Watching and Waiting 8x16 oil SOLD

My husband is on vacation and the kids are going full tilt trying to complete their 4H projects. It seems Mom the Domestic Goddess is in constant demand as my time has not been my own!

Studio time has been nil and this long weekend we are going to Fortress Louisburg and just like the trip to Peggys Cove and Lunenburg my reference photos are increasing in number exponentially.

I hope you'll bear with me!

The painting above is of a young heifer that was owned by a farm I used to work for. She always had the most beautiful markings and on this day looked so restful I was just lucky enough to capture her first on film and then on canvas. Sometimes it all works easily!

Purposeful Aggravation!

Do you ever wonder why we do things we know aggravate us?? After my last rant about acrylics I decided to let my inner child run free with a design idea for an entrance sign for our house.

We live in a concrete house and for some unknown infuriating reason people do not use our functioning doorbell. They would rather use the medival method of tapping on the door. Just like ancient times, inhabitants could not hear the rapping of human knuckles on a door we present rural dwellers can not hear visitors announcing their presence through the 12 inch walls of our home. So the idea of the sign came into play, use an old slate tile from a renovated church and politely leave a note on the sign urging them to use the doorbell. Also they can leave a message in chalk when they leave. Sounds like a plan right???

I wanted something summery and with butterfly's as I view them as harbingers of good will. I decided to use acrylics. Why??? Why do you pick at a scab? Because it is itchy and you want it fixed. So I figured that attempting acrylics again would help me master this new medium.

Good plan, dumb execution. Why would any sane person choose a black piece of slate to try and paint beautiful translucent creatures with transparent paint?? I must have been mad to ever think I could do this. Surprisingly I found myself enjoying the experience and learning even more about acrylic paints and how they perform. The best thing I learned....... use a canvas when you want to learn a new technique. A new medium on a new "canvas" usually increases ones blood pressure to new heights!

All kidding aside I am pleased at the final outcome and although the photo is a poor representation of the actual colours in the sign it was a fun enjoyable experience.

Even if I did question my sanity!!!

Feeling the past

Cave Ponies 8x10 oil

I love this painting. I while back I was asked to talk to a group of elementary students about heritage/traditional activities. I talked about art and asked them what the oldest painting looked liked. The usual expected responses came up with Leonardo & the Mona Lisa but they were very surprised when I showed them pictures of cave drawings. The kids were fascinated and while some debated whether or not cave paintings qualified as art work I became inspired also.

I went home and looked at other cave paintings and I decided to try one...in a modern sense, I am a modern girl after all! I only used 4 colours, ones I knew could be found in real life and I limited the brushes I used. I love the warmth and simlicity this painting shows and if I had to live in a cave I'd have colours and prancing ponies on the walls too!

Gleann Kite Bailey 16x20 oil Portrait SOLD

No daily painting today, just one of my regular portrait paintings for your viewing pleasure!

This lovely lady is Grand Champion Cow at the 2009 Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition. Being a Red & White Holstein and a champion to boot makes her very special.

I have been painting portraits of Maritime and Canadian cattle for well over a decade and this is the first red & white Holstein that I have done. I must say it was a welcome change from the black and whites that have been a staple of my profession.

It was an added bonus as I used to work for the owner of this cow and I know I milked her mother and grandmother! It is a small small world!

Computer confusion and New Directions

Shubenacdie Wolf 12X8 Coloured pencil

So we have finally found out what my computer has been suffering from. Apparently it has "bulging compasitors". I wonder if that is like "bulging waist bands"! I am told that a computer can not function with such an affliction. I can sympathize. I can't tie my shoes sometimes. I feel your hurt computer.

Davids computer and I have some issues and if it doesn't begin to work on my brain waves I might just teach it a new skill .... like flying. Sorry about the two posts in one day. I actually posted the "Wednesday " post at 12:20 Wednesday morning but I guess Dave's computer works in a different time zone. Catch up you stupid hunk a junk! :P

The picture before you folks to day is inspired by John Neito and Dee Sanchez, they are two unique artists who use bold electric colours (Neito) and black outlines (Sanchez) to define their subjects. While watching The Nature of Things last night and rifling through my stockpile of photos I came across a serviceable but not special photo of a wolf who is a resident at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park. While not strong enough to stand on its own as a portrait in my style I rather liked the idea of combining these two artists style in a rendition of this beautiful creature. I started with creating a realistic eye to hold the soul and then I let loose the creative juices! It was very fun!

Reasonably sane again!

Sunrise on My Front Step 6x4 oil
Now that I went back to my first love, oils, I feel considerably more in tune with my "inner child". You know the one. The one that jumps up and down crowing with joy at getting what it really wanted. I am glad I tried the acrylics and I can see myself using them again in the future but kinda like my daughter who believes potatoes are an abomination and scowls each and every time they are placed on her plate I may make many foul faces until I finally get the hang of acrylics.

Until then I will stay in my happy place for a bit. Happily pushing oil paints around my canvas trying desperately to recreate the world around me works better with oil paints. Today I just slathered, muooshed and bullied my paint and I liked it. If you look at this picture and feel that I took artistic license, please come visit me. I am lucky enough to witness mornings like this and better on a regular basis. Come see for yourself if you don't believe.

How to drive an oil painter INSANE!

Cobequid Bay, Anne's Beach 6x4 Acrylic

Sorry about the irregularity of these posts. My computer is still in ICU and poor Dave has been using his computer in an attempt to give it some "moral" support. I thought computers were supposed to make mankind's life easier???
As the title suggests I have ventured into another medium in my efforts to "grow" as an artist. I think all I accomplished was finding new ways to become mad, frustrated and generally MORE evil tempered!
I know there are artists out there who swear by acrylics. I do to...swear I mean. Was there ever another medium created that could be more contrary and aggravating?????? For those of you who have never enjoyed the experience of shoving instantly drying acrylic paint across a pristine canvas to create an image that is so illusive that finding a real live Yeti seems somewhat more attainable, let me explain the subtle differences between oil and acrylic.
Acrylics were created when the Supreme ruler of mediums (Oil paints) got drunk in the wrong side of town and found the loosey goosey medium, Watercolour. Their resultant offspring was a joyous collection of both mediums WORST characteristics. Since oils have NONE, I think you can ascertain the issues I had. The colours were transparent, uggh. The paint dried while I contemplated the appropriated colour combinations, Yikes.
And my favorite, well actually there was no favorite, I am just glad that I have my wonderful luscious standby, oils to return to with a feeling of unmitigated joy! I might just leave the acrylics to my kids as they demand that instant gratification and are happy with the simultaneous results. I however will return to my malleable luxurious oils and contemplate the meaning of life while I push paint across an inviting canvas.

Shell Thoughts 4x4 Oil

My kids are home from a week long camp. After spending the afternoon washing clothing that had a smell that most hockey players would run from we settled into the conversation of "what cha been uptoo?"
My son walked down the hall to the studio and immediately noticed the painting "Lotsa Go" and proclaimed this to be the "coolest ever" and admonished that I should do all my paintings in this style.
When he went into the studio and saw the Meerkat painting excitedly said "I love this. You should do all your paintings in this style"
I love the kids reactions to my art. They are so honest. They tell it exactly as they see it and it is like a breath of fresh air. When I dyed my hair a rather unbecoming shade of red that wouldn't wash out no matter how many trips I made through the faucet my son just looked at me and quietly said, "Oh Mom. Can you fix it?" All my husband said was "If you like it." My kids, handed me a hat each and everytime I left the house!
Shell Thoughts is my new attempt at something different. I actually think it is a migraine residue! My brain is still recovering from that delightful experience but even as I will probably always equate this painting with funky post migraine disorder, my daughter, who is a little funky too, strolled past this morning saw this picture and said "Cool Mom. I love it."
What started out as a painting of a small shell turned into a illustrated Native inspired story. If you look closely you'll see the earth, sky and sea represented along with a pair of hands around the shell. It was a fun painting to do and as I explore the world of artistic license I find more and more things to inspire me. Having children that act as an honesty gauge helps prevent me from entering that "I'm an artist and you wouldn't understand" trap.
I think we should listen to young people more often.

How to defeat the bad guys

Ross Castle Raven 5x3 oil

A couple of days ago, 1/2 through a 1 hour hike I was stricken with a migraine. It has been decades since I found myself caught unawares and unprepared. Now I had 1.5 km of boot camp inspired toe tripping interlacing networks of roots to navigate not to mention the multitudes of stairs and ravines to climb before I could find refuge in my truck.

For those of you who have never experienced the joy of a migraine let me enlighten you. It is NOT just a headache. First your eye sight goes causing you to experience the "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" visuals making it impossible to navigate the earths surface. Then you get the beginnings of a headache. This feels like some insane baker is cramming an egg beater into each eye socket prior to turning it on.

If you are lucky, you get a good healthy dose of drugs into you and none of that "health conscious" crap, you go for the most toxic, warp speed premium strength stuff you can lay your hands on because if you don't, these babies will have you suffering for days. You'll lay in your bed weeping and praying for God to kill you and the nauseousness that follows would leave the crews of Deadliest Catch crying like toddlers because all you need is for a butterfly to fly by the CN tower to cause your stomach to compete in the gastrointestinal Olympics. I would prefer the deck of the Time Bandit on 40 foot seas in the Bering Sea to my bed during a migraine.

The best thing about Migraines, is if you don't get your life saving drugs into you quick enough then you experience residual headaches for about 3 days. Your stomach is screwed and you get the shakes. A friend of mine get hospitalized during his attacks and he was told that receiving a needle full of botulism directly into his brain 2 x a year for a cost of $1500 each time SHOULD cure him. This is a life long treatment. Some choice. Uggh, he is seriously considering it. Not that I blame him.

So if the world powers would ever like the chance to bring down a rival nation, find a way to induce migraines. I guarantee it to be the quickest easiest way to bring an army of soldiers to their knees and have them curled up in the fetal position and praying for their mommies!

On a happier note...

The painting featured today is one based on a photo from Ross Castle Ireland. The castle was beautiful and the area was home to a multitude of birds. The ravens were great as they hung around us tourists hoping for a tasty morsel so they were not opposed to having a silly Canadian photographing them.

The Meerkats Meow

Busch Garden Meerkat 7x5 oil

Do Meerkats meow??? Don't know, don't care, I liked the title for todays post, cats meow..... ;)

I am still limping along without my computer and having to play nice with Daves' is a bit tiring but one's obsession must be fulfilled, that being posting paintings!

This little fellow was a resident at Busch Gardens when we visited Florida a while back. He and his flock/herd/gang/family were so adorable and soooooo photogenic that I have what seems like several hundred photos of this fellow and all of his assorted family members.

I love the way this painting turned out and although this computer representation is not 100% true to the original, something was definitely lost in translation , I still am really happy with the outcome. You'll just have to come visit and see the original!

Technology Woes

Cork Cormorant 3x5 Oil

The featured painting today is of a little cormorant I used to see everyday while we were visiting Cork Ireland. The little hotel had a fair sized river separating it from the main roadway and in this river was a log upon which this fellow had made his nest. Every time I strolled past there he (she??) was and I have numerous pictures of him from many different angles as he was so photogenic. I personally think this fellow loved to have his photo taken, the glory hound!

I apologize for there being no post yesterday. It appears that my computer has some sort of terminal illness and I am now working off David's computer which as I type keeps popping up with "low Battery " reminders. Uggg. Using a new computer is some what akin to what speed dating must be like. You zip in, try to get as much accomplished as possible in the least amount of time and then zip out hoping you've done enough to warrant another visit. I am pretty lazy so trying to figure out the idiosyncrasies of this computer doesn't seem to be worth the effort. We'll see if the second date improves our relationship!! LOL

Little Puss

Roamin 5x4 oil

The daily I have for you today is of our now deceased cat Roamin. He was a cool cat and earned his name honestly as he liked to follow me on my walks. I used to walk about 2 miles down to the dikelands along the shore of the Bay of Fundy and he would trot along beside better the dog would. When we moved to the new place he would follow me along the trails of MacElmon Pond. It was this desire to travel and experience life that eventually led to his demise although Dave feels it was his recent neutering that caused him to lose his will to live. (Men!!) Regardless, Roamin and automobiles did not have a compatible relationship and the kids and I gave him a proper burial alongside Carmel the chicken and Mikey the dog.

We miss him even though his sister still lives here. Cloudy is another sort of character all together. It is hard to believe that two different souls could have shared the same womb! I guess that is true of the human race.

Cobequid Bay 6x6 oil

A little scene from the Cobequid Bay which is the smaller more land bound end of the World Famous Bay of Fundy. When the tides first recede they leave the silt very moist and they reflect the colour of the sky in such a manner that it looks like there is still water in the bay. It really is a very pretty thing to see. Since we live near the Bay and I frequently travel long it I have seen many interesting sides of it. The winter scenes are very unique as the tides move the ice and the look changes twice a day. You never see the same thing twice around here!

Lotsa Go 20x10 oil portrait


Today you get to look at the final painting for a different style for me. It was so much fun and I spent the whole day working on it. I am actually kind of sad it is done!

I love the feeling of movement and the excitement this painting creates and I like the look of it much better than the photo which s saying a lot since I am a stickler for great photos.

We are now reaching the high 20's for temp and much like the rainy grey days these days have me hiding out in my studio to. I think I must have been a groundhog in another life! Unless your at the beach they are just too hot to be outside!

Wild n Colourful

Sorry for no post yesterday. We had some sort of computer/internet issue and I could not get on line. It is amazing when you lose the ability to get on line how disconnected you can feel. I never knew how addicted I was to my routine!

I am really excited about this new painting. It started out a few months ago with my general blocking in of the colours and my husband came in and looked at it remarking "I like it that way. You shouldn't change it." So I stared at it for several months wondering if I would do an impressionistic blocking style on it or not. This is not my regular style and being the control freak that I am it took quite some time to convince myself to try it.

It would not have been that much of a big deal except that this is a larger sized canvas than I usually deal in but as you can see I got brave and boy am I ever pleased! It has been a long time since a painting had be so tickled. I think it should be really cool when it is done!

Knowing when to stop

The Modern Texel 7x5 oil

Another sheep today! I think sheep are wonderful and they are the one shining light in the world of Agriculture right now.

In Canada we are presently importing nearly 60% of all the lamb we consume. The latest prediction has the Canadian market importing 80% off all the lamb it consumes by 2012.

If those numbers were applied to the dairy or poultry sectors there would be a national out cry. There is some hope though. Many young people are beginning to enter the world of business by owning their own flocks. My own daughter is starting out in the 4H Sheep project and she is not the only one. If we can not convince established farmers to become involved in the sheep industry then I guess we have to encourage the youth of this nation. So next time you go to the local exhibition and see kids involved in 4H tell them they are doing a good job. They are after all the future of farming.

To days painting was intended to be a more detailed type of work but when I was doing my under coat I just loved the way the colours lay and the whole look of the piece and so I decided to leave as is. I hope you like this too.

Baa Baa Kinda Black Sheep

Catching Some Rays 8x10 oil

I am lucky enough to own sheep and my huge flock of 4 keeps me highly entertained. I have "Bella" a purebred Clun Forest ewe lamb who will make her debut in the 4H world this year with my daughter. I have "Precious" who is my Favorite, a Purebred Rideau Arcott who was the orphaned runt of a litter of four. She was slated to go to the butcher but her personality was so ...personable I had to take her home. She has since become a fantastic mother a great ambassador for the sheep industry as she loves pats and belly rubs.

Then I have Abbey and Eve. Named so for the reference to "Adam" And "Eve" only instead of being the first humans they are the first sheep on the Fullerton Farm. These critters are Clun Forest X Blue Faced Leister ewes and what Beauties they are. I bought Abbey because she is just like Precious in temperament and having kids who like to take their friends for walks in the animal paddocks I need animals that wouldn't send the kids to the ER! These girls are the toughest easiest to care for sheep I have ever met. They love to rest in the snowbanks and storms have them frolicking in the fields reminding me of Sgt. Dan in Forest Gump during that Hurricane scene. Truely crazy. Precious loves them, mainly because when they are outside she gets the whole shed to herself!

This is Abbey, just soaking up the rays one morning. I was very pleased with how the wool turned out. It looks really superb from about 15 feet away. Abbs was in full fleece when this photo was taken and now that she has been shorn she looks rather like a well fed goat which only proves that I have more pasture than sheep! I am working on my hubby to convince him more sheep would be a good plan. The plan of attack is, if I get more sheep I won't have space for more horses. Since he is typical of the male species catering to his tummy is usually a persuavive way to win any argument! It is much easier to put roast lamb on the table than roast horse!

I have plans to do more of the woolie beasties as all my sheep friends keep pestering me to stop painting "those foolish cows" and focus on something truely beautiful!

Canadian Bacon!

Olde English Suffolk 3x5 oil SOLD

A funky little piggy for todays post. It is based on Great Great Grandfathers Vet book and was fun to do. I have a few plans to try other species and I might even try them in acrylics. We'll see how that goes!
Canada Day was great. We celebrated like everyone else but I think the best part was the fireworks. Not just because it was a brilliant show that brought a smile to even the most jaded individual, but because of one little kid.

I don't know who he was but his little squeals of joy throughout the display lightened every ones mood and at the very end he screamed enthusiastically ( don't all kids do it this way?!)

"I love this. I love this. I love this day!"

The toddler said it best!!

Happy Canada Day!

Prowly Cougar 16x8 oil (left)

Our Nations Birthday and Holiday is today and what better weather could we ask for? None!

This is the final picture of the Prowly Cougar. I love how it has turned out. From day 1 it has looked predatory and unrestrainable. Even now he looks like he is ready to walk right of the canvas. He looks so arrogant and I love it!

Prowly Cougar - detail (right)

I have more pictures of him and one of them is a very close up head shot where he actually has a good dollop of drool hanging from his mouth! When I first saw it on the photo I thought it must have been a defect in the picture but no, he was hungry and I think I must have been looking very tasty to him!