Vancouver: Inspired by Nature, Art and Soccer

 

Blog 6A

Thank you for reading my blog. I had a fantastic time in Vancouver, visiting my son and his fiancée.

I left on Monday morning, June 22, around 7 AM, which meant getting up before 5 AM – challenging for a night owl who usually gets to bed after 1 AM.

However, arriving early gave me a full day to enjoy the city.

 

It was unseasonably warm, with temperatures in the high twenties, when my son picked me up from the SkyTrain. I quickly set out to explore the neighbourhood, looking for possible painting locations. I marvelled at all the magnificent, cheerful flowers along the sidewalks, in community gardens, and enjoyed the shade provided by the huge trees along the road all the way down to the harbour.

 

Science World decorated as a giant soccer ball for the FIFA World Cup 2026

That evening, my son, his fiancée, and I went to Kitsilano Beach Park. I was in awe of the spectacular view of the huge freight ships on one side and the heavily populated beaches with swimmers and volleyball players on the other, all surrounded by mountains.

 

Kitsilano Beach Park

The next day, I painted in Mount Pleasant Community Park, surrounded by flowers, vegetables, herbs, and fruit. Unfortunately, there was no spot in the shade. At least I found an old chair that I used while painting one of the colourful flower beds until the mid-day heat forced me to look for a shaded spot, which I found on a street corner with a flower bed of magenta-coloured poppies. Unfortunately, I had to stand while capturing the beautiful flowers. Therefore, I retreated quickly to the house.

 

Flower Medley, watercolour, 5.5" x 8.5", unfinished

You can check out the videos of that location here:

 1) Community garden painting spot: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2Ih3QcQrG6I 

2) At the end of the session: https://youtube.com/shorts/aV-jGNCKuMg?si=g4sf8yfG5fmecJWo 

 

Magenta Poppies, watercolour pencils, 5.5" x 8.5", unfinished

You can check out the videos of the poppy location here:

1) Poppy Painting Spot: https://youtube.com/shorts/6ViLrHL2n14?si=bGqPSHEe5DqzuiVq

2) Painting Poppies: https://youtube.com/shorts/65JCD57uLfY?si=5rfcKGhyr2o17ByI 

 

In the early evening, we went for a 6.3 km hike in Stanley Park, one of my must-see places of the trip. We were all surprised that I could manage the distance without a break. Even a year ago, I would not have been able to manage this distance, but 4.5 years after my double pelvic fracture, I have finally regained my fitness level, with a few modifications and thanks to continuous physio exercises.

 

Beaver Lake, Stanley Park

I didn't have time to sketch. However, the visit to Stanley Park provides enough inspiration for years of painting, with the majestic trees, the beautiful rose garden, Beaver Lake, and the breathtaking views from the Seawall.

 

 

Stanley Park, view from the Seawall

On Wednesday, the FIFA World Cup game between Switzerland and Canada was held in Vancouver. My son and I joined thousands of fans downtown, many dressed in red. The outdoor viewing places were so overcrowded that we looked for a place in a restaurant to watch the game. We finally found two chairs in a small Mexican restaurant. The mood was amazing, even though Canada lost in the end. After the game, we visited Gastown, with the famous Steam Clock, and walked around the Vancouver Convention Centre, which offers amazing waterfront views.

 

Canada Place

The cooler weather on Thursday made it the perfect day to visit Queen Elizabeth Park. I strolled through the beautiful landscape before visiting the Bloedel Conservatory, home to tropical plants and rescued birds. While the tropical plants and rescued birds were breathtaking, my severe mouse phobia made the visit very stressful.

Queen Elizabeth Park with the Bloedel Conservatory in the back

 

Later, while walking to the Van Dusen Botanical Garden, I got lost and ended up in the rose garden instead, where I painted three red roses.

Three Red Roses, watercolour, 5.5" x 8.5"

Here are the videos from this painting session:

1) View of the Rose Garden: https://youtube.com/shorts/7w9Q1y3AsBU?si=oR76kCjKoIiGjQn6

2) With the finished painting: https://youtube.com/shorts/6MVX-Mxs1Hk?si=HcHq-E2iF81jX69k 

As it rained on Friday, I visited the Vancouver Art Gallery to see the outstanding exhibition,"That Green Ideal - Emily Carr and the Idea of Nature", with about 100 works of the exceptional Canadian painter. At the end of the exhibition, visitors were encouraged to draw, inspired by Emily Carr's painting, "The Little Pine", an invitation I could not resist.

 

Vancouver Art Gallery

While Emily Carr already criticized in her art the environmental impact of industrial logging, its ecological effects and consequences on the lives of Indigenous people, the second special exhibition," Future Geographies: Art in the Century of Climate Change", was even clearer in its message that human exploitation of resources endangers all lives on the planet. It was a gloomy reminder of the consequences of our actions.

top right: an impression of Emily Carr's painting, The Little Pine

On my final day in Vancouver, we visited Granville Island with its many specialty shops and the huge indoor market. I am sure everyone's mouth was watering with the sight of all the fresh food.

 

Fresh produce at the indoor market

In the afternoon, my son and I visited Lynn Canyon Park. On our hike, we crossed the suspension bridge and the breathtaking forest. It was hot again, and we envied the people bathing in the crystal-clear Thirty Foot Pool. The many stairs on the path were quite the workout, but worth the effort. A quick detour to Deep Cove, where we skipped a famous sandwich shop with a queue of a couple of metres in favour of ice cream and a trip to a fantastic bakery in Vancouver.

 

Lynn Canyon Park

At the airport that evening, I had an unexpected surprise: While I was waiting at the gate for my overnight flight to Ottawa, I met a friend and fellow artist from Ottawa whom I hadn't seen for more than ten years. Although we still keep in touch through social media, we could have chatted for hours.

Even exhausted after a restless night and a day of moving boxes and furniture,  I returned home filled with inspiration and grateful for the opportunity to revisit Vancouver after more than thirty years. Plus, I still drew my last blue object, a Blue Jay that had visited me almost every day in June.

 

 

On the last days of June and July 1, it was challenging to choose only three objects from the many green plants and animals nature provides for our pleasure. The first two drawings show plants from the Queen Elizabeth Garden. The frog is from a reference photo taken at Petrie Island. I added the picture of the frog from July 1 to this blog because it is the last image of the series of greens. The remaining July drawings will appear in my next blog on July 31, 2026.

 

Green Objects

 

What would you like me to draw during August? Please leave your suggestion in the comments. Feel free to challenge me as I continue my daily drawing routine.

Challenge Yourself to Improve Your Skills

 

Blog 6

 

Hooray, I am almost at the half-year mark. At the time of this blog's publication, I will be in Vancouver, visiting my son and his fiancée. Therefore, I will post the artworks of the month and my images from Vancouver in an additional blog on July 10.


Let's start with the last four drawings from May. The comic characters are inspired by my three Cartooning and Comic courses at François Dupuis Recreation Centre in Orléans. During the four-week session, we developed characters from simple shapes, drew characters in movement, and explored a variety of facial expressions. 

 

Great Crested Flycatcher, Running Carrot and Apple, Pink Trillium, Blue-Purple Iris

For my June daily art project, I decided to dedicate three days each to one colour. I started with objects that were mostly white. 

 

Peony, Dove, Teddy Bear

I continued with predominantly yellow ones. I could have drawn flowers the whole time but wanted to change it up. Therefore, I drew a garden snail with a yellow shell I saw on a walk in Germany after some heavy rain. The teapot is from my yellow phase, when I loved surrounding myself with yellow objects. It is part of a tableware set. 

 

Peony, Garden Snail, Teapot, Comic

Inspired by the Saturday Cartooning and Comics courses, I created my own mini comic. Even if you don't speak German, you probably can understand the sequence. 

  
Here is the translation:
Image 1: Yummy!
Image 2: Oh no. My ice cream... 

 

Hibiscus, Dog Toy, Carrot

Looking for different objects to draw, I picked up our dog's favourite toy, a ball with round dentations and a hole for treats. A friend gave it to our previous dog. However, he didn't like it. We only found out when we adopted Shadow that you can fill it with food that will fall out when the dog rolls the ball around. No wonder Alex didn't care for the ball.
 

While I was already in the kitchen, I checked  the fridge and found carrots, Shadow's and my favourite lunchtime vegetable.

Before I started drawing red objects, I asked my Facebook followers for suggestions. They chose a gerbera, a peacock butterfly and an Adirondack chair. The gerbera and the butterfly were pleasant to capture. However, the Muskoka chair was very demanding, which I knew from the moment someone mentioned it. Nevertheless, I accepted the challenge. As I always struggle with perspective, I measured a lot, using a pencil. I was lucky that a felted cushion covered part of the seat. It made drawing the chair a bit easier. It is still a bit flawed, but it was the best I could achieve.

 

Red Gerbera, Peacock Butterfly, Muskoka Chair

 
Instead of continuing with purple, the next secondary colour on the colour wheel, I picked magenta. It is one of my favourite colours and impossible to mix. Therefore, I always pick up a tube of paint or, in this case, a magenta-coloured watercolour pencil. 

Pink Peony, Cosmos, Magenta Bear

I started with the blossoming peony from our yard. The following day, I was short on time and picked the simpler cosmos bloom.  The last subject of my art was a bear I created about ten years ago.

 

Continuing with purple, I painted an iris from our garden. Then, I drew lupins that always remind me of a spring trip to Prince Edward Island.  The delicious haskaps are from our garden. When I bought the two bushes a couple of years ago, I didn't even know that you could eat the delicious fruits.

 

Iris, Lupins, Haskaps

I will continue the colour series after my return from Vancouver, where I plan to capture sights of each day.

 

If my images give you ideas that you would like to transform into a needle-felted painting, I invite you to my upcoming two-part workshop, Bring Your Inspiration to Life in Wool.
 

Bring an image of your choice (a pet, flower, landscape, or any subject that inspires you) and I'll help you transform it into a needle-felted painting.

📅 August 10 & 17, 2026
🕕 6:00–9:00 PM (EDT)

👉 Register now!
🐦 Early Bird Price: $140 CAD ($150 CAD after July 1)

Art to Celebrate Spring's Rebirth

 

 

Blog 5.2

 

It’s hard to believe, but I have already been creating daily art in my sketchbook for the past five months. In fact, despite visitors and vacations, I only missed one day in March.

During May, I have been especially excited about the blooming flowers everywhere. At home, I studied many of the spring flowers in our garden, finding the white flowers the most challenging. I have been experimenting with Prismacolor coloured pencils with varied success. While I like them for bright flowers, I prefer watercolour pencils for the softer transitions and watercolour effects.

 

  

After my return from Germany, I only spent one day at home before we headed to the cottage for a week of relaxation. I couldn't resist drawing the geese gliding noisily through the water in the Ottawa River, our cute dog waiting for my husband, and one of the cheeky chipmunks that raced around the cottage. I also captured the only tulip that bloomed next to the cottage.

 

Gerbera, Chipmunk, Trillium, Cat, Orange-and-Purple Tulip

 

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to paint downtown during the Tulip Festival, but I still visited Major's Hill Park with my daughter and took photos of the beautiful tulips. At home, I drew the brilliant orange-and-purple tulip above and the pink-and-white tulip below. 

 

The cat above was sitting on the sidewalk next to the house where my daughter lives. I wondered if it was missing my daughter's cat that was at our house at the time. 

 

I drew the Iris during one of our virtual Painting Buddies meetings. After the meeting, I used a water brush to create the watercolour effect. Hélène Martin provided the reference photo. 

 

 

 

Yellow Magnolia, Violets and Forget-Me-Nots, Iris, Pink-and-White Tulip, Rosetta Kalanchoe

 

Usually, I don't touch an image anymore after I draw it. However, I was very unsatisfied with the dull background of the Yellow Magnolia drawing. Therefore, I painted over it with watercolours. Unfortunately, I also reworked the blossoms. After adding several layers to the image, I gave up, because I had already spent too much time on this drawing. It was still a good exercise.

Instead of reworking the image any further, I might try painting the blooms again in watercolour or acrylic.

 

 

On May 23, my three four-week Cartooning and Comic courses at François Dupuis Recreation Centre started. In the first class, the children created superheroes or villains from simple shapes. I was inspired to create a male ice cream character consisting of a raspberry scoop (circle) on a waffle (triangle) with chocolate frosting. 

 

Later, I wondered if the character wouldn't look better with long hair and a skirt. I didn't want to draw the figure again. Instead, I used the photo software on my computer to edit the original image. With a freehand pen, I drew the skirt and outlines, and used the pink highlighter for the hair. The chocolate frosting turned into a hairband.

Bleeding Heart, White Tulip with Rain Drops, Yellow Archangel, and a garden snail

I will post the last May images and my June artworks in my June blog on June 26, 2026.

 

 

Until then, I wish you a wonderful spring. If you enjoy creating art in a social setting, I invite you to my Spring Art Café on June 14, 2026, from 2 PM to 4 PM. We will create beautiful paper flowers from old magazines and books. I will provide all the art materials and light refreshments. Let’s have fun together creating art, chatting, and laughing to build connections. 

Memories of Germany - Travel Art

 

Blog 5.1

 

Due to the large number of artworks since my last blog post, I decided to publish an additional blog this week with the drawings and paintings from my time in Germany. 

 

 

I returned from Germany in early May. During my visits with relatives and many friends, I received so much generosity and hospitality. I witnessed the frailty of my older relatives and realized even more how precious our time together is. Therefore, I concentrated on connecting with the people I only see once a year. I still created daily drawings, often late at night after my parents went to bed, but only started one watercolour and one needle-felted painting.

 

 

.

 

Many spring flowers were already blooming during my visit. My drawings reflect the blossoming nature. I was extremely fortunate with the weather and experienced only three rainy days during my entire stay, with temperatures rising up to 27 degrees in the last week of my stay.

 

 

 

 

Except for trips with my parents and friends, I only relied on public transportation. Therefore, I have some sketches of fellow passengers. For the first time, someone talked to me about drawing people on the train, asking me if I had asked the person’s permission, which is not necessary as long as you don’t create a drawing that clearly identifies the person. I am more interested in the posture and how it affects the body's perspective and proportions. I struggle immensely with glasses. The person concluded the conversation with a dismissive comment about my drawing abilities. I consider it all a good way to practice, whether it turns out the way I envisioned it or not, but someone who hasn’t tried creating art might not understand my motives.

Unfortunately, my pencil sketches are usually very light. When I took the pictures, I couldn't increase the darkness of the images without also increasing the darkness of the writing on the backsides.

 

To strengthen my connections with art collectors and students, I invite you to my free Art Café on June 14, 2026, from 2 PM to 4 PM. I still have three more spaces available. If you plan to join us, please register soon.

This event offers an opportunity to connect through conversation, shared food, and a fun art project. We will create beautiful paper flowers from old magazines and books. I will provide all the materials and some light refreshments. You are welcome to bring a treat, especially if you have any dietary restrictions.


I will publish my regular May blog on May 29 with the rest of my May daily art projects. Until then, enjoy the  abundance nature offers.