What to take with you...

As it was another beautiful day, I headed outdoors for my first real 'plein aire' session this year.  Below is kind of my current set up with one or two extras that may not be needed. 

1.  A Pack:  We won this back pack somewhere and it has a fold out seat attached.  It was big enough to accommodate my Gorilla Painting box.  I rarely sit down when painting, but thought it might be useful should I become exhausted from the painting frenzy.  My tripod fits nicely on the side too.

2.  What is inside the pack:
-Roll of paper shop towels  -  a garbage bag  - pre-stained wood panels 9x12
- 5 to 8 brushes  - paints: cadmium red, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, cad yellow light, yellow ochre light, sap green, viridian and white
- a view finder
- brush cleaner (walnut oil)
- bug spray
- water to drink
- a hat (need a bigger hat next time)
- the Gorilla box which holds all the painting stuff
- palette paper
- tape for the paper
- bear spray  
- in the picture is a great little stool that I got as a gift.  It is from Lee Valley, garden tools.  I don't take it often but if I go on a workshop or will be out all day it comes along.

This was the scene I chose to paint.  Down in the ravine near home. Below is my tripod and box set up and paint laid out.

It is nice to have a companion along if you aren't painting with friends.  We don't bring the dog with us to bear country, but this is in the city so she enjoyed a couple swims while waiting for me.

The painting in progress.  

It's always good to do a couple brief close to home trips before you head off on a serious painting journey.  I discovered I should have had a bigger hat as it was seriously hot out.  It was too windy for the painting umbrella and you can't wear your sunglasses while painting unless you can compensate for the colour differences. So it is better to find some shade that will be around for awhile.  This is just an oil study should I decide I like it I would paint a more precise version back in the studio.

Painting outside or as the french say ' en plein aire'

Following my struggle in the studio, I went outside for a brief one hour paint session.  As I had not planned anything I just wanted to test out the outdoor painting set up for this year to make sure I have it all organized.  I forgot the tape so my palette paper did blow off at one point.

I didn't have my umbrella set up ready and the yard was FILLED with mosquitoes, so I just stayed up on the deck and quickly painted one of the deck chairs in the sun.

My Gorilla Paint box set up on the deck

My quick one hour deck chair painting
8x8 canvas

Painting is....SQUIRREL!!!

I believe most artists will struggle at times to stay motivated or focus on their painting every day - so many distractions. Currently my struggle is the beautiful weather, after a LOOOONG harsh winter, pulling me outdoors.  I am enjoying biking, hiking and gardening these last weeks and being inside the studio / office / work is difficult.

That is why today I decided I shall try to do some daily painting 'en plein aire' or paint outside for awhile.  As you can see below my current attempt to get some paint down has been a struggle.

the UNDERPAINTING of the Burmis Tree large 36 x 48 canvas

OOOO the Pretty Fern Leaf peony in my garden just outside my window, has finally bloomed for the first time ever!!

Oh I just need to make some baskets for the front porch

What was I doing... oh yeah, OOOps, I think I need to repaint the sky and maybe that grass too.  Maybe I will just go outside for awhile for inspiration instead.

Full Marks

My graduation show for the 12 of us who completed our Fine Arts Certificate from the University is now showing until June 15th.  It is up in the back hallways of the U of A Faculty of Extension (the old Hudson's Bay Building downtown) near Room 2-640.  Check it out if you have some spare time.

I find that every year in spring, my painting output seriously slows down.  Work has been fairly busy, but I also have a ton of yard work and gardening to accomplish.  Most of my garden is now planted and the yard is almost complete so I hope to get more paintings started ASAP.  I need at least 25 good ones by August.  I will be taking part in 2, St. Albert Art Walks and the Art in Our Park Event in August and September.  I am also back to planning our community's Annual BBQ and Movie Night, which also occurs in September.  NO time to waste!!

The 4 paintings I chose to hang

Rick Bremness

Susan Diebel

Graduation...finally

I have finally completed my Fine Arts Diploma with the U of A.  I had actually completed most of the courses in 2011 but due to 'life happening' I did not do the final mentorship part.  This year I managed to wrap it all up and 12 of us will be part of the graduation exhibit at the U of A's Faculty of Extension.  Our paintings are buried deep in the halls on the second floor, you can view them over the next month.  

While I was helping to hang the exhibition today I stopped downstairs on the main floor to view some FABULOUS FIBRE ART.  The topic was primarily climate change and there were some awesome pieces of Fibre Art on view.  Check it out - main floor of the old Hudson Bay building downtown.

Spring Cleaning

Spring has finally sprung here!  I always find I have an urge to garden and do a bit of cleaning and organizing.  My garden is raked and ready for when it's safe for plants.  The cleaning / organizing urge has only gone as far as my art area.  I had been using some cardboard to divide and organize my paints - but I invested in some expandable spice racks from Bed Bath & Beyond to replace them.  They work and look better, and somehow make painting easier.

organization ...aaaah feels good.

Road Trips and Repeats

 On the weekend we did a little road trip and stopped in my FAVOURITE GALLERY IN ALBERTA!  The Blue Rock Gallery in Black Diamond, Alberta is small and gorgeous.  A great mix of pottery, paintings, arts and crafts, books.  The paintings are fa-bu-lous.  It is worth a day trip to hang out in this little town for a couple hours, great milk shakes across the street.

14x36 oil on wood panel

6x24 oil on canvas

Today I had a few short hours to work on a second version of the Cypress Hills.  The bottom one was a small quick study.  The second top one is much bigger and I am trying to do brighter colours / impressionist style.  It is not done but here's what needs completing:
- foreground is getting finer detail in the grasses - more greens, blues and purples to be added.
- foreground shape is not random enough - repeating on left and right side, needs to be more like the bottom foreground shape.
- far background needs darker, grey green / blue colours
- some more red thrown into trees in middle ground

I am hoping it works out, it looks much better in person than with my quick photo, so I shall continue with it tomorrow.

BuildingARTYeg

I was recently commissioned to do 2 paintings for Alair Homes for their BuildingARTyeg event at the Art Gallery of Alberta Art Gallery of Alberta.  I had lots of fun painting 2 bright acrylic paintings from renderings that I received.  The event was very well done, HarperPR had organized 12 different artists to paint 12 different Alair homes.  It was so cool to see how unique each art piece was. So many talented people!!

One of the other creations - Cool Bottle cap art!

My new love!

I found 'the one'!  Yes this most awesome art table (tabouret) was recently gifted to me by my actual love.  For YEARS I have just worked on any old table and it has been fine.  My most recent set up was a collapsible table I bought at Canadian Tire and covered in an industrial size black garbage bag, under which I stored my amazing huge tackle box - also purchased at Canadian tire - with all my oil paints.  Additionally I had a cheap rolling plastic bin holding my acrylic paints. BUT NO MORE... now I have this fabulous table - it fits all my paints, palette boxes and many supplies.  It has a top that opens and wheels.  I know it is wrong but I love it soooo much.

Sturdy, handsome, smells good...how can you not love it!

MMMMM...delicious art

The chocolate 'enrobing' machine - we were tempted to put our mouth under that spigot on the right where the chocolate was pouring down, but we had ample opportunity to try tons of very good quality chocolate without embarrassing ourselves.

So this weekend, good friend Mette had this great idea that we should check out Sweet Lollapalooza. They make Fine Chocolates and I do mean fine!  For about $100 you spend 3 or more hours learning all about chocolate and chocolate making, sampling a TON of delicious chocolate, sipping champagne and even putting your artistic skills to the test.  It is totally worth it and you come away with at least a dozen handmade chocolates that you help create.  Early on you spend time preparing your artistically decorated sheet of chocolate butter that will end up covering your finished pieces.  Lots of great and fascinating information about chocolate is shared, we sampled a fabulous chocolate dessert and generally overdosed on very good chocolate.  I was still full the next morning.  This to me, was even better than wine tasting tours I have been on. Check them out and sign up early, they usually book a month in advance! Yummm!

Building Art Edmonton Day, April 26, 2018

 Lately the posts have been few and far between.  I have been working on 2 commissioned paintings for Alair Homes to celebrate April 26, 2018 which is Building Art Edmonton day.  Thanks to Natalie Harper, from Harper PR for including me, I have had much fun painting these 2 pieces - which I will post next week after the celebrations.

Work at the Art Gallery of St Albert has been pretty busy this spring, too.  The kiddos in the art classes are feeling full of spring cheer - FINALLY the snow is melting and we are all thrilled to see the sun!!

Small portion of a 16x20 acrylic on black gessoed canvas

Busy... Busy...Busy

Yike, it has been too long since posting.  However I have many good reasons almost all art related.  

- I went and got all my paintings framed that I am putting in my graduation show.  THANK YOU TO Kamena Art and Framing for their awesome service.  They manage to do a great job and help me out when I am in a time crunch too.  My graduation show is occurring in May to June, I will post more on that in May.

 - I started a sketch in watercolour for aFederation of Canadian Artists signature submission, with the hopes of getting accepted.  I need 7 accepted paintings to gain Signature status one day.  So far I have had 2 rejections for other shows, so I gotta step it up a notch!!

 - I have been commissioned to do 2 paintings for an event that will be happening at the Art Gallery of Alberta sometime in May I believe.  Exciting!! I will show those here after the event happens.

-We had a wonderful Easter / Spring break and went to ski and visit the Family for a few days.  It was great.  I started to question my snowboarding skills on one of the icier days and suddenly realized my snowboard is about 20 years old now.  So now I am blaming my issues on the age of my snowboard not the age of my body!  New snowboard next season!!

- I began a painting today to thank my Bro and his family for always hosting us when we go skiing / boarding.  Pictures below of the start of my process.  Full size sketch on brown paper, then I cover it with chalk and trace my sketch onto a black gessoed canvas.  Then I will paint!  I will post that later too.

Whew... I forgot to mention work always get busier this time of year teaching art for the Art Gallery of St Albert, so there is that too.  Feels good to be busy though, love it!