Signed, sealed but not delivered

I don't have much to say today. Loud winds outside are
accompanied by heavy rain. I am finishing up two pieces
for submission into a show at Todmorden Mills tomorrow.

One of the pieces for tomorrow's
entry
Still working on it
36" x 36"
acrylic on canvas
(actually a peach coloured background -- not orange)

I hope you had a creative weekend. I'll talk more tomorrow.

Here's to a miraculously fun Monday.

Enjoying fall's bounty

On Saturday morning it's hard to hurry period. I
just want to read the Globe, drink my coffee and
unwind from the hectic week with the cats. But
since we found the Brick Works Farmers' Market
last weekend, I've been dreaming about going back.
http://www.evergreen.ca/rethinkspace/?p=148

This week we bought tomatoes, basil, onions, grape
jelly, a hand picked, hand designed bouquet of
beautiful flowers, and a huge burrito filled with
a delicious mixture, which we split for lunch.

One of the gardens at the
Brick Works.
The children's willow tunnel is at
the right hand side of the picture
and is set between two rows of
10 ft. high sunflowers

I took this little picture of the garden with its
willow entrance for Flora, my friend in Nova
Scotia, who used to paint here, and wouldn't
believe the transformation. This is an old Brick
Works, that used to make the great red brick
that is everywhere in older Toronto homes.

I've been painting today, but my work isn't
ready for display yet. It's still at a rudimentary
stage. I'm sure you'll understand. It
must be ready by tomorrow night, so I'll show
you then.

Have a "what could be better?" day tomorrow.

Blocked briefly

Hi everyone,

I have no idea why my September 10 post listing my
"Brilliante Weblog Award" choices was blocked from
comment, but please feel free to comment on later
blogs. I will be writing more later today and
posting an image. But for now I just wanted
to get the message out.

Steven and Timbah relaxing,
that's Sam's dying palm tree in the pot
heading for the compost
(Note to self -- we've got to clean that window.)

I teach this afternoon, so have to drive to King
City, north of Toronto, and the traffic Friday
afternoon is pretty thick. Even so, as an artist
I am always happy on the drive, listening to my
music and looking at everything. They say
we artists actually have different brains, and I think it's
true. If I'm not sick, and my family is well, and
I've eaten, I am almost always happy -- because
there's always something to look at. So here's
to keeping the eyes working. Even when traffic
is completely stuck there are flights of birds
swooping up and down as if to music, there's
the light reflected off the car windows, and the
shiny sides of clean cars, and for a portrait
painter there are the people stuck with me,
moving in the opposite direction. So much to see!!!

So if you want to comment on the great blogs I've
chosen, you can do it on this blog (I hope), I
can't understand what's happening with the
other one, but I don't have time to investigate
either.

Here's to open communication on the internet.
Long may it continue.

A wonderful mother model

Iris
18" x 24"
acrylic on bond paper

I had fantastic visits with two extraordinary
women today, so didn't get painting until tonight.
But I've been working steadily for four hours and it's
bed time.

Here's a rapid sketch I did of an elegant British
lady who posed for us one night at our class.
She was an artist's mother, visiting from
England, and a great model. She sat in this very
proper and straight posture, dressed in lush colours.
I like the agitation in my painting. I think I was
just excited by her gutsiness.

I'm glad that this was such a good day, because
it is the anniversary of my father's death --
long ago now, and of September 11, so
it was appropriate to spend time with kind
friends, and to appreciate all that is
special about our lives.

Have a thoughtfully happy day.

The wonderful world of art blogs

Steven and Fiona,
I think I'll have to turn this into a painting

I'm sure I've written about this before, and will
again, but I find the whole world of art blogs,
and the people I've met this summer through
their work -- so exciting.

To honour Theresa Rankin, and her kind choice
of me as one of the artists in a list of very good
people whose work she admires, I must
put the list of my choices for the "Brilliante Weblog Award"
in here tonight.







1. Flora Doehler, because without her inspiration
I would not have had an art blog in the first place
http://floramary.wordpress.com/category/bear-river
Flora is my friend in art, and in the world. We
met through her painting, and have been firm
friends ever since. We've shown together numerous
times, and she writes a fantastic blog about her
big move to the small Nova Scotia town of
Bear River, and her happy life there.

2. Theresa Rankin, who gave me this incredible
award, and has been a source of support and
inspiration since I first saw her blog, and she
saw mine. I am indebted to her, and delighted
by both her work and her thoughts, and
frequently have to laugh as I drive to school
north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that I have
an artist friend in Carthage, Missouri.
http://theresarankinfineart.blogspot.com/

3. The same holds true for Eldon Warren,
who is a superb landscape painter in oil.
Eldon, like Theresa is a good writer. You
feel like you would love to meet him over
a coffee, and listen to him tell stories
about painting in the Colorado mountains,
and his blog does that.
http://eldonwarren.wordpress.com/

4. Aaron Lifferth is the painter who introduced
me to many of the other blogs I visit. He doesn't
know that, but when someone comments on
his blog, I frequently look that person up,
thinking that if that person likes Aaron's work too,
I will probably enjoy seeing her/his paintings. I can't
remember how I found Aaron, but I think
it was through Karen Jurick's blog.
Every time I look at Aaron's work I am
speechless with admiration. I don't know
how he paints like that, but I'd love to
learn. Besides I love what he says on his blog tonight,
and I agree. "Tired, tired, tired."
http://aaronlifferth.blogspot.com/

5. Karen Jurick is an astounding painter.
She paints people, scenes, cityscapes,
animals....just about everything.
She has a series of paintings of people
looking at paintings in galleries that is
just brilliant. She is self taught,
and has a divinely inspired talent. Plus she
does wonderful painting videos on You tube.
http://karinjurick.blogspot.com/

6. Belinda del Pesco is one of the most
experimental daily painters I've seen on the net.
She does most types of painting and gives
wonderful clear demonstrations of how she
proceeds. She produces woodcuts, lino
prints drawings, and monoprints, watercolours
and the list goes on. Her work is vibrant,
moving and beautiful. Most of the paintings
on her blog are small works, and it boggles my
mind that she can pack so much into a small
space.
http://belindadelpesco.blogspot.com/

7. Laurel Daniel is a magnificent landscape
painter in oils. Her work is fresh and exciting,
and her design is unique. I love her use of colour,
and I could spend a week just trying to learn
what it is she does with trees. Then I'd have to
move on to water, hills, grass, sky. I'd probably
have to move to Texas.
http://laureldaniel.blogspot.com/

8. I know I'm only supposed to mention 7
artists, but I have to break the rules and add on
two more. Susan Carlin is an absolutely
supreme portrait artist. Not only that she is
fast. She can produce a lovely portrait in
a very short time frame. Susan hosts a
wonderful live online video show on Sundays at
1 p.m., and it is well worth checking out.
Watching it feels like the next best thing to
dropping into her studio and watching her
work.
http://susansartjournal.blogspot.com/

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/susancarlin

9. Liza Hirst, is a painter who brings a
warm southern France sensibility to life in
her paintings. She is incredibly prolific and
paints landscapes, portraits, townscapes,
interiors, animals, and more. As well as
being enormously talented she is one of
the most phenomenally organized
artists I've met through the internet.
http://www.lizamoveson.blogspot.com/

That's it for today.

I will probably give out more awards some time when it's
allowed. It feels like a kind of "pay it forward" award,
and I love the entire idea of honouring the people
who inspire my creative life.

Here are the rules for the "Brilliante Weblog Award".
I'm delighted to give this award on to you. As an artist
I am inspired by everything you create.
Thanks for being exceptional artists and bloggers.

Rules of Acceptance:

1. Put the logo on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.
6. Participation is entirely voluntary (of course!).
7. Have fun...honoring the bloggers who inspire you regularly.

Thank you for adding an entire new and meaningful
dimension to my life as an artist.

I won't have time to fulfill the entire assignment tonight.
I taught all day today, and my ankle is hurting tonight.
But I've begun. Thanks to everyone in my life for
making it a joy.

Some of the links don't seem to be working tonight,
so I'll fix that in the morning.

To those bloggers I visit who aren't artists, thank you
too. I love what you do, but unless I'm mistaken this
award is for art blogs. Correct me if I'm wrong Theresa.

I haven't had a chance to paint today, but tomorrow
I'll paint for most of the day, so more pictures to come.

Have a joyfully creative day.

Starting big from small sources

Hi there,

I spent a lot of the day today in my car checking chores off the
interminable list. I wanted to paint at class tonight, but I'm
committed to a big 30" x 30" painting for submission to
a show on Monday. So that pretty much means I have to
paint me -- someone I know well enough to try and go at
a breakneck speed, given that I teach all day tomorrow,
and Friday afternoon.

I apologize for the photos tonight.
This is actually a white canvas
30" x 30"
with beginning of the underpainting
of yellow, pink, orange and a touch of red
to create peach

Steven took some pictures of me, he printed them out
4" x 6 " and I waded in. The photos of the painting's
development have worked out badly because I guess
there was less light than I thought,
and I may not have had the flash on. But this is a kind
of underpainting beginning. The small photo was too
tiny for face reference, and I need better reference
for the hands, because I'm holding brushes.

At our art club, we have to submit the names of
our work almost a month in advance of a show. A month
ago I was having big trouble with large work because
of my broken ankle, so I gave in a name of a yet
to be realized work. The name was "Work in Progress",
and I thought I am one of my works in progress for
sure, so there it is.

I want to try and keep a freshness in it, even though
it will be mostly done from photo reference. But
I will use a mirror too. Right now it doesn't
look like me, but it has the lively happy air I'm
going to try for.

How far I got tonight.

The background is a light peach pink colour.
Something's gone a bit odd with the light
or the camera -- or I hear you -- me.-

I do love painting, and I work on being a happy
person even when times are tough, so the
painting should say that. Big day at school
tomorrow. I'm tired now.

Have a getting-it-all-done day.

Well hey I won an award!

Things are heating up on the school/painting front, with
lots of art deadlines coming up. I'm painting big time,
but nothing is ready for your inspection, so I'm going
through the sketches and paintings I've done in recent
years just to keep the images flowing.

Figure study
acrylic on watercolour paper
18" x 24"

And today I've been incredibly happy driving up to
class (1 1/2 hours) thinking about all of the wonderful
artists I'm meeting through the blog network. It
just makes me feel like the luckiest artist on earth.
So when I came home after a long day of teaching
and working hard at helping the kids be enthusiastic,
cheering them on, and delving into the world of
writing and school success, sporting my air cast and
crutches, I was absolutely thrilled to see that Theresa Rankin,
http://theresarankinfineart.blogspot.com/
who I was meaning to talk about tonight as a superb
landscape and still life painter -- has awarded me the
"Brilliante Weblog"award.

The award -- Hurray!

There are a bunch of rules and I'll write more about
the award, the rules, and who I'll nominate tomorrow,
but for now this is exciting news. One of the other
landscape artists whose work I think is fabulous is
and who has been very supportive is Eldon Warren.
http://eldonwarren.wordpress.com/
I think I initially met both of these artists through
their comments on Aaaron Lifferth's blog.
http://aaronlifferth.blogspot.com/
Aaron's daily paintings showcase, glass containers,
and fruits, among other things. He makes
composition look like it's easy, and his paintings
are always fresh and done with a flourish I envy.

One of the beautiful Cleomes in our garden

I'm short on time for doing the work required for
winning that award Theresa, but I promise to
do so as soon as possible.

Have a loving the world you work in day!