Art Advent Calendar 2024: Day 1 - 6

 

It is time for my annual Art Advent Calendar. For the next three Fridays, I will publish my blog featuring some of my 2024 artworks. There will be one additional blog on Tuesday, December 24, the last blog for 2024. As I concentrated on my daily drawings this year, I didn't create as many needle-felted paintings. I also hardly touched my acrylic paints - something I want to change again next year.

I will continue with monthly blogs on the last Friday of the month for 2025.

Day 1: Amaryllis, watercolour and watercolour pencils, 8.3" x 5.8"

This image is from one of the Painting Buddies Zoom sessions. I took the photo during my visit to Germany when my mother bought the flower for a friend on New Year's Eve.

 

Day 2: Scamp, 16" x 20", acrylic, SOLD

 

While I finished the painting of the beloved Scamp before Christmas last year, I didn't want to share the image before his family agreed to the finished painting. I used several of his owners' photos as references and struggled with Scamp's behind, which was covered by a toy in the pose they chose. Unfortunately, they didn't have a similar picture of him without a toy. Therefore, I studied many dog photos until I was happy with his shape.

It took many more steps between the fourth and the final image until I was satisfied, with many adjustments you would probably hardly notice.
When I presented the finished painting to his family, they loved the portrait so much that they ordered two additional prints.

If you are interested in a custom painting of your beloved pet, please email me for more information.

Day 3: Happy Elephant, wool, 8 3/5" x 11 3/4", custom-matted to fit a 12" x 16" frame, CAN $450 + shipping 

My first needle-felted painting of the year was the image of this adorable elephant. As I used several reference photos to create the landscape for my animal, I experimented with colours and added mountains in the back and grasses in the foreground. Many people believe that elephants bring good luck, loyalty and love. And who doesn't need that?

 

Day 4: Lady in Red, acrylic, 8" x 8", CAN 230 + shipping

I created this powerful image for the Petite Art Show. Let this Lady in Red paint your home with love and enchantment. Each scarlet petal ignites the senses with a fiery allure. By capturing the essence of romance and vitality, this enchanting bloom beckons admirers to embrace its beauty and indulge in the timeless charm of this garden jewel.

Day 5: Pink Tulip Bouquet in a Blue Vase, 14" x 11", acrylic, CAN 375 + shipping

By March, I am tired of snow and often bring some fresh flowers home to brighten my mood. The Pink Tulip Bouquet in a Blue Vase symbolizes springtime bliss. Each tulip, a testament to nature's artistry, dances gracefully within the confines of the sleek blue vase. The rich colour and timeless elegance of the pink tulips invite you to pause and enjoy the beauty of the moment.

Day 6 March: The End of Winter, watercolour, 8.3" x 5.8"

The last winter was milder than usual, with only a few frigid days. We hoped spring would arrive early when Janis and I painted on location during our March trip to the Whitewater region. I finished the painting later after I spent another morning at the same spot painting the peaceful scene with acrylic paints.

To bring a piece of permanent joy to your home, please email me for purchase information. All artworks with a prize are for sale. I also offer gift certificates.

 

Creative Exploration Through Daily Art

Blog 11



Since my last blog, the milder weather has encouraged my friends and me to paint outside more often. I am so thankful for the many beautiful spots in my neighbourhood. We love Petrie Island because it offers lots of inspiration at any season. The changing weather provides different views of the same spot. When Bob and I went to Petrie Island, we witnessed how the wind blew the leaves from the trees we were painting until the trees were almost bare.


Two hours later, we sat in the warm sunlight with temperatures in the mid-twenties, painting the blue waters and brilliant red dogwood shrubs. I am usually a slow painter, building up my paintings layer by layer, but within 45 minutes, I created a lovely sketch.


A trip to Mer Bleue was slightly disappointing because the beautiful golden tamaracks had already lost their needles. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the sunshine on the bog. I painted the boardwalk and quickly realized there was still a lot of colour in the shrubs on both sides of the path. Sometimes, you only need to take the time to observe your surroundings.


On another trip to Petrie Island, the water was uncharacteristically low. We could access a spot that is usually flooded. While we painted, the geese happily and loudly bathed themselves. 

Additionally, we still met in our weekly Zoom meetings. We share a photo album and pick a new picture every time. Here are my images from our meetings since the end of October. 

Watching live theatre and musicals also gave me opportunities to draw. While I sit in the first row of the Ottawa Little Theatre, I often have enough light to see what I am drawing, but in the National Arts Centre, while watching The Lion King, we sat in the second to last row without any light. Therefore, I could only draw outlines and had to make many adjustments after the show when I realized that some body parts were in the wrong place. :)

Lion King at the National Art Centre

Guilty Conscience at the Ottawa Little Theatre

I created many drawings in preparation for the Cartooning and Comics courses I offer to children between 5 and 12 years old. Their requests often challenge me because they are out of my comfort zone. However, I enjoy learning about the characters they want to draw. This week, the students start their comics. I give them the first image, and they create the story and the additional panels. 

For my Learn German Through Art students and followers, I drew 24 images for the Advent Calendar with German Christmas vocabulary and traditions. To learn more, check out my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LearnGermanThroughArt/, starting December 1. 

 

I didn’t have much time to create daily art in my sketchbook this month (see image at the top of this blog). I realized it was too ambitious a goal to make a drawing of the day aside from other creative projects. In the future, I will count all paintings and drawings, not only those in my sketchbook. However, I drew many different subjects, which was a great practice - and I had lots of fun capturing something from my daily activities.


In the upcoming three weeks, I will publish a blog showcasing my artworks in my annual Art Advent Calendar. There will be one additional blog on Tuesday, December 24, the last blog for 2024.

Overjoyed and Inspired

Watercolour painting, Alfred Bog

Blog 10


October has passed in a flash. We experienced unseasonable mild weather, with temperatures reaching the mid-twenties at times. With the mosquitoes gone, it has been a marvellous time to paint en plein air. Janis and I went out twice to Petrie Island and visited Mer Bleue and the Humanics Institute Sculpture Park, all in the East of Ottawa. Our friend Bob joined us for the outing to the Humanics Institute, the only outing where I was glad to wear a winter jacket. We even could have worn gloves because, despite the sunshine, the wind was cold.

watercolour paintings (the top left one is unfinished)

At Mer Bleue, it was so hot at the beginning of this week that I removed my shoes and folded up my jeans while painting. Hopefully, we will catch further sunny days before winter arrives. Up to ten years ago, we went out even in severe cold. Now, we think twice about heading out in minus temperatures.

I also created quick sketches during my first visit to Mont Tremblant and the Alfred Bog.

pencil sketches

At the moment, we have another visitor from Germany. So far, I have shown her Petrie Island, the Humanics Park Sculpture Park, and the area around Rideau Canal. I feel blessed for nature’s beauty and the mild temperatures we have experienced during most of October, for fresh discoveries and visits to beloved places. Every time, the view is different; each time, I am overjoyed and full of new inspiration.

Romantic Comedy, Ottawa Little Theatre, pencil sketches

 

I drew many sketches during the recent Ottawa Little Theatre production, Romantic Comedy. I also met my Painting Buddies virtually for an hour each week to create art together. However, I fell short in my daily drawings because I was too busy spending as much time as possible outside. I will offer you the conclusion of my daily drawings project in my blog on November 29, 2024.

watercolour and watercolour pencil, unfinished except for the bottom right one

 

markers for the top left and bottom right one, watercolour pencils for the rest

 

 

I wish you a month filled with wonder and creativity!

 Check out my upcoming workshops on my website. 

Seeing The World Through My Art

Daily Sketches, watercolour pencils

Blog 9



I started my daily art strongly with a visit to the Ottawa Little Theatre on September 1 to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. You can find a good summary of the book on Wikipedia.

A grey wall was the backdrop for the play and didn’t offer anything interesting to draw. However, the simple setup came alive when images were projected onto the wall to suggest the different locations. It was fascinating but not inspiring to draw. Most scenes were also too dark to spread enough light to my sketchbook.

Drawing in the dark at the Ottawa Little Theatre

 

Three days later, I received an unexpected and unwilling opportunity to draw when our dog got probably bitten by a coyote and needed stitches. We waited eight hours until 5 AM  to take him home with us again. My pencil and sketchbook were the only tools I had left to entertain me after my phone battery died in the late evening hours. Shadow needed our attention as he was shaking and curled up against me so that I captured only his foot while he was distracted by another dog. A Golden who came after midnight was too nervous and moved around so much that I drew an image putting several poses together. While Shadow was under anesthesia, I turned to drawing a plant which didn’t move and was an easy subject.

Sketches from a night at the Animal Hospital

 

The following day, my friend Janis Fulton and I set up our display for the Arteast Studio Tour. While the weather didn’t cooperate for plein air painting on our property, we painted a still life of zinnias. I also went back to my daily drawings for the next few days.

In addition, I went painting en plein air with friends at the Humanics Institute Sculpture Park in Cumberland and twice at Park du Moulin in Rockland. The first time, I captured a sunset after a picnic with my husband and dog. The following day, I met a friend to enjoy the beautiful scenery on a warm and sunny day. After many years of cold and stormy weather on our meeting dates, we finally got lucky.

For the past ten days, we had visitors from Germany. We spent a week at the cottage, and I managed to create the two sketches below.

 

I wish you a creative autumn and look forward to more plein air outings. I will post my upcoming blog on October 25, 2024. Check out my needle-felting workshop schedule for ways to bring more creativity to your life.