Week 20 - in the Studio

 I jumped right back into work mode after our holiday and got the studio all spiffed up for the Open Studio - well sort of!

The very first time I had an Open Studio here on Pender, I cleared almost everything out, dusted, tidied and had it totally beautiful! Then visitors asked me where my studio was.....it looked too much like an art gallery! I guess visitors want to see the nitty-gritty, art work studio hanging out everywhere....so this time, I made sure new art was hung up, the garbage was emptied and the floor was swept - that was about all! I had a great time, made new friends and chat with "old" ones...made a few sales and generally chilled out!

Here's some pictures:

I'm planning another Open Studio for the end of July during the Mosaic Festival here on Pender Island, July 29-30, stop by!

What else is going on in the Studio? I had my second Drawing Workshop online through Vancouver Island School of Art, I'm a student, not a teacher... I always want to improve my drawing skills but seem to procrastinate, I'm sure I am the only one?

This weeks lesson was drawing branches and twigs with charcoal, not my favourite medium...but I did learn patience and a bit about Jim Dine, an American artist who used charcoal to draw a variety of topics but most notably... tools! An interesting subject, to be sure and wide scope for shading and details. You can see more about him here: Jim Dine

Here are some of my images from the class, not too bad:

I am also beginning to prepare for the summer exhibition season at The Gallery at Hope Bay, its always popular spot and the curator does an amazing job displaying the many pieces of art in a very cohesive way...

So I'm painting watercolour paper with acrylic inks and my first go wasn't very good at all, too disjointed and yuck! So they are heading to the collage pile. My second attempt was much more like what I have done in the past and will work with the additional fabrics I will use. I also added some swipes of candle wax as a resist, there are many more steps before completion but I do enjoy my Salish Sea series:

Towards SaltSpring - made last summer

Tomorrow, I'll have my gallery shift, its always delightful to meet and greet the visitors and sit amongst the beautiful art.

How was your week?

Week 19 - in the Studio-ish

 The last couple weeks have flown by and I've been able to spend dribbles of time in the studio...working on some new ideas, being challenged by framing work and making a very big mistake!

The large collages were completed and I am very happy with how they  turned out, but getting good photos is really tricky! It seems I can't get them straight and when there are several I can't get continuity in lighting and sizes....Several will be framed and others are wrapped in cellophane. If you have any suggestions on good, consistent photos, I'd love to hear them. Right now, YouTube is my friend!

This one is mounted on 16" matt board - I love the look!

I made some smaller ones, intending to frame those....the paper I used was very fragile and wrinkled terribly when I glued them down with PVA, an archival glue. It was so disappointing...in addition, the matt board was cut just a teeny bit smaller than the frame and it wouldn't fit properly. So best to call it quits on this and start again. I might be able to salvage some of the collage bits...

DH and I spent last week traveling up the Sunshine Coast in a rented RV. I thought it might be fun to try before considering a purchase - good thing! It was far too big to feel comfortable driving, next time we might rent a camper van, more our size. But we enjoyed some lovely days exploring Sechelt, Lund, and Garden Bay and I managed to squeeze some art making in!

If you're thinking about something to do over the may long weekend, plan a trip to Pender island, my studio is open and I'd love to see you!

And how has your week been?