time keeps on slippin' into the future...

and... yes, i do want to fly like an eagle to the sea!

but for now this crooked little birdie will buff up her downy featherage and brave the cold while dreaming of warm breezes, coctailitos by the ocean, and midnight walks under a full summer moon.

i have a bit of time here over the christmas season to relax, settle in, and dabble a bit on some canvases and paper. made a fabulous trade with one of my most inspirational and favorite artist friends, and someone i simply need to visit with more often! my new year should be chock full of art, experimentation, happiness, friends and family. i have desires to travel east, and south- and hopefully will be able to do both- to change my daily habits, better the good ones and lessen the baddies. and overall simply enjoy each day and the little bits of magic within!

ahhhhhhhhh, autumn

a tryptic of glowing trees are in my mind. layers of luminescence, earthly tones and goldish reflections and delicate textures mixes with splashes of light.

these are next...

Head toppers of unusual substance

it's my favorite time of year. autumn may be bringing the cooler weather and is the precursor to winter, but i love the smell and sight of the air, the beauty of nature's transformation into it's long sleep. the harvesty feel to edibles & wearables. this includes hats. hat people are HAT people- lovers of the noggin-toppers, and i am proud to call myself one. i also am grateful that i have the ability to make them from start to finish, raw wool to completion; i can create each one as a work of art in it's own right.

a friend who owns her own fabulous cafe here on Whyte Ave (Sarah from LAZZARA) is in the beginnings of planning her own market taking over the space in the shop beside her. i'm eager to participate, and have already started creating a plethora of varied and unique hats. made of soft organic merino wool mixed with raw tussah silk and organic cotton- felted leaves and flowers and pom-poms, and who knows what else! bare heads, never be bare again!

Work up in my old "flying" ground

with the gracious help of my dear sister, i hung my new work up at the Slave Lake Library this weekend. it's a wonderful thing to see a series of work all together, having a nice rhythm & flow, and working as a unified show, not just one piece at a time sitting on my easel. there are a total of 10 pieces hanging, including a fun little self-portrait that i did just for me.

so, if you're in the area, feel free to drop by & have a look.

head fulf of big, furry ones and long feathery ones...

inspiration can come from the all over. for me, it normally comes from a dream, or the particular shape of a canvas, or seeing something in person that makes me want to paint it.

i'm working on a bison because i have 3 friends who, in the last few weeks, have painted beautiful bisons! a big violet one, a large soft brown eye, and a meatatarian's dream have forced (though, eagerly and with copious pleasure, mind you) my hand into painting my own furry beauty.


also, i recently heard that Grizzlies have (sadly) been placed on Canada's threatened species list, and my mind's eye is filled with golden fur and stoic shyness.

oh, yes, i also am working on a new Black-throated hummingbird, a Cedar Waxwing, and a Blue Heron; always, my birds :)

snowy is done

Snowy Owl (SNOW)
20x24"

mixed media on gallery canvas

i had a lot of fun creating and working on this piece; there's not one inch of the painting that is not full of texture and depth. the sky is luminescent, glowing leaf under washes of blue & gold, the snow is full of winery hues of violet & aqua, the rocks built up from actual stone & sands. and the owl himself is cut from one heavy sheet of paper & mounted upon it all.

i thought long & hard to show the right stage of his plumage- go all white or speckle his feathers with more blacks for the spring. in the end i chose a late February look; he's just beginning to get his spots back.

he, along with 3 other canvases are designated for the Gallery, and now i get to work on some new pieces for the Slave Lake library show as well as more (always more) for the Gallery and even a few smaller pieces for trades :)

redwinged blackie

my Red-winged blackbird is complete- he's 15x30x2", and has many different layers and textures throughout. the cattails are a mix of soft hemp paper and sand, and the leaves are embellished with swirls of japanese lace tissue, and his "red-wing" brilliantly shines with gold leaf. i love him! off to the Gallery he goes...