My July Projects

Blog 24

Another month has passed. Time was just flying as I went on my vacation with my family to the cottage for a week. Despite many visitors, I managed to make more time to be creative. As I teach less in the summer, I have been able to keep up a more regular creative schedule.

Summer at Mer Bleue, acrylic, 11" x 14"

On July 4, I went with the Ottawa Plein Adventurers and Arteast to the Mer Bleue Bog. It was already hot when I arrived at 9:30 am. Most of us had decided to give it an early start as temperatures were forecasted to reach the low 30s.

As I had painted the lake area of the bog a couple of times before, I set up at one of the wider areas of the boardwalk and painted the bog with its beautiful pink flowers.

At first, I was very comfortable under my umbrella and wondered about the warning of lots of bugs, but the warmer it got, the more horseflies started to attack me. It got so bad that they were sitting on my sunglasses not caring about all the repellent I had sprayed on myself. I surrendered when I was using my brush more to swat away the flies than to paint.

At the cottage, I was able to finish the artwork after a lot of time. I was struggling to have enough distinction in the hues and values of green to show different plants, and especially the transition from foreground to background.

An Oasis of Peace, acrylic, 8" x 10"

Next, I finished the painting of the pond from the Beechwood Cemetery that I had started on location last summer. If you look at my starting point, you can see that I changed the composition slightly to adapt it better to my canvas size. In reality, the posts of the bridge were taller, and there were more rocks to the left side. However, they were too dominant in the painting.

I like painting at the cottage because I can sit in the covered patio surrounded by nature. I am protected from bugs but have the advantage of natural light. As we had a lot of guests this time, I did not start any new works.

During our summer week, I usually find it too hot to go out for plein air painting, except for little watercolour sketches in the late afternoon and early evening. This time, I challenged myself with a watercolour pencil sketch of one of the kayaks that was lying on the beach. As I struggled a lot with the perspective, drawing the boat was hard.

Spring Along the Rideau Canal, acrylic, 11" x 14"

I also spent time in my studio and finished an Ottawa spring scene that I had started as a demo painting a couple of years ago. The place is a park area along the Rideau Canal. “Spring along the Rideau Canal” is an 11” x 14” acrylic painting. When a family member saw me working on the painting, she fell in love with the scene immediately. She bought it right at the spot. How exciting!

 I also continued my work on the landscape from our 1995 trip from Toronto to Vancouver. I will be able to tell you more about the location and show you the finished painting by the end of August.

During a recent visit to the play “Unnecessary Farce” at the Ottawa Little Theatre, I was able to create three quick sketches of the stage setting as well as of one of the characters. I also sketched at the Ottawa River Festival and the Humanics Sculpture Park.

A Bunch of Lilies, mixed fibres, 19" x 14"

The rest of the time, I enjoyed the lovely summer days and felted while sitting in the gazebo. I finished the 19” x 14” needle felted artwork of lilies. For the artwork, I used mainly wool with some synthetic fibres and some embroidery floss.

My two new pieces that I started will be of apple blossoms and lily pads on the river.

While I can work on my needle felted pieces while I am in a conversation or watching TV when I am blocking in the shapes and colours, I need a quiet place once I get to the details. Lately, I have discovered that I love listening to audiobooks while I felt. Do you listen to music, audiobooks, or podcasts while you are creative? Or do you prefer no distractions?

If you would like to create art in a peaceful setting, I would like to mention to you the three events that I am hosting in collaboration with the Humanics Institue at their beautiful sculpture park. For more information please go to my website www.KerstinPeters.ca.

Drawing at the Humanics Institute, August 5, 2019, 10:30am to 12pm
Outdoor Lotus Painting Party, August 10, 2019, 10:30am to12:30pm
Drawing Animals at the Humanics Institute, August 19, 2019, 10:30am to 12pm

Creativity Challenge - Week 11

Blog 11

This week, we spent March Break at the cottage. Despite the wonderful weather for walks and snowshoeing, I still had a lot of time to work on my projects. I felted about 25 hours to improve my felted dog Alex’s shape. All the parts are now attached firmly to the body, but I could use some more of his fur to make the body a little harder. Right now, it is still softer than my other felted objects. As spring is around the corner, I should be able to collect more fur when Alex’s coat changes for the warmer seasons. Next week, I will use some wool for his snout and glass eyes to bring him to live.

Lotus Flower

The second project was a new demo painting for my painting parties. This 16” x 20” acrylic painting of a lotus flower will be used for the first time for the spring retreat that I am co-hosting with Jackie Leduc from Hikano Yoga Studio in Cumberland on May 6, 2018. I will be able to share more information in the coming weeks.

Red Peonies

Speaking of painting parties, on April 15, from 1:30pm to 3:30pm, I will host a painting party at my house at 1270 Kinsella Drive in Cumberland, ON, K4C 1A9. The price is $35 per person. The registration deadline is April 8, 2018. The maximum number of participants is 12. For this event, I need at least 8 people and a pre-payment by e-transfer to kpeters@domingoinformatics.ca or cheque payable to Kerstin Peters to reserve a spot.

For painting parties outside of my house, I need at least 10 people or a minimum payment of $350 to run the party. This is a wonderful way to have a good time with friends and family. Please contact me at kpeters@domingoinformatics.ca for further information.

Today is also the last day to register for “It All Happens Around The Kitchen”, a lunch time get together on March 22nd, 2018 from 11:30 am to 2 pm in Marie Smith’s kitchen in Orleans. In this interactive workshop we will be preparing and enjoying a delicious soup, while connecting and sharing with other women who are facing the Empty Nesters’ transition, including those that are already familiar with the gap in their lives, and just maybe, those that aren’t even aware that this could be happening to them. Some creative and relaxing doodling is involved.

The seating at the kitchen table is for eight women. The registration fee is $40 and can be paid by e-transfer to kpeters@domingoinformatics.ca.

For information about other workshops and classes please go to www.KerstinPeters.ca.

  

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you will forward it to friends and family who are interested in my activities.

Christmas Gifts for Creative People

photo taken by Josie de Meo

Blog 46

With Black Friday just a week away, I can see that people around me are getting more and more anxious to get their Christmas shopping started. This blog contains some of my tips for getting someone an arts-related gift for the holidays.

As an artist and instructor, I certainly believe that art should have a place in everyone's life. However, not everyone feels this way. While it is tempting to give everyone around me gifts of art, such as a painting, art materials, colouring books, or materials for Do it Yourself projects, it is always important to ask yourself whether the well-meant gift is really something the receiver will enjoy.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had the perfect gift in mind for a friend of mine. Luckily, during a conversation she made it very clear to me that what I had thought would be the perfect gift, did not interest her at all. She told me that she would not even know what to do with something like that. I was certainly glad that I had not bought the gift for her.

When you are looking for gifts for your family and friends, you can get really lucky, if the people in your life tell you exactly what they would like to receive for Christmas. Would it not be nice if everyone would continue with the tradition of writing a wish list for Santa. This would facilitate buying gifts. However, often you have to find out the information through listening to them. If you are thinking of a certain gift and are not sure whether it is indeed a good idea, you could try to bring the subject to this gift in a conversation, e. g. “I just saw this new 3D marker, and would really like to try this out.” The reaction of the person you are talking to will usually give you a good indication of whether or not they would enjoy the gift. You can also look around their work area, talk to them about materials they use, look at flyers together, or visit an art store with them before the holiday season.

Once you have figured out whether you have any creative friends or family members, check the art store and bookstore advertisements (either online or in the local stores) to see where you can get the products. This way, you can already get a good idea what you are looking for and avoid getting overwhelmed by all the products in the store. Once you are in the store, always choose the best quality you can afford as many cheap products will bring rather frustration than pleasure to the receiver.

Here is a list of art materials and equipment for your creative adults that caught my eye when I started browsing the Internet for ideas for this blog and at the same time for my Christmas wish list.

With regard to new materials the following look quite interesting:

Winsor & Newton Pigment Markers are pigment markers which means they use fine art pigments instead of dyes. Therefore, the artwork does not fade. With the use of a special blender you can also blend the colours.

Winsor & Newton Watercolour Markers are highly pigmented, water-based markers which can be used with any regular watercolour. They are very useful for detail work. Each marker has a fine point on one end and a flexible brush tip on the other end.

Golden's new High Flow Acrylics have an ink-like consistency. They are very versatile and can be used for many techniques. They are are fully compatible with all other acrylic products. They can be used in an airbrush, a refillable marker, or with a regular brush.

Now some equipment that might make it possible for your loved ones to take their creativity into a completely new direction:

The iSketchnote, a slate which is a smart drawing pad, allows the instant digitization of paper drawings onto an iPad. The artists can use their regular pencils and pens. To see a demonstration go to http://www.iskn.co/. This is something that would really interest me. Unfortunately, I do not possess an iPad.

I say the picture of a 3D Pen for the first time in the Chapters Christmas flyer. This afternoon, I watched a video about the use of it because I could not understand how you would be able to create 3D images. To see the YouTube video please go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r5q9T_7u8A. It looks interesting but I do not think that it would be something I would enjoy.

Last but not least some hands-on books to get the creative juices flowing:

This year's big craze are colouring books. They top the the book charts, and there are so many variations on the market that you will see tables of different books in any main bookstore as will as long lists online, something for every taste. You better find out what subjects are of interest to the gift receiver because the sheer volume of different books will overwhelm you. Colouring books are great for people in your circle of friends and family who love colouring as a way to relax. Paired with some good coloured pencils or markers, this makes a very nice gift.

For someone who needs some inspiration, the books “642 Things to Draw” and “712 More Things to Draw” by Chronicle Books will give new ideas to challenge oneself.

You could also give a gift certificate for a painting course or a paint party.

Many community centres offer a variety of art classes at very reasonable prices. A course at a local art school or private lessons are other options. New courses generally start in January so the receiver of your gift certificate does not have to wait too long to redeem the certificate.

If you would like to create lasting memories of a time spent together, a paint party is a good choice. No experience in art is necessary and a lot of fun is guaranteed. My friend Josie de Meo and I offer paint parties both for adults and kids. If you are interested please contact us and we will gladly discuss prices and options with you. You will choose the painting you would like to copy. We will deliver all the materials, take care of the setup and cleanup, and make sure that you leave with a beautiful painting. We are able to cater both private or corporate events. For more information please contact me at kpeters@DomingoInformatics.ca.

I hope I was able to give you some ideas. If you have used any of the suggested items, I would be glad to hear your opinion. Hopefully, Santa will bring me one or more gifts from this list. Then I will give certainly give you my own review. For now, I wish you happy shopping!