From Darkness to Light

Hope For The Flowers, 36” x 36”, oil on canvas

Along with my word for the year my symbol for the year is this painting, Hope for the Flowers. It reminds me of the quote:

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

— Desmond Tutu

In this painting I used primarily black, white and grey tones, adding just a few colours (yellow, blue, purple) to create this limited palette.

Out of the tangled darkness, the flowers rise up towards the light… giving hope and promise for a new day, a new year, and a confirmation of the eternal cycle of life…

Hope for the Flowers represents this time of year, (especially this year!) as we move from darkness to light…

The original painting is 36” x 36” and I’ve also created smaller prints on wood panel:

Hope For The Flowers, wood print

• Wood canvas made from Birch wood sourced from sustainable Canadian forests
• UV set inks, meaning the print resists water
• Each wood print is made in Montreal, Canada
• Easy care, don’t touch the print if you don’t have to, but you can wipe it with a dry or damp cloth to remove dust
• Arrives ready to hang - 4 panel frame in back allows you to just pop the wood print on a small nail in the wall, no wires necessary

You can view all my wood prints in my online store here.

“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering ‘it will be happier’…”

— Alfred Tennyson

Hope for the flowers - part one

I've been painting away in my studio… but soon it’s time to put my brushes down…

In a couple of weeks I'm heading off to Iceland to stay at an artist residency for one month. I'll be staying on a small island in the north of Iceland for the month of June (and then a two week driving tour of the West Fjords!) …

I’ll be exploring the beautiful northern landscape for some new inspiration to create (and it won’t be trees!).

So now it’s time to put my paints away and prepare for an all new adventure…

Hope For The Flowers - work in progress

Stay tuned to hear more from the land of fire and ice!

Hope For The Flowers - detail

Fine Art into Wearable Art ~ video journey

I made a little video documenting the journey from painting to finished product... Fine Art into Wearable Art. It's a slow process (so I speeded it up for this two minute video!). 

You could call it "slow clothes" as each clothing design is created from original artwork. The painting is digitally reproduced onto fabric, then hand cut and sewn.

I will have a few of my new clothing designs modelled in the fashion show ~ Slow Clothes, The Art of Fashion at this year's Harmony Arts Festival on August 9th.

Until then, I'll be working behind the scenes... Lots of creating going on... And travel!

(It's all about the journey after all... And you can follow my journey on Facebook and Instagram)

The work is the journey and the journey is in the work. (Any reward is just the icing on the cake!)

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,

(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:

Painting Pollination

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

— G.B Shaw

When I painted Pollination five years ago, I didn't yet realize what I was birthing... 

Painting Pollination became the seed for a complete garden.

So it's interesting that I named her Pollination...

One seed planted creates many more seeds.

Life creates and re-creates itself continuously...

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street... Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening...”

— Coco Channel

Visit the Boutique

What do you love?

Roses   48" x 48"  Oil on Canvas

What we love tells us about who we are at the very core of our being.

What we love is an expression of our essence and how our spirit wants to experience the world.

When we do what we love we are connecting with our essence and it’s from this place that our greatest dreams are born.

Every so often I make a "Love List". I write down everything I love... And it makes me realize how much I do love!  

And everything I'm grateful for.

So in honour of Valentine's Day, I'm writing out my Love List...

‘In our life there is a single colour, as on an artist’s palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the colour of love.’ ~ Marc Chagall

What do you love?

flowers as muse

I’m in love with colour and all things beautiful...

 

A flower represents the very essence of beauty. 

Whether a wild flower dancing in a mountain meadow,

Or a velvety, red rose in a fragrant bouquet...

Flowers lift my spirit and make my heart sing!

A flower has it’s own unique character and personality,

And this is what I paint. 

It is very much like painting a figure... 

Perhaps a solitary soul bursting forth in radiant colour,

Or three sisters dancing...

There is a story in each painting.

With colour and shape the characters are created on canvas,

And the painting takes on a life of it’s own.

These were my thoughts when I asked myself ~ Why do I paint flowers? 

I'm so happy to be a part of the upcoming exhibition ~ Bold and Beautiful at Cityscape Gallery in North Vancouver. 

What is more beautiful than a flower?...