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Almost two week has gone by since the Wellbrook Winery/Delta Arts Council show and it's been a whirlwind. I was pleased with my sales at the show--two originals, and lots of cards, magnets, magic books and even 2 fairy caves. There were not as many artists there as I had been led to believe, but thankfully it was a beautiful day, not too hot, not too windy, and there was a reasonable crowd in attendance, especially for a one day event. A good time was had by all (although there were some artists there who didn't sell much, unfortunately. I hear this is happening quite frequently, even at the more popular shows, so I'm happy that I haven't been "skunked" yet. It would be very disappointing to do all that work and spend all that energy and money to enter, and not sell anything. My heart goes out to those artists struggling to "make it", as they say.)

However, leading up to the show, and since then, I have been distracted, to say the least, by finding our next property in the Okanagan Valley (our wine country), with a big shop just waiting for me to set up a studio in! The wheeling & dealing all happened leading up to the show. We had seen this place last fall, but ruled it out, and then the price dropped dramatically again so we went and looked at it, as a joint investment with my brother's family (it has subdivision potential as well as a great house) on June 30. We put an offer in July 8, that was accepted, and we take possession on July 30! All that in such a short period of time--and so easily. It was meant to happen!

Now with the future residence (we'll plan on moving up there later in 2012) settled, the path we will take over the next 14 months seems a lot clearer. Although I had been fussing about missing our current home, patio, friends, family, routines, and city life, knowing that we have a place 300 metres to the beach, a lovely home and property, and lots of potential and choices for exciting development prospects, that fussing seems...well...uncalled for. We will miss all those things, but we'll have lots of visitors, I'm sure, and the opportunity to establish my art in an area like that, with a studio, is incredible. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because it seems like this summer is unreal, like a dream.

The next few weeks are full of travel, including a trip to Wabumun, Alberta to a family reunion, hiking in the Icefields Parkway and Field areas of the Rocky Mountains (we'll be doing the Iceline Trail on August 1, weather permitting), and then an Alaska cruise with the family courtesy of my amazing mother (who is also an investor in the new property). Then, if the new place isn't rented out promptly, I'll be living in it for the rest of the summer! What a fantastic life! I'm getting my camera cleaned up for all the amazing shots I'll be taking, some of which I'm sure will be reference material for further artwork.

That's where it's all at right now--I'm definitely painting away in the world--along with a whole bunch of other things! Stay tuned for more adventures...and more artwork. (Right now I'm in the finishing stages of a rather genie-looking fairy. She's appeared at the edge of the painting, kneeling, with arms crossed in front of her. She has an amazing set of wings which seems to go on forever, and I'm hoping that expression on her face isn't an irritated one. I've been trying to calm her down a little because she looks like she could cause a lot of trouble. Fairies can do that, you know! Haven't they done it to you? I've definitely been at the wrong end of their tricks before...)

This has been a crazy week! I've been painting lots over the last few weeks so there are some new paintings in my gallery. And then there's matting, packaging and pricing all the paintings I've been doing over the last few months to get ready for the show. Retrieving and organizing my supplies, cards, tables, tent, magic books, and deciding what to take (& what not to take for a 1 day show!) takes a little time and it's not yet done. And then, on our trip to the Okanagan last weekend, we spotted a property that might just be "it"--so we've been working madly on a deal for that. It would be a joint investment involving 3 other family members, some of whom hadn't seen it, so there were a lot of messages, questions to be answered, investigations to be done, and conversations to be had before everyone was satisfied that we might proceed with an offer.

This weekend will tell the story if we have a deal or not--just when I'm trying to provide some magic for prospective customers at my first ever show at a winery!

Just to give you an idea of how beautiful the Okanagan Valley, our wine country in south central BC is, I've got a photo of Vaseaux Lake, where we camped last Thursday night. Maybe I'll paint it, very soon, in person!

And that's not the only beautiful spot in the province! A couple of weekends ago, we started seriously training for our Mount Kilamanjero hike in Africa next year. The snow is finally starting to melt at higher levels although there is not getting to the alpine yet, as we found out on our trip to Whistler with the British cousins we hosted for a week in June. The ends of the Peak 2 Peak gondola on both Blackcomb and Whistler ski hills, 6400 feet elevation, still had a few feet of snow left. The ride was spectacular, highly recommended if you're up there (even though it costs over $50), and in the summer would get you a long way into the back country with little effort.

We finally got some good weather for taking on some beautiful hikes so we decided on a sunny Sunday to climb the Squamish Chief, which is about half way to Whistler, at the head of Howe Sound. I was up there about 7 years ago, and the views are spectacular. There are 3 peaks to choose from, so we hoped we could do them all in a long-ish day.

Well, there were QUITE a few other fit young bodies (as well as some older tourist types) who obviously can't get up much higher than that at this time of year so the trail was so busy going up (and boy, does it go up...and up...and up...through the trees, over rocks, roots, past waterfalls, up more sets of stairs...and more sets of stairs...and more rock steps...almost ad nauseum!) Luckily we had put a couple of higher climbing hikes in already so our thighs and lungs were reasonably strong and we remained hopeful about climbing all 3 peaks. But by the time we got to the branch for the 1st peak (which was another hour up, then back down to the same track, to continue on to the 2nd & 3rd peaks) it was so stupidly busy that we watched everyone turn up to the first peak and decided to just go on to 2 and 3. An hour later and we were there, higher and behind the first peak.

Looking from the 2nd peak, that's what we saw on the 1st peak! And you can bet there were about 100 more people out of sight just below that lot!

After scrambling along some open faces, using chains bolted to rocks to pull ourselves up with, and going up a 15 foot ladder, up a big "chimney", we arrived at a great view and had our lunch--along with only about 50 other people who were on our track as well. We dangled our feet over the edge, dropping about 1500 feet over the rock climbers below (the Chief is one of the biggest single granite rocks in the world, and well-known to rock climbers. Great fun to watch them from below, just along the highway. And because it was such a great day, after a long spell of not-so-good hiking or climbing weather, they were all out in force!)

We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful spot, and have the health and resources to enjoy this world. Sometimes I wonder if I'm living in a dream!

There is one more thing of note to add--when the British cousins came up from California they brought the most gorgeous painting of my sister Shelley, who was killed in a truck accident in France decades ago. It was painted from a photo taken by my dad's cousin, by his wife who was a noted artist in Pacific Grove.

It does a great job of capturing her beauty as well as a bit of the "sauciness"' that had her appeal to so many people in the course of her short life. She lived lots, travelled and studied and lived in Germany and France, and loved the arts and music. As they say, "only the good die young".... This painting is exactly how she is remembered by many. Hope you get a sense of her from it.

And with that, I'd better go and continue preparing for this weekend! Until next time!

I love the changing of the seasons, and especially the summer solstice. Today it seems particularly appropriate to be in the first day of summer as the temperature has finally climbed to 23 degrees (Celsius, that is) after the coldest spring ever on record in Vancouver. And I've been here for every day of it--I arrived home from Australia on March 21 and it seems like spring (or was that winter?) went on and on for the last 3 months!

Not to worry, I'm sure we'll soon get enough warmth to melt all that snow on the local mountains so we can get up and start on our elevation training for climbing Mount Kilimanjero next year, about this time. We've tried a couple of times to get some thigh-burning hikes going but have mostly had to confine our efforts to the lower elevations, and work on building our endurance. A cousin from Calgary is going to take us up a higher climb near Field, in the BC Rockies, at the end of July so that's another exciting event to train for. Since he's climbed 5 peaks over 10,000 ft in the Rockies I know he's got the legs for that hike--a good thing since don't you think the guide should be fitter than the rest?

Meanwhile I've been doing lots of painting, mostly of flowers, since they are out in full force in my garden at the moment. My Korean lilac has the most wonderful scent, and is a little later than the typical lilacs, so I'm loving being out on the patio, painting to the smell of it drifting in the air. My iris are almost finished but they had a spot, and the bachelor buttons were the first to really spring out and cry for a bigger audience. Meanwhile I seem to be having technical difficulties with my scanner, and getting photos onto this blog, so I'll leave you with a nice little ink sketch of a massive gum tree.

I've had some company--wonderful cousins of my father's from Bournemouth, UK, and we had a lot of fun exploring the beauty of the area around Vancouver. Whistler/Blackcomb was exciting--the first time for them on a chairlift, and for me on the new Peak 2 Peak gondola. There was so much snow at the top of Blackcomb (6200 ft) that we were all bundled up like eskimos. Lucky too--we saw some pretty cold people in shorts coming back down the chairs looking miserable! We also had a beautiful day on the ferry going to Victoria, on Vancouver Island, and I got some shots of the Empress and the BC Legislature buildings, as well as Craigdarroch "Castle" to try with ink and watercolour. Unfortunately we didn't see any orcas on the ferry like I had the last time I was coming back--they can put on quite a show. The Brits had to make do with some close-up encounters with bears and deer, and interestingly enough on the last afternoon we spotted 3 beavers in the Fraser River near the airport. A great symbol of Canada and surprising--and lovely-- to see them in tidal waters.

Also o

This lovely scene is at Porteau Cove, on the way to Whistler, along Howe Sound.

On the art front, I'm getting ready for my next show, Gallery in the Garden, at Wellbrook Winery in Ladner on Sunday July 10, 2011. That's not far off now! You're invited, and feel free to bring guests--10 am to 4 pm. The address is 4626 88th Street, Delta. It looks like my sole show until November, and it's fun to have my first show in a winery coming up! Maybe a symbol of more to come...I hear Wellbrook does fabulous fruit wines--especially blueberry. You (& I) might have to try some!

Stay tuned for more pix, and the e-vite (if you're on my email list!). Sometimes the most frustrating thing about being an artist is when technology doesn't work for you. Of course, there's always that time when the painting doesn't turn out like you hoped...but I've got a new plan for that. I want to do some collages and so I have some room for little bits of paintings that don't work as a whole, but I can incorporate into a better one! Apparently that's how Toni Onley (the late, well-known West Coast artist) started to get famous in the 1960s--he tore up lots of his paintings he didn't like, threw them on the floor, and then when he looked over got interested in the patterns they created so picked them all up & made collages of them! Bet you didn't know that fact, eh?

Hard (again!) to believe that another month has passed! I've been busy with other spring things, as well as painting and drawing. You can see some of my new paintings in the Gallery under "What's New?"

For the month of May I enrolled in a Classical Drawing course and spent 2 hours a week in the company of Renoir, Vermeer (the first week I did a drawing of "The Girl with the Peark Earring"!) and other classical artists and sculptors. It was fantastic to improve my drawing of faces and figures and get some wonderful instruction. Any people in my paintings are going to be rendered more accurately I'm sure!

Thought you'd like to see a couple of the drawings I've done in the last month:

From the sculpture of a Greek athlete--the discus thrower.

OK, not a classical sculpture but a birthday present for my husband who some people think resembles a moose!

I can see I have a few lines to erase from learning the "blocking in" technique for accurate drawing. The antlers kind of threw me off--in some way's it's easier to block in a person--unless their arms & legs are outstretched that is!

It was great to be instructed in the classical methods of drawing and framing in your subjects, getting the features or limbs accurately sized and placed and learning the underlying structures of the body that give the form to people.

Nice to finish this painting off too, it was an exercise in creating texture and using limited colours. I kept finding more branches and little details--I'm sure it could be worked on for a lot longer but I get impatient and want to move on to the next painting. I have another painting coming that uses similar methods but with more colour--leaves, berries all intertwined. It's coming along--every week I find some more detail to pick out in that too!

Another thing I've really been enjoying as an artist and member of art clubs is seeing some wonderful artists demonstrate their painting. I was especially inspired by now local oil painter Leanne Christie who is very passionate about her art. I'm not usually a fan of oils however her impressionistic landscapes capture the beauty of the Vancouver area so well that I was intrigued to see her demo for the Port Moody Art Association a couple of weeks ago. She spent the day sketching in charcoal down at the head of Burrard Inlet, just behind the centre where we meet, and came in and captured the mood of a very gloomy day so well in 2 hours. While she was painting she spoke very articulately (which was impressive in its own merits as I find I can't paint and talk at the same time!) about her stand to devote 40 hours per week and paint full time. Me, I'm more about fitting the painting around the rest of my busy life and it had me stop and re-think my strategy. Sometimes that less-conscious attitude has the time for painting squeezed out, sidelined, or put on the back burner. A lesson for me, to keep it in the forefront and be looking for beautiful ideas for

painting wherever I go.

So, that's it for this edition--I'll leave you with my citizenship plant painting which I also recently finished. The beautiful fine blossom of the grevillia plant is so intricate--great fun to paint! See you again next time!

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Today it's raining again and I've finally gotten my photos from Australia downloaded onto my home computer. It's lovely to look through them, remember the warmth, the fun times, the places we've visited, and remind myself of the paintings I could/might/will paint over the next little while. And the animals that we saw--and that I captured. I think you'll remember the photo of the Red-bellied Black snake from Sydney--see my previous posts--now here's a few more creatures!

This emu (the native emblem of Australia, just to remind you!) walks around the subdivision of my cousins' place in Queensland! You can hear him/her sometimes--they make a noise a little like a drum--and it stands outside people's doors who feed it in the morning and makes it. Who's trained who, I wonder??

Next is a yabbie, kind of like a little fresh-water crayfish, that came out of a dam (for North Americans that's a man-made pond that rural Aussies make to collect water for their properties). This one was captured in a trap & waiting in a net in the dam until it had enough food to grow bigger and get eaten. My friend cooks them and slightly pickles them--how he gets the shells off I'm not sure but they were really delicious appetizers beside the barbie!

I took the photo because someone wanted me to do another painting similar to the mermaid only for boys--she thought crabs might be a good idea too.

This is a bigger (much bigger, in fact 2 kilos worth bigger!) version of the yabbie--it's a crayfish that was big enough to feed five of us one gorgeous evening in Bichenot, near Tasmania's Freycinet National Park. The company was great, the wine matched perfectly, and the sunset over the bay was drop-dead. I have some photos of that to paint too!

This is the oldest Catholic church in Australia, in Richmond, Tasmania. I had thought of doing another watercolour and ink with the image--and I still might. The buildings in Richmond have been so well preserved, and it was one of the original farming and town settlement areas, being in a very strategic spot between Hobart and Port Arthur. We did all 3 places in one day and moved on to the East Coast--but in the pioneer days it was a day's travel from Hobart to Richmond. It's amazing how fast we get around the world to see things in this day and age--I count myself very fortunate to live in these times of wealth, choice, technology--at least in the first world countries that I frequent. Some others are not so fortunate, and two centuries ago the people who colonized North America and Australia, or who were sent there as punishment, faced very harsh circumstances.

This is a not-so-good photo of the convict church at Port Arthur, the original penal colony in Tasmania. It was a massive building, but just the walls remain. In its time it served a population of up to 2000 including soldiers and convicts who were chained on Sundays and marched up to the church in irons, only being allowed to enter the side doors while the rest of the settlement watched from their pews. The whippings were held afterwards, apparently, for those who had committed further infractions.

The world was very cruel in those days--even children as young as 7 were transported half way around the world and incarcerated, some for minor crimes.

And, speaking of transportation--this is our new baby! We've joined the RV world, a little prematurely, but the opportunity came up to get this 21 foot travel trailer and we've made arrangements to put it on Quadra Island for the next year. We have so many travel plans until July 2012 that I suspect we'll hardly make use of the lovely spot our new beastie will be setting in. After that we might have to live in it a while if we haven't found an Okanagan property to move to.

In 2013 we're already planning to drive across Canada with it. More painting away in the world to come! It's so funny how a relatively small purchase like this opens up a whole new world of opportunities!

Well, that's the news for now--next time I'll put up some of my newer paintings! Ciao!

Well, I'm back in the cold wet & sometimes white northern hemisphere, settling into my Canadian routine and wishing it was warmer! I've painted a couple of times since I got back but have been more focused on inside and outside work, getting back to the pool, planning out the rest of the year and thinking about how we'll manage travelling for 5 or 6 months next year this time. All that and it's income tax time soon too.

I attended a great demo by David Mceown in Port Coquitlam (amazing photos and paintings of the Arctic and Antarctic) and my first meeting of the Port Moody Art Association, and look forward to a bit more structure and networking with artsy folks. I've got a painting (somehow my photo grabber doesn't seem to be working) hanging at Eagle Ridge Hospital for the next 3 months, which I'm pleased about.

Tomorrow I'll be painting with my little art group, and I'm organizing some more time with friends to paint too. Unfortunately my favourite art place, North Delta Firehall Centre for the Arts, has lost all funding and was disbanded as of March 31. A sad state of affairs with politics and grants and cutbacks.

It's great to be back in our house, and catching up with friends and family after 4 months away. Australia seems like a far away dream now, although for the first week I felt like I was in a funny dream here! Jet lag and travel certainly has a way of disorienting me for a little while. And once I get in the groove in the place where I am, I have to work hard to get interested in downloading and organizing my old photos. It's been a bit of a struggle to even get on here to blog, tonight, after several weeks of inaction on this front. Time to get back on the horse & ride!

Next time I'll get some photos of what I've been painting for your viewing pleasure!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone. Even if the date in half of the world is still March 16!

This will be the last post from Australia as I'm on the countdown. It's getting too cold here & it's time to head north! During the last 3 1/2 months I've been some old places , some new places (Tasmania, Kyneton) and seen almost everyone I hoped to see this trip. A visit to South Australia to see some cousins was all that was missing. It's been a few months of variety, surprises, and changes to plans--including a family wedding late just before New Year's and the switch of a trip to climb to the top of Australia (Mount Kosciusko) instead of the planned New Zealand hike. And another trip to Queensland last week! I've painted quite a bit although lately I have to say it's been the last thing on my mind.Great photo, hope it doesn't scare you!

Also reflecting on the last few months it seems there have been an unprecedented amount of "natural" disasters, in first-world countries. Like everyone else in the world who has access to TV and internet, the images are on a level that I haven't seen before. Absolutely stunning. Being on the road myself during this period, and relatively near or possibly near two of these areas (Queensland, Christchurch) at the times has made me aware of how many times I think of people I know, in other areas of the world...and from the emails they are also thinking of me. In many ways the technology we have has the potential to make us more aware of others, have a more tightly knit sense of connection, if not quite community. On the downside I've found that over the past few weeks, with all that's been going on, painting and practising my professed career has been far from my thoughts, let alone actions. I'm hopeful that when I return to Vancouver and settle into a more regular pattern my desire the record the beautiful things in life will re-emerge.

Almost a quarter of 2011 has gone by. My plans for the year have had some time to incubate and become more solid over the last two months, and while they may not be so focused as last year (for example, last year's big effort was getting this website up, as well as doing 3 big shows), in a sense I have an emerging sense of my practise and my path--of living life as an artist, developing my work and my exposure, and networking with other artists, informally and formally (I am now a member of the Port Moody Art Association ( www.portmoodyartassociation.com ) after a 3 year waiting period!).

It feels like I have a perspective on art and life that I haven't noticed before. In the past I have been told that I have an excellent "big-picture" awareness that is most useful in moving forward--seeing the terrain around, keeping an eye on the horizon, early awareness of opportunities and threats, along with an unstoppable-ness in moving in the intended direction. We'll see how that all works this year as I return to the north on my annual migration.

Next time I write it'll be spring--I hope!

Hello again! Back from the (cooler) south, up to warmer Queensland for 10 days!

Tassie was fantastic--reminded us a lot of BC with the temperature, mountains, hiking, and forested environment (albeit gum trees instead of big conifers!) However it is much more historic than BC and the Tasmanians have done a wonderful job of preserving and highlighting their heritage buildings and towns (c early 1800s). We spent the first 2 days on Bruny Island, just south of Hobart, hiking a little and enjoying a smaller island life, similar to the Gulf Islands off Vancouver.

Then a day in Hobart, around the harbour, staying in a lovely little historic cottage in North Hobart, before spending the next day at Richmond (well-preserved 1800 architecture) and then the afternoon at Port Arthur, the old penal colony. It was typical Tassie weather so I had to buy a rain jacket. After that it didn't rain at all!

After Port Arthur it was the famous Freycinet National Park and Wineglass Bay hike. We definitely felt like we were progressing on the training for Mount Kilamanjero for next year! Two nights at a lovely spot called Bicheno on the East Coast, right beside the ocean. Sharing a 1.8 kilo lobster for dinner with the cousins was a highlight there, followed by a spectacular sunset.

Next day on to Launceston briefly, then headed for the north-west coast of Tassie. After passing through Penguin (yes, we got a photos), we got out to Stanley, which is yet another seaside historic and picturesque village, and climbed "The Nut". Definitely recommended!

Then back towards Devonport and Launceston--which was booked out for our last night in town (like almost every other place we TRIED to stop in!) so we ended up driving about 45 minutes to another historic town, Deloraine, to a B & B overlooking the mountains. For our last day we drove a little further west and stopped at a Tassie devil reserve and a salmon farm on land before spending the afternoon at Cataract Gorge in Launceston itself. Another hike there finished us off for the trip!

After a day in Melbourne regrouping, unpacking, laundry & repacking, we flew up to the Sunshine Coast of Queensland for the next ten days. While my husband is off in the bush I fully intend to recharge my batteries, swim, read, and especially paint--which I haven't made time for since...well,...I can hardly remember when!

Didn't think I would be back in Buderim this trip but sure enough, first thing our friend went to this little old cottage to buy a huge hand of bananas for us. It's fantastic to have them right off the tree!

Less than 3 weeks til I return to Canada so I'll enjoy all my favourite Aussie things in the meanwhile. There was more snow in Vancouver so I'm quite content to be here & hope that by the time I get home on the first day of spring, it will truly be spring!!

Just a quick post so let you know I'm still here! Since my last post we've been through the longest heat wave in Sydney history, and travelled north of Sydney and then south to Melbourne. Tomorrow we head to Tasmania for the first time and I'm really looking forward to it.

After that we'll be quickly off to the Sunshine Coast of Queensland for 10 days and then it's only another 10 days until the trip back to Canada. Time flies when you're having fun!

Highlights of the last few weeks include a red-bellied black snake (yes, poisonous, about a metre long, and about a half kilometre from where we were staying in Sydney). I'll put a photo of him on when I next get a chance! I've hardly had time for painting but have been taking lots of photos, including another for my lighthouse series of beautiful Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse and Cottages near Forster, NSW. It was designed by the same architect who did Barrenjoey Lighthouse at Palm Beach near Sydney. We spent a couple of hours there and could see 100 km around the coastline--absolutely gorgeous!

We also had a lovely lunch and great coffee (Single Origin Coffee from Sydney) at Kiama, and saw dolphins at Bermagui (famous deep-sea fishing haunt of actor/author Zane Grey), as well as watching an Australian fur seal (almost as big as a sea lion) tease the local stingrays under the historic wharf at Tathra.

As usual there's not much time to blog as we have to re-pack and get our luggage down to 15 kilos for our cheap flight to Tasmania. I'll hope to post again sometime in early March, depending on travel status! Until then...signing off!

It's going to be 35 degrees (Celsius) today in Sydney so it's a great day to do some updating of the website before I head to the beach in the late afternoon for a swim and hopefully a bit cooler temperature. Meanwhile I thought I'd document some of my newer paintings and you can see them in the gallery under "What's New". I'll put a couple here for teasers too..but first I wanted to let you know that if you add your name to my contacts whenever I update my blog I'll send you an email as a reminder to have a look.

Tomorrow my husband is flying in for 6 weeks and we're planning on lots of travels after a week around the Sydney area so I'm not sure when I'll post next, or from where, for that matter! We've got a Tasmania trip planned for Feb 18 which will be the first time either of us has been there, and we're very excited about that. Hopefully the temperatures will be a little cooler than this week up here in Sydney.

Ok, on to the paintings (and don't forget to look at the Gallery too!)

The first one is a preview of a trip I'll be doing before I return to the northern hemisphere--a cousin of mine lives in Port Elliot which is the most beautiful little town on the coast in South Australia. There's lots of old stone buildings dating back to the late 1800s as well a beautiful coast and a spectacular little bay where I love to swim. I don't think there are as many great white sharks there as nearer to Adelaide--at least I hope not!

And you can't come to Australia without seeing images of "The Rock", can you?

This one is from a photo I took a few years ago when I did a walk around the whole base of Uluru and then went to the lookout for sunset champagne. They always know the best things to do here! Uluru is quite a spectacular sight, well deserving its reputation. You can see it for miles, of course, and it's always changing colours as you watch it. Quite amazing!

Well, that's it for now, stay tuned!