Monday 31 October 2011

Further confessions...

...of an addict - I collect leaves, leaves and more leaves.  I press them,


dry them, store them,



create with them, and then do the same thing the following year.  I have a collection of fall leaves that would likely rival the number of Carter's peanuts, and yet I can't seem to stop. 

At the front of the house where our two glorious maples reign (see previous post), the ground is covered with such a vast array of vivid reds, oranges, golds and green that my mouth waters in anticipation.  Now if I could just stop picking, pressing and drying, I might actually do some creating with them.  More to come....

Saturday 22 October 2011

It's the colour...

Fall is all about the colour, isn't it?  There are incandescent golds against a background of deep forest green,


and the flaming reds that make a heart leap.


In our front yard we have a very large pair of maple trees, and at this time of the year they nearly dance with riotous joy.  If humans displayed themselves in this manner, we'd likely be jailed for exhibitionism!



I love the fall colours, the opportunity to walk for miles without expiring in the heat, and the crisp feel of the air.  And nature's palette  inspires me in the studio, so I think I'll go paint some paper, and use some of those dried and pressed leaves from last autumn, and maybe layer some translucent film strips and do some outlining in gold....

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Confessions of an addict...

I am a paper addict, and have been for years.  For as long as I can remember, I've  folded it and cut it,


painted it, torn it and  incorporated it into artwork,



read it, altered it and marvelled at the thousands of creative ways it can be utilized. 



If I were marooned on a desert island, a container of paper would be my most likely choice of companion (sorry, John...).

Friday 14 October 2011

Intimidation...

...comes in many forms for an artist.  Drawing portraits and figures is at the top of my list, and I avoid doing so at every opportunity (and there are plenty!).  I am in awe of artists who make their living doing portraits, am amazed at every artist who incorporates the human figure into a painting, and appreciate anyone who is willing to work beyond the 'stick man' form.

My skill ranges from the appallingly disfigured,

to the thoroughly out-of-shape,

to the acceptable, (if I squint really hard),

dependent upon whether I've been exercising my muscles regularly. 

I'm here to tell you that I've not done any portrait/figure drawing for over four years, so you can guess where I'm currently at in the spectrum. 

Tomorrow, I'm joining a group of fellow artists at the home of Karen Arrowsmith in Boswell in a life-drawing class.  I'm not sure whether we'll have a male or female model, but I AM sure that my rusty life drawing skills will get a supreme workout.  Please, wish me luck and at least one acceptable sketch!


Wednesday 12 October 2011

Back in town, back to Blogspot, back re-creating a life...

It's been four months since my last posting on Blogger with the Painted Turtle Gallery.  In that time, the gallery has been closed and mostly wound down (I love bookkeeping so much that it may take a while - until tax time at least - to finish that aspect), the house whipped back into shape, minimal gardening completed, a studio created in the basement, and some heavy-duty welcoming of a new grand-niece (born at 8 lb. 13 oz. on September 2/11 to niece Shaina and her husband Lonny).


Maevie Clare Hand

What's driving me now is the scheduling of workshops over the winter, so keep your eye on this space to find out what's happening in this studio and elsewhere.

NW corner of studio
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