Newsy news.....

So, heres where we are at, decided to sell the house in July 09, came home from Reno and started the ball rolling. I began by purging, cleaning and repairing. It was a full time job for the month of August. The house was listed the day after the kids went back to school and it sold in 8 days. A very nice young couple bought our home and some of its contents as well as some of my art which Im most thrilled about. The closing date is Nov 25th....( hence the lack of blog entries since the summer ) We are renting a townhouse and looking to buy again when the "perfect" home presents itself to us. Not sure what that looks like exactly, but like all things in my life it will just feel right.

Moving begins this weekend amongst a hockey tournament, birthday parties and team pictures. Not to mention my husband just informed me that he will be away at a conference during the bulk of the move. In the old days I would have done this move the hard way and on my how but Ive learned and Im wiser so I am paying people to do it and will order swiss chalet everynight if I have to so that its a smooth ride and relatively stress free.

I will begin painting and blogging regularly for my shows in 2010. I will post those dates as soon as they are confirmed and look so very forward to getting started on a more regular painting schedule.

The picture posted is a of a door in soho.....oh how I miss NY

Illustration take two

The first attempt at the illustration was with a paramedic with the heart, the second attempt was a revision of the image, so the paramedic removed and the truck updated to represent the article more accurately. Well it was a simple revision and Im so pleased to have it completed! It was great fun and I hope to do some more editorial illustrations in the future.

Editorial Illustration.....

I had the wonderful opportunity this week to create an editorial illustration. It was so much fun and a great new challenge for me.

Sold the house moving next weekend. Painting will resume the beginning of October for my 2010 shows in Kitchener, Dundas and Ancaster. I will be posting those dates by the end of the year.

Dundas Valley tour Oct 09

What a great weekend. We had a wonderful turnout. I enjoyed the feedback and comments of all the people that took the time to come out and see the studio tour. Sold a few paintings and looking forward to the spring show to exhibit more of my work.

summers closing....

Its come so quickly, clean sheets, early baths, backpacks at the door ( what am I going to put in their lunches !!!!) Goodbye summer, out come the paints and brushes.

Jane and Davids 09

I finished 17 pieces for the two shows in

may. There was just enough to do two complete shows. I started painting in January and did not stop. I am very pleased with the work that I put together and happy with the results. Today I get to breath. ( I did go buy more paint and canvas though!!!!)

Jane and Davids 09

What a gorgeous home. Thank you Jane and David for all you do that day to make it a success.

Jane and Davids 09

Jane and David generously open their home to my artwork, friends and family to exhibit in may. Its a wonderful way to raise money for the mark preece family house and to just enjoy a day of artwork and good people. My friends jane and lisa sure knows how to dress a table! Great job.

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Dundas Valley tour 09

more shots of the valley tour exhibit

Dundas valley tour 09

Stephanies beautiful home.

Dundas Valley tour

Its been a long last few months of painting. I had two shows in may to get ready for and they were a smashing success. The valley tour and Janes house were both very exciting and great to show my work to all the appreciative people. I am grateful to my friends and family for all their support and for continuing to come out to all my exhibits.

done

not sure if I posted this one done....so here it is complete. My husband loves this painting.

sunset....new colour pallette

playing with skies and colour.... enjoying the sunsets and doing more. Looking at the shape of the canvas to inspire me and may focus more and landscape with a few birches to create perspective

blue, blue blue....

trying new skies now and will post those later....here is the first with a lake. Loved it right away. Its better in person I think more vivid however I love this painting only 12x12 inches, like the samller ones and they work up so fast.

a painting every day and a half....

trying to post what Ive been working on for weeks now, Ive been
too busy to get batteries for my camera, finally bought some and had great outdoor light to take photos. One of those sunless days where the light is pure and allows for the colours to almost appear as they are in real life....not too many days like that but need to take advantage when I can. Above is a painting I finished and another shot of the piece sent off to paulas gallery.

painting marathon....

this is done, but I had to ship it the other day to paulas gallery so it would be able to make the auction event. I hope I get a current photo of it but may not as I had no batteries when it shipped. It was a good painting, with a good ending.

moving along...

Good Friday indeed. Im having a great painting day, the kids have a sunny day to enjoy with all their friends and daddy is home. So its a good day, oh! the house is clean too. I do have a ton of laundry to do but Im trying to ignore that.

I must get batteries for my camera so I can take photos of all the work Ive been doing. Very productive days.

gratitude....

I am grateful for:

1. my painting today
2. having Logan home to cuddle with
3. haydens courage
4. mcdonalds fries
5. my family
6. my really good paint brushes
7. my friends
8. jacks company
9. the sun shine

birch with blue sky

Not the greatest quality picture, so hard to get a good shot. I have someone who may be photographing my work for me which would be great as the colours just dont come out exactly right for me. So this painting is evoling nicely. I am pleased thus far, its sort of a new approach for me with smaller canvas ( 16x20) and 3 trees with 3 trunks and the landscape with rocks, still a few hours to go working on this but will be a nice size for the exhibit....

across the street

Last night I found a smaller canvas and sketched a new painting. I looked out the window and across the street there were 3 birch trees I have been looking at for 2 years and it never dawned on me that it could be a painting. So I drew it out and started painting it today.

open sky

heres the thing, I started doing landscapes in art school. I remember them vividly. I would make them up out of my head. The canvas was usually divided into 3 parts, water, land, sky. I loved this rounded, blended earth tones. The shapes on the canvas were massive with rolling hills and I painted large, it was too confining on a smaller surface. I dont know where any of those paintings are at this point. Maybe I gave them away or just stored them at school never to pick them up again. I also liked to draw in those days and never left the house without a sketch book. I remember one drawing in particular I did up at a classmates cottage in Perry Sound. She was an artist and a good one. Her and I sketched all weekend and Im reminded that my work now, is reflective of the style I had then. What I love about that is I was free. I drew and painted in my own style and experimented. Im doing that again and most importantly I feel like my paintings are starting to really represent who I am as an artist and who I was years ago in art school. Open and free to express myself, its a great feeling . Took me a long time to get to this point again. I remember picking up a paint brush and a canvas 10 yrs ago for the first time in years and copying other artists.....all the while trying to find me. Well Ive found me again at least Im closer than I was, really close.

No photo today but the painting below is a day away from completion Ill post it tomorrow....

evolution...

I am adding the smaller trees with white highlights in the left side...this will be throughout the painting but its beginning to add depth and interest. I am also going to introduce a blue/green to the landscape its actually called bright aqua green. It will bring light to the landscape. Sometimes you miss the colours that are in a landscape that you would think out of a tube would never belong but next time your looking out your window look closely and you can see aqua, purples, yellows etc that you may have never seen before.

into the gap

okay next painting...love how its rolling along. Ive got a million images in my head and cant get them onto the canvas fast enough. This one is really moving me, love the gaps and sky.....making me very happy.....just the beginning so watch the evolution.

sunday night

no painting today. Finished my assignment for my course though. Took me a few hours but submitted it and now I can relax a little and just look at my next course. I dont think Ill study over the summer with the kids home and an exhibit in Sept. I wish I could fit it all in, however Ill pick up 2 courses in sept 09 and 2 more in Jan 2010. Im not sure how close I am to being done just plugging away at it. Hard to juggle it all but worth it when you love what your doing and I really do.

Well the kids and Dean just left so Im off to rest and get ready for a painting day tomorrow, will post what I accomplish, finished a birch, started 2 more.... not to mention commiss. from a while back. Need to finish it all!!! Wish there was 2 of me.

Good night!

dismal day...

Well its a grey and foggy day. I have one more assignment to complete for my final couse in addiction

tall tall trees...

Okay its coming

along nicely , few more details and Ill be starting another soon! I like it but need to work a little more on it then just sit with it........I could truly work on them forever but eventually you have to call it done....its never really done for me I just hit a point and its time to leave it alone.

long day....

Great day but long. Had a good productive day with my birch. Really coming together. I feel a lot of pressure as I have 2 shows in may and one in sept. Not sure how many I will have done for may and I hope I sell out however that would mean no paintings could be carried over for the september show. Any-hoo..... will play it all by ear and just paint every chance I get which is not a bad gig at all. I go to bed at night with great anticipation for the next day and challenges on the canvas Im so lucky.

lisa

Good painting day, still not over as I have lots of sunlight to work with because of the longer days, so happy about that. Talked to my sister a lot today, always makes me happy. This painting Im working on is really tall and leggy just like her. I guess its inspiring me plus Im choosing canvases that are tall like the trees. I like to do that.

This painting is not done, its bugging me at the moment ( and they all do ) because I always get to this point on the canvas when the paint is not yet dry, I want to work the paint out and I cant its not blending exactly right. I do know that if I leave it for a day or two and then try to blend I will get it right. It always goes that way with every painting and I know this but I still get irritated at this point.

I love the blue sky, love love love it.

birch from last year....

This is a birch I did last year and sold, I have evolved so much since then but I often go back to it for reference. I am very pleased with the largest trunk so I look at it quite a bit when Im starting a new birch, the landscape is good and the sky I like, especially the transition between the blue sky and dark landscape.

I will be posting new paintings this week and the process Im going through to prepare for my up and coming exhibits.

spring has sprung....

Great productive day painting. The kids are on march break but they are amazing at entertaining themselves with friends for a few hours at a time then I step in for an hour, make lunch, snacks re-direct them and then they are good for another few hours. Makes for a choppy day but still got lots of painting done, another birch and a few commissions.

I love the painting I'm working on, found a new canvas and so the paint is blending so much better on this new surface its very very exciting as I was struggling with the blending and thought it was my paint, well I was wrong its the canvas surface that is making all the difference, it feels like the surface is rougher and has a different finish, anyways its making all the difference. Love love love it.
xo

Well its been much too long....... what have I been up too??? Kids, kids, and more kids. Hockey rinks and indoor soccer, my "other" life took over but Ive been painting almost everyday. My latest victory is meeting Paula. Wow what a great day that was. Paula is an artist and gallery owner ( mother of 4, twin boys they are 13 ). She asked to see my birches, I took 3 paintings in to show her......and low and behold she booked me to exhibit in Sept. September 24th to be exact. The rest of the details will be posted at my website......

Oh! my website was hijacked and the domain name stolen so now it is http://www.michelleguitard.net/

It was .com but now .net its a tad confusing but I bought this special security coverage ( may be a big ole scam ) that prevents further hijacking....its kind of humorous all the silly lingo but hey that's what I was told. I was hijacked.

So back to Paula, apparently she sees something she likes in my work and I'm so very honored. I was also very shocked. I like my work but I think you get so close to it you don't have an objective view of your work, its like your kids...... its murky.

I'm really, really excited. So you will see birches all spring and summer, that's what Ill be painting and posting so stay tuned and please comment on the work, I love love your feedback and comments!!!

birches and more birches

Its the purple and green combo that I adore, the unexpected use of colour and so easy to experiment with against the graphic birches. Busy day painting and dealing with the tug of war of domestic duties and doing what I really want to do and that is paint. My husband tells me to treat it like a real job. I agree however call of domestic working from home there is the call of domestic duty all around and the phone rings etc etc so I try to ignore what is going on around be because if I did have a studio outside my home that I drove to everyday I would have no distractions and the laundry would not be staring at me trying to lure moo!it, that goes for the fridge full of food too and chips in the pantry that is only 15 steps from where I sit. Focus!!!!!

red birch

Well we are back from holidays with a gold medal and our fill of magic and making dreams come true at disney. So much fun I loved it! So birch with red background, on to something here, love the graphic birch and then I get to put any colour in the background even ones that dont belong in nature. Thats the beauty of art there are no rules period.

counting down the days....

No Im not blogging about the latest painting.... I am blogging about my family and our trip to florida. I think Ive mentioned before that its a good thing to take time out from the creative process. I feel guilty when I do but really need to remind myself that its part of the entire creative journey. You need to re-fuel, gas up. I think for me the visual stimulation of florida will be the best! I will be paying attention to colour, texture and just the feel of the state.

snowy winter day....

Well its that kind of day again here . Lots of the white stuff and the colour of the sky is the same as the snow so its just so bland. I think I mentioned I am taking addiction studies at mac master univ. I leave for florida friday morning and my 3rd assignment is due before I go. Just a little more to add to the plate. I love this course but its a bit of work. As I tick off the things on my to do list before we depart for florida I feel this tremendous relief. So off I go to finish my paper and create a mock interview with my imaginary drug addict ( role being played by my friend Louise, Ive casted her in the role of closet alcoholic/wife and mother ) I will be interviewing her tomorrow so need to get to work! Time for a coffee to get myself up and running...... starting to fade and its only 11:30 am. However I have been to get an emmissions test, oil change and ran a few errands so Ive been fairly productive thus far. No painting today, need to focus on the addictions but will start painting again when Im back from Florida. Have Carms commish to finish and 2 more to start. I have to start planning for the exhibits as well and get enough work done for those. Lots of painting ahead so keep checking back to see whats happening.

julies visit....

three more days until we leave for Florida, happy to be heading south but the preparation is killing me. Things will get done I just have to keep the faith.

Julie picked up her painting today and we had a great visit. Shes a dear friend and I hope her family enjoys the birches. I always feel very inspired by her and I think it shows in the artwork!

knots and bark

Knots and bark seem to be the theme here. I am becoming very aware of the surfaces of a birch tree..... really interesting. Lighting is really good today, no sun glaring and the light is just natural. Busy day today, we are leaving for florida next week so lots to do to prepare. Its a hockey tourn for my sons and then a trip to disney thrown in. Will be nice to leave the snow and cold for a week.

Please make a comment if you are visiting my blog, Id love to hear from you.

my birches with yellow

Its coming along, again terrible photo, colours not reading well but I am making adjustments on that. However you can see the evolution.......

Im back.....

Startling people with something so emotional making them feel the hurt, art is an emotional exercise. Its too make you feel the pain...... or the opposite the purest joy.....

That is profound, heard it today from John Lithgow. I saw him in the play All My Sons in NY in November. A fabulous play with the fabulous John Lithgow ( oh and Katie Holmes too ) however it was Lithgow that really held that play together and his latest interview he describes how art touches people evoking emotion. I think that is what all artists strive to do whether you are a painter, singer, writer, or actor. The play in NY certainly evoked many emotions and I look forward to getting back to NY to see more art, more creativity. It is a place full of magic and beauty I just cant stay away from for too long.

I will be posting the birches today( still a work in progress ) Oh, happy new year!!