Ecole Entre Lacs

I had the pleasure of being invited to Ecole Entre Lacs for an 'Artist Experience' project they were doing.  They brought one artist in for each student in grade 7.  We had the whole day to spend together, the idea being that we help them to create something along the lines of what we do - our style, our techniques, our materials.  I was paired with a great student who was totally into it.  I picked up a sketchbook and an inexpensive set of paints for her.  We sat side by side and created a couple of sketchbook pages together.  Fun was had by all!  And... bonus - I got to meet some great new artists who were also there working with students.

Silver Lake

Our latest camping trip was to a place called Silver Lake that we heard about from John (Greg's son) and his friends.  It's a little off the grid.  There's a Forestry Education camp there, but no commercial campground, plug-ins or showers or anything.  There are a handful of lovely spots nestled in the trees, a little lake with no power boats on it, and that's about it.  We did a little fishing off the pier, and rowed our lovely new yacht, pictured here, all around the lake.  We're getting the van set up just right - there are some good meals coming out of there - the bed set up keeps getting better, and we've figured out how to make coffee possible in the mornings without having to move too much stuff around.  By the end of the summer we'll be vw camping efficiency experts!

Life Drawing with Janice

 Life drawing session last week.  I felt like I kind of missing it all night - mapping things out without really 'seeing'.  Finally got into a groove on this last pose, which I like.  I'm starting to see the lights and shadows a little more simplified, which is good.  

At the end of each session, when I see everyone else's drawings, I'm reminded of how creative we can be.  I always think 'Oh yeah, I could have stepped out of the box a bit more'.  Then, by the time the next session rolls around, I've forgotten I thought that, and I approach it pretty much the same way as before.  If only we could all show our drawings at the START of the night, when they can have some impact.  I know, I know.

Bring on the Tie-Dye

 
Bring on the Tie-Dye
Originally uploaded by sketchalina

I love our new camper van!  I borrowed Mizz Maggie's Pleasureway to take Miguela on her birthday present/surfing trip in April.  We had such a great time, and I loved camping in a van - all the comforts we needed, still small enough to drive comfortably and fit into the cool, smaller campsites.  When I got home, Greg and I discovered we'd both always dreamed of owning a Westy.  The search was on in earnest, and after turning over every stone on the internet, we found our ideal van - a '96 Eurovan, on ly 57,000 k on it, in West Vancouver.  We picked it up a couple of weeks ago, and we've already been on two great camping trips with it.  Everything works great (except I don't have the fridge figured out yet).  It's beautiful, as you can see, and it's fine to drive around town.  Yogi likes it, too!  We've loaded it up with a good BBQ, an inflatable boat, and other essentials like art supplies and good wine.   Love it!

Plein Aire Event at God's Mountain

Plein Aire Event at God's Mountain
Originally uploaded by sketchalina

I went to God's Mountain today as part of a fund raiser for the Penticton Art Gallery. We all (17 artists) painted around town, then got together at the end of the day to see what each other had done. It was a little intimidating at first. There were a lot of really great and well known artists there - people whose work I've been admiring in galleries for a long time - and me. But, I took a deep breath and went along anyways. It was a great experience. The paintings all get donated to the gallery for a big black tie auction on July 4th.

This room is a very cool place. It's called 'The Roofless Room' (no kidding). It's not set up for the season yet, but it's got a great built in bathtub and fireplace, all exposed to the heavens. The room will get draped with gauzy curtains and beautiful furniture, and the big canopy bed will get kitted out with all kinds of lovely linens I'm sure, but with a view like this, it doesn't need much else! There are several others suites around the grounds, a pretty little vineyard complete with a pure white horse standing between the rows, cool breeze blowing in his mane, a gorgeous swimming pool, pond and amazing gardens. The common room here is also spectacular. Great place for an event (and the people are really nice too! Hi Sarah).

If you're tempted to go there for a little b&b experience, the web address is http://www.godsmountain.com