Van Gogh and Me

Van Gogh and me go way back.  You see he was the one that got me started (sort of).

He is an inspiration to me; for my personal story includes him. Whenever I feel I can't paint I remember him and it helps me. If ever there was an archetypal struggle for an artist I think his would be it.  

When I was a little girl, I came home from school one day and my mother told me there was a letter from my Grandmother. My Grandmother was a proper little english lady who lived in Victoria, B.C. and  had come to visit us in Halifax a few times. Before she arrived, I have vivid memories of our  household going into a complete uproar as the house was cleaned and prepared for her visit.  She had a quiet and regal manner. Even at the young age of 7; I knew there was something different about her. She was from another time or era.  I was in awe of her. 

The Christmas before my mother had asked me to make a painting for her. Some yellow fields with dark green trees and a tumbling sky. My grandmother sent me back a letter and told me she really liked my artwork and that it reminded her of Van Gogh's Wheat fields.  In particular she said the brushwork was very good. She told me to keep painting and in later years she sent me a painting she had done, it was of the mountains at Banff. We had reproductions of Degas and Gauguin on our walls but none of Van Gogh  Who was this Van Gogh? 

 It was the early 1970's, we lived in a rough area of Halifax and it was not an easy time for me.  My parents had been divorced 3 years earlier and my days were spent scrapping and fighting in the inner city schools I attended.  I continued to draw and paint, I wanted to be an artist even at that young age. It was somewhat of an obsession with me and has been ever since. My Grandmother's encouraging words stayed with me, they meant a lot.

 I recently attended an instructional skills workshop in Whitehorse and did a presentation on "Me and Van Gogh".  I love his paintings and his story is poignant; even tragic but also very inspiring.  The video attached to this post says it really well. 

Embracing Change As An Artist

Original 4x6 Mixed Media 

(Watercolour, Pastel, Ink)

on Arches Watercolour Paper

"Memories of Summer, Fisheye Lake"

To Sell or Not to Sell ... Is that the question.
as long as it does not translate into to Paint or not to Paint!


The 21st century has been an epoch for artists.  There have never been this many artists in the history of the world!

Makes it pretty competitive to make a buck.

I have been a painter for some 25 years now and it has been a journey.  A process.  In regards to the sell or not sell statement: for many years I was happy to just paint a picture and sell it or paint 10 and sell them.  This worked fine for many years. But ... lo and behold... this formula does not work for me any more.  You may wonder  why on earth wouldn't it and I can tell you that I was quite mystified when it happened too. It's all about motivation... motive.  The why.   I need to know why I am painting now.  What does it mean, what or who is it for , me or them?  I need to be inspired now and it has to have personal meaning and hopefully make the world a better place. It has  been kind of a scary and messy process in the last year because I generally don't negotiate change well.  But that's  what it is. It's not perfect, it is new and it feels weird. When I paint something it's not just to "Sell"  Not to make myself seem shallow in the past but I did not have time to contemplate this.  I literally sold hundreds of paintings, I was prolific... it was amazing because I had three kids,  home schooled them, ran a house, worked and painted lots.  Now I have a lot of time, it's a new chapter.... no kids at home, solitude, unlimited time  and boom! ... I stare at the canvas... I am changing and It is good.  I love to create art but it has to be meaningful, I am finding my way. I must embrace change.

Value Studies In Landscape by Faro Seniors RPAY Art Walk Program

I am amazed at how well this group of seniors paint!  I have always told them; It is not my job to teach them how to paint, what I try to do is assist their creative process, I facilitate it.  It is such a joy for me to see how far they have come on their journeys since we first started last summer. 

 Burnt Umber or Payne's Grey and white on Canvas Board

Size 5x7.  Next Week's Class: 

We will do the same scene considering the values using colour.

Doris Unruh

Sharon Johnson

Sabine Heigl

Katy Peeling

Deb Edwards

Sharie Levesque

In the zone

Sharie you look so happy!

Abstract Art with Grades 6 to 8 at the Del Van Gorder School

The parameters for this project were quite wide so the students could design their own images. I usually do not do this but abstract art can be such an individual form of creative expression. I  thought this would be interesting to see what each student came up with.  I asked the teacher that they be given some class time before the project day to surf and  print out symbols, a quote or their names so we could decoupage these into their abstract pieces. Some chose to do this and some did not.  The medium used was acrylic on a 9x12 canvas board. Three hours (a school morning) was the time allotted for this work of art.

Below are the finished pieces produced:

  a highly creative and unique expression by each student!

Art that Heals

Original Acrylic

11x14

Title:  Peace

What do you do for someone in your family who has Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer 

and lives thousands of miles away.... 

the only thing that I know to do at this moment is 

paint them something peaceful to look at. 

This painting was inspired by Brian Ladue's photo

Gold Pans with Northern LIghts in Ross River

Twice a month, since October I have been driving to Ross River to put on The Art with Heart Program. The drive takes an hour and a half each way from my home to the Yukon College and the drive home is on a pretty lonely stretch of road on the Campbell Hwy in the dark at 7pm at night which is about when I leave.  There are some really dedicated painters in Ross (every community has them!) I so enjoy sharing the wonderful experience of painting with them.  Art is a great form of recreation and at last week's session  discussed how it is so relaxing and takes you out of your mind.  It stimulates the creative part of your brain and brings you into the "now"  like nothing else.
You stop thinking about your problems and lose yourself in the process. How could this not be healthy in our stressful modern world.

Below are some gold pans that we painted.  And some samples of the Demos I have done for my classes.

 Above and Below are two Demos Done in Class. 

I usually finish them up at home as it would take my attention away from helping the participants to finish their works.

Lovely Work Ladies!

Swim Lakes Trail, Faro Yukon

Swim Lakes Trail, Faro Yukon

Original Acrylic on Canvas

5x7

 Available

This is a smaller painting of one I did a few years ago.  I will have it for sale in Faro on Sunday at the Last Chance Christmas Sale. I have been so busy this week.  I subbed 3 days in the school and did art with the students and tutored each day after school.  I went to Ross River yesterday to do the Art with Heart Program. We painted Northern Lights on Gold Pans but that is another post. I will not have a lot for sale but I hope to do another painting today. We will see.

Value Study with Grade 6 and 7

I was at Del Van Gorder School in Faro this week and did two art sessions with the Grade 6 and 7 Class. 

The first was the importance of value to create light and dark to create depth. We did a shading exercise and below are their results.   

We spent the morning doing art and what followed after the value study 

was making Watercolour Christmas Cards. 

 I think their results for a whole morning of art were pretty outstanding!

( This was Sarah's, the EA that was helping out in our class)

Faro's Seniors: Art Walk Classes through RPAY Winter Programs

The recreation classes have been going really well in Faro.  Last week we had 16 people show up for the program.  This is the most I have had  for a class.  We painted in Sihouette  trees and sunset.  

Yesterday we had 11 people come  and do their rendition of Northern Lights on Gold Pans.  Karen Wolczanski a friend who is visiting Faro from Ottawa; she graciously let us try her open (slow-drying) acrylics.  It made the blendng so much easier in the sky and it is always nice to try new things.  This program has been a great alternative to lawn bowling for the seniors for recreation in our community.  The program is called art walk because it begins with a walking session at the rec centre to music and we also have a snack.  Yesterday's was Yukon Cranberry Jam (made by Marilyn Boyle) with Brie, fresh  apple and strawberries, French Bread and an assortment of nuts and seeds to nibble on.  As an instructor this is the most affirming and wonderful experience:  To be able to share my love of painting and create a healthy and fun environment for the people of my community is the ultimate!

Painting Fall Colours in the Yukon

Yukon Fall Colours

Original 5x7 Acrylic 

on Stretched Canvas

My winter classes are bi weekly in both Faro and Ross River with RPAY. 

This is the subject used in our first class and often I start demonstrating our topic but finish up the painting at home.  

Another Painting of Mist

Original 5x7 Watercolour 

On Arches 90lb Cold Press Paper

Mist 2

The other Demo from my class last weekend completed.  

Demo for Art Walk Class in Faro

Original 4x6 Watercolour 

On Arches 90 1b Cold Press Paper

Mist 1

I have been running a seniors painting class in Faro every second Saturday in partnership with the Town of Faro Recreation Centre and RPAY.  

One participant asked to paint mist so we did a very simple composition of demonstrating the wet on wet technique in watercolour and then adding the detail as the painting dries.   I will post another tomorrow as I did 2 quick demonstrations to show how to start the initial process but I finished them at home this week. 

Watercolour, MIst in Forest

Original  5x7 Watercolour 

on Arches  90 lb Paper

Forest Meditation

A small study done wet on wet and then worked  progressively to add detail until the painting was dry. From start to finish about an hour.  There are some accents of watercolour pencil that is a burnt sienna colour that are added at the end. Pigments are Windsor Newton and the colours are Paynes Grey, Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue. 

Smaller Watercolours

Pond Reflections

5x7 Watercolour

New Paintings for Christmas

Original Watercolour, Ink and Conte

on Arches Watercolour Paper

5x7 

Price:  Framed $95.00

Unframed: $85.00

A Romantic (and yes, cliche)  image for Christmas.  I enjoyed painting it.  The painting looks better than the digital image.  

Yukon Aspens

Fall Aspens near Fisheye Lake

Original Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

Size 16x20

Sold

I worked on this piece the last few days.   I love the Aspens in the Yukon.  The golden leaves light up the landscape.  My next painting I will paint the bottoms of the trees to get the lovely reds from the cranberry bushes or fireweed. 

Demo: Tombstone Mountains Painting

Original Acrylic

Tombstone Mountains, Yukon

SOLD

Little Salmon Commission Complete

Original Watercolour

Little Salmon Sunset

20x36

The larger scale painting completed.

Painting on a Larger Scale

Sunset on LIttle Salmon

Original Watercolour and Ink

4"x6"

I recently received a commission to do this painting but on a much larger scale.  This is essentially a thumbnail of 4 inches by 6 inches. I have painted literally hundreds of paintings this size. The washes are so easy as they are just a "swish" of the brush. I have stretched out a piece of arches watercolour paper that will measure 20 inches by 30 inches. I hope to  somewhat capture the same place.  It definitely does create some challenges for me like:  Doing washes this big take skill and speed.  I will have to really plan that out.  Also, I have not been painting in watercolour lately so feel a bit rusty.   I will post my results next week as the painting will be done by this weekend.