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.