Chalk explorations

 I've been drawing with chalks for around 30 years at this point but have just started to branch out into using multiple colours....and I'm really liking what I've been creating! :D

I first used two tones, instead of one, while creating this foxy guy:

 

"Foxy Look" - $75, h/w: 16 5/8” x 13 5/8” framed

I then moved on to multiple colours, which was so fun to explore! I really loved the blue and purple tones in this image, in contrast to the browns of the deer:

 

“Snowy Doe” - $60, h/w: 10 7/8” x 8 3/4” framed

And lastly, this little piece depicting a snowy owl gently landing on a branch. I loved the feeling of the sun shining through their feathers:

 

"Silent Landing" -  h/w: 8 5/8” x 6 3/4” framed

 Hey all,
I've been a bit lax lately, as there was no internet at the studio for a little while there. Now that it's back, I'm going to start posting more regularly again :)

Here's a painting that I sold fairly recently, through the Artisan Village in Smiths Falls. The person who bought it is also an accomplished watercolour painter (which is very flattering!) and not only owns sheep but has painted them as well!

 

"Pondering" (sold for $275) h/w: 18” x 22”

 Hey there,

I thought it might be nice to see a work in progress, relating to the last post. I've started three more bees recently and snapped a photo of this one as I was working on it.

I truly enjoy painting the blurred backgrounds of these little paintings! This one had lots of fun pastel colours that were both a challenge to mix and a joy to paint with.

 Time for some more paintings!

I discovered these little wooden hexagon frames at Micheals and immediately thought that it would look kinda neat to have little bees painted in each of them, so I picked some up and got to work! I've posted one of these on this blog before, so I thought I should update you on the rest of them.

Bees are so important to our food supply and are amazing little creatures that supply us with honey. I've always loved bees and am an avid gardener so incorporating some flowers into my art was also something I was very interested in doing.

I plan on adding many more of these to the collection as I go!

This is "The Bee Collective", which so far includes 5 paintings (but I've already started three more - to be posted once they're done!). They are about 6" diagonally. I'm selling them for $80 each, 3 for $230 or you can purchase all five for $375:

"Bzz Bzz #1"

 

"Bzz Bzz #2"

 

 

"Bzz Bzz #3"

 

"Bzz Bzz #4"

 

"Bzz Bzz #5"

 

 

There will be more coming soon! :D

I WON! :D

 I WON!! :D

My piece was chosen to win the Rideau Artist of the Year contest in the "Intermediate" category (for adults). It is now on display at the Heritage House Museum in Smiths Falls in their gallery upstairs, for the next month. If you're in the area, feel free to stop by - there are a lot of amazing pieces and I feel very honoured to have mine chosen as the winner! I received a $1000 prize and a beautiful bouquet! :)

I'm changing the name of the painting to be "Joyce's Hydrangea", as I learned the story behind that particular plant. There was a council woman in Smiths Falls by the name of Joyce who passed and their son (also a councilman in Smiths Falls) donated a hydrangea in her memory to the museum....and my painting was the very same hydrangea. Her son saw the painting and shared the story with one of the people who were running the event/competition, who then shared the story with me - I was so touched, I felt it needed to be renamed :)

This is the pamphlet showing the two winners of the competition:
(*They spelled my last name wrong, but the name is correct on the name tag on the wall)

 So, the contest went well....overall :P 

I've not done any acrylic painting outdoors before, so I was surprised to find that once the sun hit me, the paint I was using just dried up SO FAST O.o  It was super challenging to mix the paint I needed and use it before it was too dry to use. Plus, I've learned more about different kinds of acrylics, how some types have much more pigment than others. I knew that some colours seem much denser with their pigment, but I didn't realize that switching from a type of one brand name to another type of the same name brand would make that much of a difference.

After Saturday's paint, I felt very discouraged. I felt that I wasn't going to finish my piece in time, and therefore I would be putting a very unfinished piece of art into the final gallery. But, I've learned that I truly need to "trust the process" and I feel that the final piece is pretty close to what I had intended to paint :)

Let me know what you all think! This piece will be on display at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum starting Sunday, September 17 at 1pm (for a month, I believe). There was an amazing turn-out of artists and an incredible amount of truly beautiful pieces - I don't envy the judges on how they will be making their decision on who won! (*excuse the poor photo - I'll have a nicer one later!)

 

"Hydrangeas" - acrylic on canvas, on sale for $285 (16"x24")

 I'm getting both excited and nervous!! There's a contest coming up this weekend, for artists to come to the Smiths Falls Heritage House museum and Old Sly's Locks and create a piece of art to be displayed in the museum. It is a timed contest, starting at 9am on Saturday and ending at 4pm on Sunday. The artwork has to be created on site. I've signed up and am ready to start painting - let's hope the weather is kind to us!

There are some hydrangea bushes growing alongside the museum that I'm thinking I might be painting :) I'll be using acrylic, which is something I feel I'm still catching my stride in. I'm excited for the challenge, and to paint outdoors.

They'll be announcing the winner the afternoon of Sunday the 17th, then the exhibition will be up for all to see. Once it's all done, I'll post the final image here.