I don't paint much in springtime. There's not much time for that, so the creative juices flow into the outdoors. In fact they flow until they can't any more and then they are forcibly mashed out with a reamer. The intense Manitoba summer needs as much juice as you can extract and throw at it. 

As soon as the snow melts and it's warm enough to be outside, that's where you'll  find me. Opening and cleaning the greenhouse, preparing planters and flower pots, cleaning up deadfall on the lawn and in the beds and doing the first round of weeding.  It's amazing how quickly those weeds appear while everything else is weeks away from waking up. There they sit, winking like little emeralds, as if the six month freeze was nothing to them. All the while this is happening I am planning which perennials to move around and how I will plant my annuals. 

The first mowing also happens as early as possible and serves mostly to pick up twigs, leaves and thatch, and to capture that first smell of fresh cut grass from the longer patches that remained under the protection of the late melting snow banks. The patio gets its first wash and the outdoor furniture is taken out from the shed and last year's bird-poop is either rubbed off the cushions, or rubbed in. You see, pretty much for the whole of summer, yard work is my full time job. I have to stay on top of things because 3 acres of lawn and at least 8 very large flower beds can get out of hand ... and be potentially overwhelming! Alright, it is definitely overwhelming, but in the long run, keeping up is easier that catching up. I do it because a nice yard feeds my soul, and there’s only one way to get one. A few years ago we started with nothing but a patch of cow pasture heavily peppered with rocks - above and below the ground. Now it's a little garden of Eden, or maybe more correctly, 'garden of weed'n.' It has been worth the work.

All through the long winter my cogs keep turning and when spring comes I get to carry out those yard projects I've been dreaming up for the coming season. Those little fires are always burning - yes, the pot is always on the stove. I would say 'nothing' inspires me!  The biggest joy and challenge for me is making something out of nothing (or virtually nothing!) or transforming apparently ugly or useless things into something beautiful.  That's what it's all about, even my painting. Last years garden projects included the huge inuksuk, and the rustic birdhouse fence. A hypertufa birdbath got a new lining of broken tiles in a hummingbird pattern, and I made several concrete stepping stones with inlaid glass orbs and marbles. The raised vegetable bed had its maiden harvest of tomatoes and peppers and the large new vegetable bed at the back got a more formal look with a large retaining wall and a few loads of topsoil and sand. We made a dapper white bench to relax and have  a cup of tea on in the back yard .

What new features will there be this year? For a start, the have the newly terraced but still incomplete vegetable patch to work on. The plan is to potentially anchor it with rustic little garden shed. I'm thinking weathered wood, cedar shingles, and coloured shutters with barn door hinges. Maybe we can finally use those old window frames we collected a few years ago and the rusted old garden tools I salvaged from the thrift store, also years ago. They will find their resting place on its walls. Some time back with huge delight I wheeled a squeaky old wheelbarrow to the car, much the worse for wear, all scabby with red oxide and holier than the pope. A nice old gent looked at me all baffled and asked "you paid money for that thing?" But, claiming my $2 treasure actually felt like I'd won the jackpot. Then our dear friend Bob proved his thoughtful attentiveness on my recent birthday and presented me with a most unusual object for most: a rusted cast iron vintage tractor seat. The one that looks like a giant denture plate sans the teeth.  Isn't that what every garden-loving girl needs? I cant wait for it all to come together...

Another ambitious project for 2015 is to build an outdoor pizza oven. I'm not alone in this madness. Equally responsible for these ideas and their execution is my husband who is not only a medical practitioner but also an architect, a carpenter, a blacksmith and a stonemason. And he owns a tractor.  Now that's the kind of partner any manic creative schemer like me dreams of! We're a good team: he's the Clyde to my Bonny and the Tarzan to my Jane! He's my facilitator and my enabler: the feeder of my addictions. He’s calm and he’s kind. I'll keep him.   

So far spring has been a very bumpy ride for the garden. It warmed up beautifully and the forecast was positive, so despite it being early I planted out my green bounty that I had been nurturing under lights in the studio since March. Mother Nature managed to rudely cough up two frosty fur balls and I, needless to say have since replaced many wilted and deceased love-raised seedlings with store bought ones. Some trees and shrubs have also had their buds frozen off and I live in hope they will recover. It's out of my hands so I don't fret too much. But what I am able to do is done: my planting is done, wood chip mulch is on and I have waved the magic wand of Miracle-Gro while chanting a few choice phrases. "Grow buggers, grow!" Good rains have watered well and I look forward to mowing, again... and again... and again. It's a very busy time, and a wonderful time, and just before I actually collapse in October the first flakes of snow will dance down and I will welcome them. By then I ought to have heaps of new inspiration for painting.

And so I allow myself to rest from painting when I want to - and believe it or not, I do let myself occasionally rest from gardening in the summertime. It's not really that important to me how I express my creativity, be it with a paintbrush or with a spade. My aim is always just to make something lovely out of nothing, using my hands, my head and my heart.

Cheers.

So common and so uncommon, birds have always fascinated people. Since we could draw, write and read, we have been watching them and recording our connections with these feathered creatures. They are on cave walls and canvas, papyrus and iPad apps. All through history they have perched on our religion, superstition, art and poetry. It is clear then that birds remain very important to us. Above all other creatures we envy these winged wonders the most: it remains our dream to swoop like a swallow and soar like an eagle. 

From Beginning to End We are Nothing without Birds!
When we grew up we flew the coop. We spread our wings and our parents had to watch us like a hawk and warned us not to be birdbrains because there would be vultures out there. We preened, and swanned around all pigeon-toed, hoping not to look like turkeys amongst our friends. Birds of a feather flock together and some of us became lovebirds. It just took a peck on the cheek and the bluebird of happiness was on our shoulder. Our hearts were all aflutter and we became night owls. Hopefully we had learned about the birds and the bees... Soon after, we feathered our nests, the stork came to visit and we were feeling less cocky, having to get up every day at sparrow’s fart when the baby squawked.  What a lark! You may think it all sounds a bit cock-eyed and wish I'd quit this chirping. You're thinking I'm crazy as a loon, yes, because if it quacks like a duck... I know! But you will be cuckoo if you keep your head in the sand over the fact that birds play a huge part in our lives. It's not all feathers. Admit it now because you don’t want to be eating crow. You see, time will fly, and before we know it we will no longer be spring chickens but old ducks. Hopefully though by then we will be wise as owls and we wouldn't need to just wing it anymore. The day will come when we will sing our swan song. The ravens will come and the mourning doves will sing. This needn't ruffle your feathers though, because then, with any luck you might be able to actually fly with the angels...Just like a bird! As Emily Dickinson says, " Hope is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul "...

My Eye is on the Sparrow
I feel so lucky. We have a collection of bird feeders strung up high with pulleys in the branches of a brush oak tree in perfect view outside the bedroom window. Every morning we open the curtains and sit in bed with our coffee, watching the little winged things peck at their breakfast. We greet the day with old friends - the blue jays, woodpeckers and nuthatches that have wintered over, surviving the frigid -35 degree C days. Others are just passing through - migrants like the Harris sparrows, juncos and redpolls. I know spring has arrived when the goldfinches and orioles sprinkle flecks of yellow and orange confetti in the barely budding branches. The thrashers sing like the dickens and the robins are very busy with their nest-building. I shrug as the sparrows dig in the mulch on the flower beds, spilling wood chips onto the grass.  And then the tiny hummingbirds arrive and sip intently behind the glass, oblivious of me just a foot away. The bird book and binoculars live on the bedside table. The camera stands alert - semi-permanently on the tripod, aimed at the twittering targets. I've written previously about hunting for beauty, and this is exactly what I mean. I'm always on the prowl for that pretty thing!  
Before I fill my own bowl with Fibre 1 and greek yoghurt I have already scooped out black-oil sunflower seed and cracked corn, pressed suet into the cedar holder using the handle of the Pampered Chef ice-cream scoop (the perfect size), cut orange halves, and soaked dried meal worms in water....for the birds! Throughout the day I spend many joyfully absorbed moments keeping an eye on who is coming and going like little jets landing, refuelling and taking off. I watch them hop, never still, cock their heads, crack open the seeds and interact with one another. And just then, nothing else matters.

Painting my Pretties!
The bird watching spills over into the studio, because with their fluffy, coloured loveliness they  are endless inspiration and perfect little watercolour subjects. Here's a breakdown of how this Rose-Breasted Grosbeak came together...  click here to download the page for a closer look. 

Beautiful Music
The perfect soundtrack to a day of painting these lovely birds this compilation of classical piano pieces that truly lives up to it's title: The Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World - Ever! Its a double album, and well worth the investment. I've had it for many years and it remains right up there with my favorites. Click the album to sample the goods.

Thanks for stopping by! If you like what you see here and don't want to miss future posts, why don't you follow my blog? 
Cheers,

I sometimes get asked, "why do you paint cutlery?'" and my answer is simply - "I love it!  The concave and convex of spoons, the shadows cast by the tines of a fork, the patterns and floral designs on the handles, the patina and wear seen in old pieces and of course, the shine and the reflections! In a grouping the pieces form interesting negative shapes and fascinating shadows. But the most exciting challenge for me is making them look 'silver'. The bad news: If you're wanting to use 'ordinary' colours on your watercolour palette to mix a silver that is shiny and reflects, you can't. You can't really even use a metallic pigment to cheat your way to the silver look.  My feeling is it would still look quite dull and lifeless. 

So how does one go about painting a silver object? Mix black and white? Not exactly. Think of what colours you would start with to paint a mirror, because that's pretty much what you are doing. Someone commented on painting a mirror:  "I once set up a full length mirror next to my easel to try that. I was beside myself." 
The question might be better asked (and thus in the question is the answer), "How do I paint reflections?"
because that is what silver is. Whatever the surrounding environment is, there lies the clue to what will be observed in the object...really...that simple, and yet...that challenging. There is no magic answer in a particular mix of paints because it is always dependent on other elements. It's all about light and reflections. The answer is really to look closely, and paint the shapes and colours you see. 

I'm not alone in this madness. The fascination for painting silverware has existed for centuries and can be seen particularly in many of the 17th century Dutch painters' works. Here is Willem Claesz Heda's "Ham & Silverware" - 1649.

It's like a silver piece has its own moods and expressions, and how it behaves depends on what surrounds it. Interpreting these things is a delight for me, and is an excellent example of finding beauty in simple things! 

Besides, I am essentially a homemaker living a simple life in the country, and I am often in the kitchen surrounded by dishes. There should be no wondering. So I think this answers why in the world I paint my flatware, and all that's left to do is to encourage you also to go ahead and play with your spoon!
Cheers,

A recent series of studies suggest that dogs recognize kindness and give trust in return; that they experience emotions like love and attachment, like humans. We don't have to look too far to see that our dogs love us unconditionally. That's what makes them such special companions and often we choose them above the human kind. Yes, sometimes we love our dogs more than people. What makes them different is that they don't bear a grudge and don't judge us. They also wait at the door when they know you’re coming home. They dance for you with excitement when they see you, deliriously ecstatic. Who else does this? Dogs can be characterized by their specific breed, that may be true for dog lovers too. We are a breed all to ourselves. Raise your paw if you are 'one of us' - you know just what I mean. As long as your dog is happy, you are happy.

My happy dog is Roxy, a Shiba Inu of Japanese origin and one of the few ancient dog breeds that remain. She is typical of her kind, being independent, aloof and cat-like and tends toward dominance with other dogs. All this and the fact that her obedience to recall is non existent makes her a really quirky little thing that needs much understanding. She has a fox-like appearance, and oh my goodness - the softest, thickest coat, especially during winter months. I so wish she could just take the coat off and hang it in the cupboard 'till next year like I do with mine, but she prefers to undress like a teenager, leaving bits of clothing half hanging off her butt or lying in bundles on the floor. And just like I did with them, I pick it up, kiss her cheeks and still love her dearly. Unlike them she loves playing 'fetch' and is always up for a 'w', 'a', 'l', 'k'. You can't even say 'cork', 'fork' or 'talk' (with a South African accent like mine) because she'll twist her head with recognition and think she's going on one of 'those things'!

 
My daily routine is governed by her needs and how long I stay out on errands or how we take vacations depends on her. She keeps me grounded in three ways: 
- she gives me a good understanding of what's important in life
- she limits (or dictates) my movements!
- she literally gets me onto the ground. I often lie on the floor next to her for a cuddle, or I'll be on my hands and knees with my nose under the couch trying to retrieve the squeaky ball.

That she became a subject for me to paint then is no surprise. Like her, each of the dogs I have painted have their own character, expressions and personality. Not to mention colouring and fur texture! Burnt Sienna flowing and swirling over Raw Sienna washes and Payne's Grey noses shining wetly with Manganese blue highlights. It's a watercolorist's dream. I feel like I know them intimately after I've had to study each little detail of their eyes and faces for hours. I know exactly where every spot is and where each whisker falls. It's such a joy to me when the owners recognize the painting as the dog they know and love so well. I could wag my tail.

You CAN Multitask... Paint & Listen
I love a good story but don’t have the time and patience to sit and read. So while I paint I will often listen to audiobooks. One of my favourite has to be Garth Stein’s “The Art of Racing in the Rain”. I laughed and I cried, (I painted wet-in wet that day) and if you’re ‘one of us’ its a must read! Even though you already think they’re human it will forever change the way you think of your dog.

Also, an easy-listening series I am lapping up is by David Rosenfelt. Andy Carpenter is an irreverent defense attorney, also a dog lover and owner of a rescued golden retriever. The cases are clever and the writing is so witty. More laughs than tears here - I think I'm on book #8 in the series now. Who thought I'd become such a dog-loving bookworm! (not 'heartworm' - that would be bad.)

On the Easel
I'm busy working on two new pieces for the upcoming Art Show, "Five" hosted by the Winkler Arts & Culture. Yes, there is a dog involved here, but between all that flying fur will be two indulgences in another of my favorite subjects. To see what that is come along to the opening evening on Friday, May 1st at 7 pm, Winkler City Hall. There will be live music, great art and wine. My kind of evening!

'Till next time,

I’m trying to take this to heart: don't listen to the monkey. Don’t compare yourself to others and wither in self doubt. Instead continue being authentic and carry on your own unique path. You can’t project yourself into the same sphere as someone who has been at it for years. So you're not perfect yet? That's ok! There are no art steroids or growth hormones to bulk up fast and propel you to stardom. Instead you have to grow and develop naturally reaching one milestone before the next. You can't skip school and hope to still graduate, you have to attend class. Celebrate each step or achievement like a little graduation (or an exhibition?) and leave out the criticism. If your inner voice has a bad attitude, don't listen. And by the way, if you are a parent, Peggy O'Mara has some good advice for you: "Be careful how you speak to your children, one day it will become their inner voice"

Needless to say, I have been con'Vince'd. I will now be standing tall at my booth at the expo this year. Smiling. And maybe, as I prepare, a little magic will happen.
Please tell me you have growing pains too... If so, here is a prescription for you for 4 little analgesics. Take one every day with a glass of wine (for the rest of your life!)      (downlaod)

Cheers,

You may not be a middle-aged female whose kids have just left home leaving you with a new set of circumstances, but read on all the same, you may be just as lucky!

My dear friend Monica is currently lamenting her third and youngest child, moving out of the house to pursue studies in the bright, bustling, opportunity filled city! My deepest empathy is with her as I too have been afflicted with the ‘empty nest’ diagnosis. INDIGNATION! Granted, I begrudgingly fell into this category a handful of years ago, and those feelings of uselessness and teetering on the cusp of despair, scratched hard enough to leave little grooves I can easily flow into again. What can be sadder than an empty nest, especially one so lovingly and perfectly feathered?

‘Domesticated’ female birds like chickens (even cockatiels and parrots) kept well fed in a warm, well lit environment that simulates ideal natural breeding conditions, will lay eggs. When those eggs are removed, what do they do? They lay more eggs. Fertilized or not, the nest continues to be filled. You see an analogy emerging. I realize, unfortunately, there’s a potential for a picture springing up in your mind of a lonely, misguided hen frantically laying un-hatchable eggs. (Pathetic clucker doesn’t even stand a chance of being a single parent!)

But, please stop there and adjust that image. I can tell you now that my picture is in a different light. Let me start out by stating emphatically that my two children (now fabulous young adults) are and always have been my life, my focus, my purpose, and being a mother has and always will unashamedly define me. It has been 6 years that they moved to the city to study and live their lives and they even refer to returning to Winnipeg as going ‘home’ (!). Yes, I have 'the look’ on my face. However, something emerged simultaneous to that event and it was no coincidence. I have been watercolour painting for 6 years...
A lot has hatched since that day. This very tentative egg offering is dated April 14th 2009. It is the first painting I remember in this watercolour binge, so Happy Painting Anniversary to me! My intent at the time was simply to interpret a white object, but O my ... now it seems sort of symbolic. That's crazy.

So that ‘empty nest’ thing is for the birds! As hens are want to do, and perhaps are compelled to do, I kept laying those eggs, and fertilized with a little creativity and incubated with patience and tenacity, I now have a hatchling that looks more like a baby dinosaur (did someone do a switcheroo?!) and it has a voracious appetite. I could never have raised the human chicks and this monster in the same nest without a casualty like that which we observed one spring while watching a nest of baby sparrows invaded by the chick of a cowbird. It wasn’t pretty for the wee sparrows... The following year, I must confess, I asked my husband to throw out the big white egg that appeared one day among the blue ones. He probably would have done the same with my 'dinosaur egg' had it showed up when our kids were small!

I quite understand we each have our own journey and mourning our own losses is imperative, but in an attempt to soothe her I told Monica, “just think of all the cats you can swing in that empty nest”. Literally. When my brood comes ‘home’ to the country for a weekend they each bring their cat! The baby dinosaur gets stuffed into the closet and we swing with those cats all weekend, and I am happy! Cat swinging is under-rated.

I think the only thing worse than that empty nest is one that is too full. And perhaps that’s my point. Any creative venture needs room. It will not be squeezed in. If you’re feeling conflicted or frustrated in your artistic efforts it may well be that it needs  a bigger slice of your ‘life’ pie. Maybe it's just me, but my best results come when my headspace isn’t being filled with other issues, and my inspirations can be nurtured without the jabber of external noise. It’s a sublime and luxurious place to be, though even for me in my so-called empty nest, it’s an effort to achieve. I think that chasing it is useless as it’s something that just quietly appears once the other gobblers have burped and left the table. I’m not saying you should all go kick out your kids, since you may not actually have any, but we all have many worry-balls bouncing around our heads, taking more room than they deserve! Kick some of them out if you can, or give them due diligence and wait it out. They will pass. When we deliberately  provide enough space and optimal conditions like the right light and warm temperature, the creative eggs will hatch. And timing is everything.

I'm Celebrating
Another perk to an empty perch is that Momma bird gets to play her choice of music any time! I claim my Watercolour Anniversary as a worthy excuse to treat myself to some fabulous new music to paint to, relax to, dream to... and ah, just indulge in. Mark Knopfler's talent and genius is so inspiring! "Tracker" is his latest jewel. The track "Wherever I Am" is a duet with Ruth Moody (solo artist and one of the Wailin' Jenny's), another one of my musical darlings. Click the pic to sample the goods and hear a beautiful, intimate interview on Mark's approach to his own art.  Do yourself a favour (give yourself a gift)  and watch the whole video... 

So, perhaps with some lovely background music, you will be able to clear some headspace in which to grow your creativity until it becomes something you are compelled to do. 

Cluck,

Here are the two little 'Bananas in Pyjamas' as I like to think of them. Harold and Maude hail from Vancouver and are seen here showing off some of their winter finery. They are siblings and are both adoptees from a dachshund rescue facility. Their Mum, Jen, describes them like this : "Harold (the curly one on the left) is friendly and loves people but not a huge cuddler. Maude (on the right) is princess sassy pants and picks fights with everyone...but is a dream little cuddler that burrows anywhere she can. She has been known to look across the street from our apartment and growl at the innocent people waiting for the bus...little spaz! Out waking they just to push each other off the sidewalk which is very comical given that they are half a dog high and a dog and a half long!" 
They sound like cute little characters, well deserving of being immortalized by watercolour portraiture.

The Process
The process of painting these two little scallywags is pretty much how I approach all the dog portraits. A bare minimum pencil sketch guiding me to the important placement of features and details is the start. I then pick a few colours that stand out for me and wash them in to begin giving the dogs some form. These base layers are often completely covered by subsequent layers, of which there are many. Then it's a case of building colour and shades with a number of washes of paint, usually drying between each. sometimes the paint is wet-in-wet, and sometimes wet  on dry paper. I always try to have a combination of hard and soft edges. Losing an edge into the background or into another shape softens the overall look. The most detail is given to the eyes and nose where the real life and character shine through. The background shades and drips come in at any point, some near the beginning and some at the end. They're actually quite important in the painting because I use them  for overall balance of colours and activity. They also help draw the viewer's eye all around the picture and I think makes it a bit more exciting and lively. 

'Every Dog  has it's Day', and these two have now had theirs. That was fun.
Now to hunt for the next beauties.

Cheers,

Some people are writers, some are musicians and some are speakers and thinkers. Yet others are carpenters or architects, or are born helpers. We all have a unique force that drives us, with our own way of channeling our expression.
I am a painter. How do I know that? It's not as simple as it sounds with an answer like "because that's what you do, silly." I would hate to think that we can be defined simply by what we do. The actual painting is just the evidence that we have painted, not that we are painters. But the way we see things and the desire to express ourselves in a certain way can be more of a clue. I think it's because it's the first thing I want to do when I see something cast in a beautiful light, glowing in a certain way, or a fascinating shape with interesting colours. What immediately comes into my head is "I want to paint that!" It could be something in nature, a flower in a vase, a spoon, a face, or even my food! Light and shadow can make anything extraordinary. Sometimes I'm watching a movie and I want to press pause and paint that scene! (the ending is secondary!) There's that desire to process the vision by taking it apart in my mind and putting it together again on paper - in my case, using watercolour paint. Kehinde Wiley, New York artist, recently explained in an interview that looking for his next subject is like being in a state of heightened awareness, literally walking through the street and 'hunting for beauty'. He walks through the world seeing it through a rubric of how to recapture it and re-tell it. Many times for me too, this is a deliberate search, like putting on my painter's goggles and seeing what inspires me. But the best, and more telling moments are when it happens by surprise. It's when the state of heightened awareness has become normal, and when faced with that lovely thing, I am imagining right away how I am going to paint it. 

Here's a little quiz to help find out what drives YOU!
You are walking in a mall and the display in a shop window (Godiva) lit with a spotlight is a shiny silver pedestal tray with a plump, blushing strawberry dipped in chocolate making a perfect reflection on the metallic surface. Your first thought is:

A) I want to buy that for someone special
B) I want to eat that
C) There's dust on that tray, and is that a worm I see in the strawberry?
D) I want to paint that

I know what I would choose! That's how I can call myself a painter. What are you?

'Till next time,

The sudden vacuum in my worry centre is quickly filled by the weather obsession. Manitoba is still in a state of mid-transition like a clumsy pubescent which is neither fish nor fowl. One day we wear our spring jackets and the next we are reaching for the down filled kind! But this is normal for this time of year. March will outgrow her temper tantrums and sulky mood swings and mature into spring eventually. I am preparing for it by starting garden seeds in the machine room in the basement. 

My 'grow-op' complete with shelving, lights, heater and fan is producing greenery at an alarming rate. The first thing I do each morning is water 131 seedlings planted in clear plastic party cups. The basil, tomatoes, thyme, marigolds and zinnias  are increasing in size daily, whereas the squash and pumpkins are leaping up in hourly increments. We are sure to be picking pumpkins through the air vents upstairs before it is time to plant them out in mid-May. The basil seedlings are about 4" tall as you can see in the paint sketch. I want to try as far as possible to put at least one new painted image on each post (a challenge to myself). I call them my quick-pics, fast little paintings to try and improve my visual interpretation skills while at the same time giving you an accurate portrayal of my surroundings. This is how I intend to keep a watercolour focus while discussing other topics. I guess I’m painting my life for you. You can't separate the artist from the person!

As the intense web building kerfuffel dies down (and while my plants grow up), my mind is circling around the next dog portrait. I'm loving this dog bender I'm on (my last 5 paintings have been dogs!) and I intend to milk the inspiration until those teets are dry. I'm thinking dachshunds with wooly scarves. In my next post maybe you’ll see what new thing this thought gives birth to.

   Cheers!

Captain's Blog, Stardate 03.27.2015. There is a possible confrontation with a hostile force though the Ambassador assures me of a harmonious encounter and that the unknown species is  friendly. Who knows. We can only hope that I'm heading into a stable wormhole and manage to avoid any catastrophic threats by foreign bodies. Beam me up then, Scottie. I am unarmed and ready for some recreational shore leave on what I hope is a neutral planet seeking a cordial relationship with the Federation! 

Thats kind of how I feel, launching into this strange and unchartered territory. It's as if a new and alien universe is waiting for me to explore, and I feel apprehension as to the life forms I might come across. Creating a new website and starting a blog, as I have referred to, is a  task of cosmic proportion. As soon as I have landed the Enterprise I want to be up and ready to swish my brushes in water and do what it is I really mean to do.

In my blog posts I will mostly be sharing things of a creative nature. The emphasis will be on my painting and things that inspire me, making the range of topics quite broad. I'll share the way I feel on any particular day and am open to receive your thoughts through the comment link. An opinionated person like me expects and even hopes for an opinion in return. If something here speaks to you I would love to hear a reply. I will share event information when exhibitions come up and at times there may be something instructional or tutorial, or something to inspire you. Tell me what you'd like to see!

I would love you to follow my blog posts here on the right side bar. I will send you e-mail links when I update. If you ever want to 'Un-follow', go back there and check the appropriate box again! 

In the meantime, re-editing each picture for the website galleries has reminded me of the journey I have been through since starting to paint about five, or is it 6 years ago. It's a visual documentary of progress and I can see some technique developing and some style changes. I am happy to see growth. Regardless of artistic quality, it is in truth a volume that chronicles the connections I have made with the world around me through the past few years. Meaningful moments and flights of inspiration - it's a little history of me and the things in my home, my garden and my life, that I have loved. This is why I paint.

It seems a good moment to muse over my Artist's Statement:
"Life gives us all kinds of gifts and surprises and it's in noticing the details of them that I feel particularly engaged. Engaging with the present makes me feel I am part of the world around me, and my paintings are a record of my connection with it."

May the Force be with you. And me..
Cheers,