After a glitch I am back....

Am I the only one having problems with computers?  I love using them and what they can do for me but I do have loads of problems when I use them just the same.  I want to apologize to anyone who has checked the blog in recent months and found it stagnant - my mistake - I could not get into the blog for some reason.  I had just set it up and then when I came back to it a week later I could not get into it.  I had no one to ask for help at the time and just kind of gave up on it for a while knowing that there was not much there and it was just started as far as that goes... Then a week or so back I took another swing at it and became frustrated again with error boxes and such.  Finally my "partner in crime" came to my aid and after several hours of figuring out what I "did" to cause this catastrophe to begin with, he got things straight again.  I am not that tech savvy at all and this had something to do with how I set the blog up.  Still not sure "what I did" but the end result is I am finally back and I will be able to keep up now :)

I am currently working on a mixed media painting of the Blue Bridge that is soon to be torn down and replaced by a new structure.  I usually work in oils when painting but have decided to use acrylic in this piece as I want to work quickly and have faster drying time.  This is the first layer and there is more to go obviously as it is only paint and you can see some of the paper collage showing through.  A rough drawing is starting to take shape over the paint as well.

Its a gorgeous sunny day here and I always feel motivated to work on sunny days, even if I don't get outside.  There is something about the sunlight streaming in the windows, it feels good.   More to come....

October 8th 2012

First a little bit about me:

I am an interdisciplinary artist concentrating on painting, photography, and mixed-media.  At times my work will engage all areas as the art evolves during the process.  At this point I am painting in oils and as each composition will usually begin with a concept or idea and a photo shoot, this has resulted in many images to work with in the studio.  I find inspiration in my surroundings and in nature and go on walks and wanderings to find subject matter.  Aside from flora and fauna I am always drawn to the seaside and seagoing vessels of all sizes.  Recently I have been concentrating on two series of work:  “West Coast Fishing Boats” and “Poppies” and will soon begin a third series of “Rural Structures”.

Bio:

I have painted and created art all my life taking workshops, classes and studying from books and sometimes making it up.   In 1980 I studied fine art at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ontario for one year with an interest in Printmaking.  Over the years I have taken many classes including, quilting, stained glass, printmaking and much more – always learning and honing my skills.  In 2004 I was able to return to formal fine art instruction and graduated from Victoria College of Art and Design in 2008 with a major in Painting and Photography.  I received an award of merit during my first year at the college.   Prior to graduation, I attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax for one year, studying mixed media drawing and photography.  My work has been shown in the 2008 VCAD Grad Show at the Winchester Gallery in Victoria, BC and at the 2008 and 2012 Sidney Fine Art Shows in Sidney, BC.   I teach workshops in mixed media-collage and in fiber art/surface design.

Here is one of my recent paintings in my series on Poppies:  untitled as yet.