heArt of the community

At the empty bowls festival the children created an art mural , hopefully we can put this up in town so all the youngsters can see

Plein Air Painting, will need to finish this at home, the weather was cold and windy.  I went out with Diane, Sonja, and Jan . The fca was hosting a plein air excursion with artist swinton but they cancelled  due to rain out, it hailed and rained within that hour, but not while we were out there painting.  June in Alberta, We were south of Calgary by the Leighton Centre.

Empty Bowls Celebration

This is the 6th year I have been involved in the Airdrie Food Bank, it just keeps getting better and better, Don't forget to come out and purchase a bowl  you'll get the soup of your choice to fill it with FOR FREE, I have painted my art auction bowl again this year and WIll be donating a painting so come on to see what this is all about, Its all for a good cause.
God Bless YOU, Lori McRichie for all your work over the last few years to make this such an incredible success.  The rest of you come on down to Nose Creek for  a bowl of warmth, in your tummy but mostly in your heart.

Airdrie Food Bank NEEDS to feed YOU!!!

Empty Bowls Fundraiser for the AIrdrie Food Bank


Join us at the Park! Free soup lunch! Bowls available for a suggested $20 donation

Children's Area - fishpond, face painting, clowns and other children's entertainment. sponsored by the Airdrie Rotary Club.

Artists - local potters, painters, cartoonists and more, that will provide hands on activities for participants as well as displaying their wares for you to peruse.

Silent Auction - opportunity to bid on bowls made by local VIP's and special art pieces that have been donated by artists form our community.

Music - take in some great music provided by area musicians.

All events are free of charge! This is the Airdrie Food Bank's way of saying thank you to our great community, for all they do to support those in need. Join us at the Park! Free soup lunch! Bowls available for a suggested $20 donation 

Children's Area - fishpond, face painting, clowns and other children's entertainment. sponsored by the Airdrie Rotary Club.

Artists - local potters, painters, cartoonists and more, that will provide hands on activities for participants as well as displaying their wares for you to peruse.

Silent Auction - opportunity to bid on bowls made by local VIP's and special art pieces that have been donated by artists form our community.

Music - take in some great music provided by area musicians.

All events are free of charge! This is the Airdrie Food Bank's way of saying thank you to our great community, for all they do to support those in need. 

model workshop

This was the 2nd view I assumed at the workshop, I will take a better photo but right now it is on display at the Airdrie Public Library

Model Workshop at the FCA

We painted models this weekend a the FCA Model workshop, First we took ten minutes and sketched (roughly) as each participant took a turn at a pose.  At 1:30 our model showed up ( a last minute girl who was able to fill in the spot) and we painted two additional works.  The next one is just the portrait as she is lying down and I will post that this week when I have a chance to work on it abit. 

Workshops coming up May 26 th 2012.
Painting a Model  9 a.m.
To be held at Swinton's Art Supply store

Plein Air with Doug Swinton on June 8th

Well the kitty I loaded up for a demo last month, Received Honourable Mention at the Federation of Canadian Artists Calgary May Show! Here it is again completed

I was chosen for the April Bus Pass in the City of Airdrie, This is the female totem down at Airdrie's Nose Creek Park I also have three of the male totems painted.

Kitty's 12 Steps - pastel lesson

Mike Svob Workshop

Event coordinator for this workshop Here I am dabbling in a new style of painting, while i don't plan on painting in this style it is fun to learn new ways to look at applying paint.  I hope to have a chance to finish these.  The methods we used were:
 1. Black Gesso underpainting (the same style that Rick Berg uses)
 2.  Painting graduated tones
 3. Black gessoed panel rather than white, chalk drawing, rinse.  yes repeat...

FCA Spring Show

The Federation of Canadian Artist held their spring show at Edgemont Community Centre, with the theme "All Things Spring" My spring picture is spring break, titled Taste of Citrus II

Just have a few things left to do on this kitty but having a hard time with the foreshortening, Will post the finished artwork and hopefully will have conquered it, lots of whiskers to add too

MIKE SVOB WORKSHOP - Calgary

Mike Svob Workshop is Full, It will be the highlight of the year.  This Workshop is made possible by funding acquired from the Federation of Canadian Artists.  I am responsible in preparing and organizing a fundraiser possible that allows the FCA Calgary to hold such revered events.  Without it we would not have this wonderful opportunity.  - I just wanted to say that! (I have spent lot of time and effort on this endeavour and with out a doubt know it is a worthwhile landfall for the organization of the Federation of Canadian Artist Branch here in Calgary)
I am the Workshop Coordinator (My partner Sonja is off enjoying the sunshine somewhere, but I am not sure she is the winner in this...I think I wouldn't miss this one!) I will be getting the materials required this week, cutting boards: we will need about 100, purchasing paints (both oil and acrylic), and mediums, pastes, gels, retarders, mineral spirits, etc.... I will be booking a hall, a caterer,  accommodation for Mike and other necessities that Mike will need to make this trip. I am with excited with much anticipation, so much so that I even went out and bought his book!  A very rare and expensive find.

My next project, ready by tomorrow??

For the FCA show entitled Spring = This painting "Spring Break"

as part of my series -  Taste of Citrus

Finished

Tabby 

What have I been up to, well I was at the Elveden Centre in downtown Calgary sitting with the art exhibition for the Calgary Sketch club.  Lately I have been working on pieces for the FCA show coming up in March. Here is the last one I am going to complete another kitty for the FCA

Daily (Weekly) Painting

 I ventured out to Cheryl's studio in Crossfield with a friend to paint a still life. We had hoped to gather on mondays to paint but our monday is thursday this week, at least we squeezed it in.  We all painted from our own view.  I hope to be able to finish mine tomorrow and will post the painting , I had to run as  The Calgary Sketch Club had member ramzi keyello do a demo for us. He was using gesso paste as a base, adding brightly coloured oil pastel and finalizing with acrylic.  I was quite a different technique.  Ramzi's art stems from his background in watching old tv shows with nostalgic scenes and buildings.  He tell us the story of how he would sit and draw the things on the tv since he was a young child.  I compare this to my experiences in that, my aunts and uncles would  give me pencil and paper and that would keep me busied for the duration of our visit. I once I laid under a crib in a relatives house and just drew bunnies.

Calgary Stampede Deadline

It the 100th Anniversary for the Calgary Stampede this year, Only 2 days until the calgary stampede deadline. I will have to forfeit my gallery application as I do not paint that quick.  Yesterday, picking up my watersheds artwork at the Airdrie Public Library one woman said she painted 6 paintings in 5 days,  it would take me about 6 weeks and thats a speedy goal for me too. I have allotted only one day a week for painting as the others are filled with classes which I enjoy teaching.  I will however, submit a picture to the auction and partake in the window where I can work on a painting while spectators view on.
Going to the Maritimes during the months of september and october (my stampede painting time) was apart of the delay.  I however, have beautiful photographs to paint from that excursion.

Oh and here are the watersheds paintings I had on display.

Painting practise