Staying Creative During Summer

Flowers and produce from the garden, watercolour pencils

 

Blog 8


August was the eighth month since I started my daily artworks. I have used watercolour pencils most of the time to capture something I have seen each day. This month, I fell hopelessly behind. I needed to prioritize several needle-felting projects to upload my fall schedule to my website. One of them was the Holy Family for my three-part November workshop. The other was a chickadee with wire legs and feet. To create these cute chickadees during my September 14 and 15 workshop, don’t miss the Sunday, August 31 registration deadline. I need at least three registrations by then to run the workshop. Additional participants can still register until September 11.

Concentrating on my needle-felted projects resulted in many missed days of drawing. I admire a friend who has managed to paint every day for many years, regardless of life’s events. Often, he is happy with the outcome; other times, he is just pleased he stuck to his routine. Because my inner perfectionist still pushes me to create finished drawings instead of sketches, I struggle with the time needed to complete each drawing.



However, while I could regret the missed opportunities, I will highlight what I still created. Often, we are our worst critics. Therefore, let’s celebrate the triumphs instead of concentrating on the perceived shortcomings. As mentioned earlier, art is not a race but a delightful pursuit that allows you to escape the world and find your happy place.



Here are my August artworks:

Sketches from the Ottawa Little Theatre production Hilda's Yard

Nature art, watercolour pencils (top), watercolours (bottom)

Macbeth, outdoor play of A Company of Fools

pencil, watercolour pencil (bottom right)

In September, I will face another challenge to continue my daily drawings due to the Arteast Studio Tour and a two-week visit from German friends. However, the changing fall colours will offer lots of inspiration to keep making art. Have fun! The more you create, the more your creativity will bloom.



In the meantime, I am excited about an autumn filled with numerous opportunities to connect with you and strengthen my creative community.

My friend, Janis Fulton, and I will participate in the second Arteast Studio Tour on September 7 and 8 from 10 AM to 4 PM. We will be at my house to share our beautiful art in Studio P at 1270 Kinsella Drive, Cumberland, Ontario, K4C 1A9. Janis and I often paint together, and it will be fun to see our unique interpretation of the spots we visited. Twenty-seven members will participate and invite you to visit their studios to see where and how they work and why they create their art. There will be five additional artists in Studio O in Cumberland.

A downloadable list of the Fine Arts Studio Tour artists and their addresses is available here.

A Joyful Heart Brimming with Memories

Mutti's Pink Hibiscus, watercolour, 5.8" x 8.3"

Blog 6


My heart and mind are brimming with joyful impressions from my trip to Germany. Not only did I spend unforgettable hours with family and friends, but I also saw many beautiful sights which will continue to provide new inspirations for my art. Many times, I wished that I could spend time with my painting buddies to capture the scene.


One of the highlights was my dad's 90th birthday with family and my parents' circle of friends. I am thankful for the chance to celebrate my dad's fulfilled life. 

For the rest of the time, my daughter and I combined meeting with my friends with visits to cultural sites. We went to the Palm Gardens in Frankfurt at the time of the rose festival and strolled through the gardens of the Schwetzingen Palace. 

We also spent two days in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a romantic Bavarian town with many half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets. We walked on the Medieval town wall, from which we had breathtaking bird's-eye views of the old town.

For the first time, we saw Chagall's windows in the Saint Stephan’s Church in Mainz. We were lucky to receive an introduction to the history of the breathtaking windows. Chagall, a Jew, was initially reluctant to create any art for a German church but changed his mind after he developed a friendship with the pastor. You can find more information here.


During an outing to Mainz-Laubenheim, we walked in the vineyards with a breathtaking panorama view of the surrounding cities, the Rhine River and the Taunus. We could even see the skyscrapers of Frankfurt.

I love getting inspired by the creativity all around me. It brought me great joy to admire the craftsmanship and innovative ideas at an arts and crafts market in Ober-Ramstadt and during visits to friends' studios. Luckily, I had my suitcase in mind because I could have bought some exquisite pieces.


I created less art than I expected. However, I focus on nurturing human connections during visits to Germany. While I still have regular contact with friends and family through emails and weekly video calls, they are no substitute for in-person meetings with actual hugs.


On many days, I created drawings with pencils and watercolour pencils in my daily journal. I drew most sketches of people during our train rides and the rest from photos. I also had to use reference photos for most other artworks because there often was no opportunity to draw while chatting with friends. Most of my painting buddies approve of seeing me draw at all times, but many other people probably find it peculiar. I know some people who don't comprehend my need to capture the world around me. However, I could not live any other way. I feel compelled to draw what I see to preserve it for my memories.

I also finished a watercolour painting (see top) and two felted pieces. The needle-felted painting of a rose is on a felt bag I purchased in a store. It is my first piece of functional art. I will write about the process after I have finished the bag. 

 

I will be back with my regular blog on July 26. In the meantime, I invite you to join me for the Art Café on July 21, at 1 PM in Cumberland, Ontario. We will create graffiti on paper. Please RSVP here.

Let Nature Inspire You

Pink Tulips in a Blue Vase, acrylic, 14" x 11", CAN $375

May Blog

I love sharing my passion for art with others to encourage them to express themselves through art, whether to capture nature’s beauty, tell stories, work through life events or relax. Teaching also challenges me to try different subjects because the participants are more engaged when I show them how to create what they want to capture.

Cartooning and Comic Courses for Children

 

Most of the time, I find a balance between teaching and my own creative projects. This month, the scale tipped towards preparing classes and administrative tasks. 

Drawing Classes in Collaboration with the Orleans-Cumberland Resource Centre

I taught three Cartooning and Comics children’s courses, a drawing course and two needle-felting workshops. I also hosted my Art Café. While chatting, we inspired each other while we created the fruity mixed-media artwork. 

Tulip and Beach Workshops

Fun Mixed Media during the Art Café

The schedule for the second half of the year is on my website. You won’t find the Art Café there because it is foremost a social get-together. Please email me to learn more about my next Art Café on July 27, 2024.


Next Friday, I will leave for a trip to Germany to celebrate my dad’s 90th birthday. Keep informed about my art and events by subscribing to my mailing list. Due to my vacation, I will publish my June blog on July 5.



I enjoyed participating in the Arteast project to create panels for containers for the Byward Market. Painting together was fun. However, to combine the different visions and styles, it is best if everyone has their specific tasks. Our team painted Spring in Ottawa with a view of the National Gallery and The Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica with tulips from Major’s Hill Park in the foreground. 

 

Spring Panel in Progress

I also finished an acrylic still life of tulips in a blue vase (see above) and worked on several needle-felted paintings.


My friend Janis and I painted the stunning tulips in Major’s Hill Park. Even though we both have other favourite mediums, we brought watercolour paints because of their easy portability. The second painting is a very loose sketch because we ran out of time.

Blushing Pink, watercolour, 8.3" x 5.8"/Tulip Bliss, watercolour, 10" x 7"

Disappointingly, I couldn’t stick to my daily drawings until I went to the cottage for a week. However, my drawing journal for Germany is ready. I plan to create a visual diary. 

Stag and Doe at the Ottawa Little Theatre

At the Cottage

Flowers and a Visit to the National Gallery

Here are the paintings from our weekly virtual Painting Buddies meetings, which create an always anticipated creative break with dear friends.

Strawberries, Sunset at Presqu'ile, Sunny Tulips, Apple Blossoms

Do my images inspire you? I would love to hear about your projects.
 

Have a fantastic June!

2023 Advent Calendar Days 16 - 22

 

We are almost at the end of the countdown of my 24 artworks. Today, I have posted images inspired by summer and fall scenery. What is your favourite? If you have fallen in love with one of the paintings for sale and would like to buy it, please email me.

Day 16: Hydrangeas, acrylic, 8" x 10", on cradled wood, CAN $250 + shipping

My friend Janis and I got together on the long August weekend and painted in our backyard. Often, you can find a great subject right in front of you without driving around searching for the perfect location.

I am glad we painted the beautiful hydrangeas early in August because a pair of cardinals built a nest in the bush soon after and loudly protested when anyone came too close.

 

 

Even though it was only my second acrylic painting this year, I was excited to work with Golden Open acrylic paints. Luckily, we stayed in our yard because I was not as organized after hardly using my painting equipment, and would have been without my palette and paper towels at a different location.

Day 17: Kamouraska’s Brilliant Sunset, wool, 8.5" x 11.75" CAN $450 + shipping

 

When I put together the paintings for this Advent Calendar, I noticed that I never posted the finished artwork because I finished it the day before our trip to Germany at the end of April.


For many years, I spent a week in early September in Kamouraska with some of my painting buddies. One of the daily highlights was the brilliant sunsets that sometimes even interrupted our dinner time because we could not stop watching the quickly changing skies that created these breathtaking landscapes that make you dream of vacation destinations. No wonder that many people including many famous painters are fascinated by nature’s light spectacle at sunset.

Day 18: Pumpkins, wool, 8. 5” x 11.75”

 

This needle-felted painting of three pumpkins is the result of a recent workshop I taught. Even though I have offered the workshop several times, my artwork looks different every time, which is exactly what I want to show my students. I want them to create a unique painting reflecting their energy and style, not copying mine.

Did you know your artwork might also look different depending on your mood? Our mood has an impact on our energy level, which subsequently affects the colours we choose. When you feel happy, your colour choices might be more brilliant. On a day when you are sad, you might pick more subdued hues. Creating art under different light conditions can also influence your choice of colours and their values.

 

I noticed this fact for the first time when I hosted a painting party days after a friend of mine had died. Compared to the original painting, the artwork of that evening contained warmer and toned-down colours, making my flowers look more like fall than spring. It always fascinates me how our energy flows into our art.



Day 19: Lying Low, watercolour, watercolour pencils and white ink, 8.3" x 11.7"

 

The fantastic weather enticed my Painting Buddies and me to go plein air painting to Petrie Island at the beginning of October. I had planned to paint the view of a small bay when I discovered the frog sitting in the grass directly in front of me. Because I didn’t want the little frog to be all by itself, I added a second one, which in reality was the first frog from another perspective.

 

December 20: Fall Colours at Petrie Island, watercolour, 8.3" x 11.7"

In mid-October, we returned to Petrie Island to paint the turtle pond. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any turtles that day, but large groups of Canada geese communicated loudly.

When we arrived, it was sunny and very windy. However, soon clouds moved in and changed the light and, therefore, the colours dramatically.

 

Despite being surrounded by dark clouds, it did not rain. Plus, I had most of my colours blocked in and could finish my work with the help of reference photos.

December 21: Beppo, wool, 14 3/4" x 19" custom-framed, CAN $600 + shipping

After I painted this cute dachshund in acrylic, I wanted to recreate him in wool. The needle-felted painting is a 10" x 12" felted version of my 11" x 14" acrylic painting with the same title.

It took me a lot of time to capture the dog the way I wanted. I had the needle-felted painting framed, only to discover later that I still was not happy with the eyes. I postponed the modification until this week when I wanted to add the image to the Levanta magazine.

After correcting the eyes, I needed to readjust the snout because the proportions had changed. After many hours of frustration, I am finally happy with Beppo's expression.

December 22: Fall Leaves, watercolour, watercolour pencil, white ink, 5.8" 7.5"

This painting is also from from our Painting Buddies one-hour Zoom meetings. The image shows a bush from our front yard whose green leaves turn into vibrant colours in the fall. I started the painting in November 2022 but only finished it this year on Halloween when we spent a week at the cottage. Whenever we go there, I bring a couple of unfinished artworks to reduce my pile of pieces in progress.

To highlight the veins of the leaves, I used white ink at the end.

This week, you will receive a special blog on December 24 with the last two images of my Art Advent Calendar.

I hope you are ready for the holidays and can enjoy the time stress-free. My daughter and I will bake cookies tomorrow, listening to Christmas music to finish the last task on our Christmas to-do list. What are your plans for tomorrow?

2023 Advent Calendar Days 9 - 15

 

There are only ten days until Christmas Day. Are you ready for the holidays? Or are you still shopping for gifts and stressing to make it the perfect Christmas? While I cannot help you prepare your home and feasts for the holidays, I offer gift certificates for artworks and workshops that make gifting easier. Your loved ones can decide to bring a nature painting for continuous enjoyment to their home or register for a needle felting course. You can even register together for even more fun and lasting memories. Please contact me to order a gift certificate.

The images of my Art Advent Calendar might intrigue you to take a felting course. If you want to purchase any of the paintings, please email me.

 

Day 10: Cardinal in Spring, wool, 6" x 8"

I created this artwork during the felting workshop, where I am always more concerned about my students project than my own. After the first class, I was therefore unhappy with the composition. It looked like the bird was growing out of the tree trunk. I added another branch, more leaves and blooms. I also adjusted the bird's body before sending my cardinal into the world.

Day 11: Three Poppies, wool, 8.75" x 12",
custom-matted to fit a 12" x 16" frame, CAN $450 + shipping

Some years ago, I painted the scene in my friend's backyard in acrylic.

In the spring of 2022, I started a needle-felted version of the three poppies in front of blue irises. I usually don't use a lot of red in my artworks, but these bright flowers framed by the blue irises captured my attention.

I put the artwork aside during the summer and winter and finally finished it on January 1, 2023.

 

Day 12: Thatched-Roof Houses, Sylt, wool and mixed fibres, 9" x 11.5",
custom-matted to fit a 12" x 16" frame, $450 + shipping

Sometimes, when I get homesick, I think of German destinations I still want to visit with my children. I love Sylt, the island in Northern Germany, and the happy memories of family vacations that included my beloved grandmother. The thatched roof houses are so beautifully rustic and blend into the landscape. Many people who have visited Sylt fall in love with the island and become regular visitors.

Day 13: Wild White Roses, watercolour and watercolour pencil,
5.8" x 8.3"

This watercolour painting is another from one of our Painting Buddies one-hour Zoom meetings. I love wild rose bushes and have painted them often during our painting trips to Kamouraska. This piece is my first watercolour painting of a white rose. It is fascinating to see how many colours you see observing a white flower or any other white object. Nothing in nature is as white as the colour from your tube or pan. Check out the white snow lit by the sunset and see for yourself.

Day 14: Morning Chores, Venice, 18" x 24",
custom-matted to fit a 24" x 30" frame, CAN 800 + shipping

This image is the first artwork inspired by my travel to Italy this year. It is the largest needle-felted painting I have created so far. For the first time, I drew the rough areas of my composition onto the fabric.
Working on the large piece was challenging because it took a long time to see progress. Keeping the shingles more or less parallel took some patience.

My excitement rose when I started creating the woman tending to her plants. I considered felting a person in the left window but decided against it. Instead, I added laundry and flower boxes under both windows for additional colour. Creating the battered walls of the house, with the plaster crumbling and exposed stones, took a long time. Most of the time, my needle-felted paintings progress fast in the early stages, but the details take a lot of time. I enjoy seeing the pieces come together and take my time until I am satisfied with the result. Therefore, I had to postpone publishing the image a couple of days ago because I just finished the artwork in time for today's post.

I love that the image captures the beauty of the crumbling old house and the ordinary household chores, which we often see as necessary evil. Although seen from the outside, there is beauty in someone putting up the laundry and the clothes flying in the wind. Many artists have been inspired to capture everyday activities in genre paintings, often romanticizing household activities. 

Day 15: Hay Fields, wool, 8.75" x 11.75",
custom-matted to fit a 12" x 16" frame, CAN $450 + shipping

I painted the scene a couple of years ago with acrylic paints and sold the painting almost instantly. When I painted the image, I struggled to capture the impression of the fields for a long time. I was curious to find out how I would succeed with the details of the wool image. Again, creating the hay bales was a struggle.

 

The artwork reminds me of the smell of late summer and my home town where I took the reference photo.

 

Have a wonderful third weekend of Advent!