Wind Dancers emerges from Combat!!

Three... Two...One..

Artists Begin!!

Yes, there was an  "OMG" moment!

But then,

I made a mark!

It's true, when you start making marks you start to roll.

I settled in and began to do my layout.  My Practice sessions really helped here.

Just Getting Down to Business

Suddenly I could feel the rhythm I had in my studio, I knew I would be okay.  As I worked away I even took a moment to glance around.  My family, my loyal supports, were everywhere. Cathy was taking pictures, Melissa, Chris and Steve gave me friendly smiles and encouraging words.  I began to feel that calm as the drawing unfolds.

Putting in the finishing touches!

It was surprising really; 45 minutes in the studio seemed like ample time but 45 minutes in competition was different!!
Interesting too, we all had our own approaches and our own subjects.  It made for a great show for the spectators.  (As reported by my family and friends!)

Tammy with her neat trees

Jesse's Landscape

Busy putting on the final touches

WIND DANCERS has arrived!!

Sad to say Wind Dancers, in pastels, was not the winner.  But would I do it again?
You bet!!!

 Congratulations to Marilyn, here with her winning picture

All the pictures from both the Battle Sessions will be on display at the
Good Day Sunshine Cafe, 2950 King George Blvd #100, Surrey until Aug 31.  
The pictures are being sold in a Silent Auction with a percentage of the sales going to Semmiahmoo Art Council.  
Come down and see what happened in 45 minutes!!  
Have a great day,
Wendy 

PS: The Cafe is located in the group of shops behind Staples at Morgan Crossings.

For Mountain Goats it maybe a walk in the park, For Me, NOT!!

Shear rock faces sweeping down to mountain meadows below

Loose rock slipping under foot

Not a tree, bush or guard rail in sight!!

They tell me the view was amazing!

My father was really the problem,

He passed on his fear of heights!!

I have tried to fight it but sometimes it gets the better of me.  This was one of those times!!

Eve Lake is near the rocky area in the top left corner, some of the slide areas we crossed are above my head

The hike to Eve Lake is billed as a "classic sub-alpine hike over gently rolling terrain leading to a high
 elevation lake."  Yes I was a little worried about my endurance, 6 km one way,  but the elevation change of 209 m didn't sound bad.  I didn't want to be a drag on the group but I really wanted to go!

Michelle, one of the Park Rangers and our guide for the day, met us in the parking lot.  She was wonderful, a fountain of knowledge for our million questions and didn't bat an eyelash at all the photo stops.  She has done the hike many times but for us it was a wonderful new adventure.  The trail wound around the side of the mountain, through several ecosystems, as we moved back and froth from the shady side to sunny side. No bears thankful but no mountain goats either.

One of the Slide areas, pretty good eh?  I managed to take a picture of it!!

At the half way point I felt great and the decision was made to go the distance.  It was shortly after that, that the fun began.  The slide areas!  You know where the avalanches come down and clean off the side of the mountains!!  There were little trails winding across their face and they wanted me to go on them!!

I took a deep breath, focused on my feet and kept my head down.  Going up proved to be okay!!  (Later on, during the return trip I sunk to my lowest depths.  Clutching Michelle's bag, focused on her feet, I crawled over the rocks back into the treed area. No picture taking on the return trip.)

Definitely Works the Walk!!!   Eve Lake

I made it! And the suffering was worth it!!  Eve Lake is a beautiful spot - crystal clear water, bordered by rocks, flowers and those lovely cone shaped firs; nestled on the mountain top.  Mountain ranges that I had viewed the day before from the summit as "way up there" were now across from us.  We picnicked, sketched, photographed and explored; it was with sadness that we returned to the trail and headed home. Our time here had gone way too fast!!

The hike to Eve Lake was definitely a high point for me on our trip, it was something I don't have an opportunity to do here on the coast.  And I was pleased with my own personal triumph over the 'height thing'.

Our merry group, at Eve Lake

Our days on the mountain drifted by very quickly: each day we discovered new places; talked and laughed as we shared our thoughts and stories; painted and chatted to visitors to the park as we worked in our studio; and of course feasted on the spoils in our treasure chest!!

Our trip is over but now the work begins.  Each of us will be producing 3 pieces of work to be part of a show to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Mount Revelstoke National Park and the Park System as a whole.  The show will open in Revelstoke Nov. 7 at the Revelstoke Arts Gallery running til Nov. 30 and then travel for a year to other galleries around the province.  I will keep you posted on my entries and the show locations.

Tried out an Accordion Journal for the trip - Cover is painted but still the back to finish.

 Balsam Lake and the flowers are featured on the book cover 

 The trip was a great experience for me but I want to thank Jackie, with the  Revelstoke Visual Arts Society and Nina, from Parks Canada for their work in putting this residency together.  If you get a chance to apply for a Artist Residency I highly recommend it.
Special Note: Caroline Scagel is from Mayne Island, one of the Gulf Islands.  Sorry for the misspelling Caroline.

Combat Canvas Update:
Yes tomorrow is the day!!  I have been busy practicing and I think I am ready to go.

 "Canvas Combat", Saturday August 23 - 45 minutes to Paint!! 

Good Day Sunshine Cafe, 2950 King George Blvd, Surrey

 I will be part of the second session 4-5pm.

Come and watch and don't forget to vote!  

Winners are chosen by popular vote.

Have a great day,

Wendy

Special Update:  To see the pictures that I created for the show from my residency see my 4 October Posts starting with this One.

Horseflies 1, Wendy 4, Mountain - The Clear Winner!!

Horseflies leave a memorable bite!

Large inflammation - the size of a fist

Pain - like a bruise that is constantly pressured

What happened to the simple itch of a mosquito??

I am home from the Hills again!!  

Meadow gardens everywhere, with dynamite views of mountains as a backdrop!  Don't you just love those trees??

Yes, the Residency was GREAT!  Well expect for the bite which now a week later still looks bad but fortunately no longer hurts.

 Caroline Scagel, Encaustics and Silk  painter from Mayne Island. Valerie Rogers, Wildlife artist from Salmon Arm and Myself

We started out Friday morning at 9, meeting each other for the first time. We instantly clicked!!  Quite a relieve when you figure we were going to spend 4 days together in a 1 room cabin!!

We were excited, we rushed up the mountain, found the cabin and settled in.  Then we went exploring.

The first place we explored was our food cooler!!  Well, we didn't bring food, it was to come up each day in coolers and who knows what that can be like.  Well, cadoodles to Modern Bakery in Revelstoke.  Opening that cooler was like opening a treasure chest.  There was wraps, salads, cookies, squares, drinks of varies sorts and lots of them.  Our meals were definitely a delight but we were sure going to be hiking lots to burn off those calories!!

Balsam Lake, our home for the Residency

The meadows were bursting with flowers of every colour! Just 2 -3 short weeks, then they are gone!!

Balsam Lake was everything it was billed as - an alpine meadows in full bloom.  The sub alpine firs, like tall thin cones framing everything.  It was overwhelming -  everywhere you looked was a picture! We walked, we talked, we photographed and we laughed! Then headed back to our treasure chest.

The Cabin

The cabin, our mountain top home, was everything it was billed as too - rustic, no water, power, or electricity.  Of course no wifi but if you walked a kilometer up the trail and stood in a certain spot you could get your phone to work!!  The outhouse wasn't far and pretty clean.  And the moonlight!  At 4 in the morning, the full moon and the starry skies were certainly much brighter than what we have here in the 'burbs' of Vancouver.  The cabin was cool in the day and held some heat at night. It was bug-free and the bunks were comfortable.  What more could you ask?

Inside - no way I could sleep on top!!  Thanks Caroline for offering.

We had our trials figuring things out.  Turns out, all our husbands do the propane stoves and lights!!  Good thing there were lots of matches.  Who knew the propane lights had a secret shut off valve behind the bunk-bed!!




Our first day went like a blink of an eye.  When the tourist left and we had the park to ourselves, it was like magic.  The birds came out, the air settled and there was a feeling of calm.  We climbed the summit trail to  watch the sunset and we felt like kings!!

Me with my support team, who waited below.  Thanks Steve and Rusty for making the trek there with me. 

Next installment in a few days, I have to catch my breath! 

Meanwhile I am preparing for my next  Art adventure "Canvas Combat", Saturday August 23 - 45 minutes to Paint!! 

 I will be part of the second session 4-5pm.  Come and watch and don't forget to vote!  

Winners are chosen by popular vote.  

Good Day Sunshine Cafe, 2950 King George Blvd, Surrey

Have a great day and enjoy the summer, it is disappearing fast,

Wendy 

Look out Bugs, Here I Come!!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Can you believe it?

It is finally here!!

We are off Wednesday morning, 7 am to Revelstoke!!

Today is packing day! 

 I am starting to get excited, next weekend I will be an Artist in Residence at Revelstoke National Park!! 

 Hard to believe that it is 30 degrees outside and I need to pack 'long johns'.  But myself and 2 other artists will be staying in a rustic cabin, up in the mountains and apparently it can get cold at night.  I know from our Tundra trips in the north that daytime temperatures are no indicator for the night ones and with no heater it could turn cold.  

Not sure how 'rustic' it is but no heat, water or electricity and we need flashlights for the outhouse.  To me it is still luxury camping - we will have a roof, walls, beds and we can stand up to get dressed.  What more can you ask out of life!!  

The plan is to hike around, there are lovely alpine lakes, trails to mountain views and the alpine flowers are suppose to be in full bloom.  I will be taking lots of pictures and doing some sketching on sight.  We also have a studio area we can work in during the afternoon and meet with the public a bit.  The big question is the bugs.  While I guess it is not a question, everyone says they can be bad, bring a bug hat.  I am hoping it is late enough in the summer that they are starting to fade away. (Well it works up North on the Tundra!)  Regardless, I have my supplies and I am ready to go!!

So Tell Those Bugs to move over, I am coming!!

We will be in the Park Aug 9-12, so if you are in the area, come and say hi.  Following this, we will each produce 3 pictures that will be part of year long traveling show to promote the parks.  Since this is the 100 anniversary of the National Park it is kind of exciting to be involved.  The show opens in Revelstoke in late October so I will keep you updated.

Very Exciting Note:
I just got word that my picture The Fire Dance, has been chosen to be in the 46th Open National Juried Exhibition of the Society of Canadian Artists!!!  The show will be Sept 6-27 in Salmon Arm so the news is just in time for me to take my picture with me.  The competition is very keen for an open national show so I am thrilled to be part of it!!

THE FIRE DANCE  - ink & watercolour - 11 x 14, $450

Special Note: To learn more about the Residency see my first three August 2014 Posts beginning with this One.