Blog

Time to resume friendships that were starting to develop in the fall, prepare for the shows and sales I'm going to do this year (Summerland Studio Tour, Summerland Art Club Sale, looking at summer show options, and Christmas sales), analyze past and ongoing sales at the two gift shop galleries that carry my work (Comox Valley and Summerland), frame new work created in Australia, and carry on with the two commissions that are currently in progress. Painting away in the world. ( One is a view taken from the photo of the old Queenslander below)

I'm trying to stay out of my garden which is looking great. The original owners did a fabulous design job and there is interest for all seasons. Spring bulbs (unknown to us as we weren't here last spring) are coming up in many places. We didn't have time in the fall to do a thorough garden cleanup, (neither did two years' worth of renters!) so now is the time to get at clearing up some of the debris. I have to watch that the gardening doesn't distract me from all the artwork I want to do!

Inside my studio I'm still looking for some base cabinets, on the outside I need to develop some signage for the studio tour in late May. There may be another open studio in late April so my time frame is shrinking, not expanding!

If you know of anyone who's got some old kitchen cabinets to get rid of they could have a new life in my studio! You can see how barren my floors are and I do have a lot of material to store. And since doing the printmaking course again I've decided I'd like to do more of that and am looking for a hand-turned printing press. If you know of any that are available send me a note! I found out that the one at the Shatford Centre is a huge mechanical beast, from Kamloops Okanagan University, that was so large they had to take the frames off the double door to get it into the building. It's obviously not suitable for my little printmaking ideas! This little print below is about 2" X 4" and I've done a couple of versions.

Now that I've got my camera card and thumb drive de-bugged and virus-free (at some expense, I might add--a lesson to travellers!) I can get my website updated with photos again. Speaking of technology, I'm still working on basic competency on my new smart phone and laptop with Windows. Even the teckies are grumbling about that operating system, I see! Learning to edit photos all over again! As well as a new filing system and retrieval process.

However, life is good in the northern spring--there is a bit of energy in the air with warming days. Although I'm missing the Aussie warmth & sunshine on my skin (not to mention all my friends and family there!)

The first week I got back was about 15-17 degrees (Celsius) but then it dropped to only 3-4 with negative temperatures overnight. And snow and ice pellets int he air at times--which doesn't permit sandals, shorts, or bare arms! This is the earliest I've been back to Canada in years and.,..I might stay Down Under for longer in future! That said, the crocuses are lovely and will be finished soon. I made a stab at painting some the other day but gave up quickly. I'll have to re-jig my composition and try again--or more likely move onto something else. The lake nearby astounds me with its changing colours, and the scenery around, although still bleak in early spring, remains dramatic. How did we get so lucky as to live here!

Closing with a last image of a print I did, inspired by our African trip last year: Hope you like it! It's a kudu, a

very secretive animal with legendary powers of disappearance. In this version of the print I've used the "Chine Collee" technique to applique Chinese rice paper with rice glue onto the print, to highlight the stripes the kudu wears on its back. They are lovely graceful and quick animals. Until next time, when more artwork will be revealed!