July marks a couple of anniversaries with regard to my painting efforts. Ten years ago, I went to my first watercolour painting workshop at Emma Lake. I had dabbled a bit before that, but never really got into painting. It was something that I wanted to try and thought that a week long workshop would be a good way to immerse myself in it to see if painting was something I really wanted to learn and pursue.

This is a photo from that first week (predigital days). It was a great place to get away to and just focus on learning about and practicing painting. The location was lovely, people friendly, instructor (Christine Lynn) excellent, and food wonderful.

These were my first paintings. We had lots of fun experimenting with all kinds of ways to paint and went out into the forest every day. I can still remember driving home afterwards, trying to pay attention to the road, but getting distracted by all the views and thinking of how I could paint them.

I went again to Emma Lake the next year, even celebrating my birthday there. One of these days I hope to go again - September would be good, with the light and changing colours of the vegetation.

I was still working then, so painted in fits and starts. After I retired in 2003, I again painted on occasion and took a class at the University over the winter. Unfortunately, it wasn't too inspirational. That was when I decided to follow up on my dream to go to the workshop I knew about in France with Kiff Holland. Three weeks of focus on painting was what I needed to get in gear. Don't they say that it takes three weeks minimum to make any change? Well, it worked. Since then I have painted continuously, and have taken workshops and classes that I have thoroughly checked out to be sure I would really learn from them.

In 2006, my computer guru (my daughter) convinced me to set up a website for my paintings. In July of that year, Redberry Art was launched, so this month is its 5 year anniversary. She has done all the Drupal upgrades for me and fixed glitches as they have occured. I wouldn't have been able to do it without her, and her cohorts who have helped too. So nice to have a wizard behind the curtain making sure everything looks great out front!

So it seems like events happen at 5 year intervals. I wonder what this year marks the beginning for? I guess I will just have to see what unfolds.

Looking back over the past 10 years, I am so pleased that I decided to go to Emma Lake which set me on my painting path. I can remember hearing many years ago, I think on Peter Gzowski, about someone who had regretted not taking piano lessons as an adult, thinking that it probably would be wasted on him or her. It was 10 years later, and he had reflected that by now he would likely have at least been playing for his own enjoyment. That thought spurred me no only to give painting a try, but to take up piano. Seven years later I can play at a level I never imagined I could do, and I love it.

So from one who started new ventures in her 50s, all I can say is - go for it! I have my Uncle George to thank also, who always told me that anyone can learn to draw and paint, just do it for yourself and enjoy the process. Wise words.

So Happy 5th Birthday Redberry Art, and hope for many more to come!

Now that March is just a day away (will the sun come out tomorrow?), I am sure that time will seem to pick up speed as it always does this time of year. Gardenscape is only 25 days away, to be followed by our annual Prairie River Artists' show a couple of weeks after that.

I have been focussing on floral pieces for Gardenscape. I am not sure if I will get any more done, as I would like to do a landscape piece next, or more likely a seascape/harbour piece. After months of gazing upon the backyard full of snow I am looking at my photos from the coast, and thinking about the ocean and beaches.

Also, Redberry Art is now being hosted on a new server, and the migration over the weekend seems to have gone smoothly. A couple of images need fixing, but that is minor. Thanks to my wizard(s) behind the scenes who makes everything up front look good.

So, off to make a decision about the next painting, thinking of mild ocean breezes, instead of the blizzard that is whizzing by the window today.

After painting a few floral pieces that I want to put into the upcoming Gardenscape show, I decided that I wanted a change. I had some nice big raspberries and blackberries on hand, and a sunny afternoon, so decided to set up a still life. I like to do reflections so picked a couple of small pieces and used them. Yesterday afternoon was our art group, so I started to work on it.

This is on a linen panel (from Raymar). I put a thin wash of terra rosa over the canvas first. I like using the colour best so far. I have tried burnt sienna, ochre and a warm gray on various things, but seem to come back to this colour to tone the canvas. I have tried just the white of the canvas as well, but really prefer a warm under colour like this. It just seems to add a certain depth that I like.

Anyway, this is still pretty rough, as you can tell. I sketch the subject with vine charcoal, primarly just an outline of the shapes. Then I start to block in the colours as I see them within the shapes. I use a little walnut oil with alkyd and mix with the oil paint as I use it. This will help dry this first layer more quickly. Once I have the basic shapes in, I go back over refining with the pure oil paint.

It is often around this point though, that I will get up to take a break, walk away, and come back and suddenly see that the coloured blocks are turning into the subject I'm painting. It still gets to me. Such an amazing process. That's the magic!

I don't paint in heavy layers, doing more glazing, that is, thin layers of paint. This probably comes about because I began painting in watercolour, and it is the process I learned first. I find this particularly so for small pieces like this one. When I have done a couple of larger scale pieces, then it is bigger swaths and more paint which is fun. However, I think I have to wait until I can open the windows in spring as the paint, even though the new ones don't have nasty solvents in them, still has a bit of a smell that can bother me a bit and I don't want to become sensitizied. I don't use any organic solvents at all, just the walnut oil with the alkyd (straight alkyd is too smelly for me). I wash my brushes in Murphy's Oil Soap, even ones that have sat around for a few days (buy it at Safeway).

So tomorrow I'll continue on with this piece and see where it goes. Fun stuff!

The best way to ignore January is to get stuck into projects of various kinds. Although the white from the snow is always the backdrop, it is always very bright, and now, by slow increments, it is getting lighter each day, particularly in the afternoons. And although this is usually the coldest month, a little space heater in the studio takes the chill off - I pretend it is a little fireplace.

And the projects get underway. Here is the first painting getting underway for this year. It is of the lily that was developed for the University's 100th anniversary about three years ago. A limited number of the bulbs were produced and were sold at Gardenscape and Hort Week. I managed to get three bulbs which have since multiplied well. They are a beautiful flower, particularly in the late afternoon sun.

I got this much of the painting started yesterday afternoon, and plan to get the rest of the initial work done today. That's what you do when it is frigid outside - paint summer things. If it works out the way I hope it does, it will go into the Gardenscape art show at the end of March. I decided I would participate for another year. I always volunteer with the planting of the demonstration gardens, and have been in the art show for 4 years so far. I just discovered that there is a photo gallery of several past Gardenscape shows here. I will put the information about dates on the events calendar.

So, time to have a bit of lunch, then get back to the easel. And ignore January.

Although the leaves changed colour and fell off fairly quickly, I did manage to find a few that are the inspiration for some small watercolour studies. Over the past while I have been focussing primarily on oil paintings. I have been missing watercolour, so thought that doing some leaf studies would be a great way to get back into it. Later this fall I am going to take a watercolour workshop with Kiff Holland. It had been a few years since I did a workshop with him - he was the instructor that really got me painting in watercolour and I have done a few workshops with him over the years. When I saw he was doing one this fall, it seemed like a great opportunity for a 'tune up'. I am looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I am going to do a few more of these small paintings of fall subjects. I have a pod from a wild cucumber that grew in the back yard. That will be a challenge, with all its spikes.

This is the fruits still life, nearly done. When It is almost done, then I like to let it sit for a bit, to keep looking at it and see what little finishing touches need to be done. Photographing it also seems to be useful; it provides a different perspective. This is an 8 x 10, on a Raymar panel. I really like these panels.  Easy to use and transport if needed. They have simple panel carriers too.

Yesterday, which was a very nice day, I spent the afternoon out on the deck, working on one of the little still lifes I like to do. Which reminds me, I need to order some more small canvases. I'll have to check with Raymar and see what is the smallest size they have.

I like to do the very small pieces as they are a good way to 'warm up' and to practice with the oils. I hope to get a bit quicker and to learn more about alla prima painting. Because I learned to use oil paints from someone who does an underpainting as the first step, that is primarily what I do. I'd like to learn more about alla prima, that is how to paint directly, without the underpainting step. I still need some more experience with using mediums as well. I don't really want to use any of the organic solvents, regardless of whether they are odourless or not. They are still organic solvents - you just can't smell them much.

This fall, the Federation is holding several weekend workshops. One is on alla prima painting, and then, fortuitously, there is a watercolour workshop the following weekend with Kiff Holland. I really feel in need of a watercolour 'tuneup'. And the workshop is called 'Anything but Landscapes'. Kiff is great with still lifes, something that I have come to realize I really enjoy. So I am hoping that I might be able to do both.

One other thing. My site got its Drupal upgrade a little while ago. That has made it possible to reactivate the comments function. So now, if you are reading this and want to make a comment, you can. Also, as a result of the upgrade, now the individual paintings that show in the galleries have their names visible which is a feature that I always wanted. I am hoping to make a few small changes as well later this fall, nothing drastic, just regrouping some things. Once the cooler weather sets in will be the time for these kinds of undertakings. 

Well, had better go and gesso some new canvases. Ideas to work on and the Circle Park show in just two months.

Summer seems to be winding down fairly quickly, after almost continuous rain since May (thunder and rain right now as I sit here typing). Now that all the 'must dos' are nearly done, I am getting back to some sketching and painting.

I have started doing some pen and ink sketches of seed pods and dried plants, just to get going again. Here is a dried rudbeckia from the garden. I coloured it a bit with watercolours - those haven't been out for a while!

I also started a new oil painting yesterday, a little still life with my favourite fruits and a little silver jug which must have been a creamer at a Sheraton hotel at one time. After putting the brushes down for four months, I was wondering how rusty I'd be, but it wasn't too bad. This is the 'underpainting', that is, the main shapes and colours blocked in. I'll finish it in a few days. Tomorrow is one more commitment, and then I can start getting back into the routine.

This year I will have two full days I can dedicate to painting - Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have moved my piano lesson to Wednesdays, so that gives me no commitments on those two days now. I am looking forward to having that time to focus on painting. That is particularly in light of having my own show at Circle Park in October. I'd like to have a few new pieces to put in for that.

I am hoping that we will have a reasonable autumn as it hasn't really been possible to sit outside to paint - too much rain and damp. And I don't like being outside in thunderstorms, of which there have been many.

Well, back to some sketching and planning. And watching the rain sheet down once again.