Creativity as the Key to Mastering Life

Dreams in Magenta (Hollyhocks), watercolour, watercolour pencils and white ink, 7.5" x 5.78

 

Blog 8

When I came to Canada, I thought my language skills as a foreign language correspondent had prepared me to converse easily in Canada. After all, I was able to translate conversations in English and Spanish sequentially, but it had all been in a classroom setting.

Once in Canada, I felt absolutely overwhelmed. I worried people thought I was uneducated when I stumbled along looking for words. Being a shy perfectionist, I always wanted my husband, Ingo, to be my personal translator. I am glad he refused, because otherwise I would have stayed dependent on him.

It wasn't a surprise that I felt isolated and homesick. As I was only a tourist without a work or residence permit, all my job applications were unsuccessful. However, Ingo found a permanent position in his field in Ottawa three months after we arrived in Canada. As a result, I spent most of my days alone with too much time to ponder my destiny.

I had always lived close to my family and friends. The only time I had moved away was for a six-month internship in southern Germany when I was just 20 years old. The distance was nothing for Canadian standards, about a two-hour drive.

During most of the internship, I felt homesick, spending a lot of time alone in my little apartment. If you have ever heard different German dialects, you will understand my difficulties in understanding the factory workers who spoke a strong Swabian accent. I didn't understand a single word. The workers were not interested in including me. They probably saw in me a spoiled young woman bridging the time before university, without any clues about hard work.

My situation improved drastically when I joined the young designers who spoke High German. I loved working with them, trying out new patterns and wool for the following year's fall collection. It was exciting to peek behind the scenes of the fashion world. The two designers were super friendly and included me in their tasks. I learned a lot about the process from idea to the final packaged wool balls and preparing designs for the new magazines. They also took me to the noisy and smelly factory. There was no hint of glamour, and I couldn't believe how people could work in these circumstances, so maybe I was a clueless and spoiled after all.

I was allowed to create a sample batch of wool. While my use of mohair and bast looked beautiful, it didn't feel as I had hoped. Even worse was the fact that the bast ripped frequently when spinning the two fibres together. Nevertheless, it was enough to knit a long, sleeveless sweater that I still wear every winter.

As I received the employees' discount in the factory wool store, I knitted one sweater after another; so many that I had to stop knitting after a few years because my closet was overflowing. I still have some wool in my studio from the internship. Maybe it's time to pack out the knitting needles again to create a sweater for my family. :)

Nevertheless, the internship and my submitted art projects didn't suffice to get me one of the rare places to study fashion design. Instead, my parents enrolled me in a language school to obtain a degree as a foreign language correspondent in English and Spanish. If I had known that I would move to Canada ten years later, I would have extended my studies to become a state-certified translator. I also would have chosen the combination of English and French, which would have opened many more doors when I looked for employment.

After graduating from language school, I started work as a foreign secretary at an American leasing company. In a few years, I moved up to head of the administration department with the power of attorney.

Teddy with Vase and Apple, oil, 36" x 24", 1988

 

Initially, I still had lots of leisure time and took correspondence art courses in a variety of mediums. Then I took oil painting classes with well-known German artist Inge Besgen. She believed in painting big and was strictly against painting from photos. After a study in blue, I painted a still life with a teddy bear, a vase, and an apple on a blanket in black and white (see above). The next task was an abstract painting with complementary colours, followed by a colour painting of the teddy bear still life. The paintings are about 36" x 24".

It felt exotic and exciting to know a famous artist and paint in her house, filled with enormous canvases and other art materials. I left my still life setup in her study and returned to my painting each week. I loved the creative atmosphere in her house and the company of the other students who all worked on their unique creations.

Unfortunately, once I started my correspondence studies in economics, I had no more time for art classes. After the written exams, I became interested in hand-sewing plush teddy bears. I took a couple of courses, and I was mesmerized. At the beginning of my time in Canada, I was at the height of teddy bear production. I created my own patterns and was happy to find fake furs and joints in art and craft stores. This hobby kept me busy for the first couple of years in Canada. I even joined the Grizzly Gang, an Ottawa teddy bear lovers' club.

 

Wedding Couple, 1995/1996 (centrepiece for our wedding) - The bow tie is from one of my grandfather's old ties.

 

During our initial trips to Vancouver and Muskoka, I had created some sketches. Realizing I didn't have a chance to work before receiving my permanent residence status, I attended oil painting courses at the Ottawa School of Arts. Although I didn't understand everything the teacher said, I understood enough to follow her instructions and regained confidence in my painting abilities through her positive feedback. I needed the encouragement because my rusty skills left me extremely discouraged and made me doubt my talent and creativity.

 

Fall Still Life, 1996

Soon, my art became my retreat. I didn't have to worry about my limited ability to express myself fluently in English. It was the same playing field for all, and I finally found like-minded people who shared my passion for art. Talking about our art and painting together created stronger bonds than just a common language did. I used my creativity to bridge understanding and build connections in my new environment.

Dancing Trees, acrylic, 30" x 24"

No matter my life situations, my art has served as a safe place to be present and forget everything around me. It has helped me through many personal struggles over the past 30 years. The most challenging was the time after my fall in December 2021, which confined me to a bed and wheelchair for weeks and left me house-bound for almost half a year. My creative projects helped me during the year-long recovery, and still provide a retreat when I am frustrated about my physical health, like the painful and movement-restricting osteoarthritis flare-ups in my hips, possibly related to my pelvis fractures.

 

Alex, wool, 14" x 10"

I have been creative my whole life, using various mediums at different times to help me express my creativity. Art has given me much joy and lifted my spirits when life was tough. It created a bridge to build lasting connections. Therefore, I want to share my art and encourage others to explore their creative voice. It will enrich their lives by giving them a means to celebrate life's beauty and helping them through challenges.

Sunny Kamouraska, acrylic, 11" x 14"

If you have fallen in love with one of my artworks and would like to bring it home to enjoy every day, please email me directly. To learn more about my upcoming workshops and courses, please visit my website for more information.

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.

25 Years in Canada - My Immigration Jouney Part 15

 

Sunflower, acrylic, 16" x 20"

Blog 25

Going back to my dairies of the past twenty-five years is exciting, even though my life with two children resulted in more and more blank pages. I wanted to add entries but never found the time.

I started the year with a painting for the Arteast exhibition “Vessels”. I continued going to the life drawing classes and the drawing classes to improve my skill to observe and capture the objects on paper.

I was lucky that my parents came several times a year. During my parents’ winter visit, my dad collapsed at the cottage. We had assumed that my dad had a bad case of the Norwalk virus, but the doctor at the hospital was concerned about his heart health. However, the cardiologist did not detect anything unusual. It took years and other incidents until we found out that he had his first heart attack that day.

Even though my parents and sister usually stayed at the cottage, we debated whether we should start building a custom home on the lot that we had bought in Cumberland. Our townhouse did not offer room for guests, and the many stairs gave me a good workout every day. I could also hardly wait to have my own studio.

In preparation for the sale of our house, we had some renovations done and found out quickly how much fun it was to work with builders. De-cluttering and packing were also extremely stressful.

Planning our new house was a big challenge. I had a vision of our dream house, which turned out to be far out of our budget. Running around to order materials was also no mean feat with two young children. All this stress resulted in me getting one illness after the other.

Whenever I was frustrated, I took out my painting equipment. My goal was to create a new painting for every bi-monthly Arteast exhibition at the Orléans Library. For the May exhibition, I managed to finish an artwork of a bunny in a bed of crocuses.

I was also excited to participate in an exhibition with the life drawing group. At the same time, I stressed about the cost of $600 for framing of my four drawings. The “Skin Deep” exhibition at the Visual Arts Centre in Orleans looked very professional. I felt immensely proud to be a part of it.

Amsterdam, acrylic

 

I also submitted three paintings (Amsterdam, For Sale, and Teddybears and Tulips, renamed The Spring Bears) to the Arteast Budding Artist exhibition. They received a lot of positive feedback from the jury, which made me feel proud. My painting “Amsterdam” received the highest score of the three. I did not even remember the artwork when I looked through old photographs and have no recollection of the date of sale.

I continued to make bears, especially after a visit to the Teddy Bears on Vacation Show as I was brimming with new ideas.

On August 14, we experienced the big blackout. I was just in the middle of writing an email to one of my friends when we lost power. We decided to spend the time at the cottage where we enjoyed the quiet days. It was kind of romantic.

In August, I also started my painting "Sunflower" (see above) that Ingo loved so much that he bought it for his business. The focus was a sunflower in front of a sunflower field. A bee was sitting in the centre of the flower.

At the end of September, we had planned a big surprise birthday party for both our mothers who celebrated their 65th birthdays in the second half of 2003. It was one of the very few occasions when we managed to have both our families celebrate together. The event was not only a big treat for both mothers but all of us.

The highlight of the year was a three-week trip to Germany in November. Dominic, Christine and I flew together and experienced a wonderful pre-Christmas time, even though we missed Ingo and Jessie.

I finished the year the same way I had started the year, beginning the painting “Tranquility” only days before an exhibition that opened on January 6, 2004. I was thankful to be an acrylic painter because most of the time, I finished my paintings only hours before I had to deliver them for an exhibition. I have to admit that this urgency was a thrill, even though it also made me anxious.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Please join me in two weeks for the sequel to my story.

Looking for Work

Blog 26

After our return from the trip to Vancouver, Ingo and I knew that we did not want to move out west. Even though most of the places we saw were beautiful, we had not seen a city where we could imagine to start our new life. As Ingo had wanted to wait to see how I would do on the job market, we had to realize now that our only chance to stay was for him to find a job. My chances to find employment were basically nil. While we waited for responses to Ingo's applications, we continued to explore the area around Mississauga which we both did not like. It did not seem to have a soul, no town centre to speak of, if you did not consider the huge shopping centre Square One as the meeting point. It had the feeling of a big sleeper city where people had their houses, went shopping, and out for casual dinner. There was no cultural centre either, the Living Arts Centre was only opened in 1997. Toronto had so much to offer that most people went there for their entertainment needs.

I could also not see myself living in Toronto. It had so much to offer, but it was just too big and busy for me. I came from a small town with a population of less than 10,000 people. Even Frankfurt, where I worked, had only about 650,000 residents in 1995, while Toronto City had already more than 2 millions.

Nevertheless, we kept exploring the area, especially with regard to the fact that we did not know where Ingo would find a job. As Ingo's parents had bought us a tandem as an engagement gift, we used the bike to get around on the great system of bike trails. Toronto is beautifully situated along Lake Ontario’s northwestern shore. We loved the many parks along the lake.

We enjoyed the diversity of cultures during the Festival Caravan, a multicultural festival where the various ethnic communities living in Toronto shared their culture with others. It was a chance to break down barriers between different ethnic groups, inviting others to get to know their traditions. The communities showcased their food, dance, crafts, and clothing. To me, as a foreigner looking to find my identity in a new world, this was fascinating and encouraging that others had adapted and still kept their traditions. It felt like we travelled the world in a couple of hours. While heading from one pavilion to the next, we did not only see the shiny side of the city, but also such rundown areas which made me happy to be in a bus.

On another day, we took the ferry to Toronto Island. As we had brought our tandem, we were able to drive all over the island and managed to see areas that Ingo had not even seen before. I loved the houses on the island. Some looked like artists studios, quite rundown but with a certain charm, while others had beautiful flower beds. We enjoyed being able to take the time to explore the island, including making time for a picnic and game.

Needless to say, we also went to Canada's Wonderland, the Toronto Zoo, the Stratford Festival, and on a whirlpool jet boat tour on the Niagara River. While I loved the zoo with the beautiful animals, I was not a fan of the two other kinds of entertainment. I loathe roller coasters due to my severe motion sickness and my fear of heights, and I do not enjoy water crashing over my head.

By the end of June 1995, Ingo had found a temporary position to help out a friend of his father's with his computer needs. This was great because we could certainly need the extra money. On the other hand, it left me alone at his parents' house. His mother introduced me to a creative group she belonged to. The mostly older ladies prepared crafts for the church Christmas bazaar. However, the first meeting went only well until I saw the house owner's big hunting dog. Luckily, my mother-in-law was sympathetic enough to take me home.

I did not really feel lonely. I actually enjoyed some moments of solitude. I was not used to constantly be together with another person. I really focused on my design of teddy bears and was happy to see that the materials were a lot cheaper than in Germany. Unfortunately, I could not find some of the materials I was used to, but I was optimistic that I would be able to sell the bears at double the price of their material costs. I even looked for possible venues to sell my bears, and was happy when I found a store where artists could rent a space to display and sell their crafts. There was at least an option for an alternative career.

In retrospect, this was all very naive. Even if I did not go back to an office job, I would still need a residence permit. I was in Canada as a visitor. I guess by the beginning of July, Ingo and I started to reconcile with the idea that we would have to go back to Germany after the six months.

Thank you for following my journey. To find out how we finally ended up in Ottawa and have lived in the region for more than 21 years, please continue to follow my blogs.

Trying to Fit In

Oscar, 10" x 10" acrylic painting

Blog 25

Once, my husband and I returned from our trip out west, we did not stay long with Ingo's parents in Mississauga. We were restless. We were both used to having our own apartment, and living in Ingo's former bedroom felt restricting. It was difficult to be a guest in someone else's house, especially when I hardly knew Ingo's parents. It did not help that I did not know anyone with whom I could have gone out beside Ingo. There was nobody to confide in, except for my friends who were light years away.

Living with strangers also meant that I felt I constantly had to ask for permission. I could not just grab the telephone and call my sister or a friend. I also felt uncomfortable because Ingo's mother did not want me, the guest, to help or to contribute to anything (which is a typical German trait), so I was sitting in the living room while she did the housework.

We offered to take turns cooking, but Ingo's mother did not want to hear of it. Even though she had lived in Canada for more than 15 years, she reacted the same way my mother would have reacted. That was the duty (and pride) of the German housewife of earlier generations. Finally, we decided to cook for ourselves because in the Peters household dinner was served usually after 8:30 pm which we were not used to. However, this was difficult because we constantly seemed to be in the way.

Our next trip brought us to London, Ontario, where Ingo had studied at the University of Western. We went to visit Lisa, one of Ingo's friends from university. It was nice to be together with Ingo's friend. Things were less complicated. We had fun together, played games, watched movies, and enjoyed dinners together.

Part of our visit was also to write and send out job applications. As we did not have a computer, we decided to write at the university. We had written and saved our sample letters on a CD, but found out that we were not able to open the files due to a virus. Luckily, we had printed the samples. We had to start all over again. When we had finally printed the documents, I noticed that one of my documents was only on a backup disc. However, the computers were occupied by other students and we had run out of parking money anyway.

We had to return the next day.

When we checked the documents again after the second time at the university, we noticed two spelling mistakes. Therefore, we had to return to the university a third time. This was all very frustrating, especially because a representative of a recruitment company, as well as an employment lawyer in Toronto, did not give us much hope that anyone would hire me without a work permit. Most companies would not make the effort to get a work permit for me when they could just hire a Canadian resident. If I did not mention this fact in my application, it would give me at least a chance that they would even look at my application. I had already sent our more than 20 applications from Germany, but had not heard from a single company.

There was another alternative: I could get a working and residence permit if Ingo and I would get married. This was, however, not an option we considered. Although we were engaged, marriage was far from our mind.

Ingo was as frustrated as I was, but felt I had to take more initiative. I should not just send applications to companies, but visit several companies in person with my application in hand. I would not have taken this approach even in Germany, and my limited English certainly did not increase my confidence. I should have thought about all this before we moved to Canada, and in retrospect I am amazed how naive and blinded by love I was to not have spend more time thinking about how things would be once I was uprooted from my surroundings.

Two Friends, 11" x 14" oil painting

On the other hand, I enjoyed my time off. My job in Germany had often required long hours. Additionally, I had studied while working full-time for many years. I did not have lots of free time. However, before we left Germany, I had taken a course in making hand-sewn teddy bears. I was a big collector of teddy bears, and during my early years in Canada my collection would grow even more. When we did not travel, I designed and created all kinds of stuffed teddy bears.

Nowadays, I am too busy again to create any more bears, although I still have lots of material. Therefore, I decided to offer a teddy bear workshop on August 10 and 24, 2016 from 6:30 - 9 pm. During the two part workshop, you will learn to sew a teddy bear with a jointed head. All the materials and light refreshments are provided. You are welcome to bring some extra material to dress up your bear.

Cost: $ 60 for both workshops together.

Registration deadline: August 3, 2016

To register please contact me at kpeters@DomingoInformatics.ca.