2023 Advent Calendar Days 16 - 22

 

We are almost at the end of the countdown of my 24 artworks. Today, I have posted images inspired by summer and fall scenery. What is your favourite? If you have fallen in love with one of the paintings for sale and would like to buy it, please email me.

Day 16: Hydrangeas, acrylic, 8" x 10", on cradled wood, CAN $250 + shipping

My friend Janis and I got together on the long August weekend and painted in our backyard. Often, you can find a great subject right in front of you without driving around searching for the perfect location.

I am glad we painted the beautiful hydrangeas early in August because a pair of cardinals built a nest in the bush soon after and loudly protested when anyone came too close.

 

 

Even though it was only my second acrylic painting this year, I was excited to work with Golden Open acrylic paints. Luckily, we stayed in our yard because I was not as organized after hardly using my painting equipment, and would have been without my palette and paper towels at a different location.

Day 17: Kamouraska’s Brilliant Sunset, wool, 8.5" x 11.75" CAN $450 + shipping

 

When I put together the paintings for this Advent Calendar, I noticed that I never posted the finished artwork because I finished it the day before our trip to Germany at the end of April.


For many years, I spent a week in early September in Kamouraska with some of my painting buddies. One of the daily highlights was the brilliant sunsets that sometimes even interrupted our dinner time because we could not stop watching the quickly changing skies that created these breathtaking landscapes that make you dream of vacation destinations. No wonder that many people including many famous painters are fascinated by nature’s light spectacle at sunset.

Day 18: Pumpkins, wool, 8. 5” x 11.75”

 

This needle-felted painting of three pumpkins is the result of a recent workshop I taught. Even though I have offered the workshop several times, my artwork looks different every time, which is exactly what I want to show my students. I want them to create a unique painting reflecting their energy and style, not copying mine.

Did you know your artwork might also look different depending on your mood? Our mood has an impact on our energy level, which subsequently affects the colours we choose. When you feel happy, your colour choices might be more brilliant. On a day when you are sad, you might pick more subdued hues. Creating art under different light conditions can also influence your choice of colours and their values.

 

I noticed this fact for the first time when I hosted a painting party days after a friend of mine had died. Compared to the original painting, the artwork of that evening contained warmer and toned-down colours, making my flowers look more like fall than spring. It always fascinates me how our energy flows into our art.



Day 19: Lying Low, watercolour, watercolour pencils and white ink, 8.3" x 11.7"

 

The fantastic weather enticed my Painting Buddies and me to go plein air painting to Petrie Island at the beginning of October. I had planned to paint the view of a small bay when I discovered the frog sitting in the grass directly in front of me. Because I didn’t want the little frog to be all by itself, I added a second one, which in reality was the first frog from another perspective.

 

December 20: Fall Colours at Petrie Island, watercolour, 8.3" x 11.7"

In mid-October, we returned to Petrie Island to paint the turtle pond. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any turtles that day, but large groups of Canada geese communicated loudly.

When we arrived, it was sunny and very windy. However, soon clouds moved in and changed the light and, therefore, the colours dramatically.

 

Despite being surrounded by dark clouds, it did not rain. Plus, I had most of my colours blocked in and could finish my work with the help of reference photos.

December 21: Beppo, wool, 14 3/4" x 19" custom-framed, CAN $600 + shipping

After I painted this cute dachshund in acrylic, I wanted to recreate him in wool. The needle-felted painting is a 10" x 12" felted version of my 11" x 14" acrylic painting with the same title.

It took me a lot of time to capture the dog the way I wanted. I had the needle-felted painting framed, only to discover later that I still was not happy with the eyes. I postponed the modification until this week when I wanted to add the image to the Levanta magazine.

After correcting the eyes, I needed to readjust the snout because the proportions had changed. After many hours of frustration, I am finally happy with Beppo's expression.

December 22: Fall Leaves, watercolour, watercolour pencil, white ink, 5.8" 7.5"

This painting is also from from our Painting Buddies one-hour Zoom meetings. The image shows a bush from our front yard whose green leaves turn into vibrant colours in the fall. I started the painting in November 2022 but only finished it this year on Halloween when we spent a week at the cottage. Whenever we go there, I bring a couple of unfinished artworks to reduce my pile of pieces in progress.

To highlight the veins of the leaves, I used white ink at the end.

This week, you will receive a special blog on December 24 with the last two images of my Art Advent Calendar.

I hope you are ready for the holidays and can enjoy the time stress-free. My daughter and I will bake cookies tomorrow, listening to Christmas music to finish the last task on our Christmas to-do list. What are your plans for tomorrow?