Life in the Art Burbs......

Well, after the last blog about juried shows and planting gardens...... I'm thrilled to tell you that the resident rabbit ate most of the salad garden and topped it off with the morning glory plants for dessert. Life goes on!!

The juried show saga about "waiting by the phone" quickly came to an end an hour after I dropped off my show stoppers....... I received a call that they had been rejected even before the jurying process started... Somehow I had neglected to read the fine print and submitted work that was unframed. Only gallery canveses were accepted unframed.....

Totally my fault and I'll get im next year!!!!!!!

So....... onwards and upwards. The newest work to be completed in the studio has actually been on the studio easel for quite a few months. I'm glad to say that it is now been signed, varnished, photographed and framed.

The working title is also changed to read "Forever and Always" - Acrylic on Stretched Canves 24" x 36".

I've also started a new piece that will be from the Pickering Waterfront - 30" x 40" - Landscape with a twist.

As my mantra says...... "Support Your Local Artist"

It's an investment in the future of our society.

To paint ?.... to plant ?.... or wait by the phone ??

Such a wonderful time of year...... the garden is ready for planting and the flowers and vegies are dancing around on the potting table waiting to get their preferred spot in the garden.
On the art side of the scale....... the juried competitions are in full swing. You fill out the applications, submit your jpegs, and wait to see if you have been accepted into the show. Is the work good enough?? Did you present the right pieces??.... maybe you should have picked a floral instead of a landscape painting to submit for judging!!!!.... or what if you had submitted an abstract instead..... what is the judges background? do they prefer watercolour instead of oil???
So..... you present what you think is your best work then ... sit by the phone like a girl waiting to be asked to the Prom!
What if nobody likes my work? What if I don't get picked?

You know....... if they don't like it..... "What do they know?!"
I like what I do.. and I do it for ME! That's what counts at the end of the day. So there!..lol

May Brings Flowers and Cold Germs

Such a busy time right now... lots of shows going on and other art events like juried shows and art openings.

This is a picture of me with my accepted work into the juried exhibiton at "The Conference Place Gallery" in Whitby this week.

I dashed away from a 3 day show in Pickering to attend this opening on Saturday.

Last week-end was a 3-day show in Ajax which was a great success and last Thursday night was a great art bash at the Station Gallery.

Needless to say...... all this schmoooozzzzing has slowed me down long enough for the dreaded cold bug to catch up to me. I have a busy week ahead so I hope this is a two-day cold .... I have places to be almost every day this week.

I'm treating it with Cold FX and a glass of sherry

Spring Shows Coming Up

This is a repeat of my "Tips & Tricks" page on my website......

....lots of stuff going on in the studio these days. The spring shows are coming up so that usually creates frantic activity in the studio.

On the easel is a commission of a house in Scarborough that needs to get finished by mid-May.

Under the window are a group of 4 brand new pieces called "Treble Cleff #1,2, 3, & 4. I just picked up the frames today and got them sorted... they are semi-abstract and very textured.

On the desk on the right is an abstract piece that is waiting to be framed with a trilpe matt.... have to get to Curry's tomorrow to get the third matt... Burgunday!

Fresh roses on the windowsill and a glass of wine by the computer complete the picture for this Friday night in the studio.

YEAH!!!! It's Spring

Went for my first bike ride today with my sketchbag and camera in the bike basket. Came home and produced a painting in record time of one of the shots I took today. Way cool...........

Acrylic on stretched gallery canvas 18" x 18" called Applecroft. I think the sub-division that the bike path is in is called Applecroft... hence the title.

Don't you just love it when things happen without too much planning interference.

It's called "A Happening"....... so much for the sixties :)

....... showing my age again... sorry !!!!

The Trilliums are Blooming

This painting is finally finished.... I think ! This was started last spring when the trilliums were blooming.... family health issues abounded and the work was put away.

I resurrected it a few weeks ago along with some others patiently waiting in the wings.

This scene is behind the Ajax General Hospital in a wooded area I think it's called Clements Woods.

The work is on stretched canvas done in acrylic and measures 36" x 36".

I've also just posted it to the front page of my website.

Cheers

Sharon

Paint is flying again...... YEAH !!

After such a long dry spell the paint is finally flowing again in my studio. I pulled out a fresh new canvas 24" x 36" and started a work of two people walking down a tree lined street in the fog. Seemed almost appropriate as I seem to have been in a fog myself these past few months.

I also rescued two works that were started last spring and got turned to the wall to return another day.

Top left is the foggy scene, the bottom left is a local landscape at Halls Rd and Rossland Rd. and on the right on the large easel is a scene behind the Ajax hospital of the woodlot filled with trilliums. I'm working on all three basically at the same time which seems rather ambitious but if I get blocked on one I just switch panels and work on another.

These will probably take awhile to finish but I'm just enjoying the process.