Art Advent Calendar - Part II

Welcome to my blog. For the remainder of 2021, I present you with a review of twenty-four of my artworks included in the 2021 Advent Calendar. If you cannot wait for the weekly summary, I invite you to visit my Facebook page. I will publish a new Advent calendar post every day at 10 am.


All artworks are for sale. The shipping fee will be added depending on the destination. For more information, contact me at info@KerstinPeters.ca. You can pay by e-transfer, credit card or PayPal.

 

Advent Calendar Day 4:

 

Rural Village Houses, acrylic, 8” x 16”, CAN $350

Rural Village Houses, acrylic on board, unframed, 8” x 16”, CAN $350

I started this painting last year on the very first outing with my painting buddies. It was the first meeting after the first COVID lockdown. I always wanted to paint these colourful houses in our rural Cumberland Village. However, I struggled so much while I was on location that I do not consider the painting a plein air work.

When I finally continued the painting, I saw the image appear clearer stroke by stroke. After struggling with the right green for the left house, I concentrated on the blue one and the surroundings. Suddenly, I was able to mix exactly the colour I had in mind.

Once I had my house painted, the rest started to flow easier. I am happy with the result.

Advent Calendar Day 5:

 

Along the Rideau Canal, wool, 9.5" x 11.5", CAN $400

 

Along the Rideau Canal, wool, 9.5" x 11.5", custom-matted, CAN $400

I was very excited to create the felted version of my acrylic painting which had been challenging. Creating the felted version, I had the advantage that I had a clear picture of the composition.

This time, I had no problems with the reflections in the water. However, I struggled with the cherry tree and the fir trees on the right side for a long time.

It is always fascinating to compare the different mediums and the effects I can create with them.

Advent Calendar Day 6:

Spring in Ottawa, 11.75” x 9”, CAN $400

 

Spring in Ottawa, wool, 11.75” x 9”, custom-matted, CAN $400

Spring in Ottawa is my first felted painting that contains a couple of buildings. If you are from the Ottawa area, you can surely recognize the building on the left. It took a long time to finish the details of this piece. I left some of the buildings in the background out in the felted version because the painting got too busy.

Advent Calendar Day 7:

 

Three Red Tulips, acrylic, 10” x 8”, CAN $250

Three Red Tulips, acrylic on board, 10” x 8”, unframed, CAN $250

As I could not paint the tulips at the Canadian Tulip Festival for the second year, I set myself up in our front yard and painted these three red tulips. It felt so good to be painting outside. It also made me realize how much my confidence has increased when I paint where others can see me. I can still remember when it felt very uncomfortable painting in a public place because I worried about other people's judgment.

While I was painting my tulips, people passed with their cars or walked by with their dogs. Those who stopped complimented my painting. Usually, people don’t judge us as harshly as we critique ourselves. They are in awe that we put ourselves into the spotlight. They admire our talents, thinking that they could never do the same, even if we are not satisfied with the outcome.

Advent Calendar Day 8:

Primadonna, wool, 11.75” x 9”, CAN $400

 

Primadonna, wool, 11.75” x 9”, custom-matted, CAN $400

 
Once the first flowers peeked out of the ground, I started a tulip painting. The yellow tulip in the front is the primadonna. The others have important roles as supporting actors.

It was not easy to create the illusion of separate pedals. In general, I find it helps if I already spend time with the composition of a piece in a previous painting. This image I did not paint before. However, I feel tempted to create an acrylic painting with the same reference photo to observe the diverse challenges I experience with the different mediums.

Advent Calendar Day 9:

 

The Pair, wool, 11,75” x 9”, CAN $400

The Pair, wool, 11,75” x 9”, custom-matted, CAN $400

Sorting through my photos, I found the image of the two irises I took at the Ornamental Gardens in Ottawa. I was immediately inspired to create the image in wool. It took a long time for the final details. However, my timing was perfect as the irises in my garden were blooming when I finished the piece.

Advent Calendar Day 10:

Daring to be Different, wool and acrlic fibre, 10" x 11.75", CAN $400

Daring to be Different, wool and acrlic fibre, 10" x 11.75", custom-matted, CAN $400

This year, I was especially attracted to flowers. The pure beauty and bright colours of flowers cheer me up when I feel overwhelmed by all the negativity in our society.

I had taken the photo of the flower at the Ottawa Ornamental gardens a couple of years earlier. This bloom fascinated me because it was the only one with a couple of purple petals on a peony with otherwise white flowers. I have used the photo already for the second time. The first time, I created a square acrylic painting of the subject.

Have a great week! I will post the following seven artworks next Friday.