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