Enjoyed a five day holiday with my husband, son and many members of my husbands family in Saskatchewan, Canada for a reunion at Jackfish Lake. Spent some time working on a new piece (mermaid themed, something I've done a few times over the years) and brought my new favorite tool - the Dremel!
And... ready for the next step - an acrylic modelling paste for added detail, gesso... and painting!
I've started getting more involved in my community (Sherbrooke of Edmonton, AB). Here's an insert I am working on for our little newsletter for the kids.
Say hello to Elinore. She loves romance novels, wearing her most outragous outfits while strolling in her backyard garden of exotic flowers, snap peas and kale. Elinore is the third in my wooden whimsical women series.
Developing a new technique which looks so good in person (and is ridiculously tactile)... carving, shaping and "enhancing" pieces of wood then painting them. Having a blast.
There's still five days left to enter to win an art easel for your little one. (The prize was generously provided by CSNstores just for one of my readers!)
Lately my son has been spending quite a bit of his time scribbling at his toddler friendly art easel with wax crayons and too-short-pencil-stubs (left overs from sketching sprees). Maybe that means he will one day become an artist, like his mother, or maybe that just means he likes spending time in my studio because I'm in there too. Either way, it keeps him busy just long enough for me to catch up on my emails.
One recent email had an intriguing offer for my blog... a giveaway - just for my readers! And the kicker - I got to pick the prize! I wondered, do I give away something useful and beautiful like a Dutch oven (oh the ridiculously elegant meals I could attempt to create in one of those), or maybe something that might inspire other young children to be creative while giving their parents some time to themselves, like the Creativity Desk and Easel? Eureka!
Entering is so easy, you could even attempt to allow your toddler to do it for you. Leave a comment on this blog post before Friday, August 20th at 1pm MST. I'll contact the winner that day and we'll set up how to get this fabulous prize to you, even the shipping is free (*sorry this contest is not open to international readers but if you already made a comment and you "win" when I draw names I'll send you a little prize made by me anyway).
A great big thank you to CSN stores for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway.
I've been commissioned to do a painting for a wedding present. This is third wedding gift I've created for a wedding this summer. I'm so happy to have been given the opportunity to create one-of-a-kind gift! Thanks for the creative freedom, Michelle.
As a special offer to my blog readers & facebook fans:
Until the end of August, recieve 25% off custom orders of any size of original paintings
(this applies to a commissions that are a series of paintings).
Email me for more information and a free quote by the end of August to recieve this speical promotion.
I'm just about finished painting the largest canvas I've ever purchased (just deciding where to put my signature on the 30 x 40" canvas). While this new scale was completely intimidating as a blank canvas, the piece became a place of peace and calm while I was painting it. It was completed for an art show coming this October, My Life in Colour with Roger Garcia, Amanda Woodward and Davey Thompson - it's tied in with a couple old pieces from last years show entitled Growing Up (held at the McMullen Gallery Fall of 2009, the remaining pieces are soon to start their journey with the AGA's travelling art exhibition, TREX, which to my delight has been completely booked!).
Close up on girls face:
Close up on bowl of flowers:
Close up on the western tanager:
I've been meaning to change my email signature for a few months now and finally got around to doing it today while working on two new self promotional postcards for a group printing with Amanda Woodward, Davey Thompson and Roger Garcia. More to come...
