Testing La Tourtiere
What a great opportunity I had to use my Great Great Grandmother’s 1860 dishes this weekend! I had a short deadline to test a recipe for the Parks Canada food app. I have made pastry before, but with my full … Continued
A little creative inspiration: Danielle Hession and Shawn McNulty
I discovered a couple of successful artists tonight who are quite different from each other, yet both their work resonates with me. They are both excelling in styles of painting I love (though I have been trying to combine them … Continued
My favourite field
I came across this photograph of the Salmon River, which I was just writing about here. I just love the pattern of this field, created by the river. Today some of the land is flooded, and ducks were swimming there. … Continued
Rainy season reflection: artist’s statements, life, change
My paintings are still doing that dough thing, resting, while I am back to a busy work week. While I don’t think I will actually finish any of these new pieces in time for the show, I did manage to … Continued
New Year’s Day Painters
I brought in the new year working on several paintings, and taking the children on a very long walk in the wind to the playground. Trudging up steep hills pushing both of them in the Phil & Ted’s was enough … Continued
Word for 2012: Hope
In early December, I scoured the ditches of my commute for something to put in my new dahlhaus vase. Soon, the gray-brown blur along the side of the road became rich in the subtle colours of British Columbia’s winter. Crimson … Continued
artist block broken
Finally, I painted. I haven’t touched this painting for about two months. As usual my painting stalled halfway through. I lose the initial vision, become attached to things and am hesitant to change things. I put it up on the … Continued
On Painters Eleven and December’s damp days
I cannot resist reading this book. And I mean reading every paragraph, not just perusing the images and captions. I was drawn in by the story of William Ronald, a Canadian abstract expressionist painter, and have been reading it every … Continued
Clean wintery abstracts
I came across this painting by Michelle Ross on the Oregon College of Art and Craft Library blog. It reminds me of everything I love about abstract painting, but haven’t been able to achieve yet in my own paintings. Clean, … Continued
Feel the Mess
This week I’m in the not-so-inspired space of the creative life. As often happens, I start with a great idea and get working on it, and then part way through the painting or story idea, I come grinding to a … Continued