Ktunaxa woman

Ktunaxa Woman 8x10

I had some beautiful collage paper left over from "Mission to Frankfurt" so I decided to use it in a small painting based on a historical photo. Again, I will photograph this again someday when there is better light.

I just made it home from INvermere. There is a bloody blizzard outside. My brakes were useless, I slowed the car by downshifting. I didn't mind going slow but there were times when I couldn't see the road! I haven't experienced driving like that since I lived in Edmonton. C'mon! It's the end of February already!!

"All right, Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up"

VAmping it up for oscar night. Personally, I think it's best to tape it, then run through it editing out all the commercials. Anybody have any favorite picks?

I was impressed with Hailee Steinfeld. I don't know if that is a good enough performance to win an oscar (she's no Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday) but she was embarrassingly better than Kim Darby in True Grit, much more like the character in the novel.

Long-stemmed Rose

Long-stemmed Rose acrylic 16x16

I know some people don't like the collage bits, but I do. I like the texture. I feel it adds something to what was a boring background plus the movement ties the painting together. It's also just sunny and happy and I like it. I lifted the horizon line a bit. I find adjusting the horizon lines often help the abstract design of paintings. I find that a sheer glaze of color can help tie a painting together so I sometimes coat a painting with a glaze of quincadrone yellow azo or a crimson shade. The mellow yellow glaze also give it an antique feel.


I struggled with photos yesterday because I couldn't fine any good light to set them in. It was to cold and icy to venture outside. I will photograph them again at a later (warmer) date.

Struggling

I was working on this painting sunday and became very frustrated with it. I am always having to be aware that I must move beyond just copying a photo and try to make it into a painting. I was ready to paint over this one but decided I may as well push it a little bit, add some stamps, move something, do something! Gesso would cover just as well if it didn't work out. Results posted tomorrow. Thanks Zagotta for the inspiration to keep trying.

Things to think about

From Donna Zagotta's blog

No judgments. Paint mindlessly and respond.

Create work you love, then it doesn’t matter what others say.

Who you are is found in what you love.

Every painting has an ADOLESCENT PHASE. Keep going!!

She has a great inspiring web blog:

http://donnazagotta.com/blog/

Dancing Queens

Dancing Queens 16x20 acrylic collage

These lovely ladies succumbed to the lure of polka music at the Kimberley Accordian Festival. I must go this summer and take lots of pictures.

I am dreaming of warm green days. It always seems like the ice and cold weather will never give way. I am always surprised by the hot summer days we get in August (100F/40C occasionally). I spent my first winter here wondering why the previous owner had installed ceiling fans but I learned about that. I am drooling over seed catalogs. No sense getting too excited when it will be the beginning of June before I can plant stuff!

Winner, winner--chicken dinner!

I had my valuable assistant make the draw

And the winner is:
Julian Green

Thanks to all that sent in for the contest. I will try to have more giveaways in the future.

Mission to Berlin

"Mission to Berlin" 12x12 acrylic collage

I have been fortunate to receive a number of mission reports from my Dad's air force service. He managed to survive in an era where the failure to return rate was as high as 75%. This mission recorded the flak as" thick and accurate". He was younger at this time than my youngest daughter. He described flying through flak as "similar to having someone hold a tin washtub over your head and banging the hell out of it with a baseball bat". The problem with flak was that it penetrated those thin aircraft walls and anyone within. The B-17's were legendary for being able to return to base shot all to smithereens but able to return (most of) their crew.

Melancholy

Melancholy 16x16 acrylic collage

This reminded me a little of the Degas painting by the same name, hence the title.

Like Swallows returning to Capistrano....

The skunks have returned to Canal Flats. Bruce saw two trundling down the back road yesterday, and three walking about this morning (must be a convention somewhere). In French a skunk is la moufette, cute n'est-ce pas? I always wanted one for a pet. Bruce and Kirra are not such fans having had a mistaken identity crisis (they thought it was Jinx) one night walk.

More and More

"February is the cruellest month" 16x16 acrylic

I am reposting this older painting-- just because. Looking over my post numbers, I have doubled my entries every year since inception and now, I am just a babbling idiot. I have to thank Carol Marine for her painting workshop. It was there I learned the importance of blogging. Now my blogging drives me to paint. I also enjoy the interaction of other artists online.

I started a heritage blog of my ancestors too --"Whispers from Wayne County". Warning, don't go to the dark side.....if you sign up for Ancestry.com you may never be heard from again. I have enjoyed downloading census forms from most of my grand and great-parents. Being a history buff, I am really enjoying all the little nuggets of information. But one clue leads to another and soon.....I'm not painting!

Share the Love---Give Away

I have decided to sponsor my first give-away to mark the 500th posting of my blog (yeah, I kinda missed that, it happened over Christmas...). Just send me a comment or an email (mention the give away) and on february 19th I will throw everyone's name into a hat and let my DH pick the winner! The prize is my hot of the Blurb press copy of the Avian Alphabet containing the whole bird alphabet as shown through out the valley last year. Now is the time for all you lurkers to come out of the woodwork and all my loyal followers, I wish you luck.

Draped model

draped model 16x16 acrylic collage

This young woman was one of the models at the Maragaret Dyer workshop I took last year (sigh). I loved her sad madonna face.

Blue Teapot

blue teapot 16x16 acrylic

When I get discouraged, it is good for me to see articles like this:

http://www.examiner.com/book-in-national/30-famous-authors-whose-works-were-repeatedly-and-rudely-rejected-part-2

Great Achievement!

My daughter has been able to come and spend a few days with me. Many years ago, I spent the 7th of February bringing this little chiclet into the world and she is one of my greatest achievements.

Going Bonkers!

red/gold love 8x10 acrylic

Sometime in the last year, I bought a very attractive box from Michaels craft store that is about 6x12x9, perfect to put my ancestors photos in. I am busy racking up info and photos and I want to file them away in an organized manner. Do you think I can find that bloody box?!!! I have already wasted an hour searching for the darned thing this morning. I am making myself give up, next time I'm in town I will buy another darned box. Grrrrr!!! This drives me crazy. I swear this house turns into the Bermuda Triangle just when there is a particular object I want to find.

Romance

romance 8x10 acrylic collage

I side-tracked myself with family history yesterday. My father was part of the 379th bombardment group in WW2 and I have just discovered that I can acquire copies of most of his 30 missions. I asked him how on earth he could get back in the B-17 after the first combat mission and he just sort of shrugged and said "that was there job". There was about a 75% failure to return rate on those missions.

Numbers

How do I love thee? 8x10 acrylic collage

Gung Hay FAt Choy! Happy year of the Rabbit

rusty love 8x10 acrylic collage

I hung 21 small paintings like this in the Invermere Library yesterday. They are very kind and encouraging about letting me put my work there. I am trying to keep my art out in public view as much as possible.

This is a piece of canvas that was given the rust treatment and the background involved bubble wrap. I like how the canvas reminds me of cowhide

Happy Ground Hog's Day! or Imbolc!

Much to Bruce's joy, his image is now on the poster for the "CAbin Fever" show in Kimberley. I invite you to attend the reception on Saturday, Feb. 5 from 1-3 pm.

Looks like we will have six more weeks of winter. It's bright and cold (-28C yesterday). Things should be warmer from now on. Imbolc is an old celtic holiday that marked the beginning of the end of winter. Things are beginning to stir deep underground and the sheep begin to lactate. I just noticed that it is (finally) starting to get lighter earlier in the mornings and stays light until nearly 6 pm. YAY!!

February

leather heart 8x10

I made a few more little collage paintings to go in the show at Invermere Public library. I like playing around with the heart motif and they are a good basis for Valentine cards. I'd like to have 28 paintings, but that may have to wait until next year.