Sunset At the Cabin

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY


SUNSET AT THE CABIN - 10 X 14 - $400 unframed

'Sunset at the Cabin', my Christmas card picture this year is from my trip to Yellowknife last March.  We had driven out over icy lakes and through the bush to get to this cabin.  The plans were to stay the night but the fireplace wasn't working well and we could only get the temperature up to zero, when the sun was shining so we couldn't stay the night. The trail in the snow is the one my brother made out to a hole he had drilled in the ice fpr ice fishing.  We also when off to collect firewood and just enjoyed the day.  It was a wonderful warm, sunny day (well warm for there!!) and a beautiful sunset.  Everything took on that lovely pink glow.  It was a day to remember!!  I hope you have many special days to remember from 2012 and many more to come. Have a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

At the Water's Edge

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

 

AT THE WATER'S EDGE - 7.5 x 9.5 - $225 unframed

Well we got snow today!!  It was gorgeous to look at on my early morning walk but later when driving to work, not so nice.  It snowed all day so coming home wasn’t much fun, I was glad when I arrived safely.  It is funny though, the snow is very regional,  friends in other parts of the lower mainland had very little but we had  9 or 10 inches and no snowplow in sight!  The rain has started now so who knows what we will have by morning.

 ‘At the Water’s Edge’ was started with a small group of students I have been working with and I must say I really enjoyed finishing it up.  While the snow is outside my thoughts were back in the warm sun on Texada Island, curled up with Rusty reading a good book after a swim in the water.  The tide was coming in and the water had been warm as it washed over the warm sand.  Some small birds were chasing an eagle away from their nests and at one point they had him pinned down on these big rocks.  It really was a great place to be!! 
Well back to snow and our lovely White Christmas, have a good holiday everyone and all the best for the coming year. 



Paints'n Bloom Christmas Show was Great!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Santa even came to town! (Audrey, Santa and Wendy)

Put Steve to work while we were doing our demos!

Audrey and I had a wonderful time at West Coast Gardens Center with our Christmas show:  lots of people came to see us; the flowers were just amazing; sales were good; the demos went well; and we got a good donation for the Alzheimer’s Society.  It really is an amazing feeling to be in a greenhouse all day, I think the light, the ambiance of all the flowers and I am sure all that oxygen they give off all contribute to making you feel really good.   It was really fun to share information with them.  Here are a few pictures, as you can see paints and blooms really do go well together. 


Great View, eh?!

I know many of you are also doing Christmas Shows, I hope that they are going well and you have as much fun as we did.

The Nuthatch

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

THE NUTHATCH -  graphite, 4.5 x 5.5 - $130 unframed

On this dark dreary day this little nuthatch provided me with some sunshine.  He (could be a she) was hopping from tree to tree in the backyard a few weeks ago and I patiently followed him with my camera.  It is incredible how fast these little guys flit and flirt from tree to tree.  I was madly clicking away in that wonderful setting that lets you take fast action pictures and hoping to catch a few good shots.  I was pleased to capture this one, the classic Nuthatch look, standing upside down on the side of the tree looking out at the world.  The light was good and his colours really stood out.  He has now joined my growing collection of visitors to our backyard feeder. 

My little Nuthatch along with quite a few of my other birds will be part of the show next week; Paints n' Blooms,  Friday, Dec 7 and Saturday, Dec 8, 10-4pm. at West Coast Garden Center, 1420 172 St. South Surrey.  Myself and Audrey Bakewell are the featured artists.  The show is in support of the Alzheimer Society of BC.  We will have free art demos on Friday, Dec 7 - 11:00 Bringing Animals to Life in Graphite with Wendy Mould and 1:30pm Painting on Yupo Paper with Watercolour with Audrey Bakewell.  On Sat. Dec 8,  11-2pm there will be a  Volunteer Facilitator from the Alzheimer Society of BC with information and support on the Society's Education Series and Support Groups.  Come join us.  If you miss the show don't miss the poinsettia show at the Garden Center, last year they had 60,000 plants and this year's display will be just as spectacular!

As usual cards and prints are available of all my work starting at $3.50.

 

 

Having Fun in the Rain!!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY


 

Monday was one of those torrential, dark, rainy days but it turned into a really fun time. Steve, Rusty and I headed out to Agassiz, BC to the Monday Painters Group.   They wanted to learn more about mixing pen and ink work with watercolour.  Instead of seeing gloomy rain we spent the day at the beach!  (Miracle Beach, Vancouver Island where our reference picture was from) We drew driftwood, beach flowers and long wavy grasses.  Our clouds were white and billowy as they rested on the coastal mountains.  We laughed and talked and of course had delicious treats.  It was great fun. 

The Monday Painters group has been going for 52 years.  I know you can’t all join them in Agassiz but I am sure if you search around your area there is probably a group like them.  If there isn’t, then start your own.  It will certainly turn your rainy days into one of joy and fun.
Here are a few of the paintings after all the hard work.

 

Down At the Docks

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

DOWN AT THE DOCKS - 2.5 x 4 in. - $115 unframed

Boats at the dock, reflections in the water, my idea of a fun and challenging project on a rainy day.  Working with Harold Allanson a few weeks ago made me want to dig out my boat pictures and put some of his suggestions to work.   No, I didn't want to use a half-sheet of watercolour paper like he did; I wanted to work in miniature, 2 ½  x 4 in!  Things went well when I laid in the washes and main colours but my troubles started when it came time for the detail.  (I need my detail!)   My miniature liner brush just could not deal with the ropes and other rigging like I wanted it to.  It was time for experimenting.  I tried a variety of things: scratching with an exacto-knife;  painting with my ultra-fine brush;  adding touches with white gouache; and of course pulling out the magnifying glass.  It took all of these techniques to get my rigging up to snuff!

Down on the Docks is off to the Positively Petit Show at the Place des Arts in Coquitlam. The show runs Nov. 15 to Dec 21 with the reception tonight Thursday, Nov. 15, 7-9pm. I will see you there.

As always, cards and prints are available for all my work starting at $3.50.

 

 

Rosebud

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

ROSEBUD - 2.25 X 3 inches ($90 unframed)

Flowers are definitely on my mind right now.  I have been saying good bye to all the plants in my flower beds as I dig them up and plant my spring bulbs.  It is so hard to do when they are still in bloom and the sun is shining but it is going down to -2 tonight so I know it is time. 
One of the blogs that has been of interest to me lately is Jacqueline Gnott’s. http://jacquelinegnott.blogspot.ca  Her flower pictures have a sense of simplicity but yet the detail is there(you know how I love detail!) and there is lots of drama. All of this interests me a lot.  I wanted to see if I could create my own dramatic flower art only in miniature.  A timely gift of a miniature rose bush from a friend gave me my model and I was off and running.  Rosebud is my first endeavor and to my surprise my husband, Steve likes it.  I think that is a good sign.

Rosebud is off today to the Positively Petit Show at the Place des Arts in Coquitlam.  The show runs Nov. 15 to Dec 21 with the reception on Thursday, Nov. 15, 7-9pm.  I will see you there.

As always, cards and prints are available for all my work starting at $3.50.

Summer Sunshine

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

SUMMER SUNSHINE - 3 x 3 -  $90 unframed

Remember that wonderful sunshine we had for weeks on end?  I must admit some of those days were a little too hot for me and I complained, only a little bit but I did! After the last few days of darkness and rain I wish to retract those comments.  Painting Summer Sunshine was my way of getting back that sunshine.  When we were at my girlfriend's place in Nova Scotia in September I took lots of pictures of her black-eyed Susans.  She had beautiful ones in several different colours, they just shone in the sun and welcomed us home from our adventures.  They were wonderful! 

This little miniature is just one of my new pictures on its way to the Positively Petite Show at the Place des Arts in Coquitlam.  The annual show draws miniature artists from all over the Fraser Valley and is always a delight to see.  Each artist may enter up to 8 pieces, no larger than 12 sq inches, so there are lots of what I call 'real' miniatures.  My little sunshine is only 9 sq. inches and as you can see a lot can be painted into a small space.  The show opens Thursday, Nov 15 and the reception is that evening 7-9pm.  It runs until Dec. 21, 2012.  See you there.

As always, cards and prints of any of my pictures are available starting at $3.50. 

 

Welcome to my New Gallery

 NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

My supervisor checking over the main gallery area

Yes, we are done!!  Things are put away and the pictures are up on the new walls.  It is wonderful!!  I have a lovely space to display my pictures that are ‘In Residence’.  It makes it great for showing but also for planning.  I can see what I have and make some plans.  You know what it is like, everything is stacked and boxed and it is hard to remember what you have and where it is.  Now it is out and up. 

Rusty was very pleased with the work and definitely loved it when we were done.  At one point his basket was on top of a pile of things and he just couldn’t decide what to do.  When he started pulling things down from the pile I knew we were in trouble! 

Our supervisor is happy again!

My painting area with a great place to display my miniatures

You are welcome to come and see my gallery, just give me an email or call and I will be happy to see you.  If you are interested in putting up a slot wall I will be happy to pass on all our secrets.   We learned a lot!

Have a great day and remember prints and cards are available of all my work starting at $3.50.
 

Rain, Water and Reflections

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

 

What a great thing to do on a hideously rainy weekend – paint water and reflections!!  Yes, I just finished spending two days with Harold Allanson www.haroldallanson.ca working with watercolours.  Other than driving to Abbotsford and back in that horrible weather it was a wonderful workshop.  Harold is a wonderful watercolour artist who at first focused on work boats along our shoreline and then spreading out to ranch life and more.  His latest picture ‘Split Second Times Square” 27.5 x 39 in. was there for us to study before it heads off to Chicago for the Transparent Watercolor Society of America Show.   WOW!! That’s all I can say about it! (it’s under Paintings, Other on his website)

Getting down to the details

We learned some new things and certainly revisited things that we had forgotten.  One key for everyone was the use of a ‘ruling pen’ to lay down the fine lines with frisk.  Another was “if you want darks, use dark colours”, certainly something that is easy to forget when in the heat of the moment.  For me, another big one was have rich, wet colours on my brush, I know with my miniature that isn’t much of an issue but when working on larger pieces it is very important. 

Reflections from outside sources

My first picture, reflections and the source

Not finished yet but a good start on my second one. 

 

As always cards and prints of any of my pictures can be purchased starting at $3.50.

 

Great Trip to Reifel Bird Sanctuary

New Works from the Studio of Art by Wendy

Sandhill cranes out on the water.

Today I took a break from the gallery renovation and escaped to Reifel Bird Sanctuary.  I have a selection of cards and prints there in the gift shop and it was time to restock for fall.  What a great day to go, the fall migratory birds are starting to arrive and there is lots of activity.  My friend and I wondered down the trails and we were very excited to catch a glimpse of the sandhill cranes.  Two of them have been hanging around there for nearly a year and now that winter is coming I doubt if they will leave.  Their brown feathers are nearly all replaced by the gray colour and they really blend into the bush. 





This little duck seemed to be part of the welcoming party.



Wood duck flapping his wings

Two buddies supervising the action in the marsh.

The cranes surprised us and met us as we walked along the trail. 

They came close, I mean really close

My first crane dance.  I only caught part of it but it is amazing to see them dance about!

 
 It was wonderful walking around the sanctuary and certainly a treat to see the cranes.  We had a great trip. 
If you want to visit the sanctuary they are open 7 days a week, 9-4pm.  http://www.reifelbirdsanctuary.com  It is a great walk through the marsh and out into the tidal flats.  There is always lots to see but the winter is really very busy with all the migratory birds.  Oh, and don't forget to stop in the gift shop and purchase one of my prints, cards or memo pads as a memento of the trip!

We will be back to work on the gallery and hopefully by next week I can show you the results.

As always cards and prints of any of my pictures can be purchased starting at $3.50.

 

Art by Wendy's Gallery is Changing

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Steve hard at work on the new wall

Exciting things are happening here at Art by Wendy' Gallery, we are doing a major upgrade of the gallery!!  Yes, Steve and I have been planning it all summer and now the time is here.  It is so exciting to see the wire and boards come down and my new slot wall going up.  I will be able to arrange pictures in many different ways, changing all the time and not be worried about mucking up the walls. 

Our supervisor checking things out

We are well underway as you can see; the end is not far off.  I will have over 24 running feet of slot board to arrange my work on from large pieces to small miniatures.  Of course I am pleased but I must admit it was a little more work than we expected.   Steve has been wonderful; painting those grooves has not been fun.  Our supervisor Rusty has been working full time to keep up with the change, checking progress on a daily basis. I know he is getting tired. Soon it will be over and you are welcome to visit. Just give me a call and I will be glad to show you around.   If you are interested in putting up the slotted wall units, I would be glad to share our experience with you.

The Mess - I must keep my eye on the finish line - I am not good with messes!

As always cards and matted prints are available of all my work for as low as $3.50.

Langley Art Studio Tour Only Half Over

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

 Artist Audrey Bakewell & Myself

 

What a great weekend!! Last weekend was the beginning of the Langley Art Studio Tour and everything just seemed to work.  I know, I am not a Langley artist but Audrey and I were the featured artists at Krause Berry Farms in Langley so I was able to be part of it.  What a time we had, I had never been to the farm before and for a berry lover like myself that in itself was amazing.  They still have blueberries, blackberries and lovely strawberries so that made it heaven for me. 

Audrey and I had a busy day talking with visiting artists and art lovers, sharing ideas and new work.  It really felt good to show off my summer labours and to feel the interest they generated.  We are both looking forward to another exciting time next weekend. It is a self guided tour so you can travel at your own pace. Maps and information on the artists is at www.langleyartstudiotour.ca

 

 Langley Art Studio Tour:  Sept. 29 and 30, 10-5pm so come on out and join us if you can.

Buggie Rides - quieter moments in life

Part of the Herb Garden - lots of photo opportunities

Oh, the strawberry waffles - we had to smell them all weekend!!

Deep in an art discussion

My newphews came out to support me - having fun running through the barley maze.

 

Scout

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Scout - 4.5 x 6.5 SOLD

Scout is done and ready to head north.  Scout is Buddy's live-in friend, (see Aug 19 post) they live in Yellowknife, NWT with my brother and sister-in-law.  She has a quieter nature than Buddy; she's a little skidderish and often slow to accept new people.  I felt truly honoured that after a very short time into my visit, she was out and about and even letting me pat her. While Buddy governs the house and keeps everyone in line, Scout just quietly does her own thing.  One of her jobs is to look after the house when everyone is out and to keep  an eye on Buddy.  (He sometimes takes advantage of an empty house.)   Scout is also a regular visitor to my sister-in-law's quilting room, she likes to check out the new projects and add her comments too!!

Scout was a real challenge to draw, her soft black colouring blended into a single shape and I really had to sculpture her body shape myself. My main strategy was to really focus on layering rather than trying to go dark too soon, not an easy thing to do!    I think she will be happy with her picture.  

As always cards and matted prints are available for all of my work starting as low as $3.50 plus postage.

THREE IN A ROW

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

THREE IN A ROW - 14 X 20 - $450 framed

Roses are red, violets are blue; how can summer be nearly through?  I think I was feeling the change in weather and wanted to slow it down.  As a result I dropped my pencils and grabbed for summer colour.  These lovely roses were from a bouquet Steve gave me earlier this year to celebrate our anniversary.  I loved the colours and took numerous pictures of them.  When I was trying to choose one flower to focus on I realized I loved all three.  Reminiscences to lady luck I felt that “Three In A Row” were winners for me.

The roses were done in time to enter the Autumn Salon Juried Show at the Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery in Vancouver. They were picked to show and so will be in the gallery Sept 25-Oct 7. Check out the show if you are in the area.

As always matted prints and cards are available for all my work for as low as $3.50 plus postage.

RODI - WANNA PLAY MOM?

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

RODI - 1997-2012

This is a memory piece of Rodi, who was a wonderful companion and friend for his family for over 15 years.  I knew Rodi as a young dog and watched his play; he came to our neighbourhood around the same time as I got Rusty.  They were only a few months apart.  Rodi grew so fast, it was amazing and at times a bit too much for Rusty but the two of them got along and we went on walks together.  Then we moved and so did Rodi’s family.  We kept in touch by email over the years and both dogs proved to be wonderful companions.  It was with great sadness that I learned of his passing but I know he left behind wonderful memories.  I was honored when his owners asked me to draw a memory piece for them.  When we looked at their pictures we found there were several that they really liked and so I created this collage of Rodi for them.  It was a pleasure to work on this piece and once again share with them the wonderful memories they had.  It really reminds me once again how much animals can enrich our lives.

A Still Life Stage

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Still Life

The Framework Revealed

Steve, my faithful, underpaid, Art by Wendy employee, has just completed this wonderful still life stage for setting up a still life. (The whole thing is made from ¾ inch PVC pipes and two pieces of plywood.) I found the information and plans for it on Carol Marine’s blog, http://carolmarine.blogspot.ca.  You can buy a ready-made one or watch her free tutorial on how to make your own.  Her husband designed hers and once I saw it I knew my husband would want to take up the challenge.  Of course he made a few changes, as all builders do, but the main principle of Carol’s is with mine.  It is wonderful to have ‘good’ lighting to practice still life drawing with my students and it great for setting up a still life to paint with.  It is not bad for taking a picture of a still life, as well, as you can see from my pictures.  One of the main changes Steve made was to glue the top pieces together and the bottom so it would be easier to move around but the side pieces slip out easily so it will fold up flat like her’s.  Good luck with your Life Stage.

Enjoy the last days of summer and as always matted prints of all my pictures are available for as little as $7.00.

BUDDY

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

BUDDY - 5.5 X 7.5 - SOLD

Buddy is one of those cats that the poster “ I learned everything I need to know from my cat” was based on.  He owns the house that my brother lives in up in Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories.  He is an inside cat so he has lots of time to look after the house and to check into everything that happens there!!  My sister-in-law, Cindy, likes to quilt and Buddy feels it is very important to supervise her every move: quality control.  As soon as she heads for her quilting room he is off and running, settling in to a good spot for the day. 
I am on a real cat kick this summer; don’t tell Rusty, my dog.  (Deep down I am a real cat person but because of my allergies I can’t have one as a pet.)  I have one more cat to do and that is Scout, Buddy’s partner in crime.  Scout is all black and will be a challenge.  For black animals you need good lighting for the reference pictures so there are lots of shadows to define the features.  On a winter day up north it is a little challenging to get the right light and Scout was really not all that interested in having a photo shoot when I was there.

 As always matted prints are available of all of my work starting at $7.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Big Man On Campus - 5 x 7 - $130 unframed

A beauty eh??  Isn’t he gorgeous, well in a rooster kind ‘a way.  I was out to Kilby Historical Site, near Harrison Hot Springs and this fellow was wondering around on his own, looking for the hens I guess.  His walk and manner just seemed to say “I am the head honcho” and of course I had to photograph him.  It was great fun drawing him.  I was working on him down at the Painter’s Square at White Rock and I guess it seemed a little funny to be drawing a rooster at the beach but you know sometimes you just have to do that drawing no matter what . . .  !

If you are out in the Fraser Valley, check out Kilby Store and Farm, it is a reminiscent of the early 1900’s and actually built in 1908.  The store is on stilts, probably more than 10 feet in the air as it was a train station for the Harrison Mills area and had to be up high because of the yearly flooding of the Fraser River.  Today of course, with the dike systems,  it doesn’t flood.  I have been involved with Kilby for 7 years now, they use a number of my pictures for their promotions and I have a nice display in their gift shop and café.  http://www.kilby.ca

As always matted prints are available of all of my work starting at $7.

SOME LINGERING MEMORIES OF TEXADA ISLAND, BC

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

WHO'S THERE - 4.5 x 6.5 - $130 unframed

“WHO’S THERE?”  is another drawing that reminds me not all our days were sunny on our holidays.  Not to take it in a bad way, sometimes it is nice to just curl up read a book, drink hot chocolate and draw.  When you are camping there is no housework calling nor computer work, it really is quite relaxing.  I thoroughly enjoyed working on this picture and I loved “her look”.  

TIDLE POOL - 4.5 X 6.5 - $130 unframed

When the sun was out I was back at it, I settled into another spot along the beach and painted “TIDLE POOL” in my more conventional way.  Don’t get me wrong I do love this picture and I really like what I accomplished in the sky and the shoreline but I had the urge to do something different.  That night I put colour on my paper – Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine and just pushed it around.  The next day I went back to the same area and drew my picture.  Then came hours of work: lifting, looking, dabbing and using a bit of white charcoal to finish it up.  A really challenging picture and one I was ready to give up on so many times but then a new idea would spring to mine and I was back at it.  Certainly a lot of fun!

EVENING WATERS - 4.5 x 6.5 - $130 unframed

Caught up on things and ready to start new projects , have a great day and good luck on your summer projects.

As always all works are available in matted prints for as low as $7.00.

WE ARE HOME!!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

WIND OFF THE POINT - 4.5 X 6.5 - $130 unframed

Back from Texada Island and quiet days painting on the beach, watching the deer wonder in the field, eagles screeching overhead, and sun shining on the water.  How can it be over??  Needless to say we had a great time, Steve got his fill of seafood: crabs, oysters and clams and Rusty enjoyed his usual quiet days and nights.  He wasn’t that thrilled at being out in the boat but he sure wasn’t going to be left behind! It was a good relaxing holiday.

DRIFTWOOD VIEW - 4 X 3 - $110 unframed

Painting was of course one of my activities most days and I completed several small works.  “Wind Off the Point” was an early piece when the weather was cold and often wet.  The skies were unsettled; black, blue, gray and changing.  The winds were blowing from the south and it was not a good time for boating.  “Driftwood View” was another cold day, I settled down among the logs, tried to get out of the wind and worked away.  When the rains came I retreated to the trailer and worked on my graphite.  “Summer Sun” was a great way to spend those days. 

SUMMER SUN - 3 X 4 $110 unframed

Still catching up on things so I will post more in the next few days.  Have a great day and enjoy the summer days, they go by too quickly.

All works are available in matted prints for as low as $7.00