2023 Advent Calendar Days 2 - 8

 
After I gave you a teaser with last week's Day 1 post, here is part two of the 2023 Art Advent Calendar with a review of more of my artworks from this year.

Day 2: Bunny Among the Dandelions, wool, 8.75" x 11.75",
custom-matted to fit a 12" x 16" frame, CAN $450 + shipping

 

 
In time for the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit, I finished the needle-felted painting of the cute bunny. The same bunny was already the subject of my acrylic painting, Meister Lampe (see below, top left), which I sold many years ago. When I ran into the new owner a year later, she told me that the painting still brought her joy every time she looked at it. That is one of the biggest compliments for an artist.

There were no flowers in the reference photo, but I added dandelions to break up the green in the foreground.

Day 3: Strolling Elephant, wool, 8.5" x 12", SOLD

I created this felted elephant for a friend who loves elephants. I enjoyed bringing the majestic animal to life, but it took some experimenting until I was happy with the background. My friend's reaction was the most rewarding. Her face lit up when she opened my present.

Day 4: Chickadee, wool, 6" x 8"

I have always loved watching the birds in our garden. Don’t you find it fascinating to watch their interactions? With the milder weather, you can hear them chirping happily, which makes you feel like spring. I finished the needle-felted painting of the chickadee in preparation for the Bird Watching Workshop. I started out with a 6” x 6” felt piece but later enlarged it to 6" x 8" to allow more space for the bird's tail.

Day 5: Spider Mum, wool, 8.75" x 12", custom-matted to fit a 12" x 16" frame, CAN $450 + shipping

 
The pink and white spider mum in the foreground is the focus of this artwork. It took me a long time to discover the name of the flower I had seen in many bouquets as my knowledge of plants and flowers is limited to the most popular ones. Spider mums are stunning in a bouquet and last a long time. That's probably, why they are so popular. The spider mum is ready to brighten up your room. Do the brilliant colours of the painting bring you into a cheerful mood? I am probably biased because royal blue and magenta are among my favourite colours.


The most challenging part about this painting was creating the pink colour of the flower. I was not happy with the magenta wool I had. Instead, I used fluorescent pink and toned it down with white.

 

Day 6: The Snow Dress (Winter Sunset), 8.3" x 5. 8", watercolour and watercolour pencils

This watercolour painting is from one of our Painting Buddies one-hour Zoom meetings. It captures the fir tree in front of my office window in the festive snow dress. The tree is not beautiful because it is very skinny and has lost a lot of needles on the lower branches. However, in its snow dress it looks like Cinderella decked out for the ball. I finished the work after the meeting. It is one of my daily images I created between January and March. 

Day 7: Firework of Sea Anemone, watercolour, watercolour pencil and watercolour markers, 8.3" x 5.8"
 

I started this painting with watercolour pencils on the bus from Toronto to Ottawa after my daughter and I visited Ripley's Aquarium, a long-time item on our bucket list. Later, I added watercolour markers and watercolours to make the colours even more brilliant.

December 8: Clematis, watercolour pencils, 8.5" x 5.5"

I created this painting in my parents' garden, a blooming oasis for most of the year. It was the evening before my return to Ottawa. I was upset that I had to leave while my mother was in the hospital and needed some time by myself to escape my thoughts of worry. I love that creating art transports me into a peaceful bubble where I forget everything around me.

I could spend days painting on their property. My parents still love gardening even though they are both in their late eighties. While I only know the most common flowers and bushes, they are very knowledgeable about plants. 

 

Have a happy second weekend of Advent!