Outdoor Covid teaching...

...is an amazing thing when it's 30+ degrees Celcius (i.e. 85 Fahrenheit).  Thank goodness for our covered patio, I say!

I'd like to introduce you to Ruth Bieber, a blind artist who is playing here to create a body of work to be shown initially at the Tilted Brick Gallery here in Creston and then through the Kootenays with the assistance of a grant from the CKCA.  Ruth will be working with Marnie Temple, Lisa Benschop and myself to both create artwork, and provide interpretative tours as well as workshops for sighted and blind.

The process for a blind artist is radically different than for the sighted.  Ruth uses her hands to feel the canvas as well as to apply gesso, paints and mediums.  

The tactility is a necessity for her to 'see' what is on the canvas, and her ability to feel a minuscule raising up of a stencil addition or a 'wave' in the gesso background is phenomenal.

As we work to increase her skill levels with new techniques, there are a lot of practice sessions before testing them on a canvas.  We were really pumped with this addition to one of her pieces - look at the glow of the red shining out of that Art-Foamie-stamped-flower!

While we were waiting for the confirmation of a successful grant application, I turned my studio into a re-gessoing factory for pieces that Ruth had created in a different space.  There are canvasses everywhere in various stages of readiness.

And now with several Covid-safe playdates, we have a range of in-the-work pieces that await their chance for more time on the patio.

Keep your eye on this space; I suspect you'll see a lot more of Ruth's work in the coming months!

Hasn't this been a terrific week?

I've been gifted with a fabulous bag created by local artist Eileen Gidman.  She took a painted canvas of mine and turned it into a wonderful sketch bag.  It's the perfect size to hold a small sketch book, case of pencils, eraser (and you should know that's the most-used item when I'm out there😄) and a water bottle. 

It's just perfect, so I took it out for a test drive almost immediately.  No, I'll not show you the results - it's been a full year since I was out sketching the last time.  

I spent a great deal of time this week playing in my journal noire (thanks for that quick and sweet label, Deann!).  It seems that I was really into colour this week.

I couldn't get enough of the Inktense crayons, and I suspect there will be more of that this week.  There is such punch when strong colour hits black and white, right?

Tell me what you've been up to this week...are you well, staying safe and enjoying the summer?  I always look forward to hearing from you.

We stepped out...

...of town this week, and headed to Castlegar for the 2020 Sculpturewalk.  It was a fabulous day, just the perfect temperature, wonderful company and a fine finish with lunch at the Grand Buddha Bistro.  Photos of sculptures all by J. Purdy, who filled in for someone who forgot her phone in the car.  Thank you Jer!

These are just a few of the marvelous works on display...if you're near Castlegar, I really recommend a visit for the day just for these.

This playful 'balloon' pup was a favourite in our group.

These otters looked like liquid bronze!

I was very taken with this bas relief sculpture - it was ornately decorated on three of the four sides.

This glass kite really caught our eye.

I have long been a fan of squares, and this piece  was really colourful.

This sculpture has quite an impact, reminding me of a series of books I did entitled Squaring the Circle. 

All in all, it was a perfect day - we got out of town, the social distancing was evident wherever we went, and it felt very close to 'normal', whatever that is.  😃  I hope your week has included some creative fun as well - let me know in the comments!

Do it.

My black and white journal, now nearly halfway completed, is meant to be a day book reminder.  A nudge. A prompt.  

Each of the eighty two-page spreads is 6" in height and 8" wide.

 Some pages are clear instructions.

 Some pages remind me to get off my computer.

The odd page reminds me that, in spite of the pandemic that is so prevalent in our thoughts right now, there is much more to life.

 I remind myself that there are things I can do on a daily basis to make my world a better place.

 And that there is nobody I need to look to outside myself for approval.

Most of all, it's a reminder that each day has a need for creativity, and that I just need to

Page by page, spread by spread, activity by activity, that's what life is all about, isn't it?