where I paint...

Its not the least bit glamorous..... I paint in our bedroom. Its a really big bedroom with good lighting. I can also shut it away so that kids and animals are not able to get into it. The cat has already walked through my palette of paints and then walked around the bedroom leaving paw prints all over in every colour. So Its a good enough space for now. I would love to build a small studio out in the back yard. There is lots of space and it does not have to be big. I joked with my family that if I had a cot and my paints, a little heater I would not come home..... so its a dream, someday.

my painting space

Ive started painting all my canvases black. I have

learned that I tend to work dark to light. I have to have a black surface to begin on . I was told they sell canvases in black. This would be a great time saver for me as Ive only ever bought white, pre-gessoed canvases. So now I will look for the black ones! I will be working on 3 paintings at the same time. I began doing this in preparing for my show and it was great. Working in Acrylics I tend to work in layers so while one layer is drying I can work on another piece and just rotate them. Its much more efficient and I find it easy to move freely between paintings. I hope to be able to journal this process over the next few weeks. Ill add another photo of my paints and then show the evolution of each painting, my palette and thoughts over the next while......

creative mind.....

the last few days have been time spent filling up the creative juices. I had been painting everyday almost 6-8hrs a day and this week and last Ive been spending time gathering images for paintings to be.... shopping at my local art store for canvas and paint, and just doing alot of thinking about what is next. I am beginning to book shows for August and December and coming up with images to paint. I am also beginning to work on my commissions that I took in from my last solo exhibition.

Part of being an artist Im realizing is acknowledging the time between paintings. This time used to feel unproductive to me but now Im seeing as part of the process. It cant be forced either, the act of creating comes in different forms and this period between paintings for me can last as long as a couple of weeks or just a few days. What I do notice is I am creating in other ways all of the time, whether its in the garden, in the house, or framing for friends ( yes Im a picture framer part time as well )

So the canvas is calling again and Im ready. I have 3 commissions to begin and will post their progress as I go along. I am also going to try to be less judgemental of my time between paintings when Im filling up....

Silver Birches

Well its been a while since Ive been consistantly blogging my daily routines as an artist. Im happy to say for the last few months Ive been planning my first exhibit in years. The solo show had its debut May 24th 2008 at the home of Jane and David Thompson. They are great supporters of mine both on a personal level and in my pursiut of painting. I am grateful to them for allowing me to use their home to exhibit my work and create awareness around my art making.

A portion of the sales that day went to help support the Mark Preece Family House and I think the day was a great success. So now I will continue to create my daily paintings and journal my successes and failures as I continue to follow my dreams! How lucky am I to be able to do this, with the support of my friends and family I am so grateful. The painting above Silver Birches sold at the show and received very postive feedback.