Can you teach an Old Dog New Tricks??!!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Am I really set in my ways?

Yes, I have my favourite colours

...favourite brushes

...favourite paper 

but

I think I am open to change!!

 This summer brought a new focus to my work.  My travels took me into the interior for British Columbia, away from the blues of the ocean and into the land of the Greens!! I realized that I needed to know a lot more about colour mixing to deal with those greens.  My search led me to coloured pencils!!

I loved them!!

Easy to add colour, easy to control and easy to draw with, what more could you ask?!

My experiments with colour lead to this new mini series "The Red, White and Blue of Summer". 

 Indian Paintbrush - Coloured Pencil on Black Board - 8 x 10

 Western Anemone (Moptop) - Coloured Pencil on Black Board - 8 x 10

Mountain Daisy - Coloured Pencil on Black Board - 8 x 10

I found I was introducing different colours with each layers and it really seem to bring them more to life.  The flower stems are a great example: I really worked on picking up the reflected light from the flowers, other leaves and the light.  It was really fun to see how things worked together instantly - no waiting for paint to dry!!  

Now I am off to use my watercolours and try some new combos. 

"The Red White and Blue of Summer"is about the meadow flowers that bloom so profusely on Mount Revelstoke and other alpine valleys.  These lovely flowers live such a short life, only 2-3 weeks then it is frost and back to winter!!  But while they are there it is a really beautiful sight. 

This will be one of my pictures from my Residency for the Art in the Park 2014 show running November 7 - December 5, 2014 in Revelstoke, BC.  The show will travel for a year promoting the 100th Anniversary of the Park and the Parks Program in Canada.  

You can read about the Artist in Residency at Mount Revelstoke in my August posts.  It was a great opportunity and one you might enjoy in the future.
Special Note: To learn more about the Residency see my first three August 2014 Posts beginning with this One. 

Have you ever been Lost in Greens??

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

You know, 

Green Trees

Green Grass

Green Plants

Green Everywhere!!

It all becomes Green!!

Summer Flowers Come to Balssm Lake - Watercolour - 11 x 14

This is not usually a problem for me as my Plein air painting is by the ocean. There are blues, reds, browns and yellows. Green is just a small part of the mix. But this summer I was painting on Mount Revelstoke. Green everywhere! Yes, there were little lakes in the some of the alpine valleys but they were full of 'green' reflections!  It really challenges you as an artist to see other colours and to create many different greens.

I had my Daniel Smith GreenGold, which I like mixed with Ultramarine it gives great colours for our coastal firs.  But here I needed more: I mixed reds, blues and yellows with my greens.  Always trying for those elusive changes in the shadows, in the sun, in the distance and in the  foreground. Of course when you really let your eyes do their work you can see other colours as well: the bright yellow Mountain Arnica and dazzling red Indian Paintbrush dancing in the sunlight; the ghostly gray branches left from snow damage in the winter; even the beds of white Partridgefoot, all work to break up the green.  Once I focused on these other things, life got better!!

"Summer Flowers come to Balsam Lake" was the results of my 'green adventure'.  I must admit at times I struggled to bring in more colour but once I got rolling I felt things came together.  Yes, there is still lots of greens but it has a sense of the life and colour the way it was the day I sat and painted by the lake.

This picture will be part of the Art in the Park 2014 running November 7 - December 5, 2014 in Revelstoke, BC.  The show will travel for a year promoting the 100th Anniversary of the Park and the Parks Program in Canada.  I have just learned that the show will be here in Surrey for June 2015 which means I will get to see it!!  Very excited about that!!

For information on working Plein Air see my Plein Air Adventures Page with this blog.  Lots of tips to help make your adventures Great!!

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

OMG!!! Is This Neat or What??!!

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

You know Journal are my Thing!

I have tried lots of different ones.

But, I think even for me,

This Journal is Over the Top!!

To begin with I had a Problem.

It was with my Artist in Residency at Revelstoke National Park this summer.  They wanted a Journal for our time in the park. It was only a short time so I really didn’t want to start one of my usual books.  What would I do with the rest of the book?  (I know, a bit of my thriftiness there!)  So I decided that I needed to make my own Journal just for that event. 

Basic travel kit for my Journal

I settled on a flip type journal.  The pages are like an accordion and you can make it as long or short as you like.  It worked great!  I attached it to a little clipboard and as you can see all my materials fit into a small ziplock bag:  small, compact, easy to carry and easy to use.  The pages are just right for a quick note or sketch, 3.5 in by 5.5 in.  My favourite medium is ink with graphite. ( You can do quick sketches and then get lots of values with your pencil, much faster than crosshatching with your pen.)

Front Cover: Balsam Lake

Back Cover: Mountain View from the Summit

 Of course my little journal needed a front and back cover and that is where the real fun began!!  I decided to use 4 x 6 in.  canvases that I have been holding on to forever.  I treated them with gesso and absorbent ground so I could use watercolour and then started painting.  It was so much fun to make little coloured pictures to go with the black and white pages.  (You know I love miniature things so this was all right up my alley!)

The finished pictures then had to be varnished to protect them, would you believe 6 coats?  After that I glued it all together with a cord to close it and my Journal was complete!

 Very neat eh?!!

Sorry to say I have to say good bye to my Journal for awhile it will be part of my work for the "Art in the Park 2014" show which will open Nov. 7- Dec. 5, 2014 in Revelstoke, BC.  The show will then travel for a year promoting the 100th Anniversary of the Park and the Parks Program in Canada. If you are in the area check out the show!

For more ideas for Plein Air work or Journaling see my Plein Air Adventures Page in my blog.  

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

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. 

Dancing Brushes are making their Debut

That's me in our workspace, one of our gallery areas is behind me.

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

Hey, we are really moving into the big times now – a real live artist community here in the ‘burbs’.  Yes, the Langley Arts Council has taken over the old CIBC bank and created an artist community.  Imagine all those little office spaces as individual artist workshops, even the vault is an artist gallery and work space. 




Yes, I am in the vault!!

I know in the city there are warehouse areas with artist’s studios but outside of that it is hard to find this kind of space.  I have moved in to a spot with a small group of artists, we are the Dancing Brushes and our workspace is the area that the tellers would have used and the whole back wall is our display area.  There are already over 20 artists moved in and more to come, very, very exciting for the art community and beyond. 

Entrance has seats and gallery space too!!

So come down and check it out, Artist in Residence Gallery, 20550 Fraser Hwy, open Mon-Sat 10-5pm.  I plan on being there 12:30-3:30 most Mondays and Fridays. 

My Short-Eared Owl – WIP

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY
It was crazy! While all the cameras and binoculars were focused on the snowy owls on the Mud Flats this winter, behind us were lots of other birds.As I walked along the dyke I saw this beautiful short eared owl enjoying the rising sun.When I really started to look around I saw there were several of them, swooping down among the grasses and bushes hunting for their prey.This was very exciting for me as it was a major bird sighting, my third owl species.Now that I have been working on my picture I realize I have seen them before in the distances but never realized it. 

My layout, I used frisket to save my foreground pieces

I loved the glow of the rising sun in my picture so I decided to use my watercolours for this project.I know a blue sky is pretty routine but honestly it was one of those cold, crisp winter days and the sky just had to be blue!!

 This is after I poured on some watercolour and then did a bit of shaping. 

Frisket is off and I started work on my foreground first to get a feel for my colours.  That and the fact I lost most of my pencil drawing when I removed the frisket so I had to redraw things!!

An exciting side note, my tulips, “Singled Out” from my last post has been accepted in the Federation of Canadian Artists juried show “Blossoms” and will be at their Granville Island Gallery from April 3-15.  

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE - Newton Cultural Center

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

 That's me hard at work on my latest project - my short-eared owl (you'll see him on the next blog)

Problem-solving, with an artist on their latest project, sharing ideas and even bringing in a laptop so we can sort out computer issues; these are just some of the things that are happening on Tuesday morning with Becky McMahon and myself, Artists in Residence at the Newton Cultural.  I am real enjoying the opportunity to meet and talk with the artists that stop by.  We end up having some great discussions and there is always something new to learn.  If times are slow, Becky and I have our own discussions about projects we are working so things are always lively, the morning just flies.  We are there on Tuesdays 10-12pm til April 27 and the program is free.

One of the initiatives that Becky and I are working on with the Arts Council of Surrey is a juried show "Just Birds" in the Culture Center Gallery for the month of June.  The theme of course is birds, one of many artists favourite subjects and so dear to many of our hearts.  As long as there is something about birds in your picture, that is all we ask.  Can you just imagine the variety we will get.  Photography and 3D works are also eligible so the variety will be limitless.  The entry deadline is Friday, April 27, 4pm. and it is an Open Call to Artists.  Applications are available by contacting the Arts Council of Surrey or by contacting Becky or myself. 

Becky with her latest project, she is putting a new twist to her work and it is really looking great.

Becky McMahon's http://www.triskeltreecreations.com/

Artists in Residence Program

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

SPRING DANCE

No, I have not started in a new direction in my art.  This picture, Spring Dance is by artist Becky McMahon who will be with me at the Newton Cultural Center, 13530 72 Ave. Surrey, BC for the Artists in Residence program.   On Tuesday morning 10-12pm, October 11 and every Tuesday after that ending on Dec 6, Becky and I will be at the Cultural Center in the main gallery area.  We are there to meet and talk with anyone visiting the gallery.  We will have some of our work there and will discuss it but more than that we are there to have art filled discussions with everyone on any topic: art, techniques, mediums, critiquing, events and basically anything artful.  Also we will be looking for direction for visual art programs to offer.  Becky already has a Chinese Brush Painting Class scheduled to start Saturday, Nov.  19, 26 and Dec. 3  and I have a One Day Marketing Workshop for Emerging Artists set for Sunday, October 23.  We think that being artists in residence at the center will be lots of fun, a great way to increase the profile of arts in the community and a real source of information and networking for artists.  I wish that all my internet friends could join us but I guess in a way we have our own artful talks here in our blogs. 

To check out more of Becky’s work or sign up for her class see www.triskeltreecreations.com .  For information and registration for the Marketing Workshop: Let’s Get Your Art Out There see my website www.artbywendy.com

AUTUMN DAYS AT THE LAKE

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER - 8 X 14

Oh, this was the September to be camping!!  We have just got back from our last trip of the season and it was the best!!  The weather was fabulous, often 30 during the day, the scenery was wonderful, and the fishing was great! What more could you ask?  My husband, Steve was busy each day arranging the tackle, getting worms and charging the electric motor and I was painting.  There was a surprising number of people camped at the lake with us so lots of company and stories and of course theories on fishing – Best Practices were the tale of the day.  The days just whizzed by, can’t believe we are home already.

SUMMER SUNSHINE - 4.5 X 6

Davis Lake is in the mountains, just south of Merritt.  It is just at the point where the forests are turning into the dry grasslands.  The landscape is so different from the coast, short pine and firs, lots of birch and poplar and huge areas of grassland.  Of course the fall colours were starting to show and on those sunny days everything just took on new life.  I know my photos and sketches just do not do it justice. 

Our Resident Loon

The trees and grasslands were beautiful

Often the water was just like glass on the lake, with the fish jumping, of course!!

A regular visitor to our camp, despite Rusty's efforts to chase him away!!

Positively: Ready for the Picking

Stage 1: After the Pour
Negativity Rules!! Yes, working on this picture has been an eye opener for me. I have really been horning my negativity skills. As you know from my previous posts I took the watercolor pouring workshop with Leslie Redhead and these grapes were one of our projects. We did this as a practice before we took on our ‘major picture’ of poppies. (No, you haven’t missed that picture as it isn’t finished yet!)
Stage 2: Starting Negative Painting. Course is over and I am on my own!!
Stage 1 picture shows what it looks like after the pouring and then in stage two I started to define leaves and grapes by stressing the negative rather than the positive aspects of each leaf and grape. At first I really didn’t know where or how to develop things but as I worked I began to understand how it worked. I thought I could move around the picture and you can see isolated grapes as well as clusters in the stage two piece. I quickly learned that you must ‘move out ‘from the defined area so you can build and connect things. Fortunately they are non-staining transparent colors as I was doing lots of scrubbing out and redefining those isolates. I also made the mistake of not taking my colours to the edges of the paper. I took a deep breath, said good bye to my hard work and repoured the bottom half of the picture; I think it turned out great!! Then with a little creative cropping to fit it into a frame, I was suddenly done.

Ready for Picking - 7.5 x 10.5 - Available

(I did it!!!)

Great Workshop with Leslie Redhead

The Main Lodge at Painters Lodge, Campbell River, BC

Wendy pouring the grapes, our practise picture.

Becky, finding the negatives to create her leaves around the poppies.

Talk about an inspiring three day – Becky McMahon, a fellow artist and I have just returned from a three day workshop at Painters Lodge in Campbell River. We had a really good time. The workshop was wonderful, pouring watercolours with floral, the food at the Lodge was a gourmet delight, the rooms were lovely and the ocean view was breathtaking. If you are looking for a nice little getaway check out Painters, they also offer many different types of 3 day events that are also fun to do: painting, photography, and yoga are just a few.
For our class, we were pouring watercolour. First we masked out our main flowers and then poured away. We were blowing, spritzing , and using our fingers to move the paint around. I am not much of a finger person but I did get my fingers dirty!! Then it was painting the positives for our flowers and looking for the negatives for our leaves. We did a practice piece with grapes first and then on to our poppies. I really enjoyed the class and I really stretched myself. You will notice at the end the size of the picture I am holding, that is just HUGE for me. I have never worked on such a BIG piece of paper. Of course we didn’t finish but I am going to plug away and see what I can do with my grapes and poppies. Leslie does lovely watercolours and you can check out her work at http://leslieredheadart.blogspot.com/ . Becky's usual medium is chinese brush painting on rice paper and you can see her work is at http://www.triskeltreecreations.com/

Becky and Leslie, definitely happy with the results.
Wendy and Leslie, can you believe this is a half sheet??!!

WIP: Kona – The Baby

Yes, we have a new grandpuppy in the family; Kona, a sister for Sierra, our other grandpuppy. (See Post for January 4, 2011) She is a Tibetan Pomeranian, like her sister, great looking dogs and smart as a whip. Of course I have to draw her!! We were puppy sitting last week so I took lots of pictures of the two dogs. On Monday, I was teaching a class on drawing animals at My Art Corner in Burnaby and I thought little Kona would be a great subject. She has lovely colored fur lots of darks and white so good opportunities to show working with both. We had a great class, the time just fly we were all so focused on our work. Now I am anxious to finish her as she is coming along so well.
Our first day as Artist in Residence, yesterday, went very well. Things started off quiet at first and Becky and I wondered if that was going to be the order of the day but then people started to arrive. We had two very persistent artists from Maple Ridge that persevered and found their way after we sent out invitations with the wrong address on them (We sent out corrections yesterday afternoon so hopefully everyone knows for next week). They had brought a variety of pieces of work for critiquing and then we had a very productive conversation on pricing artwork. Others arrived to talk about art, brought books and pictures to share and things just took off from there. Before we knew it, we were packing up and our morning was gone.