Back to Sparta with the GPG

GPG Paint Out: Sparta

I sat by the pond and listened to the bull frogs' and the birds' jam session. Again today the weather was perfect. This is the watercolour sketch I did of yellow flags blooming in the pond.

Rain Date: Komoka School House

Tara kindly invited us back to her property today, since the original date was a rainy day. There were lots more painters today. The weather was wonderful, the birds were singing and there was a lovely little breeze...in short a perfect day to paint plein air. I did two small watercolour sketches, one of the building and one of the old orchard behind it. On the way home I stopped to take a few photos of a wooded area beside the road filled with wild phlox.

First Paint Out of the Season: Rain!

Gold Creek Drive: completed  from the back of my car

Corner of Komoka Road and Gold Creek Drive: sketch from driver's seat

Today was The Gallery Painting Group's first paint out of the season. Even though the weather was not very co-operative, a few brave souls came out. Some took photos inside the old school house and some did sketches from their cars or inside the building. I did two quick sketches, one in pencil, the other in watercolour. You can see the rain spatters on the watercolour! The good news is that Monday's weather is supposed to be great and we have been invited back! There are so many wonderful subjects, both on the property and nearby, that it should prove to be great fun. After we were finished, Len and Amelia and I went for coffee and had a great chat. We have decided that this year we will sketch or paint no matter what the weather is like and will have back up rain plans in case we are unable to sketch from our vehicles as we did today.

Update: Sunset Arts Gallery

The perfume of Lily of the Valley from our garden fills the house. Wonderful!

Sketch Crawl

A "before" photo of the soon to be a studio space.

Yesterday was Urban Sketchers' World Wide Sketch Crawl day. Everyone was encouraged to get outside and sketch their environment. I intended to take part, however circumstances altered and I did not. Perhaps next time.... My friend, Cheryl did some lovely sketches as part of the World Wide Sketch Crawl. You can see them on her blog  http://radfordart.blogspot.com/  Well done, Cheryl!

Our Gallery Painting Group paint out season begins May 22 at the Komolka School house. Weather permitting, I will post some photos of the location and some of my sketches.

Back To Where We Were

We are now at the point with our studio reno where we were about two months ago. We are ready to have the floor installed. Today the floor will be levelled out and then next week, on Tuesday, the floor will go in. After that, all that remains is to move in! This is me, smiling!!!

Happy Mothers Day

A Mothers Day gift from Brian...soon there will be somewhere to put it!

Spring: Birds Singing, Flowers Blooming...... Jackhammers Hammering

                                                                                      

Outside the world is birdsong while lilac breezes drift through our garden and old friends return... tulips planted when we moved here over 30 years ago, a gift from my late father; violets and lily of the valley and bleeding heart from my late mother's garden; beautiful, exotic (to me) trilliums, a wonderful mother's day gift from my daughter and grandson.   Inside, in our basement, men are at work! The required permits have been taken care of, the paperwork from the city completed and approved and at long last the final construction work can begin. I am hoping to be able to move into my studio in a few more weeks.  To me, the sound of these jackhammers is just as sweet as the birdsong outside, although I am not sure that the neighbours, or the birds for that matter, would agree.                            

Art Show, Five Artists On The Rock

We Deliver, We Dream, We Plan

May already! It hardly seems possible. The past week was spent delivering paintings to The Art Exchange, Sunset Arts, and JMR Gallery, and dreaming about a completed studio.  Work progresses but slowly. At least with all the paintings out of the house, things are less chaotic.
This week I will be speaking to a group of young people at ArtVenture Studios about my work on display there. It has been a while since I stood in front of a group of adolescents and I am looking forward to it.
This Friday is the Opening at The Art Exchange for the Newfoundland Show.... very exciting! Newfoundland seems so very long ago.....I miss being there very much. Change Islands is a place I must return to again....soon....I hope.
Saturday is the Annual meeting of The Gallery Painting Group where we will receive the first installment of our paint out locations for the season ( I can hardly wait to see where we will paint this year) . I have learned that we will be having a workshop at one of the locations with John Stewart Pryce , which is something to look forward to!