25 Years in Canada - The Year 2015 Part II

 

Have Some Fruit!, acrylic, 9" x 12", CAN $ 350

Blog 18

During the second half of 2015, I continued exhibiting my artworks at many locations. In early July, I hung a solo exhibition at Tyros Shawarma Lebanese Restaurant in Orléans. The show Summer Destinations contained some of my favourite summer paintings. 

Solo Exhibition at Tyros Restaurant July

As always, I spent one week of July at the cottage with the whole family. There, I finished two paintings and created another small one. Next followed a weekend in Toronto with my daughter. We visited the inspiring Emily Carr exhibition From the Forest to the Sea at the Art Gallery of Ontario.


Except for two days at the Doodle 'n' Draw camp at Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex, I did not teach but welcomed visitors from Germany for the rest of the month. On the first day, we got inspired by Vincent van Gogh's Wheat Field with Cypresses. Then, we painted abstract like Franz Marc in his painting The Yellow Cow. Some kids worried that they would be able to paint such complex pieces and were surprised and excited when they saw their finished works.


I started teaching my private clients again in August. I still had lots of time to finish many of my oil paintings outside because I do not like the smell in my studio. 

 

Early October at Whitewater Village, oil 11' x 14”, CAN $375

At the beginning of September, I replaced my solo exhibition Summer Destinations with my fall follow-up Indian Summer in Canada.


Due to a scheduling conflict, we did not travel to Kamouraska for our yearly painting trip. Instead, I spent the long weekend in Muskoka with my husband’s family. The happiness of the weekend vanished fast by the fear for Alex, who had developed severe pancreatitis. I was so scared to lose him just a year after our Golden Retriever, Candy. Luckily, he made a full recovery.


Aside from my private art and German students, I taught two art courses at François Dupuis Recreation Centre by mid-September.

Glebe Show with my sponsor and good friend, the late Linda Platt

At the end of September, I participated in the 10th annual Glebe Fine Arts Exhibition. It was wonderful to meet so many interesting people. However, I only sold some greeting cards. Considering all the work that went into the show, I was very disappointed. I also realized that with my son, Dominic, out of the house, it would be even more complicated to recruit him as a helper for the setup and takedown of my booth. In the end, I decided not to participate in this show again.  Instead, I increased my participation in Arteast events and exhibitions like the Arteast Juried Award Exhibition at the St Laurent Complex in Ottawa with my painting Blushing Sunset.


The next Plein Air Ensemble trip was at the beginning of October at Lake Clear in Eganville. Hélène, Janis, and I arrived a day earlier to get everything organized before the arrival of the rest of the group. Even though the colours were not as intense that fall due to the dry summer, there were pockets of beautiful colours. The reds and oranges brought a lot of vibrancy into the green landscape.

Star Tree, oil, 11" x 14", NFS

After my return, Josie De Meo and I held our first painting party together. I had resisted offering painting parties for a long time but changed my mind when I realized how much fun the participants had. It helped me share my passion for art with people who had never considered taking an art course.


On October 24, I participated for the first time at the Worldwide SketchCrawl. It took a lot of courage to join the group of artists who were quite accomplished at capturing their environment. I did not have a lot of sketching experience. I am usually someone who takes her time to draw something. However, reading up on urban sketching, I realized that sketching is like your own handwritten visual journal entry. This opinion encouraged me to experiment with urban sketching. We met in the Byward Market in downtown Ottawa, where the old buildings and the farmers market offered lots to see and sketch. I created some lovely sketches of the humongous pumpkins at some of the vegetable stands. The morning of sketching was so energizing that I continued during the bus ride home. You can see some of the photos from the SketchCrawl on http://ottawaurbansketchers.blogspot.ca/2015_10_01_archive.html.

Hélène Martin and I at Galop Gallery

In November, I teamed up with Hélène to show artworks from our painting trips at the Galop Gallery in Cardinal. I also had another solo exhibition called Winter Wonderland at the Tyros Restaurant. Plus, my painting Orange Lilies was part of the Arteast Holiday Mix at St. Laurent Complex in Ottawa. 

To celebrate the year with my customers, I invited them into our home for my third annual Open House on the first Saturday in December. In 2015, I started to increase my interactions with my existing and potential clients with my weekly blogs and monthly newsletters after learning the importance of building relationships. I also showed my artwork to the public in many solo and group exhibitions. Join me next week to see how my journey continues.

25 Years in Canada - The Year 2015 Part I

 

Evening Glow, acrylic, 18" x 24", CAN $550

Blog 17

I started the year 2015 with a Creativity Challenge. I enjoyed the possibilities of sharing my passion and continuously learned something new when I prepared my classes. However, I was not happy with the low number of artworks of the previous year. With the additional work of writing my blogs and newsletters, advertising for events and courses, I had created most of my paintings during my two great painting trips. I decided to challenge myself to create art every day during January to establish a new creative routine. 

Creativity Challenge 2015

By mid-January, my painting and drawing classes for the City of Ottawa started again. I also continued to work with private German and art students. I also taught Creativity & Me workshops from my studio to help clients experiment with different mediums and techniques.


February did not start too well. While doing some work on my website, I realized that all the blogs I had published between January and September 2014 were gone. In a panic, I asked my husband, who created all our backups, for help. He could retrieve all the blogs from mid-April to the last backup but all the blogs from the first quarter were gone - swallowed by a software bug that just cut off any content after a certain length. Luckily, I still had the text for them on my computer. I was frustrated and set up a new blog site at http://kerstinpeterspaintingblog.blogspot.ca/ with the help of my son, Dominic, who helped me with the layout. 

Breaking The Ice, acrylic, 14" x 18" NFS

 

On the positive side, my painting “Breaking The Ice” was accepted into the Arteast juried show “Mosaic” at the Trinity Gallery at the Shenkman Fine Arts Centre from February to March. Out of 165 paintings, the jurors picked less than 60 for the exhibition.


In March, I took the opportunity to exhibit some of my art at the beautiful Bean Town Ranch that offered weekend brunches during the sugar shack season. Unfortunately, the visitors were only interested in the fabulous food and not in the art. 

Invitation 25 Years Plein Air Ensemble

For months, my friend Helene and I prepared the silver jubilee of the Plein Air Ensemble. The most important event was the 25 Year Plein Air Ensemble exhibition at Wall Space Gallery in Orleans at the end of March. This exhibition celebrated the accomplishments of the artists of the group during the last quarter of a century. We were fortunate that two of the founders were among the participants of the exhibition. As Helene got sick, I had to hold the opening speech in front of a big crowd of visitors, which made me very nervous. Among them were MP Royal Galipeau, MPP Marie-France Lalonde, Councillor Jody Mitic, and Councillor Bob Monette. We received certificates from Premier Stephen Harper, MPP Galipeau, MPP Lalonde, and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson commemorating the Plein Air Ensemble’s 25th anniversary.

Parc des Amoureux, oil, 8" x 10" CAN $250

 

At the beginning of April was the next Plein Air Ensemble trip. This time, we went to Val David, which was my first spring trip with the group in years. I had never been to Val David and could hardly wait to get together with the group to paint.


Shortly after the trip, I took part in the Navan Fine Art Exhibition and Sale. I enjoy exhibiting with this group of artists because we all work together to plan and organize the event. It is a smaller group which makes the shows much more personal than any other weekend show I joined. 

The Buseater, oil, 11" x 14", CAN $375

In the middle of May, my friend Janis and I enjoyed a week at the cottage without family obligations. While we had a lot of rain, we still managed to paint. In the evenings, we sat on the beach watching the light ripples of the moving water, listened to the birds and watched the occasional squirrel or chipmunk rush past our chairs. We also used the opportunity to scout out new accommodations for the Plein Air Ensemble in the beautiful areas of Clear Lake and Golden Lake. It was the perfect break ahead of two crazy months of soccer games, dance recitals, and graduation celebrations. 

Spring Greens, oil, 10" x 8", CAN $250

 

My daughter’s health had finally improved after a specialist at the children’s hospital asked her to take some high-dose vitamins instead of additional pain medications. Even though she was already full-time in high school since February, she officially graduated from grade 8 in the second half of June. We were all happy that the transition had worked so well. It was quite an accomplishment to finish grade 8 and 9 in one year!


The following day, we had the big garden party before Dominic’s prom. The custom of elaborate celebrations in formal wear has a long tradition in Canada and the US. However, in Germany, the “Abiball” is relatively new.


It is customary for young people in their mid-teens to go to a dance school to learn at least basic ballroom dancing. At the end of the course, the dancers go to a ball, but having a prom at school is a recent trend that came from America. I could not find information about the first prom-like celebration in Germany. However, the photos that I found online were from after 2010. My Abitur celebration in the eighties was only very low-key. In the morning, we received our certificates in the school auditorium in front of our parents and siblings. Most students wore business casual for the occasion. In the evening, the students and teachers got together for a barbeque-style event with food from the cafeteria. Everyone, including the teachers, wore casual clothes.


The German school system is a topic in itself. The Abitur is the highest German school certificate for students who pass their exams after 12/13 years of school to study at universities.


For my parents, Christine and I, the prom was a new experience. My husband and I even met with the other parents and young adults of my son’s group of friends before the actual garden party to take photos in the park. Most of them had a date for the party. The colour of the dresses and ties matched for each pair. It was quite the production. I have to admit that it was a feast for the eyes.

 

Two days later followed the Commencement Ceremony. We were all so proud of my son’s graduation and his path that lead him to university and a move away from home. First, however, we would enjoy one last summer together.


As my children spread their wings, it looked promising for my career activities. Join me next week to read the sequence of my journey.

25 Year in Canada - The Year 2014 Part II

Catching the Fall Colours, oil, 10" x 8", CAN $250

 

 Blog 16

watercolour sketch

As in previous years, we started the second half of the year with a relaxing stay at the cottage. As it was not as hot as usual, I went together for a couple of hikes, spent a lot of time at the beach, and enthusiastically followed the Soccer World Cup games. I also still found time to draw and paint.

The following Sunday morning, I was in a great mood and decided to make waffles for breakfast. When I dropped a piece of waffle, I called Alex and Candy. Candy did not come, which was very unusual. I found her in the living room lying on her side, breathing heavily, her expression empty.

We drove her directly to our vet, who told us that she suspected a burst tumour. We decided to have her euthanized as she would not recover. When our son arrived, Candy noticed him and wagged her tail one more time. Alex must have felt that something was terribly wrong when we returned home and ran away. I was frantic while I drove around the neighbourhood until I finally found him. Alex needed me as much as I needed him during the next couple of months. We had always assumed that Alex was the alpha dog, but it turned out that the quiet and relaxed Candy was the braver one. Suddenly, Alex did not want to go out by himself at night. He started shaking during thundershowers. It took him a couple of months until he felt comfortable being the only dog in the house.

The rest of the summer was pretty quiet. I taught my private students and held workshops at the local art store. On July 21, my son helped me hang my paintings for the next Arteast exhibition named Summer’s Pleasures at the Francois Dupuis Recreation Centre. In the last week of July, I was the guest artist at the Bob Mac Quarrie Recreation Complex during the art day camp. From August 21 – October 21, 2014, my painting Hay Fields in Nauheim, Germany, was part of the Arteast Promenade exhibition at the Shenkman Arts Centre.

 

The Burning Bush, oil, 10" x 8", CAN $250

Like every summer, the time seemed to pass too fast until it was time for school again. With the new school year, I faced a new challenge. After Christine had spent so much time at home during her illness, it became evident that she had advanced past her classmates. After many discussions, it was decided that Christine would finish her grade 8 in the mornings and go to high school in the afternoons. I needed to pick her up every day at lunchtime to drive her to high school. I spent 5 hours driving every week, but my daughter was much happier.


Even though I was still the Arteast Digest editor, I also became the Breakfast Coordinator of the Women's Business Connections in Orleans in September. I enjoyed the meeting of this lively group of entrepreneurial women. It was fun to create the newsletters for the events, but getting up to be at the breakfast meetings for about 7 am was very difficult for a night owl like me.

 

Eel Fishing, oil, 8" x 10", CAN $250

The beginning of September also meant an exciting month was ahead of me. Janis and I drove to Kamouraska for our yearly painting trip on September 6. We had a great week with only one rainy day.

As my children grew and became more independent, my homesickness got stronger again. However, while I was sitting on the bank of the St Laurence River, I realized that I would not have time for painting and travel with my friends if I had stayed in Germany. While I was sitting in the field of wildflowers absorbing the magnificent sunshine, I felt so happy that I jumped with joy.

The following weekend, I participated again in the Glebe Fine Art Show. I sold two paintings that I had painted during the Kamouraska trip to people who had connections to the Saint Laurence River and Kamouraska.

 

Moody Green Waters, oil, 5" x 7", SOLD

 

September 23 was my 50th birthday. I celebrated it with my husband and children. For the occasion, I had decided to colour the banks and tips of my hair pink. My children were not impressed. Two days later, I was on a plane to Germany. My father is 30 years older than I am. Even though his birthday was in June, we had decided to celebrate our round birthdays together. We invited our family for a big get-together on the last weekend of September. However, I did not only celebrate with my family. I also had parties with my girlfriends and a separate one for the couples who were my friends.

I am so glad we had this celebration and the time I spent with my family and friends. Nobody had any idea that it was the last time I would see some of my relatives. It is a good reminder to celebrate every occasion. When my loved ones died only weeks later, I had to face the grief alone. My family hardly knew the people who had died. I could not fly to Germany again and therefore shared the destiny of most immigrants: Once you leave your home country, you are on your own.

St. Lucie Swamp, oil, 11" x 14", CAN $ 375

After my return, I did not have much time to relax but celebrated with my Canadian friends and relatives. Another four days later, on October 16, 2014, Janis and I drove together to Saint Adèle in Quebec for the fall Plein Air Ensemble trip. It was my first time as one of the organizers. The trip was not only special for me as we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Plein Air Ensemble.

After my return, I fell into my routine of driving Christine every lunchtime, teaching three evenings and one afternoon a week. I hardly had any time to paint outside of my courses. In December, I held my Open House to present my paintings on the walls of our home. After I finished teaching in the middle of the month, I looked forward to a couple of quieter days. 

 

Blushing Sunset, acrylic, 12" x 16", CAN 400

However, Christine developed all of a sudden an allergic reaction. Luckily, we could control it with over-the-counter medication. Two days later, however, on the morning of December 31, her fingers were swollen, and she had spots all over her body that kept getting bigger. Although we had invited friends for dinner, I spent most of the day at the children’s hospital. In the end, I could take Christine back home. The doctor told us that whatever had caused the allergic reaction was still working in her body.

I was still not changed when our guests arrived. It did not matter. We had a fun night of games and the pleasure of watching an overexcited guide dog explore our dog’s toys with extreme delight. It was a delightful end to a year of celebrations on one side and loss on the other. I saw it as a good omen.

Next week, I will share the many happy moments of the first half of 2015 with you. Thank you for reading my story. Please share it with family and friends who might enjoy my journey.

25 Years in Canada - The Year 2014 Part I

Ottawa River, Whitewater Region, 12" x 16", CAN $400

Blog 15


So far, I have written most of my journey with the help of my journals, but my 2014 entries are often months apart and incomplete, even on the days when I found some time to write. Luckily, I wrote some short remarks into my daily calendar. Otherwise, it would be almost impossible to distinguish the events of the years ahead.

My daughter’s medical problems continued into the year 2014. She still suffered from headaches multiple times a week. She took a lot of pain medication. In the fall of the previous year, she had told us that she was sad without any visible reason. All the alarm bells went off. Luckily, her teachers and health professionals worked with us to stabilize her mood.

I was happy that I found a distraction from the unanswered health questions with art and German courses. I taught some private students, worked at two City of Ottawa recreation facilities and the local art store Wallack’s.

I loved teaching, but some weeks, it was challenging to find enough time to work on my paintings. I spent a lot of time preparing for the art classes. However, I squeezed as much studio time into my schedule as possible. I was full of excitement during weeks when I painted for four or more hours. 

Winter in Quebec, acrylic, 12" x 24", CAN $425

 I was very creative in February when I worked on five different painting. I finished four of them by the end of March. Two were winter scenes, but my yearning for spring and summer were evident in Magic Sunset and Ottawa River(above).

At the end of February, I participated with three other artists in the Arteast Exhibition Artmix at the St. Laurent Complex.

Hay Fields in Nauheim Germany, acrylic, 18" x 24", SOLD

In March, I finally finished the painting Hay Fields in Nauheim, Germany. The painting had been standing in my studio for quite some time. While I liked the composition, the execution was not exciting enough until I added knife work to the foreground. I experienced the same struggle with the painting from an outing to Victoria Island in Ottawa. Using a knife for the final layer made all the difference in the energy of the artwork.

As if I did not already have enough on my plate, I took over as the editor of the Arteast email communication in the spring.

As part of the Arteast volunteers, I was one of seven artists who were the first to exhibit their art in the new space at the François Dupuis Centre in early April.

Green Waters, St. Laurence River, oil, 12" x 24", SOLD

Until the weather was nice enough for plein air painting, I finished some Kamouraska paintings from the previous year. I also created a scene from the 2011 Plein Air Ensemble trip to Sutton. Finally, meeting with my friends, the Ottawa Tulip Festival, Petrie Island and Mer Bleue were the beloved locations for our painting outings. 

At the end of May, I experienced the fun of printing with acrylic paints in an exciting workshop offered by Arteast in collaboration with Golden Paints. I wish I had more time for experimenting.

 

Despite lots of preparations and a house full of guests for my daughter’s confirmation and my father’s 80th birthday, I was one of the exhibitors at the Navan Art Exhibition and Sale in early June. When I finally dropped off my painting Fall Splendour at the Shenkman Art Centre at the end of the month, I was looking forward to a relaxing holiday month. However, my bliss did not last long. My vacation did not turn out the way I had anticipated.

If you want to know the event that shook my world only a few days later, join me again next week.