featured

One World We Share

animal, Art, Art Exhibition, featured, wildlife

Greetings to all of you around the world! This virus sure has made our world seem a whole lot smaller, while we are experiencing similar things in response to various restrictions that affect our daily lives, some of us more than others. I’m not going to say much more about Covid-19, because it is getting so much attention as it is, even eclipsing all the issues that were important before – issues that are still there under the current crisis.

So, that said, I’m finding it difficult to keep myself focused on what I was originally determined to paint for my upcoming solo exhibition for this November. Titled, “One World: Land, Sea & Air,” it is an exhibition of art with a message on endangered species and spaces around the world. I usually have goal posts such as group exhibitions and the like that help me finish paintings along the way. However, with all the cancellations of shows and other opportunities, I have found myself struggling with what I should be focusing on – maybe there is a more important message…

I wonder how much our world will change as a result of how we respond to this “crisis.” In many places where there have been lock-downs, there have been noticeable changes in pollution levels, but I don’t think that is going to last (too many variables, money and power being huge factors). But as much as I care about endangered animals (all animals, in fact), I also care about humankind. Far from endangered, yet we live with so many ongoing national and world issues that can at any moment threaten our continued existence. These issues are still there under the surface tensions of the worldwide Covid-19 threat.

Maybe my message should not be solely about endangered species and spaces… Maybe it’s more about the One World we share, the One World that is all we have, and the legacy we leave to the future generations of this One World.

So much to think about… but the painting must go on. More to come!

This is a recently finished painting I have showing at my home gallery until the time comes for my November exhibition, if public galleries will be open by then.

The Barn Owl is endangered in Canada. At first glance, this looks like a regular wildlife scene, but a closer look tells more… This is art with a message, with the destruction of habitat and the species represented by the cracking in the bark that is also spreading into the side of the owl. Its talons grip the branch that is in danger of breaking away from the tree. The snow is accumulating. “Don’t Let Me Fade Away” is mixed media on a 18” x 36” gallery wood panel.

A video with close-up zoom can be seen here.

Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Lakeside Trail

Art, featured, Muskoka, Muskoka Landscapes
Autumn. It’s always short, but in 2018, it was incredibly sweet in Muskoka! And I was taking it all in, as usual, whatever I could get of it. The last time I experienced such extreme autumn colour was way back in 1997, when I was on my honeymoon in Algonquin Park. 
This is what happens when you feast with your eyes…
What goes in must come out, and thankfully, I was feasting on beauty! I called it “Lakeside Trail.” It’s an acrylic painting on a 36″ x 24″ canvas, with a whole lot of colour and textured granite rock and lichen.
Here is the full size painting:
"Lakeside Trail" / 36" x 24" / acrylic on canvas
“Lakeside Trail” / 36″ x 24″ / acrylic on canvas
Wanting to do justice to all the beautiful autumn colours, I found myself a little lost in the leaves, so to speak. Alas! Those leaves were all on the ground before long, but I had taken plenty of source photos from which I could create a scene. 
The path alongside this lake takes the hiker past the outcrop of granite and up into denser forest and to a lookout. Meanwhile the sun shines through the trees, creating a highlight on whatever autumn leaves it can reach. Watch your footing with all those rocks and tree roots!
Something I noticed along the way is my muscle memory for too much detail, an unwanted tendency toward perfectionism that I’ve been trying to shed from my early days as an drawing artist. For too long I resisted the paintbrush because of perfectionism, since I thought my pencil tip lent me more precision, but perfectionism robs me of joy. I found myself battling this tendency in the making of this piece, and I had to keep reorienting myself. It has turned out to be quite a fusion of styles!
That said, I am mostly pleased with it. I found a way to incorporate texture without losing all the details, so I am content.
But the colour! Now that is what excites me about this piece! Layers and layers of colour!
This is where the painting hung before we sold our piano. It is flanked my 4 of my smaller landscapes.
The lighting could have been better (for the true colours of the painting), but this is me in July 2019 after “Lakeside Trail” won an award for honourable mention at the 61st Annual ECOAA Members’ Show.

“My Backyard Is Full of Life”

animal, featured, Gardens, Sightings, wildlife, Writing

I’m excited to announce that my book, “My Backyard Is Full of Life,” has been published! It is available on Amazon in print and eBook formats. I also have a limited number of print copies on hand and for sale at my art studio.

I wrote this book many years ago, but I finally made time to finish the illustrations. They are intended to look like the main character, 11yo Rachel, drew them herself for her nature journal.

This is a book for parents, grandparents, and teachers to read to children ages 7 and up, and it should be preread for children who are highly sensitive to nature’s surprises. This would be great as an introduction to a science unit, or cross-curricular activity, for grades 3 to 5. It is also intended for children who can read independently, who appreciate a few illustrations (about one/chapter), and who don’t always want a long read. In fact, it’s only about 50 pages long, so it’s a story for one sitting. Nature lovers, young and old, will learn that nature isn’t always predictable (sometimes it is less scary when we try to understand), and also that we can – and should – do our part to take care of our world, starting with our own backyard! We can all make a difference!

See details and “Look Inside”