Canada Day Monoprints and a New Granville Island Linocut

This Canada Day I'll be joining 3 other FCA artists on Granville Island, doing demos and showing our work. I've made these little maple leaf prints which I'll be selling, with partial proceeds going to Vancouver's Covenant House. They work with youth who are faced with living on the streets. I've been donating things from my house and taking them product from our salons, but one of the things they mentioned they're looking for is art supplies.  You can buy these prints at Granville Island this Wednesday or on my website  anytime for $40. I'll be  giving 25% ($10 per print) to Covenant House for art supplies. 

I'll also have my new piece, just finished today, available for sale on Canada Day. Here it is in black and white. I'll be adding a little colour once they're dry. 

I ran 25 of them today. Here's how they look all drying on the rack in the studio. 

I love seeing them this way. Makes me feel like I accomplished something today :-)

Sketching at False Creek

It's been a busy run lately, but I took a little time out the other day to sit and sketch on the seawall by my house. Heaven. I love the feeling that comes from really observing our surroundings. I've been reading lots of artist biographies and autobiographies lately, most recently Emily Carr's 'Growing Pains', and it's reminded me that quiet observation and interpreting our environment is what it's all about. 

Danger Doll at Dr Sketchy, and some good art reads

Fun session at Hot Art Wet City last night. Our model Danger Doll was from New York and creates amazing costumes. Performance was lovely. Glad I went. 

These are 10-15 minute poses. It always feels like a bit of a race, like 'come on, get the colour going, time's running out!!' running through my head. Not sure if that's a motivator or a distracter.

I've been reading Emily Carr's autobiography 'Growing Pains'. She had some inspiring things to say about drawing from life models that helped me get my butt out the door and to the session. Thanks Emily ;-). It's a worthwhile read for sure. So was 'Grande Dames of the Cariboo' by Julie Fowler. I got to know Julie when I attended the Toni Onley project in Wells a few years ago. She was writing the book at the time, and I stumbled on a copy in a shop on Main a while ago. I finally pulled it out and read it last week. It follows the lives of Cariboo artists Sonia Cornwall and Vivien Cowan. Joseph Plaskett appears, as do other Canadian art greats. It was really wonderful. Made me want to fill my car with art supplies and head off on an adventure, but then what doesn't make me feel like that?

Taphouse Chalk Boards

A girl can build up a mighty big thirst doing this kind of work. I'm really enjoying doing these chalkboards in the comfort of my studio.  These are for the Taphouse in Surrey. It's a very cool bar (and soon to be even cooler with the addition of these boards ;-). Stop by for a drink to check them out. And a pickle. And a personal poutine.  You know you want to. 

I did some printing today as well.  Here's a look at the studio as I was leaving at the end of the day. 

Busy place. I'm loving it. Stop by!  No pickles or poutine though. 

A couple of other art news tidbits. I've had work accepted to a few very cool juried shows this summer. I'll be in Animal Farm at Citygate in July, in the Small Smaller Smallest show at the Federation Gallery in june, and in Re-semblance at the Ferry Building Gallery in June/July. I'll be doing the Harmony Arts Festival Arts Market again this year, and I also just found out I'll be part of the Toni Onley project in Wells this summer as well. 10 days of total art immersion with 2 amazing mentors while tent camping in the most amazing setting ever. Busy summer!  Just the way I like it ;-)

Chalkboards for Antico Pizza in Kelowna

It's been a total pleasure doing these four chalkboards for Antico Pizza in Kelowna for the past few days. They're huge (almost 6' tall) and filled with all my favorite ingredients.  I chose to do the mosaic tile motif in the headers to reflect their beautiful pizza oven. It's a work of art. I'll definitely be frequenting this place anytime I'm back in Kelowna. Go check it out if you're there. It's on Bernard between Water and Pandosy. Estimated opening May 5th. 

Plein Aire Challenge at Van Dusen Gardens

Well I'm home safe and sound. Spain was amazing and I loved every second, but I've landed to a flurry of activity that's keeping me too busy to pine for the Spanish countryside. In the 10 days I've been home I've moved to a new studio, bought my own press (yay!),  competed in an outdoor painting challenge and taken part in a huge Lab Art Show!   Now it's Sunday morning and I'm getting reacquainted with my sofa as I update. 

Cherry Blossom Festival Plein Aire Challenge at Van Dusen Gardens 

Yesterday I gathered with a couple dozen artists in this amazing park in the heart of Vancouver. We had 3 hours to paint our surroundings, then gathered for jurying. Joanne won 1st place in the acrylic category and I got a second in watercolour. We both won big fat gift cards from Opus, my favourite att supply store. Thanks Opus for sponsoring the event, and Alfonso Tejeda for hosting. It was really fun!  It's the first time I've joined in an event like that, but I'll definitely do more. The best part is getting to know other artists and seeing what they're doing. I was amazed by so many of the paintings , and by what people can get done in a few hours!  Wow!  

Here we are with our paintings, grinning like girls with a few hundred bucks to spend. 

I had an hour of downtime, then was off to the Lab Art Show with Glitz Entertainment (I love those ladies!). They put on a fantastic show; live music, dance, mind-blowing body painting, interactive art pieces and a really cool cross section of visual art. I was proud to be part of it.  I met lots of really cool people, and a few of my faves came down to check it out and cheer me on. 

Biking through Wine Country

I I love biking. Not cycling, with spandex and sportsbars (although that's fun too), but biking, with a basket and a bell. Yesterday I was wandering about the vineyard. Everyone else was sleeping or occupied, so without any planning I hopped on one of the bikes and rode into the village to have a look around. It being Sunday lots of people were milling about, having a post church coffee, visiting wth their neighbors. I rode up and down every street in Torrelles de Foix. I thought I'd head back after that, but the village on the hill up behind our property caught was beckoning.  Here's a peek back towards Mas Els Igols from up there. 

Our residence is the house off in the distance. 

I started to head home, but every time I did something else would catch my eye and I was drawn on in another direction. It was glorious.  I rode up to the castle above Sant Marti Sarroca, down into the village there, and then far far out along winding country roads. Some of them petered out into muddy ruts at the back of someone's property, where I'd turn around and head off in another direction. There were just enough people to keep it interesting; out working on their houses and fields, half-waving hello as they rode by on their motorbikes. The colours and the textures, random fields of poppies, crumbling stone fences, white walls splashed with shots of deep green trees growing in front of them, gorgeous lemon trees in people's yards and big perfect irises growing by the roadside kept me fascinated. After hours of wandering I remembered the bread that was rising under a teatowel on the counter as I headed out.  I turned the bike around, rode back, and sat at our kitchen table cutting chunks of Camembert and laying them on top of warm slices of perfect country bread. I could not have been more content. It was my last Sunday in Spain. I reflected back on all the thoughts, conversations and adventures I'd had here.  With each passing day now I'm more and more excited to get home, see my friends, family, meld back into the life I left waiting there, but it feels good to know that I've absorbed a little of the Spanish countryside that I'll be carrying with me back home.