Reno Mania

Somehow fixing the plumbing issue in my studio has turned into a full fledged reno of the adjacent family room...all the painting I've done lately has been to walls! Well almost all, we at the Art Emporium have also been busy painting a table and chair for the Chair affair, fundraiser for  the St Thomas Elgin Hospital.

Ironically ever since we painted a Heron and pond, my pond has been under attack! They're coming in family groups to fatten up for the long flight south. The net over the pond has done no good, since the buggers have figured out how to wriggle underneath it. Frogs and fish ......gone.
Sigh, off to Moore's (water garden store) I go.

Tides Out

When we were in South Carolina we walked the beach everyday. Part way to the lighthouse there is a drowned forest, the contorted tree skeletons are fascinating, and the second most photographed thing on the beach, only the lighthouse is taken more.
These stumps are the vanguard of the drowned forest, and the forerunner of a series of paintings I'll be doing, this one is called 'Tides out', 8x10 on mounted board.
I've always loved the weathered look of driftwood, or in this case sea washed wood.  My garden/pond decor bares testament to this, although now the movement of wood is banned, the current crop of driftwood, is probably the last.  I'm not the only one who loves the driftwood artfully placed in my garden, the chipmunks and birds use it for cover, and lookouts, in fact a 'brushpile' is considered a necessity if you want to register your lot with the backyard habitat program.

Lets hear it for driftwood...

Tiny 'flying jewel' paintings of butterflies

With the gallery's grand opening just days away, I've been working like mad trying to get some new work done. The SEB business course I spent the summer taking, was very informative, but it meant that I didn't get as much work ready as I normally would, and now I'm paying for that.

A couple of opportunities have been missed, and while there isn't much I can do about it, I'm still annoyed with myself.

I'm investigating having these paintings reproduced on plak-it mounts. I've had photo's plaked, and when I saw that Vivian Tserotas has had some of her work reproduced on plaks, I thought hmmm, that would work!

A paper reproduction didn't appeal to me, and there are issues with fading with canvas reproductions. I like the chunkiness of plaks so we'll see. Then of course finding shops to sell them is the next step.

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.

"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!

kestrel painting, or sparrow hawk mixed media

Living in a rural area we see lots of these small kestrel/sparrow hawks. Usually perched on a telephone/hydro wire, as they peer intently at the grasses below, looking for lunch.

It doesn't seem that long ago, looking back over my half century, that sighting a hawk, of any kind was a rare occurrence. I still get a frisson of excitement when I see one. Birds of prey, being at the top of the food chain, were hard hit by DDT, but that comeback is in jeopardy. There has been talk lately of allowing limited use of DDT again. The hew and cry stopped it this time, but you can be assured that at some point someone will try again.

The board is painted rich metallic gold, and the large circle copper. Embedded in the copper circle are grasses and found objects, all representative of the kestrel's world of grasslands, and hidden treasures - as a kestrel would no doubt view a tasty mouse morsel. The painting is 18"x24" and is called 'Flight'.

peaceable kingdom, painting of giraffes lions zebras

I very stubbornly stuck to my "the next post is 'kingdom' finished", statement Unfortunately mama zebra gave me grief, and I had to gesso her out - 3 times.

Any of the earlier versions were close, but not quite there. I just couldn't let it go though, imagine in 500 years if the only painting that survives is one that was an 'almost got it':(

Truthfully, I can't do 'that's good enough', which can be a bit of a pain, usually in someone else's neck. lol

'Kingdom' of course is a gift for my granddaughter. The subject was choosen to match her bedroom decor. I was surprised by my husband who admitted the likes my usual style better. When I started doing the mixed media he wasn't at all sure that he liked it, I guess it's grown on him :)

Catherine and I have had an extremely busy week and a bit. The picture of the 'artsy tartsy' gals was taken by our intrepid village reporter Dot Sales, at the Village Business Association, (know as the H.U.B.) information night. Artsy tartsy has a story, someone I used to know thought they were insulting me when they called me artsy tartsy (that person meant artsy fartsy, but didn't quite get it right... par for the course with that person) I liked it so much that I put it on 'T' shirts for Cat and I.

Lemons~lemonade

Catherine and I also did the Art On The Green in Wortley Village, London, and the Port Stanley Artist Guild's annual show this past weekend. Since I was one of the conveners for the P.S.A.G. show it's been a busy time. Now we settle down to doing Cloister Artist's Art in the Heart of London, and a few other events for the summer. We are booked every weekend until mid-September, but nothing we are organizing until November.

We have a meeting this a.m. with the area small business help rep, to find out what is available to get small businesses off the ground. Send good thoughts.