroy it. If it must go, call a beekeeper and ask to have them removed.

This work, and the others will be at our show starting April 1st, Catherine and I hope to see you Tues. April 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Cherryhill library for our opening reception. Bee happy

Thank a Pollinator nearing compleation

Getting there. The 'little guys' are laid out on the wrong side of the back board, which you can just see the GAC100 sizing on. I put a star of GAC 100 on the back to help prevent curling and warping of the board. It seems to work pretty well. What you can't see here are the cradle strips that I am in the process of gluing and clamping around the outside edge. The purpose of the cradle is to help prevent warping, and also to give me something to attach the floater frames, I favour, to. Floaters have an edge that over laps the back of the painting, v.s. the front the way a traditional frame does, which means that you can't use points or small nails to keep the frame and painting together, the frame and painting have to be screwed together from the back.

The center of the piece has to be finished yet, it's under way, and then it's just the final putting together.... I've really enjoyed working on this piece, and I've learned a lot doing it, but I am ready to move on, the next piece is calling me, and I have a giant canvas I want to paint for my granddaughter ...so much to paint, so little time. Plus the spring/summer show season is about to explode!

Catherine and I will be hanging our show on the 31st, with the opening 7:00 p.m. April 7th, at Cherryhill library in the Sam Katz room. I hope you can join us.

Thank a Pollinator

Work has been proceeding on 'Thank A Pollinator'. The piece on the left has a painting of alfalfa on it. Like steak? How about ice cream... alfalfa is the feed of choice for cattle, and... that's right it needs to be pollinated!

The one on the right is just fun, I may yet add a dream catcher to the red circle, or maybe not. I like it just the way it is. It will tell me once the whole piece is assembled if it wants it or not.

I know I talk of my paintings speaking to me a lot. No I don't hear little voices, not quite. The artists out there will know what I mean though. When you're in the zone, there is a magical kind of sinking into your work that happens, and a dialog of sort develops. That is when your best work is made.

I need to complete a minimum of 3 of these little parts each week to have the whole finished for the April 1st opening of my show in Cherryhill Library . Catherine will have a few pieces of her sculpture in the display case there at the same time. I'll keep you informed, just remember the opening is on April 7th at 7 ;00p.m.

March I'll be in the Port Stanley Library for the month, and I'm looking at a couple of other juried shows that are just around the corner.

I realized something to day, or I suppose I became conscious of something that has been growing in the back of my mind. The 'At Risk' series isn't for sale, not yet. I would really like to take the whole series on the road. I know of artists who's work travels to the various galleries, and I don't mean just the 'big guys' (like the Warhol show in Kitchener)

There is a woman, who's name I have forgotten, who spoke at a Port Stanley Guild meeting about her travelling show. She did the most amazing fabric art, quilts like your grandma never dreamed of. Each piece told the story of W.W.II from the perspective of a woman who worked in the war effort. Women who made bombers, and ammunition. Women who worked at all manner of 'men's work' during the war. Women who flew the new made bombers to Britain, and flew the damaged ones back... if they made it back. Women who never received any recognition or thanks, were remembered in her art, which is now going around the world.

I don't know if it's possible, but I'd like to try. I'd like to get my message in front of as many people as I can, so I can say WAKE UP WORLD! This is fixable, but only if we start NOW.

bees and ash borer miniatures

Thank you to my friend Mark at the Ontario Bee Keepers Association for permission to use his photo for reference . This little painting is for the miniature show in The Art exchange The painting is 3x5 mixed media, and called 'Pollinator Gold' . I'm planning on putting a 'blurb' on the back like this...

BEES
A pollinator is directly responsible for 3 of every 5 bites of food we eat, and indirectly for the other 2. The ‘gold medalist’ of pollinators is the bee.
Bee keepers are reporting 30-90% death rates in 35 American states, 5 Canadian Provinces, and several European countries.
Scientists think a combination of parasitic mites, climate change, pesticides, habitat loss, Israeli and Kashmir bee viruses and a mysterious phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder are to blame. No one knows what causes CCD, only that it causes the hive to become so toxic that adult bees abscond, and predators like hive beetle will not enter. Crop losses are all ready in the millions, and will continue to rise.

This one is the same size and called 'Eating the Ash' and it's blurb is...

WHITE ASH
FRAXINUS AMERICANA L.
The graceful Ash tree is a medium size tree who’s tough wood has been the traditional wood for baseball bats, oars and handles. It makes beautiful furniture. It’s winged seeds, much like maple keys, are food for many birds and small mammals.
Emerald Ash Borer arrived from Asia in 2002 via hardwood packaging. They first appeared near Detroit and have spread rapidly to Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, West Virginia etc etc . It’s rapid spread is due entirely to mankind, as the insects rarely fly more than 1/2 mile in their lifetime. The EAB has caused 10's of millions of Ash trees to be cut down, and cost governments 10's of millions of dollars trying to stop it. Once infected by EAB a tree will die in 2 years.

Wow am I a wet blanket or what.

The 'secret commission is also progressing, I think by next week it'll be done, once it's delivered, and I have permission I'll show it to you.

I had some major excitement this week when my pug painting was chosen for the featured artist of the day on fine art views on thursday.

whoot! and then today on painters keys 'in praise of weeds' was featured! double whoot! it's just a shame that I haven't finished with the adjustments that I want to make to 'weeds'. Working toward the mini show deadlines I've been focused on the little guys.

Things are rocking and rolling! MUST PAINT ttfn

pugs and other commissions

The pugs are done, and another commission is started. This one is top secret. I can't show it to you until after it's delivered and the patron gives their approval. It's also causing me fits. I don't paint landscape unless it's important to the 'story', in this case it is very important.

I know many artists would say that figure work is harder than landscape, but for me it's just the opposite. Probably because landscape doesn't excite me. Yes occasionally I'll see a vista that makes me want to reach for a brush, but that is rare indeed. I'm much more entranced by the small living things around us that most of us take for granted.

That of course is what the 'At Risk' series I'm working on, is all about. There are so many of these creatures that will not be here in 20 years if we don't do something NOW, that I have an almost frantic sense of urgency to record them, and tell their stories. Perhaps in some small way I can help open peoples eyes to what we stand to lose. In the words of Joni Mitchell "you don't know what you've got till it's gone".

I have one more commission to do, and no, neither of theses two are due for Christmas, although if it were possible.... I'm still working full time so unless a modern Medici takes me on I can only work on these things, evenings and days off, (sigh).

I love commissions, but I have a solo coming up in April, and I'd like to fill the room with the 'At Risk' series. I'll need about 20 pieces, so I've got to get to work!

In Praise Of Weeds

Last night at 11:00 I thought it was done. this morning at 4:00a.m. it whispered in my ear that it wasn't, and wouldn't be quiet until I got up and 'did' it.
Is it done??? I hope so, after all I have to hand it in tomorrow morning.
Tonight when I get home from work I have to frame and tag. then go over the other pieces I'm putting in the St. Thomas Show. to make sure everything is properly labeled, signed etc.
This piece is 24x30 the gold board is floated on the black board. The white on the black is a combo of real and painted milkweed fluffs.
the gold curlicue is representative of the 3400 mile journey that the Monarchs traverse each year. It takes 4-6 generations to complete that cycle and is one of the unexplained wonders of our world. Over laid on the curlicue are written man made hazards faced by the Monarchs, logging of Lomas de Aparicio, Bt etc. each are punctuated with a screw, since that's what the butterflies are (screwed) when they encounter these hazards. The green circle with a bite taken out of it is representative of the Lomas de Aparicio World Biosphere Preserve, which illegal loggers have taken a massive toll on, clear cutting, thousand of acres. Running around the blue area is a litany about the urban sprawl, pesticides, herbicides, and genetically modified Bt infused crops all of which are causing an alarming decline in butterfly (not just Monarch) populations, and could lead rather quickly to the extinction of at lest some species of butterflies. The ramble of words concludes with 'imagine a world without butterflies'.
See you at the show P.S. it's whispering to me Still, so watch for future changes to 'In Praise of Weeds'

Lady Bug, Lady Bug

Lady bug, Lady bug fly away home... finally I have a picture to post for you. Being an impatient person, having to wait for each successive layer to dry just about kills me (LOL) so I've taken to working on a couple of pieces at the same time.

This one has a transfer as well as writing, to help tell the story or message that I want to convey.

Lady bugs, or Lady birds as some call them, are a predatory insect, both in their larval stage and as adults. They are so voracious and effective that you can actually buy Lady bugs to release in your garden or green house. Unfortunately our native Lady bug has taken quite a beating from insecticides, lose of habitat, and the release of Asian Lady bugs, intentionally let loose to help control aphids. Luckily most people like Lady bugs so the squish factor is low.

I'll be leaving Saturday for my much anticipated week in New York, New York on an Art Gallery Tour. This trip is arranged by one of the art guilds I belong to, and includes amongst other stops, the Metropolitan Museum, The Guggenheim, and the Museum of Modern Art (M.O.M.A.) I'm sure when I get back I'll be on cloud nine.

I'll be back just in time for Saturday 25th October 10-4p.m. when the Dorchester Guild has our annual show/sale. It's at the Dorchester Arena, on Dorchester Rd, across from the Tim Hortons. There will be all kinds of wonderful work. The Dorchester Guild has the biggest variety of artists of all of the guilds I belong to, and it's usually a great show. See ya there

Do not move firewood

Now that fall is here, (sigh) we are back to art group. Kim Harrison (art god of London , and our mentor) spent the summer painting in Ireland, the lucky old sod. We are very glad he is back, and we are honoured that he has consented to lead us again. We have all learned so much from him that it would be impossible for me to list it all, and most of what we've (I've) learned couldn't be put into words anyway. It's too empirical for that.

"Do Not Move Firewood" has passed the Kim test. A part of me was terrified that he would hate it. When I told him that (after a glowing critique) he laughed and said I've never shown him anything that wasn't good, and that most of my work is wonderful, this included. No wonder we all love him.

"Do Not Move..." will be part of my "At Risk" series, and is inspired by the emerald ash borer, and all of the efforts to stop it. We here in Central Elgin County have been placed in a firewood quarantine, and have been inundated with fliers and notices telling us of the 'green menace'. Unfortunately, all those trees died in vain, (to make paper). The green menace marches on.

silent spring

This is the first of a series I'm tentatively calling 'at risk'.

Frogs and their kin, are like the canary in the goldmine. Their population health and numbers are an early indicator as to how healthy the habitat is for all living things... including us. There has been an alarming wide spread decline in frogs and amphibians in general. Scientists have been trying to discover why, and have found that concentrations of many chemicals in the waters from a variety of sources, are affecting these creatures in many adverse ways. Some of the greatest culprits are residuals of medications that are not removable by current means from 'water treatment' plants. First the frogs go silent: then ... us?

(source: Scientific American June 2008)

For a very long time I've been trying to figure out how to use my art the put across an environmental message. Concern for the environment is on every one's lips these days, but for me it's been a lifetime awareness. My parents turned down the thermostat, used a rain barrel, composted, walked v.s. drove etc etc long before it was trendy. My sib's and I have all inherited that concern. We were taught early to always leave the campsite cleaner that you found it, and the planet too.

I've played with a few ideas for expression of these beliefs/ideals before. but none felt right, and then, my 'road to Damascus' moment and I knew how it all had to fit together.

There is a lot of 'political art' out there these days, and most of it rides on shock value, or schlock value some of it. I didn't want to cheapen the message by doing that, (I wouldn't anyway, I think shock art is cheating, and has no real merit~ just my opinion) and a lot of it is just plain ugly, also not my thing. Therefore my message had to be carried on a attractive package, and provoke thought without being vulgar or repulsive. So wish me (and Mother Earth) luck.