A Labour of Love
Sometimes I'm asked why I paint on (mostly) large canvases. Because, the way I paint, it can take a long time to finish a painting.... So it requires a lot of patience.
And because they are so big, they aren't easy to move around. Sometimes I have to rent a large vehicle to transport them...
Sometimes I'm asked why I paint on (mostly) large canvases. Because, the way I paint, it can take a long time to finish a painting.... So it requires a lot of patience.
And because they are so big, they aren't easy to move around. Sometimes I have to rent a large vehicle to transport them.
They're not something you can hang over the sofa either, so they're not for everyone...
They are large, colourful statement pieces with a story to tell...
Sometimes I think it would be fun to whip off a painting or two in an afternoon...
And it would be!
But truth be told, I really enjoy my labours of love. I like a big project...
I think we paint the way we are (and I love big ideas and big visions!)
So I'll continue on with my large labours of love.
And... Since it's Labour Day this weekend, I thought I'd offer a flash sale on any print in my print store - (A smaller version of my labour of love).
But just until Monday, September 4th at midnight! Just enter LABOUROFLOVE at check out and receive 20% off all prints!
Hope for the flowers...
Flowers as Muse
I’m in love with colour and all things beautiful...
And a flower represents the very essence of beauty.
Flowers lift my spirit and make my heart sing!
A flower has its own unique character and personality,..
Flowers as Muse
I’m in love with colour and all things beautiful...
And a flower represents the very essence of beauty.
Flowers lift my spirit and make my heart sing!
A flower has its own unique character and personality,
(This is what I paint).
And there's a story in each painting.
With colour and shape the characters are created on canvas,
Then the painting takes on a life of its own...
I'm starting a new little flower painting. Here's a video of the very beginning... Mapping out the details:
Down the rabbit hole... 🐰
Take a trip down the rabbit hole… and experience a whole, new dimension to art…
at my 3D Art Show!
Take a trip down the rabbit hole… and experience a whole, new dimension to art…
at my 3D Art Show!
“I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole—and yet—and yet—it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life!” ~ Lewis Carroll
This show is part of the North Shore Art Crawl on Saturday and Sunday, March 4th and 5th, from 10 am to 5 pm.
“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.”
Will you take the red pill?...
What colour is your February?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve associated letters, numbers and words with colours. For example, the letter “A” is red (and so is the name Anne). Sometimes the word is coloured by the first letter, but not always. For example “F” is a dark green, but February is a light blue. I thought this was “normal” and that everyone’s words were colours. Until I was a little older and began asking others what colours their letters or words were…
Ever since I can remember, I’ve associated letters, numbers and words with colours. For example, the letter “A” is red (and so is the name Anne). Sometimes the word is coloured by the first letter, but not always. For example “F” is a dark green, but February is a light blue. I thought this was “normal” and that everyone’s words were colours. Until I was a little older and began asking others what colours their letters or words were…
I’d say, “What colour is your February?” And they’d look at me blankly.
A few years ago I discovered from a friend and fellow artist that it’s actually a “neurological condition” called synesthesia (which means “union of the senses”). Synesthesia can involve any of the senses but the most common is “seeing” letters and numbers as colours. This is called Grapheme-Colour Synesthesia. I also have Spatial Sequence Synesthesia (experiencing time, numbers and dates as if it's a on a giant clock outside of my body). The hypothesis is that in synesthetes, there is a cross-wiring in the brain so that neurons and synapses that are supposed to be contained in one sensory system, cross over to another system.
Apparently synesthesia is more common among artists. I know three other synesthetes and all are artists. I’m sure I know more, it’s just not something normally discussed (unless you are an artist!).
I’ve always loved playing with colour. As an artist it’s a big part of my expression. Perhaps synesthesia is like having another sense… a 6th sense… I can’t imagine not having this "condition". And it certainly adds to my world of colour…
I’d love to know… Are you a synesthete? What colour is your February?
My Year In Pictures
It's the last day of the year.
And so, I put together a little video collage of the year that was...
My Year In Pictures
It's the last day of the year.
And so, I put together a little video collage of the year that was...
My 2016 In Pictures
Painting the Tree ~ Stage One
I made a little video showing the first stage of my painting process.
Each painting begins with a free-hand drawing on canvas. With pencil to canvas I get to know my painting...
I made a little video showing the first stage of my painting process.
Each painting begins with a free-hand drawing on canvas. With pencil to canvas I get to know my painting... The lines and character of the painting are now beginning to take shape. Once the drawing is complete I do an underpainting in grey as a tonal study...
And now for something (a little) different...
Every painting is an experiment. I never quite know how it will turn out...
With my most recent painting I delved deeper into the abstract. Working from a photo I took of the early morning sun shining through autumn leaves, I played with the shapes and colours until the abstraction became a whole new image...
Every painting is an experiment. I never quite know how it will turn out...
With my most recent painting, I delved deeper into the abstract. Working from a photo I took of the early morning sun shining through autumn leaves, I played with the shapes and colours until the abstraction became a whole new image.
Now I feel as though I'm looking at the drifting sea-life of an underwater world...
This painting will be part of an upcoming 3D art show (stay tuned for more information!).
Midsummer Forest
One summer I spent a few weeks on a small island on the west coast of Norway. Every day I walked through the sunlit forests, along the same paths my ancestors walked on for generations. And in the evenings I’d watch as the sun slowly dipped into the sea… mesmerized by the beautiful, long, long sunsets...
One summer I spent a few weeks on a small island on the west coast of Norway. Every day I walked through the sunlit forests, along the same paths my ancestors walked on for generations. And in the evenings I’d watch as the sun slowly dipped into the sea… mesmerized by the beautiful, long, long sunsets.
There’s something special about the northern light on a midsummer’s evening. The vivid colours make everything come alive. It made me feel more alive… Connected to nature, my history, to my soul. I wanted to drink it all in…
Midsummer Forest is a painting of light, colour and fairy-tale magic. The forest comes alive with a vibrant palette of colours and explores the beautiful northern light in summer. In Midsummer Forest the painting itself becomes a story to enter, taking the viewer on a fairy tale journey into the forest...
“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.”
Now available ~ Fine Art Prints!
Visit the Boutique and be sure to subscribe to receive weekly special offers, updates and a little dose of creative inspiration...
Secret View
One evening, while driving home, I looked up and saw the most amazing sky. I was transfixed. I kept driving west towards it until I could turn off and head down to the ocean. The sky was changing quickly and I wanted to capture it before the sun went down…
With each painting I create there is something that sparks my imagination...
Beauty, nature, colours, shapes... elements of design...
And something in that initial spark inspires my imagination to explore it more fully and to make it magical and visually stunning. I'm often asked what inspires me to create something, and so I decided to write a little about each painting... What inspired me and what the painting symbolizes.
Each week I'm featuring one painting, from its beginning inception, to everything its become. This week's feature is Secret View...
Secret View, oil on canvas, 60" x 48"
One evening, while driving home, I looked up and saw the most amazing sky. I was transfixed. I kept driving west towards it until I could turn off and head down to the ocean. The sky was changing quickly and I wanted to capture it before the sun went down… I pulled over, and walking down a little path to the sea, I came to a beach. The tide was so high that the water level was all the way up to the logs. I lay down and just watched the beautiful sky with shape-shifting clouds and the colours of the sunset reflecting on the water...
Secret View captures the magic of this dramatic evening sky and ocean. Although this painting represents British Columbia’s West Coast, it also reminds me of the northern summer sky in Norway where the sun sets at midnight and one can watch for hours the changing sky moment by moment; each moment more brilliant and breath-taking than the next, the reflecting colours dancing on the waves...
Secret View - Original Oil Painting - Available
Secret View Draped Kimono - This week's featured product. Subscribe and receive 10% off weekly featured products. - Available in the Boutique
Coming soon... Prints!
Essence into Art
It's hard to see things about ourselves… they can remain deeply hidden. We might sense they are there… But how can we “see” them?
I'm a very visual person, in how I experience the external world, but also in my internal world; my imagination or “mind’s eye”. So for me to understand something I need to “see” it...
It's hard to see things about ourselves… they can remain deeply hidden. We might sense they are there… But how can we “see” them?
I'm a very visual person, in how I experience the external world, but also in my internal world; my imagination or “mind’s eye”. So for me to understand something I need to “see” it.
“Art acts like a bridge that connects the unseen with the visible world, bringing new visions to life.”
And it shows us who we are.
My art comes from my essence… So to be clear on what I want to create as an artist, I must know myself.
For me, this is the first step; to become clear on who I am and to nurture that truth. When I'm clear on who I am, then I can be clear on what I want to create in the world.
I made the Essence Art Vision Guide as a tool to help you get clear on your vision or dream. Knowing why you want something helps you become clear. When you resonate with the essence of your desires, you're in alignment with the truth and purpose for your life.
You can download the Essence Art Vision Guide free printable HERE and watch the VIDEO.
