Blog

  I love pansies. Every time I see them, I have to smile.  I can put them out in planters long before the last frost and sometimes they even survive our New Brunswick winter. They are "pretty tough girls" and every flower is just a little different. Like people, they each have their own personalities.  Pansies also remind me of some wonderful people I know.  Besides all that, they are fun to paint!

  I painted this slightly larger than life work in my studio. I set myself a goal to paint it in a day and I did.  I find that when I drag flower paintings out over time, they can look a little overworked. I love the freshness I get when I only allow myself a set time. I often have to work wet in wet as I never use a dryer on acrylic paint. (This is a personal preference only.) I had the canvas primed and I had a blue undercoat on it. Because of the unusual size, 6 x 20, everything I had wanted to paint on this canvas didn't "feel' right. Yesterday, while cleaning the studio for a tour, I moved the canvas, looked at it and basically saw the finished work. Painting isn't always that easy but when I can see the finished work before I even sketch it, I just go with the flow and seldom even bother with a sketch. In this painting I did have to consult some sketches I had done of pansies as well as some photographs I had taken. As in all of my paintings, I wasn't trying to achieve high realism but I was after the essence of the flowers, just enough realism to evoke memories in the mind of the viewer.

  "Pretty Tough Girls" is framed in a gold tone frame with a white liner, which is included in the price. I can email pics of the framed painting upon request. 

  It's been two months since the big studio move. I had no idea it would be as time consuming to pack and move one small studio but it was so worth it!

  The new space is so much more like home to me. I grew up in older, high ceiling flats and as short as I am, I love the extra space above my head. I can also hang a lot more art.  I've fallen in love with the new neighbourhood.  It is a little community where everyone speaks and offers help in so many little and not so little ways. 

   As a creative type, adjusting to a different environment has taken a bit of time and I'm not sure I am all the way there yet.  There is so much going on. I have a window display around the corner on Princess at Blink, the Artist's Space, the show in Fredericton continues until the middle of August, and tomorrow my studio will be included in David Goss' Walk and Talk sponsored by Freedom Tours. 

   I apologize to regular supporters for not having an "Opening" yet but it's coming, hopefully with a lot of new works!       There's a shot of the outside and one of a clean inside. You're welcome anytime by appointment 506-654-6812 or by chance. I have lots of coffee and tea!