Lesson in Abstract

September 28, 2025.Reading time 1 minute.

I signed up for a ten-day free painting course a while back. I compromised of 5 exercises and 5 zoom meetings to discuss the process. It was actually quite excellent. Lesson 1 was to tape off two large pieces of paper, each into six sections. Then setting a timer to 30 minutes, painting on the […]

Sunflowers and smiles

January 23, 2023.Reading time 1 minute.

A local craft shop owner makes votives in yellow and blue with sunflowers on them and all proceeds go to Ukrainians. A BC retailer saw her work online and ordered 100 candles, selling them at $5.00 each. Ryan Reynolds saw the effort and doubled the intake. She sent much of the proceeds to a non-profit […]

Creativity Is A Blessing

July 18, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Ideas follow me around like little children tugging on my pant leg, begging attention. I’ve been brushing them aside, too unwell to give any them any energy, but with summer’s arrival and pending visits at Grandma’s camp, I push myself to get out the paints. Untrained myself, I watch videos to gain knowledge and inspiration. […]

Birthday Art

May 2, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

I started the tradition – a challenge really – to create a painting for each of my family members’ birthdays. The challenge continues, as the birthdays keep coming. What to paint for my daughter-in-law, who has already claimed many of my art pieces? I wanted something personal and meaningful, so I decided to tackle an […]

Arting People

March 21, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Faces and bodies intimidate me, when it comes to art. So I decided to start simply, with this computerized sketch (featured) made from an old photograph of one of my girls. I have found with my sketching that adhering to the original is not always necessary, as long as I get the general idea. This […]

Self-Portrait and Mountains

March 7, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Many moons ago, I won an award for my artistic talents and was immediately counselled to drop the art program. That same year, I wrote my first novel, and after it was graded, I burnt it. I wasn’t meant to be creative, I decided, and obediently signed up for advanced math and other academic subjects. […]

A Fresh Approach

February 23, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

It started with a tree. Something about the texture of the bark appealed to me, so I took a picture. Then I examined the image on my computer, and pondered what the image was saying to me. Did it need altering? Was it worth keeping? Every time I looked at it, I was drawn to […]

Coastal Dreams: Watercolour

December 28, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Oceans hold particular allure for those of us who live mid-country and have certainly been the subject of many of my recent paintings. The beach scene featured, I painted for our middle daughter, who loves all things coastal. I tried to feature colours that would match with her current art pieces. Painting for another is […]

Art Inspires Hope

November 6, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

There is a painter inside of me busting to get out. She talks to me, while I am working – makes suggestions, helps me pick the right brush, encourages different strokes. I like it when she is present. Listening to her is an act of letting go. It is a form of trusting. A growing […]

Cee’s Flower of the Day: Sunflower

October 5, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Cee has invited me to join in even though I don’t know the name of many flowers. I do love to photograph them though, and this sunflower really spoke to me on my walk a couple of days ago. Sadly, as I passed it by this evening, the petals are all gone and the stalk […]