March is that month for me that feels like winter will never end. The repeated heavy snowfalls, the cold nights and loosing an hour’s sleep as we return to daylight savings time all make for a long drawn out finale. I know winter is winding down but it feels relentless at this point.
I completed my 18×24 mixed media piece, this was a really fun piece to make. I didn’t know where it was leading me most of the time but in a flash one Saturday morning I found a creative use for those tabs left behind from my art journals. I rounded up all of the pieces I could find and painted them a neutral colour and began to lay them out. A city scape was born! This is not where I thought this was going to go but I am pleased with the end result. I had started a second smaller piece based on the top left corner of the original and in the same style. I always call them sequels but they are their own entity, the trick with sequels is allowing them to be their own creation and for me not to focus on duplicating the original. I always hit a point where I rush to the end and forget to build visual interest similar to the first. The second is a 12″x24 canvas and it’s now complete.
In January I had such a rush of creative ideas and started so many pieces that they were stacked up on my palette table 6 canvas deep! I am now getting around to developing those mixed media pieces. Some work and some don’t and the rest I still have no idea where they are going! I still need to finish my series~” the Foods We Eat”~ but I am having trouble sitting down and working on it. Everything is cut out and ready to go but I can’t help wonder why this series that I was once so excited about no longer moves me to action? More to come I suspect!
Our local art show is 2 months away and I am slowly plugging away at completing pieces and tasks to tick them off my check list. My hope this year is to bring less pieces and not jam my booth full. A lofty goal considering that at the last minute I tend to add ‘just one more”. I hope to have 12-15 ready for the show with another 5 ready for day two if needed. I am bringing less large scale pieces this year, they don’t sell as well as the smaller pieces and I am trying to be mindful of the overall look of my booth.
I am really enjoying my new painting group and getting to know all the women that I paint along with. Rarely in my adult life have I experienced this kind of fellowship and community that I feel when I am painting with these women. They are a welcome break in my busy work week as we share laughs, food and art making!
Our art group was invited to have a 2 month show at a local art gallery and music shop in a neighbouring town. Next Sunday they are hosting us for an artist meet and greet, something I am really looking forward to! I have 3 small pieces in the show and will enjoy hanging out and talking art!
Coming up in April I am looking forward to a new workshop starting on the 17th and have lots of show prep to get done in the meantime. Wish me luck!! 🎨 on!!
Annes canvas 