If you have been wanting a Stablo Nomadic Easel or Just Go sketching or painting board it is very easy to make your own clone for a lot less cost. This is great if you aren't sure if it's for you, or you simply don't want to spend the money on a sketching solution. Or even if you want a different size than those available commercially.

Just to let my art fans know you can now purchase original artworks via Ballantyne Gallery, an online art gallery that sells original art from British Columbia artists. They have several of my works listed. If you are interested in a piece that they don't have, please contact me directly.

South Kelowna Vista 19x26 Pastel Painting

The snow is now on the ground here in Kelowna. It'll probably be here until Spring now (today it was -13C).  In the spirit of Winter, I have entered two of my Winter paintings into the FineArtAmerica.com Winter Scenes contest.

I am not sure why I love painting the snow so much, perhaps it is the challenge of painting something that is white but really isn't? I love the idea that the snow takes on the colour of the things around it as it is a reflective surface similar to a body of water.

I have both of these pictures hung in my hallway at home as I love the colours (blues and purples).

I would love if you could vote for one or both of my pieces (click the title or picture to vote)
"Bare" 
Pastel on paper
11x14
$150


or
"Snow Scene"
Pastel on paper
15x11
$150

Both paintings are available for sale as originals (directly from me) or as prints or cards through FineArtAmerica.com.

Pastel - 22x28 - Art Spectrum Colorfix paper.

Finally finished this painting I started over a year ago. It's been sitting on my easel waiting for some love. The missing part was the foreground hedgerow and the apple boxes.

Not sure if non-Okanaganites will recognize those!

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, especially those rolling clouds.

February was the month I tried oil painting for the first time. It's been the last medium (?) that I've attempted to work with. The chemicals and poisons involved have given me some concern with young children in the house, but now they are old enough to understand not to drink or touch mommy's art supplies!

Of course, it may be the medium I have enjoyed the most or perhaps it's just been so long since I painted anything that I had such fun.

Cut - $200
16 x 20 Oil on Canvas


Sunshine in a Vase - $100
5 x 7 Oil on canvas board

Had a great day! Worked on an acrylic painting of Semiahmoo Bay that I'd been meaning to work on for a while.  Used a new support, a Gotrick wooden cradled panel.  Certainly different to work on but would use again as I find canvas a bit too springy.

Semiahmoo  Bliss ($200) - acrylic on cradled panel

Inside each box you get a blank color chart that you fill out for your records so that when you run out of a color you can figure out what color it was by matching the tiny left over chip of pastel with the marks you made on the chart, that way you can reorder your fave colors.


And this is what you see inside once you open the box.  And Terry, if you're reading this, how about sending me your portrait set so I can post some pictures and rave about it on my blog?  That's what I was going to buy when it went on sale but then I found out about this new set and got it instead, the portrait set is still on my wish, wish, wish list.


My studio desk is now cleaned up and I'm getting ready to make a mark!

In it I keep my Terry Ludwigs (I *heart* these, I would be their spokesperson if they let me!) they are beautiful soft pastels but too small (and too gorgeous) to break, my Sennelier 100 Landscape set (these have been broken in half), my Rembrandts (general 30 and portrait 30 sets) broken, my prismacolor nupastels (30 set).  I have another 60 Terry Ludwigs (the Salamagundi set) that I haven't put in yet because I'm not sure I have room to put in all of them and I don't want to split the set.

I inherited these two watercolor paint boxes from my aunt who passed away last November.  I haven't really touched her art supplies so far as it's been too sore a subject for me as I am not yet over her death but I think I'm ready now to take a look at what I have and try to use it.

The larger box is a Daler Rowney Georgian watercolor set with 14 pans and two tubes (white and black). The pans are removable but aren't 1/2 pan size so I'm not sure whether replacements are possible.  The smaller box is an Alwyn Cranshaw box, also by Daler Rowney (not sure if these are Georgian the student series or not).  This box seems to have been sold as part of a set but might have been available separately as I didn't inherit anything else with it. It holds 6 x 1/2 pans.  The original colors were: Crimson Alizarin, French Ultramarine, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow Pale, Cadmium Red and Hookers Green. As you can see only the crimson and the cad. yellow still have much left.  I'm  not sure what is supposed to be in the section to the right (if you know please leave a comment).  I am going to purchase the 1/2 pans and clean up the kit for some plein air painting (probably just out in my neighborhood to start with).

If you've been reading my blog a while you'll know that my first creative spot was inside a closet and then I moved out into the family room.  Well after hearing my husband complain about so much "c**p" everywhere for the 10,000th time, we agreed that I would take over the spare bedroom (former nanny's bedroom, former office with said closet).  I knew I couldn't fit all my Ikea furniture in there so hubby has inherited 1 desk as a result.

This is the end result:

View from the doorway, you can see my art table immediately in front of you.



Once inside you see my magazine rack. 1st shelf = knitting, 2nd shelf = photoshop, 3rd shelf = scrapbooking. This shelf was picked up from Winner's a while back.

Jutting into the photo from the right side is my easel.  It's a french easel with 3 legs so it isn't the smallest thing in the world but I can't afford a floor easel right now so I'm making do. The only thing that is good about it, is that it does have a forward tilt - an essential for pastel artists so the dust falls to the floor and not all over the painting. To the right of the easel is my metal drawer unit (from Ikea) that stores art supplies not in my plein air bag, includes tubes of paint, all the left over pastel sticks (I only use 1/3 or 1/2 in Heilman pastel box), pencils etc. Garbage can is underneath on the floor.  Brushes are on top in a metal pot.
P.S. This is my latest work, it's a portrait of Eric Dolphy, a jazz bass clarinetist/saxophonist.

Next up is my computer workstation area.  I've moved back into the closet.  You can see my printer, laptop, 24" monitor and scanner.  I also have a rubbermaid drawer system under the desk for my stamping supplies.  Since this photo was taken I've added an additional shelf and bulletin board above the scanner.

Next up are my shelving units - cubes from Ikea.  I *love* these shelving units they are so versatile. I actually have 3 of them and used to keep them all upright, but this time I thought I'd turn one on it's side so I could use the top for additional storage. Baskets on top are journaling basket and unmounted stamp storage.  File folders are full of genealogy stuff to be sorted (on a backburner right now).


Immediately above these shelves is a window where I keep my camera collection, 4 vintage rangefinders and my grandfather's kodak.


Next you'll see my Ikea Alex drawers.  I love these because they are shallow and can hold large paper - 13x19 printer paper but they are not quite large enough to hold newsprint paper pads.  On top is my cutting station - an SU guillotine and a mat cutter.

Now for my art table.  This is also from Ikea.  The table can slope or be level and can be at various different heights. I try to keep it sloped to prevent me from piling too much on top of it! 

So that's it.  I hope you enjoyed the tour of Studio M, my creative playground :)

Wow, I am amazed to find out that I won 3rd place in the "Love Van Gogh" art contest over at Fine Art America.  There were 159 entries all inspired by the work of impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh.

Thank you to everyone who voted for my artwork "Vincent's Sunflower".



You can own a print copy (starting at $24US) by purchasing here or the 11"x14" original pastel painting is still available for $150US (please contact me directly).

I love getting a bargain (who doesn't!).  Today while scouring the local classifieds, I spotted this Ikea desk/drafting table for $50:

These are the same legs I have on my current art table, but I have a solid top.  However, K is always wanting to share my table (which often has piles on it) so I thought maybe I could get it for her to use.  So after a long drive to the west side of Kelowna, and $40 (yes knocked the seller down $10 on a desk that retails for $200) we came home with it. Now we get to play musical furniture to make space for it for her. She can't wait to play art with it.