Friday, July 27, 2018

Time and Intent



Taking some time to reflect this morning. I have been doing a lot of private tutorials online. I will get a description up on my website this fall for those of you who may be interested in private studies in an area of your choice. One recurring theme that keeps coming up with my students is time. Time races by for all of us. Magical moments whiz by at an alarming pace. I felt that I needed to do a post on the blog reminding us of the importance of taking time to nurture your desire to create artwork. You may not have hours in a day to put aside to study or create intricate artwork. The D and peacock design took four studio days of work to bring to completion. But even a few minutes in a day can be spent doing artwork. I have been trying to incorporate some loose painting studies into my daily routine. This is so not me. I am so detailed in my work and I love getting lost in the detail. But just letting the brush skip across the page can have some pleasing results. Be intentional about carving out some time for yourself. Reflect on the beauty each day brings to you. Quiet your mind for a few moments and relax. Breathe......pick up the pencil, the pen, the brush...whatever you have.....and let it dance on the page. Take time for you.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Gratitude Post

Happy Canada Day everyone!!! I love my country and feel so grateful to live here. I travel so much these days and enjoy visiting other places, but always love to come home! I had a wonderful visit last weekend to the Berkeley City Center to teach for Ink Academy.
It was a wonderful weekend. The Victorian Pen workshop is a culmination of my most ornate flourishing techniques. We work through several colour methods from monocrhomatic inks, vintage sepia, coloured pencil and finally watercolour with gilding.



The Berkeley City Center  is magnificent and is so inspiring visit. Acanthus abounds! Architect Julia Morgan thought of every detail and I was taking photos constantly.
I was especially blessed this visit to receive some gorgeous hand knit lace from one of the students in the class. Jane had spent 4 days knitting this gorgeous table doily! I will look at it everyday and remember her kindness!!! It is draping the marriage certificate I just completed.
I am only able to show you little hints of this piece but it was such a wonderful project to come home to. The final piece is on 16x20 Fabriano paper and is embellished with 23 K gold leaf, French Shell gold, Rose Gold and deep blue, burgundy and green watercolours. I added some pastel background burnishing to help make the ornamental design pop off the page a little. Over the past few years, I have done several of these larger certificate designs. They all offer unique challenges and I enjoy working larger on these special pieces. Feeling so grateful for this day and for this long weekend here in Canada.