Spring of Creative Adventures

Lady in Red, acrylic, 8" x 8"

April Blog

We are at the end of April already. How does time pass so fast?


April was a very productive month. It began with spending another week at the cottage with my husband, friends, and dog. We own a share in the building that allows us five weeks at this place every year. Except for our fixed summer week, the weeks rotate. This year, we received most of our weeks in the first half of the year. Unfortunately, we never get more than one week in a row, but I still enjoy these mini-retreats to recharge.

My friend Janis came again to paint together. We were so lucky to spend two days at temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius, enjoying the sun and blue sky. The geese were chatting happily. However, the wind was fierce.

Left: On the Rocks, acrylic, 10" x 8", unfinished,
Top right: Rocky Shore, watercolour, 5.8" x 8.3",
Bottom right: Spring at the Bay, acrylic, 8" x 10", unfinished

 

I struggled with the first outdoor painting of the trip. After weeks of not painting outside, the challenge is especially eminent. You feel out of practice, and it usually shows. Moreover, I wasn’t too excited about the subject, but it was a sheltered painting spot. We could have moved, but we would have lost precious time. As a result, the painting still needs a lot of work. (On the Rocks, acrylic, 10" x 8", unfinished) 

In the afternoon, we sat on the beach, and my watercolour box landed a couple of times in the sand because of the fierce wind. Nevertheless, we had more fun than in the morning. Painting while blown in the wind still beats work and chores at any time. Later, I wanted to add more detail but decided against it to keep the true spirit of the outdoor experience. (Rocky Shore, watercolour, 5.8" x 8.3")

We headed to the peaceful bay on the peninsula’s north side to paint the following day. We had a perfect morning at the bay, listening to the geese and observing the first turtle. Soon, the area will be overgrown with grasses and not accessible until the late fall. (Spring at the Bay, acrylic, 8" x 10", unfinished)

In the afternoon, we explored the region, walking through the marsh in Cobden and then further to Beachburg, where we found a lovely beach. There were no other people, but the frogs and toads offered an enthusiastic concert. We even observed an enormous turtle crossing a road slowly but unharmed. We continued to the Westmeath Scenic Lookout. We painted there before, but we would have been disappointed this time because the landscape that is spectacular during most seasons was still mostly dormant. Plus, the wind would have blown us away if we had planned to paint.

In the early days of our careers, we spent every minute painting during painting trips. We thought we had to make the most of our time away from family obligations by painting as much as possible. Nowadays, we are almost 20 years older and pace ourselves, something we can all learn from animals living in the moment and achieving such balance between activity and rest.


We still love painting together but take time to appreciate our surroundings without constantly feeling the urge to create something.


On the days without Janis, I painted a tulip painting (at top of page) for the upcoming Petite Art Show and prepared another one. It was so mild that I could paint, sitting on the patio. However, once the sun disappeared, it felt cold fast.

Pink Tulips in a Blue Vase, acrylic, 14" x 11", unfinished

I completed a winter painting from our March trip on the only rainy day. Plus, I drew every day and started a felted painting of tulips. It was a very productive and still relaxing week. I made time for yoga, walks, games and reading in the sunshine. 

The End of Winter, watercolour, 8.3" x 5.8"

By mid-April, I finished my sketchbook with drawings and wanted to continue with a new watercolour journal. However, when I looked at my drawing and watercolour journals and pads, I found a beautiful 16” x 12” Moleskine book and decided to fill this one first. Because the pages are so big, I have divided the pages into three spaces so I can fit three drawings on each page. 

drawings from the time at the cottage

However, I have only drawn one image since then due to my bookkeeping and administrative tasks, parts of my business activities that have to be done but are not necessarily enjoyable.

sketches at the Ottawa Little Theatre

 

I miss it and want to continue starting today. It is hard to get into a routine and easy to fall off. I still drew during an outing to the Ottawa Little Theatre and in preparation for and during classes. Aside from the three Cartooning & Comics classes at the local Francois Dupuis Recreation Centre, I also teach a session of four virtual drawing classes in cooperation with the Orleans-Cumberland resource centre. It is such a joy to see people who have never drawn before, or at least not for many years, having fun creating art.

Drawing Class for Beginners

I will publish my next blog on May 31, 2024. I will write about my experiences during the Ottawa Tulip Festival and another trip to the cottage.



To stay in touch, I invite you to the following two events:

Felting Experience – Tulips: Sunday, May 5, 2024, from 2 PM to 4 PM, virtually and in person

To see if you enjoy needle felting, join my two-hour May workshop, an introduction to needle felting. You will create a cheerful painting that brings a piece of spring into your home at any time of the year.

For a social get-together, I invite you to the next in-person Art Café Meeting on May 26, 2024, at 3:00 PM. We will create a mixed-media artwork. The meeting is complimentary. RSVP here.

Daily Art: How I Keep Challenging Myself

Blog 3



March was a productive month. As much as I want to inspire you to nurture your creative expression, consider that the centre of my business is art. I have long stopped listening to people who think that a professional artist should produce a certain number of artworks. Art is very individual and not a cookie-cutter production. I create because I cannot stop capturing what interests me. Art is not about speed but enjoyment.



At the beginning of March, I spent some time at the cottage. My friend Janis came from Monday to Wednesday to paint together. The weather during the season was relatively mild, with temperatures climbing up to 14 degrees Celsius. However, the wind was still icy and cold. I enjoyed painting in the mild sunshine. On the one grey day, I drew the tree stems at the beach.

 

unfinished paintings and the finished drawing from the trip

I love listening to the wind and birds. In addition, you don't have to worry about mosquitoes in early March, although the ticks were already active. With April at our doorsteps, I am excited for more opportunities for painting outdoors.

I find time for my needle-felted projects during Zoom calls and Crafters Afternoons with friends. I have a couple in the final stages that need my undivided concentration. I hope to finish them before I start teaching again in mid-April. 

unfinished needle-felted paintings

I still challenge myself to draw something daily into my sketchbook. I didn't manage to keep up, but at least I drew more than I would have without the intention. I sketched all of the images of the Murder on the Orient Express collage during the performance, except the first one with the train. 

I also drew many faces during Zoom calls that I will not post because I didn't ask the participants for approval to publish the images. It is always a good exercise, even though often the sketches don't resemble the persons because people tend to move.


Here are collages of my drawings: 

 

inspired by my Cartooning and Comics classes

Blooms

Landscapes (the first looking out of the cottage, the second from a photo)

Murder on the Orient Express (Ottawa Little Theatre)

Going Out

I created most images with coloured pencils. I used markers for some drawings inspired by my Cartooning and Comics classes. I will look for a watercolour or mixed media journal to offer more opportunities for daily art activities.



I will publish my next blog on April 26, 2024.

In the meantime, I invite you to stay in contact by joining my mailing list. I send out two newsletters each month - one with teaching news and the other with information about my latest artworks. By subscribing to my newsletter on my website, you will receive my free e-book titled I Am Ready to Paint, but Where Do I Start?

The Pleasure of Painting with Friends

 

Fall Leaves, watercolour, watercolour pencil, white ink, 5.8" 7.5"

 

Blog 45

I spent the week at the cottage. It was supposed to be my annual painting week with some of my Painting Buddies. However, this week didn’t go as planned.

 

Leaf Study, watercolour and watercolour pencil, 8.3" x 11.7"

After a weekend with my husband and dog, my first friend had planned to arrive on Monday morning. However, on Sunday, she let me know that one of her family members had COVID and she wouldn’t come.

Marigold Bouquet, watercolour and watercolour pencil, 7.5" x  5.8"

We were both disappointed. I had my acrylic paints with me and was eager to paint outside. Luckily, I also had my watercolour paints and several paintings from an outing to Petrie Island and our Zoom meetings with me. I made the best out of the situation: I went for long walks with Ingo and Shadow before finishing at least one painting a day.

 

Fall at Petrie Island, watercolour, 11.7" x 8.3"

We were glad the deer hunting season had not started so we could enjoy relaxing walks through the fall forests and fields. Most of the trees had lost their foliage, but the rost brown leaves of the oak trees and the green moss still provided some colour.

 

Blowing in the Wind, watercolour and watercolour pencil, 7.5" x  5.8"

During the night of Sunday to Monday, we had some light snow, which was almost gone again in the morning. However, two nights later, it snowed a couple of centimetres, so we awoke to a white landscape on Wednesday.

November Leaves, watercolour, 11.7" x 8.3"

My Painting Buddies Sharon, Bill and Bob came after breakfast. We had so much to chat about. The wet snow and lack of sunshine did not inspire us to go outside. Instead, we arranged ourselves inside and painted the view of the river from the cozy warmth of the cottage.

Breezy Afternoon at the Beach, acrylic, 10" x 8"

Bob stayed, and we finally painted en plein air on Thursday, the last day of our stay. At first, we had a great time. It was still cold, but we wore winter gear, and the sun came out and warmed us. However, grey clouds and fierce wind quickly moved in. After about two and a half hours, we returned to the house because we were freezing.

November Beach, acrylic, 10" x 8", unfinished

More than 15 years ago, we would not have hesitated to paint outside in above-zero temperatures. I still remember a day when Janis and I went painting en plein air in – 20 degrees and heavy wind. In retrospect, I don’t know how we managed to do it. It was brutally cold, and we never repeated this experience. It was so frigid that our paint was stiff and our feet and hands frozen despite heating pads. We were determined to make the most of the painting day. We both had small kids, and a painting trip meant precious painting time we didn’t want to waste, but that day, it wasn’t fun.

Nowadays, we have other priorities. We still love to paint together but don’t feel we need to prove ourselves to the others. We respect each other, cherish our friendships and enjoy time together. Plus, after 20 degrees last week, our bodies need more time to adapt to the sudden change to snow and temperatures closer to freezing this week, especially with a lack of sun and heavy wind.

Looking back at the week, I am thankful for the time spent with my friends, enjoying ourselves and painting without pressure.

Do you prefer to create art alone or with others?

Break Your Routines

 

Turtle Family, Mixed Media, 12” x 48” NFS

 

 Blog 19


I am currently on vacation. Therefore, I am replacing the weekly blogs with creativity tips. I am sure I have lots to tell you after my return that will inspire you. In the meantime, I would love to see your creations. You can send them to info@KerstinPeters.ca. After my vacation, I will pick one lucky winner from all the replies for a one-hour private painting or felting lesson with me.


Try using different materials or techniques. Experimenting with new approaches can help you see things from a fresh perspective and spark new ideas.


Here are some examples:

 

 

If you love to work with acrylic paints, you can experiment with various gels or pastes to create different effects. I used glass bead gel for the turtle painting (see top of blog and details above), crackle and molding paste for the pear and crackle paste for the flower.

 

 

If you love needle felting, add some embroidery thread and beads. 

Happy Creating!

Fall Painting Trip to the Whitewater Region

Lazy Afternoon at the Ottawa River, watercolour and watercolour pencil, 5.8" x 8.3"

Blog 18

Last week, we had another cottage week. Aside from my husband and our dog, two of my painting buddies, Janis and Bob, wanted to join us for the first painting trip in three years. We were excited because we wanted to go painting while Ingo went hiking. Two weeks before the trip, Janis got sick and decided to cancel. Then, on the day of our departure, Bob also felt unwell. We were all disappointed.

Since Ingo had already started packing, I took my painting equipment. I hoped to join at least my friends, Bill and Sharon, from Eganville for a day of painting.

Fall Bouquet, watercolour and watercolour pencil, 11.7" x 8.3"

The weather was glorious, with temperatures in the mid-teens. It was too beautiful to waste my time missing the company of my friends. Instead, I sat on the porch and painted the calm Ottawa River on Saturday. Ingo had invited a friend to go motorcycling for the weekend after the cancellations. To my delight, his friend brought a beautiful arrangement of flowers from his garden that I could not resist painting. I used watercolour paints and watercolour pencils for both artworks.


On Monday, the only day without company and sun, Ingo and I went to the Quebec side to escape the approaching rain system. Unfortunately, many of the trails that Ingo had found on Google maps were in the process of being transformed into new neighbourhoods with many warnings not to trespass. In the end, we walked part of the PPJ, the Pontiac Pacific Junction railroad tracks, starting at Fort Colougne.


I received the uplifting news that both my friends felt better. Both joined us on Tuesday for three days of painting and camaraderie.

Rolling Fields, watercolour,  8.3" x 11.7", unfinished

Tuesday afternoon, we went to the Westmeath Scenic Lookout. It offered painting opportunities in all directions. Full of enthusiasm, I decided to use my acrylic paints, only to discover that I had left them in a closet at the cottage. Luckily, I had also packed my watercolour equipment. In the warming sun, sheltered by the hill with the lookout gazebo, I painted the fields with the Ottawa River in the distance.

 

Mirror, Mirror, acrylic, 8" x 8", unfinished

 

On Wednesday, we met with our friends Bill and Sharon in Eganville at the Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre. We all started with a painting of the Shaws Pond, where a great blue heron was basking in the sun.

 Shaws Pond, acrylic, 8" x 10", unfinished

 

After a picnic lunch, I painted the farther side of the lake, where the wind created appealing shapes on the surface of the water.


We hadn’t seen our friends in years, and it felt good to catch up. Later, we saw some of their paintings at their house and reminisced about previous trips we had taken together.


During the trips with the Plein Air Ensemble and on our Kamouraska trips (without Bob), we have created great memories together, and our paintings tell a beautiful story of those times.

In the Spotlight, acrylic, 8" x 10", unfinished

Thursday was another great day. While it was cold in the morning, we found a sheltered spot where it was cozy in the sunshine. Unfortunately, the whole location was still in the shadows when we wanted to start. Looking for a better area, we explored the surroundings only to return to the first spot where the sun slowly lightened up the scene. We enjoyed a last relaxing lunch on the patio before my friends left, and we also started to get ready for our trip home.


We were so lucky with the weather! I am happy with my paintings. I finished the two watercolour paintings from the weekend and will decide on the changes I still have to make to the other artworks. Most of the time, I have to add some highlights. Plus, Janis and Bob paint much faster than I do. Therefore, it was great that we went to areas where they could create a couple of paintings. After years of plein air painting, we have realized that it makes more sense to stay at one location instead of driving around to find new spots. You lose too much time looking around that you could otherwise spend painting. Often you look for too grand a scene while little treasures are in plain sight.


The trip rekindled a fire in us, and we are eager to get back out and take advantage of the weather as long as possible. This week was exceptional, but we can still paint outside in winter on a milder sunny day.
We look forward to future painting adventures. I will keep you updated.

Make Time to Play

Blog 29



This morning, I went through ideas for my new blog and decided to write about the need to play and explore your creativity.


During the last 18 months, I have contemplated my priorities and what I want to invite into my life. I have decided what I am no longer tolerating. While I still have worked a lot, I picked what I wanted to do and what was not worth my time anymore. The older I get, the more I realize who precious time is.


This morning, when I picked the next meditation session on my playlist, it aligned perfectly with my idea for my blog. Isn’t it miraculous how these things work out? I listened to a meditation session by Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey. The the centering thought was, “I play. I create. I succeed.”


Most of us have busy schedules with long to-do lists and commitments. We create our own share of busyness by filling every minute with things to do. I am guilty of this too, and always have to stop myself when I feel like in a hamster wheel.


Luckily, I have a strong urge to express myself through art. Whenever I get a chance, I pick up pencils or my felting materials. You are probably wondering why I don’t mention brushes and paints. Truthfully, I have not spent much time painting during the past 18 months, except for my online meeting with friends or clients. It has due partly because I could not meet my friends to go painting en plein air for a long time, but it also reflected my changes at home. First, our 15-year-old dog, Alex, was too attached to me, so that I did not want to be away from him. Then, a new puppy required a lot of our attention. It is easy to put down a pencil or my felting needle but not as convenient with brushes, especially with fast-drying acrylic paints.

unfinished

I am sure I will return to painting at some point. Nature is too fascinating not to capture. Last weekend, I spent three hours outside painting the only sunflower on our property. It felt fantastic to feel the sun and listen to the leaves rustle in the light wind.


At the end of the month, I will attempt something new. Since I gave a workshop to a group of rug hookers in June, I have been fascinated by the possibilities of combining rug hooking and needle felting. This fall, I will learn rug hooking. I still have tons of wool in my studio from my internship in the wool factory, Schachenmayr. I already knitted so many sweaters that I ran out of closet space. Now, I hope that I can use some of the wool for rug hooking projects. I am excited to learn something new and to extend my skills.


Now back to Deepak Chopra’s thought, “I play. I create. I succeed.” Unfortunately, many people think about picking up a creative hobby but don’t make it a priority. I often hear that they want to start when they retire.


In a world that is very competitive, we often forget to play for pure enjoyment. We get obsessed with the final perfect outcome and miss out on enjoying the process of creating. However, if you start exploring, you will forget everything around you. Your creativity starts expanding, and you will get lots of ideas for all areas of your life. You will feel invigorated and relaxed at the same time.

I encourage you to pick up a new creative hobby this fall. Let me know what you will start. Pick up a pencil, a brush, or any other tool you need. Maybe, what you create will not meet your expectations. We are all unique, and you should consider your art as your unique creation. It does not matter if anyone else enjoys it as long as it brings you joy. In the beginning, you might feel discouraged because what you envisioned did not materialize. However, if you continue, you will succeed in finding a medium and technique that suits you. If you want some support, I invite you to check out my fall workshops. My four-week workshop Unleash Your Creativity starts on Sunday, September 12, 2021, and my felting workshop in November (on sale for $200 until October 1, 2021). For more information, please go to my website www.KerstinPeters.ca.

25 Years in Canada - The Year 2016 Part II

Pink Beauty, acrylic, 12" x 16, CAN $400

Blog 20

 

July of 2016 was a quiet month. I enjoyed the company of our extended family at the cottage and the pleasures of a lazy summer month with few commitments.

 

I started August with a painting get-together with some of my long-time clients who have become my friends over time. We met at Parc Du Moulin in Rockland at the banks of the Ottawa River for a delightful afternoon of painting, chatting and laughing. We created beautiful peony paintings that were as individual as their creators. I later entered my Pink Beauty  (see above) into the  Arteast Juried Awards Exhibition at the St. Laurent Complex.

Lavender, artificial fur, NFS

I also offered three different Creativity & Me workshops to help participants to discover their creative side. Every workshop, we used a variety of mediums and techniques. After ages without making bears, I had decided to offer a bear making workshop. The newborn bears were already absolutely adorable. I still enjoy making bears, but there is only so much time for creative projects. I decided to spend it painting and felting. In the other workshops, we created a three-dimensional flower painting and a summer collage.

A special treat awaited me at the end of the month when my daughter and I took the train for a weekend in Toronto. We had to go to the German consulate to apply for her passport renewal but combined it with a visit to my in-laws. Together with my father-in-law, we visited the fantastic Lawren Harris and the Chihuly exhibitions. I love Chihuly's work and can hardly believe that I had never heard of him until the Arteast trip to the Montreal exhibition in 2013.

I was reminded of the fragility of life as my godmother needed more operations to deal with her brain tumours. It pained me that I could not be there for her as we were very close. I could not visit her after the operations, and she was usually too weak to talk on the phone for weeks. I kept writing her letters and instead helped one of my friends who was also diagnosed with a brain tumour. It was good to assist someone else to lessen the guilt I felt over not being there more for my godmother.

Their illnesses made me realize how important it is to celebrate every milestone. As my husband and I had not done anything special for our 20th wedding anniversary, we spent the first weekend in September visiting Montreal for a late celebration. Aside from Old Montreal, we also visited the Biodome and the Festival of Lights at the Botanical Gardens. What a feast for the eyes!

 

The Flower Garden, oil, 14" x 11", CAN $375

 

The following weekend, Janis and I left for our trip to Kamouraska. For the first time, we drove in separate cars as she had to return a day early. I do not enjoy being the driver on tiring long-hour trips. When I am a passenger, I always keep myself busy writing, knitting or felting. It helps me to fight my motion sickness. Plus, I feel I have accomplished something during the boring ride on the highway. To keep awake during the seven-hour trip, I sang loudly and practiced French in preparation for taking with the locals at stores and during paint-outs. We had a fantastic time, and I created 13 new paintings and finally finished one from 2011 of the garden behind the rented house. You can read my travelogue, including some of the photos in my blogs of September 23 and 30, 2016.

Nature's Garland, oil, 14" x 11", $375

Less than two weeks later, Helene and I drove to Eganville for the next Plein Air Ensemble fall trip at Lake Clear. We had a fantastic trip! If you would like to read the travelogue, please go to my blogs of October 7, 14, and 21, 2016.

Since September, I taught three courses at François Dupuis Recreation Center. I also had one private German and one art student. Plus, I offered monthly Creativity & Me courses at my studio. After the Plein Air Ensemble trip, I finally taught again at the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex. The students in this course were quite a bit older than the average of my François Dupuis students. It was a nice challenge, especially as some already had a lot of experience in cartoon drawing.

I had already given up my position as the Breakfast Coordinator to become the Luncheon Coordinator for Women's Business Connections in September. The new responsibility suited a night owl like me much better. In November, it was finally time to pass on the duties of the Arteast Digest coordinator to have more time to paint.

White Roses, oil, 7" x 5", SOLD

The last quarter was very successful for me. In October, I sold two of my latest Kamouraska paintings, Rough Water and White Roses. In November, I hung the artworks for my solo exhibition at Lunasole Resto Bar in Orleans. Less than a week later, one of the diners bought two of my favourite paintings: Hay Fields in Nauheim, Germany and The Wave. Then, I sold Iced Birch only days after I installed six paintings for the winter exhibition at the François Dupuis Recreation Centre. 

 

The Birch, acrylic, 24" x 18", SOLD

In late November, I entered my painting Presqu'ile in the Holiday Mix exhibition at the St. Laurent Complex. At the same time, I set up some artworks at my fabulous hairdresser's Hairitage Beauty Shop as part of the Christmas in Cumberland Christmas Heritage Home and Village Tour. The last exhibition was again at Lunasole with the other Arteast members who had shown their art during the year. I ended the year with another successful Open House in early December, where I welcomed my clients to show them my art on the walls of our house.

I was happy with the mix of creating art and teaching but wished I would make more money to contribute to our family finances. In January 2017, I got an unexpected opportunity to increase my earnings that changed the focus of my art business.

25 Year in Canada - The Year 2008

French Hill School House, acrylic 16" x 20"

 Blog 5

2008, was an exciting year in my art career that also brought many disappointments. At the beginning of the year, I had less time to paint due to my work schedule. At least, I still managed to go to the bi-weekly life drawing sessions. I was disappointed that I was not able to join my new painting friends regularly. I felt like an outsider again, when I found out that the others were in the process of opening a community gallery.

My parents and husband still considered my art an unimportant hobby. They did not understand how necessary painting was for me. I continued to have a hard time to convince them that it was something I had to do.

When I was in a good mood, I was sure I would convince my doubters. At other times, I was frustrated about the lack of support and ready to pull away from my painting buddies and bury my love for painting.

Right after I finished work at the daycare at the beginning of March, my children and I flew to Germany. I love spending March in Germany, where the climate is mild enough that the spring flowers are already blooming. During the trip, my mother and I visited the special exhibition “Impressionistinnen”, female impressionists. The works were breathtaking. All the more, I was so saddened to find out about Marie Bracquemond’s decision to stop painting pressured by her husband. I comprehended her feelings too well, and it left devastating.

At the beginning of April, I was disappointed that the Visual Arts Centre had cancelled all its art courses for restructuring. At the same time, our painting buddies group hardly met anymore. One organizer had decided that she preferred painting in her studio and was also looking for work, which was very upsetting. I lost not only my painting friend but also my walking buddy.

On the positive side, I became part of the board of the community gallery. Decisions closer to the opening revealed some discrepancies in the vision and resulted in some resignments.

We were busy getting everything ready for the big opening vernissage of Galerie de la Rive in Rockland on May 25, 2008. It was a lot of work, but we were proud of our accomplishments. The gallery in the Jardin Belle Rive retirement home looked great. We had managed to invite some very talented artists to participate. All the activities prevented us from painting.

St Pascal Barn, acrylic, 20" x 16"

It was only after the vernissage that I finally went painting with my painting buddies again. We met at a farm in St. Pascal, and I was not inspired at all. Once I felt the fresh air and heard the sounds of nature, I was excited, even though I had to fight with the wind blowing against my big canvas. When the sun finally emerged, I had a hard time putting the paints onto my canvas before they were dry. It was frustrating. I decided to bring my oil paints for the next outing.

 

Dreaming of Spring, acrylic, 15 3/4" x 15 3/4"

Due to our upcoming exhibition at the Galerie Old Chelsea, we painted mostly old buildings. While I love old barns, I was not too crazy about the theme. Instead, after finishing another dog portrait, I knew my real passion: creating pet paintings.

Once the school holidays started, my painting days hit a pause. We had a Spanish language student and one of my friends with her two sons visiting us for July.

Standing Proud, acrylic, 16" x 20"

In August, we went for our very first family vacation to a cottage. We had gone a couple of times to Germany. There, we always had a tight visiting programme to see friends and relatives instead of spending time as a family. This time, we had a lot of fun while hiking and swimming. I even found time to create my “Standing Proud” painting for the next Arteast exhibition with the theme “Trees”. The jury rejected the artwork. The high number of submissions had made it necessary to pick paintings that showed more than one tree. I was devastated.

 

Colours of Muskoka, acrylic, 16" x 20"

While I was at the cottage, I also created an abstract painting by chance. When I wanted to tint my next canvas with my leftover paints, an abstract painting emerged that excited me.

Strutting, acrylic, 16" x 20"

From August 7 to 28, 2008, we held our painting buddies group exhibition “Heritage” at Galerie Old Chelsea. It looked fantastic, but only one artist sold a painting. We were all quite disappointed. At least, I was proud of one of my fellow artist’s praise for “The White House” and “Strutting”.

 

The White House, acrylic, 11" x 14"

Even after our kids went back to school, I hardly found time to paint. I worked on the board of our gallery and as the new webmistress of the Ottawa Art Association. As my husband had created the new website, it made sense that the association asked me to upload the content and maintain the website. It was a very time-intensive task. In November, I also went back to work at the daycare for a month.

If you would like to know how I turned things around in 2009, I invite you to follow my journey in two weeks.